Sunday, March 26, 2006
Ponderance
Why do I hate the repetative chores at my house so very much (dishes, kitty litter, toilets, laundry) while my favorite video games pretty much boil down to making someone do repetative chores (Sims-dishes,cleaning,etc. Animal Crossing-fishing,gathering shells,picking fruit Harvest Moon-gardening,caring for animals)? Why can I spend hours gathering cherries and selling them to the Farmer's Market? It's the same 30 second action OVER and OVER and OVER again. At least doing the dishes gives some physical reward. I dunno.
It's SPRING
At the very least, it is my spring break. It doesn't feel real yet, but tomorrow, when I don't have to get ready to go to work and I can lounge around all day, it will be wonderful! Two whole weeks to myself. Ahhh.
Monday, March 20, 2006
Finally
After a month and a half of hoping for someone to give the puppies, Trooper and Mia, a wonderful home, the waiting is over. The new owners are patient and loving. They are childless, giving much of their attention to their pets. Their home is on a couple of acres, all nicely fenced in, with lots of room to run and dig. They are planning to build a special kennel for the dogs to sleep in at night, complete with protection from winter rain and summer sun. The husband is home during the day to give them attention if necessary and the wife is willing to work on training them. They will have someone to walk with twice a day. The dogs will be well-fed, well-cared for, and well-loved. We have found the perfect place for them.
Where?
With us, of course. My puppies are finally, officially, MY puppies. When I walk out the back door and hollar, "Where's mah dogs?" I am not just pretending. :)
I have to thank Mikey for agreeing to this, despite his misgivings. I will make it work.
Where?
With us, of course. My puppies are finally, officially, MY puppies. When I walk out the back door and hollar, "Where's mah dogs?" I am not just pretending. :)
I have to thank Mikey for agreeing to this, despite his misgivings. I will make it work.
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Letting Go
When I was born, my grandmother showed up, as grandmothers are wont to do upon the birth of their first grandchild, at my parents' doorstep, to help with the daily household chores as my mother got used to being, well, my mother. As the story has been told to me, she ended up being my first babysitter whenever my mom needed to grab a few minutes of that precious parental commodity - sleep. Being a bit preoccupied with this new thing called "life", I can't pass judgement on her ability to cook, clean, or make conversation during that trip, but the last 27 (yipes, nearly 28) years has been a tribute to the bond that we made during those first few weeks.
Despite having half a continent between us for a majority of those years, we have remained as close as ever. Annual visits to her home in Washington were a favored vacation when I was young. While I was in high school, there were a few brief years when I could see her on a daily basis, often staying at her house overnight after a dance or popping by for dinner before theater rehearsal. In college, I could count on her to send me a monthly gift - often just what I needed to keep my checkbook in the black or keep myself stocked with Ramen soup and peanut butter. We eventually traded places - Grandma in the midwest and myself on the West Coast - but continued to keep in touch with monthly, and eventually weekly, phone calls. No amount of distance could prevent us from sharing the events of our lives.
I have often battled with a sense of guilt despite this closeness. As the eldest grandchild, I grew up with a sense of obligation. My grandmother was there for my first days. In my innocent youth, unable to conceive of a life outside of my immediate family, I made a commitment to myself. When grandma needed someone to be there for her, when she could no longer handle things on her own, I would be the one to care for her. We would share her cozy little house by the park, and I would make sure her last days were as comfortable and supported as she made my first. At some point I realized that my life was changing. I had a boyfriend, then a husband. A job. A home of my own. Suddenly, the day arrived when she needed help and I was thousands of miles away. My childhood commitment went unfulfilled.
A while back, my grandmother moved from her home to an assisted living apartment and finally into a nursing home. Her confusion and general weakness made it unsafe for her to be unsupervised. Although she was frustrated by the betrayal of her own body and mind, she seemed to adjust well to her new surroundings.
Early this afternoon, my grandmother died. The relationship that started as she held the infant me to her chest reached its physical end today. I will never again hug her frail frame or hear her wavery laughter over the phone. My memory of her weathered face, white curls, and sparkling eyes at my sister's wedding this past summer will be my last. But there is no distance, earthly or not, that can change the closeness we have. I will feel her courage and strength with me every time I speak up for someone without a voice. I will be echoing her dedication to my grandfather every time Mike and I celebrate an anniversary. I will hear her whisper "Honey, I am just SO proud of you!" with every accomplishment.
Goodbye, Grandma. I hope you are happy and comfortable wherever you are now. I hope that you are once again strong and healthy, celebrating with those you have missed for so many years now. I will see you again some day. In the meantime - I will think of you often and love you always and forever.
Peace be with you.
Despite having half a continent between us for a majority of those years, we have remained as close as ever. Annual visits to her home in Washington were a favored vacation when I was young. While I was in high school, there were a few brief years when I could see her on a daily basis, often staying at her house overnight after a dance or popping by for dinner before theater rehearsal. In college, I could count on her to send me a monthly gift - often just what I needed to keep my checkbook in the black or keep myself stocked with Ramen soup and peanut butter. We eventually traded places - Grandma in the midwest and myself on the West Coast - but continued to keep in touch with monthly, and eventually weekly, phone calls. No amount of distance could prevent us from sharing the events of our lives.
I have often battled with a sense of guilt despite this closeness. As the eldest grandchild, I grew up with a sense of obligation. My grandmother was there for my first days. In my innocent youth, unable to conceive of a life outside of my immediate family, I made a commitment to myself. When grandma needed someone to be there for her, when she could no longer handle things on her own, I would be the one to care for her. We would share her cozy little house by the park, and I would make sure her last days were as comfortable and supported as she made my first. At some point I realized that my life was changing. I had a boyfriend, then a husband. A job. A home of my own. Suddenly, the day arrived when she needed help and I was thousands of miles away. My childhood commitment went unfulfilled.
A while back, my grandmother moved from her home to an assisted living apartment and finally into a nursing home. Her confusion and general weakness made it unsafe for her to be unsupervised. Although she was frustrated by the betrayal of her own body and mind, she seemed to adjust well to her new surroundings.
Early this afternoon, my grandmother died. The relationship that started as she held the infant me to her chest reached its physical end today. I will never again hug her frail frame or hear her wavery laughter over the phone. My memory of her weathered face, white curls, and sparkling eyes at my sister's wedding this past summer will be my last. But there is no distance, earthly or not, that can change the closeness we have. I will feel her courage and strength with me every time I speak up for someone without a voice. I will be echoing her dedication to my grandfather every time Mike and I celebrate an anniversary. I will hear her whisper "Honey, I am just SO proud of you!" with every accomplishment.
Goodbye, Grandma. I hope you are happy and comfortable wherever you are now. I hope that you are once again strong and healthy, celebrating with those you have missed for so many years now. I will see you again some day. In the meantime - I will think of you often and love you always and forever.
Peace be with you.
Saturday, March 11, 2006
2 Feet, Easily!
It has been snowing all day, so despite the above freezing temps, we still have 2 feet of snow in our yard. The dogs have been bounding around in it, thoroughly enjoying themselves. I have been alternating between the cozy warmth of my living room and the windy excitement of my winter wonderland. I thought I would share some pictures:
First, you can see what it looked like yesterday shortly after the snow started. When I left for work in the morning things were brown and dusty like usual. Mike said that nothing was really sticking to the ground until the afternoon.
Then it started snowing like it meant it.
This morning, everything was covered with a thick, heavy blanket of white. The dog kennel looked particularly pretty.
The redshank bushes were all bowed under the weight of all that sticky snow. The whole place looked different. We finally realized that it was because we could see over the bushes in places we normally can't. I am somewhat concerned that we are going to have lots of broken branches when this is over, but I guess that isn't the end of the world.
Since there are some things you never outgrow, I immediately felt the need to make a snowangel. Trooper was eager to "help".
I knew the cats would be facinated by the snow, so I brought some in for them to explore. Mostly, they just glared at it from across the room. Ollie was the brave one. He dug into it a little and chased the mini-snowballs I threw for him.
In the afternoon, I decided to make a snowman. It was so much fun that I built him a snowdog to take for a walk. The real dogs were quite confused by my interest in this particular patch of snow and took to licking the snow creatures. I had to repair the snowdog's nose after Mia took a nibble off of it!
I am so glad that I have kept my flannel-lined jeans, Steeger mukluks, and choppers handy despite the SoCal location. I am putting them to good use this year!
First, you can see what it looked like yesterday shortly after the snow started. When I left for work in the morning things were brown and dusty like usual. Mike said that nothing was really sticking to the ground until the afternoon.
Then it started snowing like it meant it.
This morning, everything was covered with a thick, heavy blanket of white. The dog kennel looked particularly pretty.
The redshank bushes were all bowed under the weight of all that sticky snow. The whole place looked different. We finally realized that it was because we could see over the bushes in places we normally can't. I am somewhat concerned that we are going to have lots of broken branches when this is over, but I guess that isn't the end of the world.
Since there are some things you never outgrow, I immediately felt the need to make a snowangel. Trooper was eager to "help".
I knew the cats would be facinated by the snow, so I brought some in for them to explore. Mostly, they just glared at it from across the room. Ollie was the brave one. He dug into it a little and chased the mini-snowballs I threw for him.
In the afternoon, I decided to make a snowman. It was so much fun that I built him a snowdog to take for a walk. The real dogs were quite confused by my interest in this particular patch of snow and took to licking the snow creatures. I had to repair the snowdog's nose after Mia took a nibble off of it!
I am so glad that I have kept my flannel-lined jeans, Steeger mukluks, and choppers handy despite the SoCal location. I am putting them to good use this year!
Holy Cow!
I hoped that there would be snow left this morning to play in, but I had no idea there would be this much! The snow is more than a foot deep out there - I watched Mia run past and you can't see her legs! It is about 30 degrees right now and you can tell be the way that the Redshank brush is sagging that that snow is HEAVY. It is still coming down fast and steady. I guess we won't be going anywhere this weekend! California doesn't have the resources to get her roads cleared off the way Minnesota does. Not that I mind. I'm liking the excuse to sit in my warm house, sipping hot cocoa, and reading my book. In fact, I think I will start that right now. See ya!
Friday, March 10, 2006
Grandma News
My mother's mother had a stroke yesterday at about lunch time. She exhibited the classic signs: slurred speech, drooping facial features, and inhibited motor movements on the left side. My mom and the doctor decided to try a newer drug which basically dissolves blood clots. It can be somewhat risky, since it doesn't differentiate between dangerous clots and beneficial ones. Within a few minutes of administration, grandma was looking better and by last night she was back to raising trouble for the nursing home staff. I have been told that she is still in some danger (injuries unable to clot for a day or so, blood vessels in her brain which were injured could simply give way), she is pretty much recovered from it. Since I didn't hear anything today, I am assuming the best for her. Please keep her in your thoughts.
The Return
It is snowing again! This evening, I drove the last 2 miles to the house through rain, slush, and finally actual standing snow. Cresting the hill to see the entire valley covered in a blanket of white was a beautiful way to start my weekend. I am hoping it is still around tomorrow, so I can go play in it!
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
The Classic Combo of Werewolves and Pudding
Driving home I had several thoughts and I jotted down reminders about them, so here I am remembering them!
1. I was listening to a great station (I'm still not sure what it is called, but they have some awesome programming) and their news update came on. The tidbits went something like this:
blah blah protesters being doused with flammable liquid in country Y blah blah government taking away civil rights in country X blah blah blah new diseases found to be destroying animal N blah blah blah study shows risk of cancer Z is up blah blah blah air pollution rating in city W at all time high blah blah blah bus filled with children and old people attacked by people irrate over the change in time of their favorite sitcom blah blah blah
Okay. I admit I made up that last one, but the rest are all based on fact. There was not ONE single piece of good news reported. This place is going to hell in a rocket powered handbasket. And yet, I don't just give up and crawl into the mountains to die. I credit the 10 year olds.
2. You know how those low-rider jeans are really short from crotch to waist? And you know how some people think they look sexy when they wear them, when in fact their butts just look twice as wide? Well, tonight I was driving behind a truck that looked just like that. I know those people thought their mega-wide truck made them look cool, but they just looked twice as dumb.
3. International Women's Day. Today is our day. I would like to thank the women in my life who are a constant inspiration to me. For Mom, Kathy, Verena, Shanta, Lexi, Sue, Julie, Nicole, Gramma Jeanne, Gramma Ann, Gramma Lorraine, Gramma Mary, Kate, Lynn, Raya, Amy, Sandy, Tori, Sarah, Amber, Maria, Julia, Kakey, Cindy, Ann, Patty, Kathy, Kelly, Pam, and all the other women who touch my life in unknown ways every day:
Thank you for your strength, your fragility, your pride, your fears, your confidence, your concern, your comfort, your love, your anger, your cooperation, and your serenity.
1. I was listening to a great station (I'm still not sure what it is called, but they have some awesome programming) and their news update came on. The tidbits went something like this:
blah blah protesters being doused with flammable liquid in country Y blah blah government taking away civil rights in country X blah blah blah new diseases found to be destroying animal N blah blah blah study shows risk of cancer Z is up blah blah blah air pollution rating in city W at all time high blah blah blah bus filled with children and old people attacked by people irrate over the change in time of their favorite sitcom blah blah blah
Okay. I admit I made up that last one, but the rest are all based on fact. There was not ONE single piece of good news reported. This place is going to hell in a rocket powered handbasket. And yet, I don't just give up and crawl into the mountains to die. I credit the 10 year olds.
2. You know how those low-rider jeans are really short from crotch to waist? And you know how some people think they look sexy when they wear them, when in fact their butts just look twice as wide? Well, tonight I was driving behind a truck that looked just like that. I know those people thought their mega-wide truck made them look cool, but they just looked twice as dumb.
3. International Women's Day. Today is our day. I would like to thank the women in my life who are a constant inspiration to me. For Mom, Kathy, Verena, Shanta, Lexi, Sue, Julie, Nicole, Gramma Jeanne, Gramma Ann, Gramma Lorraine, Gramma Mary, Kate, Lynn, Raya, Amy, Sandy, Tori, Sarah, Amber, Maria, Julia, Kakey, Cindy, Ann, Patty, Kathy, Kelly, Pam, and all the other women who touch my life in unknown ways every day:
Thank you for your strength, your fragility, your pride, your fears, your confidence, your concern, your comfort, your love, your anger, your cooperation, and your serenity.
Monday, March 06, 2006
More Games to Play at Home
As I mentioned before, we have a surprising number of food items in our cupboard that are a mystery to me. How did they get there? If I bought them, WHY?? And what the heck are we going to do with them? Play a game, of course!
Each night we are drawing the name of one of these items from a hat. That item must be featured in the evening meal in some fashion. We may not buy non-essential food items until these things are used up. Some foods on our list:
* 4 boxes of pudding
* cous-cous
* slightly shriveled potatoes
* a package of some noodle stroganoff thing
* two different bread crumb items, one of which is Japanese
* a small bag of dried, refried beans
* wheat bran
* stuffing from a box
* two different flavors of rice-a-roni
* wild rice (I like it, but it takes FOREVER to cook)
* Cream of Wheat (only edible in the form of dumplings)
We should be having some interesting meals in the near future!
Each night we are drawing the name of one of these items from a hat. That item must be featured in the evening meal in some fashion. We may not buy non-essential food items until these things are used up. Some foods on our list:
* 4 boxes of pudding
* cous-cous
* slightly shriveled potatoes
* a package of some noodle stroganoff thing
* two different bread crumb items, one of which is Japanese
* a small bag of dried, refried beans
* wheat bran
* stuffing from a box
* two different flavors of rice-a-roni
* wild rice (I like it, but it takes FOREVER to cook)
* Cream of Wheat (only edible in the form of dumplings)
We should be having some interesting meals in the near future!
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Question
I have made a mistake with the training of the dogs that I am currently trying to rectify. When they were jumping on me or the door or the fence, I told them to "Get Down". They are starting to get it, which would be great except that (as my recent research into training has taught me) now I have nothing left for telling them to Lie Down. I should have been saying "Get Off", making "Off" the important word. This morning when I tried to get Trooper to "Lie Down" he got totally confused and thought he was in trouble. He would sit fine, but when I asked him to "Lie Down" using the internet approved training method (have him sit, lower the cookie in front of him until in a lying position) he would lower his head, but raise his hind end. I physically got him into a lying position a couple of times, but that is when he starts thinking he's being punished.
So my question kind of has two prongs...
1. Do you have any suggestions on wording I can use to teach him to Lie Down without using the word down?
2. Or, if I am going to have to reteach this word, do you have any strategies for teaching him to keep his butt on the ground and actually lie prone?
Really, I shouldn't be trying for Lie Down yet, since he only has a tentative grasp of Off, Sit, and Stay. He is very good at coming when he is called, though. Or when Mia is called. Or when the neighbor's dog is called! :)
So my question kind of has two prongs...
1. Do you have any suggestions on wording I can use to teach him to Lie Down without using the word down?
2. Or, if I am going to have to reteach this word, do you have any strategies for teaching him to keep his butt on the ground and actually lie prone?
Really, I shouldn't be trying for Lie Down yet, since he only has a tentative grasp of Off, Sit, and Stay. He is very good at coming when he is called, though. Or when Mia is called. Or when the neighbor's dog is called! :)
Saturday, March 04, 2006
Life in Haikus
6 a.m.
glowing coral clouds,
cheeks ruddy with winter chill
shades of morning red
---
Peaceful
I wake with the sun.
The world blinks sleep from its eyes.
So starts a new day.
---
Training Trooper
He's calm by my side,
loyal, his collar jangles
softly - No! Get down!
---
Oliver
Cat in the window,
sleep peacefully in the sun.
Puff up! There's a dog.
---
evanescence
frost turns all to white
my name etched in the window
its melting away
---
Why?
war, pain, dispair, greed,
so much anger. i place my
hope in 10 year olds.
glowing coral clouds,
cheeks ruddy with winter chill
shades of morning red
---
Peaceful
I wake with the sun.
The world blinks sleep from its eyes.
So starts a new day.
---
Training Trooper
He's calm by my side,
loyal, his collar jangles
softly - No! Get down!
---
Oliver
Cat in the window,
sleep peacefully in the sun.
Puff up! There's a dog.
---
evanescence
frost turns all to white
my name etched in the window
its melting away
---
Why?
war, pain, dispair, greed,
so much anger. i place my
hope in 10 year olds.
Thursday, March 02, 2006
So Much to Say, So Little Time
I have had oodles of interesting thoughts lately, but all of my time has been consumed by testing and grading and writing out report cards. The end of second trimester is just about my least favorite time of year, especially since district officials, in their infinite wisdom, keep adding new tests and new BS paperwork. I might not have made it through Wednesday if it weren't for that amazing, caffinated rice crispie bar that arrived at my classroom door just before 9 a.m. (a thousand thank yous!!) At this point, I am just about done and things are returning to normal, but on Tuesday I was frighteningly close to a nervous breakdown. You know, the kind of close where you either have to laugh yourself out of it or actually have the damn thing. Needless to say (but I'm going to say it anyway, so there!), I don't really remember all the interesting thoughts, but I'm going to try for a recap here.
-------
The other day my pal, "A", gave me a barking collar so I can make an attempt at curbing Troopers early morning reminders that "It's time to let me out of this cage, Woman!" I happened to be holding it as I picked up my class for the morning. (On a totally, utterly unrelated sidenote - I have about 5 students who don't even stop making noise to take a breath.) One of my students saw the collar and innocently asked, "Is someone going to wear that?" I would be lying if I said I didn't have the briefest of lovely visions of a quiet classroom, before I explained that it was for the dog.
------
I have been listening to a couple of Indigo Girls albums obsessively in the car lately. I am pretty sure I am supposed to be getting an important message, either for myself or to pass on, but I am not sure what it is supposed to be. If you are expecting a message from the universe regarding relationships, give me a buzz...I may have intercepted it accidentally.
------
The dogs are still here. I am enjoying them.
------
Our cupboards are filled with food items that I bought when I was hungry. This means that when I look at them now, I often think "What the hell???" As of today, all the food I like is gone and we still have enough food in the house to feed a small...well, medium sized...army of locusts. It is rediculous. I am tempted to make myself finish off all the crap floating around before I go food shopping again, but that just doesn't sound appetizing. And it wouldn't be fair to Mike.
-----
I know that the above stories don't really illustrate it well, but I have been having interesting thoughts. It's just that my brain is tired and useless by the time I am able to sit down to the computer. My most abject apologies!
-------
The other day my pal, "A", gave me a barking collar so I can make an attempt at curbing Troopers early morning reminders that "It's time to let me out of this cage, Woman!" I happened to be holding it as I picked up my class for the morning. (On a totally, utterly unrelated sidenote - I have about 5 students who don't even stop making noise to take a breath.) One of my students saw the collar and innocently asked, "Is someone going to wear that?" I would be lying if I said I didn't have the briefest of lovely visions of a quiet classroom, before I explained that it was for the dog.
------
I have been listening to a couple of Indigo Girls albums obsessively in the car lately. I am pretty sure I am supposed to be getting an important message, either for myself or to pass on, but I am not sure what it is supposed to be. If you are expecting a message from the universe regarding relationships, give me a buzz...I may have intercepted it accidentally.
------
The dogs are still here. I am enjoying them.
------
Our cupboards are filled with food items that I bought when I was hungry. This means that when I look at them now, I often think "What the hell???" As of today, all the food I like is gone and we still have enough food in the house to feed a small...well, medium sized...army of locusts. It is rediculous. I am tempted to make myself finish off all the crap floating around before I go food shopping again, but that just doesn't sound appetizing. And it wouldn't be fair to Mike.
-----
I know that the above stories don't really illustrate it well, but I have been having interesting thoughts. It's just that my brain is tired and useless by the time I am able to sit down to the computer. My most abject apologies!
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