Not Exactly Weekly

I had planned to return to my weekly blog at least, and start slowly getting my other blogs caught up.

Life and Death got in the way.

My mother-in-law passed away in August. It wasn't exactly expected, so that made things very difficult. It wasn't completely unexpected, either. She'd been getting worse for a long time, slowly.

The Saint and I are very close to his parents, both in location and emotionally. You don't realize how it gets when someone is ill. The family revolves around the needs and the condition of one person. Almost everything becomes secondary.

It's hardest for the primary caregivers to remember they need time for themselves, too.

My mother-in-law was a very special person, and I'm glad to have known her.

Life is starting to get back to normal. Fall is coming.
Life goes on.

What's New?

Since I haven't been posting regularly, I am not going to do my usual formula thing.

We've been busy. Let's see - got a new Jeep Liberty. Traded in the old Jeep (which we loved) for a new Jeep. Same color, even, which is kind of sad. But, oh well. It has a navigation system, and Sirius radio which we both like and will keep after the year trial is up for sure.

Got both a PS3 that plays all the PS games, and then got a Wii. I have been playing WoW, but not as much as I'd like. Which has been annoying.
Went to a dog show which was fun. We are hoping to take Rowdy to one in June, but he needs some work before we can show him.

I've been writing a tiny tad. Real writing, not blogging or writing for work. Also still doing my deck-a-week tarot exercise with all my decks. 248 decks, of which 33 are majors only. I will be doing this until at least 2010. Which seems like quite a project, but it's a fun one for me.

Hoping for a good positive six weeks ahead.

April 5,228

So, where have I been for the past 9 months?

Nowhere.

Busy.

All kinds of things.

So - what's been going on with me?

After we got back from our anniversary weekend we got busy. I just kind of lost track of doing my blogs - all my blogs. I think loosing so many of my Friday's off made it more difficult to fit blogging into my life, so I stopped for awhile. I am going to try and write more regularly again.
I have been writing in my paper journal, every day.
Hmmmm, well, we have a new puppy, Rowdy, who we got in December. He was sick at first, so that was worrisome.
So far this year we have both been sick. It's been not a great start to the year. A loss of a family friend hit everyone pretty hard, as he was a young man with a baby who was truly in the wrong place at the wrong time. (He was hit by the trailer of an out-of-control truck, on the wrong side of the road.)

TS and I are working on our house this year, if we can ever get the energy to start working on projects.

Here are a few of the projects we have for this year;
Fixing the water leak outside. It's near the shut-off. It involves digging a deep hole in mud. Doesn't that sound fun?
New flooring in the utility room and master bathroom.
Getting rid of the antique piano and exercise bike. Hauling to the dump.
Hanging the picture I got from Toni last July. One got hung right away, the other one needs different matting to work, and it hasn't happened yet.
Fixing the leak on the roof.
De-junking the house. I still have the master bedroom, Living Room, dining room, Kitchen, rec room, Ken's and my rooms and the Utility room left.
New Back door. Which means new dog door, too.
New Front door.
Fencing the yard. Now there is a project.
Under the counter box for meds, and shelf for electronic device charging.
Shelves for the bedroom. To replace the ones with Magical chew marks on the corners.
8 fake plants in the master bath. Because they don't ruin the shelves like real ones do.
Oak trim around walls.
Oak trim around windows.
Oak trim around doors.
Paint the ceilings.

The other projects - the sliding door that leads to a new porch by the hot tub, new kitchen cabinets, and new floors in the back bedrooms, can wait awhile. But who knows, maybe we will get a burst of energy, and it will all be good......

Hopefully I will get back to my weekly posting soon. I enjoyed it.

Make it Week(s) in Review

Since I wrote two weeks ago, it's been busy on one hand, quiet on the other.

The last two weeks I was totally into -
Our time off for our 25th Anniversary. We went to Lincoln City, and it was very lovely, even though the weather was cool and overcast. We slept in, read, walked on the beach and enjoyed each others company. We even saw live music! The following weekend was the release of Harry Potter's finally installment, and I worked the weekend. It was fun - there were a few kids in costume, and I wore my wizard's hat with the dragon. Aside from that, it was all cleaning, and the same-old, same-old thing.

Last week I was avoiding -
I avoided eating well, which wasn't really my plan, and now I'm avoiding exercise for the next three days too. My hope is by giving my ankles a rest, they will heal up and mellow out for next week, when I plan on getting back on track.

What else is on my mind -
Child killers and molesters. How they should be castrated, or fried. Animal abusers - how they should have to serve time in jail. The war in Iraq, the idiots in the White House, and other random things. I try to stay positive, but all the crime and hatred in the world makes me sad sometimes.

The week ahead -
This weekend is an R&R weekend. I have a few chores to do today - spraying weeds (done) 10 things per room (done except the rec room, which will be done after I finish blogging) and picking up the cut down shrubbery outside (also done after I finish my other blogging). I might wash the sheets. Then I have nothing to do this weekend but...nothing. I will not clean - except for the 10/room - which is more picking up than cleaning. I will not do laundry. I will not do anything but float in the hot tub, drink various combinations of juice and alcohol, float in the hot tub, play Wow, and finish Harry Potter. Next week, I will clean again.

Accomplishments -
I got paintings from Tony Yuly.

Weekly gift -
Anniversary present was a cute shirt that said "fabulous" on it, and my Newwave tarot cards.

Really, Really Hot

This week I was totally into...
Getting ready for our trip. I cleaned, I scrubbed, I planned. I didn't get too crazy. Our air conditioners, because it was so hot. I don't like it hot at night anymore. I am a wimp.

This week I was avoiding...
Thinking about Magic. It made me too sad. I was in a sad mood all week. Also, I seemed to be avoiding getting enough sleep - because I certainly didn't.

What else is on my mind...
Our trip to the ocean. Taking pictures. Packing. Being off work next week for a few days. Thunderstorms.

The week ahead....
Time off. Hope it will be good. Worrying about the dog being alone, even though he'll be checked on, played with, treated, petted and fussed over twice a day, every day we are gone.

Accomplished...
Transferred pictures onto my computer. Got the house clean. Managed to do everything I wanted to do, not be late for work, not piss TS off, and not go crazy.

Weekly Gift....
Cool hoodie that I wanted, and TS tracked them down in my size, and bought me two of them. Because he is who he is.

4th of July and More

This week I was totally into....
I played a lot of World of Warcraft last weekend. We attended TS's parents 50th anniversary dinner at Claim Jumper. It was very nice, a dinner with TS's whole immediate family, including the niece and nephew. He and his brother are splitting the cost of a family portrait with all of us for his parents. Which we should do soon. The 4th of July was good. We tranq'd the dog for the first time ever this year. He was much better. He was still freaked, but he wasn't trembling. He didn't have to be touching one or both of us at all times. Much better for him.
We sat out in the hot tub and watched the neighborhood fireworks from there - it was lovely.

This week I tried to avoid....
Spiders. Bugs. Mosquitoes. There have been several extra-large spiders running around the house this week, and a sighting on our deck of a humongous spider that had to be at least 4 inches in diameter, with legs. His body was as big as my thumb. TS wanted to kill him, but he was outside, so I vetoed the murder. I mean, a spider that big has been eating hundreds and hundreds of bugs. Then there are the mosquitoes. The mosquitoes are the size of flies this year. They are also huge. They don't whine like the little ones. Time to get out the citronella candles at night. Other bugs have been the faux bees who are building mounds in the dirt and gravel of the driveway. Interesting, but kind of weird.

What else is on my mind....
The joy of air conditioning in the bedroom now that it's hot at night. Eating more naturally. Getting dog food. The television show Supernatural. I am hooked on it right now. Watching all our DVD's during the Summer Break. So far we are watching Young Riders, Quantum Leap, and Supernatural. We also have a ton of movies to watch. Narnia. Underworld. The new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Pirates of the Caribbean Part 2.

The week ahead....
Nothing too unusual going on this week. Keeping to my normal stuff. Also, I am working with the Witches Tarot. It's quite nice - a borderless deck, which I enjoy. It's going to be hot. No days off in the middle of next week.

Accomplishments....
Exercised every day. Used my tarot cards every day. Ate well. Got the laundry done and the house cleaned. Got some air-clearing done with TS about things I've asked him to do.

Weekly Gift...
The Sims 2 H&M stuff pack.

Quote of the week....

A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken.

~James Dent

When will Summer Come?

This week I was totally into....
Writing, and tarot, and cleaning my house so I will have a completely free weekend in front of me. What else...I got TS some new shirts, and he went out and bought himself clothes too. I have also been trying to buy my journals - so far I have not been successful, but if i don't hear from them next week, I will try again.

This week I was avoiding...
I avoided a lot of blogging. I avoided fighting with people unless I absolutely had to make a point.

What else is on my mind...
Taking pictures, hoping for a nice relaxing weekend, how Nemo is going to do with the fireworks next week (we have drugs for him). Also the war, also all the people going crazy. It makes me wonder if there are more people going crazy, or just more knowledge of it.

The week ahead....
Hopefully a relaxing weekend with no drama. Fourth of July, so we get Wednesday off. 50th Anniversary dinner with TS's folks. My sister's 40th birthday.

Accomplishments...
Wrote every day, upped my exercise, ate healthy, met my goals for the most part.

Weekly Gift....
Going to the store for me

Summer Solstice

This week I was totally into......
Sleep. Because I was sick, all I did for basically Monday and Tuesday was sleep. Oh, and part of Sunday. I was also into being crabby, I guess, because I felt pretty darn grumpy. Luckily, I am feeling better now, by the end of the week. It wasn't a week of fun, that's for sure.

This week I was avoiding....
Decisions. I didn't want to make any decisions. I also tried to avoid arguing with people, because I was grumpy as much as possible. This didn't always work.

What else is on my mind....
Getting a new puppy. It's feeling pretty lonely around here at the moment. Also ordering my notebooks. I've been going to do it for months, but I still feel a little guilty about it. Also using my next deck, Waking the Wild Spirit, which will be fun. Also cleaning the fish tank tomorrow, which is my only chore. Well, that and the white clothes. And playing WoW, which I might do a little of tomorrow, but I am planning a big WoW weekend next weekend, I hope.

The week ahead....
Still exercising and eating well. Hot tubbing. Work this weekend - I don't like that so much. Watching more of the TV show Supernatural (I got season 1 on DVD) and also The Young Riders (ditto). Getting the housework done. Maybe buying some white pants.

Accomplishments....
Stumbled but didn't fall on my lifestyle changes. Exercised even when I was sick. Wrote every day.

Weekly Gift....
Filter lense for my camera

Family Stuff

This week I was totally into...
I wouldn't say I was totally into anything - once again it was a week I just slogged through. We bought cards for all the upcoming events - our niece's graduation from collage and her party, her friend's graduation, and the boyfriend of another friend of ours. Also, Father's Day, TS's parents 50th Anniversary, and my sister's 40th Birthday. Since our 25th Anniversary is coming up next month as well it's going to be a busy time. I wrote quite a bit, but mostly I just survived work. I am hoping that next month (July) starts a better cycle for us. Got my makeup (yay) and DVD and books from Amazon (yay) and have been reading my books.

This week I was avoiding...
I can't say I avoided anything. Maybe I avoided getting into conflicts with anyone. I played it cool, and lay low. I didn't avoid housework, OR anything else. I didn't bring up touchy subjects. I didn't let people step on me, but I didn't go out of my way to start anything, either.
So - sometimes avoidance is a good thing.

What else is on my mind...
The war in Iraq. I just hate we are over there in the first place; and all the people dying over there - on all sides. But, especially the civilians. Our troops are doing what they are told - as they must. The opposing forces - honestly I can understand why they don't want us there - although I can't see they'd do better. Getting a new dog. I am wishing it would happen soon.
It's weird having just one dog. We got offered kittens - but there is no way we can have any with the Evil Tink.

The week ahead.....
It's payday. Yay for that. TS gets the packing out of his ear. I work the weekend, so Friday off. The usual cleaning and laundry. Need to cut back a bit to make up for overdoing it at the party. Keep eating well and exercising and drinking water. It's going to be cool and cloudy. Should be getting a couple of new tarot decks. I like the deck I'm working with this week, the World Spirit Tarot.

Accomplishments....
Have kept eating and drinking well so far, and exercising. Worked with my deck every day. Wrote every day. Went to work every day.

Weekly Gift....
Extra Battery for my camera.

Quote of the week....

Boredom: the desire for desires.
Anna Karenina

Leo Tolstoy

Sunshine and Rain

This week I've been totally into....

Working - really that's been about my main thing. It's been one of those weeks where I wake up much too early every morning no matter what time I go to bed, so I have been stumbling around in a fog for most of this week. Hmm, cleaning. Doing laundry. Can't really think of any excitement - which isn't a bad thing. I bought the DVD for the TV show Supernatural, and also two books I've been waiting for - Changeling by Yasmine Galenorn, and the new Retrievers book. (My mind is blank on the title and author.)


This week I'm avoiding....

Stores. Was planning on grocery shopping yesterday, but just couldn't do it.


What else is on my mind....

The death of Hansa, Woodland park Zoo's elephant. The war in the middle east. The deck I'm using this week, the Tarot of Baseball, which I am not certain I like much. Sleep. Work. Wishing my vacation were coming up, instead of months away. My mind is actually fairly quiet at the moment, which is rare for me - must be all the sleep deprivation.


The week ahead....

Be really good with my eating and exercise this week. My packages should come. Keeping the house clean. Sleep. Sell my mom's camera stuff.


Accompishments....

Got done what I wanted to get done. That's all I wanted to do this week. Got rid of some clothes, and took a box 'o crap to Goodwill. (I am not naming items, because some were gifts, and I don't want anyone reading this to think "Oh, she took THAT to the Goodwill?."

Weekly Gift...

New phones. Ours had been messing up. Now I have a phone right by the computer, so I can look at the id from here to decide if I am answering or not, haha.

Is it Over, Yet?

This week I'm totally into...

I guess it was more a week of recovery. TS was recovering from his ear surgery, and it was painful. I hurt my back on Wednesday and it was painful. I worked Memorial Day weekend, and cleaned up like I planned. Unfortunately I didn't play today (Friday) like I planned, instead I spent my day doing crap like exercising, pooh scooping the backyard, cleaning the bathroom, hard boiling eggs and doing laundry. But, I got up late (10:30) and I kind of slow-played for the first hour, so it's kind of my fault. We got a new camera last week - yay! It's a Nikon D80, which is a little more camera than I need - but I figure I can grow into it. Because it was a work weekend I didn't get to play with it as much as I would have liked. We did go to a couple pioneer cemeteries on Memorial day, which was kind of cool. Maybe this coming weekend we'll have more chances.

This week I was avoiding...
I didn't really avoid anything - I TRIED to avoid arguing with TS, since he wasn't feeling well either, but it was hard, because we were both grumpy.

What else is on my mind...
The news helicopters circling all afternoon because of a shooting at the strip mall right next to us. Helicopters three times this week. I hate it. TS doesn't hear them, since he can't hear. Lucky him, haha. Ordering my more makeup from Sephora. Oooh, hope the samples are good ones (and different from the ones I got before...) Hoping another one of my decks (Tarrochi di Merlino, or Steele Wizard Tarot) is ready to be shipped. Also going to get some clothes today with my coupon. And Home Depot, for more weed killer, and more blackberry killer.

The week ahead...
I hope to play a lot this weekend. And shoot a lot of pictures. And relax, and not work. So, even though I have the weed killer, I won't use it until next time it's sunny. Next week - for once we don't have anything planned. Ken needs to recover from his surgery. I need to work on my projects at work, and at home. Play more.

Accomplishments....
Kept the house clean. Stayed on my eating plan. Exercised a lot.

Weekly gift...

Adobe photoshop elements for my computer. Yay. So I can work with RAW (a kind of footage type) as well as JPEG images.

Quote....

There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs.

~Ansel Adams

Is This Cycle Over Now?

This week I'm totally into:
This week was all about TS's surgery. Last weekend we were doing all the things that needed to be done before he went under the knife. Getting dog food. Getting groceries (sick food) and clothes for him to wear (sweats) and making sure everything was under control.
Tuesday he went in, and then the anesthesiologist had him spend the night there. He was not happy. Wednesday he came home in the morning, and he is slowly recovering. It's good. I'm hopeful TS's surgery is the end of this awful year-long cycle that began this time last year with Cocoa disappearing. It's been a difficult year. It's time for a good cycle to begin!

This week I am avoiding:
I haven't been avoiding anything. I haven't been able to play WoW yet, but only because I have been so busy otherwise.

What else is going on:
Wednesday TS's dad mowed our lawn, so I weed-whacked and sprayed weed killer on the hot tub area and the driveway, and blackberry killer on the blackberry bushes. It was a day of poisonings. I'm also trying to be restrained in my spending, which is a little annoying. I am also thinking about our new puppy, and thinking of names for her/him.

The week ahead:
This week I will be working with the Visconti-Sforza deck, which is the "Ur" tarot deck for all practical purposes. I will be working a short week, since it's Memorial Day weekend. Even though it's my work weekend - that's okay. I plan to clean the house on Memorial Day, so I have my entire three-day weekend to myself. I plan to play and play and play.

Accomplishments:
Caught up on the laundry. I thought I had been a good caregiver to TS, but apparently that isn't so. Kept the house clean. Read tarot every day. Kept eating well and exercising. Wrote every day.

Weekly Gift:
This weeks gift was that TS made it through his surgery okay and is home. That's the best gift he could have given me.

Quote of the Week~

I don't like surgery. I don't like elective surgery, I don't like surgery that you have to have. Sandra Bernhard

One down, One to Go

This week the One Down is T.S's rush trip to California. Being gone is not his favorite thing. He worries about me getting home from work okay. I keep telling him "I am 45 years old. If I can't find my way home by now, I'm in big trouble." He still worries. It was fine. The other thing gone was the floors - almost. Someone TS knows was going to come on Wednesday to fix the carpet - so of course I got the house all clean and beautiful...and the guy forgot his tools. So now he's probably coming on Monday, the day before TS's surgery. Hopefully he will get it done, so we can get the living room back in order before the surgery. However, he is willing to do it, and for that, I am grateful, no matter when it finally happens. I could put the furniture back, but the thought of hooking up all those cords while TS directs gives me the cold shivers. Also this week I cleaned and cleaned (because of the guy) and did piles of laundry. I still have piles and mountains to go. BUT at least my washer and dryer are back, and I'm happy about that.

This week I am avoiding....
Thinking about driving home from TS's surgery. If I think about it, I will start freaking out - if I don't think about it I won't. Simple. I was also avoiding reading any of the books I have been looking forward to starting. I want something potentially good to read next week, during the surgery wait time.

What else is on my mind...
I am hoping my Bare Escentuals cosmetics are NOT what is causing my face to break out. Because I like them. It might be all that lovely floating white stuff in the air. I am also wanting to buy things, but I am waiting. I don't like to wait. I am also hoping not to be a mean nurse next week. TS keeps calling me "Nurse Ratchett" which makes me laugh and pisses me off simultaneously.

The week ahead....
Not so awful tarot deck this week, I hope, Legend, the Arthurian Tarot. Maybe a trip to Barnes and Noble in my future, just to make SURE I have enough to read. And Target, for a new Bag O' Tricks, if I can find one.. If I could sew, I would fix the old one. However - I cannot. What would I do? Make the inside out of chambray or something. Maybe I should talk to a sewer.
I am also going to continue my eating well/exercising/water drinking.

Accomplishments....
Did really well on my eating well/exercising/water drinking. Didn't get sulky about riding bus home. (This was a major milestone for me.) Finished with the Feng Shui Tarot. Nice Art, not great to read with. Only cried about Magic twice.

Weekly Gift...

The only one I needed - the floors are done, and my house is almost back to normal.

Quote of the week

"The most casual examination will reveal the fact that all the jokes about the horrible results of masculine cooking and sewing are written by men. It is all part of a great scheme of sex propaganda. "

Heywood Broun

Just a small note. TS is much better at using the sewing machine than I am.

How typical.

Stress Sometimes Reaches the Sticking Point

This week I was totally into....

Finding out about TS's ear surgery. Even though what he's having surgery for now is different than his original surgery - it's still surgery. So, I stressed myself out. It's been just a horrid month. 1 month since Magic died. 3 weeks of my house being under construction, so far. TS's nephew and his broken back. (He is okay.) A lot of stuff going on at work. It was just TOO MUCH. So, I nearly had a panic attack. Luckily, I knew what it was, but it was bad. I don't stress out like that, but it was just the final twig.

This week I am avoiding....
Actually, I am avoiding most everything. Cleaning, because what is the point except for the roach-aways (dishes, cleaning the toilets, throwing out the garbage and recycling). I also avoided eating well, because I need vast amounts of chocolate when I am stressed, (and maybe hormonal) and exercising, because I just am. I wish I could avoid the cruddy tarot deck I used this week.

What else is on my mind....
The war. I am tired of our soldiers getting killed. I just am. I want them home. Talk politics to me until you are blue, but this was a wrong war to start with in my opinion, and now it's time to let go. Also, I am worried about both Tink and Nemo. I want them both to go to the vet and get check ups. Too many dead pets this year. I miss my Magic.
My blogs, and how much fun I have writing them. My time frame for new stuff.
I am buying probably five new Tarots this month. They are already pre-ordered. One of which I have been waiting for for over 4 years.
Next month I am buying the rest of my new make-up. I am using Bare Escentuals now, and I really like it. As long as I keep liking it, next month I will get the beyond the basics face kit, and an eye kit.
In July I am going to order the 7 X10 inch journals that I have to buy in bulk. I really like them. They are where I keep my tarot reviews, and once I have them in my hot little hands, I can start tarot journaling again.

The week ahead.....
After this weekend I will have a veritable mountain of laundry to do. If the floor gets done. I would like to do some yard work. Also, I want to get the house clean by next weekend (floor permitting) so TS and I can have a chill weekend before his surgery. Planning for that. I am a planner.

Accomplishments....
This week my accomplishment was I made it through without taking any days off, and without stressing myself out to the max.

Weekly Gift....
Back rub, even though TS was really sore himself.

Quote of the Week....

If I had to give young writers advice, I would say don't listen to writers talking about writing or themselves.

Lillian Hellman

Okaaay, so I was wrong about May

This week I was totally into...

I guess I was into writing. I wrote a lot in my blogs. I wrote in my journal. I played around with my stories. I toyed with the idea of starting a new blog, and I started four new blogs. Aside from that, I was mostly preoccupied with TS's medical stuff, like the fact he may have to have surgery. Also with the realization that the skinny fairy isn't going to come along and whap me with her magic wand, so I'm going to have to do something about that, or ELSE.

This week I was avoiding....

I kind of avoided starting my new eating program, and exercising. There was still too much ice cream in the house. But now there is nothing but TS's ice cream, so I am done with that.

What else is on my mind....

Magic. I still miss him every day. I still cry sometimes, at the strangest moments. Writing. Names for our new puppy. The floors. Ken's ear. When all the stuff I ordered last week will start arriving. I could use a little Christmas, even though they are no surprise. Finding the photos my niece wants to use in her report. I will also be looking for pet photos for my pet blogs.

The week ahead...

This weekend TS will be working on the floor, because if he does have surgery it will be 6 weeks before he can lift anything heavier than 5 lbs. So, the floors have to be at least finished so we can walk on them - forget the new flooring and walls until post-surgery.

I am working with the Lord of the Rings Tarot. It is not the best deck I have ever used. In fact, it might be the worst one, INCLUDING the starter tarot. That is saying a lot.

Accomplishments.....

I got the laundry completely done again - and this time the washer and dryer really are out for the count. I cleaned the house, as much as it can be cleaned under construction. I wrote a lot. I already said that, but it counts. I made it to work every day.

Weekly Gift....

Chocolate.

Quote of the week....

If you are going to build something in the air it is always better to build castles than houses of cards.

Georg C. Lichtenberg

Spring has Sprung

This is the view from our front porch. Our land goes all the way down to the tree in the center of the picture. It was headed toward dusk. Once we get a day with full sun again, I will take another picture. Not a bad view, at the moment.

This week I am totally into...

I have been tired this week. Maybe it's the fans that are always going when we are at home, drying out under the floors. It could be just the last few months catching up. So much going on, and a bad roller coaster ride culmanating in a crash landing with Magic. I have been spending a lot more money on fripperies than I usually do. Clothes. Makeup. Tarot cards.

Speaking of tarot cards this week's deck is the Templar Tarot by Allen Chester. The artwork is dark, and a little different.

I am not looking forward to my next few Tarot Decks of the week. The next eight decks or so are decks I have not connected with very well - including 4 decks that have only pips, not illustrated minors. So, the good thing is I will get a lot of experience reading with pip decks, and I can use that.

This week I am avoiding...

I had been avoiding Magic's ashes, there on the counter, but today I got brave and opened the cardboard box, and there was a nice little gray urn. A lot nicer than what my dad's ashes were in, once again. I cried, but it was okay. I can't really think of anything else I was avoiding that I didn't finally get done.

What else is on my mind...

A lot of things. Roe Vs. Wade, and how we Pro-choice folks need to be a little more vocal, or people who need it are going to loose their rights. I never had an abortion. I hopefully never will have an abortion. I don't think anyone who doesn't want one should have one. BUT, I think we need to have the right to have one if we want one. Or need one.

The week ahead....

I hope, on May 1, to start my exercise/eat right/feel good program again. What does that mean? It means eating healthy every day. It means exercising every day. It means not ever wearing clothes that make me feel bad. Wearing make-up every day to work. Wearing jewelry every day. Giving myself a break. Also, hopefully, fixing our floors. This will be a challenging project for someone.

Accomplishments....

I cleaned the house, as much as I could with the current project. I e-mailed our St. Bernard Breeder, and long time aquaintence, that we wanted a puppy again. Ordered makeup, I am going to try out the mineral make up and see what I think. Got the laundry done.

Weekly Gift....

There wasn't one this week. Too busy, too tired. Unless I get surprised with one tonight when TS gets home.

Quote of the Week

We call them dumb animals, and so they are, for they cannot tell us how they feel, but they do not suffer less because they have no words.
Anna Sewell (1820 - 1878), Black Beauty, 1877

A slightly Better Week

This week was a little calmer than last week.

Although TS finally started working on the leak - it was a HOT water leak, so the underside of our house has been thoroughly steamed. He got the leak fixed pretty quickly, but will now be spending his days removing the old damp flooring and insulation, drying out under the house, replacing the insulation and then the flooring, and getting the carpet and flooring repaired.

Doesn't that sound like fun?

My work has calmed down a little.

We got the call that Magic's ashes are ready to pick up.

We can't put a Mimosa tree down where I wanted to put the Angel Dog statue, and both dogs ashes (Suzie and Magic) it would get too much water and die. We might do a weeping willow down there instead. Which would be okay.

Any cats will go there as well.

I might look for an angel cat statue to put there too, in memory of all our cats. Maybe two cats, because we've had a lot of cats.

Sounds a little morbid, doesn't it?

So, on to better things.

Because I had such a bad week last week I went on a tarot buying spree.

I bought the Dreampower tarot.

The Labyrinth Tarot

Tarot of Metamorphosis

Hermetic Tarot

and the Tarot of Transformation.

I may also buy a 22 card art tarot, the Quantum Tarot.

This week's deck is the Faery Wicca deck, which I am not sure I like. It's a little too much on the Celtic side, and uses a lot of the myths and legends of that culture as its archetypes.

I like the idea of Celtic stuff, but I'm not so up on most of the minor legends.

I have been thinking about...

prejudices, and where they come from. How people can change they way they feel about other people. Also about ways we should treat each other better. Also about the Virginia Tech massacre. The parents and families of those people - it's just awful. It makes my little problems seem pretty small.

Accomplishments

This week I didn't accomplish much. I was happy just to make it to work every day, and be wearing clothes.

Goals for the coming week.

I want to get back on track. Back to eating better, back to exercising (I tried this week, but I just didn't have the heart) and back to wearing better clothes. Wearing makeup every day. Wearing jewelry every day.

Other goals are to get my photos downloaded onto the computer, to keep up with all my other things, like cleaning the house, even though our house will be a construction zone for a few weeks, and starting to play guitar again, and writing again.

Weekly Gift

My weekly gift this week was this cool t-shirt that I'd seen but the first store I saw it in didn't have it in my size. So yay, now I have it.

Quote of the week

"There are as many nights as days, and the one is just as long as the other in the year's course. Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word 'happy' would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness."

- Carl Jung -

One of the Worst Weeks Ever

So, Magic didn't make it. If you want to read about the deatails, go to VGRandom, my main blog. We thought he was fine, but he developed complications from the second surgery, and we had to let him go.

That was not the only bad thing to happen. I was mostly into grieving, and I was sick with the flu at the same time all this was going on, so that made it worse - I would cry, and then throw up. It was ugly.

There was a big upheaval at work, and then the mother of one of the people most closely involved died.

I can't think of anything I'm avoiding. I guess I'm thinking about getting a puppy, but I'm avoiding making a decision as to "when". But it is when, and not "if". I do want another puppy, I want another Saint Bernard puppy. Probably a female this time, just so I am not comparing her to Magic all the time.

I am trying not to beat myself up anymore for Magic dying.

Hopefully I will feel better soon.

Earlier in the week, Ken got me more cute shirts - that was my weekly gift.

I don't really care about that much, at the moment.

Week in Review....

This week I was very busy.

It was my work weekend, so I only had Friday off. Like most Fridays, my plan is "play play play", but in reality I work, work work.

I did laundry, finished cleaning the house, pooh scooped the yard (oh, the romance!) cooked hardboiled eggs, and made chicken noodle soup from almost-scratch.

Of course, of the dozen eggs I started to cook, six were edible at the end, due to not checking the carton of eggs when I bought them (4 cracked eggs - obviously I got the carton everyone traded with for good eggs) , 1 floater, and 1 that cracked after I cooked them.

This week I am using the Buckland Romani Tarot, which is a very lovely deck. Raymond Buckland, the guy who designed the deck, has a Rom grandmother. It's out of print at the moment, and going for a silly amount of money on E-Bay.

I also went out and started weeding the flower beds, since it wasn't raining. I let Magic and Nemo run in the field while I worked, so they had a good time anyway.

Aside from that, it's just been work, work, work.

The weekly gift this week was - I went shopping for 2 pairs of black pants, and came out with a pair of cute camo clamdiggers (okay, I know that isn't what they are called) CAPRIS!!!! That's the name (thanks, Sandra) two cute work-type shirts and a Tinkerbell T-shirt. Oh, and Bad Bunny jammies. I love shopping with TS, LOL.

Next week I am going to clean the house BEFORE Friday, and since it's supposed to rain all weekend I am going to play, play play......

Magic Update, Guitar Gods and Sock Patrol

So, I missed about three weeks of posting because Magic had a crisis. To make a long story that is in other blogs short, after Magic threw up the sock, he quit eating, ended up going to the vet, and later that night rushed to the emergency vet where he had two surgeries over three days. One to remove another sock stuck in his intestines, and the other because there were problems with the first surgery. For awhile we didn't know if he was going to make it. Luckily he's a strong dog, and has a strong will to live. Then when he came home I watched him every minute to make sure he wasn't throwing up or getting diarrhea, which could have meant things had gone wrong.

He's okay now - back to his normal bad self after three weeks of worry.

This week started out well. Saturday Magic got his stitches out. We were so happy. As usual he was a very good dog at the vet's office. Magic loves everyone. Of course, he also thinks everyone wants to be his friend, and that isn't necessarily so.

Sunday we went shopping. Unfortunately the new comforter we got as the summer comforter is almost as hot as the heavy denim winter comforter was.

Started exercising again, which is good. My floor exercises are not so great - with two big dogs as helpers, I tend to finish early.

Thursday we went to see Eric Clapton in concert. The opening artist was Robert Cray, also a very talented player - from Tacoma. Then Eric Clapton came out - and what a show! I felt lucky to see him - especially now that I have a quarter of a clue about playing guitars. He used all Fender Strats, and he really did make them talk. For me, the highlight of the night was when he played my favorite song of all time, Little Wing. It was just amazing. I sobbed. I think the kids next to us thought I was nuts. I noticed them eyeing me a little expectantly when Wonderful Tonight came on. Now, that is not a song I like normally - a little too sappy on record, but in person it was gorgeous. The final songs of the regular set were Cocaine and Layla, which totally got the crowd up and dancing. Robert Cray came out and jammed with the band on Crossroads, another song that I love.

One of the things I enjoyed was that although Eric Clapton was the featured musician, he gave a lot of time to the other musicians in the band, and seemed to be very generous onstage. It was a very special night, and I am so grateful to my brother-in-law and his wife for the truly excellent Christmas present.

Aside from that it was a regular week. This weeks tarot deck was the Tarot de Ambre, a very special deck. It was fun to read with, actually.

We are still on sock lock-down. Of course, this week Magic has eaten one of the handles of his toy box, which freaked me out. He seems fine so far, which is good. I will be so glad when the puppy stage has passed. We get him trained not to mess with one thing, and he's on to something else.

Weekly gift - cool T-shirt

Goals for next week - keep exercising.