Happy New Year to one and all!

Hope your holiday was wonderful and that it was all you hoped for.

Mine was quieter than expected,  yet didn't let me down.  Good things happened that weren't expected,  and good things I'd hoped for took place.

I blew my budget for the month all to smithereens yesterday,  got things that normally are purchased monthly,  however got the cat and dog each a gift,  and some food items I normally don't buy.  It's hard to believe that stuff came up to as much as it did.  I plan on checking the math,  however realize that inflation is part of it,  even though Social Security says we don't have even inflation to justify an increase of living raise!  Ha!  The bus fares just doubled as of today.       The cost of gas is a dollar higher than last year,  and on it goes.

On a different note,   I can't for the life of me figure out why people lie.  Oh I get it when it comes to crooks,  robbers,  thieves,  and such.  The big time crooks that live high off the hog,  while stealing from all are easy to get,  it's the everyday persons' lies that I don't comprehend.

Like,  why does a person say one thing about themselves,  like what they like or don't like,  and then swear up and down that they didn't say that,   or why do they try to be like someone they profess to dislike and disdain?  

Why can't they just be who they really are?

That's another thing that irks me,  being pretentious.  We all put our pants on one leg at a time,  we all use the loo,  and most of us have at least one wart somewhere on our bods!

I'm a for real Velveteen Rabbit.  I've been worn out,  scuffed up,  thrown around,  and also am loved.

No we don't all go around wearing our badges of pain,  inflicting our wounds on others.  It's just that I don't get people that put on airs,  and pretend that nothing bad has ever happened to them.

One blogger bitched at me for not doing something,  and then turned around and says she doesn't do "this same thing"....it's because she learned that most of us professionals "don't do this"....  geez.  What a lying sack of potatoes.

I caught one of my neighbors in a lie,  about me.  I called her out on the carpet about it,  right in front of everyone.  I'm sick AND tired of lying sacks of potatoes.... we all just looked at each other and nodded our heads when she very easily lied again,  denying what she'd done and trying to cover it with yet another lie!  

I don't speak to her anymore and she keeps trying to get my attention.  She can try an apology.  

I think this is why I SO love my pets.  They are REAL.  Speaking of which,  Coco has learned how to play Patty Cake.  It has to be refined,  however the basics are there!  He can almost say Mama perfectly,  most of the time it isn't perfect,  and tonight it sounded like he said "hello".  

I think it's the Poodle in him,  also the Yorkie blood accounts for his easy learning of tricks.   I really need to start spending sometime with the Parakeet though,  he's actually a jealous bird.  He gets upset when he's tired and his blanket is put around the cage,  also he screams if I don't talk to him several times a day.  I sing to him,  I'm sure glad he's not a person,  I'd have killed his eardrums by now.....

Guess I should close this up for the night,  it's past all of our bedtimes.....

Have a happy and fulfilling weekend,  hug a grama or your sister,  or a pet,  we all need hugs!

Blue seems appropriate since it's sooooooooo cold outside!

I've been getting ready for Christmas,   and my son's birthday which is tomorrow!

The pets are doing fine,  Chanel sleeps across poor Coco and he just accepts it,  while Chester just takes it all in stride,  or in his case,  all in feathers!

I got my first Christmas card today,  so unexpected from this lovely lady.  She has a darling Pommeraien,  a black/blue one.  Dark button like eyes and as sweet a disposition as they come.  The Pom is sporting red bows in her hair for the holidays.

We got about 2 inches of snow this morning,  just enough to call in the snow plow guy.  It's one of the few things I don't miss about having a car!

It's good to have my phone,  internet,  and cable turned back on.  I decided I didn't like being THAT shut off from the world!!  

It wasn't like I thought it was going to be.....oh well.

Strangely enough,  I see to be fitting in to my new home.  I didn't think that would happen.  We'll see what happens during the next year,  if I still feel this happy and content.  

Life has been a bit rough around the edges lately, so haven't been here to meander through the thoughts of my debilitated mind!

The monitor is on the blink, on and off the blink that is.....and my older puter, with the update on it ( Windows XP ) can't get online! Had gotten some viruses, so now is a pain...


My health too has been a problem....and so it goes.
I suppose because I'm "under the weather" is why I'm so short tempered lately....little things can really get under my saddle blanket!

I hope the next few days I can recover a little and snap back to my usual "merry little self"....
So....WHAT drives YOU????

A former supervisor asked me that onetime...and it's been 18 years of soul searching to answer it.....
Food defintely comes to mind!

I think finding "my place in the sun" is another, finding that spot that is just mine. Knowing who I am, where I came from, and what it all means..............

Love is huge driving force, and for a long, long time the need to be loved drove me for sure...the seeking of approval, affection, and being loved no matter what.

Isn't it true that that's what we all want? to be loved unconditionally???

My life has taken a huge turn since January, when I opened the door to let my daughter back in.
Healing the rift was and is a slow, careful process. She's sober now, and working at putting her life back together.

Febuary saw Coco, my Yorky/Poodle puppy fill my life to overflowing with love and happiness...and then...
Sometime this late spring, early summer, I heard that my middle grandson had been attacked, assulted by two teens.

My heart aches for my daughter and for the boy.

Since that information I've had worse health, and the doctor thinks that I"ve had a small stroke. So now I need to put my life in order, for one never knows how much longer they'll be on earth....
I'm soaking up all the hugs I can get, from my son, neighbors, my pets, and looking forward to the day when my daughter and I might be able to get together, for she's now in a nursing home and having a very rough time of it......
So hug your kids, your pets, and make the best of each day, what else is there??

Summer is simmering along, just as it should. The weather is doing what it does best, confusing everyone! LOL, I LOVE that.

Chanel the 5th and Coco are still having issues, although more tolerance is being granted by her towards him. He's more nonchanlant now too as he is growing out of puppyhood and into his "adolescence"...yikes!

They have company. Yup, another pet entered the melee. Chester came to roost at my home. He's a two year old male Parakeet, and a very fast learner, why just the other night I said "oh crap", outloud of course, and he repeated it instantly.
NOW i have to be real careful what I say....

He has learned a big vocabulary just since he moved in. He says " pretty bird, dirty bird, hello Jim, Coco, roll-over, go to bed, what are you doing, I'm talking to my sister, hi Chester and probably more...hard to remember what all I"ve heard him come out with.
He loves his toys, which are many, however the favorite is the big green plastic worm that sings, talks, whistles, ect.

OH, ya, he also whistles that french song, can't figure out how to spell it though! He also whistles the theme from the Laurel and Hardy shows...whatta bird.
Now I feel like the old man in the movie "UP"!! I've got the bird, the dog, the boy, and one extra with a cat!!

That movie WAS THEEEE best movie I've seen in decades!! A real winner all the way around.

Went to the parade here in town yesterday, loved it. had a good time. Hard a chance to go with son and friends, didn't plan on going, then had second thoughts and decided to celebrate life and go enjoy it.
Life for my dear daughter continues down a sad path, she's not getting better. I hope to be able to get into the cities to visit her in the nursing home, and also connect with the grandchildren.
Prayers for her are on my mind all day, and it's difficult to just do the same old stuff everyday.....knowing what she's going through.

Would things have been different if I hadn't cut off contact with her back in 03? Maybe, then again, I knew she was on a road that held danger for her...there's toooo many possibilities that "could have" happened had I not said goodby back then. Maybe opening the door again will be one small piece that helps her to make it through this...only God knows.

And so it goes............good times, bad times....just like the song...maybe not what the singer was singing about, yet those few lyrics fit.

It's a fine day here! Loads of sunshine, cloudless skies, and a gentle breeze.
Mr. Squirrel is busy eating up some of the birdseed I've put out for the songbirds.
After I spent the morning washing out the cupboards in the kitchen, lining them, and puttting them into some kind of order, I had the pleasure of having a Bunting at the feeder. I got a few pictures, however the double windows don't allow for a good shot. Least that's what I think the bird was, I knew it wasn't a BlueJay or BlueBird.

I did get some good pictures of the Red Finches, Yellow Finches, or maybe they're GoldFinches....and one awesome bird that I'm not sure what it is.
He has a white breast, black hood with a black overcoat, and white sprinkles on his overcoat. What makes him stand out is the scarlet "bib" or necklace he has. He's not afraid of us humans, so I should be able to get even better pics of him!
The birds I thought were woodpeckers are actually Whitebreasted Chickadees. There is a woodpecker though that frequents this area.

The dog training is going good, he's now going outside instead of using papers. I couldn't see using newspapers as a permanent way of life with Coco, especially since he'll eventually lift his leg!!

One afternoon Coco decided that he wanted to get to get better aquainted with Chanel, so he just put his paw over her and licked her half to death. She didn't seem to mind that too much, and is becoming more tolerant of his playfulness, simply walking past him while he's bouncing off the walls.
He's finally almost caught up to her weight, however now she's lost weight, due to my diligence, and they're both about 11 pounds. He won't grow too much more, and is just a tad taller than her, with a bigger head and smaller tummy.

Some of the women here have invited me to play cribbage with them, haven't taken them up on it yet, told them I needed a little more time as I have somethings to get accomplished. Looks like the end of this coming week will mean I"ll have a clear schedule, finally!

I'm having eye surgery in June, hope it goes as well as my last one, in 2005. I didn't realize it had been 4 years! My left eye has been rapidly getting difficult to see out of.
The eye surgeon explained what kinds of things are going on with it, and I had to agree, while giggling, that indeed things do look yellow and brown!

It's just amazing to me how dog and people friendly this place is! What a difference between here and where I was living before!!!!
That's not to say that there isn't any disagreeable sorts at all, however most of the folks here are just plain, simple, regular folks. There isn't any of the "fancy airs" that were put on at the last place, to say nothing of the outright meaness.
And that's all I have to say about that!

We're having a pizza party here for Memorial Day, now that's different!
My son and I were talking about putting together a picnic for the near future.
Also we're considering the possibilty of going camping. While the "idea" of it appeals to me, I have to wonder if it won't be too much for me. Even with taking Coco, having Chanel in a kennel or with a neighbor, it seems like too hard for me to cope with at this point in my life.
Mobility is an issue.
Other fun things are out there for the summer, so we'll talk more and maybe make some arrangements that will be a better fit.

Looks like the Twins lost to the Yankees again. Well it was a tough series for both teams, the Yankees didn't win easily. The Twins did and outstanding job I think.
Besides, it ain't over til the fat lady sings, and I can't carry a tune....
Be well :)

Coco is recovering just fine and dandy from his surgery, I know this because him and the cat, Chanel, teamed up tonight and ran circles around me, me chasing them all over the apt. trying to catch just one of them.
I caught the cat first, and then she acted totally indifferent, like nothing had just happened...
Wish you could have seen them, running together like a pack of wild animals, ducking under the bed, and then splitting up and going in different directions!

My mother's day was just super. Son came home with deli food, and a pkg. of brownies with sprinkles. Yesterday he got me a coin purse with enbroidered butterfly on it.
Received about 6 ecards from daughter and the grandkids. We still have to set a date to connect and visit.

Her wounds still aren't healing right. I hope and pray that maybe getting some hugs from home will help her to heal up.

My week ahead is planned out, and I prolly won't return til Thurs. and then that day will be out of town for half a day. With some luck maybe can take in that new Star Trek movie!

The grass has really greened up good now, and I got songbird seed for the birdfeeder and hung it up next to the livingroom window.

Ran into some old friends while shopping yesterday, got a hug and caught up on all the latest chat.

Took a 24 hr. sample into the clinic's lab for testing, my regular doc ordered it so the specialist has that for a point of reference. I pray that I'm years away from dialysis. Doesn't sound like sitting for over 3 hours would be easy, not with my spine issues.
The great news is that getting more exercise here has paid off, I knew that my jeans being lose wasn't my imagination!

Spring and summer hold much promise, for fun and happiness. Since getting Coco I've laughed more in 3 months than I have in decades, it sure feels great!