new! improved! {if somewhat late}

my jerry had mentioned to me the other day that my profile over there {<---} needed updating. and then, later that same day, he asked, "so ah when ya gonna update yer profile, right there {<---}?" i figured that he really, Really, REALLY wanted me to update that there profile of mine.

so i did.

see? on the left, under "debra's dosette". riiiight there. yup, nope up a lil. k, that's it. see?

cho's, cho's, n'mo' cho's

this morning my jerry decided to drive my fifteen year old car to work with some "for sale" signs in the window, with the hopes that someone in the vet school needs/wants a vehicle and would see it and POOF! match made in heaven. so i drove his TRUCK; it's a B.I.G TRUCK and i'm still not quite used to handling it. thing is, for such a BIG TRUCK, it's very sensitive {so we give it lots of praises and only speak positively while in it} and swerves at the merest sigh. it feels like it'd be too big to do this, but it turns quite nicely in tight spaces. amazing. i still park down in the lower forty tho.

at lunch time, my jerry and i decided to take my car to wm wells, the Fix-It Dudes from last fall. remember? yeah, i thought ya might. we are gonna see if Mr. Wm. will buy it from me out-right. or if not, would he sell it for me. Wm is gone right now, to somewheres up North, so we took all the stuff out of my car and left it there. I think wm will do me right, he's a do-right kinda guy.

so i zoomed out to my lil place on the big farm and took all that extra car stuff into the trailer to sort out later when i can think about car stuff and i loaded all my computer accessory stuff like the 3-in-1 (printer/scanner/copier) and my web-cam and my extra external disc (which had been my old c-drive so it's like two computers in one, i'm lucky like that, yea!! thanks, folks) and my jump-drive (or memory stick, or flash drive, or thumb whatever they happen to be calling it this week). plus some paper, card stock, labels, so that i can start putting all the invites together. the cool thing is that most folks won't need their's mailed, they're local and so we get to save on postage, yea!!

then i sweet-talked beider into letting me pick him up and load him into the BIG TRUCK and bring him over to my jerry's where shaddow will be thrilled to see him. poor beider was scared to death. and panted and drooled all the way to my jerry's.

beider is extremely wary of all critters, large and small. he has certain animals that he can be social with now, but humans are not on his short list. of all the folks on the farm {and we've all fed him}, i'm the only one that he'll let touch him. someone dropped him off at the farm a few years back, or he made his way out there; at any rate, he is a stray. but a year ago, he let me pick him up and hold him in my lap while my neighbor drove us to the vet's so that beider could get a lil neutering. after that, he sorta became my dog, as he'd sit outside my door and sleep in shaddow's dog house and all that. primarily, i'd feed him and water him and pet him and talk with him {and call him 'george'} .

he's turning into a gentleman, but is still people-shy. which usta aggravate my neighbor to pieces cuz they do lots with the animal shelter/humane society and haven't met a dog yet that they didn't love, mutually. so not being able to pet and handle beider just pisses him off. he keeps asking me what my secret is, do i use food to get him to come to me? and i tell him, nope, no secret. in fact, if food is in your possession, he will not come to you til you back away and leave the food alone. then he'll eat. but treats are not enticing to draw him to your company. nope. not him.

anyway, beider and shaddow are now reunited {and it feels soOOoo good!} in their safe space at my jerry's and they are having fun now sniffing each other's butts and licking each other's jaws and ears. which is way better than the other way around. beider will remain an outdoor dog, but now that he is here, i may spend some time with him and acclimate him to the hall or some such thing. eventually. but he needs to spend some quiet time outside with shaddow in his new surroundings first.

oohps, gotta go pick up my jerry. toodles!

seasons change

i know that i posted the dress i'd planned to wear to the wedding/party; but when we went to order it, it was not available. so we went with this one. it'd come down to the two of them, with the other one being offered in the pine green that i'd wanted. apparently other folks wanted it too, cuz it's gone now!

not to fret tho, cuz this is similar in many ways, and it comes in champagne which is slightly more traditional. the cut and style of the dress is very much what i'd wanted; so i'm pleased as can be!

the cost is not any different, and chadwick's is quite honorable. i've ordered and worn items from them before and have been very pleased. in fact, fifteen years ago, i'd ordered my bridesmaid outfit from chadwick's for another friend's wedding. with the exception of me, all the bridemaids were school teachers, so the outfit was a softly flowing skirt/jacket suite in a teal that was perfect for much wear following the big event. i was teaching as well, but in college/university, so i'd gotten much wear cuz of all the faculty meetings and such. perfect.

this dress, that i will wear, is wonderful as well. i will be able to wear this many times to many events, and such, for years to come. it's simple, elegant and very versatile.

my mother just ordered it this morning and it will be delivered to her actually on my jerry's birthday {april third}. since mom plans to come this way after easter {as she is teaching basket weaving classes for several groups in this area, including staff/faculty for the county school system and also some of the students in several art classes}, she'll bring the dress with her. i'm very excited about seeing my mom again. it's rare that we get to spend so much time together, so often! my jerry and she are fond of each other, and we had told his mother that my mother is coming to visit, so they will have a chance to meet and visit. two of my jerry's daughters have already met my mom and mom got the chance to spend a few hours with the lil guy {who at that time was about four months old, he's six months now; and will have grown even more by the time she sees him again}. mom's never been in an all-fired rush for my brother or i to "give" her grandchildren. but she is pretty neat with kids and most kids {dogs too} draw to her like a magnet. probably cuz she doesn't force herself on them and lets them come to her if and when they feel like it. see, i gotta good teacher!

today, i've taken the day off from tasks. i spent much of the morning, catching up on some sorely needed rest {which i hadn't known i needed so much}. most of the afternoon has been spent with reading, i've gotten more reading done this afternoon than i have in weeks!

tomorrow tho, i'll be running errands and back into the groove {hopefully}. my jerry and i want to do some more sorting in his place prior to mom's coming for her visit. she'll help us do some things, like painting and deep cleaning. you'd think i've cleaned rooms deeply, but nope! not even close to scratching the surface. mom cleans so thoroughly that you automatically breathe deeply when you walk into her home. for weeks after she leaves my place, i can still catch a fresh clean whiff of mom lingering in the air.

as you can tell, i'm really looking forward to seeing her! have a splendid spring's beginning!

craftiness

well, today a vet student with a huge heart came by my jerry's and picked up a truckload of material and patterns and other notions. and by truckload, i mean that we filled the bed of the pick up, as well as the passenger's seat and the back of her extended cab. and her dog, an irish setter, i think, isaac, was very much the supervisor on this one! the vet student volunteers with several organizations and so she plans to use the fabric for quilts, laprobes, and throws for hospitals, elderly, and home care patients. way cool to know that it's all gonna be put to such good use!!

then my jerry and i went to town where we bought forty hot dogs, one hundred hamburgers, and one hundred pounds of chicken leg quarters. also, we bought ketchup, mayo, mustard, relish, and pickle slices. so we feel like we are getting a good bit accomplished toward The Wedding Party. also, we've gotten the magnets in, so i can start to assemble the invitations. tomorrow, i'll probably go start to print those and well as the labels and such. then this week, adria and i can emboss them all and put them together and they should all be out in the mail within the next two weeks. since i don't have my auxillary equipment with me right now, i can't post a pic of the magnets; so i'll try to remember to do that tomorrow when i am at home on the farm.

also, my jerry's mother asked us to pick a doll out of his late wife's collection for her. we asked her what sort she'd want, as there are large ones, small ones, bridal ones, ones dressed in farm costume and some dressed in victorian wear. then there are porcelain ones and...well, there are way lots. my jerry's mother told us she didn't care, whatever we picked would be fine. since her husband {my jerry's father} loved.Loved.LOVED fishing, we chose two dolls as a set. they are brother/sister dolls. they aren't too big, but not miniture ones either. one is a boy, standing with a fishing rod and a fish dangling there. he has a fisherman's hat on, and a set of overalls, and plaid shirt under it. tackle is hooked into his overalls and on the bib is an embroidered fish. his sister is sitting, holding a wicker fishing creel. she too is wearing a plaid shirt under her denim dress. they look so cute together that even tho my jerry's mother doesn't have lots of room, it'd've been a shame to split the pair. and since they aren't too big, we figured she'd be able to fit them in nicely with her decor.

so when we showed which dolls we'd picked, she absolutely loved them! so right now, they are perched right next to a picture of her late husband, the fisherman! they are right at home there!

i've not been crocheting very much lately, what with all the cleaning and all; but what i have been crocheting has been a late birthday present. {winks} and i still didn't finish the charlaine harris book. but, renew.Renew.RENEW!

sigh.the damn dog house.sigh

my jerry spent the day outside, performing hard manual labor. all day. he weed eated. he trimmed. he pruned. he clipped. and then...

he, two of his grandchildren, and i picked flowers. i didn't bring my webcam with me, or i'd post a pic of the lovely bouquet of an assortment pretties, including a purple lilac and some daffodils and some crab-apple twigs with reddish blooms that make me think of carnations.

we went to the farm to fetch The Damn Dog House. sigh. now i know i've told the story of The Damn Dog House {sigh} before but lemme recap. a good couple-few years ago, when it was just me and shaddow {and no ace, beider, sweetie-pie, ziggee, saffron, henry, or any other critters}; i came home from school/work and POOF! there was a miniture house sitting in my front yard.

see, the architecture students had to form groups and each group had to design and build a dog house. then the houses were auctioned off. all the proceeds went to the local animal shelter/humane society. well, my neighbors had noticed that shaddow's lil house was looking like she was Clifford, The Big Red Dog {she'd stand up inside the dog house and walk away and the house would go with her, she looked like a giant mutant turtle}. so my neighbor's friend won an architecture student group built dog house. but she didn't have a dog to put in it. so she was lamenting this fact to my neighbor and my neighbor said that she knew who had a dog and needed a dog house.

so that was the miniture house sitting in my front yard. it's large enough that i can sit upright, shaddow {my 65 lb black lab} can sprawl out, and we aren't cramped in there at all. it has carpetting. and roofing shingles. and a split two level roof. one wall extends out along the front, with the roof extending over this, sorta like a carport. the other wall is batting/board style, meaning that the two by fours are staggered so that it creates a nice air flow thru the house. it really is a marvel.

til ya try to move The Damn thing. it's rather substantial and is built on skids so that the floor is actually not resting on the ground. this thing is built to last. i've lived in places smaller than that Damn Dog House.

so the other day, my landlords' two teenage sons tried to load it on the back of my jerry's truck for me. they succeeded in budging it from the foundation it had formed from sitting there over the past few years. then we all walked away and decided to give it another try this weekend.

fast-foward to this afternoon and my jerry and i bumped along the dirt/gravel road onto the farm and backed into my yard as far as possible, meaning to the gated entrance. while i went in the house and did a few things, my jerry wrestled The Damn Dog House from its resting place to the gate. he was able to do it cuz he's strong. and also cuz once he got it moving, the very tall grass and weeds created a nice cushy surface to slide That Damn Dog House right along and while it was moving, he just kept it going.

we heaved and ho'ed and loaded it up onto the bed of the truck. once it was on there, we gaped at it. ya don't really realize how big it is til you have something to compare it to. like the full sized bed of a full sized pick up. there was about a foot running along one side of the bed that was not occupied by The Damn Dog House. and a foot between it and the tailgate. The Damn Dog House was actually taller than the cab.

*gape*

i was very pleased that it was going that well, getting it all transported and all, ya know? then we pulled into my jerry's yard. which is a tad soft at the moment. but we decided, what the hell, let's give it the ole college try. and backed the truck up and about fifty feet into that venture, we got stuck. the rear right tire was so mired in mud that it was up over the lower edge of the rim. the rest of the tires looked kinda flat, cuz the truck was that heavy that it was sinking into the yard.

.sigh*shit*sigh.

so we off loaded The Damn Dog House and lugged/dragged it to the side area where last week my jerry'd fenced in a safe area for shaddow. but then, cuz the front part of The Damn Dog House is slightly more narrow, it fit thru the gate just fine; but the back, oh well, the back of The Damn Dog House is wider. wider than the gate. so we sorta got it wedged in the gate.

by performing feats that would make the keystone kops proud, we finally did manage to get it into the fenced in safe area, and situated where The Damn Dog House shall stay until it falls apart. i reckon that'd be in about fifty years or so. it's built to last.

i called AAA cuz we were just making the whole "stuck in the mud" thing worse. or better, i mean, we were really getting the truck stuck in the mud more firmly, deeper. i mean, what's the point of doing something halfway, ya know?

AAA sent a tow-dude, who snickered at me. shook his head and gave my jerry a half grin that clearly said, "them damn dames, what're ya gonna do?" and then pulled the truck out from the relative safety of the driveway, some fifty feet away. there's a reason i have AAA, and it's for situations just like this. and also cuz my car leaves me sitting. often. but it is fifteen years old and that's what happens, one way or another.

but my shaddow, and the chihuahuas are so damn delighted with The Damn Dog House that it makes it all worth while. except i think my jerry may have strained a muscle or two and it looks like i've been engaging in self-mutilation {with two by fours}. i'll be bruised from elbow to wrist and i think one knee cap is a tad tender from where i slipped in the mud and caught the corner of The Damn Dog House with my knee. my jerry is gonna be a bit stiff tomorrow, i think. and not in a good way.

.sigh.damndoghouse.sigh.

deader'n a doornail

a few weeks back, i'd mentioned that my jerry's been reading to me while i crochet. usually i listen to audio books, while i crochet; cuz i love to read and haven't yet gotten so skilled at either reading nor crocheting that i can do both at the same time. yeah, i'm skillz-impaired that way {big eye roll}. the first time i'd asked my jerry to read to me, he thought i was yanking his leg. but i explained that it'd be sorta like listening to an audio for me, and he'd get to read his book at the same time. yeah, i'm efficient like that {bigger eye roll}. well once he tried it, like mikey, he liked it!

so, he got me hooked on charlane harris and sookie stackhouse {the heroine of the southern vampire series}. he was reading a book per weekend {one before memommamia came here in february; one valentine's day weekend; and so on}. but we knew we wanted to start tackling some of the projects here at his place and that's cut into our Mutual Reading Time. so i've gotten the last three books of the series that're out (the ninth book is due out in may) on cd's from the local public library so that we can listen to them while we clean, sort, and such. i'm reading the book just before the audios start {cuz audio was not an option}, so that we can get started on those this weekend.

that book is: dead as a doornail. i'm about half-way thru. it's been taking me longer than usual, as i've been otherwise occupied and i've not yet figured out how to read and clean, or cook, or clear clutter {sorta like the 3 k's in german: kinder, kochen, kirche~~but different, an even biggerst eyeroll here}. so that's my plan for tonight, read and finish the deader'n book, before i pass out from my sleepy-meds {k, can't roll my eyes anymore; it hurts and i'm making myself dizzy}.

one of the things i like about this harris chick is that she writes more than just the suthern series. and our local public library has them. so yea!! yea for me!! yea!!

gotta go read now. cuz i'ven't yet figured out how to read and write at the same time. toodles, sweeterpeas!

twenty tons of lemons

k, i've gone from watching no tv, to watching it on a fairly regular basis. when i did have tv reception, the only station i got was the local fox affiliate {cringe, sorry, sorry}. now, at my jerry's, there are infinitely more channels which showcase a plethora of material. some are pretty cool and wow, i could have been glued all day to the screen and learning all kinds of new things from the history channel and the like. but some are kinda sad.

and then, there is this new {new to me, at the very least} channel called "TRUtv". so tonight, after a very odd day involving a huge truck, some overly hormonally endowed teenage boys {whhuuuwAH}, and a huge dog house that is larger than some places i've lived...my jerry and i settled in to watch some mindless moments caught on tape in a show called "most daring". one snippet featured a huge tractor trailer which just sorta rubbed up against the guard rails on an overhead bridge, which caused the trailer to over tip onto the interstate down below. the load? twenty tons of lemons.

i LOVE lemons. so we watched it several times {i love this new fangled TiVo thingamajig}. cuz i kept getting the superimposed image of a juicer, a blender, and italian lemon ice, along with twenty tons of lemons dumping over cars and rolling under the speeding tires, creating this huge massive amount tidal wave of nice clean citrus juice. yeah, cuz i'm that much fun.

and it's super cool that my jerry indulges me this way.

in balance. again.

part of me being who i am, is that i am flexible; but over the years, i've learned to prefer order to chaos. i'm not rigid, but i do set order to my environment. i've never really been a clutter-bug; love things of beauty, and really love them to have a practical function as well. part of my not dealing well with clutter, is cuz of the dust and allergens that tend to settle and collect over knick-knacks and things.

another reason i'm not big on amassing possessions is cuz i've moved. alot. i stopped counting at fifty moves when i was in my twenties. i've lived here, on the farm, in mississippi, the longest i've lived in any one place. at seven years, that's a major record. i've no plans to leave this area, and do plan one more move. that's from my lil place on the farm just north of starkville, to my jerry's home west of town in a small community called "longview".

another reason that part of my view of stuff being stuff, and not exactly vital, is cuz my family's home (which at the time had been my deceased maternal grandmother's, up in pennsylvania) had a fire. the house suffered severe damage, and most of the contents had to be discarded. the water and smoke damage made most all items unsalvagable. this included very sentimental old items that cannot be replaced. that's when i really grasped that stuff is stuff, even precious stuff. and not essential to living life.

i realize that's my view on things, and not necessarily other folks'. and that's all well and good. cuz i have my space and i can keep my own place the way that i like. in the last seven years, i've probably amassed more than i realize, and so the moving process will be an excellent chance for me to winnow down. i probably won't have much to do, as i tend to go thru my records and my belongings on a fairly regular basis and chuck things when i can be sure that there is no longer any reason to keep the paid receipts for bills and all the medical records of how much of what portion of which drugs were paid by which agency and party.

my jerry'd recently asked me if i would have any regrets moving into his place. and that would be no. i will feel odd moving from my place as it is the only home that was mine. even as a child, it was my parents' home. this small place on the farm, is mine. it's my solace, my peace, my home. it contains my things, arranged in a restive soothing way, which others have enjoyed visiting when they are in need of calming. so no, there is no regret moving into his place; so much as there is a twinge of leaving my comfort zone, my home. my only home that has been mine.

i explained this to my jerry and then, i explained some hesitations and reservations i have regarding his home. i know that he was in the coast guard and his family moved often and lived in numerous places; but this current place of his was his childrens' last childhood home. while it's true that they are all adults with homes of their own, i have no doubt that they do have attachments of sorts to the house my jerry now lives in. and i'm sensitive to that, so i repeatedly asked for assurances and reassurances that any changes that occured simultaneously with my presence were okey and not transgressions of me violating boundaries.

another reason that i expressed concern is because this had been the home of his late wife. so even tho he has sold many things, discarded &/or donated lots, and given his children quite a bit; the house contains tons of collections, collectables, and such. we'd talked about making this our home, a place that both of us find comforting, that both of us find soothing, and a place we want to spend time in. my jerry has been very reassuring to everyone; and i've been encouraged and supported as we've made some changes. i've gained some confidence, as he's explained what the significance is of various items, and whether an item is important and will be kept as it is treasured. i've learned which items to save, which to set aside for the massive yardsale, and which goes where to whom and such.

his late wife is very much a presence in his life, in our lives, and in this home. as well she should be. she was his wife. she was his partner, his love, the mother of his children, his friend, his world for many years. they grew into their lives together, becoming adults, and raising their children to become adults. that does not change with her death.

i never knew her. but i feel i am learning to know her now. not just because my jerry is the same man thru those years, but because your stuff can tell stories and volumes about you. my jerry shares stories of his life, and she was a huge part of his life, so i learn lots of her as well. i am becoming more and more acquainted with their children, and grandchildren, and those people are individuals, yes; but they were shaped by her hands and her life and her stories and her views. so in that way too, i'm learning who she was.

she will remain an important presence and that is quite welcome. i'm careful to be respectful when i'm handling her things, her stuff, her creations, her crafts, her quilts, her afghans, her precious important sentimentals. i also am prepared for the varied reactions as the children witness some changes, in both jerry's life, and in the house, and in what is becoming our home. i have a great amount of compassion for the gut-wrenching reactions that some have. i've been with jerry as he reminicses and sorts thru those intensely evocative emotional memories.

as empathetic as i am for others, including my jerry; i myself am moving into a new life, fraught with many changes for myself. and i've only just realized that i've been so outwardly focused, so intent on making sure that i smooth things over, and create as small ripples as possible, that i've been totally missing my own inward state of affairs. and that is not good.

just as honoring his late wife, the children's mother can coexist with my own presence; so can i remain outwardly aware of others' feelings and emotional states, and still tend and nurture my own. i lost sight of that. i forgot that i am important to myself.

so thanks for hanging in with me thru all this explanation as i am regaining my balance and shifting my priorities. i appreciate you and your support. your understanding and encouragement as i move thru this change in my own life has been and will continue to be treasured. thank you so very much.

my knight in shining armour-all

yeah, so earlier today, i decided to run around and take care of some things. ya know, but in my car. cuz that's the suthern way, we drive everywhere, even a few blocks down the street. when in the south, do as the sutherns do. but i woulda driven anyway, cuz longview is a ways aways.

first up, my lil place on the farm (beider has been there and i wanted to feed him extra food and also leave a few things, pick up a few things~~like shoes!). all was good til i got off the one hi-way and went to get on another and i stopped. and by that, i mean that my car stopped at the stop sign (cuz i read well, and even if i didn't, the damn red shape is so ingrained) and then it didn't go again. the engine stalled. sigh.

i tried to restart it. it made that 'err-er-ruhr-rhr' sound. ya know, that one that says, "look, you can pump the gas all you'd like, but it's not gonna help the engine catch and turn over. it's just not." sigh.

so after i set my yield lights to blinking, i hopped out (cuz i can be all young and spry like that) and popped the hood (cuz that's what you do when you've got car trouble...your tire could be flat, and folks will pop the hood, it's ingrained). the battery cables looked connected. and there were no obvious wires disconnected or parts hanging loose or cables slipped. while i was stopped with my hood up, i thought, "hey! i can add some anti-freeze, cuz i have a new bottle in the trunk". so i popped the trunk as well (balance, it's allllllllllll about balance, doncha know). and while i was doing that, a nice young lady pulled up and let me use her cellie.

that's what she called it, 'ya wanna use my cellie?"

now, ya'll know i'm not big on phones of any kind (having just recently taken the ringer switch on my landline off its permenant "off" mode and leaving it on); but cells and me only have a bare nodding acquaintance. so i very gingerly took the proferred cellie and flipped it open and pressed the digits, so exact and ginger was i that sweat popped out on my forehead, my tongue popped outta the corner of my mouth, and i frowned intently with concentration. the poor woman was probably regretting her cellie offer.

the only number i could think of was jerry's work number. and wouldn't ya know, that turned out to be a good thing, what with him being at work and all this tuesday afternoon. jerry made me repeat my frantically confused softly-spoken self to make sure that he knew where to come to rescue his damsel in distress, once again.

the surprising thing was, there were quite a few folks who stopped to offer assistance. i know it probably had something to do with the fact that it was during the day. but that was odd for me, in my previous times of car abandonment issues (the car's ghost was about to give up and abandon me), you might recall the number of times and situations in which i've been car-troubled. and it's been lots. you'd think i'd break down and get me a cellie. or get a different car. but i'd only be able to afford another used vehicle and that would have its own set of used-vehicle-troubles. better the devil ya know.

included in the multitude of folks who stopped to check on me and my indecently exposed car with its popped hood and trunk was a man who was driving a tow truck. and two police officers. who were very nice, and were gonna push my car to the other side of the road, but! along came jerry, who gave me a jump (*gasp* right there! in public! in front of two law officers!) and got me back on the road.

sigh.
my hero.
sigh.

tuesday 17 march 09

tomorrow, st. paddy's day, is my friend's b-day. she is the lovely lady who works at the circulation desk at the local public library. since i've been cleaning so much lately, i haven't been crocheting much; so i've not even come close to finishing her gift. sigh. sorry. it'll be late, sweeterpea!

...in the meantime...
...{ahem}....

happPEE birthDAY to you
HAPpee birthday to you
HAPPEEEEE BIIiiiirrrrthdaaaaay to youuuUUUuuuu
happybirthday to youuU!!

what has debra been doing?

well, i've donned my heels, my pearls, my pert frock, and my frilly apron...and i've been cleaning.

not really.



what i've done is pull on some sweat pants and a ratty-ass t-shirt with bleach splotches...and i've been cleaning.

deep cleaning.

spring cleaning.


while i do find a well-done cleaning job to be satisfying, i don't quite get ecstatic fulfillment as seen here.

at least, not yet, i haven't.

maybe eventually, i will.

two lovely ladies

love is in the air!

these two lovely ladies will be tying the knot in a rustic commitment ceremony at an old bed and breakfast with the reception to follow in the evening in an old barn on the property. in the mid-summer, this will be soooo wonderful.

couldn't happen to a lovelier couple!

brain drain

sometimes my brain cells start fleeing from my head. like if i'm around an incredibly dull person or a group of such people. or if i'm watching a really stupid show on the television. i literally feel my smart cells parachuting from my ears, or dribbling outta my nose, or drooling down my chin. my head lists to one side {further proof that there is an imbalance going on in there} and my eyes glaze over and i hear a rush of blood {which i'm sure that ruuuuuuuushing sound is the clamor of all those smart brain cells staging mass evacuation}.

this is the dumb-cow look.

you've seen it, i'm sure. it's the look of an overtaxed student valently struggling to grasp that nebulous concept and then just sorta giving up. it's the look of a bubble-headed waitress who doesn't understand why the icecream on your slice of pie melted when she microwaved it so that the pie would be nice and warm, just like you ordered. it's the look of our last president, and our former vice-president {quayle, the spelling whiz}, and oh so many of our elected congressmen when faced with any sort of challenging task; like answering a reporter's question.

today, i think the dumb-cow look took up temporary residence on my own face for a short time around 8pm. my brain had drained from an afternoon of exhausting decisions and careful considerations. i knew it was time to take a break, to halt today's activities, and get some rest. so my jerry took me to wendy's and let me eat disgustingly fattening french-fries and then brought me home so that i can tuck myself into bed and get a good night's sleep.

tomorrow's a new day, bright with possibilities, and lurking in the shadows are those hidden pratfalls that trip up yer brain, and drain it.

day in review

earlier today, i took a ton of paperwork with me to the "lil blue building", which is an uberkewl coffee shop downtown. i downed a few pots of decaf and whipped out letters, lists, and other literary liveliness. the owner and i chatted about all sorts of stuff, including ugly coyotes, feral dogs, animal control, biking, motorcycles, various favored roads, mountains, and drives that will knock yer sox off as well as take yer breath away...oh! and we chatted about The Wedding. I actually see it that way, in my mind's eye, The Wedding, with curlicues growing out of the capital T(he) W(edding); ya know all organic and wild and kinda groovy like that. It was very satisfying when he exclaimed, "cool! wow, i'd love to go to a wedding like that!" I knew he wasn't angling for an invite, but that he was really impressed with how fun it was, how simple and yet how exciting. It was sorta like this really cool validation that someone who is not at all involved with either the wedding, nor myself, or any of the other principals...would have such a favorable reaction.

{<----ppssst, that there table? that's "my" seat} So after I left there, I went to visit my friend who did my hair. She took out the cornrows and did simple twists. They look so elegant and sophisticated. Very nice. We visited and chatted and got all caught up. And then she had a surprise for me. She found a CD of hers that had a few of the wedding songs my Jerry and I picked. One was "tonight, i celebrate my love, for you"...her lil girls and she and i danced and sang all over the kitchen and the living room. and then, oh! then...sigh...aaaaaat laaaaaaaaaaaaaast {etta james, no one can do like she do it}. and then, percy, percy, percy...when a man loves a woman. her girls got such a big kick outta mizz debRAH dancing around and momma belting out the lyrics. Then I went to visit my Jerry. He was all cleaned up from his day of toting, lugging, cutting, and being a lumberjack. We caught up and then settled down to watch the rest of the Nancy Drew movie and the first episode of "ashes to ashes" {he had to explain the premise to me, based on 'life on mars'; i've lived a sheltered life}. We set our plans for tomorrow and then we bid each other g'nite.

But! When I said that we caught up, I didn't tell ya...a very special box came in today. Our wedding cake topper, a beautiful crystal heart engraved with our names and The Wedding date; lovely cake knife and server {likewise engraved}; and toast flutes {likewise personalized} came in! Oh whatta day!

*of course the names shown here are not ours, these are from the online catalog

shaddow's yard

My Jerry took this week off work to do a few things outside before the weather is warm and all his outdoor time must be spent on a riding mower, cutting down a few acres worth of yards. One thing he wanted to do this week was build a fenced-in area for my shaddow. See, she's used to being out here on this 500 acre farm and she isn't used to highways and busy roads and zipping vehicles. So, I was a bit concerned about her being outside at Jerry's cuz he lives on a fairly major highway, or what constitutes for such in this area.

So this afternoon, I dropped by his place. And oh! wow, what a nice fenced in place she will have there! My Jerry and two of his grandchildren were hard at work. Actually, the lil girl was "making the dirt smooth" {this meant she was jumping on clumps of clay and feeling all the cool squishiness that was so delightful on this rather warm day}. My Jerry'd laid out railroad ties along a nice lil perimeter, and then placed poles {henced the displaced clumps of clay} and ran a fence along the poles, atop the ties. This way he can weedeat around the ties and not worry about wrapping his trimming line around the fence wire.

My Jerry's grandson was helping him by holding the fencing in place while Jerry'd fastened it to where he wanted. His grandson is a good kid and was telling me that next week is spring break and then the following week, he goes to a science fair (which I think he placed at the local level, so this is the regionals) and also a field trip to the McWain Center in B'ham. I actually lived in the Birmingham area when the McWain Center first opened over ten years ago and so I had a chance to visit the hands-on exhibits and such. Way too kewl!

After my Jerry finished up, and took a shower, we hopped on the bike for a short ride down to visit his mom. She's such a sweet lady and I like to visit her. A few weeks back, I'd asked Jerry if I could see some pix of him as a lil boy. Well, his mom had dug out a few albums for me to look thru and most of the pix were very well labeled and they spanned from her parents youth (1930s) thru her as a baby and then as a young woman, married and with her own two babies. The pix continued on thru her two children grown and with families of their own with all the grandkids pictured and some of them grown too. Since I've seen a few albums at Jerry's, I've seen the continuation of his kids grown up and married and their kids as babies. Jerry's father was a bit of a card, he'd ham it up for the cam and I swear I've seen him feeding cake to every kid as a toddler!

We visited with his mom for a bit and then rode home before it got too cold to be riding in a skirt. We are having a few days of unseasonable warm weather but soon it will chill down so that the days are even colder than the current night's temps. My Jerry and I watched some of the original Nancy Drew (circa 1938) before he conked out and I put him to bed. He had a very full day and I know that shaddow will appreciate his efforts when she next visits!!

cinderette

since my jerry's an account with eBay, and since he showed me how to mark various items with "watch this"; well, i've been going a bit overboard with it all! mostly, i've been looking at wedding related stuff, including shoes. and then i started to look at shoes in general (not only those for The Wedding) and then i started looking at motorcycle gear (see last entry, i need a jacket).

thing is, i get kinda nervous about stuff that i didn't try on. ordering from a catalog is different cuz you can return an item if it doesn't fit just so. but most items on eBay are non-returnable. i have a weird fit for my foot, as i mentioned in an entry recently. so i am very hesitant to gamble on certain styles, cuz the arch of my foot doesn't neatly tuck into shoes that have a top enclosure. this means too that some shoes that have a closed toe, the enclosure extends too far up the foot and nope, doesn't work.

just call me cinderette.

intruder alert!

a week ago, my jerry'd gone into work cuz one of his student workers was unable to make her shift {she was 'snowbound'}. so cuz he had extra eight hours, he took off from work early on wednesday and friday both. friday was so beautiful, perfect weather for riding the bike! i've not been riding yet, and i haven't been on a motorcycle in ten years.

but that didn't stop me from asking jerry if we could ride up to memphis and see a friend. sure, he said, and then perched me on the back of his bike and off we went! i wore one of his helmets and borrowed a jacket that was hanging around, no one is sure who left it. since the jacket was large for me, and since it was leather, it didn't really fit around my chest/throat area well, but i made it work just fine. what happened was that when i'd sit, the jacket front would move up and choke me. if i opened it some, the velcro fastener at the throat would actually rub my cheeks raw. so we need to figure out something else for me in the future, in jacket wearing weather.

on the ride up to memphis (which is about 200 miles), we had taken a route which cut on an angle, northwest/southeast. this meant that he was fighting crosswinds every step of the way. so we took another route home and it was so much better! it was a lil chilly coming home at night, but oh so worth it!

he has a king/queen seat, which means that i sit up higher than he does. this was a lil odd for me, as i was actually used to sitting lower on a bike or on the same level. so at first, i sorta hunched over, cuz i was thinking that i didn't want to sit up straight and be creating extra drag for him. then i realized that the seat is like that for a reason and after checking with him, i did sit up and wow! i could see lots and lots. the king/queen seat is definitely the way to go!!

these are stock pix of a suzuki intruder volusia 800, very similar to my jerry's bike. he does have a ferring (windshield) and saddle bags (different than the ones shown). he does have a backrest bar for the passenger (queen me! winks) tho the pad actually is missing, but with all my extra padding, this is not a problem.

motorcycle.com calls this bike "small but mighty and mean". it is a bit more compact than the other bikes i've ridden, but more comfortable and less bulky. jerry rides his bike year-round, when rain is not likely. he's outfitted for the cold weather and rides even when the temps are decidedly chill (mid-30s). most days, he rides to work and since he's known me, he has probably driven his truck more than the last three years combined! this in part is cuz i live on a dirt road and most anyone who has ridden a bike can tell ya that gravel is not a biker's friend. and ya know, courting can be a bit complicated on a bike when it comes to talking and things.

in today's economy, the bike's mileage is especially welcome. the total 500 miles we'd ridden this weekend came to a total of less than $20. the bike gets between 40 and 45 miles to the gallon. yea!!

i had bikers' butt for a bit, mostly cuz it's been about ten years since i've ridden. and this trip to memphis was about 400 miles, round trip. we then went out on the following day and enjoyed the weather some more. plus we rode it when we went to see 'watchmen' (followed the graphic novel perfectly). so we started the weekend with a bang! and ended it with a nice nap. dude, i was t.a.r.d.

sharing the snicks from eMail

A guy is not getting along with his wife. He thinks maybe he'd like to have a pet and goes to a pet shop. After looking around he spots a parrot sitting on a little perch. He notices that it doesn't have any feet or legs. The guy says out loud, "Geez, I wonder what happened to this parrot." "I was born this way," says the parrot. "I'm a defective parrot." "Ha, ha," the guy laughs. "It sounded like this parrot actually understood what I said and answered me." "I understood every word," says the parrot. "I am a highly intelligent, thoroughly educated bird. " "Yeah?" the guy asks. "Then answer this: how do you hang onto your perch without any feet?" "Well," the parrot says, "this is a little embarrassing, but since you asked I'll tell you. I wrap my little parrot penis around this wooden bar, kind of like a little hook. You can't see it because of my feathers." "Wow," says the guy, "you really can understand and answer, can't you?" "Of course. I speak both Spanish and English. I can converse with reasonable competence on almost any subject: politics, religion, sports, physics, philosophy ... and I am especially good at ornithology. You ought to buy me. I am a great companion." The guy looks at the price tag. "$200!" he says. "I can't afford that." "Pssst," the parrot hisses, motioning the guy over with one wing. "Nobody wants me cause I don't have any feet. You can get me for $20 -- just make an offer." The guy offers $20 and walks out with the parrot.

Weeks go by. The parrot is sensational. He's funny, he's interesting, he's a great pal, he understands everything, sympathizes, gives good advice. The guy is delighted. One day he comes home from work and the parrot says, "pssst," and motions him over with one wing. The guy goes up close to the cage. "I don't know if I should tell you this or not," says the parrot,
"but it's about your wife and the mailman..." "What?" says the guy. "What?" "Well," the parrot says, "when the mailman came to the door today your wife greeted him in a sheer nightgown and kissed him on the mouth." "What happened then?" asks the guy. "Then the mailman came into the house and lifted up the nightgown and began petting her all over," reports the parrot. "Oh No!" the guy says, "Then what?" "Then he lifted up the nightgown, got down on his knees and began to lick her body, starting with her breasts and slowly going down and down ..." The parrot pauses for a long time. "Then what... what happened next... WHAT HAPPENED?" says the frantic guy. "I don't know," says the Parrot, "that's when I fell off my perch."

fresh new baby scent

Last night, my friends Adria and her husband joined my Jerry and I for an impromptu dinner at Ruby Tuesdays (where another friend is the manager). Adria was wanting to hostess a at her place, but time got away from her so we just agreed to meet out. So after visiting with my Jerry's mother {happy birthday, sweeterpea!!}, we had a very nice dinner sans children {i love those lil girls, but sometimes it's nice just to be with adults, ya know?}

After that, we went to see the new baby {first born to the aforementioned manager and his wife}. Adria and her husband, the manager and his wife, and I usta all study the bible together. Adria's husband is an elder in their church and so they've hosted a bible study at their place on/off for over five years. That's how I met the manager and his wife, and now their lil baby boy.

So we went to see the lil one, and I got to play with the boston terrier who is just mighty jealous of all the attention that new lil critter is getting. We watched a smidge of American Idol {the girl from starkville made the top 12}. Chatted some about the engagement/wedding, received lots of congrats. Before I left, I smoothed down the top of the baby's head and then leaned close for a lil kiss on his lil forehead. And while I was that close, I inhaled that fresh new baby smell. I'd just said how much I love that scent when the visiting gramma {who omg looks wonderfully well and not like she can possibly have a full-grown son with a baby now} remarked that she could save one of his dirty diapers for me. She cracked me up, and then she rushed to apologize while I was still snickering.

I really like this woman! I really do! *snicker*

foot 'fecta: fit, fine, fond

i'm not the kinda girl who salivates over shoes. i think i own a total of five pair {well-worn naturalizer leather clogs; 7 yr old black doeskin knee high boots~~oh! so kick-ass; six buck crogg knock-offs; and...uhm...uhhh...?}, k maybe only three pair.

finding shoes that fit is hard for me. i'm not complaining, just saying, ya know? i have a very high instep, and the arch of my foot is curved so sharply that high heels actually feel better on my feet cuz the shoe follows the natural line of my sole. but i have weak ankles and the worst coordination and sense of balance you've ever witnessed a grown sober clean woman have. yeah, i'm that much fun.

so if i can find a shoe i like, and that fits, and that looks good...dude, trifecta!

and this shoe, omigawd...if i could strap it on right now, i'd be one happy girl....{sentence number 721 you thought you'd never hear and i thought i'd never utter}. and it actually is my size.

i think i sorta get the whole squealling omigawd-it's-the-shoe thing. sorta. i'm a loooooooooong way from foot fetish, but i think i can get why it's such a thing for some folks.

dudes, we be stylin'

k, here's The Dress. exceptin' it'll have me in it, in a slightly larger size...and here are The Rings. shoes, i need some dancing shoes.

damn hot skinny bitch

so i stopped at the library for a few minutes this morning, cuz i usually do that on tuesdays. the lil library lady {*winks*} pointed me over toward the new titles cuz there's a book she thought i might like {flowers for the wedding}. once i was there, i picked up two other titles too. both of them i've heard of, and seen before; but haven't actually read. so now's my chance.

one is liz hartman musiker's the smart girl's guide to sports: a hip handbook for women who don't know a slam dunk from a grand slam. and i do. a slam dunk is a special from dunkin' donuts that featured two donuts and a tall coffee. and a grand slam is a breakfast special from denny's.

as you can see, i have a food-fixation. i love to eat. and i love food. so it would make sense that i love to eat food. see how nicely that works?

i just love the act of mastication. sigh. i often dream of it when i'm in traffic, or in line waiting to pay my electric bill, or when i'm breathing. just about any time that i can masticate, i do. in the privacy of my own home, with my jerry, with complete strangers, *gasp* and even in public.

so, it's an odd choice, my other library selection. it's rory freedman's and kim barnouin's skinny bitch: a no-nonsense, tough-love guide for savvy girls who want to stop eating crap and start looking fabulous!

then this afternoon, i swung by to show the invitation mock-up to my friend who is an artist and lending me her advice and also helping me do the embossing and fancy stuff. while i was there, she did my hair. first time, evah. we've known each other for about six years, but for some reason, i thought she hated doing hair. cuz imma goober, and replaced my burnt out light bulb with a very dim wattage {shuddup}, i can't take any pix that will adequately showcase my hair. so, perhaps tomorrow.

then, i stopped to see my jerry. he is very excited and showed me so much that my brain hopped outta my head and ran away to cower in the corner. after i realized that i was having an overload of catalog info, wedding party stuffs, and tacky tasteless horrors (wedding printed toilet paper?!?); i apologized to him for jumping with both booted feet down his throat and took a moment to calm my anxious silly self.

we went shopping and dudes! look what he bought me!! lindt's red hot chili dark chocolate. a firey fiesta for your mouth. i guarantee it. and it's so mouth-wateringly good that you will not be able to just nibble one square.

of course that means that skinny bitch will be at war with the lovely lindt's. but oh my...

...drool, drool, drool...

{sigh}

sumpin sorta lahk thees, doncha know?

Come share in our joy and excitement as we celebrate our wedding on Saturday 31 October 2009 at the Oktibbeha County Lake just outside of Starkville, Mississippi. The brief but heartfelt ceremony will be on the pier at 2p, followed immediately til 6p with feasting, dancing, and other merriment! There'll be plenty of chicken, hamburgers, and hotdogs. In lieu of gifts, Jerry and I ask you to bring your favorite side-dish to share. Please indicate what dish you might bring, as this will make planning and preparing for this special day so much easier and much more fun! Also, let us know if you need directions or help with arranging your accomodations. Hope you join us!!

{then i list my eMail and jerry's contact info} also enclosed is the reply post-card below:


Count us in! There'll be __ adults and __ kids joining in the fun. We'll probably bring: __________________

potato salad macaroni salad coleslaw veggie tray fruit tray cheese tray baked beans green beans corn cobbettes deviled eggs relish/pickle tray garden salad creamed corn yeast rolls fresh fruit (grapes, apples, etc.) banana pudding ice cream cups mini-cupcakes mini-donuts case of soda {there are merely suggestions, please bring whatever you'd like}

{the other side of this postage paid reply post-card is printed jerry's address and the sender's address}

play that funky music white boy

Well, I've spent most of the afternoon working on the wedding invitations and I think I've come up with a design I like. I'm about to print up a few mock-ups to see how they look and then I'll take them with me when I go to town tomorrow for my appts and to run a few errands. I want to wait til My Jerry sees them and gives his stamp of approval. Then, I'll share them with ya here!!

My Jerry's done a very kewl entry, that you'll like. Check it!

a little word play

oatmeal and tea, to warm me

This afternoon, when I got home, I noticed my propane heater was not lit. Since I left with the pilot on, and since the pilots for my stove and oven were still on, and since I used plenty of hot water from my propane water heater; well, I figured that heater was finally giving up the ghost.

My electric heaters weren't getting the job done, but they were keeping it from freezing in here. Eventually, my landlord made it up here. A few weeks ago, I had the same problem. My pilot blew out, I could get it lit, but then it would not stay lit and so I couldn't get the heater to work. The landlord messed with it some, spent awhile with it, and then, poof! it worked. For awhile.

Tonight, he tried the same sorts of things. Finally, it lit. Then went out. He got it lit again, and then it went out. So he went down to one of the other rentals that is currently vacant, and grabbed the heater there. He brought it up, swapped it out, and then fiddled with it for awhile and POOF!

I have heat!! Oh, glorious heat! So I shed my scarf, my hat, my gloves, and my jerry's coast guard hoodie that he lent me. Now, I'm sitting in two pair of socks, my lucky shamrock sleep pants, and two very thick long-sleeved shirts. I'm still bundled up like Nanook of the North.

It's official, all my northern blood has been swapped out for the southern variety. I can't take the chills like I usta. It was bound to happen over the past fourteen years. 'course then, twenty five degrees is cold no matter where you are, esp if you are in a trailer.

{stickin' my tongue out at kathiest}
*grins*winks*

happy birthday, hello-kitty!

my jerry's only grand-daughter's fifth birthday is today and she was very excited this morning when her parents had brought her cake over so we could all sing happy birthday to her. she picked her cake and it was purrrr-fect. it featured a hello-kitty purse just the right size to hold a hello-kitty compact containing a mirror and a purr-fect pink comb, just right for lil girl fingers to pull thru her own hair.

happy birthday, kitty-girl!

*gasp*

yeah so this morning, i wake up and hear voices, excited voices, child's voice with adult voices, all babbling. in just a bit, i was out in the living room, and gaping at the child's toy car that was packed with *gulp* snow. 'is it snowing?' i stupidly ask, turning toward the window. and there, across the lawn, burying the tender daffodils, coating the porch railing and driveway...was snow!

i continued to gape and turned back to the very excited lil boy who was gushing about his snowman. the boy's father showed me the pic of the his authentic, real snowman, sitting on a lawnchair. yes, it was a lil snowman, but he is a lil boy, and this is mississippi, where full-sized snowmen are not really an option.

the lil boy now was jumping across the living room in glee and all of a sudden, whooosh! his feet shot right out from under him. he looked startled and sought his mom to see if he should cry. she said to come over and wipe off his icy-soled sneakers. to which, the lil boy rightly crowed,

"snowman on my shoes, see?!?!" while kicking one leg up to show me the bottom of his shoe, where indeed, a chunk of ice was welded to the sole of his sneaker.

it was so cool to see kids all hoppy with happiness. snow. who'da thunk?