The Small Stuff

it"s all small stuff. God doesnt give us more than we can handle. What doesn"t kill you makes you stronger. We learn from our mistakes. Everything happens for a reason.

I guess these are all true and it's easy to reflect on it AFTER all the STUFF has passed. But while it's going on - it's so so so not fun. And if you wait long enough it just happens again. I believe it's called life. After complaining yesterday about my cruddy year I think I'll make a commitment to staying positive. Or really trying to- I do enjoying whining. And my friend Vicky reminded me of lots of good things that happened last year.

So far this year (and it's only January 6th) we rang in the New year with friends - spent New Years day with family. My children went back to school, our lab Millie was spayed with no complications. I have finally gotten over my cold and stomach virus. I have completed 6 hours of continuing education in order to get my respiratory license reactivated, I am taking a novel writing class starting in February. Denton had a great check up with her peds GI doctor and is starting to taper her steroid dose down again FINALLY! Riley is going to be on the morning TV program as an anchor at her school. I get to buy new ski pants because Denton needs new ones - she is getting my old ones and I get new ones!!!

Alright, here's to me, trying to keep the glass half full. Not easy for me at times. I feel like I am fairly laid back, can let things go but I do have a limit. I start to feel "picked on"! Not this year! I'm looking for the silver lining... cheers y'all

Looking Forward

Ever had one of THOSE years? Well we have. BIG TIME. I am going to try and list all the stuff that has happened this year.
Scott had a horrible horseback riding accident
this lead to months of rehab and recovery for a head injury and a severely fractured radial head on  his left wrist.
WAY too much snow - over 6ft for the winter
Riley broke her wrist in January just before our ski trip
a LOAD of medical bills - insurance to deal with- temporary disability to deal with
taxes were not kind this year
Scott's car was in the shop for over 6 weeks and guess who got to drive him around?
it was scorching hot this Summer as well.
Denton played golf daily and i became a dehydrated golf cart driving professional
Denton became ill with Crohn's disease and spent several days in the hospital
Denton started her bi monthly doctor visits to get her drug therapy underway.
Our wonderful dog Maddie died
our awful (wonderful) dog Millie was found heartworm positive ( I have to say that she's been on preventive since we got her and she was heart worn negative when I had her tested initially) bottom line - my free rescue lab is now pushing $1800!
Merlin (my horse) injured his eye
more insurance junk to deal with....
Riley's mouse Acorn died
and to round out the year...I have a nasty cold :-)

I am sure I left something out but you get the idea.
NOW - I am looking to 2011....this year is going to be GREAT, WONDERFUL, SUPER....

we may be having some family changes which will be exciting, more later when we know more. And no we will not be adding any human family members - just clearing that up.

I am hoping to maybe get back to my exciting career as a respiratory therapist - just 1 day a week or so but getting my feet wet again. I know at some point my girls will be in college and I think a job is better than a mental institution or becoming a cat lady or something....
I want to work on my riding as well - just more consistent. We have a great horse and all I need to do is work on me - he knows his job!
I am signing up for a novel writing class as well - at UVa. I love writing but my thoughts are so disorganized I am having trouble getting from A to C let alone all the way to Z. I figure a class with a "real, live" novelist would be helpful....ya think?

I am looking forward to Denton getting her Crohn's disease controlled. There's no cure but medical remission is in the works. She has been so responsible taking her meds, adjusting doses and really putting forth her best foot with her diet. She has a doctor's appointment every 2 weeks complete with bloodwork, it's not her favorite thing. She was so dang sick in October and that really has made an impression on how important her health is to her. A hard lesson for a 14 year old. Taking meds for the foreseeable future is hard to comprehend at that age.

I'm enjoying watching Riley grow into a beautiful young lady. She has changed so very much over the past 6 months. She has matured and become responsible. She is concerned about what she wears, how her hair looks, ect.... she's my "baby" and I treat her like one. Denton has always seemed so much older to me and Riley has never made it past age 3 in my mind. She loves her horse, riding with friends and has started 4H horse judging. I have no idea if it will lead to anything in the long run but it does force her to practice a bit of public speaking. Horses are a disease, if you got it- you've got it. It doesn't go away and there is no cure.

I hope this year is full of great changes and surprises. After last year I need some relief ... I need lightness, not all those heavy dragging feelings that hung over last year. Even though I started out the year with a cold and a bit of truck repair, I feel forward motion.

Finally!!!! It's Raining......

It's been 7 or maybe 8 weeks since Charlottesville has had any measurable rain.I for one, am enjoying the sound. Oliver, however, doesn't like to go pee pee in the rain. So he runs out, goes pee and runs in. He then scrubs his wet little self on my sofa makes growling noises and stands back beside the door.

This means he needs to pee a bit more. So we repeat! UGH!

I have a nasty cold right now, thanks to my punk children. Although, I have decided to give myself a break and take a day off. How do you "take a day off" when you aren't even employed outside of the home you ask? Well, it means I'm on facebook for wwaaayyyy longer than I need to be, I got to chat online with my sister in law, I ate lunch at 11:30, I am going to watch TV and maybe nap. I am considering a hot bourbon toddy later, as well.

I do hope I wake up in time to get the kids from the bus stop... they really get upset when I make them walk home in the rain. I can't blame them- I don't like to walk in the rain either. It makes my hair all frizzy and stringy and weirder than normal.

We have alsoi had a STINK BUG invasion this year! What the heck! I hate those things and they seem to be everywhere right now. Maybe the 2+ inches of rain we get today will drown them? A girl can dream....

Off to watch my DVR cop shows that Scott hates and hopefully take a nap curled up with Oliver (who is now dry!)

You spin my head right round - right round...

I am writing because I hope someone will answer my question. WHY do people in this house not clean up after themselves???????? Am I a maid? I don't think so.
I never ever signed a contract that said "and you will clean up after everyone else". I didn't.... really. I would remember that, because I wouldn't have signed.

I hate cleaning, hate it hate it hate it. It's why my house is a mess. If I just had to pick up after little ol' "me" things would look great. I would even vacuum more. I don't get to the vacuuming part because I am cleaning up things like:
*make-up on Denton's bathroom vanity
*cotton balls from God knows where that Oliver gets ahold of and shreds
*socks - just one here and there, never two together. I gathered 9 socks this morning - 9! Where's 10?
*index cards are scattered in my hearth room MY hearth room, MY place of calmness and quiet - I am BTW - NOT picking those up.
*dirty clothes in the upstairs hall. HALL. .....Not...... their rooms with baskets for the dirty stuff to go in, just flung hither and yonder, like someone had a lets be nekked party on the way to take a shower...
*bowls, cups, spoons, diet Pepsi cans, mail, and several men's ties on the kitchen counter

Now, please don't think that I am blameless here. I do leave a cup or two or 10 around. It's my downfall. BUT and I am, screaming BBBUUUTTT ....... I left them, me, me, me and I am cleaning them up. Why don't the other oxygen consuming individuals that live here do the same. What a novel idea? Oh Lord! The answer...let's clean up after ones self.... then the mommy person can cook and vacuum and walk the dog and polish the baseboards and iron daddy's shirts INSTEAD of spending well over an hour picking up stuff that doesnt belong to me!
I'm just sayin'

OK rant over - I'm going upstairs now to scrub peanut butter off the kitchen island and put away the honey and bread (which is surely stale by now)

Serbian Mafioso and Scott's car repair debaucle

When you find a good mechanic - stick with them.

These are words to live by.

This summer has been one of the hottest on record in Charlottesville. I mean, seriously, how am I supposed to ride a horse or watch Riley ride her horse in that kinda heat? And Denton, God love her, how is she supposed to play golf in that heat? Am I required by law- to be outside- in the sun- on a golf course- to watch her in it? I don't know the answer to that question.

Where am I going with all this in a post about Scott's car? Scott drives a 1998 Audi A6 Quattro. He LOVES this car. (I love it because it is paid off) I also complain constantly about the repair bills for this car. Audi is not cheap to fix EVER. A light bulb is like $700 - OK, maybe not $700 but close.

So in the midst of the heatwave summer fun, his AC compressor goes out. No AC. It is like 95 at 8am and 98 degrees at 9 pm. HOT-AFRICA HOT! He has to drive to / from work in a button down shirt (long sleeve) and long pants. He needs to be presentable at work - not look like he took a shower in his clothes on the way to work.
So he calls Audi- they give him a quote. He also drops car off at our mechanic - who is awesome BTW- they give him a quote. Please note the price is over $1200. He then pokes around and someone (who shall not be named) gives him the name of these Serbian dudes that repair import cars. They are cheap!

Let me begin this by saying they are 2 brothers and their names rhyme. They work 7 days a week, holidays and are open til 8pm or later at night. They are from some eastern European country with heavy accents. I will not name the business because I fear for the life of my family. The bay of their garage has a 1984 Chevy caprice, or some such vehicle, with flames down both sides blocking the entrance - it is the only way in / out of the workbay- it's like the door ... I am "sceeered".

Scott's car was dropped off back in mid July. They replaced the AC compressor after 2 weeks we have the car back. It is making a really horrendous sound when the AC is on now, turn off the AC - no noise. We take the car back. They begin replacing alternators, ignition switches, ect.... no dice. They try another AC compressor, the car sounds like it is revving up to race the salt flats in Utah for the land speed record.

During all this, I have been driving Scott to work and home from work. It is wrecking my life. And the lives of my children. Riley doesn't have time to get her horse ridden, Denton doesn't have time to get in 9 holes of golf.

Scott calls "the brothers" every few days for an update. No, it's not ready or they'd become "disconnected" and then no one would answer the phone. At this point, I tell Scott he needs to get the car and take it to our mechanic and be done with it. Although, I warn him, he needs to grovel and beg forgiveness from them (they had ordered the parts to fix his car when he turned on them and went rogue with the Serbians - not cool)

Last week they promised the car on Friday, then Tuesday, then Thursday finally, today (Friday) we picked up the car this morning. Scott went in while Oliver and I waited in the truck. He was in there so long I thought he'd been shanked or something. But he got it back! And now has an appointment with "our mechanic" whom he will never stray from again... if he does he will need to purchase a liquor scooter to ride to / from work. Because Karen's Shuttle Service officially went out of business today - Sept 10, 2010

Starship Update: Karen's Log Sept 10 2010

It's been over a week since our Maddie dog went to doggie heaven. She went peacefully last Tuesday 8/31/10. I felt she was comfortable until the very very end. I did end up (with Riley's help) taking her to our vet to "help her pass" but as soon as we got her on the table she literally "died" = just like that. Riley proceeded to fall apart and sob, which caused me to sob. I haven't decided whether it is good or bad to fall apart like that in front of your children but I didn't have a choice. Gosh I loved that dog. Best dog EVER!


And since I seem to attract nothing but chaos in my life... we added to our little furry family the very next day. Millie (awful dog - which I promise to stop calling her that. I'll tell you why in a minute) trotted up to the deck a nano second before my butt hit the Adirondack chair with a Maker's Mark and water. She proudly displayed a very alive baby squirrel - holy cats! I took the critter- placed him in the tree house - just beneath his nest and squalling mother - and waited. No mommy squirrel came down after a few hours. So we took him inside - after Scott listed all the horrendous diseases he said we'd get from him - and placed him in a box. He looked to be about 5 weeks old and his eyes were still closed.


Let me tell you, this lifted everyone's spirits (except maybe Scott's, he was fearful of Typhoid at this point). So a week later and after a trip to SC for Labor Day Roscoe the squirrel is alive and well and his eyes are open! And he is now contained in a cat carrier. That I pray he does not find a way out of because that would NOT be a good thing. I now understand how they stick to trees upside down and race along power lines. They can stick to your clothing and yes, your bare skin, in the very same fashion.


Roscoe is pretty cute, makes weird squirrely noises and loves his fake mommy squirrel milk replacer. Best of all he has eased the pain and sadness a bit of Maddie passing. God knew just what we needed and saw an opportunity for us to help this little guy. Put our grief to work in a positive way I suppose. We'll keep caring for him until we can't handle him or until he is able to be released in a few weeks - whichever comes first.


As for the kids, Denton loves high school. I'm kinda surprised that the transition was so smooth. No drama at all. I think we made more out of it possibly? She has practiced with the golf team and has played a few times in the past few weeks too. This week we'll start having her play more often.


Riley loves middle school as well. She gets to walk to and from and thinks it's the greatest. She does have more homework but seems to be getting into a routine. The not so great thing is that she doesn't have much time to ride after school. Although, much of that is due to Scott's car being in the shop for many many weeks!!! I was his shuttle service and picking him up at 5:30 cut out any chance to ride since Riley gets out of school at 4pm. So now that the car is back that can change. Plus we are FINALLY having cooler weather!!! WooHoo! I've had enough with all the heat index of over 100 stuff.


As for me, I am going to try to reinstate my Respiratory license - I have an intensive review in October then I'll submit for a renewal. I haven't worked in respiratory in 17 years, whew! That, my friends, is a long time.


I promised I'd get to Millie - who used to be known as awful dog. Now that she is alone and guarding our kingdom we have noticed a change in her, I wonder if she knows Maddie died? Or does she think we gave her away? Or worse, that we are letting Maddie live inside and making her live outside and in the crate in the basement at night? Either way there seems to be a calmness about her now. Well, not all the way but not that crazy insane-o thing she was doing just a week ago.


To make things worse she has tested positive for heartworms. We are pretty sure she was positive, but it wasn't showing up yet on the test, before we got her. Anyway, she has been on HW preventative since last year in October and she will start her 1st treatment next month on the 5th. Followed by another treatment a few weeks later. After that, all should be fine.


She is in the very early stages and doesn't show any outward signs of HW disease. So right now she is on Prednisone (anti inflammatory), Doxycycline (antibiotic), Fish Oil (for heart health) and Prevacid for tummy upset from all the previously listed items. So far she looks great. And while in SC last weekend she ate an entire bag of cat food at my parents house and didn't even vomit - you gotta love a Lab's "tummy of steel". This goes with the baby bunnies and frogs and cicadas ect... that we see her eating in the back yard - yummmmm!

 As I said, we traveled to Camden last weekend for Labor Day. It was the opening season for Dove's hunting. For the ride down we enjoyed listening to Millie licking and chewing on what I thought was a plastic water bottle. It wasn't - it was Scott's Lands End boots (oops) and now he has only 1/2 a "tongue" on one boot. We also had to feed Roscoe the squirrel a few times. Mobile squirrel feeding is not for the faint of heart.
McLean's birthday was celebrated on Saturday after we shot my dad's field. We had a party in the field at my dad's little hunting pole barn/lean to thingy. My 97 yr old grandmother even made it out.


Our travel to SC was fun for all. Got to hunt, saw family, friends, lots of good food (fish fry, quail legs, fish stew, slaw from CiCi's and birthday cake) I got to spend a lot of time with my mom on Sunday as well, which was really nice.

The trip back was smooth except that the squirrel's eyes were now open and he could see all the outside squirrely fun world he'd been missing. Can I just say how grateful I am that I put that little bugger in the cat carrier for the trip. When we left he still was blind and stayed put. But once those eyes opened..... feeding him in the car on the way back was - challenging-

I also mentioned that Millie consumed an entire 20lb bag of cat food on Sunday. I wondered why she wasn't real hungry Sunday evening (she did eat her chow though, just slowly). Plus she looked like a helium balloon was trapped in her belly. I am just thankful I didn't hear barfing noises or -worse- explosive poop noises from the back of my truck Monday. I'm pretty sure Scott would have pulled over, given me the keys and walked back to Charlottesville, all the while plotting ways to kill me - then moved out.

*Just kidding honey, I know you try hard to understand - even though you don't :-)

*So far - I can't complain too much and shouldn't be complaining at all - I'm blessed.

You're Not The Boss of Me Now.......

Never ask what else can go wrong.....because LOTS can go wrong...in a very short period of time.
This week has been crazy for me. We still had work going on in 3 rooms of the house due to the water leak, thankfully we have the best contractor EVER! Then I had to do even more school supply shopping- yes- after the $100 I'd already spent. More highlighters- more erasers -more specific pencils- more paper -more jump drives....Geesh! More more more .... one teacher requested a bag of candy???? I refuse to by candy- won't do it, can't make me!
Add to this, Riley's flip flops (addidas not cheapos) broke - you can't "fix" flip flops, my cell phone broke- the keypad is failing- Scott's car is still not fixed - and the worst thing our 10 yr old yellow lab Maddie is pooping out on us.

A little background on Maddie. Despite using flea and tick preventive, Maddie got Lyme's Diseases 3 years ago. She went into cardiac failure, then into kidney failure. We (our Vet) tried for 3 weeks, everything we could to get her well, what she needed to live was a kidney transplant.

My vet finally said "Take her home and let her die with your family in peace and where she is comfortable and loved". So we brought her home. She was skin and bones 44 pounds , down from 80. She couldn't stand, eat, ect... so we put her on the sofa in the basement and watched her lie there for days. All the while I gave her water with a syringe, and a paste with calories in it. Amazingly, the day before we decided to let the vet help her along to doggie heaven - she perked up. And improved  S L O W L Y  over the next few months.
That was 3 years ago, and up until now, she has been like a 3 yr old dog! Her kidney values say she should be dead, our vet has her at #1 on his list of dogs that should be dead that aren't. The past few days she has been weak, vomiting her dog food, listless, losing weight, just all around looks like crud. The classic signs that the kidneys are getting worse.
Here she is as a puppy, then when she was sick, skeletal actually, next she is on my loveseat - which she should not be, and then in the snow this winter.

Riley went to bed the night before school started crying... which made me cry. Denton, who loves Maddie too, asked about her as soon as she got up that morning and as soon as she got home from school. I'm torn on whether to treat her symptoms more aggressively by taking her to the vet or managing her at home. There's really nothing the vet can do but prolong her with fluids. And she is still drinking water and eating a little shaved turkey. I think she's been a miracle so far and I'll let her gracefully live for as long as she can, by doing it herself. When she's ready to let go, I'll let her, with dignity. And then I will fall apart - love love love that dog

Next I will whine about being Scott's personal shuttle to work and home for the past 2 weeks. His car's AC went out weeks ago and to save a little money he took it to a place run by Serbian brothers (I will not tell you the name because I fear they will come after my family if I complain about them too much) they were recommended by one of Scott's residents whom I need to have a conversation with I believe...

The place is shady to say the least and after "fixing" the AC now the steering pump and a bunch of other junk is now wrong??? I dare ask "will the car ever be right again?" It's an old Audi A6 that Scott LOVES! But repairing the well loved car is EXPENSIVE! I complain alot about this car. At this point  I just want Scott to get the car home so we can take it someplace else - but every time we call, the car is "in pieces" holy car parts Batman, this is not looking good....

So, I take him to work and I pick him up.... did I mention my truck gets like 14 mpg on a good day and not in traffic? Also, the UVa students think they are all bulletproof and I magically will not hit them even though they dart into the street like squirrels....

The cell phone. I have had this phone for 1.5 yrs - it's a palm centro and I really like it. But it doesn't like my lifestyle. I shove it in my pocket when I ride, I shove it in my pocket when I run, it bounces around in the golf cart as well. There are no real protective cases for it that are conducive to being outside and banging into things. Plus my kids text on it all the flipping time. I use it for web browsing, email, ect... I am a master at hip dialing people! If you get a call from me, well, listen up, you may hear me signing (in which case I'd hang up it's not worth the pain) or talking to myself or the horse or Oliver (you may hear swearing or it could be entertaining).

So today I get my new phone- a Blackberry - I'm sceered of the learning curve but I'm willing to try it out. Denton is BESIDE herself for some reason? I just learned all the dang buttons on the palm!


MY last words here are that maybe all this happened  in order for me not to freak out so bad about my kids going back to school. I had such a wonderful Summer with them this year. Denton playing golf and Riley with the horse. Things were busy but they flowed nicely.

Denton has become a young woman, who is a huge hormonal pain in the butt at times , but also sweet and caring. And I like where we are as mom and daughter right now. So I'll relish it and hope it lasts or gets even better. I just can not believe my little Peapie is in 9th grade. I have 4 years left with her here.

Riley looks to little to go to 6th grade. My friend Pascale saw her daughter & Riley walking this morning to school and said they look so grown up yet still so little. Riley came home yesterday beaming and saying how much she loved middle school. She's my rule follower and she sat down and did everything that each teacher asked. She organized her whole school schedule last night.

This being said, it was so weird not having them home til 4:30 pm. I'm use to Riley being home around 2:30 or so. But middle and high school starts late in our county and gets out late as well.
By 2 pm I was bored and folding laundry did not seem appealing... I think I need to get a life ....

At least today I will get to spend an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out how to answer in coming calls on my new cell phone - right?