Meet Buster

After days of being despondent, Duane suggested I should get a kitten.  Before we took Butterscotch for his final sleep, I held him to say a private good bye.  I thought about when we got the tuxedo twins.  Butterscotch was so happy to share his home.  Gave them welcome licks on the head and showed them where the food is kept.  It felt like he was saying he had a good life and I should give another cat a good life.

The lady from the ad on Craigslist said her neighbor found the litter of kittens in the backyard, dehydrated and dirty, three weeks ago.  She cleaned them up, bottle fed them, weaned them to solid food and litter trained them.  When I told her about Butterscotch, she said she had the perfect kitten, lovable and cuddly.

He is just that and more.  He's attached himself to Duane's chest.

Duane sits on the couch and Buster attaches himself.  Duane apologized that my kitten became him his kitten.     It's ok.  He did suggest that maybe I should get another for me.

Precocious little thing.  He's not put off by his grumpy aunties.  The girls fly into hissy fits when he comes up to them.  The past two days, he hides under things waiting to ambush them.  Not the least bit dissuaded by their hissing.  He is determined they will either like him or explode.

Duane said, "Great revenge for you, Butterscotch.  Come back as a kitten and go after them."  The girls weren't very nice to Mr. Scotch the past few years.  The timing isn't right for Buster to be a reincarnation. Maybe in six weeks, I'll take a scan over Craiglist and see if something jumps out at me.  Maybe.  Still waiting for the feeling like I've been punched in the gut to lessen.

Duane wrote a post about Buster.  He's much eloquent with his words than I am.

In other news, Duane had a lung cat scan in April.  The pulmonologist says that the scarring has not improved since his last scan in the ICU last year.  There are three holes in the center of his lungs.  They are looking into putting him on the transplant list, as his name wouldn't come up for three to five years.

This weekend, I joined Summer of Socks and Tour De Fleece, team Cranky Pants.  Hopefully it will bring back my mojo and there will be pictures.  I did get some nice quilting thread for my yoyo quilt on Saturday.  However, I can't find where I last put my fabric cutting scissors, so I sat down defeated for the moment.

Back to work today, when you'll read this.  Need to head to bed, 5 am comes way too early.

Thank you for all your comments of sympathy for Butterscotch.

Rumors About Me......

wandering aimlessly in the desert, babbling incoherently have been somewhat exaggerated.  I wasn't wandering aimlessly.  I can't believe I haven't posted in almost three months.  A ton of boring stuff, much bus knitting, that all has to be re-knit.  Then tonight was a total fiasco, but I'll get to that later.

January, I really buckled down at work, earned a nice monthly bonus and switch in team leaders (rolls eyes).  She caused me much stress in the month of February.  Very nit-picky, she went through all punch-ins and outs with a ruler every day.  I was counseled for coming back from lunch one minute late, which wasn't my fault.  Much of February, I was sick. I was beginning to worry about a repeat of of last year with me in the ICU, this time.  Every time I called in to work, she called me at home to check up on me.  The worst part of it, she was from another department and had no clue what us lowly robo-trons answering phone had to deal with.  Ugh!

Duane bought me a Martha Washington geranium the week I was out sick. First time we found one down here.

For March, I have a new team leader who has been in the department for a long time.  She's so low key, we just nod and say hi when we pass each other.  She knows I'm not one of the problem children and leaves me alone.

February, also brought me two friends at work.  Actual, friends that I would consider having over for dinner.   If I didn't live in this slum, that is. Which is something, considering how anti-social, I am.  You know with the aluminum foil covering the windows and that hat I made with the scraps.

  One rides the bus with me.  This is the weird thing about work. There is a bunch of us riding the same bus every day.  We all sit in different sections of the bus, never speaking,  we all get off together, go into the gas station to get our human fuel, then walk our separate paces to work and back, never speaking while waiting for the bus.

This one guy that rides the same bus as me, sits two cubicles from me, never speaks to me.  Occasionally, we would nod to each other.  Then one day, I was waiting for the light when he came up and I started talking to him and we walked to the stop together talking about work.  After that, we would talk at the bus stop after work and on the bus home.  Which many nights has been great to have someone to vent to on the way home.  We groan about how there hasn't been VGH (voluntary go home) in months.  We are tres burnt out.

The other is an older woman who comes in by car and starts the same time I do.  She sits on the bench and has one last smoke with me before we head to our rabbit holes for the day.  Her sister is an RN that took the refresher course after being out of nursing for awhile.  Her sister works at a re-hab center like Duane was in.  She tells her all the time, tell that girl to hurry up and get her license back, I'll give her a job.  Hopefully, in September, I can arrange to take the refresher course.

Basically, I go to work, come home, eat dinner, go to bed.  Get up at 5:30 and do it all over again.  These twelve hour days our days are killing me.  I have bad eye strain headaches when I get home.  Last thing I want to do is look at a computer screen.  Which is the lack of blogging or blog reading, sorry.

March came a stress reducer and increase all at once.  They closed down the underpass we use to walk to work for a huge two year construction project.  ADOT put in a shuttle last week to take us back and forth. It runs once an hour three times in the morning and then once an hour three times in the afternoon.  I take the last shuttle in and the last one out.  If I miss either, I'm sunk.  That's Monday thru Friday.  I can't get there in time to take the Saturday shuttle and it doesn't run on Sunday.  So, I have to have weekends off.

Two weeks ago, I took a PTO day to go with Duane to the pulmonary Dr.  The head of staffing calls me at home.

"Sorry to bother you on your PTO day, but your the next one up for the shift bid.  Congrats on being number 25 for the Arizona department."

Me: "I need these hours and weekends off because of the shuttle."

"I'm sorry, that shift isn't available."

Me: "Congrats on being number 25, my reward  is I need to find a new job, thanks."

"No, no you don't, I just need to put something into the computer for you. I have Sunday and Tuesdays off you will only need to just figure out something for Saturday."

Me: "Put in whatever you want.  This is what I can work.  I can't just figure something out.  It's the bus or a cab.  The cab costs 25.00 one way now.  Once the construction starts with the detour it will be more."

It ends there and we go to the Dr.s.  Duane still has significant scarring in his lungs and high blood pressure.  The Dr. ordered a cat-scan of his lungs.  We find out the results in May.  It looks like he might be on oxygen for three to five years best guess, maybe life. Come home, 13 yr old Butterscotch had bloody diarrhea all over the living room. Have to call in to take him to the vet the next day.  Luckily, it's just irritable bowel syndrome and she gave me some medicine.  Wonderful vet just around the corner.  She does bunnies, too.  She said, she's not an expert on bunnies but she would be willing to call for consults if she felt she was in over her head.

Go into work the next day and see that I'm scheduled to work this weekend, after the shuttle starts.  Here we go.  I go up to the desk and talk to the head guy that had called me.  To make it short, he slid me around to where it's the hours I can work.  Told me when it happens again, to just come up and they will slide me around.

First day of the shuttle was last Monday.  Just as I was standing up to the leave for the day, the head of the department comes up behind me.  "Well, Denise,think you will make it out to the shuttle in time.  You've got ten minutes."

Wait, what! How does he know who I am?  He walks out with me to the shuttle.  He's the liaison between our company and ADOT.

Today, I noticed the first week in April they have me scheduled for the weekend and hours all over the place.  I went up to the desk.  The head guy wasn't there.  The ones that were up there gave me a bit of a hassle, but switched it to what I needed eventually.  I said, "That's another week I won't need to hand in my resignation."  My old team leader, (the one I really liked) was in earshot.  She said, "Wait, what!"  I told her I would be there until they didn't work with the shuttle or ADOT stops the shuttle, then I will turn in my resignation.  She said, that's not going happen. We'll see.  I'm taking one week at time. Of course, I'll make sure to hand my resignation to the head of department.

The people upstairs have continued to be arseholes.  A couple nights, I've had to call the manager because the mom wasn't home and the kids were running around yelling and fighting for hours.  It's like the Lord Of The Flies, up there.  The people over my next door neighbor, throw their cigarette butts in our patios. Piles of them.

Tonight was the last straw.  Duane calls me at my first stop.  The kitchen sink is over flowing.  Upstairs has been running water for hours.  He called the manager.  I call him back at the second stop to tell him I see the bus coming.  Get home now, water is running all over the place.  I get off the second bus and run for home.  My neighbor passes me with her truck as I get to the front.

I get home, Duane is out on patio.  The neighbors from both apartments are both out there yelling back and forth with him.  They have the water still running.  The punk above my neighbor is threatening to come down and fist fight.  With an old man on oxygen.  Geez.  A plumber is inside our kitchen bailing huge buckets of hot water as fast as he can.  It slows down enough that he can go upstairs and tell the idiots upstairs to shut the water off.  We were only washing a plate.  To which he said bullshit, and called the manager.  The manager was supposed to come down and never did. The plumber bailed water from two big buckets for over an hour. Our neighbor bailed with a pot and made a small pond in the courtyard.

 Oh, the manager moved out back at Christmastime.  The whole place is the Lord Of The Flies now.  Not, that he managed the place that great before.

I called him after I stopped shaking and calmed down somewhat.  Enough is enough, I'm looking for another place.  They go or I go.  I've had it. Four hour commute, 8 hours of people screaming at me at work.  I can't help it if their Dr. didn't call in the prescription or their insurance denied payment. Between the drug addicts calling Drugs-R-Us for their oxys and their xanax at work and the drug addicts up in this place, I'm fed up.  Instead of being in bed an hour ago, like I should have, I'm venting to you all.  Don't know when I'll be able to get to sleep, then have to get up and do it all over again.

My bus friend live a couple miles up the street from me, in a single house.  He says several of them come up for rent when the college kids leave.  I'm going to ask him to keep an eye out for a decent place in his neighborhood.

On the knitting front, I finished two pairs of socks, but have to re-knit them.  The feet are a half and in two small and tight around the top of the ankle.  It's ok, it's pretty yarn.  One pair was supposed to be my Mom's Christmas present.  I'm currently working on a rainbow pair, so I will send those to her instead.  It will be too damn hot down here by the time I finish them.

Talk about crazy weather.  Last week it was 80's down here.  Then a storm came in on Sunday. Monday, I was out on break with the older woman and we both said it felt cold enough to snow.  She's from Indiana, so she knows too. An hour later it did.  It was actually snowing in the valley.  Meanwhile, it was 80's back home in NY.  We are supposed to be up to 80 by Friday.  I'm not looking forward to it getting too warm, once it does it will be 110F 40C plus for months.

This weekend, I promise to tell you about Dammit and the new living room furniture.  Dammit gave Duane quite the hot chase Monday morning.  When Duane told me about it at lunch I was laughing so hard I had tears rolling down my face.   Had everyone staring me because cranky old broad never laughs.

Thanks for stopping by.  I promise a good post this weekend, I think, I hope.  Someone lock the neighbors in the closet, one far away from me, and throw away the key.

Happy New Year & Year Review

I hope 2012 is treating everyone right so far.  Me, I have had a great first two days.  Got to leave work early both days.  Last night we feasted on a side of prime rib roast beast.  Today, sunny and 75F, I met Duane at my connecting bus stop to have dinner out.  Back home forty-five minutes before I was scheduled to leave to work.

Last year started off pretty well.  Looking back I noticed I posted on the 2nd then. Last year, we had a clutch of new baby birds and I was nervous about them surviving.  Thirteen babies later, I can laugh at that.

Then starting on the 8th of January things started going down hill when Gabby Giffords was shot. I remained optimistic until Valentine's Day when we were both sick.  Then I had to call an ambulance and send Duane to the hospital.  Those who read and kept me grounded back then will remember things were pretty touch and go for a while. Some of you called me Super Woman, though my cape was torn, my tights had a run and I think I broke a heel.  Who knew you could bring bunnies to the ICU?

After forty-five days, we moved on to the nursing home/rehab center which brought many more challenges.  Finally, after three months, he came home.  More challenges over the summer.  We almost lost our Dammit Bunny (world's smallest Led Zeppelin fan.) He's back to his old spunky ways, by the way.

In August, trying to be thankful ad-mist chaos, I wrote a post and got some advice to freeze my curse. After which, things quickly got worse and immediately turned around for the better.  Working full-time for the first time in almost twelve years has came with it's own set of challenges. (that last post gets many Google hits from some weird people)

Babies were born, twice.  A very tense Christmas.  It was tiring year right to the very end.  My late ex-MIL used to say whatever your doing on midnight New Years is what you'll be mostly doing the rest of the year.  I was sleeping.  As tiring as last year was, I could use a year of mostly sleeping.  I won't wish for it though.  If you've read this blog for very long, you know what a peculiar sense of humor the Universe has when it comes to me and wishing things.

Through it all some knitting was finished.

Some spinning too.

The birds got a mansion to live in.

Lessons learned this year were lessons I had learned long ago, but are now more deeply ingrained.  Treasure good friends.  New friends that come along at the right time,  old friends and friends who you have never met in person but are just as special.  I would not have made it through this year without friends.  Be happy for the day you have, especially if you have what you need for that day.  Even if the it looks like your world might come crashing down tomorrow.  Very often, tomorrow will take care of itself.

Finally, I'll leave you with a couple sappy videos.  I'm going back to my knitting.  I'm making myself a pair of socks.  Would you believe I don't have a pair of hand knit socks for myself?




Have to have the Zep for Dammit.

They're Safe

They're safe finally.  My daughter and the baby are with an old friend from the old neighborhood.  More on that later.  My oldest granddaughter is with her father until Wednesday afternoon and he will bring her back to my daughter.

Saturday morning, I sat here with my coffee thinking about what to do next.  I searched out the National Abuse Hotline.  Called and told them the situation.  They gave me the number for her local shelter.  I gave it to her.

She wasn't able to call them until Sunday night.  The mother called her over when dinner was ready.  Had her make a plate and go back to the cold trailer by herself.  That's when I got her to call.  The shelter called the police to go get her.  The police refused to take her.  First because she didn't have a car seat for the 7 yr old.  Then the excuse was because CPS was involved and told her to call her caseworker.

They made the boyfriend turn the furnace on and told him to get food in the place.  Of course, he turned it back off the next morning.

CPS didn't open until this morning.  Her worker told her that they couldn't do anything until that woman gave her a written eviction notice.  This is the message I got on FB from my daughter as I was walking in the door to work.  We both were flipping out.

On my first break, something told me to just call her and not bother with FB.  My daughter told me our old friend from the old neighborhood was there and they were waiting for the police to get the baby for them.  The friend lived across from us for years when both our kids were little.  I hadn't spoken to her in 14 years until Friday night.  She lives near my daughter.

They had to go directly to court.  The judge granted my daughter temporary custody of the baby until January 3rd when they go back to court.  I highly doubt anything will be decided then. He also told the boyfriend's mother she could file for custody of the baby.

That woman, who claims to care so much for that baby, gave my daughter only a couple outfits, a few diapers and one can of formula.  Claims she doesn't know where the WIC checks are to get more.

Everything is back at the two trailers and my daughter doubts she will get any of their stuff back.  She thinks they are probably destroying her things and throwing them out, as I type this.

She used the $75.00 in three gift certificates I sent them for Christmas,  for necessities to get through the next couple days.  I told her I would put some more money on the Wal-mart gift cards Friday morning when I get paid again.

Even though I know she's safe and my friend won't let anything happen to her.  I don't feel safe.  I feel like I'm still waiting for something to happen.  Overwhelmed with what all that is going to be needed.

This has certainly been an annus horribilis for us.    Would you think I'm crazy if I told you I have panic attacks as I leave for work every morning, worrying about what might happen to any of us?  There is still four days left to this year.

Meanwhile On The Other Side

I've been so stressed with broken fridges, work and my daughter I forgot to tell you, my youngest son's wife had a son on December 14th.  All he had that morning was a disposable camera and no money to get the pictures developed.  For Christmas, I sent them a digital camera.

Jacob Jr is the spitting image of his Dad when he was born.

Jake Sr. with Jake Jr.  

Mom & Jake Jr. 

Uncle Avery (my oldest son) & Jake Jr.

Grandpa & Jake Jr.

Yet another of Jake Jr.

Oh my goodness.  Can you stand the cute or what?  I wish I was in NY right now for many reasons.

Thanks for stopping and your comments on my past few posts.  Next update, how a great planned failed.  But for now, just enjoy the cute.

Merry Christmas

I hope you all are having a very Merry Christmas.

This Christmas, I have new story about my life in Crazy Town.  If you're on FB, you read the brief story and know how it ends.

This morning I got up, chatted with my daughter on FB and knitted on my mother's socks.  Then I took the bus to the grocery store, which I thought would be a mad house.  The bus arrived on time.  It being a Saturday and Christmas Eve made that a bit strange.  Not many people at the grocery and I got into an empty cashier line. Or rather no line.  As I'm unloading my groceries, a man asks me if I would use his Fry's card so he could get the points to buy gas.  No big deal, I don't have a car, not going to use the points. So I swipe his store card instead of my own.  Wish him a Merry Christmas.

I had too much to carry back on the bus.  So, I called the Yellow Cab.  It's only a mile and a half cab ride, usually.  Queue the creepy music.  Things had been going too smoothly.  First call, I realize I had given the dispatch the wrong number to my cell.  So, I call them back to give them the right number.  They say, they have cab #1601 on it's way.  I make a mental note of the number.

Cab shows up.  I pull the grocery cart up to the back.  He just pops the trunk, but doesn't get out to help me put my groceries in the back.  I thought it a bit strange, but ok.  I check the number on the cab, #1601.  Put my stuff in the trunk and get into the car.  He asks me the address and takes off.

I look up at the meter and it was $4.50.  The flag drop is supposed to be $2.50.  I question this.  He said he started the fare when he popped the trunk.  That's not right.  The cab drivers have never done that to me.  I pull out my cell phone and call the company right there.

While I'm on the phone with the cab company, we get close to my address.  I tell him to slow down he's at my address.  He steps on the gas and floors it. He drives another two miles, with me in the back of cab on the   phone with dispatch.  "Your driver just flew by my house and didn't stop.  He's not even turning around to go back.  Oh my God, what is he doing trying to kidnap me?"

For all I knew he was going to take me to Mexico.  We were headed south.  It wasn't until I got back and in the apartment that I remembered that I had my tazer in my pocket the whole time.  Hell, I could have finally tested the thing.  (Just joking.  I would have if he had kept going.)

After two miles, he finally turns around and heads back.  Dispatch says, "I don't know what the hell he's doing.  Look it's only a mile or two from the grocery store to your home, don't pay him more than $6.00. He's obviously just driving around trying to run up the fare."

I only have a ten and one.  I call Duane to see if he has a five.  He almost drives by the place a second time.  Duane doesn't have a five but meets me in the parking lot.  I ask the driver if he has ones because there is no way I'm paying any more than $6.00 for that bit of BS.  He has the meter racked up to over $12.00.  He tells me to keep it and pops the trunk.

I'm so anxious to get away from that crazy cabbie, I just grab the bags that I see.  I didn't notice that the bag with the Jaegger gift box had slid to the back of the trunk.  I get in the house and go through the stuff.  Where's the Jaegger?  Damn, I must have left it in the trunk.

Duane tells me to call the cab company and report it.  They try to call him on the radio and he won't respond. They take my number and say they will call me back.  We wait over a half hour.  I call them back.  They say he's still not responding to the radio and they don't have his number to call him.  I tell them, we're calling the police.

I'm still shook up by the whole experience, so Duane calls and talks to the police.  We wait an hour.  I'm chatting with my daughter, trying to keep her spirits up, clean the litter box.  We are out of litter.  Duane is trying to put up the cat tree.  You know an ordinary evening here in crazy town.  We wonder aloud when the police will come.  I put my coat to head out to the CVS for cat litter.  Just as I step out the door, the lady officer is standing there.

I recant my story to her.  She tells me they have another officer headed to the cab driver's house to get my stuff.  She asks was he trying to steal my stuff.  I said, no, I don't think he knows it's back there.  She asked if he didn't understand English.  I said, "He knew enough English to say, "I dropped the flag when I popped the trunk and that is your fare."

Well, she goes out and talks on her radio.  Comes back in and asks me to wait to go to the CVS for a bit.  She's going back to her car and will wait to hear from her partner. Duane has me try to help him put the cat tree up.  My head is pounding.  (It's a cheap piece of you know what and is still lying in pieces in the middle of the floor.  Duane will nail the thing together tomorrow.)  I check outside every once in a while to make sure she is still in the parking lot.

Then the knock comes at the door.  She is standing there with a male officer holding my bag with Jaegger.  The male officer said the cabbie tried to tell him he's usually an airport cab and that is how they do things at the airport.  Both of the officers thought he was full of you know what.  They said I need to write a written complaint to the company.  Hope I don't run into anymore crazy cabbies in the future.

While I start to write this post, I step outside for a breath of um, fresh air for a minute.  I came back in, sat down and phone rang.  It was my friend that had taken me back and forth to the hospital and nursing home, takes us shopping every two weeks.  Last Sunday, I bought her a gift certificate for Grandmother's Spinning Wheel for a Christmas present.  She bought me a big ball of merino spinning fiber and hung the bag on my door knob outside. She must have saw me out there. She was in a rush, headed to Cali to see her father.

Regarding my daughter.  It breaks my heart knowing she's in that trailer in NY with no heat, no food.  She's getting sick.  She told me the CPS supervisor called her after I had talked to the supervisor, yesterday.  The supervisor told her she wished her the best of luck and that she would let the case worker know what was going on when she came back from vacation.  Can you believe that crap??  (Read yesterday's post if you haven't yet.)

I'm not saying there aren't any good social workers out there.  Lest someone flame me that they're sister-in-law is a social worker and goes out of the way to help people.  I'm sure there must be a few good ones somewhere.  It's just I've yet to meet one.  It would be kinda like spotting a unicorn.

Anyway, I have a plan.  It's a good plan.  Duane says it's a good plan.  I can't say what it is. We don't need the wrong people to get wind of the plan.  I will tell you once everyone is safe.


Finally, everyone's favorite World's Smallest Zeppelin Fan, Mr. Dammit Bunny Chewer (formerly of the Rochester Chewers).

"Merry Zepmas, everyone!"

What Merry Christmas??

I sincerely hope everyone is having Merry Christmas.  Sincerely, I really do.

I was having one until today.  In so much, that I got the packages out to my kids in time for Christmas and that was about all the Christmas spirit Duane and I could drum.  We were ok with that.  We even made a joke of it.  Every time we thought about putting up our mini tree, Duane would think meh, and I would think bleh.  So we called ourselves the anti-Christmas elves Meh and Bleh.

I worked all last week, with Sunday off, then I was supposed to work another 5 days straight.  Thursday, I got up and could barely move.  I really need two days off to re cooperate with this fibro and back problem. So, I called in and went back to bed, which was all I could physically do.

When I got up, there was a nasty message on FB for me from my daughter's boyfriend's mother.  Accusing my daughter of not cooking or cleaning and she was having her son kick my daughter out on Christmas at midnight.  She also posted this crap all over her FB page.  Which I copied and kept a file of.

The boyfriend does not provide food or cleaning supplies.  I've had to send money for diapers for the baby on a few occasions. The furnace has been broken since October and he hasn't bothered to fix it.  It's his excuse to keep the baby with his mom.

I called my daughter to see what was going on.  She basically said, that the boyfriend was going along with Mom.  Mom also has the 9 week old baby at her trailer and won't let my daughter see her own baby.

Up all night, I have to call in to work again.  I start calling CPS in NY.  My 7yr old granddaughter has a open CPS case from where she was attacked back in October while living with her father.  Her father dropped her off at my daughter's last month and abandoned her. She can't get in contact with him to get the little girls things.

She's trying to get full-custody, but lives in trailer park with no transportation.  She tried to get food stamps for my 7yr granddaughter but DSS said since she's still on the Dad's case he needs to have her removed first. So he's food stamp fraud and they won't do anything. *rolls eyes*

In the meantime, I send a sheriff over there for a welfare check on them. Basically, they said the baby is good condition with the grandmother, mother is aware. They tell me it's illegal to send my daughter and oldest granddaughter to the curb.  That if they do that my daughter needs to go somewhere and call 911 and heads will roll.  She lives in a trailer park out in the middle of no where, with no transportation.

Well, I get my daughter to agree to move down here with me.  The manager at my complex tells me, just go get them and we'll set her up in one of the vacant apartments.  Furniture? We'll figure it out. Don't worry. I was going to take a bus to NY.  My mother said, she would pick me up and that we would go to the sheriff for an escort, get them out.  Then we head back to Tucson on the bus.

The CPS caseworker won't let me bring them down here, while there are open criminal charges regarding the 7 year old.  They need her to testify, I guess. I don't know why they can't do a teleconference at one of the courts here.

I spoke with a good friend this afternoon, who had met the grandmother of the baby and she said the woman gave her the creeps. That she was over possessive of the baby. My friend invited my daughter over for the afternoon on Saturday.  My daughter said, that the baby couldn't go, because the grandmother won't let the baby out of her sight.

My friend said, she would help provide my daughter a safe haven, but she has to grow a back bone.  Stand up to this woman and file kidnapping charges.

I'm going to be writing to the state legislatures over the weekend.  If I have to I'll write to the governor.

So, here I sit just before Christmas, worried about my daughter and grandchildren.  I have a freezer full of food and feel really bad my daughter has nothing.  She needs to get out of that situation.  She'll read this and maybe get angry with me.  Duane told me I should blog what is going on.

WIP Wednesday

I'm still here.  This weeks WIP offerings are sparse.

The lacy cowl turned snood is now at 14 inches.  About a weeks worth of bus rides left to go.

I just have a few rows to go on my mom's sock and I turn the heels.  It should go pretty quick after the heel turns, I hope.  These need to be ready to mail out by next Tuesday.

I sometimes wonder if people stop by to see what bad luck will befall me next.  It certainly can't be my mad knitting and spinning skills, lately.

1. Tuesday sucked.  It rained all day and night.  Rained while I walked the two miles to work, then the two miles back to the bus stop, plus the 30 minutes I had to wait for the connecting bus.

2.  Knitting with sparklie mohair is not a good idea on a damp bus ride.

3. When drink Coffee Mate non-dairy creamer, you can't tell that stuff has went bad until you are very sick.  Yes, I'm very sick.  Let your imagination work for you.  I'll spare the TMI.

4. Refrigerator still isn't fixed, and now everything in the fridge part is spoiled.

I've spent almost enough for a down payment for a car in the past three months from this refrigerator breaking down.

5. Yes, I'm still going to work while sick.

6. The learning curve on making candy in the desert verses back home in NY is pretty steep.  I thought the fact that it was raining and high humidity would help.  It did not and the fudge is dry.  Back to the drawing board sometime between now and next Tuesday.

7. Duane thinks Not Quite Nigella is a genius for coming up with bacon, honey, maple caramels.  That was one thing that turned out right.  Plus, the apple pie.

It's just another week in the life of probably the unluckiest person you'll ever know.  Those of you have been who have been reading for the past year, just think... That's just one year of forty-five that I've been living this.  I've reached the point where I have been many times in my life where I sit back and just wait for what's next with unamused interest.

This seems a good theme song for me right now.

In the clearing stands a boxer 
And a fighter by his trade 
And he carries the reminders 
Of ev'ry glove that layed him down 
Or cut him till he cried out 
In his anger and his shame 
"I am leaving, I am leaving" 
But the fighter still remains 




We'll get the Christmas spirit going here eventually between now and Christmas.  Life just has us a bit derailed at the moment.  But what else is new.

After three days of no sun, it finally shined during my last break today and I ran out to the parking lot to stand in it.  I figure ten minutes of sunlight should be worth 10mg Paxil.  Then I got sick and had to run back inside.  Sorry, I'm feeling a bit sorry for myself these past few days.  Will try better in the next post.

Tomorrow's horoscope = hopeful.

Approaching events will push to the limit during this somewhat testing period. Be confident and trust in your abilities. Don't let the opinions of others dissuade you from your convictions; instead use any confrontation to build up and solidify the arguments for your own position. You may well discover one or two opportunities for improvement.

For more WIPS by people who actually work on them go to <a href="http://tamisamis.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Tami's Amis.</a>

Monday, Monday

Just can't trust that day.  In which we all stop by to see what happened this week.

Last week, I told Monday it needs to stop dropping by every week.  This morning, I woke up and stepped in a great big ole pile of it.  Monday.  The good thing about it was I was off.  Restraining orders against Monday are in the process.

It was cold and rainy today.  A good day stay home and mess around in the kitchen.  I finally made that apple pie, I kept saying I was going to make but didn't.

Then I noticed, the refrigerator is on the fritz, yet again.  It's turned up to nine and just barely keeping things cool. The repair man kept saying he was coming.  Until the manager called him again at 6pm and he said, tomorrow.  The manager said, and in the meantime their food is going bad.

My yarn I ordered on October 21st arrived.  It wasn't exactly was I was expecting compared to the picture I saw on the website.  I will review it in another post.

Then I made bacon honey maple caramels for Duane.  He and I got to bickering and I forgot I had the pan on the stove.  The sugar scorched the bottom of the pain and I thought it was ruined.  I tasted a bit of it on a spoon and it was ok, just looked funny.  So I carried on.  Duane says he likes it and that's all that matters.  I'll have to make another pan next week while I'm sleeping or something.

I found a new fudge recipe that is easy, in the microwave.  I'm going to make one recipe of my time trusted Never Fail Fudge and one recipe of the new easier stuff.  Then compare.

Next two weeks are going to be interesting.  I work the next five days, Sunday off, then five days and Christmas eve off.  Not too much time to get things done.  Christmas Eve will be spent in kitchen making Duane his kolaches and Dutch speculaas koekjas for me.

Back to sock knitting and fudge making.

When Is Weird Too Weird

As I mentioned in a previous post, I believe our normal would be weird any where else.  So the question is, when is weird, too weird for a Suntran bus driver?  I found out Tuesday morning.  It was a crisp 27F when I left for work.  As we know I knit on the bus commute to be productive and well, to ignore the weird.

I was roused from my knitting when I heard yelling outside the bus and the driver came to a screeching halt.  Outside, at the bus stop were three people wearing their bedding.  Yes, they were wearing their bedding.  Two men in their pajamas wrapped up in blankets and a woman in her nightgown wrapped up in a quilt.

The bus driver told them the bus was full to capacity, slammed the door and took off.  I looked around and there was maybe ten people on the bus.  I guess looking like your already for a long nap, is just too weird for a Suntran bus driver.

I should have read my horoscope before I left the house this morning.

Today's Horoscope

Lots of things aren't going as well as they might. You encounter obstacles wherever you look. Try to deal these apparently adverse conditions in a laid back manner and see them as a challenge. If something isn't going the way you planned it can still have positive outcomes and all the obstacles on the way just serve to make the journey more interesting.

This morning my bus was 45 minutes late.  When it was twenty minutes late, I called Suntran.  After being on hold for about 15 minutes, they tell me the bus ran out of gas.  How does that happen on the first run of the morning?  Aren't they supposed to check that before they leave the station?

Half way through my ride, a woman gets on the bus and starts cussing at the driver for being late.  As she stomps to the back of the bus, she yells, "She's lucky this isn't the southside.  Her ass would be grass for this."  Because you know, you can get there so much faster, if you beat the bus driver half to death.  Glad I ride through the milder barrio.

I arrived to work 30 minutes late.  The weekend scheduler fixed it for me.  They were giving pre-VGH yesterday for today, I booked to VGP (go home with pay early) for three o'clock.  It was so slow, and a Saturday (no admin wandering around) I pulled out my knitting to work on between calls.  At one point, I was able to complete a whole row on my snood and I call hadn't came through.  I checked my phone to make sure I was still connected.

Back to the scheduling desk.  I said, you know my day isn't going so well, with the whole run out gas first thing.  If you need people to leave earlier.  I'm willing to go say either at one or two.  It just needs to be at the top of the hour so I can walk to the bus stop.  I could be home getting a start on my holiday baking and fudge making.  By the way, do you like homemade fudge?

He said, I'm a fudge fiend.

Well, next Saturday, there will be a container of fudge for you.

Him:  As long as it's a Saturday, so the weekday people don't eat it all on me.

Me;  Yes, of course, it will be Saturday.

The younger guy:  What about me?

Me:  It will be a good size container and you two can share.  Consider it a thank you gift for past favors.  Not a bribe for future favors or anything.  Future favors however could make more thank you fudge to arrive in the future, though.  (chuckles)

At 1:30, I'm outside on lunch and the older guy comes out.

Him:  You still want to leave at two?

Me: Yes, I do.

Him:  Come bug me again when you get back from lunch.  I'll get you out of here.

Me:  Ok, thanks.

Him: Are you going to bring your own gas?

Me: I probably should stop by the Circle K to get a can and fill up with gas. Just to be safe.

Of course, my connecting bus home was over twenty minutes late.  I was tempted to call the station and ask if yet another bus ran out of gas.

Happy Saturday everyone.  It's my Friday.  Obviously, I have to make sure to make fudge on my two days off.

Me and Mondays

Dear Monday,

As a day of the week, we're just not working out.  I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to X you out of my calender. It was bad enough the morning you poured the rain on me and I had to pay a fortune for a cab to go a few miles.  Then last week, with the crud and the cold sore that ate my mouth and caused me to miss two days of work.

Today, however is the final straw.  Waking up at 5am on my day off with severe in pain in my back and right side from a kidney stone, was beyond necessary.  This is it you have to go.  It's just not working out and quite frankly I'm wondering if you're out to kill me.

Sincerely yours,
The Monday Hater

I took off Thursday and Friday to get over the crud.  It was no ordinary cold sore, it took up the entire right half of my upper lip.  It was like a second degree burn.  I could barely eat or drink without pain.  A series of rinses with 50% peroxide and water, then baking soda water, followed by 50% Maalox healed it within two days.  Duane was so sweet.  Thursday night he made me a ham salad sandwich and cut it up into sixteen tiny pieces for me.

Then today, yeah, kidney stone.  I haven't had one for over a decade, but that is a pain you don't forget.  I'm consuming large doses of Vit C and drinking gallons of water, in hopes I'm better by tomorrow morning.  The State cut off my health insurance as soon as I started this job.  If I have to take tomorrow off, I will need to go to the emergency room to get a Dr. note.  Just pay them what I can every week. I have to wait until open enrollment next fall to get insurance through my job.

Yesterday, while grocery shopping I found that blue poinsettia (first picture above) and this Christmas cactus on sale.  Never saw a blue poinsettia before, so it had to come home with me.  Our little Christmas tree is blue and silver.  My mother had a Christmas cactus when I was little.  Her's was a bright pink.  They had plenty of those, but only one of this white and pale pink.  It was different, so it came along too.  That is the extent of my Christmas decorating.

I finished my Tucson socks on Friday afternoon.  You'll have to wait til this Friday to see them.  I started some socks for my mother for Christmas.  You'll have to wait for WIPW for those.

What's up with our weather down here?  When did Tucson pick up and move to New York state while I was sleeping?  I swear on Saturday, it was snowing in the valley when I walked from work to the bus home.  It didn't stick or accumulate.  It sure felt like snowflakes hitting my face.

This morning at 5am, the temperature in Tucson was 31.5F.  The temperature back home in Rochester, NY was 48.6F.  There is something seriously wrong here.  I brought all my potted plants inside and covered the ones in the planter with a sheet.

Bootsie says, "This cold stuff sucks."

Bootsie and Duane trying to keep each other warm.

I can't find my angora hat.  Saturday night I started this cowl, expanding it into a snood. I added three repeats of the pattern to make it a bit wider.  Even though I've been knitting like a mad woman all day between drinking gallons of water and making a million trips to the bathroom, it's only about 8 inches right now.  I measured from my forehead, across the top of my head and down the back and it needs to be about 20 inches.  It looks like my angora headband will have to suffice in the morning.

My mother called me this morning, just to see how I'm doing.  That threw me for a loop.  I'm the one who makes the calls.  I've been so busy and tired with work.  Thanksgiving is when I started not feeling well.  By the time I thought about calling, I knew she would be at my brother's house for dinner.

I found this SAL Wipocalypse 2012 through a blog and I'm going to sign up.  The rules are pretty liberal, so I'm hoping this is one I can follow through.  Goodness knows with all my cross stitch wips, I could use some encouragement.  Would you believe over the weekend I found another tote in my closet with even more cross stitch WIPS?  I shuttered and just quietly walked away, pretending I didn't see anything.  Nope, I don't have a problem.  Not me.

That's my update. Thanks for stopping by.

Last NaBloPoMo Post

I made it posting every day for November.  Every time I do this, I realize it's easy if you happen to post every day, something different when you plan to do it.  I made it and didn't lose any followers, amazing.

It's been a weird month, hasn't it?  I had hoped to end on high note.  Instead, I'm wounded soldier.  The cold sore is much worse.  The last hour of my shift today, I was in tears from the pain.  I brought my team leader up in a private chat and told her I needed to leave but it was too busy to VGH.  She told me to go ahead and go it would just be a 1/4 point.  Then I told her, I'm taking the next couple days off to try to get better.  She told me to do what I needed to do.

I'm going to stay home, get plenty of rest and drink lots of water and hope to flush what ever this is out of my system.  No need to push myself and have Duane come on here and say I'm in the hospital.

I'll probably continue to post more often when I have something to write about, just not every day.  There were several nights when writing a post what the last thing I wanted to do.  However, I made a commitment and succeeded.

Thanks to all of you who kept up with me this month.

Great Customer Service

I heard back from Joan at Cupcake Fibers this morning.  She searched her stock to see if she might have some Pool in the SW BFL.  Sadly, she couldn't find any and is out of SW BFL until sometime next week.  She offered to try to duplicate the color in the fibers she did have in stock.

I'm starting on a long five day stretch of work and walking, so I told her to just wait until the SW BFL came in.  As it's not like I'll get to my wheel any time soon anyway.  She even offered to replace it for free.  I told her I didn't expect to cover our mishap.

Mondays are Mondays even when they are a day off.  I've been wondering why I've been so tired and cranky lately.  (More than usual, that is.)  This morning I woke up with a huge canker sore on my gum, under my right nostril.  I'm treating it with peroxide rinses and dabbing powder alum on it.  An old emergency room told me about the powder alum a very long time ago.  It healed it within a couple days.

I have that achey, head achey yuck feeling one has just as the crud is coming on. Unfortunately, I'm on the later shift this week.  Which sucks because I'm walking to the bus in the dark, then have a 30 minute wait for my connecting bus home.

I'm on the heel gusset of the second sock.  (Old picture of the first sock, because I'm lazy)  It looks like I might have a finished pair by the weekend.  I know, I'm amazed too.

My other long stem tea rose is starting to bloom.  I'm going to bring it inside before I leave for work in the morning.  The flower thieves can go rub salt if they have plans on this next one.

Hope you have a great Tuesday.

Sunday Snit

I'm in a bit of snit today.  I woke up at 1 am with sinuses all agitated and was up til 4:30 am reading.  It was ok, being this is my day off.  Woke up again at 8 am, knit and read some blogs for awhile.  Duane got up and after that I cleaned the bird cage and vacuumed the living room.

My plan was to clean the bedroom and do all the laundry.  Duane had cabin fever and wanted to go out.  I had planned to take him to Luke's on Monday, but we went today. For several years,  he's been craving an Italian Combo sandwich like he used to get in Chicago.  I was told by an old Chicago guy at work, that Luke's came pretty close.

A combo sandwich is a half pound of thinly sliced Italian beef, with an Italian sausage on a French roll dipped in Au Jus with hot and sweet peppers.  He said, Old Chicago guy was right and it was pretty close.  A little too much black pepper in the beef.

Back when we lived in Rochester, there was a pizza and sub place right around the corner.  They had steak subs and Italian sausage subs with a real link of Italian sausage.  Not those little bullet things that get put on the pizza like most shops back there used.  He called them and asked them to stick an Italian sausage on his steak sub to make his combo sandwich.  They refused to do it, because they couldn't figure out how to price it. I never would order from that place again.  You might have noticed, but I don't suffer fools or idiots very well.

(Honey, don't read any further.  Hit the back button.)

We came home, I gave up on the cleaning idea as I was tired from the walking.  So, I pulled out my spinning wheel.  I finished most of the ounce I had started back in September.  When I went to get the box with the rest of the fiber, it was gone.  I searched the few spots it could possibly be.  I'll search a little deeper tomorrow, but I'm not holding out any hope.

It's been thrown out.  I threw a fit.  Someone (not me) mistaken it for a empty shipping box and took it out to the garbage, sometime since the beginning of November when I last saw it.  I threw a fit.

It's the first time in nine years that anything of mine has been accidentally thrown out.  However, it brought back memories of The Jerk and my step-father who just throw out other people's things accidentally on purpose.  I think that's what pissed me off the most, is bringing back those memories.

I have since sent a message to Joan at Cupcake Fiber to see if she could come up with something close. I guess I'll just Navajo ply this ounce and come up with something for it.  Maybe knit a minion to guard the next batch of fiber.

I think the manager should have left the meth addict in the apartment above me.  At least she would eventually run out of meth and crash for a few days, and there would be quiet.  The women upstairs and her kids continue to sound like a herd of crazed St. Bernard's wearing Dutch wooden shoes holding wrestling matches.    I have went up there and said something,  I have pounded on the ceiling with a broom.  They are just inconsiderate, final opinion. It's 10:30 pm and they are still romping.

No sense in complaining to the manager.  He won't do anything unless someone is disturbing him personally.  He has himself well insulated with the snowbird above him and quiet people on either side. (Us for one) It takes forever to get anything fixed.  The toilet has been constantly running for two months now.  I've told him about it twice.  The only thing this place is good for is when people have a hard time paying their rent.

I'm done, finished with this place.  After the holidays, I will work on getting a car.  So I can work overtime, and save for the first month's rent and deposit for a single family house.  They have been putting up notices at work daily that they need people to stay for overtime from 4-8.  I usually get out between 5 and 6 so staying a couple extra hours wouldn't be a problem, except for walking in the dark, two miles to the bus stop through the barrio.

My horoscope for Monday: Owing to the unfavourable influence of the stars, you will be confronted today with situations which will easily stretch you to the max. Don't doubt your abilities. It is within your power to change these circumstances. If you are also faced with problems at work, try to make the best of it. Problems are ultimately placed before us so that we will learn from them. You can use these difficult times to improve your skills. 

(rolls eyes)

I need to do something and I'm on a mission.

This Pot Has A Story

This pot came to our complex last fall.  A lady who had moved in with the woman above me, brought this as far as the parking lot and left it.  Another new resident asked the manager if she could have it.  Not knowing or caring whose it was he gave it to her.  It had a nice palm like plant in it.  That tenant let it die and left out of here abandoning most of her stuff when Duane was in the hospital.

Then someone moved into the apartment across from me over the summer.  Somehow, she was given the pot.  Planted something in it.  Let it die and abandoned her apartment last month.  We lay claim to this pot.  This is where it's story will end.

My friend, who takes me shopping might take me to the nursery Sunday or Monday.  I want to get a mini citrus tree for it.  I found such a plant on Amazon, but they won't ship to the citrus states.  So, I'm hoping to find one at the plant nursery.

I woke up this morning and it was 42F with 98% humidity.  When did I wake up in back in NY?  How did that happen?  It was so tempting to just call in.  However, that would give me two points for the month and I would lose any bonus, I've been working so hard for.  Plus a days pay.  Plus it affects my two week average they use to calculate my holiday pay.  I stood to lose a good chunk of change.  So, I dragged my butt to work.  Seriously, I pulled out the tow change and dragged it kicking and screaming all the way there.  I did VGH three hours early when they asked if I wanted to go home.

Just as I was about to take a picture of the unopened box of chocolates, Duane picked it up and ripped the plastic off.  So much for that bit of suspense.  The thing is huge.  As wide as Duane's recliner.

Believe it or not, I only had one piece.  A maple fudge.  I don't eat much refined sugar since my acupuncturist told me refined sugars exacerbates chronic pain.  Since, I'm not feeling well with our high humidity and cooler temps, I don't want to add to it.

Have a happy Sunday.  I know I will, since I will be at home.  Just hope I don't wake up earlier than if I had to work.