up early this morning to get Majik and Poppers to vet by 7:30... i have to have them declawed and it has been an ardous decision as i really hate to do this to them. my reason i guess is purely selfish as i have recently purchased new leather furniture and Poppers has already put a hole in the recliner with one of her claws. I spent a good amount of bucks on the furniture and i just cant let the cats destroy it so much against my better judgement i decided to have them declawed...*sigh*

majik didnt make it any easier as he cried the entire way to the vet-- a pitiful mornful cry that simply tore my heart in two- i almost turned the car around and came back home- and once i got to vet i almost started crying when i had to leave them--
i waited all day for a call from the vet but nothing so called them at 4 to check on the little ones-- the receptionist said they were fine but i coudlnt pick them up unitl tomorrow morning after 10....
tonite i am so lonely with out them-- and i hate the thought of them being locked in their carriers in a strange place with strange people and other animals... but i realize its probably better for them to be there resting and recouping and that tomorrow they will feel so much better and be happy when they come home....

here is majik-- they were both alot younger in these pictures... gosh its hard to believe i have almost had them a year... i got poppers after seron disappeared... i so needed something to soothe my heart and help me with all the pain i was experiencing-- then majik came a little later






i will be at the vet at 10:05 tomorrow - already have their treats in the car so when i pick them up i will have their favorite goodies for them....

i cant forget simon-- he is my oldest cat-- i have had him for several years- he is a great cat- -layed back and easy--he has a colon problem- which bascially means he cant take a dump-- the warning signs are he throws up all over the house-- and then i have to give him this laxitive and so far that has fixed the problem--



this picture was taken during the hurricane jeanne- simon found one of my planters and decided to take a nap in it..so much for the poor plant!

suzie sent this to me in an email this morning -- i HAD to post it here
Raising Boys--
a) For those with no children - this is totally hysterical!
b) For those who already have children past this age, this is
hilarious.
c) For those who have children this age, this is not funny.
d) For those who have children nearing this age, this is a warning.
e) For those who have not yet had children, this is birth control.

The following came from an anonymous Mother in Austin, Texas...

Things I've learned from my Boys (honest and not kidding):

1.) A king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2000 sq. ft .house 4 inches deep

2.) If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with roller blades, they can ignite.

3.) A 3-year old Boy's voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant.

4.) If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strong enough to rotate a 42 pound Boy wearing Batman underwear and a Superman cape. It is strong enough, however, if tied to a paint can, to spread paint on all four walls of a 20x20 ft. room.

5.) You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on. When using a ceiling fan as a bat, you have to throw the ball up a few times before you get a hit. A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long way

6.) The glass in windows (even double-pane) doesn't stop a baseball hit by a ceiling fan.

7.) When you hear the toilet flush and the words "uh oh", it's already too late.

8.) Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke, and lots of it.

9.) A six-year old Boy can start a fire with a flint rock even though a 36-year old Man says they can only do it in the movies.
10.) Certain Lego's will pass through the digestive tract of a 4-year old boy.

11.) Play dough and microwave should not be used in the same sentence.

12.) Super glue is forever.

13.) No matter how much J ell-O you put in a swimming pool you still can't walk on water.

14.) Pool filters do not like Jell-O.

15.) VCR's do not eject "PB &J" sandwiches even though TV commercials show they do.

16.) Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.

17.) Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.

18.) You probably DO NOT want to know what that odor is.

19.) Always look in the oven before you turn it on; plastic toys do not like ovens.

20.) The fire department in Austin, TX has a 5-minute response time.

21.) The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make earthworms dizzy.

22.) It will, however, make cats dizzy.

23.) Cats throw up twice their body weight when dizzy.

24.) 80% of Men who read this will try mixing the Clorox and brake fluid.

25.) Women will pass this on to almost all of their friends, with or without kids.


This makes me glad that my son is 33!!!!

tonite i am having suzie, sally, and thea over for dinner... i was supposed to have a birthday dinner for suzie and sally- but i got the flu so had to cancel -- so tonite is the "make up birthday dinner"...

drinks at my new elephant bar..isnt it so cool... the stools are on backorder but should be here soon!

menu--
shrimp cocktail appetizer
carmelized salmon with citrus salsa
garlicky portobello mushrooms
asparagus with parmesan cheese curls
salad
bread
recipes to follow-
its raining right now- i am not happy-- bummer to grill in the rain ...maybe it will stop by the time i am ready to put the salmon and mushrooms on ...will keep fingers crossed

they should be here any minute ..i have the candles all lit and cd's loaded in the stereo
i am all set!

RECIPES
CARMELIZED SALMON WITH CITRUS SALSA (can be started day before )
this is very good
2#salmon
2T sugar
1t salt
1/4 t pepper
2 1/2 t finely shredded orange peel
2 oranges peeled, and coursely chopped
1 c fresh or canned crushed pineapple
2T fresh cilantro
1T finely chopped shallot
1 jalepeno pepper seeded finely chopped

rinse fish pat dry place in shallow baking dish skin side down-- i didnt use salmon with skin and worked out fine
stir together
sugar
1 1/2 t orange peel
salt pepper-
sprinkle over fish and rub in with fingers-- cover and refrigerate 8-24 hours

SALSA
stir together
1 t orange peel
oranges
pineapple
cilantro
shallot
jalepeno pepper
cover and chill up to 24 hours

put fish on grill-- i wrapped mine in foil so it wouldnt stick but think next time i will just lay on foil so top can get more carmelized

i would also double salsa recipe as it was GONE
this was a quick and easy meal especially since you can do most of it ahead of time

GARLICKY MUSHROOMS
1# portebello mushrooms
1/4c melted butter
3 cloves minced garlic
1/8 t pepper
1 t salt
1 T fresh chives
cut off stems even with caps
rinse caps pat dry
stir together butter, garlic, salt, pepper
brush over mushrooms
grill on medium 6-8 minutes turning once
sprinkle with chives

wow i sure had a great birthday-- thea fixed an incredble lobster dinner-- i think the tails weighed at least two pounds of pure meat-- mmmmm-- fresh asparagras and twiced baked potatoes - and homemade chocolate cheese cake with fresh strawberries--THE BEST--

over to suzie and sal's about 8.. dave, and christine and her mom were there along with chris and dave-- we fixed some drinks and of course fire spit--

christine's mom had never done it before so we had an initiation for her-- she turned out to be a first rate fire spitter n by the end of the evening--( i am sure the margarities she was drinkin had at least a little something to do with it!)

HOW TO FIRE SPIT
we have found that the cheaper the whiskey the better the flame-so just buy rotgut for fire spiitin and save the good stuff--
the trick to fire spittin is first of all have enough booze in your mouth-- gotta fill it up pretty dern full-
stand fairly close to fire- -but not on top of it as the flames really flare up once that booze hits the fire...
BLOW---- its similiar to blowing out a candle but with alot more force-- blow hard and aim low--
its easy to get the hang of it-- just keep trying...

i couldnt get the actual fire spit-- it happens too fast -- but at least i got before and after:)

fire pit

suzie gettin ready

suzie finished spittin

sal got home about 10:30 from work and we reminisced about my 40th birthday-- that was one to remember- -it started out at Chuckie Cheese-- with lots of beer drinking and pizza-- then progressed to the local porn shop "back room" where they showed dirty movies of ALL kinds-- ! i had never been in an establishment of that ilk so it was a REAL eye opener for me-- first and last time i ever wanted to be around a scummy place like that!

all i remember was how dirty it was-- your feet stuck to the floor-- DUH... and how this huge bouncer finally had enough of us and threw us out! probably a good thing... as i am sure we were loud and very obnoxious as only drunks can be!!

back then birthdays were crzy and pretty much drunken blurs--

its funny that now the big event of the evening is spitting booze into a fire:), listening to good music, and sitting around laughin with good friends...its alot more laid back and certainly not a drunken blur-- ye ole bod simply cant take those anymore-- plus i would never drive and drink--

i guess twenty years can make a difference-- - maybe it shows i have matured??? oh god--

I got some super gifts-- dynamite shot glasses- we had to try them out so suzie made us
LEMON DROPS
i had never had them --
slice up lemons and dredge in raw sugar-- fill shot glass with good cold vodka-- take a bite of lemon - shoot the vodka and then eat all the lemon slice - and i'll be darned they do taste just like candy lemon drops-- we had three of four of those-- i have some excellent mongolian vodka that i brought back from mongolia-- so next time the gals come over we will have lemon drops made with it!!

i looked up "shots" on net today and found "jello shots"..they sound interesting -- so that will be another thing to try out

yes today is my 61st birthday! whew that sounds sooooooooooooo old. i certainly dont feel like i am 61 whatever that is supposed to feel like. yeah i am not quite as agile as i used to be and i have a few gray hairs...my memory sometimes failes me but overall i sure DONT feel 61.

scott and teresa are busy with caleb today so no celebration with me... but my great friend Thea is fixing me a lobster dinner complete with chocolate cheese cake for dessert. she is a great cook and a fantastic friend...after dinner we are going over to my other fantastic friends house suzie and sally to drink some 151 rum and PARTY. thea doesnt have to work tomorrrow and i am retired -so we can stay as late as we want .

we will spit fire i am sure- suzie taught us how to spit rum into the fire pit they have outside-- its so much fun- -the flames jump up high and sometimes dance around the edge of the pit-- suzie is an expert at this but i am getting bettter at it-- i think the trick is to get a pretty good mouthful of booze and then spit kind of like u are blowing out a candle-- maybe i can get some pics of us spitting away tonite--

i am sure it will be a fun birthday - the four of us always laugh alot ALOT... sally should be home from work around 10 so we will get to party with her too-- that will be good ..

how this for a little morbid fact on my birthday?
DEATHCLOCK
my day of death will be JUNE 9 2036
i have 987 602 311 seconds to live

boy i wished i lived in New York so i could see The Gates
everything i have read about this art is amazing-- i wanted to buy a signed poster but they were all between $300-$650
way too much for me to spend-- too bad-- huh?

today is my grandsons birthday..he is 9 years old! wow amazing how time flies... he and his friends are celebrating tomorrow at 4:00 at Fun Attic-- i hate going there - the kids are wired to the max, caleb is on another planet, and its boring as hell. there is nothing for adults to do but basically stand around..i dont know any of the other parents and honestly could care less about stiking up any kind of conversation with them...my son and his wife are always busy with details of something that has to be done - i really dread going there -- caleb has had his birthday party there for years-- i would think he would get bored and want to do something else but NO...every year the same thing--- hopefully lisa and sean will be there so at least i will have someone i know and someone to talk to

been "down" pretty much all day today... Al never called this morning so i called him - he said he would meet me at other house around noon-- but would call first-- he didnt-- so about 1 i called him-- he left the estimate at the house in the screen door
so i hopped in car and went down there-- i wasnt impressed with the estimate-- its only about $6,000 higher and he didnt do anything about the outside of house--so i am back to square one-- trying to figure out what to do ...sell as is and take a beating or go to a WHOLE lot of trouble and fix it up and put it on the market-- I HATE THIS
then this afternoon i came across a note Seron had written to me about how she had never been happier in her life and she loved me with all her heart-- that is NOT what i needed to see today--
i want a cigarette-- have determined that a cigarette is comfort for me-- how weird is that ? i havent even thought about one since i started this program but tonite i would kill for one --
that little voice inside whispering how good it would taste and its ONLY ONE--

well its 6;30 and no sign of Al...the contractor who is supposed to give me another estimate on the house that was damanged by the myriad of hurricanes last fall...

seems the insurance company, when i called on 12/27 to have update on my claim, said the settlement would be for $40,000 which of course i was very happy with.... however when the Proof of Loss statement arrived it was for $25,000..BIG DIFFERENCE

long story short is NO ONE knows where the $40 figure came from and suddenly no one knew anything about why or how that figure was quoted to me-- even tho i have the quote on my answer machine tape!!

mmmm time to notify the florida insurance commissioner????

anyway insurance yahoos said that if i am not happy with the $25 i need to hire a contractor to give another estimate- -
ok-- will do
not as easy as i thought-- ALL THE CONTRACTORS IN THIS TOWN ARE TOTALLY OVERWHELMED and impossible to get a hold of -- no one returns calls,and no friends can help out either
it has taken me weeks to find Al....

Last week i met him at the damaged house -- he walked thru and said he the insurance company was off and he felt he could get more money..he would write up an estimate and have to me by friday!

I am on a roll -- feeling great-- will get estimate- fax to insurance company-
friday came and went with no sign of Al....*sigh*
monday i called him- -said he would come by after work-- no show again *long sigh*
called him this morning - he will come by after work-- called at 4 to remind him-- said he would be by in about an hour-- its 7pm - i just called him and he is at home for the night- -
will come by in the morning and drop off the estimate-- i give up--
what is the big deal here -- its an estimate-- its a couple pages -- hell he could have mailed it to me and i would have had it by NOW.....

today is a very hard day-- memories of such love and happiness wash over me drowning me in sadness and emptiness..i hope this is the last major love holiday i have to deal with .....

january 17th would have been our first anniversary-- and now valentines day--- somehow today is worse -- maybe because i have been so sick and i am drained...

when will i ever get OVER you... over the betrayal and the intense pain of your disappearing in the dead of nite?
you run away to a place where there are no memories of us... and u retreat into your stupid computer game THE SIMS...living in a fantasty world where you control every move, every thought, every action of fake people living fake lives...
i am totally surrounded of you in every place i go...you cling to me in my dreams, and everyday there is something that reminds me of our time together...the committment ceremony... buying the new house...how happy we were...and how much in love we were...

i want to call you -- to hear your voice-- yet i fight the urge-- as i know there is nothing there to hear-- no answers to the questions that constantly plague me...no closure...just bullshit...

i want so desperately to move on from u-- to leave u FAR BEHIND ME ... i can only hope that day comes soon and i am free of you -- free of the memories, free of the pain...

when?

tonite i just wandered around the Blogging Community-- clicking on NEXT BLOG to see who was doing what - i always like to check out new things and just see how other people think and the creativity of their writings and art ...

anyway i found this test at one site- so i took it just to see what it was all about !!

The Rogers Indicator of Multiple Intelligences

You scored as Verbal/Linguistic.
You have highly developed auditory skills, enjoy reading and writing and telling stories, and are good at getting your point across. You learn best by saying and hearing words. People like you include poets, authors, speakers, attorneys, politicians, lecturers and teachers.

Verbal/Linguistic 96%
Intrapersonal 89%
Visual/Spatial 46%
Interpersonal 82%
Musical/Rhythmic 82%
Bodily/Kinesthetic 75%
Logical/Mathematical 32%
The Rogers Indicator of Multiple Intelligences
created with QuizFarm.com

pretty cool huh? it is right on too-- i was a teacher way back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and taught English as a second language a couple years ago -- i love to write poetry too...words fascinate me...

its so neat to learn new things and see new things- i think i love that more than anything-- sometimes i feel like a sponge just absorbing all that i possibly can..

i have just heard about the UN Workers trading sex for food-- what the hell is this about-- people STARVING and assholes who are in a country to do humanitarian work actually have the nerve to "use" these poor people-- was there not ONE MAN AMONG THEM TO SAY this is WRONG -- evidently men from all over the world were involved in this.. and have returned to their native countries -- and probably their wives and families with out a backward glance or a tinge of guilt--

personally i hope every single one of them gets AIDS-- that would be their just deserve--
so much for unconditional compassion on my part...

i am appalled and sick to my stomach...

today is my tenth day with out a cigarette-- yes i quit smoking... HAD TO.. as i have been sick with a horrible cough and cold-- its going around here -- twice now-- once just before xmas and then i got it again two weeks ago-- figured this was a major hint for me to quit--

a friend told me about SMOKE AWAY an herbal program to help you quit... great internet price with rebates only $29.00 regular price $100.00

so i ordered it and began taking it about a week ago. the damn stuff is amazing -- i havent had a craving for a cigarette since i began taking the pills... and with this dern coding problem and the stress it creates i would have normally smoked a pack at least by now-- so i HIGHLY recommend this product--

its easy to use-- just take the pills three times a day and they even give you a spray and pills to use if you get a craving for a smoke -- it works that is all i know--

i hated to quit as i really like to smoke but its not good for me-- i have history of terrible pneumonia and with this horrible cold attacking me twice now i just figured it was time to give it up

well here i am at my first post--its after midnight and i have been working on changing the template-- not so easy at times-- all of this CSS is new to me ,frustrating, confusing and maddening too!

Way back when I learned HTML...at the time I thought it was impossible to learn but next to CSS its a piece of cake for sure. I feel so stupid -- so out of touch with this crzy coding that i just cant seem to totally understand or grasp:( guess i will go to bed and sleep on it....*sigh*..so much for my first post!