can't sleep

hello again. & sorry I haven't stopped in lately. Christmas time, you know? That's the time when you blow hours looking, driving for that damned butterscotch pony (not worth it); the time you try to figure out where you're going on which days, what am i suppose to bring, and did you say my house? and well, you know we can't have 15 people at my house, we have no freaking bathroom door. i guess we can have them, but let's make it early so everybody will be gone by six, but then they don't even get here til six, and the macaroni is clumped up into one giant orange sculpture thing, if you will.

it's the time when the little crosses with names of folks who died in traffic accidents get santa hats. the time when you're kids shout "christmas lights!" and you remember before you had kids, how you used to have christmas lights, and you think maybe next year you'll get em out.

it's the time to try & come up with those obligatory gifts, and everybody else is doing the same, then you have a bunch of people standing around looking at their candles and canned nuts, jogging suits and glass dust collectors, and I guess jesus may not approve- but sometimes you envy all those jews that take the christmas break somewhere in the tropics.

There's definitely that part of me that longs to tell both sides of our family that we're going to others, then hang at the house and have a private shrimp boil, play a little jimmy buffett christmas island.

anyway, thank you for having me. I walked past an old helium balloon, thought it was somebodys head, then going up the stairs, i hear,"i'm sleepy" in that eerie robot doll voice, and all the lights are out. I look back at the thing, cause I'm too freaked by it, and it goes off three more times while I'm trying to figure out how to turn it off.

my manuscript hasn't sold, it's really about time to bury all of them and write something new for the new year. Perhaps I'll improvise a couple pages a day, i don't know. but I'm here at the moment.

I thought about a project I started writing, and how I'd written these few brilliant pages and the computer ate them like they were never meant to be. How could I recreate that kind of magic?

how can anyone recreate magic?
and then i think, where does it come from and where does it go?



remember the rocky horror picture show
looking stupid singing those songs
but strangely everybody belonged.
and you got away with going.
far as any girl could go

but then you grow some sense, right?
you see it for what it is
frivolous kids
don't know much and it shows.
those kids get on my nerves now.
can't go where the wind blows.

and frivoly is like a toothless fairy
not too bright, full of dust
but you get a little higher
if you have wings that you can trust
those wings are gonna crumble
so child do what you must.
do what you must

innocent bystander watching the world go by
i don't recognise her
got bigger fish to fry.
and I don't remember where my pan is
who's full of dust now?

frivoly's a toothless fairy
maybe one day i'll be wary
of having so much common sense.
i'll grow real old & dye my hair blue
just because i want to.
maybe partly for a laugh.



then you get drunk and tell stories to your grown grandchildren
like your mother used to do...ha ha. good night.

come back soon.

holy crap, i just have to add that i was just sitting here writing this, then when i went to hit publish post, it lost the page, i hit the back button and it had been cleared. somehow i got it back. jeez.

1,2,3, then i'm done!

okay, so I really don't have much time today to chat...actually, this is the only "chatting" I do. Could be partially because I prefer to do the chatting. Could also be that computer chat rooms are full of some of the most ignorant people in the world. I've gone in a few a couple years ago. This is the gist of it-
me- hello
person 1- hello me
person 2- hello me, age?
person 3- 19-f-boston (okay, you'll actually find these about every other post, but let's get on with it.)
person 2- person 3, do you have a pics?
person 4- that's so sad, sally.
sally- yep, we done lost all we had in that fire! even momma and her drunk ass disabled boyfriend burnt up. thank the lord Jesus and president Bush my momma's cat lived. He lost a wee little cat leg, but he's doing better. I just need to get some money to pay the vet bills. Maybe I can go on Craigslist and put a note out for some these rich folk to help me out.
person 4- Craigslist? Isn't that where people go to buy used furniture?
sally - sometimes. I heard it's all rich folk buying that used junk. You know how cheap they can be.
me- craigslist is a great place if you're interested in a plaid sofa. I think there's three on there right now.
sally- I prefer flowers on my sofa.
person 5- anybody got hanna montana tickets?
me - person 5, does you're mother know you're in a chat room?
person 5- f* you, I'm a 41 year old man (this guy probably lives with his mother. And whenever I think of chat rooms, I think of some nasty old guy sitting in his underpants...)

that's probably why I don't go in chat rooms. I go to you instead. I can't say I'm guilty of sitting in my underpants, but I am wearing some aqua crocs. That's probably equally offensive to somebody out there. So I'm sitting here just trying to summarize what I've been up to.
1. Mailed out another manuscript. (Wish me luck!)
2. went to the grocery store. bought some egg nog, organic milk, a box of those little oranges the kids like, three packs of chicken, cherry tomatoes, bananas, tidy cat, a couple tins of those blue diamond Wasabi & Soy almonds...not in that order. Because the little oranges were actually closer to the bananas, and I'm practicing restraint not putting the food in order by aisles. (I do that when I unload the buggy too)
3. Has anybody tried the wasabi almonds? unbelievable. I'm telling you, a can of wasabi nuts and a nice glass of wine, there's supper! Mmmm.
4. Okay, I'm really getting off topic. I drive a long way to get the kids in school now. What have I seen lately on the way? Today, buzzards. I drive past one of Steven's friends on the way & noticed D. got his own mailbox. He must not want his parents reading his porn. (If you knew this person, you'd understand?) I noticed the Lancelot plaque was not on the Lance place anymore. I wish I could accidentally drive up that driveway just to see what the house looks like, then drive back down. (I think I'd better not.)
I saw a guy picking his kid up in the car rider line on a riding lawnmower...shirtless. Has anybody seen that movie Idiocricy? Hmmm. You may have to live next to my previous neighbor to find that film funny. I don't know.
We went out of town for thanksgiving. On the way back we stopped in the REI store, and Naomi lost her tinkerbell purse.
"All my pokemon cards were in there! We have to find it!" crying..."I traded for those cards!!!" It was a rough day. We've never found the purse. She tells me if some boy found it he'd never turn it in. "I had the best pokemon cards in there." She informed me her watermelon lipsmacker was lost as well. This is a tragedy, indeed.
I watched Iconoclasts with Norman Lear & Howard Schultz. (Love that show)
So now here I am, at the end of this thing, and I guess I'm just writing to check in. Nothing of interest has happened in the past month or so.
I wish I had something cool and exciting to tell you, but I'm of the opinion that sometimes you have to be thankful for having nothing at all to talk about.
For instance, I'm thankful my children are healthy.
Or, I'm thankful my children are healthy and they don't have headlice.
And then you just try to make the details even more minute until it's something like,
'I'm thankful I got no annoying fundamentalist emails' or 'I'm thankful I still have that one Turner Field 1997 braves budweiser glass from when I won the pair of them playing movie trivia at the chicken wing place, although Steven flew a spoon across the kitchen aiming for the sink and it shattered the matching one...' (Okay, that's kind of on the border.)

& I'm thankful for you! Happy Holidays, yt

hello again!

I'm sitting here with my slice of ezekiel bread with cream cheese. Whipped cream cheese, whipped with air to taste like air...(I really recommend you go old school with your cream cheese, friends).

See me?
See me?
I'm human electricity
humming glowing god power.
At 7, you see fairies.
At 17, possibilities.
27, 37, you only see hands on the clock,
tick tocking too slow, then too fast,
At 47, maybe you'll wonder
why you spent so much damn time
watching the hands of time.
See me?
Wake up now & see me.
I'm human electricity!
Find your outlet & plug yourself in.

-kat lee, spur of the moment. now I got to get back to that clock! lol. love ya.

If you aren't happy with less, ...

If you aren't happy with less, you won't be happy with more. That's what the little church sign said when I was riding past the other day. Or wait...maybe it said "If you aren't happy now..." I don't remember. I was loading my dishwasher in the new house & it came to me; Now I have more. Not that I was unhappy with the old place- let's face it, who will I have to talk about now that Old Tom & Taterbug are out of the picture? Oh, yeah...
The new neighbor sent over some cake to welcome us to the neighborhood. It was some sort of pineapple angel food cake, homemade I'm sure. She sent over cake & admired our chickens. That's right, we have chickens. Steven's brother sent over his worst two roosters, because they kept nesting & leaving excrement on his ladders, along with two hens, each with a baby in tow.
I promptly named the roosters, one Clint Eastwood & the other Bubba. I must have had a psychic inclination for not naming the hens. The day after we let the last hen out, they jumped into our neighbors dog pen, and it just goes downhill from there. Bubba & one hen flew back over. Clint Eastwood flew over the two story garage next door and perched on their roof to excercise his lungs for the night.
And here we are back at 'the neighbor brings us some cake.' Admires our chickens, several of which are lost to us...then mentions that she has some people coming to visit and could they park their RV in our driveway. It's hard to say no when you have a mouth full of 'welcome to the neighborhood' cake. Of course you can park your RV there!
Today I come home and this semi-truck sized RV is parked along the road directly in front of our house. Hmm.
God is good. (my new mantra...whenever I think about the real crap going on, I'm trying to train my mind to say, "God is good." I'll let you know how it works out.)
The house itself is more. It's a 70's split level, complete & original with blue toilets and orange shag carpet. Pink wallpaper in the kitchen (though my realtor corrected me, it's actually mauve. Mauve just means old raggedy pink in my mind. ) Soon the mauve will come down, along with the navy paper covered in quails in the dining room & living room, the dark paneled den, all of it will make way to something different & exciting. My mind is thrilled with the project of finding my creativity and making comfort out of something not so obvious to repair.
I'll miss the little greasy handprint on the wall near the window, one I could never bring myself to clean or paint over. The growth chart I carved into the door trim of the girls every little half inch at a time. I'll even miss seeing the game lights and hearing the high school band of my alma mater playing on football nights from the backyard. I already miss my washer & dryer- (in between at the moment.) yikes!
Even so, I'm really happy with the house. It is technically 'more...' Does that mean the saying isn't true? No. Who says I wasn't happy at the old place? Me? I wonder, Do I really need to convince myself that I was unhappy in one place to justify being happy in another? I think people have the right to say things irritate them from time to time but that doesn't mean they are unhappy. Ten minutes of growing horns on your head and growling like a badass bear doesn't make someone unhappy. I guess it makes them normal? (I hope so.)
I started cooking a pot of beans at noon today, cooked em all day, thinking I'd surprise Steven. Along he comes with a bag from the El Rayos, surprising me instead. Love is surprise guacamole :)
I've really missed you all! I'm going to resume my blog in between wallpaper removal & looking for all the lost stuff from the move. I wish you all every happiness!
It's so cool to have a friend like you. yt, kat

Change is good! (for some...)

Yikes.
So we have workers in the house again. It's a bit frustrating...they're working on the bathroom, and we've been making jokes all week about the toilet being removed, and how if someone looks in the hole, and someone uses the other toilet, you can see their "waste" passing by. (True. Sad, but true.)
So the workers are within a foot or two from the john hole, and I feel like I need to piss. And I made sure to pee before they got here...so really it's like, "I need to piss because I'm trying not to have to." Hmmm. If you've stumbled here by accident and are in search of some sort of profound thought, you may be in the wrong place.
Our home is for sale. Again. Cross your fingers that we sell & find our way the next place. If it's meant to be, it'll turn out. In the meantime, realtors and workers will be joining me during the day. Great!
I feel like I should be doing something productive. Like folding or mopping. But not like watching the sundance documentary on the woman who wrote The Story of O.
I have a cold. My nose ran all night- I woke up this morning and it was completely clogged, crusted over like a sloppy kid. I lugged my heavy head out to take my kids to school, them telling me to hurry for the good breakfast. (The school has a hot breakfast line and a cold one, Early you get hot cinnamon rolls and the likes, late, you get corn flakes...)
On the way home the radio guy said the first case of West Nile in Georgia for the year had been reported in Atlanta. A man went in complaining of aches, fever, etc. Me too, I thought. It flashed through my mind that I, as well, have West Nile. Of course.
Then I came home and ate some cheerios. I watched a few minutes of a documentary til the guys came, then I turned the tv off so I looked less slobbish. I think I'm going to put my shoes on and run on the mill for a while. Maybe all the jarring will shake my brain of the fog I'm in.
Take care :)

oranges

Hello! So sorry I was out- hmmm, I took two months off, didn't I? As much as I'd like to say we flew to Hawaii and spent the summer basking in pineapple juice, not so!
Nope. The city pool is about as close as we got this year, but we did go there every day. (Kid's swim classes).
I'm not really in a talkative mood, but I thought if I wrote a few sentences it would get me back to my blogging.
Who am I?
Okay, I don't really have time to answer that one...or maybe it's just that I'm so simple & uncomplicated that there is no real huge difference between me & you. I lean towards the latter, for sure.
I like the way my hands smell after I peel oranges.
& white leather furniture. (not the pillowy kind, but buttons are okay. There's a word for that, when there's little buttons all over the furniture, but I can't think of it. Maybe you know?)
Thanks for stopping in :) kat

Unmade Bed Day

I'm going to be brief because my bed's unmade, and I can't really think about much except that sloppy bed. Probably I should have made the bed first, then blogged?
I was channel surfing and caught the end of Xanadu. I love that movie. Am I insane? I think you had to be an 8 yr old girl to get how great that film was. And here came the part where Olivia Newton John is singing in the middle of all the roller skaters. Nothing dates the 80's quite like that roller skating scene. I still have my little ONJ scrapbook I kept. Seeing the movie made me get out my ONJ cd. (I got everything by her on Vinyl when I was 7-10 years old. Probably melted in my storage building now?)
Was Olivia Newton John the Jessica Simpson or Mandy Moore of my time? Surely not...right? Surely my childhood idol was not the 70's equivalent of Hilary Duff.
Olivia made Grease, for Christs sake! I'd love to hear any feedback on the topic.

I went to the mall this week, and I'm not really a mall going person. I think I may have hit a mall twice this entire year. We live about 35 miles from a mall, so that may have something to do with it...
Bath & BodyWorks was having a sale. My sister bought about $50 worth of lotions and whatnots. The girls tried everything, washed it off at the handy B&BW sink, then would start over. I was planning to walk out of there empty handed, but the candles caught me off guard.
If you can get to a B&BW store, and they still have the Elton John Fireside candles, don't pass them up! Don't!!! I wish now I'd bought the entire stock of them. I walk past the entertainment center and have to pick it up and smell it. Almost instant stress relief, LOL.
As gay as Elton is, you may think he'd have a girlie candle, but it's not the case. The smell reminds me of real fires and clove cigars, smoke and vanilla or ginger or something. The kind of smell that makes you come back. Perhaps I could melt the thing and pour it all over my husband, hee hee...(Um, perhaps not.)
But it smells great. Bravo Sir Elton! If anyone knows men, it's probably you. (I actually love Elton John- everytime I hear Your Song I look over at my Steven, "They're playing our song!" to which he just rolls his eyes. He's a little more of a Dead Kennedy's, Ramones, Danzig or Black Flag sort of guy. Black Sabbath? Somebody called Ozric Tentacles? I don't know. Give him Led Zeppelin, the Allman brothers and he's happy. I did however make a Willie Nelson convert out of him. And Ben Harper too. Elton John may just take a bit longer.)

Also, I almost purchased the Victorias Secret Appletini lotions, but my mother lectured me on my overabundance of product, so I relucted. But I'm going back for it.
What else is new? Naomi is at Performing Arts camp. She's in a play this week, playing Nurse 2. & We've been riding our bikes the past two nights. Today, there's karate, so we'll probably just come back and lounge.
I'm going to the post office to send a query letter regarding my manuscript. Maybe I can push it along a bit. You have to wait til you get one back before you can resend, so if it takes 6 months (the average amount of time) to get it back, then you are only able to send two copies a year. Argh.
Soprano's is over. Hmmm. I guess the most exciting thing about the ending (?) was the idea that all these mob actors might start turning up in other shows. Next thing you know, there'll be Paulie or Phil on My Name is Earl, or better, Lost. Funny!

Sorry about the poem below...I actually did write it about the birds out my window. Started out watching the little love birds pass the worm, and in my mind I heard, "He gave it to his lover, how sweet?" It did end up taking a turn along the way, huh?
Gotta make the bed! Much love to everybody!!! Have a Sweet Day!

Poetry, Anyone?

I wrote this last year when I was entering all those Essay contests.

I lost them all & decided not to enter the Poetry Contest...Here's my 'off' attempt at

becoming 'Poet' Kat Lee.

(Not to be copied without permission from author- thanks!)

He Gave It To His Lover

He gave it to his lover

He gave it freely.

It dangled from her mouth

Hung there dry

As she choked it down

He waited nigh

Eager to pull it back

A chance for tug of war lost

because

She tirelessly worked it.

He gave it to his lover

One taste of beefy worm

And the shabby brown bird

She worked it down.

Chili Cheese Fries, Corn Dogs, & Guilt...

We almost got rain today. What else? We took the kids to this creek in the mountains so they could refresh their memories of what outside water looked like. They were not feeling too sure about it.
We were going to go to church, but since Steven worked Mon-Sat, getting up at 6 am on Sunday didn't really feel right.
This morning we watched Big Ideas for a Small Planet on the Sundance channel- it was the one on food and organics. An hour later, we were driving thru the Krystals drive thru, ordering chili cheese fries and corn pups. Chili cheese fries and corn pups, with a side of guilt :(
(I sliced some mango & strawberries when I got home! I swear!)
The kids are sleeping. Steven is sitting at the table doing paperwork. Quiet house. I've folded all my laundry, it's totally caught up, even those fitted sheets that don't exactly look folded after I've made my best attempts to fold them...("You are getting sleepy...")

Good nite :)

the Honors Program

The gardenias are blooming. It's a good contrast, with the fragrant rotting rats on the other side of the yard. My neighbor did knock at the door to talk about them again yesterday.
Taterbug (my neighbor's name-yep, really!) said he's filling the holes with bleach. Okay, I'm going to move on...

I drove to school for the Honor's Day program, and I'm getting in the car, and notice my legs are a little stubbly, and I'm wearing capri pants. In the house, I already changed shirts, thinking my daughter would notice if I arrived in yesterdays shirt, however cosy it is...but now, stubbly legs, and no time to shave them.
I pull up and have to park far off, and I fall in with the crowds of parents lining the walls of the gym. I stand in between the guy with too much cologne and some other folks. The lady next to me squats and I hope she doesn't see my legs. A few more people crowd between the guy with too much cologne and I, and it still smells like I'm standing next to the guy with too much cologne. Now for all I know, it's not even that guy. It could be somebody way down at the end.

Naomi did great. She got the award for A's all year, the Sweat Star award (for PE- only two children get that each quarter), and she got the Citizenship Award (only two kids get that for the whole year!) Hurray!
I clapped til my hands were sore, forgetting the 'Hold all applause til all the kids names have been called' rule. Forgetting my stubbly legs & the woman with her face 16 inches away from them. I clapped anyway, giddy for my baby. She smiled, holding her head up like she was a lizard on a rock, soaking up sun.

~I feel lucky. I hope you all have a lucky day too. Come back soon~

I dropped the girls off at school, but it's Honor's Day, so I have to be back there at 8:45. That gives me 30 minutes to fold the sofa throws, make the beds, & say good morning to you.
(Good morning!)
I think today will be a great day. Hello, I Love You came on the radio on my way home. It reminded me of when I was a Doors obsessed teenager. At one point, while in Paris, I dragged my family, including my 80-something-year old French Grandmere through a graffiti laden cemetery, in search of the famous 'head.' Alas, The head was gone (stolen), but we saw Jim's grave, decades later,trashed, & still surrounded by groupies and cops.
It made me a little sad at the time. Not sad because Jim Morrision was dead, but sad because of the way his fans trashed the cemetery so. Graffiti'd monuments of people who were forgotten, people who were not Jim, which to some ignorant sort, made them less revered.
Sayings like "I want to F*** Jim!" Pretty dumb, huh? And I remember that morning I wanted to pee before I got on the bus, so I drank 4 glasses of apple juice, then had to pee all day. At 18, I stood in line outside an automated john doing the pee-pee dance, and one kind woman let me pass. It was all about finding the john that day in Paris. Lol. Maybe in a few years we'll drag the kids there.
I was trying to sign on & go straight to my blog, without seeing American Idol results. No luck. I didn't watch it yet, but the AOL screen has already told me. I guess I'll watch it tomarrow with my 8 yr old? (Today is Tumbling & Karate day)
Lost won out last night. Apparently, they are going to get off the island, but I don't know. I don't think Charlie will really be dead, he's one of my favorites. Surely someone will sweep in and save him at the last minute...(Or first minutes of next years show?)
I had a dream where I was climbing a ladder or something and leaning up against the fence. I heard some commotion, and a big old white car full of loud folks was driving fast (In my backyard?) Made a quick turn, and slammed into the ladder & fence, purposely. Then I woke up. What does it mean? Hmmm.
Maybe it means I shouldn't put myself in places where I don't need to be (like responding to my cousins emails, pissing them off?) Maybe it means that I'm just feeling vulnerable. I don't know. I'll have to think on it some more later. I have to hurry to get to the school on time- blogged too long already!
Much love to you all. I'm grateful you stopped in!...

Rats!

Hello again!

I took the girls to school this morning, then fed the dogs. "Dogs." We have a new puppy! (There's that duality in my mind- it's, "Yeah! We have a new puppy!" & "Yikes, We have a new puppy...") I totally forgot how much work puppies are! But she's adorable & sweet, not housebroken & a bit of a barker at the moment, but I think that'll fade fast.
Our german shepherd, Reuben, has officially become 'Mother.' Lol. I don't know how much he loves his new title. He's dealing okay, and he still has some perks that Poppy hasn't- like sleeping by our bed at night.
Did I already write about our neighbors rat problem? Which is fast becoming our rat problem...Troubling. It's like that movie where all the rats are running across the walls, but outside instead. Dozens of giant crusty gray rodents. They run across the rails of our privacy fence when I water the plants. & I was watering on the patio, felt something across my foot. A snake. He slithered into the garden wall, and I stared. Frankly, I'm more afraid of the rats.
Here's the problem. Our neighbor is a bad dog owner. Instead of having a fenced in yard, he has a 25' chain, in the very back corner of his yard, with the dog & the dog house. They go out once a day, fill the bowls full, then go inside. The dog never gets played with, talked to, nothing!
So these rats have dug holes under that dog house, and are getting fat from his bowls. The dog house is gonna cave in soon, and it's about 3 feet from our privacy fence.
Here lately, they've been dying in our yard. While I'm glad, it's concerning too, because we have dogs & kids that play in our yard. If our dogs find one of those poison rats, it could really hurt them. So we have to make rounds, checking, and everyday we throw the dead ones back into the neighbors yard, anonymously.
Steven went next door to discuss the problem. The neighbor said he stood & watched his dog eat til the food was gone daily (A lie- we looked over, and that bowl was untouched all day & evening one Sunday!) He said he had tried to poison them but was no longer doing that...Hmmm. He also said he sat on his deck and counted 16 of them running in a few minutes. While Steven was back there, he said the rats lines the edges of the guys water bowl- a rodent pool party- and he doesn't pick up the dead ones in his yard...
This morning, the dogs & I went out to fetch, and as usual, I made the rat rounds. Near the back wall, an 8' sleeping devil. Not dead, just, um, deep in meditation. I call my hubby.
"There's a sleeping rat in the yard."
"It's not sleeping, it's dead. Get the shovel & throw it over."
"No, it's really not dead."
"Okay, well get the shovel, smash it with the shovel, & throw it over."

?

"I don't think I can do that." Yep, it's a rat. Yep, it's suffering. Smashing it with the shovel is just a bit beyond my capabilities. We agreed that I would stick a bucket over it, & he'd get it when he came home for lunch. Argh.
I can't really blog too much longer- I've got to go out and buy "teacher appreciation" gifts. Todays the only day I have, so I'd better get. I hope you all have a fabulous, sunshiney, rat-free day. Much love!!! K

Soprano's

Spent the day at school today! The kids had Field Day, where they play games outside all day. Fun! & they grilled hot dogs outside for all the kids, and I'm sitting there thinking the lunches smell really good. The teacher tells me that Longhorn Steakhouse is making the teachers lunch on the other side of the building. I skipped lunch, opting for the little bag of carrots Naomi tossed aside.
Last nite, I was watching The Soprano's. (I know, Soprano's wasn't on last nite- I don't actually get to watch the shows the nite they come on, so I TiVo them & watch them when I can.)
I remember something about James Gandolfini getting married a couple years ago. I looked over at Steven.
"Do you this his wife ever asks him to be Tony Soprano?"
"He probably does it for fun," he says.
"No, I mean do you think his wife ever asks him to be Tony Soprano?" As in, 'Honey, tonite you be Tony...'
If you watch the show, Geez, Tony Soprano is always getting it on with somebody. I wonder what he thinks about doing those scenes- they aren't romanticised love scenes like you see in movies. It's pretty much a big bald guy in his forties getting it on with a girl half his age (usually a stripper) for all of 20 seconds. No sexy foreplay, no romantic words. Sometimes grunts or a facial expression. Not much going on...Yet,
there's something kind of hot about Tony Soprano. Usually, I'm more of a Matt Damon girl, but I have a feeling that there are days when Gandolfini comes home from work that the wife hands him a sloppy white robe, tells him to talk about somebody named Vito or Mario, and gets a wee bit turned on. I bet.
So if the wife of James Gandolfini sees my blog, please feel free to comment. (I say that as though my blog gets traffic, ha ha!)
Of course it does.

Doesn't it? Hmm. (India Arie's Gratitute just came on. She's so talented. Unbelievable! I bet her mother is extremely proud.)

I wish you every joy this day~ much love, Kat

Kid stuff...

Hi! I'm not really in a posting mood- probably because I just have too much going on. I have to pick the girls up at noon from school today- Naomi has a Dr appt with a dermatologist because of some funny moles. This will make the 4th trip to the dr this week!
(Perhaps it's somewhat stressing me out. I TiVo'ed the season finale of My Name Is Earl, and finally watched it yesterday. Then, I found myself getting teary eyed when Earl had to go to jail. Yikes! Tears for Earl? What's wrong with me?)
The first three because of Shanna & a deck accident... Thursday nite, she runs in from the deck (about 8:30- sun's still out here) & her foot is bleeding. Actually bleeding, not the normal stuff kids cry about. She has a hard time remembering to wear shoes, has been running in the yard barefoot for hours, and comes in screaming.
"What happened?"
"I stepped on a nail in the deck!!! Waaa!!!" A nail? Immediately I worry about tetanus. But our deck doesn't have nails, only screws, and it's only a couple years old. We try to clean her foot with her screaming for us not to touch it, and we bandaid it. It looks to be about 1/8" puncture. We decide to take her to the doctor in the morning after she's slept.
Friday, at the Dr, they take the bandaid off. Apparently, the bandaid sealed in germs, and has spread some sort of skin infection. You know the drill- the nurses have me hold down my childs arms, and she gets a shot in both legs. One is the tetanus shot, the other a heavy duty antibiotic. They prescribe yet another antibiotic, for her to take orally 10 days, twice a day.
3 times a day, the doctor wants me to give her a bath and redress her wound. Okay.
But late Saturday night, it looks worse. She just feels extremely sad & irritable...She can't walk on it, and it's looking dark. Steven, a carpenter, says he thinks there's something it in. I called the ER. Our ER takes 3-4 hours, and we decided to take her in the morning.
We spend the first 3 hours of Mothers Day in the ER. The Doctor agrees, something's in there. They X-ray her, but it doesn't show up. After a few shots to numb her foot, They open her foot up to find a 1 1/2" chunk of wood decking had gone into the meat of her foot.
Her little baby foot, shiny & taut from swelling, almost pushed it out. They decide to cut her foot open anyway, to make sure there's nothing left. So she's healing, but she's got this 2 inch incision in her foot. We went back on Tuesday for a follow up.
Today, it's Naomi's turn to go.
Tomarrow is Field Day at school, and the kids want me to come, so I'll be there. What excitement! They are jumping up & down,
"There's going to be inflatables! & hot dogs! & blue & rainbow icees!!!" That is a big deal, indeed. I make a mental note not to put them in white shirts on Friday.

Saturday, we have to get up an hour earlier (5) to be at the airport by 8 am to pick up the dog. Hopefully, traffic won't be so bad.
Sunday, I'm going to stay in bed until about 11.
Monday, I'm taking my mother & sister to lunch at Crystal Thai for a late Mother's Day get-together. (I'd have done it early, but my sister is hard to come by. I'm really glad we're going, though. That'll be my fun day!)
Tuesday is Preschool Graduation.
Next Thursday is Honor's Day.
After next Friday, 10 weeks of sleeping late, nothing except the usual karate, tumbling & swim, and that's in the afternoons. Mmmm.
Until then, my best- yours truly :)

Forwards

You don't do the right thing because of the consequences.

If you're wise, you do it regardless of the consequences

- Jeannette Rankin (1880-1973)

Long time no see! I actually blogged yesterday, but then my phone rang, I went to answer it, and twenty minutes later, I came back to find myself logged off, and everything I'd written gone. Probably a good thing, since I'd just gotten an email from an irate cousin, claiming she was permanently removing me from her email addresses. Should I go into that? Hmmm.

It has to do with "Forwards." & Let's just say that some email addresses should be kept private. You may get the occasional personal note or funny little joke, but for every one of those...there are some people that tend to go overboard on their Forwards. My cousin is one of those people.
You know the thing about how you should never talk politics or religion in a dinner, work, or party setting? Okay, I think we need to add Email Forwards to that as well. (& If you forward the thing, you may as well have wrote it)
Yes, I can just delete them. But sometimes they are just complete propaganda. Did you get the one about Barack Obama being a member of the Taliban? Or the one where a 'nameless teacher' writes about immigration, saying in her California school, thirteen year old pregnant Mexican girls are plaguing the place with vandalism and theft? And do you love it when the end the Forward with a little American Flag, and the Words,

"Jesus and the American Soldier are the only ones who ever died for you"

Is it wrong to want to comment that there may be some hypocrisy in Hispanic hate mail that preaches the gospel at the end? Do people who forward mindlessly open themselves up for politic discussion? I think so.

In my defense, I've just deleted them for years. Things that made me completely ill came in my box, and I turned the other cheek. I suppose I'm just tired of them. I am starting to get the feelings that silently deleting them is in some way Accepting them. I'm a parent now. Racism is not acceptable- in any form. And I've come to find that the more of those things I accept, the more I receive.

So I commented on the emails, and got myself into a little trouble. Yikes!

Should I leave well enough alone?

Or is a part of me growing into my spirit...Is my conscience outgrowing my cowardess?

I hope so. What example do I want to set for my children? Don't stir up the pot? I don't think that's the one.

Sometimes Silence = Acceptance.

I hope my daughters can think positively. I hope they see that they are strong, powerful minds, and that though one voice is just one, sometimes it is the one that begins the Domino chains of thousands.

My mother is an immigrant.

& At some point, if you live in the US, somebody in your family was an immigrant.

My comment that "maybe the Native Americans are reincarnating as Hispanics and they are taking back their land" (Ha, ha- peaceably, of course) probably didn't help matters.

I do have a bit of sadness about the whole thing. I guess I'll go shake it off, and I'll blog again after awhile. Thanks for stopping by! Much love, much love to you this morning.

Have a sweet day!

Doritos for Breakfast

I'm eating Doritos for breakfast. I know it's bad, but I'm an addict. We had a party yesterday, and I bought two big bags of them. Gave the unopened one away. The other is sitting in front of me, and we're spending some quality time. Worse, I'm pulling them out, examining them for 'cheese quality,' and the ones that don't make the cut, I throw those back in the bag.
So it's just me & the best of the best...
(Okay, to my defense, the last time I bought Doritos was last December, at another party...)
I'm not even tempted by the table sized cake sitting on the table, covered in that white airbrushed icing. And I ought to focus on the watermelon, that wouldn't be so bad. But I'm not.

Reuben's been bringing his balls in the house, and when the kids pick the balls up, he gets into this frenzy. Then I get into a frenzy.
"Don't throw those in the house! Outside! Outside!!!" He's got these big bear claws, and they are scratching up my new hardwood floor. I need to have his nails cut, but I haven't been able to bring myself to do it. You see, there's this joke that I'd heard, decades ago. You know the one?


Three dogs were sitting in the waiting room at the vet's when they struck up a conversation.
The black Lab turned to the chocolate Lab and said, "So why are you here?"
The brown Lab replied, "I'm a pisser. I piss on everything....the sofa, the curtains, the cat, the kids. But the final straw was last night when I pissed in the middle of my owner's bed."
The black Lab said, "So what is the vet going to do?" "Gonna cut my nuts off," came the reply from the chocolate Lab. "They reckon it'll calm me down."
The black Lab then turned to the yellow lab and asked, "Why are you here?"
The yellow Lab said, "I'm a digger. I dig under fences, dig up flowers and trees, I dig just for the hell of it. When I'm inside, I dig up the carpets. But I went over the line last night when I dug a great big hole in m y owner's couch."
"So what are they going to do to you?" the black Lab inquired. "Looks like I'm losing my nuts too", the dejected yellow Lab said.
The yellow Lab then turned to the black Lab and asked, "Why are you here?"
"I'm a humper," the black Lab said. "I'll hump anything. I'll hump the cat, a pillow, the table, fence posts, whatever. I want to hump everything I see. Yesterday, my owner had just got out of the shower and was bending down to dry her toes, and I just couldn't help myself. I hopped on her back and started hammering away".
The yellow and chocolate Labs exchanged a sad glance and said, "So, it's off with your nuts too, huh?"
The black Lab said.... "No, I'm just here to get my nails clipped."

Morning, May

Good morning, May. I'm glad to see you!
I drove the girls to school this morning, and found that there was absolutely nothing on the radio. Nada. Okay, flipping through, I heard a few bars of 50 cent's In Da Club, and part of me paused- (Geez, what would Oprah think?) -because I like that song, but looking into the rearview mirror, I decided to plug India Arie into the cd player. Already, when Naomi gets excited about something, she throws her hands in the air,
"It's my birthday! It's my birthday, Yeah!" (In my defense, I think her version comes from a tv commercial.) She's growing up too quickly. There's no stopping her, but maybe I can work on some of the content that goes into her ears.
On one of the Wayne Dyer specials, he talks about how tangible items contain energy. His teenaged son was listened to a rap cd, and he relates this experiment. (I'll do my best to explain it!)
He tells his son to grab a banana off of the counter, then try to brace himself. He then tried to push his son over. The son doesn't budge.
He then tells the son to pick up a cd case. His son braced- and his son went down. The energy in the banana verses that in the cd case was enough to weaken the kid! Many of you are reading this thinking I'm crazy. There is scientific proof that tangible things have energy! There's this great book on the studies of water, and how different things change its structure, such as cell phone's ringing beside it, turning it muddy...as well as encouraging words written on the bottle turning the molecular form of the water into beautiful forms. Really interesting.
Did I go off topic? Stay with me!
If positive enforcement can affect water, think of what it can do for your children? It really puts things into perspective. Does your daughter wear t-shirts with sayings? What goes into your kids ears? Hopefully, something along the lines of,
"I'm so proud of you!" or "I can't believe how lucky I am to have such a great kid!"

It's a great start. I have a bit of spring cleaning to do, so I'm off. Thanks for visiting my blog!
Much much love, Yours truly :)

Long time no see!

Hi! So it's been a couple day's since I've blogged, so sorry bout that. What is new? Hmmm. I watched Hilary & Jackie on IFC, good movie. It took me a couple weeks to watch it, when I try to watch a movie I always end up doing something else and watching it in 15-20 minute blocks.
We went to Chattanooga yesterday & walked the bridge to the carousel, and back to the aqaurium. There's a great New Age bookstore over there called New Moon. If you're into New Age bookstores, it's great. They sell incense and sage, (burning sage cleanses the bad chi in your home!) windchimes, all sorts of goodies.
The UU had a pot luck dinner, and Linda Bell made two soups, which were completely awesome. One was a veg. Sweet Potato Soup, the other was Chicken Avocado. They are both awesome. The chicken avocado looked completely scarey, but I'm telling you, it was magical. Maybe I should stick the recipe on this blog entry and start another one?
I think I will...

Vibrant Rice & Chicken Soup

2 1/2 c cooked brown rice
3 skinless chick breast halves
4 c water
1 can chicken stock
1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, sliced
3 Tbs Lime juice
1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 avocado, cubed
2 tomatoes, cubed
4 oz queso fresco or farmer cheese, grated (optional)

Cook brown rice. While it cooks-
In 4 qt pot over med heat,
bring chicken, water, stock & onion to boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes.
Add carrots & simmer 20 minutes.
Remove chicken & cut into lil pieces.
Put chicken back. Stir in rice, lime juice & pepper.
Heat 3-5 minutes, but don't boil.
Stir in avocado & tomato. Heat. you can top with the cheese.
serves 4

I'll put the veg Sweet potato on here too, next week!

Boogies

Months ago, the baby was telling us about this boy in her class. Let's call him Abe...
"He picks his nose and eats his boogies."
"That's probably not true...that's not a very nice thing to say..."
"It is true."
We went to the Easter party and followed the kids while they chased down eggs, then sorted them. After the hunt, we went to the class to watch our little princess. A few kids over, Abe sat, picking his nose, eating his boogies, sure 'nuff.
Even stranger, his tongue went straight into his wee little nostril, like that of a cow. He blew his nose on his tongue, and again, it went into his nose. I'd say his tongue stayed in his nose about 85% of the time we were there. I'm being pretty generous with the 85%, too.
"Do you need a tissue, Abe?" the teacher would say. But he didn't. My husband sat, transfixed.
After lunch, we rode home.
"I couldn't take my eye's off of him," he said.
"Me neither. Do you think his parents know?"
"How could they not know? That's a really bad habit. How do you start a habit like that?"
We both tried to stick our tongues into our own noses while riding down the road. Impossible.
"Maybe you start a habit like that because you can?" Poor Abe was just a victim of an abnormally long tongue. Oops! Did I say victim? Nah. Everything we are given is something we have for a reason. Even small diversities need celebrating! Who knows, little Abe may be the lead singer in a KISS cover band one day.

When you're 16,
it's not funny when your parents pick their nose in the car.
When you're 40, it's funny that your 16 year old thinks
it's not funny that you pick your nose in the car.

The things you worry about become bigger,
the things you used to worry about, unimportant.
What a great lesson for a young person to learn,
that your worries are unfounded- none at all really.

I hope that my kids don't find themselves
in that inhibited state,
where they lose their best, most shiny moments
to fear of an imaginary monster in the closet.

God bless them, their potential is limitless!
And God bless little Abe, too.

We're all flawed. until we celebrate our flaws,
we'll be scarred by unquenched thirsts for perfection-
& regret that we didn't know we were perfect already,
until we were just too tired to do anything about it.

~ & God bless you on your journey ~

the Playlist

Not too much to write about today. I spent about an hour this morning looking for my running shoes, frantically. You know that feeling, "Where are they? Where are they???!"
Then I spent about 20 minutes running...in my teva oraibi's. Not so bad.
Paisley Park just came on my playlist. It's one of those songs that takes me back. I remember being 15, playing the paisley park record over and over. Around the World in a Day? I loved that record (yep, mine was vinyl) but Paisley park was one of those songs I loved. I remember sitting on my bed writing in my journal, my heart aching for a pakistani boy named Junaid whose eyes were too pale for his face. (The boy worked at the mall at one of those jewelry huts with his family, you probably have one of those at your mall too.)
We were friends with his family & who knows what became of him, but I played that record & hung Christmas lights around my room, trying to envision it a middle eastern escape.
Wyclef Jean is on now- If I Were President. Love Wyclef! And that just reminds me of how great the Dave Chappelle show was when it was on. (Wyclef sang that song on one episode...)
I think Wy is such a versatile guy. A Million Voices & Two Wrongs are also great songs. I think the Fugee's are due another try- The people are due this energy powerhouse that they would be now. Hill's acoustic 'Water' is one of those songs you listen to and you can literally feel the love pouring from the speakers. With all the bad news of the tv- most recently the Virginia shootings, the world needs some positivity.
If you have such a medium to inspire the generations that truly need inspiring most-
If you have a God given gift, why hold back?
Love is an energy that you should spend freely. You will not run out.
I doubt they will come across my blog, but they could do it for charity. Then I want them to tour with India Arie.
And Ben Harper.
Okay, I may be asking too much.
Will I be asking too much if
I tell you to
Have a sweet, sweet day? & thanks for stopping in :)

Sorry...

Good morning!
Initially I came in here to delete my previous posting, which was, um, not so kind. I hated that I would sink that low. I'm not angry now- and I do apologize for my remarks.
However,
I won't be deleting them today.
Because deleting my blog of anything negative I might say would give you one view, and that view would not necessarily be correct. I said what I said. It may not always be what others or myself wants to hear. I had a bad day.
Saccharin tastes similar to sugar, but I don't like it.
Today I'll take the good and bad things that go along with sugar, and I'll do better next time.

Today is Wednesday. For me, Wednesday is the day before the really busy day. I'm supposed to go out and buy a birthday gift for some party we just got invited to.
"What does she like?"
"Bratz."
"What else?"
"I don't know."
"What size shoes does she wear?"
"Same as me. We tried eachothers shoes before."
"Does she have lots of shoes?"
"Yep."
Am I overly practical thinking about getting some kid a pair of Crocs as a birthday gift? How many toys do people need? Spring is here- wouldn't a cosy pair of shoes be more useful? Or should I just go with the doll with the black lip liner and the daisy dukes? I don't know. (I'd love to hear any comments you may have on the subject.)
That's the thing about Aquarians. At times, you are torn between being extremely practical and just plain odd. Hopefully I'll find a happy medium.
Have a great day- yt

Venting.

Okay, so before I started this blog (which was a week ago) I was sending my friends an email, once a month, to talk about current stuff. Nothing crazy, and not too often. So I figured, I'll email a link to my new blog so my friends can read it if they want!
So I get this email from Golda, in Seattle, who kindly sent my class free dreidels for our Hannukah celebration. I open it, and it says, "Please, please, Remove me from your list."

Hmmm. Please, please, Remove me from your list. Golda, who once wrote to me that she had always wanted a pen pal. Confusing. I write back to her.
"Golda, I'm so sorry If I've offended you in any way. Thanks so much for the dreidels again, and I will take you off my list. Again, I'm sorry." blah, blah, blah, you know.
Why did her short email bruise me so? And why does the very name Golda make my skin crawl now? Because I thought she was my friend.
Why? Did her sending me dreidels make her my friend? What makes someone a friend? Who is your friend? Did you say the lady that rings up your steamed dumplings at the chinese take out? Just because you recognize someone, it doesn't make them your friend. I happen to know that lady at the dumpling place doesn't understand what the f*** you're saying. (Ouch! I'm sorry for that. I'll be a good girl tomarrow!)
You could dig up Elvis, and set him down at the head of your dinner table, and that still won't make him your friend. You know his name? You know his music? You may (or not?) be able to recognize him. But he's not your friend either.
And celebrities would not make good friends anyhow.

So you all can quit it with the "celebrity worship because you think they are your friend" thing. And I'll give up on the "Golda is my friend because she sent us free dreidels and wanted to be my penpal" thing too. Or perhaps the "Golda would've been a cool jewish grandmother!" thing.
And had I not previously emptied my bowels, I would do so, and name it Golda today. (Maybe I'll eat some corn later so Golda will have eyes for tomarrow.)

Because she hurt my feelings. And that's not nice :(

But you are still my friends, oops! friend. Um...Well, maybe not really, considering a complete stranger can read this? I should remember you can attract more flies with honey than with vinegar. Thank God I'm married! obviously I'm not too into flies?

What else? We borrowed this steam cleaner to clean the furniture, and Steven completely soaked the loveseat down. But first, he filled the machine with Bissell cleaner...sprayed the entire thing, then read the directions. Turns out, we were supposed to dilute the solution 1 part bissell to 2 parts tap water. And the loveseat is sticky. Get too close and it burns your eyes!
So today, I've been spraying it down with water and sucking up all the bubbles back into the machine.

I think my energy is a little toxic today. Nothing a little Ben & Jerry's Dublin Mudslide can't fix. Til then, take care!


ps. Wayne Dyer is about to tour! (If you don't know Wayne, check him out!)

Horses

It's Saturday, and while not a particularly beautiful one (thunderstorms on the way?) I don't really have any desire to spend it blogging. I think we may go bowling instead.
Maybe you'd like a really good quote instead.

Half of the failures of this world in life arise from pulling in one's horse as he is leaping-
Julius & Augustus Hare

Maybe this will invoke some sort of great thought or revelation on your part. If you've randomly crossed upon my blog, maybe this quote is meant for you.
Or maybe you'll just read this and decide to call someone up and take them bowling, drink a beer with an old friend at a bowling alley, all the while asking yourself,
"What does failure have to do with horses?"
yikes.

Anyhow, here's one person that hopes you have a cool day! much love- yt

Om...

It's noon, but since it's spring break, it feels morningish, with the sleeping in. Today's soundtrack so far has been "The Gyuto Monks: Tibetan Tantric Choir." It is a bit reminiscent of bullfrogs in a bog, singing or courting each other. I don't know what they're actually saying- something that sounds like "Oy, Ay Ya, Oy, Oyyy. Ahhhhh! Oy, Oy, Ya, Oy, Ommmm!" I rather like it, as it doesn't take focus away from anything else, but Naomi tells me it's getting a little boring. May have to find something a little more up tempo.
So, how's the world today? It's Friday, you must be happy about that. I had my coffee, and a Spinach Sensation Spinach pocket, and now I'm working on a generic bottle of spring water. We recycle the little plastic bottles, but I think soon we'll move on to one of those giant in house water cooler numbers.
I bought a pre-owned "new" sofa a few weeks ago, which I love, but now as I look around the room, I'd like a new chair, rug, curtains...I have to tell you, mentally, I think I should've been a decorator. What great taste I have! At the same time, I believe everyone thinks they have great taste. Even the person who buys that hunter green burgundy striped sofa, they think they have good taste as well. And all the people who overuse the color tan. So maybe, my lavender-grey room, lime bedding and brown floral sheets are not so tasteful after all.
Am I kidding? Of course they are! I'm awesome! Celebrate the fact that you, out there, have good taste. Because it isn't about other people's impressions at all. It's about what makes you happy.
Years ago, I bought a little old carved corn figurine, little arms and legs, little eyes. I propped him up on my bookshelf, and I like him. I like his little corny yellow head. The shucks are like a little jacket on him.
"What are we going to name him?" The girls want everything named.
"Cornholio," Remember Beavis & Butthead?
"Cornholio?" But they were satisfied.
Wow, The Monks are partying! Maybe that's the grand finale? Maybe not.
My crocheting is going good. I ended up with a huge knot, but cut it out with the nail clippers & carried on. I think I'm going to start crocheting Christmas gifts after I get done with the blanket. It'll take me that long.
I'm looking for some rabbit prints. If anyone is just happening across my blog, and knows where I can find some black and white rabbit prints, leave me a note. For that matter, I'm also looking for a Michel Bernstein print, titled "Friends come in all flavors."
The baby just stopped at the doorway and informed me she did "a big giant poop." Funny.

My ex-brother-in-law, now married to my neighbor across the street, is playing his drums. I actually like the drumming. I find it comforting. Uncle Tony is banging away again! The neighbors on both sides of me took him to court about the whole thing. I think it was more about some 'territorial old dogs,' myself, but I'll save all that for later.
The Monks have gone silent, and I guess it's time for my boring ass to get up. The computer is so bright, it's literally sucking out all my energy. Remember when the kids sat to close to the TV, and you'd have to shout, "Scootch back! You're going to ruin your eyes!!!" What a great example for that the cp screen is! Yikes.
Here's wishing you some sort of little joy, who knows, maybe they'll put double meat on your sandwich, or maybe you'll find something you lost along time ago. A letter from an old friend. Maybe what you'll find is twenty minutes of uninterrupted reading time.
Comes back again,
your truly

Imus Who? & My Uneventful Day

So I didn't win the Annie auction. My idea was to bid $6.16, becuase surely no one would want to claim the next highest bid...the big $6.66...but sometimes my ideas aren't so great, and that one didn't take.
Rather than bidding on another one, I dug out Bob Marley's Rebel Hop. Good music for the kids to color to.
In the news today- some character named Dan Imus said something stupid on the radio. I haven't the first idea who Imus is. Could care less. This is the first I've heard his name. Seems maybe he said those remarks for publicity, since his face is posted all over the AOL page? I don't know. I think he was fired.
(Can I have his job?)
Also in the news, Madonna is adopting another child. I think it's great. If I had funds, I would adopt too. And Madonna has funds. For that matter, Madonna can adopt me if she wants. (Of course, I'm a package deal, along with me comes my husband, kids, dog, a cat, I guess I could part with the fish.)
I looked on Craigslist again today. I'm coming to the conclusion that the perfect leather chair will never appear on Craigslist for $200, let alone $500. If you want a hunter green & burgundy striped sofa, I think you're in luck. You could probably read this blog three months from now and still be in luck. Sometimes you find a rare beauty, though, so it's worth checking out.
Just make sure you type "Craigslist" not "Craiglist"...leave out the S and Whoops!
Though uneventful, my day has been really good. I ate some honey nut cheerios. A cup of coffee. I picked up some crocheting and tried to remember how I did it. My mother came by and suggested I start over.
"Didn't you show me how to do it this way?"
"No. I don't know what you're doing. It's a mess."
But seeing as it's already 5' x 2', and it's taken me about five years to get that far, I'll just keep at it. I think by the time the baby graduates, I'll have it finished.
Chances Are just came on (the BMarley Chances Are).
I hope wherever you people are, there is sunshine. There is happiness. There is Rasta music. & if not, keep your eyes open. Hope is round the corner!
Love, yours truly

Nomad

Sometimes I wish I were a nomad. Not "hitch-hiker" nomadic, maybe moreso comfortably nomadic. I can envision a year or so in Hawaii (my kids are hula obsessed...), maybe fly over, rent an RV in and spend a couple more years in Australia. Eat croc burgers if there is such a thing. Take little day excursions. Watch my babies pick up cute little oz accents, then on to the next place.
I'd see London. I'd see France; the parts I've not seen, Rocky old towns like Ez...or cross quicksand in a touristy excursion, with my children giggling all the way to Mont St Michel. (I suppose then they have to behave.)
Would I grow old and wonder where the years went? I don't suppose it would matter where I am, as those thoughts creep up on me already. Time goes by fast anyhow. You may as well make it eventful.
Why didn't I go to college? Why didn't I venture anywhere at all?
Maybe I'll get that letter this week. The letter that tells me Mr. George Nicholson would be delighted to represent my book. Not the letter that says Thank you for considering us, however...
Not that letter. The other one. The one that says, "Party- forget about the tuna helper! Tonight eat out. Maybe even get the steak! You deserve the steak, because you've done something grand." For the record, I don't actually put tuna in the tuna helper. I use canned ham. I didn't want you to think I was that nasty...Well, really who cares what you think?
Isn't every blogger out there in all honesty only typing to themselves?
I got it all out for today. I think I'm going to get on Ebay and buy the kids the Annie soundtrack. Today I overheard Naomi playing the Jimmy Buffett Christmas cd again. Seeing how its April, she may need some new material.
Thanks for reading my wee lil blog. i wish you well! your truly

I guess I kinda jumped into the blogging world without much of an introduction. Who am I?
I'm your every day average jane. I'm the lady in line behind you at the Target. The lady that goes to the grocery store and buys a dozen boxes of Spinach Sensations Spinach pockets, a couple melons, and flavored Creme Brulee coffee creamers full of hydrogenated stuff that I know is bad, but can't break away from.
Sometimes I'm the lady that leaves her turn signal on for a few miles too many, so my husband says. I tend to look on the bright side, I don't smoke, swear, or tan. Boring, really.
But here's the tricky part. I don't want you to like me. I'm likeable, that's my nature. But there's always that someone that thinks you're someone you really aren't, and when you show your true self, they think you're an idiot. Someone whom you befriend, and then feel you need to hide every aspect or belief to please. High school is over. Here I am.
1. I'll take any Democrat in 08. Any or all three of the front runners...although, for shock factor, I feel that Hilary and Obama would piss off the most Republicans, and the idea of that brings me joy. I also feel Bill CLinton would be an excellent First Lady. He was, in my opinion, a decent President. Years ago, when I told people in my distant family I voted for Gore, a slew of aborted and beheaded baby photo emails came my way. Refrain from that, if it's possible. I guess that moves us on to the next topic.
2. Christian Conservatives. I'm not one. I was actually raised with New Age religion, reincarnation, and am a member of a Unitarian congregation. I guess that means I'm also Pro-choice, pro-santa claus, and Who does it hurt if a man wants to marry another man? Not me. Love is universal. God made every leaf, every spirit, every religion. Maybe he made them in order for people to work out the differences, I don't know. There is some truth to all religion, But the God I believe in created everything. All of it. There's no power greater, yet nothing more misunderstood. I don't believe in Hell. And the saved- thing, well, we are all saved. Even Muslims, Jews, Buddhists. Even atheists. Let your good intentions guide you. God is too big to separate. God is love, and energy. I've spent too long being preached to, I guess I had to get that out...before you like me, then learn I'm not like you. Rather than me hide something, or you befriending my wee blog, then having to take it all back- Here it is!
3. French people are not rude. They are honest. My mother is French. I love the French, and dislike the idea that so many feel so free to express how terrible the French are. I still get emails- boycott France! France was cowardly during the War! The American's had to bail them out! Yikes. That was decades ago. Back then, white Americans made african Americans eat in separate restaurants, lynched them, put them on the back of the bus. Who was worse. We want to say the French were worse, probably because we can. We have to judge somebody, don't we? Stay present. People are generally good.
4. Maybe this is enough for today. I hope that you have a sweet, sweet day. Be kind to a stranger. Don't fret over what may never come. I think tomarrow is going to be pretty awesome. yours truly

Cure for Husband's toilet seat habits...

I've been married almost eleven years. Together five before that. What's the secret? Hmmm, I don't know. Maybe we don't get bored easily. Maybe it's just that neither of us like drama. I could say love, but love is no secret- all marriages start out with that. There has to be an underlying thing, something that stays long after all the chemical newness has settled. Maybe I just married the best guy around- who knows? My husband says he's learned a cure all phrase..."If she's happy, I'm happy."
(Notice the phrase isn't "She makes me happy." If you're relying on someone outside of You to make you happy, you may never 'get' to happy. But if you tend to be happy, that makes life a little easier for the person you've chosen to spend your life with.)
This also means no senseless complaining.
When we first moved in together, Steven would leave the toilet seat up. I bought an annoying little alarm, light sensitive, that stuck to the seat. After they stay up for too long an amount of time, it starts chirping. He hated it. He hated it, and the toilet seat, I discovered, was not really that big of a deal to me either, so it came off. I know how to put the seat down.
Over a dozen years later, my husband religiously checks the seat before bed. I walked past the john tonite, and closed the lid myself. Was the cure to the toilet seat my complaining about it? Nope. My getting over it and him wanting to make me happy? Nope, not that either.
The cure to getting that seat down, ladies, came along with our dog, a 100 pound german shepherd, who, for some reason, prefers the water in the toilet to the stuff in his bowl. Seems as soon as he's lapped up a tank full off water, he whines by my sweeties bedside to go out.
(Complaining from the dog sounds entirely different from wife complaining.)
Forget about the toilet seat. It's really no big deal. Someone somewhere has to use a lard bucket. If you're reading this blog, it probably ain't you!
wishing you every happiness- yours truly

Easter Ham 07

Happy Easter, everyone!

We decided (and invited) ourselves to Steven's brothers yesterday. While thinking of what to make, Steven speaks up.
"We're bringing the ham for Easter."
"What?"
"I already volunteered for us to bring the Honeybaked Ham,"
"A ham? Are you sure? That's expensive..."

I wondered why he'd volunteer a ham. We are by far, not wealthy people. Our checkbook was already about $200 in the red, and there's nothing better than a nice sweet potato casserole, is there? But no. So I called the honeybaked ham company, and made arrangements to pick up our $60 ham.
We drove through Atlanta Easter traffic, our girls clad in sweaters and jeans. The Easter outfits wouldn't fly, due to the 22 degree weather.
(My hydrangeas! My crepe myrtles! Crud.)
So we went South to a little farm in Homer. And We ate the ham. We drank Sweet tea, like only a Georgian can make and keep stocked up in gallon jugs. (In Florida, it's only unsweet, folks! You would think they'd know that you have to add the sugar while its hot, otherwise you just get floating sugar in unsweet tea...) We had a great day. Naomi raced her cousins, & Shanna stayed up on the gate, bonding with Padme, their palomino.
There were baby chicks, puppies; there were kittens born that day. Hens in trance, laying eggs. Wooly mules. Freeze tag. Boys and men talking about handmade knives, how much honey the bees produced that year, staying up all night, lighting fires under the orchards trees, all in vain.
The sun setting, it was time to head for home. We stopped at a Starbucks drive thru, got a couple Toffee Nut Lattes, and made the two hour drive back. The girls babbled until they fell asleep in the back.
Sometimes Wealth can be deceiving. In my town, old tin box singlewides abound. On the way home from school, there's an aluminum can of a trailer off a corner lot. Spring and summer months, the door is swung open, probably due to a lack of A/C. No screen door, no porch, but fenced in front, a giant black horse. A horse than watches passers by, a little streak of white across his nose. We ride by, and Shanna waves. Sometimes Wealth is the big black horse in the yard. I doubt too many people would even dispute that.
We get home and let the dog in. Sometimes wealth is the dog, happy to come in and see you. The dog that never chews anything, and can hold his bladder all night long while he sleeps beside your bed. If you know a dog like that, you are dog wealthy, like us.
And every time, Wealth is your children, too sleepy to walk, their heads on your shoulders, while you hold them with one arm, and dig for your keys with the other.
Today, I sliced off the leftover meat from the "cadillac of all hams," and the bone went in a pot, along with a bag of dried pinto beans. My kind of wealth isn't too bad.
Here's wishing all of you every Health, Wealth, and Happiness...

Much love- Kat Lee