Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Wednesday, not so wordless

Had this big idea I'd start another Wordless Wednesday post series, but couldn't NOT write anything. 
So, then I though I'd call the post Hump day. 
Decided against that for obvious reasons. 

The temps have warmed up to a little above freezing.
Was very nice not to have to break ice for the barn cats this AM.

We've sure gotten a lot of snow this month too. 
As evidenced by Caden's snowman, which I call Shitman due to the horse shit used for his face. 
Shitman sits at the turn in the driveway, like a sentinel guarding the house.


Love it that it's almost March already.
Sure it's going to be a long month with five weeks, but those weeks are going to fly.
Then it's APRIL!
Spring.
I feel a bit giddy just thinking about it.


Colton is coming home this weekend - YAY!
I sure have missed him.
He is getting another roommate today.
Which should be interesting, considering this new kid got moved from his original dorm for violating the campus alcohol  rules.
Hope he is not a trouble maker.
Or should I say that Colton does not choose to get into trouble with him.

Signed Caden up for Baseball last night.
I'm so excited about the upcoming season.

and 
A Casey update.
She is still with us. 
Chyann wants just a little more time to see if she can improve.
I said yes, but we can't continue to prolonging this.
It's agony for everyone and terrible to have to do, but quite necessary.

Alright. 
Here's to Hump Day!
The week is almost done.

Have a nice night.






Monday, February 25, 2013

As requested

This is where I spend my days parked on my ass. 

I've got the kindle positioned on the far left.
I never imagined I'd enjoy the kindle as much as I have.
I can listen to audiobooks, watch (listen more than watch - glance over every once in a while) movies, news programs and Pandora.
 The lap top which is my "brain" computer and I use that screen as my second screen.
Right in front is my main screen and ergonomic keyboard, then my fancy mouse. 
CD player far right.
Headset hanging on the wall. 

Pictures of old friends from AK.
I'm looking at you guys everyday.

And the window from which I watch the world. 
The kids up at the bus stop, the trees - as they change, cars/trucks up on the road, the cows in the front pasture, birds flying to and fro.



Not pictured to my left is a twin bed that Caden comes and lays on in the mornings after I wake him up and he's had breakfast.
Those moments when he is cuddled up with Shasta talking to me about random stuff, are probably the best parts of my work day and one of the things I try to remember when I am flustered and not liking the job.
Where else can I get paid to listen to my baby boy rambling about life and new things he has discovered?

Behind me is a dresser filled with unused scrapbooking junk, unfinished quilting projects and jeans that are waiting to be patched. 

To the right just out of sight from my headset that is hanging on the wall is a closet packed up top with a bazillion VHS tapes, quilting fabrics, old games and other miscellaneous junk.

This is where I spend the majority of my days.
I'm thinking of repainting it yellow.
My happy color.
I should have taken the picture during the day when my room is flooded with light, but it was a spur of the moment kind of thing.


Caden the cowboy at the Cowboy museum in Oklahoma City. 
Another recovered picture.



Sunday, February 24, 2013

A turn for the worse

If you will recall, Casey had injured her back somehow in the spring of 2010.

Despite all odds, she managed to regain her mobility.


I noticed the other day that when she stood up her right back leg would shake.
The shaking got worse.
Then she was unable to put the foot down on the pads.
Instead she was trying to stand on the top of her foot, unable to bring it up.
Then her tail quit waging.
Now she is unable to walk.

We have went back to using the dog wheelchair.
When she is not in it she rarely gets out of her bed.
When she does, it breaks your heart. 


The Vet in 2010 immediately suggested we have her put down.
Chyann pleaded for a few weeks to see if Casey could heal. 

The Hubby rigged up a form of traction and we began to see improvement.


Then came the wheelchair  and somehow she was almost back to her old self.
Mobile with pretty good control of her bowels. 

We've got a vet visit this next week. 
She is no longer mobile and has no control of her bowels. 


Not sure what we are going to do.
Chyann is older now and more realistic in her expectations.



Guess we'll see. 
Makes me sad to think of her gone.
Quality of life will be the determining factor.
Don't you agree?





Saturday, February 23, 2013

A to Z part 2

Better late than never eh?

Part 2


Live
Married
Never Again 
Other Fun Fact 
Pet Peeve -
Quote
Righty or Lefty
Siblings
Time You Wake Up
University Attended
Veggies You Dislike
What Makes You Run Late
X-Rays
Yum Food 
Zoo Animal Favorite



Live:

I took this to mean where all have I lived in my life.

Born in Anchorage, AK and lived there until I was 9 (although as a side note when I was very young we did live in Europe for a year or so when my Dad worked for a big aircraft company - I don't remember it so to me, it doesn't really count) when we moved out to Wasilla AK. Back to Anchorage until the folks divorced when I was 12. Moved to Cold Bay and lived there until I was almost 18. Back to Anchorage after high school and lived there until we moved to western Wisconsin when I was 31.

I love living here in Wisconsin. We have four true seasons and OMG trees. I've got a thing for trees and WI has the most beautiful ones I've ever seen. The kids tease me for getting all nuts over them. We'll be driving down the road and I'll say look at that tree -  it's beautiful isn't it? They will all say "yes mom, it's the most beautiful tree you've ever seen until you see the next one." and on it goes. I Love them in the spring when they bloom - the colors and sweet smell. Love them at their green fullest. Love them in the fall with their colors: red, orange, purple, yellow and even brown. Love them in the winter with their promise of new buds to come.


Married:

For 21 years now to a damn good man. He has always taken care of his family. We've never went without and to him this is a big thing, since he went without more often than not while growing up. He likes to joke and call himself a giver and he is. He gives us his all everyday. He is funny and has the bluest eyes. He likes to sleep in on days off. He likes his meat and potatoes. He smells good. He is a keeper. He thinks I'm pretty great too.


Never again:

I had a hard time with this one. Something that I'd never do again... Hmmmm... but I'm thinking it would be burning dog shit on my Aunts back porch when we lived in Cold Bay. Yes I really did that and my Mother was mortified that I had. My Aunt was stunned that I had done such a disrespectful thing. Well, what can I say. I was a miserable teenager with a lot of angst. 


Other fun fact:

I always try to wear some kind of shoes. I've got old feet. No bare feet for me unless I have to be bare footed - I need that arch support and slight heal. That being said I have LOTS of shoes. There are designated inside and outside shoes. You will rarely find me without something on my feet. 


Pet Peeve:

Being late for work. You are scheduled for a specific time, therefore you should be there at that designated time. Really irks my chickens when folks are late for work, especially when you freaking work at home! How hard is it to roll out of bed and log on! Come on PEOPLE get your shit together! and to a lesser extent folks that don't clean the snow off their windows/vehicle in the winter.


Quote: 

If you are going to be a turd, go lay in the lawn.


Righty or Lefty:

Righty. Everyone in my family is a righty  ----- except Chyann, she is a lefty. I read that people who were twins inutero and had the phenomenon called vanishing twin syndrome happen will be lefties. Chyann just happened to have a vanishing twin. Interesting, eh?

Siblings:

An awesome older brother - Jeff. Growing up he was MR reserved while I was the more adventurous one. He was content to stay home while I was always wanting to go go go. When we lived in AK, I wish we'd made more time to spend with each others families. aah regret, I'd sure love to go to their house for Sunday dinners or have them come to mine. Course there are the step siblings - no blood there. We grew up with Kim and Matt. Love their Dad, but don't have much contact with them these days. 


Time you wake up:

Depends. During OT time 3:55a - roll out of bed and turn my computer on, then on my break go feed the animals. Regular time 5a - time to go out and feed the animals, stoke up the fire and drink some coffee before starting work at 6a.  Weekends that I don't have to work by 6 or 7. Rarely later than 8. What can I say I'm an early bird and really like drinking my coffee in my sleeping house.


University attended:

Currently none, but have hopes to do something soon. It's shit or get off the pot time. Get some school to get a job I really like or shut the hell up and be content with the road I'm on. 


Veggies I dislike:

Are you kidding? I don't think there is a veggie I dislike. You name it I like it. From spinach to yams and tomatoes to onions and peppers. Brussels sprouts to corn. YUM! Raw, steamed and baked. 

If eggs were an option here, that is what I'd choose because eggs are NASTY. 


What makes you run late:

I try never to run late - that pet peeve thing, but if I do run late it would be because of road conditions or something out of my control. Tornado, earthquake or the like. 


X-rays:

Yep I've had them and been witness to Chyann having/getting many hundreds of them over her lifetime. 


Yum food:

Mexican and I think the Hubby and I make the best Mexican North of the border. I could eat it every night. The spices, the smell, the everything about it! and a nice cold beer to wash it down.


Zoo Animal:

None really.  I prefer to see animals in their natural habitat. Yes, I understand zoos are important in preserving threatened species and all that, but lets take a look at the giant panda from China. Yes, this animal is cute as hell, but are the millions spent on captive breading programs so the babies can go live in a zoo because there is no natural habitat left in it's native land a good thing? Just saying.


And that is a little about me. 


It is snowing here again. We got about 7 inches yesterday.  The Hubby got stuck in our long driveway twice. Even had enough of a shitty forecast that Colton elected to stay at college over the weekend instead of coming home. 

Glad winter is almost over. 

I'm ready to go dig in the dirt and ride our now wild horses. 

Come on Spring. 


Miss you baby.








Friday, February 22, 2013

Recovered files!

Hi Folks!

Finally got my computer back and since I had one computer in the shop, I took in my old old computer to see if they could take off all my files that were stranded when it died.
When the computer wizard guys said they could get all my pictures off I was sooo excited to see those lost pictures. 

We got such a chuckle going through them.
Unbelievable how much the kids have changed since 2005 and 2006. 

Caden sure is a doll and that is Beegee in his jammies.
Beegee was almost black when she was a pup.


A bunch of clowns.



Nice to be able to just "google" something when I want to.
 Boy oh boy is my computer all souped up too!
Fast with a LOT of hardrive to work with. 

I've actually got the weekend off so I'll be catching up on reading your blogs and posting more myself.

Any ideas what is up with all the spam blogger comments? 
Or is it just me that has been bombarded with it?
Pain in my ass.

I've been shoveling snow since I got off work and there is dinner to be made so I've got to run.
Aah, it's good to be back on line lol

Later :)

Monday, February 18, 2013

DRAT!

My computer is in the shop.

Fan went out and getting a hard drive/memory update.

Hope to be back up and running by Friday.

Way too much of a pain in my ass to attempt blogging via the kindle. Was going to borrow Colton's when he was home this weekend, however he was not around much so didn't get the opportunity.

Talk to you all soon. Hope all is well in your world :)

Monday, February 11, 2013

A to Z about me...


The lovely Ami recently posted this A to Z list and I thought I'd give it a whirl too since I haven't done one in ages. 

Using her idea for posting all the questions up front, that way if you are so inclined, you can copy and paste it too.


Age
Bed Size
Chore You Hate
Dogs
Essential Start To My Day 
Favorite Color
Gold or Silver
House or Apartment
Instruments Played
Job Title
Kids
Live
Married
Never Again 
Other Fun Fact 
Pet Peeve -
Quote
Righty or Lefty
Siblings
Time You Wake Up
University Attended
Veggies You Dislike
What Makes You Run Late
X-Rays
Yum Food 
Zoo Animal Favorite


Age:

41 and when you say it fast it really doesn't seem that old. 41 boom. See that wasn't so bad. 41.
Although in my minds eye I'm only like 19 maybe 25 at the most. This age thing really creeps up on you. Do you remember when you were about 15 a person that was 40 seemed really over the hill? Now that I've crested 40 I see that life is really just beginning.

Bed Size:

Queen, but have a King penciled into my budget for this year. AND it will have a damn headboard! About 20 years ago we had a waterbed with a fancy headboard. Lots of shelves, a light, even a mirror. When the waterbed sprung a leak we got a queen bed and frame, planning on getting a headboard when the finances allowed and somehow that never happened. A headboard drops to the bottom of your need/want list pretty quick when you've got kids and they need shoes or whatever. 

Chore you hate:

Unloading the dishwasher or putting away clean clothes. I'll wash and load that dishwasher all day and wash then fold those clothes, just don't ask me to put that shit away - I will though when the dishwasher has been raided and it's only half full or the laundry basket has been dug through and the clothes are mostly unfolded again.

Dogs:

Too many. Casey, 13 year old wiener dog with a back injury and not the best control of her bowls. Tater, 8 year old yorki mix that is quite shy, hiding behind the toilet when friends come over and scaring them when they take a pee. BeeGee 6 year old york-pom mix with the softest fur and sweetest personality. Shasta 2 year old wiener dog, who has dreams of being top dog at our house. 
Gotta love the mutts - hair, shit and all.

Essential start to my day:

Love my coffee. Would really like to get one of those Kurig machines. Chyann's orthodontist office has one and I always have at least two cups when we are there. I look forward to her appointments, which really irritates her lol

Favorite Color:

If you'd have asked me this when I was a teen I would have said pink. In my 20's I'd have said red. In my 30's I'd have said yellow and now in my 40's it's still yellow. Yellow makes me feel good. If I could I'd paint my whole house yellow. As it is my entry way is yellow, downstairs bathroom is a bright yellow and going up the stairs is kind of a peachy yellow. Something about that color that really appeals to me. 

Gold or Silver:

Either or, doesn't matter to me. Both are beautiful. 

House or Apartment:

House. We have an older, but has been remodeled farm house. The original house was built in 1896 and not much is left of it. Been updated and changed through the years. Five bedrooms and 1 3/4 baths. Unfinished basement. Currently in need of some updates, which I hope will be done this year. 

Instruments played: 

Violin. In elementary school at Creekside Park I started playing the violin in 4th grade. Had lessons at school through sixth grade. Played on my own when we moved to bush AK throughout high school and then my violin got stashed away in a closet and mostly forgotten about until Colton developed an interest in music. We got it out and I tuned it up. Started to play and promptly broke two strings - cracked the bow too. Back into the case it went. 

Job Title:

Disenrollment and Late enrollment penalty specialist. Sounds kinda fancy, but it's not. 
If you want to disenroll from your medicare part c plan, I'll get that done for ya and when you enroll into a part d plan and haven't had part d since the time you were first eligible it's me that tells medicare that you had a gap in coverage so you can pay a penalty. 


Kids:

3. They are the light of my life. Colton, Chyann and Caden. All wonderful and unique in their own way. Can't imagine life without them. My Mother once told me to enjoy the time I had with the kids because it passes much too quickly. She said the best time of your life will be when those kids are little and they need you on a daily basis, but you wont realize it because you'll be so tired and worn out from taking care of them. 


Stay tuned for part 2











Saturday, February 9, 2013

And so it goes...

February

 We've had snow every day this month, not a lot an inch or so.
 Just enough to make driving more interesting.

Still working the OT.
Management now says till St.Patty's day.
FRACKADACKALOUS!
Got to make hay while the sun shines, as "they" say tho.
So I will continue.

Miss blogging as often as I'd like.
I am going to attempt to do ahead a few posts today.
We'll see how that goes.

Anyhow.

Caden and Casper.

Casper is so fat, it's not even funny.
Dude needs to go on a diet, which will entail me having to pen him up for feedings and then releasing him when the big horses are done. 
It's a hassle, but most necessary.



Got some meds from the vet for Jenny's eye on Monday.
This pic was on Wednesday.
Very drainey and in the AM when I would go out to feed them, she literally had icicles hanging off her cheek that were 2 and 3 inches long from the drainage.

Quite the process to warm up the ice to remove it, wash the area, dry the area and then apply the ointment.
She was really very good though. 
Just standing there letting me do it. 


Can you see the cloudiness here?
The vet said that could take a month or more to resolve.  


Scotch and Jenny.


Icicles on Gypsy.
For an old gal she doesn't look too bad this winter. 
We think she is 27.


A lot to get done today.
Cookies, cake and soup on the cooking list.

Supposed to storm tomorrow.
6 inches of snow, then freezing rain.
Nothing like what the East coast is getting, can't imagine 3 feet in one big dump.

Alright, I'm off. 
Toodles folks :)






Sunday, February 3, 2013

Super Sunday and other stuff


We've had Alberta clippers sweep in every few days this last week, making for some extreme temperature changes. 

Cold as hell, -20 and windy then warming up to 10-15*. Those chilly temps sure feel like a heat wave.
We are burning a lot of wood, which I'm quite thankful we've got a stock pile of.

 There is definitely something to be said for being prepared for winter and not only wood department, but feed for the animals. 
Hay, grain, straw bedding, shelter, fresh water and all that to keep the cows and horses fat and happy.

These yo-yo temps are hard on the animals. 
You've got to feed them enough quality food so they are able to maintain their internal body temperature to keep warm. 

Hence the huge loads of hay being fed, which they graze on all day and appear to play in when they are not really hungry. 
Flicking and tossing the hay all over. 
Which is what I think has lead to Jenny getting some hay in her left eye. It's squinty, running with a clear discharge and has a small white hue to the cornea next to the corner of her eye. 
We've had this happen to Gypsy before (and to me not that long ago).
Chyann put some antibiotic ointment in it and we'll call the vet tomorrow. 
Hopefully her eye will heal up quick. 

~~~

It was two years yesterday since Chyann had her fixator put on. 
She is glad she had the operation done.
Six weeks of pure hell and a haze of RX for 40mm of new femur bone.



Colton arranged his college classes so he could cram them all in Monday thru Thursday and is planning on coming home on Thursday afternoons now. 

Speaking of school, semester grades are out.
Caden had a B+ in Math and all the rest A's.
Chyann is straight A's.
Colton had a C+ in anthropology and a mix of A's and B's for the rest of his classes.

YAY kids!!



Work is not slowing down quite as fast as the managers expected.
ugh.. 


Yes, today is the superbowl!
The day we football fans have waited for all season.
I don't care who wins, just hope it's a good game and not a blow out.

Had the urge the other day to get all my hair whacked off.
Like an inch all over - then dye it a bright color.
Decided to wait a week and see if the idea still appeals. 
Don't know if its just winter or what, but when I look in the mirror I feel like I look drab.
Drab like those ladies you see who have no color- you ladies know what I'm talking about right?
The drab might just be a run of the mill working too much not enough rest not enough fun thing going on.
Which is why I decided to wait a week on the big cut and color lol



Alright. 
I'm off to make some cinnamon rolls.

Happy day to ya :)