Night Night

So, once again, the drugs slowly take over my mind. The fuzziness creeps in and the worms start sliding through my eyes. Pictures are painted on the screen using bits and bytes and pixels shaping and reshaping the contours making the pictures all the more interesting. Thoughts creep into my brain quickly and leave the same way. Flashes of thoughts whisper in my ears, quietly, quickly, then gone. Remembering is not an option because it requires a higher functioning brain and mine is out to lunch right now. The nice thing is that these are legal drugs. The feeling of lying on my back in the ocean letting the whim of the current take me is about the same as this. A feeling of loose disjointedness follows my movements; whether thinking, walking or talking nothing acts quite right. Sense is not made, time does not move, words do not come. Sleep must be given into for this is what I seek, why I take the drugs.

Sleep, that peace that stands just out of reach, laughing at me. Well, one night at a time I will win. For 8 hours I will sleep, wake up and do all that is required of me. Then we’ll see what happens tomorrow night. Sometimes I choose not to take them so that I can be awake for friends. Sometimes I do so I can float.

Time to float. Night Night. See you tomorrow. Promise!

HTML What???

Ok, having only ever played with html once, putting a pic of Earthpig and me for my profile was daunting to say the least. TJ very nicely sent me wonderful directions and I followed them exactally. Well, I had to resize my pic, my FrontPage never came up with how large the pic was. So, it was trial and error, size and resize, cut and paste and VOILA! I have a pic on my web page. Horray!! Thanks TJ and Geek for their help. I would have never been able to do that. I think I will go look at my html for dummies this week and see what else I can learn.

Our trek takes us north this w/e to visit the Fozzie and Jinx. We will see what other trouble we can get ourselves into.

Stay tuned.

Influences.....Good or Bad

Well, it is Tuesday, I am getting ready to go to Piglet 1's house with Piglet 3 and a friend. No not that kind of friend, a friend of Piglet 1's. Remember I have Earthpig!!! Anyway, influences. Well, a few years ago Jinx decided she would take up the flute and floute once again. She plays nicely and joined the symphony, or whatever, in her town. Well, Fozzie decided that he enjoyed the tuba, so he bought a mouthpiece. Honestly, how long do you think that would last?? Not long after, the whole tuba followed. Well, in my family Piglet 2 taught himself to play guitar. He plays well. Piglet 1 thought she wanted to learn too, so she went out, bought herself a guitar and is teaching herself guitar.

Yesterday I decided I needed to join the band wagon, figuritively and literally. I went to the local music store and rented a clarinet. The last time I played the clarinet secretaries used manual typewriters and gritty erasers with brushes on the end to correct mistakes. But I remember enjoying it, so why not. Earthpig wanted an Irish Tin Whistle so I ordered him one and it should be here Friday. Piglet 3 wants a guitar also. I would like to say we could have a band but I am not to sure how that would sound, 3 guitars, a clarinet and a tin whistle. If we got the NC clan with us it could be more interesting, add a tuba and flute.

Home I came with my clarinet. I would like to say I played it right off. I would like to say that, but that would not be the truth. I blew, and I blew, just the mouthpiece, not the whole thing. Jinx told me to sit down before I started to play because I would get dizzy. REALLY???? Well, sound finally came out. A very nice note. AND THE DOG WENT WILD!! She seemed to think this was a new toy and she had to kill it. Well as if that wasn't bad enough I put it together then blew a beautiful haunting note and she thought some crazy dog thought. Her eyes glazed over and I saw her mind singing "Kill the rabbit, kill the rabbit". I decided that I would go into another room and lock her out. She didn't think that was very fair, but I thought I should keep teeth marks off the clarinet, I am only renting it. So, with fingering chart in hand, I practiced the scale. Not too bad, not great, but for the first time in decades I didn't embarass myself. Of course I was the only one in the house, except for the crazy dog.

We will have to see how well this goes. How much I practice and how much I get out of it. Also, if the dog goes absolutly bonkers. Stay tuned. If I ever get to the point where I can play anything I'll attach it and you can listen. Don't hold your breath, or you'll get dizzy too.

This is not the only influence Jinx has had in my life. I also knit because of her. I am going to learn to spin because of her. I am sure there are other things I do because of her but that will be another post.

So How Many ARE Too Many

Pets. Many people have them. Here in the south most keep them outside. I’m not sure why that is. Why would you have a pet and then keep it outside? What good is it then? It doesn’t greet you at the door, it doesn’t protect you, it doesn’t keep your feet warm on a cold night why have one. My pets live in the house with me. They sleep with us, sometimes taking over the bed.

Pre, our dog, alerts us when there is someone at the door; whether she would do anything if someone came in to hurt us is an entirely different matter. She is a good dog, though. We acquired Pre one late winter afternoon. Piglet #3 came running into the office to tell me there was a family of dogs in the yard. It was a lovely picture, Momma, Daddy, and Baby all taking a walk through our back yard. We went to the front door to watch this walk progress, here came Momma, there goes Daddy. We waited…..Baby never came. Therefore, to the back yard we went. Calling “Wait for me!” was this little black fluff ball. We brought her inside and that was that. Piglet #2 asked Earthpig if we could keep her and now we have Pre.

Cats, we have a lot of them. Six total, all fixed so there will be no little kittens running around. They live with us as well. At any given time there will be one under your foot, one on the chair you want to sit in, and one running pell-mell through the house. It can get interesting but never boring. We kinda acquire cats the same way we get dogs. The first, Freeway, came from a freeway onramp. Pouring down rain it was, and there in the middle of the road was this thing. It was moving so we stopped and picked it up. I brought it home and asked Earthpig if we could keep it, now we have Freeway.

Then came Corona, Piglet #1’s cat. She just wanted a cat and her friend’s cat had kittens so she asked Earthpig if she could have one, now we have Corona. Maybe about here I should tell you that Earthpig had said at this time that we could have no more animals in the house. We were at, what he deemed our house limit, 3 animals and that was enough.

Earthpig comes home one day and says a co-worker has a cat that just had kittens, do we want one. I said sure, what’s another cat in the house. What did I care, I love cats, dogs, snakes (oh yeah, Piglet #1 had a snake too at this time, and Piglet #2 had a lizard), lizards whatever. So, in 8 weeks we would have another cat. “But, no more animals after this”, said Earthpig.

Two weeks later Piglet #1 calls up, I answer the phone, “Momma, we found this kitten in a friends duct work in the house. It just recently opened its eyes. Can I bring it home; they will kill it because they don’t like animals?” What do I care, I told her she would have to ask Daddy. He said ok but it probably wouldn’t live if it was that young. Now we have Aurora. (Piglet #1 named her cat Corona after the beer, Earthpig decided to take the celestial meaning and follow that trend.)

Now, remember we have another kitten coming in a few weeks. Home comes our blue kitten his name is Borealis. At this point our count is 4 cats, 2 dogs, (We already had one German Shepherd, which we had to get rid of later, and a Rat Terrier who belonged to Piglet #1 and moved out of the house when she did) and an edict.

Earthpig comes home 3 weeks later and says co-worker can’t get rid of the last kitten, do we know anyone who wants a kitten. I said just bring it here we’ll keep it. He said are you sure? I said what’s another cat. Remember HE’S the one who proclaimed the animal rule, not me. So home came Jellu (pronounced Hey You). I would like to say we are complete, but that would be a lie. We still have one more cat to speak of. See, we had to get rid of the Shepherd, which was Piglet #3’s dog. So we went to the SPCA and got her a cat. She loves Penny (the name she came with) and Penny does well in the family.

Last year we got another dog. Her name was Molly; we had to get rid of her last week because she was attacking Pre. It was a sad time for the Earthpig family but Molly was smaller than Pre and she didn’t understand that when she fought Pre SHE got hurt. I hope she goes to a good home.

So how many IS too many. My Dad thinks we have too many. I think we have not quite enough. Earthpig is probably of the opinion of: maybe one more dog would be ok. Jinx outdoes us by 3 dogs and has 1 less cat. TJ only has 1 dog and 1 cat, maybe 2. The Geek thinks that is more than enough. Jinx and I think they need another dog. I’ll let you know if we get any more. I’m sure you’re sitting on the edge of your seat wondering!!

Wake-Up

Ok, so let’s chat about all you out there who take two pots of coffee, a pack of cigarettes and 3 hours to wake up. I am one of those who wake up as soon as my eyes open. I am up and ready to go. Let’s start planning the day. We don’t have to leave right now, but it is never too early to start planning. Jinx is one of those who isn’t truly awake until about noon, and PLEASE don’t talk about starting the day until about one. Therefore, when I go visit her and I wake up around 8 I let her sleep until whenever. I SHOULD get her up then, make her pop, get her cigs, and then MAYBE she would be ready to go by 11 and get about one shopping trip out of her to the local Hobby Lobby, she calls this a Hobby H*** trip, I think.

I have been up there often, she has been down here rarely I am not sure why this is Earthpig is one of her too so it is not as if she would be here with a bunch of early rising crazy people. He is a long waker-upper too. They go together well. It is fun watching them both wake up. It is good they aren’t married; nothing would be started until 5pm.

Anyway, I digress. One particular weekend I got rather well likkered up. Jinx was looking forward to my next morning of “the morning after”. I am sorry to say I disappointed her. I don’t get the dreaded “morning afters”. I wake up happy, healthy and raring to go. She was disgusted with me. I was planning the daily trips, she was drinking and smoking and waking up. Oh well, sorry Jinx.

I do have to say, Jinx did wake up and get on the road at 6am for the cruise. Of course, she did not have to drive so there was no real waking up she had to do, 3 hours into the trip she was still drinking, smoking and waking up. Poor Fozzie.

I am not sure Fozzie is a good waker-upper as much as he is a good sport. He has learned that Jinx isn’t so someone has to be, and he was voted into the position, there was no runner-up should he choose to decline the position so he is stuck with it. Fozzie is a very good sport. He puts up with Jinx and more importantly, he puts up with both of us when I am up there. He doesn’t take sides and is more likely than not to choose her as the evil twin. Sometimes she really is evil, even though she denies it. I can deny it no more; we have independent sources now (see Jinx's post "The Eyes Have It".

Well, back to my initial rant. I have married a long waker-upper, from a long line of long waker-uppers. My MIL is a long waker-upper. Even if I wake up 2 hours after she has, I have to give her another hour before I start planning the day. It took me a long time to get used to this. I have finally learned what to do. Just sit and wait for Earthpig to wake up. If it is important, then go I ahead. I expect the sighs and groans. He is a wonderful man, and if given enough of a heads-up he does fine. If we need to do something early the next morning, I have to tell him the night before. He is fine. I have to drive, though. These are things I have learned through time, trial and error.

Sometimes it is fun to be a waker upper with long waker-uppers just to watch them come around in the mornings. You watch them; it is a process of degrees. They stumble into the kitchen, put on the coffee, sit down, grumble because it takes too long, fix their cup, get a smoke, and inhale, both the coffee and the cig. They have a couple cups and smokes and they wake a little more. Their eyes clear a little, their facial muscles become a little more firm, back a little straighter. This goes on until they are sitting up straight, their face is back on their skull instead of around their neck, and their eyes are their natural color. Sometime actually, take the time to watch them. It is an interesting metamorphosis.

So who is who...

Just so there is little confusion an explanation of who is who: Earthpig would be my husband, TET, is me, it means The Evil Twin, (check out Jinx’s and TJ’s site for explanation) Piglets 1, 2, and 3 would be our children. Jinx is a good friend as is TJ. Their husbands are Fozzie and The Geek respectively. Surlymon is Jinx’s son. CombatMom is another friend. Anyone else should be described as we go along.

Jinx is the one who started this blog thing. She, I think, started reading them and then decided to make one of her own. She got TJ in on hers and they started posting. I started commenting. Things got interesting. Then CombatMom got one, a blog, and Jinx called and said I should get one too. So here I am, not too sure what I am doing and bothering Jinx in the process. Who knows where it will go from here. This could get interesting. It could bet boring.

Ok, so here we are, 0830 Tuesday morning. I don't have to work so why am I awake? Well Momma and Daddy are here and we are going to make cookies. This is a yearly tradition. Momma and Daddy, who live in western PA travel to Columbus, OH, St. Louis, MO, Dallas, TX, Tampa, FL, Augusta, GA, Sumter, SC and then home again. Why??? So Momma can roll out 3018 cookies, each of her children can decorate them, and Daddy can cook them. These are the BEST cookies ever. My Grandmother used to make them. You can eat a dozen at one sitting. They are wonderful.

So, why am i sitting here typing on my computer and not getting ready for the great cook-off? Well, the house is cleaned, well the part you can see. The dough is mixed, you have to do this ahead of time. All is ready for the onslaught. We are making 2 batches today, which is about 65 dozen. I know this sounds like a lot, but I have to send some to my daughter, who will be referred to as Piglet #1, it will be explained in the next post, take some to Jinx, also explained in the next post, and share with friends.

So, now that I have posted the first post, which wasn't really a rant, we shall see how it goes. This should make Jinx happy, she called me last night and told me I had to get one of these because Combat Mom had one too. So here goes. Post number one: DONE.