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