Rotten way to end the year...shakie and in the bathroom.

I have been having trouble managing my blood sugar for several months now. When the last big study on @v@ndi@ showed it could cause heart problems, I asked to be taken off it. The drug we tried instead didn't really work as well. Poor control means (aside from the long term damage to various body parts,) blood sugar spiking and the urge to eat everything in sight. There was another diabetes med that the endocrinologist wanted me on a year and a half ago, but it was too experimental then and my insurance didn't cover it. I had been seeing advertisements for it all over the TV for about a month, so I checked with the insurance company, and now it is covered. Yeah!!!

I asked this doctor (I have 4 other than my GP to monitor specific parts of my diabetes health.) if she though I show still try it. YES! she said, but there are side-effects.... (insert Duh duh duh-duh music here.) ....mild to moderate nausea is the most common, but loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, headache, feeling jittery, and acid stomach are other potential door prizes. Apparently for most people who do have a "common side effect," it goes away after a few days. Except for the loss of appetite...most people taking this drug lose weight in the long run. Even though it means two more injections a day that have to happen no earlier than 1 hour before I eat breakfast and dinner, I'm giving it a whirl.

I was going to start it last week, but because of those side effects that could have me rushing to the restroom, I decided to wait until I was home. Started Saturday, and I have experienced them all to some degree since Sunday night, but the two "D's" the most. I have to caution myself, because let's not underestimate the power of my hypochondriac, fertile mind. Perhaps I'm only imagining most of the side effect because they have been fairly mild. Except the one big "D" that has me rushing to the restroom. I am NOT imagining THAT!

On the other (and more important hand,) my blood sugar readings are better...not perfect, just better. I will see if I can tolerate the drug for 30 days. If yes, the dose is doubled, if not.....not sure.

The only thing I have to get over now is I just found out the drug is derived from lizard spit. Those of you who know me,know how active my gag reflex is...I've had to swallow three times just writing this.

Well, anyway, Happy New Year!!

Henry had the snott beaten out of him...AGAIN

What I am I going to do with this orange boy... Oh well, here are his "Glamour Shots."

This time we were beyond my meager ouchie-healing-skills.

Dig the new haircut the Vet gave him. Something chomped on him good!

Making him an indoor boy isn't really an option, yet. He stalks the back door, humming "Born Free" to himself, as he waits to be allowed out on "patrol." He is wily. He is quicker than I am.... And Hankie is also not adverse to using his bodily fluids and bad behavior to get his butt tossed out. Until he outgrows the great outdoors, I guess I'm stuck with wound tending and vet bills. Buzz outgrew it. He use to be be my huge fighting beastie, and now he barely goes out.

Oh well, time to shove another antibiotic down the orange beast's throat.....

Merry Christmas

Skeeter is the best present EVER!
I think his Mommy is in total agreement
Stockings were hung....
B and Skeeter had to take a nap, waiting up for Santa was just too much for them.

Nobody has to show him how to open a present...He is a natural

Little brother has a blog.....

I do believe he is one of the funniest people on the planet. Check out his blog, but I warn you...he likes to rant. http://18hourflight.blogspot.com/

It is one of the great injustices of this world...

...that when we don't make the "tinkle, tinkle tinkle" noise from a "Tom and Jerry" cartoon when we are sneaking around!

We are doing "Secret Santa's " in my section right now and I am having a ball! I went a little rabid a few weeks ago...ranting against the big office wide SS exchange. You get a LIST of the items your Santee will find acceptable! There have been several years where I didn't even know the person whose name I received. Two years ago I had a GREAT scavenger hunt planned where each day the Santee had to go to a different person and answer a movie trivia question and that day's present was related to the quote. It was brilliant, if I do say so myself. She communicated through the coordinator that I should "knock it off," she didn't have times for my games, just leave the present on her desk. I do believe that was the first time I actually sputtered in disbelief...

So this year, I suggested we do our own little thing in our section, with the focus being acts of kindness and appreciation for those we work closest with every day and less on things. Notes, warm cookie, good jokes.... The following is what I left my Santee today. Hehehe


Santa’s Workshop
100 Bowl-Full-of-Jelly Way
North Pole

December 18, 2007

Little Joanne -------
Office of Retirement Services
P O Box -----
Lansing MI, -----
:
You may already be a winner!
This is official notification that you are on one of Santa’s lists. Which list I cannot say, but there is still time to ensure you are in the running for a drawing from Santa’s Big Prize Bag.

To guarantee your status takes just easy three steps: remember to clean your room, eat your vegetables and clean up all the SPEC errors. There is no need to reply to this email, as Santa receives daily updates to both lists, and he checks them TWICE. Hurry, Time is running out!


Phinnaeus J. Jingle-Slipper
Executive Vice President-Elf in charge of Qualifications

P.S. Prizes include the following, so don’t hesitate:
Peace on Earth (1 in 89,652,974,648 chance of winning.)
New Hummer (1 in 533,156,186 chance of winning.)
Kitty, Puppy or Pony (1 in 800,456 chance of winning.)
Lump of Coal (1 in 50 chance of winning.)

Happy Holidays!

Turkey Anyone?

Every Christmas I volunteer to make the turkey for the extended family Christmas party. In the grand scheme of things,we all have large families if you count back enough, but this family is BIG. My grandfather was the oldest of 12 children. His name was Herman Oscar Napoleon Roslund, and his parents were Swedish immigrants who met and married here in the states When he was 12 (ish?) his family moved to Michigan. My great-grandfather sold everything he owned and, bought his first automobile for the trip. As the oldest and the best English speaker, grandpa's job was to travel by train with the cattle, while the rest of the family drove and they would meet him in Breckenridge. With a loaf of bread and a hunk of cheese, he actually rode with the cattle! When he arrived in Michigan, his family wasn't there to meet him, because my great-grandfather had tried to stop his auto by saying "Whoa!" (or the Swedish equivalent, I guess) and he crashed the car. After he had spent a week alone in a new town, his family finally arrived.

My grandfather died when I was 9, and only three of his brothers remain. The family is spread from coast to cost and some foreign countries, but we gather here in Michigan twice a year. Summer and December. Those who can come do, and we share stories and eat, eat, eat. Babies are kissed, cards are played, and a local Santa makes a visit for $35 and homemade popcorn balls.

Anyway, back to Turkey.....I first got volunteered by my sister when our great-aunt Wanda said she felt she couldn't physically wrestle with a big bird anymore. So then B volunteered me the next year too, and then the next year, and etc. I did get stubborn about 4 years back, and refused to allow B to volunteer me again (I shall spare you the juvenile canter that was) and a cousin of mine made it that year. It was a perfectly nutritional main dish.....if not exactly moist or flavorful, and less memorable than infamous. I was aghast at how something so dull could be done to such a noble bird, my favorite of all the roast beasties..... So now I volunteer myself each year. Have you ever know someone to give gushing complements on turkey, I get them all the time.

It really isn't difficult, the stuffing is made the night before, you get up at 4:30, rinse and pat the bird dry, rub the inside with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. Loosen the skin and insert butter. Stuff the body and neck cavities. Finally put it in the electric roaster, breast side down so it doesn't dry out, pour brandy over it and cook at 325 degrees for as many hours as the weight requires. When it is time to leave, we wrap the entire roaster, (drippings and all) in old, clean blankets, put it in the trunk and drive the hour to the hall. Once there, we hall it out, carve the bird and make the gravy.

Today is the day for the party, I was up at 4:30, I made the bird (a 24 pounder) and he is all done and very yummy looking. (As you can see above, I don't make pretty birds, I make tasty birds, with the meat falling off the bone.) My mother's cousin Loren just called, and the party is cancelled. We have received a lot of snow so far, it's still snowing, and we have a weather advisory until 7pm. Although the main roads are plowed, the township hall we are meeting at is on a little county road... Even if we did make it up there, chances are there would only be a few people who were able to make the journey and everybody might have trouble getting home

So...I have turkey and stuffing for a group of 50-60 people....and there are two of us here. We are calling some local friends to see if they want to come to dinner. If you are in the Lansing area, give me jingle. I have a feeling there will be leftovers.

Santa Skeeter

Okay, I'm taking beading break and thought of something I wanted to show off. Skeeter of course! Here is an early Christmas present to be shared. My favorite little boy proving that it isn't easy being a supermodel. This was the last picture of the day, and way past his nap time. They put him on his tummy, he was bitchy/whiny for a minute, then BOOM out.

And yes, it is their Christmas card shot this year. Ho ho ho!

Friday-Bead-O-Rama

My mother has recently been actively encouraged to take "early retirement" by her employer. Troubling under the best of circumstances, it is even more so because we share a house, mortgage and utilities. I love my mother, but she is crap with money. I keep seeing myself having to support her, and I barely support myself. I have to actively force myself to not hyperventilate on a regular basis... And lets not not talk about the ulcer (imaginary or not) that I am trying to keep at bay with happier thoughts, pixie dust and M**lox.

She is trying her hand at jewelry making as a source of additional income. I am not talking about about metal working, but stringing beads in an attractive way to form necklaces, bracelets and earrings. No she doesn't suck at it, but her results are not , shall we say, accomplished. She also doesn't have mass production and replication on her mind. She AGONIZES over each piece and spends far more time than she should developing each one as an "original." I keep saying, design it once, make five more at the same time, and then move on. But that's not how she wants to do it. Whew...hand me that paper bag to breath in, will ya.....

Well, there is a craft show tomorrow, her first realistic showing. There was one dreadful experience about a month ago where she only sold three or four items, but it was a very small venue and the foot traffic was anemic. I don't believe anyone sold much, but she pay attention and notice the items people seemed to like, even if they didn't purchase. I think she is getting a bit uneasy about the quantity of her wares, because she has suggested that if I wanted to make some earrings or something, she would sell them for me. Of course since this was all said without looking me straight in the eye, my guilt-o-meter went through the roof and I agreed. The truth is I haven't been very supportive since she did whatever she did to get herself no longer employed, and I have been a mite selfish worrying about ending up homeless and all.

And I'm a procrastinator....I should have been making things for more than a week now, but I have only dabbled with the beads. I have designed three earring sets, and duplicated one design about ten times. So I'll be beading all night as I snarf coffee. I am planning on taking pictures of the earrings I'm making and I'll give you a peek later.

Blood-shot beading, here I come.

Happy Birthday Little Brother

This is the only picture of A I have available right now, it was his second Meet, Greet and Drool with lil Skeeter last summer.

Of course it isn't As birthday anymore where he lives, but it is still the 6th for me, so Happy Day little brother!

Frosty Gray Sunday Morning

And it is good for nothing but reading the paper, petting a cat (or five) and a mug of good coffee. I have been chatting with my brother in Taipei via ICQ. Nothing earth shattering or important. Is BK better than Micky Ds? He votes for for BK, because they put big fat pieces of onion on their burgers, I am voting for Micky Ds just to keep the debate going...I like them both.

My siblings are my best friends, and although it is wonderful to have Widgie so close (and Skeeter too,) It is very hard having my brother so far away. Thank you god for the Internet and international phone calls, but it isn't the same as just having him (and Georgie) close. In July he came home for almost a month with his daughter and his ex-wife and it was wonderful, mostly. I spent lots of time with G (Gugu, let's play ART!) and I enjoyed it immensely, even if I did have to take a few naps to keep up with her 8 year old energy. Being a gugu (father’s sister) is a big deal, since I only get to see her once a year if I’m lucky I tried to pack as much as I could into her time here. But the best part was just hanging out with Andrew, even if the day he found green hot sauce in my fridge prompted a 10 minute lecture on why "the abomination" had no place in my condiment drawer. I introduced him to N*tflix, and we watched movies, mostly Japanese horror and their American remakes to compare. Verdict: Japanese originals had better, more complex stories, but the American remakes scared the bejesus out of ya.)

Coffee needs a refill and my boy Bing is meowing for attention. Have a good Sunday.

Skeeter Night

Tuesday's and Thursdays are Skeeter Night! I go to my sister's house directly from work, mooch their food and play with little Reed. The kid is loved, no doubt about it and there are many folks who consider him their special one. I like to think he loves me best...and so far no one has proved me wrong. He always has a big smile for me. Reed looks at his sock covered feet then to me. And again. And again.... Obviously he is saying, "come on Aunt Kay, take these off and kiss my piggies!" So I do, because who can refuse such a beseeching request, even if it is just wishful thinking on my part.

And we have rules. Just a few so far, but important ones.

1. You don't put your fingers up Aunt Kay's nose, she won't put her finger's up yours.
2. Don't pee on Aunt Kay! (Usually quickly recited in a high pitched voice while changing a diaper.)
3. Hair! Hair! We don't pull hair!
4. Piggies must be free! (Actually, our mantra as the socks are whipped off.)

The list will be growing, I'm sure... I see the day coming when we have to add such items as "Don't eat the yellow snow" or "We don't play with the litter box!" But not yet.

Skeeter and I play, sing songs and his parents laugh at me more than a little. I always stay too long. I try to start leaving at around 8:00 pm, but he will be extra cute, or my sister will change the subject and we keep talking or something..and before you know it, it's time for Skeeter's bath. You can't leave during nakie baby time! So I stay for bath time, and help put him in his PJ's. I don't end up leaving until 10:00.

Evil genius that sister of mine...she always finds a way to keep me there.

Mermaid Sighting

Fresh pictures of little G. How can one little body take up so much bed!!

Below we have a sign she posted on her bedroom door. The translation was done by my brother.

Aye Matey! There be a mermaid about! The costume is a part of the Halloween/birthday package from Aunt Kay and Grandma. She loves to dress-up so I purchased two costumes the mermaid and a medieval maiden ("That's a PRINCESS dress" my brother insists.)

He said she liked the mermaid costume best. What do you think?

She feels quite gypped by having feet instead of a tail. My brother explained that we are primates, but she is unconsoled. Nobody gave her a vote.

Apparently, she sleeps in it too.

That will be a katrillion dollars to fix the thingamajunk on your car, Ma’am…

I loath having to have any work done on my car. I am sure that “clueless car-phoebe” is in blinking neon on my forehead on those dreaded instances when I have to take my car in. The thing is, its not totally because I’m a girl, because my brother has the same problem. I think its because there was no person who fiddled or tinkered with cars in the house when we were children after 1980. That is the year my father died. He was a friggin genius! First guy in his town to go to college, graduated THE top of his class from Michigan Technological University. He was an engineer with Oldsmobile. There were several summers where they sent him to Georgia to figure our why machinery in whole plants weren’t working properly. He was never happier then solving a problem or making a machine more efficient. Nobody in my neighborhood called repairmen, they called my Dad. The winter after he died there was a flood of new repair worker immigration into a neighborhood that had formally been a “plumber’s crack” free zone.

So I had to have my brake light repaired. At least that’s what the nice police officer that only gave me a warning instead of a ticket had said. While I had to be in my least favorite place, I was going to be sensible and have the rear window defrost fixed too. My car is small enough that I CAN keep the rear window clear by blasting the heater on high…but in order to do so I sit in the front seat sweating bullets. Verrry attractive and comfortable! The estimate for the brake light was $68.00, but the estimated reattaching of the bracket that had become dislodged from the rear window was $350.00! No, no…typing it like that is too tame…THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS. I had gone to the dealership because I HAD been ripped off in the past from smaller independent shops, what was this? (I figure the fact that the dealership wants to sell me my next car will help to keep honesty within my grasp.) But I NEEDED to have them fixed…. So I said to proceed.
In the end, The agent I dealt with had been conservative, and the estimate too high. My cost was only $98.00, total. The moral of my story should probably be something about facing fear or trying to be more informed, but no. I totally lucked out and next time the auto repair gods will have their vengeance, I'm sure of it. God I hate to have my car fixed!

Happy Birthday!

There have just been three important birthdays in my family, all within 5 days. On Friday 11/9 my newest BBF Skeeter turned 4 months old. Two days later on 11/11 my other BFF Georgie turned 9 years old, and tomorrow on 11/13 my "other" brother, the father of Skeeter, (AKA brother-in-law) turns 34. In honor of this, I would like to share some pictures of cute little Skeeter, lovely G and new dad E.

With the exception of Skeeter in his Halloween costume, the pictures were all taken this past July. Skeeter was new, G was visiting from Taipei, and E still remembered what sleeping through the night was like. Happy Birthday!!!

Henry had the snott beaten out of him yesterday...

He is one of the cats previously mentioned. He is huge, orange and white, and if he had his own set of thumbs to operate the back door, he wouldn't need me at all. Except when he is hurt. Then he is a big fat baby...

I washed his wounds with soap and water, mostly to determine how badly he was hurt and if I needed to be late to work and hustle him to the vet. I've had cats since I was six, and I can handle most minor cat injuries myself. A little wound on his hind foot, a puncture on his ear was the source of most of the blood, and a lot of little scrapes. I think the greatest wounding was to his pride, not from being thoroughly whomped, but from the indignity of my first-aid skills. That boy bitched me out! I bundled him up and he slept for almost 18 hours. Two hours ago he was begging to go outside again. Guess he has a grudge to settle. It will have to wait for another day, at least until he has stopped limping.

I have five cats in all, and that is more than plenty. Three is my "happy cat" number, but seven years ago I found a stray who was too wonderful not to save. She had obviously been someones pet. Friendly, skinny, de-clawed, and (I thought) fixed, she ended up having 4 babies on my brand new (purple) Egyptian cotton sheets. After years of finding homes for kittens, I had run out of friends needing cats and could only find homes for half the kittens. Let me tell you, the potty box gets full fast with 6 cats. Three years ago we lost the the oldest mamma cat, she was 18. She had originally been my sister's cat, but when she moved into an apartment, Tootsie didn't adapt to high-rise living as an indoor cat. She spent three days under the guest bed yowling. Constantly. Finally B called me, begging me to take her back. Tootsie never forgave her for those three days. When we finally had to put her down, B, her husband E and I took her in. The Vet asked who's cat she was, and simultaneously we all said "Mine!" So now I'm "down" to five cats.

Oddly enough for someone who has had cats for most of her life, I don't like all cats. I love MY cats. I raised them right. They make me laugh. So call me a cat snob, but please god, DO NOT call me the cat lady! :)

What the heck! Why not purple?

What do you name a blog? I have been reading other's blogs and thought it might be interesting to have one of my own. Today seems to be THE day to start, and so WHAT do you call it? Don't want it to be too pretentious, I don't take myself that seriously. But I don't really want to seem a twitty 14 year old....not that being a twitty 14 year old is bad. I personally believe being a twit should legally only be allowed to the very young, and I no longer qualify. Should be something related to me...name it after the cat? Which one? (yes, I have oodles of cats, but that is definitely a subject for later :) After the new nephew or the older niece? While they are two of the cutest kids on the planet (no argument, EVER!) and I shall be writing about them, they are not the center of my world all the time. Okay, how about a color....my favorite color is purple, what the heck! Why not purple?