The local menagerie

Lots of thoughts rattling around up there in my head this morning:

Son number one won a good chunk of money in a state lottery raffle...at the time he bought the tickets, I thought he was crazy-they were 20 dollars each and he bought two. He won several hundred however, and apparently I don't know what I'm talking about.

Poor, poor CrazyDog...several times in the night, she was up--wandering the apartment, click, click, click went her nails on the wood floor. I kept encouraging her to go back to bed, it was late, etc....finally, at three-thirty, she was making the strangest noise, I went to investigate, she was flipping her completely empty water bowl across the floor...I felt so bad, that never happens, apparently she had been thirsty all night...man-oh-man, we are bad dog parents. After she drank nearly half of the contents, she happily went back to the bedroom...

Speaking of being parents to unruly animals: Sunday morning, after being up for much of the night, and after Mark had gotten up and walked CrazyDog, we decided to go back to bed, after all it was only 6:30 on a weekend...so that's exactly what we did. About 8:00, there was a knock on the door...is that our cat down by the elevator? Holy crap - Mason, aka Farfield, had escaped when Mark came back in with CD, and we didn't even know it. Poor, poor Mason, he seemed pretty traumatized by his little adventure...and when we moved in here, I thought the fact that they required photos of your animals was stupid, now I must admit, I'm happy they do. I wonder if he was spotted by another resident here and then called in, because it was the leasing manager that came knocking, or if he was spotted on the ever present, always monitored cameras...but either way, I felt really stupid for not knowing that my kitty had packed his little red bandanna and put it on a stick, and hit the trail---looking for a train to hitch a ride to....where exactly?

Home today, all day...work on the damned books, I swear, I am going to, even if it harelips the governor. And it might, I have been putting this off for so long.

Mark's mom sent a check for our anniversary, it was very thoughtful of her...and now, because of that, I am getting the print of "winter trees" to hang in my new living room. I am so excited about that, as buying it for myself seemed really selfish under the current financial circumstances... Plus, this weekend is the Des Moines Art Festival and I have always wanted to go to that, so at least one of my kiddos and myself will go to that, you never know, I may find something I cannot live without to help fill the really bare wall space in here. I am really looking forward to it.

Not well this morning at all, yesterday was really bad, too. I am not sure what to do about any of it but whine about it, until I have health insurance, I just have to deal with it, not that I think there is any miracle-cure out there anyway.

I think now I'm going to cruise around a little and see what's going on your worlds...Have a very happy day!

:)

Much ado about nothing

I have decided there just aren't enough hours in the day; always in my past, I assumed I was working too much. Recently though, there still aren't enough hours, as I still cannot manage to accomplish everything on my list, and I have no job to go to. Every morning, my intentions are great, every evening, I fall onto the couch having only crossed a thing or two or five off of my list; and my list seems to be growing longer. We did make it all the way back to the old house yesterday, and left with a car completely full, and still we have so much left to do something with. Next Saturday is the day that we go back and stay most of the day until it's finished. No more will come this direction, the rest of it will be set out on the curb for pick up by the city or the pilferer's. Then we have hours of cleaning to do there, but at least it will be done. I am so ready for something to be done. I am not however, looking forward to that day, cleaning that place up is going to be hard, it needs scrubbed and polished, and it looks so sad now that we are no longer living there. I have to admit I felt a twinge of sadness going back inside yesterday, I guess because of the finality of it. I am ready for it to sell quickly, for financial reasons as well as for sentimental ones. It was a great old house to raise my kids in, to raise our dogs in, to house this stray and that one...it was a house full of love. Now it is empty and that really makes me feel sad. That house needs kids and laughter and busy lives, it does not need to stand empty for too long.

So, leaving there with a car full of-shall we say crap?-meant that I had to do something with it on this end. This new place is now officially full and cannot take anymore. I do not want a cluttered place, I never have been able to handle that, so getting and keeping it organized is next on my list. I have managed that for the most part, but with each new box comes the requirement of fitting in it with the already unpacked and organized, and that means it takes more time and energy. But I am slowly getting there.

My pain level has not gotten any better, and I am frankly surprised by that. By the end of the day, I am still barely able to walk, and while I have been busy, I have not been that busy. I don't know if you all remember that I have been taking Cymbalta for neuropathy, and I tried to go off of it a while back, only to discover that the withdrawals were more than I could handle at that time. It dawned on my a couple of days ago that I had not taken it this week, and that explains so many things -- like my pain level, and some of the electric "shock" feelings I have been having. Apparently, it has been helping my pain way more than I knew, but now that I have the withdrawals behind me, there is no way that I am going to take it again. It is also a depression medication which I felt certainly wouldn't hurt me, and maybe would help, but so far in that area, I'm doing okay. Or at least I think I am, so often we are the only ones that can't tell how we are acting. I know it's nice to FEEL things again, and unless you have been on anti-depressants, you don't know what I'm talking about. The hard part is deciding whether you are "feeling" them too much. I will have to get back to you on that one,

Mark is leaving this morning to pick up my sister, Trav. I am so looking forward to her being here, I cannot tell you. It will be a short visit, but there will be many more to follow. We have a couple of things to do the next few days, but for the most part, our time will be ours, and that is such a great feeling. We will have to visit our mom on Tuesday. Mark and I went to mom's house yesterday to drop off a Father's Day card for Richard, who is doing great by the way----mending very nicely and looks wonderful---and poor mom cried when I left. She said I am always in a hurry and misses being able to spend any kind of time with me, so I promised that Trav and I would be there on Tuesday, and stay a long while. I really felt bad leaving her.

Yesterday, two of my kiddo's were here all evening, we went to dinner, and had a really great time. I love living near my kids, it is so awesome.

Happy Father's day to all of you dad's. I miss mine this morning, and would love to have just a minute to talk to him. Hug yours if you still have him, okay?

:)

Happiness is...

So I have been up most of the night, I managed a few hours sleep early, then awake at one thirty - good heavens, it's a good thing I don't have a job to go to! On the other hand, if I had a job to go to, I probably would not be up, worrying that I don't. Does that make sense?

Of course, the pain I am in would be there, job or not. And I am in aLOT of pain. Too much hard work, too much walking, hell, too much everything.

Yesterday was a most awesome day. Seriously. I did little, or it seemed that I did, but I was working all day...on what, I'm not sure. I put a few more things away, and that job is almost done. We do still have alot of crap to move from the old house, either to bring here, or get rid of, and I guess the plan is to do that on Friday. Every little bit brought into this apartment makes a huge mess, things have to be moved to find a place for it. I will be so glad when the whole job is finished.

I would also be so happy if we could sell the old house, all of the payments there are going to create a real problem, so I am just praying that happens soon. We have not listed it with a realtor yet, but are planning to the first of next week, after we get the place cleaned up. It would be so awesome if it would sell prior. I would take a huge cut in the price if we didn't have to pay a realtor...

I love it here. Just being here makes me happy. I am quickly becoming accustomed to all of it, the activity below us, the noise (although there really is little of that), the walking of the dog, the beautiful view of the city and people and stuff going on, oh how awesome it is to live in a place where there is real LIFE.

So many things on my mind, so much to think and worry about. I'm tired...but happy. :)

A Monday morning quickie

I am sitting in my new living room, looking out over the area and what would be the most beautiful sunrise ever, if the sun were actually going to shine today. But I do believe we are going to have rain again, so I will have to wait another day to see how that daily event looks from here.

This has been quite a weekend, to say the least. We are all moved in to out new place and it is awesome. I am so excited to be here. This place is beautiful, at least to me, and for the first time in all my 48 years of life, I have my balcony. That alone is worth all of the hell I have been through in the past week. I still cannot find a few things, (like at this very moment, my phone-but that isn't due to the move, that's because I am an idiot), but all in all, it is livable for the time being. Everyone worked their guts out to get us here, and it went beautifully. My kids were so great, they were so willing to help, I felt so special. Mark and I are so physically worn out, it's unreal. I am in seriously bad shape this morning and wondering how on earth I am going to work 12 hours today, but I expected that. No one wanted me to do anything over the weekend, but you all know I had to---this is my house, I have to do the work. So, for today, we will have to see how I can do at the job, I have serious reservations about being there today, I already know I am not going to be able to make it without a miracle, and I am wondering if I am actually supposed to be there, or if I have made the wrong choice. Unless I have a divine intervention this morning, I'm afraid there is going to be no choice, my legs are not wanting to hold me up right now.

For now, this will have to suffice for a post. I have to try to make it to work, and that requires me doing a few things this morning. I will post pics of the new place at some point this week although that could have to wait too, as my internet connection here is iffy, and I keep losing it. I will be around as much as time, work, and technology will let me....I miss you all. I'll be back soon. Have a wonderful week!