If Its Monday ~ It's John Barrowman Time~

Edit: As promised..here he is......Drool Switch activated and set to " Yum".

Oye, what a day.

I don't know what the man has done with my photo's at home so I will edit this from the office for the proper John Barrowman photo....promise....LOL.


No , LOLA was not ready today.


To say that we are disappointed puts it mildly, but you don't want them to fubar leather for the interior and seats...so it is what it is.

I knew from the git go that this week was going to be a bad one. I have the honor of babysitting a mediation at the office for the balance of the week and it appears that Beavis and Butthead are still running the gig.


As my late father used to say ..." When in danger, when in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout ".


His favorite phrase by the way.

It's not that we don't know what we are doing, we do and we are rather good at it.


It's the rest of them...those who have the misfortune to be thrown in the deep end of the pool for the first time that I find somewhat taxing.

I would have given my right tit ( the prettier one by the way ) for extra Valium to pass out.



Thus the phone call from the dealer today was not really an " WTF " moment.


SU's job is fine but insane right now and this on top of recent events wants to make me bang my head against a wall with an .." Enough " moment.


His employer has sold the company to a much larger one with a national profile. SU is a fabricator....ie part of the group that actually makes the product so he is safe but the hand wringing in a very stupid and short sighted way is getting on my last nerve.


You see, we discuss...ok...I have to take that last bit back.,...I get in the car and SU yaps on about his whole day.


White noise.


I stopped listening a long time ago.

Now with the sale/closing I am hearing even more of the same crap ...over and over and over and over again.


I go to my happy place..."OK Pol...you need to do a load of laundry when you get home....the kids need to be fed....their plates and place mats washed up /put away...I wonder what Sistah of My Heart is doing....are the girls home....do the hydrangeas need to be watered....the herbs..the potted plants..what's on tv....do I need a face mask tonight...facial hair....do we have lunch made for tomorrow..is the coffee done....anything so that I don't have to actually hear the same shit over and over again in the car on the way home.

We have a rule that we vent in the car in the way home so that once we hit the driveway ,,,the bad Karma is out.....

But I have been stressed too....no where like he has and I get his bit...I know that he is going through some stuff and I am trying to be nice and fair and all that ....


At least Mr. Trejo mulched all of the flower beds and they look great...maybe this week he can mow..either that or I swear I am buying a goat.


Lets all have a better week.


Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Bruce Of The Day ~ Happy Friday ~

Happy Friday everyone .

It's been a busy week at Casa de Swamp.

We paid for LOLA last night and our girl is going to get the leather upholstery done Monday so hopefully she will be ready when we get off of work. SU is absolutely twitching to drive her and I know that he will be showing her off at the weekly card game at the Crazy Cajuns this coming Monday . And of course I told SU that the lovely Mrs. Crazy Cajun is allowed to drive LOLA so I can bet she will take her for a spin.

Other than that , hopefully the flower beds will be all mulched either tomorrow or Monday...and please Bast...the lawn attended to. With all if the rain, either Mr. Trejo cuts it or I buy a goat.

And then the usual paws and claws for me...laundry...yada yada ho hum.

It's nice to get some sort of routine going after all.

I hope everyone has a good weekend..

And Yes..actual photo's of LOLA will appear soon.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Self Explanitory

Ok.

I should be in a better mood because by this time tomorrow , I will have the check in my hand to take to Demontrond. I even thought of calling the sales pimp ( a guy..female would have been called a sales ho..and I used to be in that racket so I can call it what I want to .)

Oh and before I carry on...I just nailed a certain country bumpkin acting co-workers feet to the floor when she called another co-worker " retarded". I said " Nice Language" , then I said that it was offensive and I told her why . She tried to back pedal and say that she only calls so n so that and I told her that I didn't care...it was uncalled for, inappropriate and flat out rude. For my co workers who read this...she has the same initials as another coworker on my floor...okay Sherlocks....there ya go.

Anyhoo...Hisself tells me last night that his boss has called a 7:30 am mtg forthis morning so we have to leave the house early...like at 6:30.

CRAPITTY CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mutter Mutter Mutter..okay.

Then when we get home and I do my usual..feed the cats,....clean kitchen,.....clean up after cats.... fold laundry...45 minutes after I get home...I get to sit down and then realize I need to ask SU something. Walking back to the den , I find that he is going batshit looking for the title to Pearl. I checked the safety deposit box at the Bank and it wasn't there so I knew that it was in the top drawer if the file cabinet in the den.

Did he find it ?

No.

Did He go and panic ?

Yes.

Did he begin to tear in to places and things that he had no reason to ( an old tote bag of mine that has been between the night stand and the end of the bookcase against a wall for so long that the dust bunny's have gone condo on it.) or places that make no sense at all.

All of the files are pretty much in order and attended to . They are not however alpha in the top drawer. The other 3 yes..this one no...the top drawer is for important stuff that we really do need access to on a regular basis. They are all clearly marked with a sharpie.

Did I find the title ...you bet.

Did it have to be done last night in a panic since the co-worker at his job who said he'd like to buy Pearl but backed out ( Thank you Bast ) ?

Again..no.

So...I found it..all is well....there is no rush but..lol...I told him I had a headache at the base of my skull radiating down my neck...maybe next time he won't act like a 3 year old who can't find his favorite toy.

Yes dear...I said that ...and I know you will read it here .

We must have had more storms overnight because this morning he told me that the glass ash tray on the patio was shatterd.

Yes..I know...glass...patio...bad idea.

But..it was a heavy one...more for pipes.

One of them must have been on the small table and gotten scared. Jumping off would have thrown the table over ..

Ash trays, especially non glass are hard to find , but I have an idea.

I'm going to buy some of the small throw downloaf size baking pans..you know the aluminum kind and the cheapest cat litter I can. I have some small garden rocks that I can put in the bottom for stability...fill with sand.....voila !

Ashtray.

Heh..damn, I'm good !

Ask Dr. Baltar will return when I can think of something clever/snarky to write for him.

Have a grat week.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

~ Whatever LOLA Wants....LOLA Gets ~!

The check is in the bank.

The funds will be available after midnight tomorrow night..standard banking crap.

Thursday , I will hustle my lil ass across to One Allen and get the cashiers check for the full price.

Thursday night, LOLA will be paid for....get that leather in there NOW guys.

LALALALAL

A very , very happy..

Aunty Pol

p.s...( no , this is not the actual car, but it is the make ( 2010 SX) and the right color ( Copperhead)

If It's Monday ~ It's John Barrowman Time ~!

All things considered , it was a nice weekend..peaceful and non stressful which we both sorely needed.

Saturday we did some chores and then went to pick out and put a deposit down on LOLA . As soon as the check arrives , I can take it to the bank and after it clears ( a day or 2 at the most according to Chase )...for a mere $8.00 , I will have a cashiers check to pay for the lovely lady IN FULL and then...........BAM...put the leather seats in mah new ride.

Clutter was met full on in a couple of areas that were OMG.." It Lives!" which I am pretty happy about...lovely dinner and the new season of " Next Food Network Star".

Yes , children...this is your life when you get to our age, our parents had " Lawrence Welk"...we have the Food Network...also known as there ain't Jack Shit on the t slant v right now..sigh.

Of course it's muggier than hell down here ( is Hell actually muggy ? I think not )....we call it the air you can wear.

Oh , and I have decided that at our age...if it cost us $100.00 for 2 cubic yards of mulch to be delivered..then we lay it all out.....and Mr . Trejo gave me a quote to do all 8 beds for $120.00...OH HELL YEAH !

Have a great week.

Ciao,

Lola's New Momma...Aunty Pol

Finally ~ Thank You ROGER ~ ~ !

Anyone who knows me , knows that when it comes right down to it , I am just another Over The Hill Hippie ( Hill ? What Hill ? Dude...where did that come from ? and...yes ...FRODO LIVES !)

who loves RPG's ( Role Playing Games...NO , not that kind !) . I was a DND player when it started and eventually worked my way up to Game Master...ie..I run the game..which is a lot of work...

Stop laughing Roger, just because I HATE MATH >>>>>!

I've played for the last 10 years on line with the same group globally . We've played one variation or another based on Frank Herbert's " Dune " for the greater part of this duration.

While never as big as WOW for example , we've pretty much hung together and been through an awful lot. Death, divorce, SPACE COW (!) ...we've become that rather unusual group who knows each others real names, addresses, spouse and pet names....even hosting visits when one of us is in the same country/city/time zone.

All of my friends are used to this and some day I will get past the point of anyone remembering when the Duchess Polgara Moritani e mailed her resource /turn sheet to both her GM ( game master) and the accounting department at the office.

Yeah....I did that.

Lesson learned.

Thankfully my boss at the time was also a Dune Fan.

Dearest Roger , aka " Count Thalim" or just CT is finally writing a new non Dune game which will start soon.

FINALLY !

I've already registered, logged in ,bookmarked and copied the posting thus far on feats, attributes, skills and character development.

I think the lapse in the game is why I actually fell into Facebooks Farmville, Mafia Wars and Vampire Wars...sheer boredom.

As a former teacher and degree 'd English Lit floozie, I long ago discovered how much I miss writing.

In the rpg's the way that we do them, Roger as GM will encourage you to develop your character and their history and back story as fully as you'd like.

Trust me...I am the full biographer type who will rough out 5 or 6 pages for each character without even realizing it.

It's much like this blog.

It's my sanity and my voice .

I can be totally focused to the game and the character and killing those who just needed to be killed ..on the game site.

Here I can be who I need to be , the Goddess of Snark , who is completely devoted to her gal pals , guy pals, and of course all things pertaining to dah kittehs.

In gaming there are clear rules.

You must define anything you write within the game as IC ( in character) or OOC ( out of character ). You may not be a bully out of character or a pissant ( Rael and Liam come to mind and I can say that here because ..1. It's my blog and 2. I said it to them directly).

You are responsible for what you do and the way you treat others.

A few years ago, Roger poisoned my character with an toxin that I had to work toward neutralizing...because I killed his high ranking Mentat.

Did we take it personally ?

No.

Still dearest friends...of course.

I am very careful in this blog to maintain respect for my employer since I know that a few close co-workers read this.

So....yes...now that Blogger has decided that we can post ...John Barrowman will be here..it is Monday after all....and all of the both regular and irregular stuff will resume save that I promised Miss Lisa a week free from recipe torture since I was so happy that Peggy Sue came back to her and has her " Forever Home " with Miss Lisa over at " The Adventures of Space Paws".

Thank you Roger for starting the game..you know I am still your cheerleader. Thank you to his lovely wife who awaits the birth of their first child for her added input to the game.

Farmville may suffer a bit as will all other things on Facebook ..but..

Never Fear...

As long as I have a smart mouth and something either pisses me off or makes me laugh my ass off....

Let the posting begin.

Oh and Roger.....resource sheet template/guideline please !?!?!......with Sprinkles ?????

Have a great week....you all deserve it .

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

I Feel A Case Of The Vapor's Setting In !

Hey Lisa.....

BURN NOTICE IS ALL NEW TONIGNT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wheeeee

Aunty Pol

Retail Therapy For The Win !

http://www.etsy.com/shop/catnipstudio

I've had my eye on these for quite a while.

I have a collection of vintage free clip art that I use here and one of the sites also has an Etsy shop.

Eatsy is wonderful if you collect unusual , one of a kind hand made or vintage stuff...check out Etsy.

Fair warning tho......if you have a paypal account..they make it toooo damn easy.

The earrings were only $10.00 ( 13.95 w/shipping) so don't freak out honey.

We won't go into the need for a new top of some sort to wear with jeans , heels and these new babies.

LOL .

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Gotta Call BULLSHIT On This One !

Over the last 28 years , I have had an interesting variety of job related responsibilities.

So sayeth your Aunty with a straight face .

Bear in mind that it's been a challenging 2 weeks at the Casa.....

I order flowers for employees who are in the hospital , welcoming a new tax deduction , or on the sad occasion of a death...yeah..irony much ?

Anyhoo..

I get copied in an e mail from the managing partner about a death needing the above mentioned floral arrangement...yada yada yada.

The wording made it sound as if possibly the decedent was the father of an attorney at the firm. I checked the name off against the alpha list.

We have three large offices..here...Atlanta and Philadelphia and then a sole practice in Denver.

We have over 100 + attorneys between the three and while this makes us mid size more or less..it makes it rather impossible to know every bloody name in Atlanta and Philadelphia.

Nope.

Not an attorney or a staff member.

OKAY...

Moving along....

I see one of the partners whose name is supposed to go on the order and the card and enquire as to the identity. It turns out that the late gentleman is the father of a client/close friend of a few of the partners..four of them to be exact.

Solve Identity: Check.

I get all of the data , finally..(!) but not a ballpark on the amount to spend. I can tell you from both years and more recent experience that you won't even get CRAP for under $100.00 .

I end up calling the originator of the e mail's secretary to explain that I need information...a dollar amount..you know...the really DIFFICULT stuff.

Her " Did you get so n so's e- mail ? "

Me: " I'm opening it now since I got it THREE seconds ago."

OOPS.

He gives me a really inappropriate amount and says " Use my credit card ."

Imagine if you will tires screeching as you hit the brakes doing about ..oh ...say 80 mph.

I then explain that I do not, and will not EVER FOR ANY REASON use another persons credit card number.

PERIOD.

The secretary got twitterpated..I mean Bambi in the headlights.

" Buh,,buh....wha???"

Nope..sorry precious.

If your boss wants to send a personal funeral arrangement using his PERSONAL credit card ...I will be happy to provide you the number of the florist we regularly use.

To cap it off...I went back to look at the last e mail....

Smooth move there ace...you forgot to give me the credit card number in the first place.

Is it Friday yet ?

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Oh No You DIdn't !?!

I will never for the life of me understand why some people need to flame a blogger.

If you don't like the post...don't comment.


It's a free world.


We all have our likes and dislikes.

We are human.

This was NOT a differing viewpoint..this was just not necessary.

Move on.

No..this is not about me.


If some one flamed me without merit,,,I would frag their ass right here.


I just read a post on one of my favorite blogs that was as they used to say " Beyond The Pale ".


I am sure you made your Mother a very proud woman .


Sorry,,,,got to go there..


Not PG..warning !

BITE ME BITCH !

You sorry POS.

GRRRRR !


Aunty Pol

Lordy ~ They Grow Up So Fast !

The top photo is from Dakota's first day of school ever. She looks a little unsure...somewhat..." Are you sure about leaving me here ?"

The bottom is of her recent graduation from Pre School.

Look at that confident smile !

Being older than dirt , my only real recollection of kindergarten at Louisa May Alcott Elementary School in Claremont , California consists of naps..graham crackers and milk and the Santa Ana winds that would be so hot the crayola's would melt in your desk and you'd get sent home of it melted the tar'd blacktop play area....which it usually did.

I am the first to admit that since SU and I aren't parents...or at our age grandparents...I am at somewhat of a loss as to the phenomena of graduating for every little bump in the road. Personally I think that for some , it can be taken too far ...to the point of WTF ? absurdity.

Yet..and yes...I freely admit I am a tad biased....if it helps a child's social skills, especially if the child in question is an only child...( ahem...nephew Len ~ former Demon Child From Hell comes to mind )..then maybe it's not a bad thing if kept within reason.

There are ads down here for some sort of soccer league for kids where they guarantee the parental units that their spawn will get the chance to play and will more than likely get some sort of accolade...ALL OF THEM !

Fine.

Great !

Part of growing up is learning the following:

1. You don't always win.

2. You don't always get your way.

3. Being gracious in the above situations will serve you all through out your life.

While I am very proud of Dakota and both of her parents, I hope that they keep a clear perspective and avoid raising the dreaded " Child Of Entitlement ."

If not...the poor COE will be aghast to meet me...the Granty ( Great Aunt) who is not afraid to BE THE BAD GUY WHO SAYS NO AND MEANS IT !

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Lookey Lookey Lookey Lookey !

Okay..it's not really Monday , but it sure as hell feels like one...and it's only 9:15 .

I have been a fan of " Meezer Tales " for a very long time. Sammy and Miles never fail to make me laugh....plus the addition of the ginger boy Billy and now Nicky....it's funny, insightful and addictive...trust me here.

Anyhoo....Meezer Mom has re-launched her personal blog...

www.themeezersmom.blogspot.com

ANYONE who knows me , knows that being the delicate flower that I am...being modest and all...will appreciate the fact that I suspect I may have found a soul mate.....go go go read her bloggy.

Your Sister In Snarkiness

Aunty Pol

Well Damn !

http://movies.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=502935&GT1=28101&


RIP Dude..You were one in a million.


Your Fan,

Aunty Pol

Bruce Of The Day ~ Happy Friday ~

She's Baaaaccckkkkk !

Run...!

It's going to take a while to get all caught up...I'm making progress tho...Peggy Sue over at Space Paws got a forever home...Melly is getting along nicely with Scarlett...The adorable snorgable Anderson Erickson Tuxies are tooo f'g cute for words...I want them worse than I wanted Orson...(!)..I've been taking one blog at a time and trying to skim them..all y'all have no idea how many blogs I follow on a daily basis...I have a system...read " 9 Chickweed Lane" on Yahoo since our local rat bastard paper no longer carries it...GRRRR,.....then my blogs..then Tasty Kitchen to see what recipes I cannot live without and must torment Lady L with...and so on while pondering the daily post here.

And yes...I do this from work...don't ask...they don't mind and I am very respectful and mindful of the illusion of privacy , the innertubes and the workplace.

Anyhoo..

Life goes on.

We are both beyond tired and I have asked SU to stay home this weekend rather than go to the Crazy Cajun's nephews crawfish boil in Brenham.

Any other time I'd be saying.." Go....go...you need gas money ?...GO !" whilst I bask in the peace and quiet...but there is too much to do.

We've done zip nada since the day after Mothers Day.

Barely done laundry.

Ditto groceries, Petsmart, drycleaners, bathrooms...hoovering...sheets...it all went kaput when his mother was admitted to ICU.

Ordinarily , I'd just be me and try to do it all myself , especially with a three day weekend, but I have finally grasped that if there is this much to do and it really needs to be done that I need to allow myself to ask for help.

SU has always offered to help and does both of the bathrooms when needed so it's not like he is all Cro Magnon about it all.

When we were first married mumble years ago ( 20+) I'd do it all in almost a full day...and then because I'd ignore the polio and back issue...I'd not be able to walk the next day.

As time went on, I loosened up.

I am fierce about the kitchen and hoover at least once a week..6 cats ya know...and love the new carpet cleaner...but if the beds don't get square cornered and there are dishes drying in the rack..it's okay.

Bathrooms get scrubbed every other weekend...most of the time.

And of course...I know how to close a deal.

" Honey..if you stay home and help me...yes...you CAN go to the Ice House for however long you want too."

My veteran has more than earned it...especially this Memorial Day.

Please..have a safe weekend...

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

White Hair, Wheel Chairs And Walkers

I think the whole Church was there today.

When Gordy and I walked in for the family viewing , it was tiny..I avoided the open casket because the first and only previous experience was 29 years ago with my mother ..and Pol don't play that.


I have great peripheral vision.


They just kept coming in.


Droves of them .



We've been married 22 years and there were cousins out the wazzou.


They need name tags.


I was okay as long as he was.....yeah.

We need stock in Kimberly Clark.


Thank you Charlie ( Crazy Cajun) for being there for all of the last 10 days.


It was only 10 days.


Thank you Shellie ( Mrs. Crazy Cajun ) for getting me the hell out of the visitation after 3 hours to go get pizza and chocolate.


Thank you both for dinner and war stories.



I'll see you in the morning.


Ciao,


Aunty Pol

8 a.m.

Yup.


That's how they roll.


Ciao,


Aunty Pol

Bruce Of The Day ~ Happy Friday ~

Happy Friday y'all.

Gah...that sounds soooo weird right now , all things considered.

Gordy is at his fathers now, I guess taking care of all of the loose ends and such.

He is staying busy and helping out with what ever he can...his nature after all. I have been okay for the most part...until I saw the birthday card from his father....and I flat lost it.

I guess I needed to.

This has been such a long road for all of us.

You go from the point of maintaining things...periods of calm where there are no new issues so you plod on.

Then things happen...new cancers, heart issues and you come to grips with the fact that the roller coaster ride has begun...until the next period of calm waters.

You can't place a lot of faith in the calmness even though you are in many ways profoundly grateful for it...you can't take the risk of losing sight of the larger picture.

You try not to become angry with family members who are under the illusion that she will get better and it will all be okay. There is no better in the cancer lexicon.....and then you realize that we all have different coping skills and no one way is right or wrong...we all have the path we choose.

In the end...time is all we have.

Time to wait , pray and become our own little island in the mist of chaos.

Again, thank you all so much for the love and support..it has been an amazing blessing and I do not ever use that word lightly.

We love you all.

Ciao,

Janie and Gordy and the Grand Katz

It Is Over

Mother passed away this morning...late before noon.




She was moved out of ICU on Monday into a private room and " seemed " to be doing a little better. She had even eaten a bit which was huge for her.


Tuesday she seemed tired but we took it as it was...she was comfortable.



Yesterday, Gordon got a call before noon that she had taken a turn and to get there. He was composed as he called me to tell me but I knew it was super human focusing to get him there so I rather suspected.



She had a massive bladder and kidney infection and as the day worn on she began to shut down. While not technically in a coma, the doctors told us that there was nothing more that they could do and hospice was called in.


She was completely non responsive and my father in law spoke to me of how he knew that his beloved wife would not want to go on this way.



Sadly, today is my husbands 60'th birthday and while he is just...yeah...it is the greatest gift that his mother could give him.


She is in a better place , pain free and no longer suffering as she did.



I lost the kindest woman I have ever known and I hope she knows that I loved her very much.


I promise Mother , I will take care of your son.



Love,


Jane

Ask Dr. Baltar

Dear Dr. Baltar,

As our journey progresses towards the Gods only know what, I wonder at the lack of a sense of time and purpose that I am currently feeling.

Is there a purpose to this existence that we endure ? Is the thirteenth Colony actually a possibility or just some joint hallucination perpetuated by the Fleet and the remnants of society?

Someone has to know the truth around this fleet !

Cynical Sally

Dear Ms. Sally,

First of all , how old are you ?

Twelve ?

We will be there when we get there so stop your sniveling and get back to what ever remedial studies your poor under compensated instructors have assigned you .

Gaius Baltar, President in Absentia Of The Twelve Colonies.

Of all the places that I formerly found to be least annoying , when I had to shop used to be Petsmart.

Please not the useage of the past tense here.

" Dear Parent of the Child in the School Uniform at the Petsmart in Humble on May 17, `2010."

Did you really think that your spawn's screaming as you dragged her towards the fish in the tank was enjoyable ?

Really ?

Funny ?

Please resume your former shopping habitat.

Wal Mart misses you , they really , really do .

Harrumpf.

Aunty Pol

Thirty Years ~ Were We Ever This Young ?

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/may/18/mount-st-helens-memories-ash/

The top picture is of Mt. St. Helens taken in the mid 1950's .

Up until 30 years ago today , it looked just like that , picture postcard ( there is a phrase for all of us baby le boom booms) perfect...all that 1970's and 1980's warm fuzzy granola bullshit that we were so " in tune " with.

The middle photo is very recent..yep...she's active again. If you have lived on the Left Coast as I did , you got used to the talk of plates shifting and seismic activity. It was just the way it was, much like having to deal with hurricanes here on the Gulf Coast or the Snohomish Pass being closed for weather ...ie. ice and snow.

See Sistah..a local reference , just for you .

The bottom photo is one of the series of actual eruption photos.

I lived through this day in Pullman.

It was a quiet Sunday .

Strangely quiet.

As the sky got darker , it was if the sounds outside of my tiny apartments open windows were suddenly turned off , one by one.

No birds...no dogs ...just a silence that really was quite eerie .

Then the ash began to fall.

I remember thinking that I have finally lost my mind, it can't possibly snow in the middle of May. The semester is winding down and the entire staff at WSU are eager to see the lil twerps get the hell out of town for a bit so we can have some peace and quiet .

I seem to remember the Civil Defense horn going off , and since I worked for Campus Communications , I knew that I had to haul ass on foot up the hill to the office. Damn Dotty for drilling it in to our heads...lol.

Actually, in the late 1970's and early 1980's , there was enough strife on campus that you got used to lock down mode.

Bomb threat in dorms..okay...someone is pissed about approaching finals.

National Jehovah Nova convention /convocation on campus...run to Dizzy's I Grabs It All before they run out of beer and condoms.....again.....check .

Somehow, we knew this was different.

We didn't have time to think about anything...we were too young to really be scared.

Phones ringing off the walls...people in pure panic because a lot of students were not from the area and their folks only had spotty at best news .

Over and over again.....if people could get through..." No Sir or Ma'am , I don't know if ( insert your loved ones name here ) is hurt or not. I am sure they will call you as soon as they can.

Remember this is pre voice mail, pre cell phones, pre e mail....the friggan Dark Ages.

I can only imagine what the parents were feeling.

We did the best we could with what we had.

My own mother was panic stricken , but even in her usual haze she knew that she couldn't do a hell of a lot from California.

In the old office , it was one of those old step downs where you went down a few stairs to get into the office. Campus PD and the Fire Dept were in the same location , but the switchboard didn't have any windows save the small one in Dotty's office. We lost sense of time fairly quickly and had no idea what was going on. Eventually we would all have to wear the masks and get used being casual about standing in our underwear..pray God we wore some that day ...and hosing off the ash off of our clothes and our hair , because once it combined with water ..it was worse than quick dry cement. Heh...we were young ( and thinner - wink) and really not all that concerned...being all hip and cool and so on.

The county cops...bright lads protecting Colfax and the greater Paloose finally realized that the ash was the reason that the engines blew...no air filter created at the time could stop it..

Shazaam....panty hose to the rescue.

And of course...my personal luck was just so supper cool tons of fun in tact....

I had given my notice .

Despite the best efforts of Sistah and Double O Mullet...I was going back to Walla Walla to see if in a complete moment of shear I have lost mah mind...I wanted to make the biggest mistake on God's Green Earth and resume/continue my marriage.

We had in fact just taken the damned drapes to the cleaners...remember Sistah....and had the paint to repaint the apt so I could get my deposit back...and I was in panic mode...no savings, no job...and no chance of a do over from Dotty if I went and said.. "Oopsie....just kidding....can I retract the letter of resignation.."?

The look on her face would have been priceless.

Thirty years.

Yes Sistah...I still have the earrings..lol .

Suffice to say...two years later...I packed yet again and headed down here.

Don't think I'm leaving any time soon.

Have a great week.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

And I have no idea why the print color changed when I posted this...oh well...no biggie

Rosemary Rolls

Prep Time: 3 Hours

Cook Time: 20 Minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 7

Ingredients
Frozen, Unbaked Dinner Rolls
Melted Butter, Regular, Salted
Fresh Rosemary, Coarsely Chopped
Coarse Sea Salt

Preparation Instructions

Spray a small iron skillet with cooking spray (or coat with olive oil). Place frozen rolls in the skillet, leaving plenty of room for rising. Cover and allow to rise for several hours.
After rising, brush rolls with melted butter.
Sprinkle on chopped rosemary. Brush with additional butter. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
Bake according to roll package directions (usually 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes), until rolls are a deep golden brown on top.

Try to get the skillet to the table to serve intact.

I can hear Lady Lisa screaming already..but...I will be forced...forced I say to try this since I have the rosemary in the garden...once I get a small cast iron skillet .

Yes honey...I know that we can't use it on the cook top unless it's enamel coated...another idea that one....but I CAN use it in the oven so calm down.

The above is from Miss Rees site and I believe can also be found on the tasty kitchen website...which is still amazing and one of my two favorite go to places ( the other being the Food Network site) where I can save recipes in mah own widdle recipe box.

edit...Yep..use Rosemary Rolls in the search field on the upper right side of the TK site and it will pop up..7'th or 8'th recipe down...or copy it from here...you all know that you can c/p any recipe I put up here...so fire up those ovens pronto !

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

If It's Monday ~ It's John Barrowman Time ~!

Ok...First of all, before I do anything else, SU ( decloaking as Gordy for a brief moment) want to thank each and every one of you that sent prayers and good thoughts our way this last week during this roller coaster ride . Mother has improved a bit and is now in a private room . More than that I just don't know at this point.

It is what it is .

Onward.

Other than the above and the loss of our usual routine, it was pretty much an uneventful weekend at the Casa.

We finally got some much needed rain but it's in the 90's again....yep...too damn hot for me . I finally got off the arse and ordered the Shasta daisy's for the area around the mail box so I am pretty stoked about that .

We avidly await Thursday and Jimmy Buffet with the crazy cajuns...SU is all happy happy since he bought a new Hawaiian shirt to wear..cause that's how we are....

Then off to Mississippi for Aunt Genies Memorial service...

Have a great week.

All Y'all are the best...yes you are !

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

The Roller Coaster Ride

Let me preface this by saying that I only want the best in this situation.

What a hell of a week.

I was speaking to the NG's tonight and NGC ( ok...Cindy) said , having been through this for a very long time with her own recently passed father that this is a roller coaster.

The highs and lows are not that graphic but this is the way it feels.

I need to get my work filters back in place.

It's harder than hell when you get the calls at the office not to freak out.

I am not the sort of person who can hide my feelings from my face.\

I can't lie worth a tinkers damn .

It's all right there.

But, I cannot function as I need to with out putting the stops in place.

No, Mother is not worse.

In fact , there has been enough improvement that they have moved her from ICU to a private room.

Will she go home ?

I can't answer that.

Will this go on ?

Indeed.

My husband is exhausted, physically and emotionally.

I am letting him do what ever he wants.

Sleep is a big issue right now for us.

This situation becomes a moment of episodes...and we are living between them.

We are trying to desperately re-establish our routines to try to hang on.

Other than here, I will have the filters in place.

Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts who have said prayers, kept us in your thoughts and who have been here.

A huge hug to Lady L.

Blessed Be.

Have a great week.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Self Portrait

Enjoy.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

A Memory I keep Re-Visiting

I keep remembering the very first time I met the future in-laws.


Bear in mind Gordy is the better part of crazy.



We had not told anyone that we were going to get married because of all things...he was still technically married to Marcia ..aka First Wife or FW.


Hey..it's taken me 20 years to not go off in a psycho bitch tirade about the FW so give me some credit..m'kay ?


Gordy and FW never really had a marriage...it lasted 6 months and basically was due to her thinking that marrying some hapless idgit ( sorry honey..) would make her drug dealing boyfriend in Austin come to heel.

Yeah..she was that way.


Anyhoo....they never got around to the divorce bit after more than a few years because neither expected to remarry.



Enters Moi.


Oops.


Anyhoo...He and I had been bopping around Gunspoint Mall shopping and after reentering the freeway, I suddenly needed to pee....I assume beers had been consumed somewhere along the days events.


Groom to be says no worries..he knows where to go,


Uh -Huh.

The next thing I know we are pulling up to a residential area I've never seen..followed by a driveway also unknown.

At this point , I am torn between being completely and utterly appalled and needing to hit the facilities.


And thus ...I got to meet my future sister in law.


Bear in mind I am in my beloved Black Sabbath Tee and black bluejeans...no..not goth...just uber cute in my younger and thinner days.

After a short trip down the hall...introductions were made.

I must have had a really funny look on my face over all of this stupidity..yeah honey...not the way I had envisioned meeting your sister BTW !


After mercifully brief chit chat ..Charlotte says that they are going to her Church's Oyster Fry...blah blah fishcakes.


It was decided that we would meet there....and again unknownst to me...Gordy had known that his parents were I believe at Lake Conroe fishing ..so he decided on the qt that we are going to go by there and see if they want to join in what by now is just super crazy cool tons of fun....NOT.

Off we go..me still being clueless thinking that we were on the way to the Church gig...and I am of course praying for a beer or 6 to calm my now nuclear detonated nerves.


So here we are now in BFE Lake Conroe...hey I am a city girl...so the BFE is appropriate.


By now it has finally dawned on me that Gordy is making a tactical strike and that I am about tho meet his parents for the very first time.


It has also dawned on me that the engagement might be of record brevity since I might just have to kill him dead.



He has the good sense not to introduce me as his fiancee..thank you Gaia but makes some smart ass remark to his folks that I can't pass up ..so demure lil ol me says to his father....

"I'm gonna beat the crap out of him..you want to hold his head or his feet ?"


Pop bust a gut laughing and said I was ok.


Wheeee.


Later on..


We are now living together...which his parents sincerely and strongly disapprove of due to their religious convictions.


We are in fact living next door to them in the house Gordon has been renting.


I have often wondered just how many gals the folks saw slip out of Gordy and his roommates house in the early am.


In all fairness to the folks, I am sure they thought I was just another one.

We are by now engaged but can't really tell anyone because of his status with FW and the fact that ALL of our friends would think it's too soon.


WAY to soon....like a month .


His fathers retirement party was at their church and so off we go.


As the party goes on...at the point where everyone is sitting in a big circle with the guest of honor in the middle...introductions are made.


As Pop gets to me he gets a kind of grin on his face and announces....


" And this young lady, I have just been informed by my son is my future daughter in law....and I don't even know her last name !"


Yep...that's how we roll .


Personally I think Gordy panicked at my mentioning of an engagement party ...but it all worked out.



The girl in the Black Sabbath Tee has kept their baby boy on the mostly straight and narrow for 23 years.


Memories I now treasure.



Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Deeply Ironic

I am finding it deeply ironic right now that I am the one who has it together.


We have a rule , you see.


In times of crisis, only one of us at a time may freak out.


We are waiting for the call on his mother.


Even the doctors know that she will not be leaving ICU.

She has told them all and her husband and son...enough.

She is tired.

Tired of the cancer.

Tired of congestive heart failure.

Tired of a colostomy bag.

Tired of being tired.

Tired of being tired.

In Pain.

Spent.


So like he did for me with my father, I wait with him for the call.


Letting him ramble on, about nothing and everything .


We've spent the better part of 2 years , watching the decline...realizing that indeed , it is what it is.

Swimming upstream against his family who hope against hope that Mother will bounce back...


Baptists do that.


Agnostics do not.

I am at best agnostic.

With Wicca tendencies.


I will take care of him as he has done for me.

He is a good son.


He is a better son than he will ever realize, no matter how often he has been told otherwise.


He is the most level headed, honest person I know..and far better than he will ever realize.

His mother knows his worth.

It's not payback.

It's respect for all the players in the drama we now have to deal with.

We wait for the call.


Blessed Be.

Aunty Pol

A Pause In Posts

Dearhearts,

There will be a break in posting this week.

Long story short..as many of you know my mother in law is not in good health ( heart , cancer, age) and had to go to the hospital at 6 am yesterday with breathing issues.

Medical trifecta..pneumonia, UTI and congestive heart.

We saw her last night briefly.

I just got a call that they have taken her to ICU.

Gordy is on his way there, I am at work till I know more or get the next call.

I've never imagined nor do I EVER want to hear my father in law in tears again..

Same for my husband.

I'll keep all y'all posted.

AP/J

Bruce Of The Day ~ Happy Friday ~

Happy Friday people.

I don't know about the rest of you , but today here in Aunty Pol's world, today has only been about three days long.

Enough !

Enough I say !

I want to go home and find the shorts , tee shirt and the adult beverage in the plastic patio glass and go veg on the patio for a bit,

Except it's been 90 degrees every day this week.

Sister says that they had frost up in the great Paloose this morning and a temperature of 28 degrees.

If I didn't love her so much ( Happy Mothers Day to you and your Mom) , I would shoot her.

Twenty Eight Degrees.

Kill me now.

We've already had to start the almost daily watering of the Hydrangeas in the front bed....sigh.

Mindful of the fact that the monthly water bill is insane makes me very careful. And you CAN'T

tell me that the rates did not go up after KATRINA , RITA and IKE.

Nope.

Not buying it.

Up until last year the average bill for garbage pick up and water was $48.00. Now before you all freak..we are in a MUD district and thus traditionally higher.

And I know SU is gonna read this..do not say a word dear..I'm the one paying this bill.

Anyhoo....On or about the first of April, I used to send a monthly payment of $60.00 , so that when August rolled around with the huge bills, they wouldn't seem all THAT bad.

I know that doesn't make sense to anyone but me and that's fine...you want sense..you pay the bill.

'Nuff Said.

Sometime after Katrina , I noticed the bill had gone up a but until it averaged out at about $65.00 per month.

Even in winter , when there was no yard, plants or flowers to water.

Even when we had friggan snow that killed off all of our gardens.

I am NOT using any more water..in fact we are more careful now than ever.

I guess I'm gonna have to start bumping it up $15.00 to $20.00 per month to try to reduce envelope opening trauma .

Onward.

No great plans for MOI for the weekend.

Hisself has a full dance card.

Tomorrow is the annual ART CAR parade which he loves . He always tries to get some of his newer co-workers or those who haven't been before to meet him...yeah I know ...Pied Piper Syndrome. I won't be amongst the crew as I REALLY burn easily even with sun screen . Aside from that , I really do not like crowds so he's free to frolic. Then he will be going to his Mom's for Mothers Day...and no...I didn't have to nag him...his own idea...thank you dear.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and Mothers Day if that is a holiday that you celebrate. I really don't celebrate it . My mother passed in 1981 , but I did send the Step Mama a cute cactus dish with a variety in it. As I recall, she had some cactus already in the bay window in the kitchen and since she is out and about quite a bit , no maintenance is the way to go.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Well, I'm Miffed !

http://scifiwire.com/2010/04/11th-hour-rescue-for-lege.php

I loved this show.

I have all of Terry Goodkind's books in hard cover.

Thank Gaia the plans for a " Dragon Riders Of Pern" never came to be..

I know they would have screwed it up .

In my next life I want to live in a Wyr.

Have a great week.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Ask Dr. Baltar

Dear Dr. Baltar,

I recently was fortunate enough to hear one of your thought provoking speeches and after much thought , hoped that I might seek your advice on a delicate area.

One hears often of the pantheon of differing Deity's and their various paths to enlightenment.

How,Sir does one know which path to follow ?

My parents cannot be bothered to sit down and discuss this with me due to their busy schedules on the flight deck, my peers cannot be bothered with my " flights of fancy " to put it politely.

Surely , as a man of your stature and education , you with all of your lifelong experiences can offer up even the smallest gem of insight.

Forever Grateful.

A Fellow Seeker of Truth.

Dear Lookey Seekie,

Really, you young people fail to see that a person of my stature has far more important and pressing things to deal with than your hormonal meanderings, no matter how nicely you whine for the answers to life's pop quiz's.

Go find a playmate, hopefully of the opposite gender and play hide and seek with them.

Note to self: I must get a security upgrade on the locks to my personal cabin.

Happy Cinco de Mayo People !

I find it amusing that all of a sudden over he last few years that any holiday that can be remotely tied to alcohol is an excuse to throw a party.

Bastille Day ..ok....guilty .

But...come on..if you want to celebrate a holiday , before you cut loose , show some respect and at least google it to see what it's all about.

Be careful out there today kids.....not even the Margarita's at Cyclone Anaya's are worth a ticket or worse.

Ok.

Lecture Over.

Carry on.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

May The Fourth Be With You

Today is also International Star Wars Day.

Below are some of my favorite quotes:

" The force is what gives a Jedi his power ."
Obi-Wan Kenobi



" I find your lack of faith disturbing".
Darth Vader



"If there is a bright center to the universe, then you 're on the planet it's furthest from."
Luke Skywalker'


" We seem to be made to suffer. It is our lot in life."
C-3PO


"Truly wonderful, the mind of a child is."
Yoda


" Size matters not. Look at me . Judge me by my size , do you ?"
Yoda


" The dark side crowds everything. Impossible to see the future is."
Yoda


Do you have any favorite quotes ?


Ciao,

Aunty Pol

I Was Three

Today I celebrate 28 years with the firm.

I was three when they hired me.

Crap..I really am old.

Have a great week.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol