Meanwhile back at the ranch...

Okay, so... I finally got in to see the doctor today. Seems I'm not the only allergy suffering patient he has who is absolutely miserable right now. And vicki_sine, the antibiotics I was on was a 5 day Z-pack that was finished by Monday, the 15th, so that wasn't what was causing my itching. It was something I had gotten into in the backyard, methinks, because once I got a shower, it got better.

Anyhow, I went in to see the doc and... I now have a rattle in, you guessed it, the left lung. It's always that damn left lung. I'm telling you guys, if that left lung would just get with the program, I'd be fine!! But no, it keeps getting suspicious rattles, and clicks and squeaks... personally, I think a family of gerbils has taken up residence in there, but the X-rays don't bear me out, so... *shrugs*

The end result is, I have a nice little case of bronchitis going, so the doc threatened me with Levaquin, which is a big, scary antibiotic where I'm concerned because, while it tends to work and clear out my lungs, it also happens to knock me flat and make me as week as a two day old kitten. Think... Noodle Auntie. So, when I acted appropriately cowed, the doctor instead put me on another Z-pack for five days, as well as adding an extremely low dose of oral prednisone for five days (because the five day Medrol pack actually ends up making me feel worse) and putting me back on an asthma medication that I had taken back when we lived in a house full of toxic mold (though we knew it not).

And at a larger dosage.

In other words, she's throwing all the big guns at me, probably because that rattle sounds worse than she's letting on. I also had some bloodwork done, which was ... not fun. But that's another story.

However, I did get a clue as to why I'm feeling so crummy when I went in to the pharmacy to get my prescriptions filled. Mr. B, the pharmacist, said, "Well, to tell you the truth, Auntie, ever since I noticed the farmers plowing their corn under, I've been expecting you to come in for new meds. And you're not the only one."

Yeah. The local farmers are plowing under the corn and the milo, because it is just completely burned up. Most of the corn didn't even get a chance to set ears before they started burning up. It ain't nothin' but stalks. Even the cotton, which loves hot weather, is showing the effects. Normally, it doesn't bloom till it's about hip high. It's barely knee high... and it's blooming now. And not as many blooms as you'd like to see, too.

Did I mention it was 105 F here today? That's 40.5 to those of you who measure by Celsius. In other words, hotter'n a skillet in a bonfire!

So, with the plowing under, there's dust, mold, and goodness knows what else in the air. Which means one unhappy Auntie. And also an unhappy Impertinent Daughter and Impossible Son, because Auntie pretty much has to stay put, though the doctor didn't put me on bed rest this time, per se... she just said, "Get as much rest as you can," but she didn't specify WHERE.

Think I can get off on a technicality?

*flinches from the massive collective glare from her f-list*

Okay, okay, you win, you win!!

Auntie will behave!!

*sigh*

Hey, anybody watching "I Survived a Japanese Gameshow"? OMG, that show is AWESOME!!! And hilarious!! In tonight's episode, I particularly enjoyed when a female contestant, after having been soaked in lotion and oil, had to slither across the half naked bodies of several sumo wrestlers all laying on their backs in order to place a torch in a stand and put on a medal, then slither back over them and finish an obstacle course. OMG!! And when she grabbed one of the sumo wrestlers' very apparent bulge as a handle to help herself along, then realized what she had grabbed?? *dies laughing* I wonder if he's managed to get his eyes back into his head yet?

*dies laughing all over again*

Y'all know we're big Hayao Miyazaki fans in this house. And when the kids finally wander in here in about twenty minutes or so, the sonic squeals of excitement will probably burst my ear drums and whip around the planet a couple of times, so don't be alarmed.

I know it looks a little goofy but... it's MIYAZAKI!!!

*does a little dance*

I can't wait!!!

Okay, on top of the low grade fever... now I'm itching something fierce!! Just took the last of the Benadryl and hope whatever it is slows down until tomorrow morning, when I can call the doctor.

My arms, legs, back, cheeks, and neck are itching and driving me up the wall, I'm serious! And I've got this weird... blotchy bruisey looking thing on my inner upper arm. Definitely calling the doctor in the morning!!

*sits down to review everything she's eaten and done over the last twenty-four hours*

GAAAAHHHH!!! I'M ITCHING!!!

Don't scratch, don't scratch, don't scratch, don't scratch...

Because all us gals could use a bit of eye-candy today.

Oh, yeah.

Okay, how do I tell the Husbandly One that I wish he wouldn't cut his hair?

I completely understand why he wants to, though, I do. It's summer, we're already in the triple digits, the heat indexes are high, and as he's said himself, when he goes out to practice with his 3v3 soccer team, it feels like a thick, wet mop on his head, even though it's pulled back in a pony-tail. It makes his face itch, it is sometimes uncomfortable... all the things I complain about when I'm trying to let my hair grow out.

Which I am doing right now, too.

His hair is just at his shoulders now, about to go below them, and he looks damn good to me. But, considering how I feel when I want to cut my hair short when it is driving me nuts, and he wants me to keep it long, well... I can't complain. I have to extend the same courtesy to him that I want him to extend to me.

But... just a few minutes ago, I was digging around in the dryer. And he came to the door of the laundry room, standing on the stairs, asking me if I thought we should have lunch before we head into San Marcos, and omg, but my mouth started watering, because he was standing there, shirtless, his hair pulled back in that oh, so sexy pony-tail, and I was staring at his chest and arms, and the muscles I could see just under the skin (and hair), and those light blue eyes, and dude, I just knelt there, one arm in the dryer, staring at him in absolute want. I know my mouth was hanging open, and if I hadn't been so stunned, I'm pretty sure I would have crawled up those stairs and started rubbing my face... um... well... *ahem*

Of course, he noticed, and he said, "What?"

I have no idea what I babbled, but I know it wasn't, "Please don't cut your hair because you're so damn sexy and I'm practically soaking my underwear just at the sight of you right now."

It wasn't even close to that coherent.

I know I don't write much about THO and myself where our sexual relationship is concerned, mostly because that's between the two of us. We have a very active (and inventive) sex life, trust me. I hope we will one day be the scandal of the nursing home. Right now, though... oh, my. Just having him walk in the room is enough to completely undo me, and right now??

He came in, I hid this window, and he said, "Hey, are you looking at porn? Without me? You're looking at porn, aren't you?" He'd come in to get this month's issue of Texas Monthly, which was next to me on the desk.

I turned and looked him up and down and smiled. "Yes. Yes, I am. I'm looking at porn. Pure porn."

"Pure porn?" he said as he pulled the subscription label off the magazine. "As opposed to... impure porn?"

"Nope," I said, grinning and leaning back in my chair, looking at him happily. "Pure porn, plain and simple. Right now, right in front of me."

He looked at me, startled, then started to blush because it had finally sunk in, and I started laughing, throwing my arms around his waist and nuzzling his chest. "You're blushing!" I said, "I can't believe you're blushing!"

"Stop that!" he said, laughing, even though he hugged me back. "I'm not!"

"Honey, you're making my mouth water!" I said, and he blushed even more, and danced out of the way, practically fleeing for the kitchen while I laughed.

I do entirely mean it, and I wish he'd believe me when I tell him how sexy he is. *snorts* Why does he think I married him??

Well, there are other reasons, but... y'all know what I mean, right?

Anyhow, as far as his hair goes... well, it's up to him. It's his hair, his head, and he has to be comfortable with it. But still... sigh

I wish I could tell him to keep it...

Took the kids to get their hair cut yesterday. Mr. Manzie's was so thick, a jungle expedition could get lost in there, and it was getting wild, cowlicks standing up everywhere, hair going where it wanted, especially in the back. Grandma's Crazy Cajun Hair gene had definitely struck again! In fact, I warned Sherri, our regular hair whacker, to be sure to comb through it before she used the buzz clippers on him, as it was sure to get hung up otherwise.

"Oh, it'll be fine!" she said with a grin. "His hair is so fine, it shouldn't tangle much."

*snort* Yeah. Right.

Five minutes later, she was combing through it. "I've never seen fine hair that was short tangle like that before!"

"You've been spoiled by my thinning hair," I said cheerfully. "Because mine used to be exactly like the Impossible Son's."

He wanted it short on the sides and spiky on top, and has asked me if he can get it high-lighted blue next time. *laughs* Of course, I said yes!

And, of course, I have pictures...

( Clicky and see! )

And the Husbandly One and I have come to the realization that we are going to have to rig a canopy for our vegetable garden. Some of our plants, like the pumpkins, just can't take the sun. Ten years ago, I had no trouble growing pumpkins in full sun during a drought, but now? They're wilting, even though they are getting watered regularly. We're not the only ones, either. There are a lot of folks out here who are rigging shade for their gardens, because they're burning up otherwise.

Last year, the corn and milo in the fields around town didn't burn up until July. They started turning to straw last week, and the corn hasn't even shown ears yet. The grass in our front and back yard is already gone, and only the gardens are showing any greenery, because that's where we put our water. Makes us wonder what we should put in the yard rather than grass. Well... maybe buffalo grass rather than St. Augustine, which takes insane amounts of water to keep green, and just isn't worth it.

So, all you folks who are getting too much rain are welcome to send it our way. We are dry, dry, dry!!

And now, off to the library!!

I've had larygiart... laryntigi... laringy... lost my voice for the last three days. Woo-hoo. And I'm coughing a bit, and restlles... restllles... resile... unable to lie still. At night. So... the HUsbanly... Husbanndl... THO made me a hot toddly... toddy. And I think he put a wee tooo much whiskers... whisesy... whis... Jack Daniels in it. Because I'm really wooozy and very squiffed.

okey dokey.

OMG, I just saw this on ontd_startrek and just about died!! So, of course, I immediately had to share it!!

I give you fair warning, put all liquids far, far from your computer, do not eat or drink before clicking play, and try not to knock things or people over when you flail, 'kay?

*sits back to watch the fun*

Because florida_minxie asked for it, I'm going to do it. I think we all sometimes need to remember the positives in our lives, just to keep ourselves balanced.

Stake your claim on the positives. Find five and put 'em in your journal - without a fricking cut. Get your flist to do the same. Because, really, I need to read about the positives today.

And that is a direct quote from Minxie. So here I go...

(1) I have two very bright, very energetic, and very lovable kids who constantly surprise me with their ability to think their way through problems that would stump other adults, let alone kids. They keep me motivated and interested, and challenge me in ways I never expected, but thoroughly enjoy.

(2) I am married to a wonderful man who is as far removed from my dad as it is possible to be. He works hard and comes home to hang out with us, and enjoys it. He has stuck to me through thick and thin and proved to me that love is real and forever, believes in me when I need it most, and shares a love of the ridiculous that is very gratifying. He is most definitely my partner in crime!

(3) I am most fortunate and blessed to say that the woman who bore me is not only my mother, but a very good friend, too. I know a lot of women can't say that, but I can, and I know how lucky I am. She may drive me nuts from time to time, but I can always count on her to listen, and to make me laugh.

(4)There are two women in my life who have become closer to me than sisters. They both know me far too well, and I literally can not get away with anything around either of them. I met one of them when we were both twelve, and I met the other one when I was 42. I don't think my life would be the same without either of them.

(5) My life has its ups and downs, but mostly I am happy, I have a roof over my head, food on the table at regular intervals, a garden I love to work in, and something interesting to do every single day. It's a good life!

Now it's your turn!!

Okay, so last night, the Impertinent Daughter decided we were going to do a sort of... manga round robin type... thingy. She's tired of me saying I wish I had time to sketch, etc, but not doing it, so... she grabbed me and sat me down at the kitchen table and the next thing I knew, we had done this...

( Click if you want to see what we did!! )

I found this by following a link on weloveamigurumi, where a member was showing her little Star Wars character Moon Buns, which are unbelievably cute, by the way, and I WANT ONE... um... *ahem*...

Anyway... I followed the link and found this video, and died laughing, because how many times have I heard this or something like it from other people??

Somewhere, there has to be a similar video clip for The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Star Trek...

But this one, for right now? Slays me. Utterly slays me.

*is convulsed with laughter all over again*

Dunno what kills me more... Chewbacca as an overgrown, deformed Ewok... or Hans Solo?

Thirteen years ago today, I was driving Mike nuts every time the door to my hospital room popped or squeaked. I'd sit up and say, "Is she here yet? Have they brought her?"

And he'd groan and say, "No, honey, she's not here yet, for pete's sake, GO BACK TO SLEEP!!" because we'd been up all night the night before.

Over and over, any time a door down the hall opened, my door would squeak, groan, or pop, and I'd sit up and say, "Now? Is she here now??"

And he'd throw a pillow at me.

I should have been exhausted, and I was, but I couldn't sleep. I was drugged up to my eyeballs, but I couldn't close them to save my life. I couldn't sleep, couldn't relax, couldn't do anything until I saw my daughter.

Then the nurses finally brought her into my room, and I held out my arms, and they handed her to me, and I forgot all about everything else as I eagerly unwrapped the blankets and counted every finger, every toe, looked into her face, sniffed her head, and kissed her and said, "Yep, this is my kid," then promptly curled up with her in my arms and went fast asleep.

And Mike said, "Hey! No fair!! You kept me up ALL NIGHT LONG!! WAKE UP!!"

And the nurses said, "AAAACK! SHE CAN'T SLEEP WITH THE BABY IN HER ARMS!! PUT THE BABY BACK IN THE BASSINET!!"

So Mike picked the baby up and put her back in the bassinet. Whereupon I promptly sat up, not quite awake, and started reaching and whining for my child. So, he picked her back up, put her back in my arms, and I promptly curled on my side with her in my arms and went right back to sleep. When the nurses freaked, Mike said, "My wife wants the baby in her arms, she gets to keep the baby in her arms. They'll both sleep better that way. Now, if you're done here, go find someone else to bother!" So they did.

And so began our adventures with Cailly, who introduced us to the joys and horrors of Parenthood. It has definitely been a rollercoaster ride! And we've enjoyed every single second, even the terrifying ones!!

Happy Birthday, Cailly! Love you bunches!!

This morning I was finally alert enough to remember to take a photo of the Impertinent Daughter's bento lunch before getting in the car to leave for school! Wish I had done this yesterday, as she had to take our state educational system's version of an assessment test, which took the greater part of the day, so she had a second level to the bento that had snacks packed into it.

Oh well, here is today's bento... a lunch for the junior high soccer player



We have fried chicken strips, whole-grain goldfish, sliced red bell pepper, red grapes, and half of an avocado, cut into chunks. For the drink, she has a Minute Maid Fruit Falls Tropical Water Beverage, which has only 5 calories, and less than one gram of sugar and, most importantly, NO high fructose corn syrup!! (that's a big issue for our family).

The Impertinent Daughter looked at it and said, as usual, "Wow, I hope I can eat it all."

Of course, she always does manage to eat it all! And she gets a lot of envious looks (as well as attacks by moochers) for her bento lunches! What I have discovered since I started doing this is... it's actually a lot easier to prepare than the traditional sandwich, chips, and drink, it's more challenging, and most importantly of all... my kids don't bring home a lunch box with stuff they haven't eaten in it. And I think that says more about the success of my "experiment" than anything else!

This is what happens when the class Tell-It-All tells the Object-Of-Your-Daughter's-Affection... that she likes him.

Well, actually, I think this is what she WISHES she could do to him.

You know, if I was that kid... I think I'd make myself really, really scarce tomorrow.

I love the conversations we have in the mornings on the way to school. Sometimes they start out funny, sometimes they don't. Sometimes we don't talk at all, all three of us sort of huddled in our seats, not quite awake, and not quite sociable yet. But every once in a while, we're all awake, and peppy, and you never know what's going to set us off.

So, this morning, we're walking out the door, and the Impossible Son was moving a little slow (any slower and he woulda been goin' backwards), and I was keeping an eye out for Calcifer. Calcifer does not like his kids leaving the house. He hates it. He most especially hates it because they're leaving... without him! He'd probably be fine if he could go to school with them, and does not understand why he can't go, too. He doesn't like it when they go outside to play, again without him, either. This has resulted in our having to keep an Instrument of Cat Discipline by the door (it's a squirt bottle with water and about a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in it, just enough to smell to a cat).

So, the Impertinent One had walked out and left the door wide open, and I had to rush up to it before Calcifer could, and because I'm funny that way, I shouted, "Back, Simba, back!" while grabbing the water bottle and aiming a few squirts at him.

Picture one orange cat with a wrinkled up moue of disgust, fleeing rapidly back into the kitchen.

Mr. Impossible started laughing. "Back, Simba, back?" he quoted back at me. "Why'd you say that?"

I laughed, too. "I dunno, guess I got Tarzan on the brain or something."

"Tarzan doesn't say that," he said, walking past me to go outside. "There's only that leopard, and I don't think he had a name."

It was then I realized how remiss I've been in my childrens' educations. They've never seen any of the old Tarzan movies, or the television series! I'm a terrible mother!!

"Well, Mr. Manzie, there was a live action TV series about Tarzan when I was a kid, and he seemed to say, 'Back, Simba, back!' an awful lot." I followed him out to the car. "In fact, I think every single lion he ran into was named Simba. No matter where he was, if he ran into a lion, it was always, 'No, Simba!' and 'Back, Simba!' and 'Stop chewing on that man's leg, Simba!' No matter how many lions he met!"

Mr. Manzie nearly fell out of the car, laughing, and the Impertinent Daughter said, "What the heck are you guys talking about??"

So, I filled her in, and also started talking about the movies, and Johnny Weismuller, and how it seemed just about every guy they got to play Tarzan after him seemed to be an Olympic swimmer, like it was a job requirement. And we talked about Tarzan's animal vocabulary, which seemed to primarily consist of the word, "Unk!"

"Unk?" said my son. "What does that mean?"

"Who knows?" I said, heading toward the junior high. "It was sort of utilitarian word, meaning whatever he wanted it to me, I guess. Unk, Tantor! could mean 'stop charging!' or 'please get off my foot, you're killing it!' Unk, unk! could mean, 'back off,' or 'I'm going to rip your guts out through your nose,' or 'don't even think about touching my sandwich!' Very flexible word, unk."

At this point, my kids are semi-hysterical. "And it worked??" said my daughter in disbelief.

"Oh, yeah, all the time. It was a movie, you know." I just grinned. "Of course, Tarzan has changed a lot."

"I know!!" said my son, still laughing. "I mean, the Tarzan we saw isn't like that at all!"

He is referring, of course, to Disney's Tarzan, not the Tarzan of Edgar Rice Burroughs' novels, alas. So, we talked about how different that Tarzan is from the Tarzan I had grown up with (because my mother loved old movies), and my daughter frowned and said, "Yes, but why is he different?"

"Well,"I said, thinking a little harder than I'm accustomed to that early and without as much caffeine as I usually require, "I think that's because in the movies I grew up with, there still wasn't a lot known about gorillas. They're kind of shy, and hard to find, and when people did finally find them and see them, the gorillas were frightened and did their best to make the intruders go away. So, the Tarzan in the movies was sort of rough, and macho, and domineering, did a lot of chest beating and posturing, and his movements were sort of jerky. But in the sixties and seventies, Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey started observing and studying chimpanzees and gorillas and found out that they weren't like that at all. That they were actually rather gentle and quiet when they were just among themselves and didn't feel frightened or threatened. So, the Disney version of Tarzan sort of reflects that research. What's he like?"

"Well," said Mr. Manzie. "He's quiet. And he's slow and gentle. And curious."

"Very curious," I said.

"But very protective," said Miss Priss. "He protects his family."

"Yes, just like the gorillas do," I said, nodding.

I thought that part of the conversation was over when Miss Priss got out at her school, but Mr. Manzie had another question for me.

"How come people didn't know that about gorillas back when your movies were being made?"

I didn't bother to correct him, seeing as those movies were made in the thirties and forties. "Well, Little Man, that was because no one ever thought of just going into the rain forest to observe them quietly, right there in their own habitat."

"Why?"

Why was I being required to think so early in the morning?? "Well, because in those days, that wasn't considered a valid form of research. It was thought that no one could observe animals without projecting their own thoughts and feelings onto the creatures they were watching. And no one wanted to invest the time, because it required a great deal of time and patience to watch animals in the wild."

"I watch the squirrels in our backyard all the time!"

"They are fun to watch," I agreed, "but... would you want to sit and watch them and do nothing else all day? Not play on your Nintendo, not run around the yard pretending to be ninjas, or chasing Bigfoot, or kicking around the soccer ball, just... sitting on the grass being very, very quiet for hours and hours, watching and waiting for the squirrels to do something."

"That would be boring!"

"Yes, and that is why it requires a whole lot of patience to be an animal researcher! And we are here, and it's time for you to go to school!!" I said, pulling up to his school's drop-off area.

Should I feel a teensy bit guilty that he asked, when he hugged me goodbye, "Why can't learning stuff in school be this fun?"

"I think it sometimes is, kiddo," I said, handing him his backpack. "You just don't always remember that."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he said, and got out of the car. And as he ran to the doors of the cafeteria, I couldn't help but wonder if I should have home-schooled him after all.

Then my sanity returned, and I just started thinking of projects we could do on our own. Yes, that works out much better...

One advantage to having two kids playing soccer is when the older child outgrows her shoes... the younger child can wear them.

Before you go ballistic, I should also like to remind you that Cailly does not like pink, nor does she like to wear "girly" soccer shoes. So, her shoes are either black, or white.

So, Joze has outgrown the last pair we got him, and is now between a 13 and a half and a 1. Well, I went digging in our box of soccer shoes et voila!! a pair of 13 and a half, black soccer shoes. So we will only have to buy one pair this season. YAY!!

*does a happy dance*

We also have shinguards out the wazoo, and thanks to several of my British friends, I now know I can toss the shinguards in the washing machine so... no more reeky shinguards emitting the Soccer Pong of Doom!! YAY!!

Oxyclean is your friend.

Joze is good to go with soccer shorts. I just have to have Cailly try hers on to decide whether or not to buy more for her. I think the junior high issues uniforms for the soccer team, so she only needs black wind shorts for when she referees for the rec league.

Am I ready for soccer season? Not really. But I will adapt, yes, I will!

Dear Asthma Monster,

Go away. Now. Take your pointy little head and put it back under your rock or whatever. I have no time for you right now.

Oh, and give my voice back. Or else.

I have albuterol... push me and I'll use it, man! Back away slowly, and you won't get hurt. Much.

No love,

Auntie

As y'all can see, Calcifer and Muta take their duties very, very seriously. Even when Josef has a foam beard.

Because today, we get a brand new president. Because today, we are going to change things. Because today, hope came back into da house.

Yes... we can... and we did...

Here it is! Photographic evidence, taken by Mike, that the two Junes met!!





Aren't they cute? HEE!!