Music Apps Will Be The Death Of Me

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Let me tell you, there are strange songs coming out of our TV when I get home from work. She's found all the music she listened to as a young girl at the canteens and then she listens to the Irish station, usually Celtic Thunder.

Thanks to the Celtic Thunder station I've discovered a band called The High Kings. If you like Celtic Thunder before they really jumped the shark a few years ago, you will love The High Kings. I recommend checking out "The Irish Pub Song." It will have you laughing and singing. It will probably stick in your head too.

I'm kind of peeved that these apps don't have the new Celtic Thunder album streaming yet.  X has a few songs I really liked from their last special on it. They finally got around to doing a version of The Wild Rover. It is nowhere near as good as The Dubliners, but its such a fun song. Plus anything that gives Ryan Kelly some extra singing time, always makes me happy. I kind of crush on that little Irish cutie.

Yesterday I came home to The Monkees station which amused me. That wasn't what I was expecting. My nephew seems to prefer the Peter, Paul & Mary station when he has to chose for her. Myself, I enjoy the Gordon Lightfoot channel, because you get a nice mix of folk music, along with Gord's great tunes.

I wonder what the Elvis Costello channel will play, besides Elvis Costello.

Why Am I Reading Slower

When I was in high school and even junior high, I would blow through Harlequins in a few hours. For that matter when I was reading my bodice ripper historical romances, as I tried to get my summer tan.

These weren't long books. The longest Harlequins usually topped 300 pages. The shorter ones, the Romance, Desire, Regency line were only about 180.

Why does it take me so long to read these now?

Its driving me nuts, because I have books piling up all over the place. They seem to multiply like rabbits in my house.

I blame it on ereaders.

I don't know what it is about them, but they have slowed down my reading.

OK, and maybe because I don't get to sit out in the sun and read as much as I did all those years ago too.

I seriously need some beach or porch or some kind of not in my house reading time ASAP

Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs

For years, I've had lousy luck making hard boiled eggs. I've followed just about every tip out there to get perfect eggs, and usually I failed.

I have to say that the way to get the best eggs is to make them ahead of time.

Don't plan on using the eggs right away.

I usually make mine the night before.

Why?

Refrigeration!

I follow the basic cooking rule. Eggs in  a pot of water until they boil then cover and remove from heat for about 10 - 12 minutes.

After that I rinse them in cold water for a few minutes, but rather than do the ice water bath, I stick them in the fridge for at least an hour, but overnight is best. Then when I peel them, most turn out perfect.

My Car Hates Me

So I was leaving work on Monday, and I walked around the back of my car. Not a normal thing for me to do, but for some reason I did.

My muffler is kinda just hanging there.

This does not thrill me, as my 2006 Focus has some pricey exhaust parts.

I zoom to the bank for my boss and over to Mr. Tire so they can have a look at it.

Well, said muffler was split in half.  Uh thank you Monessen and the wonderful freaky construction on Donner Ave.

The part costs a whopping $298.00 and there's labor included. Please kill me.

This is not what I need right now. I still have about $1500 to pay off on Mokey's hospital stays in Dec and Feb and I need to get the little guy his shots and a urinalysis to see how the prescription food is working. My regular credit card has more on it than I've had on them in years.

I seriously need to fall into some money pretty soon, though I don't know how that's going to happen. I hate debt. I dug myself out of it once and I hate having to do it again.

Also, because I need to bitch, I really wanted to get a new dining room table set this year, but thanks to all this crap, that isn't happening.

Why I Didn't Give A Fig About The Royal Wedding

I admit, I loved Princess Diana. She was what every little girl dreamed of being when she grew up. Married to a prince. (Note I didn't say a handsome one) Super glamorous. Oh and loved by all.

sigh

And though we look back at her dress and think it was just too much, it was a fairy tale gown, straight out of Disney film.

The outcome of that marriage and her death cast a shade on the weddings of her two children.

I had interest in Will and Kate's marriage, just because he will one day be king.

Harry and Meghan? Well they are a Hollywood couple. I love Harry, but he is the wild child and even some of the things I read about at the wedding spoke of being a bit much.

The problem with these weddings being televised all over the world, in my eyes, is that so many girls and women are going to think that their wedding should be that way.

Life isn't like this.

And you can't tell me that some of those things weren't done especially for show. Yeah, I'm sorry the girl is an actress and Harry is his mother's son. I don't doubt that they love each other, because I think that after seeing their own parent's marriages that they would want something better for themselves, but I think that there was a little bit of acting involved to make it more fairy tale like.

Meh.

There's no fairy tales for the rest of mortals

And It All Blows Up

I've been noticeably absent again.

Things have been going mostly ok.

Busy and boring and much of the sameness.

Yesterday was actually nice until right before supper.

I was getting ready to clean up the pans I used for dinner when the sink decided it was having none of it. The plastic connector for the two pipes below the sink gave way.

Yeah, water everywhere.

This shouldn't be a hard fix, except there's no one around that knows how to fix it and my plumber isn't one I can contact on a Saturday night.

So lets just say for the next day or so, its paper plates and plastic utensils that can be tossed in the garbage. Yeah not very environmental, but washing dishes in the stationary sink in the basement.

Why does everything happen on the weekend?

People Need To Give A Damn

I was taking my afternoon walk through my small town of Charleroi On Mon and I've come to the conclusion that the poorer you get, the less likely you are to care about how your home looks.

My town's median income is below the poverty line...go ahead google us.

The rental properties all look like hell. The lawns are full of toys and are just messy. The curtains and blinds look like they've seen better days, if in fact they have them, and not just a blanket or something hung over the window to keep out the light. WTF people.

If not for my mother I wouldn't have much, but I still take pride in my home. I don't want to live in a hovel. I like my things to look nice. I may not be able to have expensive things, but I want to be proud of what I have.

I truly can't understand why anyone would want to live in filth.

There are places where you can get curtains or any decorations to pretty up a place cheap. Seriously, Big Lots, Dollar General, Family Dollar...I could go on.

If you don't have any pride in your living area, how can you have any pride in yourself. Which makes it hard for anyone to pull themselves up out of poverty.

You have to care.

It sucks to be poor, but there's no excuse for living in a pigsty. Cleaning products are sold at Dollar Stores.

It really isn't hard to clean up after yourself and make your space in the universe look decent.

New Required Reading

I have been a fan of historical fiction since I was in junior high. Jean Plaidy's novels about the aristocracy of Europe as well as the Kings and Queens always topped my list of must read books.

I think in the age where history is being so distorted, more historical novels should be read in schools. Novels that make the reader want to learn the history of the countries in this world.

I say this because I am reading My Dear Hamilton right now.  I've not had the chance to see the musical and likely I never will, because those tickets will be a hot commodity for years, even as the show starts to tour.

My Dear Hamilton focuses on his life, but is told through the eyes of his wife. The book is written by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie who also wrote America's First Daughter, a novel about Patsy Jefferson.

I've found that books like this have given me a new appreciation for history, and it also shows us that the crazy political world that we live in, hasn't changed. It has been this way from the very start of our nation.

My Dear Hamilton focuses a lot on the politics of the time. It also paints a picture of the founding fathers in a way that you don't really learn in school. You learn the presidents and what not, but reading this book, you got the clue that these men that shaped our nation were often at war between themselves and that getting our constitution ratified wasn't as easy as history books make it out to be.

I think these are the kind of books that inspire people to think and learn more. I also think that some of them are more important reads than those by the authors of the classics, which can definitely come across as dry and boring to many readers.

I dream of a world where books become truly important again.

Before Starbucks Was Cool

Back in the 90s when I was a mall working mall rat, there was a coffee chain called Gloria Jean's. These shops weren't everywhere, like Starbucks is today.  Go to any city, and I dare you not to find one, every few blocks.

Heck, on the PA turnpike, all the travel stop plazas have a Starbucks.

That wasn't the case in the 90s.

Back then, at the cool malls, Gloria Jeans ruled the roost.

At least for me.

If you like Frappachinos, there is a thing called a Chiller there. They still make them, if you can find a store.

When I worked at Kaufmann's from 1996 - 1998 I lived for the times that I could get a Coco Loco.
Dear God, that was one heavenly cup of sugar!

It really is a wonder that I have any teeth left.

Talk about a caffeinated sugar rush!

I didn't even know the shops were still around until I saw a recipe ad from Keurig that used Gloria Jean's coffee, which made me wonder if the stores were still around. To my great delight, two of our local malls still have a shop.

Now I need to go to the mall.

A Few Of My Favorite Things: Foodie Edition

I have a love for simple sandwich salads. If you are ever in the Mon Valley and can get to Cox Market or to Finleyville to Trax Farms, you will find the best chicken and turkey salads you'll ever taste. Trax's turkey salad has dill and it is just fabulous on a good cracker. Cox's chicken salad is made with shredded chicken and I've been making wraps for the last few days for lunch. Yum!

I don't like a lot of fancy stuff in any of my sandwich salads. My own egg salad is just egg, mayo and dijon mustard, sometimes a little dollop of a good relish, and a shake of pepper.

That's why I really love the chicken salad. It's chicken, mayo and celery. I occasionally like a southwest chicken salad, but I'm never one for fruit or nuts in my salad, especially if its going on a bun, croissant or in a wrap.

I'm a fan of simple foods and casseroles and depression era fare.

My mother used to make a macaroni dish that was basically just elbow mac, ketchup, ez melt cheese or some other good melting cheese and then buttered breadcrumbs. Its absolutely fabulous. Another favorite casserole is ground meat with rice and cream of mushroom soup and chicken noodle.

So, I'm not a gourmet, though I like good food, but I'm really a no frills kind of girl.

Oh and best thing ever...Cheesy egg toast ...easy, yummy breakfast..

Now I'm hungry!

I Need To Stay Off Facebook

There was a photo on a group page that I follow that showed children on crosses, blaming certain groups for abuses caused to them. The last photo showed a child on a Ronald McDonald cross, blaming fast food for childhood obesity.

So yeah, the anger in me grew and I had to comment. (And I found that stupidity lurks on both sides of the political spectrum)

Shall we blame restaurants for our kids being fat, while not placing any blame on computers, video games and phones that keep our kids on their butts, instead of out doing stuff.

I grew up when McDonald's had all the characters and the cool Happy Meal toys. I also grew up in the sugary cereal era. YUM.

I played outside. I was inside with Barbie's and my books.

My parents knew better than to feed us McDonald's on a daily basis, no matter how much I wanted the happy meal toy, or the cool glass, or whatever.

To blame a company for childhood obesity is insane. Its there business to get people in their restaurants to eat.

I don't recall seeing a Happy Meal commercial any time soon. Hell, I don't remember seeing a cereal commercial for anything tasty or even a toy commercial in ages on tv?

McDonald's doesn't grab your kid and pull them in and force the food down their throat. It is the parent's decision to take them there.

So if your kid if obese, do something about it, but don't place blame.

Fun Times

Let's see, what's been going on in my life...

Sunday we had some strong winds that tore a chunk of my shingles off the house. Thankfully, my boss' son fixed it for us, because it was a small repair and my home owner's deductible is $750. That was something I didn't need, on a roof that is only about 10 years old.

There's also the Easter preparations. I don't look forward to holidays. Family gathering in my house usually means I'm going to want to leave my house within an hour or so.

Why?

My sister and her youngest son together are not a good mix. Not in a "they don't get along" way, but more they play off of each other in a way that brings about a lot of tension. Add the nephew's girlfriend to the mix and it just gets more fun.

I've reached a plateau in my weight loss, which is no fun, since the recent weather hasn't made it easy to get out an exercise much. I really would like to see another 10 lbs gone in the next month or so. That's not looking like the case though.

Can I also just add, yogurt has to be the most disgusting food that came from milk? I know its a good for you thing, and I found a brand I like, as far as yogurt is concerned, but really, I'd rather eat something, almost anything, else.

The "I Had A Dream" chuck roast

My dinner on Monday was care of my mother dreaming of putting green pepper in the crockpot with a chuck roast.

Let me tell you, that was the best idea for a roast.

It was about a 2 lb roast, maybe a little closer to two and a quarter lbs. I seasoned with Nature's Seasoning and dumped in a can of French onion soup, a couple of splashes of Worcestershire sauce and some soy. (I would have used more soy, but we didn't have any low sodium and I didn't want to kill mom with sodium).  In the last hour or so, tossed in a few chopped up green peppers and a can of mushrooms.

I served it over rice.

Delish.

Even more delish were the shredded beef sandwiches I made today with the leftovers. Added a little more Worcestershire sauce and then melted some Swiss over it.

Up until now, the Mississippi roast was my favorite..this one has usurped it.

I Hate Cell Phones

I've had my little Moto from Virgin Mobile for 2 years. Well its slowly dying. My flashlight no longer works, which also screws up my camera.

Grrr.

I am never going to be one of those Samsung Galaxy or iphone people, because I don't have that much money to throw away on a phone, plus I don't go the sheepish route of having the coolest phone around.

I don't do much with my phone, except maybe facebook and instagram and email. The stuff that keeps me from being too bored when I'm stuck in certain places.

The question now is how much do I want to spend and do I even want to stay with Virgin Mobile since they are not really supporting Android phones. I'm thinking of going with Cricket, just because at this point I want something different that will save me some money.

Grrrr

I Just Don't Understand

Politics hurts my head these days.

I can't understand what is happening in this country. That a leader can talk the way he does and everyone is OK with that.

Bullying and insulting candidates is ok?

What have we become.

I understand that the two parties have never really seen eye to eye, especially in the recent past, but I see each side becoming more polarized and that isn't going to get things done.

Also talking like a low life doesn't work either.

I used to enjoy watching shows like The Daily Show, but now, they just make me sad, because there is nothing about the current administration that can be construed as funny. Terrifying, yes. Funny, no way.

I understand the need and desire to get away from career politicians, but I seriously think our elected officials should have at least 2 brain cells to rub together in order to serve.

Also the "I am the greatest" mentality only worked for Ali, just saying.

Also, you can be a strong individual and still project yourself with dignity.

Mokey Mokey Mokey

Saturday Mokey had another episode of parading.

This cat terrifies me. I love him, but I can't afford him.

I moved him upstairs, along with his Feliway diffuser. The cat has no access to normal cat food. He gets 3 cans of Royal Canin SO a day. He could probably eat more than that, but he's breaking the bank.

He took his Prazosin too again.

Thankfully within 24 hours he was peeing up a storm again. Crisis adverted and no trip to the ER vet necessary. And our vet is going to allow refills on the Prazosin too. Yay! Except that bottle is $40.00

And how can you not love this little face?

Now if only things can calm down and I can start getting his vet bills paid down.

Why is this an argument?

Here's another reason why I should stay off of social media: The Kindle/E-reader argument. I am so sick of people arguing the book over ereader thing.

I have a house full of books. I also have an ereader full of books.

Why do we have to argue about this?

It burns me up.

Everyone should read the way they want to read. If you have limited space, an ereader allows you to have as many books as you want, without taking up space.

Every reading group I belong to on Facebook has a post about this at least once every day or so. I think people just like to argue and it makes no sense.

People should read, whether it is a book, or an ereader, or if it is on a tablet or phone.

Thrift Books Will Be The Death Of Me

I found an online, used bookstore that is incredible.

Thriftbooks.com

I got 3 cookbooks and a novel for $17.00

Oh and free shipping!!

Yeah, I predict this site is going to be a very bad thing for me.

Social Media Makes Me Scream

There are way too many ways to be connected these days...Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

GAH

Way too may for me.

I have to admit that besides blogger, I rather like Instagram, cos well, cat pictures. Cat pictures make me happy.

So if you want to see my cat pictures, and well, my book pictures, cos I'm trying to be a bookstagramer as well, go here https://www.instagram.com/achickwhoreads/

But really, how do you decide which social media you want to deal with.

I have to admit, one of the reasons why Instagram is more to my liking is the lack of politics on my feed there.

No politics = no stupid comments by stupid people.

There are way too many mean, stupid, hateful people on Facebook. I haven't found them yet on Instagram. I think that's mostly because I only follow cats and book lovers there.

I need an internet safe place.

I Love IPSY

A few months ago I started getting a beauty box. Its a once a month thing that allows me to try some new trial size skin products and some different makeup.

Its a fun thing to treat the girly girl in me to every four weeks.

I have to admit I'm a sucker for skin care stuff. I always have been

This last months little bag of goodies had Brazilian Bum Bum Cream.

Yeah, you read that right, Bum Bum Cream

I wonder who was the marketing genius that came up with that name?

But all kidding aside Sol de Janeiro's Bum Bum Cream smells so good! And if you use it after showering, your jammies will smell pretty for days.

There is one problem.

The price.

That little jar costs a whopping $45.00

Which is why I'll cry when my little trial size is gone, because guarana extract obviously makes you smell like a coconut cake or something similar. Hey, what girl doesn't want to smell sweet?

That's about the only issue I've had with the stuff I've received from Ipsy. If I like it, I most likely won't be able to afford it again.

But it is nice to have a few days of luxury. A girl deserves some special treatment every now and then.

Mokey Update and other cat things

I would just like to say that the last 12 months have not been good for me and my furbabies.

We won't discuss the amount of money I've spent on 2 cats in particular. One of which is no longer with me.

Mokey is..and on Feb 10 he decided to get another urinary blockage.

Oye vey.

I could have had a down payment on a new car for what he's cost me.

And they wanted to do a surgery that would make a women out of him, so to speak or rather a eunuch.

Thankfully, since that first night home, when I thought he was dying, he's improved greatly and he's eating his prescription food like a trooper. I would love to know what is in those tiny cans of food that makes them cost about $1.25 a can? I never did understand why most big cans of food are more costly than the small one...like Friskies over Fancy Feast. Its nuts.

But back to Mokey. I can't even begin to consider what to do if the surgery becomes a necessity, because I don't have that kind of money.

Then last night Midnight had something stuck in his tooth...and I thought he was about to kick it over. Twenty minutes later he's back to normal..and this morning he was eating and drinking like his regular self.

Ahhh!

I hope I have 9 nine lives...because in the last few weeks, my kitties have taken a few of mine.

Feeling A Little Lighter

In October I set a weight loss goal of 10 lbs to get me under a really ugly number that I had reached. My grandmother's death in 2008 and the failing health of both of my parents caused me some serious weight gain.

It was hard to get to the gym and hard to find time to do any exercise. Food was my friend.

Right around Thanksgiving, I found that a few lbs finally started to slip away.

It is February and that first goal of 10 lbs is met. I did this without being able to get out and walk like I do in the summer months.

I'm setting another goal for 10 more.

Baby steps.

I've made a lot of changes in my diet.

I've cut a lot processed food out.  That's not to say I don't enjoy a potato chip or a cheese curl now and then, but I don't keep them around.

I started sipping bone broth.

I drink mostly sparkling water. I haven't had soda since mid-Oct.

I made a promise to myself. When the weight comes off to an acceptable level, I am treating myself to an outfit from Coldwater Creek or Appleseeds.

Wish me luck.

Book Blogging Has Taken Over

Its strange that I'm seldom posting here.

I'm not sure why either.

I do have time, more than I usually do, but I do mismanage it quite a bit.

I just seem to spend more time with my book blog or trying to be an active bookstagrammer.

Yeah, weird.

Of course, the state of the world kinda freaks me out too. I'm trying to avoid politics because it angers and saddens me all at the same time.

Then there's music.

I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to get my music on my new computer. On a plus I did find a copy of Peter Noone's One of the Glory Boys on my mp3 player, so that rarity isn't totally lost. And that album was so good, I hated to think I'd never hear it again.

Aw Paddington

I finally got around to watching the first Paddington movie last night. I don't know what made me stop at the Redbox and grab that movie...ok..I do..Peter Capaldi was in it.

Either way the movie was super cute.

Hugh Bonneville is just great as a normal dad...and the hippie biker scene...OMG so funny. Its hard to see him in rolls other than Lord Grantham though.

Nicole Kidman pulls off evil pretty well too.

Then there's Peter Capaldi's Mr. Curry.  Aw.....especially when he falls for Millicent. I saw a lot of the 12th Doctor in Mr. Curry. A bit of a curmudgeon, a little silly, a little geeky, but oddly lovable.

The animated Paddington was superb. He looked almost real. Well, if real bears wore hats and coats.

I liked that for the most part the movie was light hearted. I'm not a fan of too much drama in family films like this.

There's always a sad bit, but it wasn't too traumatizing. (You know, like UP!)

This was just a good movie for anyone to watch..and now I want to see the sequel.

An Eventful 2 Weeks

Well, there's been a lot going on in the last few week and it all involves Mokey.

The little stinker ended up back at the vet. He still won't eat what he's supposed to,which makes it hard for those crystals to dissolve and dear god, I can't afford for him to get blocked again.

Last Friday he seemed a bit better...and he got to chewing on the Christmas tree.

Yeah.

Remember National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation?

Thankfully he didn't hurt himself, but while we tried to disengage him from the Christmas tree lights, he BIT ME!

My mild mannered, slightly deranged cat, BIT ME!

I had to go to the vet the next day for his meds and then off to Medexpress

At least today my hand more resembles a hand, which is a good thing.

Here's hoping Mokey stays out of trouble for awhile.

And It All Went To Hell

So things were nice up until Christmas Eve.

I have cookies made. All the shopping was done. The house was decorated and quite pretty.

Then Mokey got sick.

5 hours in the Animal ER on Christmas Eve, with an estimate that made me nauseous. Mokey was cathed and unblocked, but had to stay 2 more days for observation.

Yeah...so much for getting rid of debt in the new year. Boo to the hiss.

He's now on a special diet, and I'm trying to wean my other kitties away from eating in a grazing manner.

This is not making them happy at all.

The bill is not making me happy.

No matter how hard I work to make a holiday nice, things always get fucked up.

My Trees

This is our pretty little 6 ft tree in our living room

Most of the ornaments on this tree came from Dollar General and Dollar Tree.

Hey, I have cats, I don't want things that break.

As I'm sure you can see, I love owls...well...little birdies in general.

I love this tree.

The next tree is my little 4 ft silver tree, in my dining room.

I bought this little tree in 2013 when my dad was put on hospice. It was a crazy year, and we didn't have a regular tree that year.

This little one sat in the corner.

Its a more playful tree.

Its precious and I love it.

I only hope the kitties don't try to kill it.

That's why I have created a cookie container barrier around it.

Yes, those are all my Christmas cookies stored there.

Mike..get a box..come get some! You too Bill :)

Cookies Cookies Cookies

I'm not doing to well on the cookie haul this year. I'm not sure why. Maybe because I'm just so darn tired.

All I want for Christmas is to sleep on a bed for a few hours.

That said...

I've got

2 different kinds of biscotti made, Andes Candies Cookies (which are a fabulous cake mix cookie), coconut macaroons and I've got holiday shortbread in the fridge ready to be baked.

I just wish I didn't have to cook supper and deal with that sort of thing right now. Maybe I'd be a little further along with my baking.

At least they look pretty, right?

Well I Accomplished Something

Its a week before Christmas and all through the house.

Nothing is getting done.

The only thing that I managed to do today was bake 2 different kinds of biscoti.

How exciting is that?

Tomorrow's cookies will be Russian Tea Cookies and Spritz

Yes, the cookie craziness has begun.

I wish I knew why I did this.

Norman Lear Comedies Weren't All That Funny

Thanks to Antenna TV, I've been revisiting old shows that I watched growing up. One of them is One Day At A Time.

The episode on tonight is with Mrs Romano having a fling with a married man.

I'm baffled that an affair is considered funny.

Yes its a real life issue, but it makes you wonder. Ann was supposed to have been a divorcee whose husband cheated on her.

Makes you wonder.

I've always considered cheating to be pretty despicable. Nothing funny about it.

That's how I feel about most of Norman Lear's shows, especially All In The Family, which actually disturbs me these days. Sure there are laughs, but most of the "issues" are sadly still relevant now, which makes me sick to my stomach.

How can we, as a society not have changed much in the last 40 years?

So yeah, I need something more lighthearted than anything Lear did. I need something funny like Bewitched

An Early Christmas Present

Well today I bought a new laptop. I'll be picking it up at Staples tomorrow.

This comes after my external fell off my desk and hit the floor.

Can you say deader than spam.

The computer is half dead. (the clock doesn't work. Don't ask. I have no clue)

So I figured, even though I'm not financially at my best, now was the best time to replace the laptop. You know, before it totally dies.

Hopefully after this, I won't have any further HUGE issues.

HA!

A Little Kitty Humor

Admit it, you sang it as you read it!

OK, well, I did.

The Tree Is Done

I'm always happy when the tree is up.

I think it looks pretty nice this year.

I'll be doing a small silver tree in the dining room next week.

But the house is really looking festive.

I can't wait to get to baking. That will start next weekend too.

Scratty Went To The Vet Today

Scratty got her shots and all her happy bloodwork and poopy check today.

Such fun.

Scratty is much for the unknown, be it situations or people. In fact, Scratty hates strangers. So yeah, the poor baby had to wear a muzzle, because we don't want her biting Dr. Greg, who is a pretty awesome vet.

She seemed to know where she was going the second she got inside the building. She didn't want to go into the lobby at all.

Then there was Grizzly.

Grizzly was another dog about the size of the animal whose name he shared.

Yeah.

He was a happy dog too.

She was mostly ok with the vet tech, but Dr Greg, being a man, and those are the strangers she likes the least, well, she was all tooth baring crazy dog from hell.

The good thing was that by the time everything was done, she was too pooped to pop or rather bark at anyone else.

All in all, things went well.

No one got bit.

YAY

Mom's Birthday Cake

Mom would have been ok with a Pepperidge Farm cake, but I found one of her old cookbooks and there was a fabulous recipe for a Mandarin Orange Cake..

Isn't it stunning.

It was also very simple

One of My favorite songs

Hallelujah is one of my all time favorite songs. A friend posted Bon Jovi's version today on Facebook.

Believe it or not, I've never heard his version before.



I think he did a damn good job with it.

Now if only Elvis Costello or his wife, Ms Diana Krall would cover it.

The Daddy Birds

A few years ago I started to collect little bird figurines with ear flap hats.

Why?

My dad had this horrible ugly hat with ear flaps that he wore every winter. It was navy blue with plaid lining.

Dear god was it ugly.

But every time I see a hat like that, I think of my Daddy.

Hence, Daddy Birds.

I love them, because they make me think of him.

They also seem to hide every year and I have to go through ever bin of decorations that I have to find them.

Sneaky little birds.

Things I Don't Understand.

I don't understand all the hate in the world. I watch the news and I try to understand. There are always going to be different belief systems when it comes to politics.

At one point in time I could understand both parties.

These days, not so much.

I understand not wanting the country in debt.

I don't understand not wanting healthcare for all Americans.

I don't understand people that think it would be awful for their children and their children's children to have cheaper college educations. Just because you are saddled with debt doesn't mean the upcoming generations need to be. The more educated we are, the more jobs and new ideas there will be.

I don't understand people that don't read. Books are such a fabulous thing and so much better than most TV and movies these days.

I don't understand hatred of one particular group of people.

I do however understand how instilling fear can cause that to happen.

I don't understand how we can let the fear take over our lives and in all actuality let the terrorists win. There's a fine line between making things safe and making things a prison.

Its a sad world we live in.

I Accomplished Much Today

I have Christmas decorations up, well most of them.

Woo hoo!

The tree will go up next weekend when I'm not running like a fool to get stupid things done.

I'm proud of myself.

I'll get some pictures in the next day or so, when I've found all the decorations that I want up.

I even have the outside done, which is amazing considering that we have no outdoor outlets.

At least the house is looking festive now, which is better than nothing, right?

I need to give up Facebook

Facebook is the devil.

I got started there because of a friend that played one of those stupid farm games.  I've made some wonderful friends there, but Facebook is detrimental to my health.

Why you ask?

I have a tendency to read comments.

On political posts and recipe posts.

That is enough to make anyone's head explode.

Not to mention those time sucking games. The are freaking addicting. I really want to increase my reading next year. I am at 100 books so far this year. I'd really like to go for 200 next year, and I think the only way to do that is to abandon Facebook.

Plus it would be nice to get back to more regular blogging.

Where Has The Month Gone

Gah, I only posted 1 time in the month of Nov? Tomorrow is Dec 1.

Is my life that boring?

Yes, I do think so.

I watch classic telly, read lots of books and am generally a miserable human.

Yup, so that's why there's no blog posts lately.

I really need to find a reason to get back into blogging.

Can anyone lend a hand?

Welcome To The Holidays

So Halloween is over and it is officially Christmas. The hell with the turkey, just buy a lot of presents.

Well, I'm broke.

They only care about how much people can consume.

More suicides happen over the holidays ....

I can't imagine why?

Its supposed to be the happiest season of all, right?

Well if you are lonely and your family is dwindling or far away...what happiness is there?

Hallmark plays Christmas movies from Nov 1  through Christmas about finding love. To that I say BAH! but without the humbug.

I just want a pretty house, some nice cookies to eat..and minimal drama. (By that, I mean as little time with my sister and her family as possible)

I want scaled down meals, because we end up wasting so much because there are only about 8 people max at my home for any holiday.

I'm 43, I don't need presents to keep me happy, though if anyone wants to buy a book or CD off my amazon wishlist..have at it. I never turn down good books or music. But I have a hard time imagining people spending thousands of dollars on one holiday.  It just doesn't seem right.

24 hours.

It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.

When those 24 hours are over....the let down is really hard.

And don't get me started on the car commercials, cos I'm never getting a Lexus with a big ole bow on it in my driveway for any holiday.

I'm Depressed

I was feeling  more than a little blue today.

I miss my Dewey.

I know there are other kitties in my house that need love, and I love them all so much, but the loss of my Dewey hurts more than I thought.

I mean, this hurts like losing a family member. She was my baby. I fell in love with this little ball of fluff from the moment she wandered into my yard.

Then as I was leaving work, Tom Petty's The Waiting was on the radio.

I thought David Bowie's death hurt, but dammit, Tom Petty's death is much more painful. I think he was one of the artists I listened to when I was barely old enough to care about music. Tom Petty, The Beatles and The Monkees.

I still feel like part of my life has been torn away.

Today everything felt a little more heavy on my heart.

Homemade Meat Sauce

I'm quite proud of myself. I meat spaghetti sauce from scratch today.

Woo hoo.

I generally use jarred sauce, because it is cheap, but we are trying to cut down on the sodium, and we had a surplus of tomatoes to end out the season, so I thought, why not give it a try.

I did a lot of googling for a recipe that would work.

I basically used this recipe, because my mom told me that when she used to make spaghetti sauce she always used tomato paste. My spice mix was different. We like to season with season salt or Nature's Seasoning. Oh and one of my go too things in pasta sauces, including jarred sauces, is Salad Supreme.

Its a very delicious sauce and thankfully it got rid of some of the plethora of tomatoes we have in the kitchen right now.

Facebook Brings Out The Stupid In People

I have met a great number of good people through Facebook, however when I read comments on food sites or political sites...no even worse entertainment/pop culture sites, I know that there is no hope left for mankind.

We are well and truly doomed.

There was an article posted about how millennials don't want grandma's heirloom silver and china. This is really not always the case, but I made the mistake of reading the comments after reading the article.

Big mistake.

Someone commented that all millennials want to do is rebel, protest and kill unborn children.

WTF.

What the serious fuck.

I understand that there are many viewpoints out there. There will always be more liberal minded people and other more conservative.

But let's be serious.

Why do people think that women want to have abortions on a whim?

Its not a choice I'd ever want to make, and people that I know who have had abortions have weighed their options heavily.

Also, if you find abortions so abhorrent, wouldn't you rather have birth control readily available to any woman that wants it?

Plus, most people that are pro life tend to be anti-welfare..

Which to me is a catch 22, but I wont go there, because that's a whole different can of worms, but lets just say that low income single parents seem to be the one's you see on the news when their babies are abused or murdered.

So I'll leave that out there for you to ponder.

And now I'll just go and play a few Facebook games

The Ever Changing Landscape of Friends

I always see these poignant captioned photos on facebook about friendship, and how you can have a friend that you don't speak to in ages, but when you see each other again, its like time hasn't passed at all.

I'm sorry, that is not always the case.

Life circumstances change friendship. I know this because I'm 43 and single, no kids, except furry ones and a caregiver for my mother. I'm also a bit curmudgeonly or bitchy if  you so prefer. My scope of friends has always been small. It's dwindled down to almost zippo at this point. I'm sure the bitchiness is part of it, but, oh well.

As people move on with their lives finances change, dreams change and the things you had in common with people change. That changes the friendship too. Sometimes the friendship can still exist, other times they just dissolve.

Most of the friends that I've had over the years have nothing in common with me anymore. Some I still talk to, but that doesn't mean the closeness is there.

Maybe I've never had a real best friend.

I should probably stipulate, I was always a loner even though I always dreamed of being "Popular." What girl doesn't. I wanted friendship like "Friends" "Coupling" and "The Big Bang Theory" but it never happened for me.

It probably never will.

I think I'll go pet my cats now.

Politics...Meh

They say you should never argue politics or religion.

I totally agree on that. 

It is the main reason why America's 2 party system is broken beyond repair.

Both parties are at opposite ends of the spectrum and neither understand the word compromise. Followers of the each party believe the other side are all douchenozzles or whatever insult is in line for the moment.

I find this totally terrifying.

I also find that hate that seems to be in the hearts of so many to be frightening.

Again I see this on both sides.

Reading political pages on Facebook is just...OYE...it hurts.

There are times when I'm pretty close to 100% sure that neither party cares about everyday people. There's definitely a "Let them eat cake" attitude going on, and that is just terrible.

I don't know what can be done to fix it, except maybe getting more people to care about government and more so, to care about other people. Until that happens, I think we are screwed.

Remembering Tom Petty

I've been a fan of Tom Petty for ages. My sister listened to him, so I know his music was in my life very early on.

I can't even fathom picking a favorite song that he recorded. There are so many great ones; Refugee, American Girl, The Waiting, Even The Losers, You Got Lucky, Don't Come Around Here No More, Jammin' Me, I Won't Back Down, Free Fallin'....see what I mean? There are just so many great ones.

I consider myself lucky to have seen Tom in concert on the tour for Full Moon Fever. It was a fabulous show, marred only by the fact that they changed how the seats were set up at the AJ Palumbo center. (I never have had good luck at this venue) We thought our seats were 8 rows from the stage, but instead we were all the way at the back of the gym.

Boo hiss.

I had brought roses for Tom too.

Can you say that sucks?

Yeah, I had a small crush on Tom back in the 90s.

He won bonus points with me because of his friendship with George Harrison. Anyone that hung out with George was ok in my book.

And now a few weeks shy of his 67th birthday, he's gone.

That's way to young to leave this earth.

And if you go to youtube and check out his last song at the show he performed on Sept 25th, you'll know that he still sounded great.

Tom...you broke on my heart when your's stopped.

~ Let's get to the point....let's roll another joint....turn the radio loud, I'm too alone to be proud

~

In My Life...I Love You More

Losing my Dewey has really brought me down.

We've always had pets, so I am no stranger to the loss of a beloved furbaby.

This one loss feels more painful.

When my Misty crossed the rainbow bridge, I felt the same way. She's the little grey kitty with my Oogie.  She was my baby girl too. The sweetest little thing ever.

Right now, I can't believe my Oogie is 15 years old.

They pass through our lives so quickly.  Dewey was only with us in the house for about 5 years, but she was outside another 2 and I was caring for her then. It is hard to believe it was such a short period of time. It feels like forever.

And now she's gone.

I miss her cotton candy fluff that got into everything. I miss her sitting on my laptop, which is slowly dying right now too. (That's another story though). I miss her stealing food and trying to help me cook. I miss her running and sliding through the house. I miss her little headbutts. I just miss her. She was the life of the party. I don't know that I'll ever get over losing her.

Starbucks....Meh

So I tried the Maple Pecan Latte

Its not a bad flavor, but it has no zing and for $5.35, my drink better have some zing. This had absolutely no zing at all.

I should have gone to Perked Up.

Everything there has zing and the people that work there are fun.

Now don't get me wrong, I love Starbucks, but I think they need to get on the ball and try to create some different coffee drinks.

My shop makes a fabulous bourbon caramel latte (sadly without real bourbon). Little City in Monongahela makes coffee soda, which is a very unique treat too.

There's nothing special about Starbucks for me anymore, except my rewards.

Plus Perked Up has good pastries and sandwiches..

And that was my ad for the day...I think I need my coffee now

I Miss My Dewey

My little orange ball of kitty cat fluff, passed away early yesterday morning.

I don't know that I'll ever get over losing this one.

Dewey was special, from the minute she showed up in our yard. She came with friends, one of which still lives with us. The other, who we called Creaminess, because he was orange and white, was hit by a car, before we could get him socialized enough to try to catch him.

This was 7 years ago.

She moved in 5 years ago.

She was my sweet Badoo.

I loved her with all my heart.

My dad called her Orangey and her fluffy tail was a thing of delight.

She loved spaghetti, corn on the cob, and potatoes. (Any kind really: fries, mashed, tater tots)

I like to think that she knew that she was loved for those years she spent with us.

She was a good kitty. You never had to worry about accidents from her. She would try to steal your food though.

I will love you always Dewey and will miss you forever...my sweet sweet Dewbeedoo

Walmart Sucks

I ventured to Walmart because there were a few things I needed that were way too much at Giant Eagle or that they just didn't have there.

Big mistake

Even though it was 80 degrees and sunny, everyone in God's creation decided to go shopping today. I realize that it is near the 1st of the month and a holiday, but really? People had nowhere else to go?

What I truly can't understand is how they have the registers set up.

Why the double check outs?

If you get an aisle that has both lanes open, it is absolutely impossible to get out of the damn store. What idiot thought that this would be a good idea?

And why would you have the lanes open that way when you have like 20 of them and you only have 25% of them (if that) open at any given time. Why couldn't they have 1 per lane open going from the grocery side of the story to the more department store side of the store?

Oh yeah, less stress for the shoppers.  We can't have that now can we? I mean if you don't walk out of the store hating humanity, than you obviously haven't been shopping at Walmart? Or you are lucky and live in an area where everyone is civilized.

(Today I saw a bunch of tattooed seniors with rainbow colored hair that was cool and traumatizing at the same time)

This is why I'd rather spend more money and shop elsewhere than shop at Walmart.

Starting to Care Again

Around the time my father got sick about 6 years ago, I really stopped caring about everything. I gained more weight than I care to admit. I stopped using much makeup or coloring my hair.

I look like hell and I'm not ashamed to admit it.

I've been trying to get out and walk as often as I can when the weather will allow it.

But I just don't feel pretty anymore.

So today when an ad for Ipsy popped up in my facebook, I thought I'd give it a go. Hey it's only $10! Why not give it a go. I could stand to have some new makeup.  If you want to check it out, click here

Back in the 80s my mom and I belonged to Cosmetique but it was expensive and you didn't always get fun stuff.

The last beauty purchases I made were a flavored lip gloss and a charcoal and black sugar facial mask.

Yeah. I'm not a beauty junkie anymore.

Now 10 years ago...I was broke but buying Chanel makeup.

I guess I learned how to conserve, but I neglected myself for so long. I have to do something to change things.

Here's hoping this might help

I'm Gutted

The other day, mom and I were talking about my friend, Mary. I met her when I was in college and we had a sort of on again and off again friendship over the years.

Currently our friendship was off.

Now it is off for good.

I was trying to look up when her mother passed away, and in doing so I learned that Mary had also passed on Jan 7, 2016.

Words can not begin to express how bad I feel.

She ended the friendship over a post I made about Fox News.

Then she said I hated her mom, which was not true. Yes, her mom was crazy, and in a way that made those around her crazy, but I did not then or now or ever hate her mom.

That was it..

I don't think she could ever understand that I couldn't just go out to dinner then, because in 2012 my dad's health was already failing. I couldn't leave the house and I had to cook the meals for him and my mom, so doing dinner was just foolish. (Plus I hate Kings)

I keep thinking about all the places we went together. We went to Lancaster one weekend, and did a weekend trip to Atlantic City on Miss America weekend! I saw the show me your shoes parade. (It was truly one the most bizarre trips ever) Another weekend, we went to Erie and visited my niece Monica and her family.

There were good times, but politics divided us a lot.

I wish she would have been more understanding.

I hope she has found peace now. I hope she's forgiven me, because I have forgiven her.

What I've Been Up To

Sometimes its really hard to keep it all together, but I'm hanging in there.

I've been trying to get back into the swing of walking.  I'm up to 2 miles a day on the walking path near my house. (One day I may even start losing weight)

I've rediscovered my love for Nick Lowe's music.

I've been doing quite a bit of reading. I'm trying to work my way through most of the Hannah Swensen Mysteries, before she marries Hannah off to a guy that hasn't been in any of the other books.

I keep trying new recipes. My next foray into the unknown is a zucchini, cheddar and chive quick bread. Here's hoping it turns out edible!

I need to find a recipe for sweet peppers. Not sure if I want to stuff them or if there is something more interesting I can do with them.

Other than that, not much new going on here.

Stupid Photobucket

OK, so I thought I'd try to fix the broken image links which were hosted in my two photobucket sites.,

That lasted about 15 minutes as I tried to edit an old blog post from way back when. (Like back in 2002).

Nope it wasn't happening.

But that was when my blog had a different address, so maybe that was why I could do nothing.

I have a tendency to be a perfectionist, so knowing their are broken links on some of my blogs just really irks the hell out of me.

I think going forward I'm going to use very few images in my posts unless they are from my phone or something of the like, so I don't go crazy.

~sigh~

When It Rains It Pours

I could be talking about the weather, which pretty much has been quite damp this summer, or I could be talking about all the issues that have plagued me since April.

Let's see...2 of my cats have cost me near $1000.00, between eye and ear infections and a strange skin condition

Mom was back in the hospital at the beginning of this past week with afib

Then there's the work issue.

Its not related to me, but it has me stuck in the middle.

It seriously is making me want to drink large quantities of alcohol.

Oh and apparently photobucket wants you to pay for anything worthwhile so most of my photo links on all my blogs are dead.

Grrrrr.

I think its time to make that proverbial lemonade from all the lemons life has been tossing me lately.

Cupcakes and Coffee Oh My

My favorite place in the whole world...ok, maybe not the whole world, because I still long for some places in Atlantic City and Sugarcreek, OH, but as far as the Mon Valley is concerned, Perked Up Cafe is my favorite place to be.

First of all, all the employees are so nice and the owner is super sweet. That makes the shop so welcoming and wonderful.

The decor of the shop is adorable. A fabulous vintage look that's so cozy. It makes you think of a shop that would be featured in a cozy mystery series.

Secondly, everything on the menu that I've tried so far is delicious.

Soup?  Yum! Broccoli cheese is to die for and there was a mushroom orzo that was perfect too.

Candied bacon? YUM YUM YUM! (Candied bacon, is seriously one of natures most perfect foods)

Breakfast sandwiches? OMG YUM! It is so nice to see breakfast sandwiches that don't involve English muffins, and I really have no issues with muffins, but they are boring.

But let's talk about the cupcake. Cos Perked Up as the best pastries, I've found in a coffee shop.

The chocolate espresso cupcake is a coffee lovers dream. Its a little poke cupcake, because that icing that is a touch of coffee heaven, goes deep into the cupcake. There's also a pumpkin cupcake that will delight fans of the fall flavor.

Oh, I forgot, this is a coffee shop, so how is the coffee?

Kiss Starbucks goodbye. You won't need it anymore.  I have a drink that I adore, the Pretty In Pink. Its and iced raspberry white chocolate latte with a shot of espresso, topped with whipped cream and white chocolate and a raspberry drizzle.

So if you are looking to limit your sugar, well..I feel sorry for you, because this is a fabulous drink.

If you aren't a fan of sweet drinks, don't worry, there's plenty for those of you that just need a cup of Joe.

This is truly one of the best things to happen to Charleroi, in ages.

I'm Melting

This fat girl isn't cut out for 90 degree temperatures.

My house doesn't have central air, just small units in certain rooms.

Cooking makes the house hotter.

I'm tired. I'm miserable and I can't even go for my walks..cos well...I don't wish to die.

And now I have a clog in my bathroom tub.

Please just shoot me.

Cat Pictures

Birthday recap

My birthday weekend was pretty awesome this year.

I'm really not sure how that all came to be, but it was.

Friday night ....had drinks and appetizers with my sister at Red Dawgs and then saw Donnie Iris, which was cool, even thought it was only 2 songs.

Saturday I did some shopping, along with my usual laundry, got some cool clothes and discovered that our tiny Mexican taco stand type restaurant is awesome.

On my birthday, I went to the library's book sale and to Barnes and Noble and Trax. It really couldn't get much better than that.

Oh and pizza pretzels rock

I drooled over some pretty gorgeous flowers at Trax too.

It was really a nice few days

Its My Birthday and I'll Cry If I Want To

I want to talk about Doctor

I watched the finale of series 10 of Doctor Who and I'm absolutely gutted. I have a tendency to cry at the end of Doctor Who series, especially when a Doctor is departing.

I cried for the 10th Doctor..I cried at the Day of The Doctor for everyone, I cried for 11, though I wasn't fond of the episode, but for The Doctor falls, I started crying early on for 12.

See, I feel like 12 has got the short end of the stick in his brief tenure as The Doctor. Peter Capaldi was so brilliant in his curmudgeonly incarnation of the time lord, but he was saddled with the worst companion for 2 out of his 3 series.

Clara Oswald and Danny Pink ruined things for him, rather than making the episodes better. Sure Jenna Coleman is a beautiful girl and she was ok with The Eleventh Doctor, but saddled with a mature, not classically handsome timelord made her unbearable.

Twelve deserved a companion like Sarah Jane Smith, someone smart and inquisitive.  Bill Potts was a nice addition, but I still wanted more. Oh and I don't care what anyone says, I loved Nardole. (Matt Lucas is fab)

Deep down I think River Song or Missy would have made a fabulous companion for 12 for a complete series.

By the time the episode was ending, in a nasty cliffhanger way, I was really looking for tissue. I just don't want Capaldi to go and the ending....AH...just AH...I want to see the Christmas episode so badly, but I don't want 12 to regenerate.

I hate when tv shows leave me gutted like this.

Donnie Iris

Be proud of me.

I went.

He played 2 songs

Routines are Bad

I am a creature of habit.

Back in my 20s and even my early 30s I'd be able to get home from work, decide I wanted to go somewhere and go. I wouldn't feel like my day was screwed up if I did.

I'm going to be 43 on Saturday, if I go to the grocery store after 6 o'clock, I feel like my life is being shook up.

I don't know why this has happened to me, but I don't like it, and I don't know how to change it. I like things done at a certain time and when they aren't I get frustrated.

This weekend is community days in our town and there's a small concert downtown on Friday night. Donnie Iris, a kinda local one hit wonder from the 80s is playing. I mentioned that I wouldn't mind going down. (This is about 6 blocks down the hill) and then it was decided that I'd go with my sister, and yet something is not sitting right with me, going somewhere and doing something, that is likely going to be fun.

WTF is wrong with me?

Have I had to worry about too many other people that when I have a chance to do something now I feel guilty about doing it and therefore don't want to? Am I becoming that anti-social?


ARGH!

I need to break out of my boring routine that is turning me into a lump

Important albums in my life

It nearing my birthday and my birthday has always brought music to mind.  Today I found myself thinking about all the albums that really meant a lot to me in my   *GASP* 43 years.


There are artists that have to be on this list:

The Moody Blues, Elvis Costello, Gordon Lightfoot, Glass Tiger, Erasure to name but a few. Some artists that seemed important to me for a long time aren't anymore.

I seriously can not take much Duran Duran these days. I used to love them. I had dreams of Simon LeBon and Nick Rhodes, but these days I can barely listen to them.

Off the top of my head the albums that I can still listen to and love even now are


The Moody Blues - Long Distance Voyager
The Moody Blues  - Strange Times
Elvis Costello - Brutal Youth
Elvis Costello - Blood and Chocolate
Gordon Lightfoot - Sundown
Gordon Lightfoot - Summertime Dream
Erasure - I Say I Say I Say
Erasure - Wild
Keith Harkin - Keith Harkin
Justin Hayward - The View From A Hill
Celtic Thunder - Heritage
Byrne & Kelly - Acoustically Irish
The Monkees - Headquarters
The Monkees - Pisces Aquarius Capricorn & Jones
Diana Krall - The Girl In The Other Room
The Beatles - Rubber Soul
The Beatles - Revolver
George Harrison - Cloud 9
George Harrison - Somewhere In England
Paul McCartney - Press To Play
Paul McCartney - Tug Of War

Internet Free Days

Sunday my cable modem died. Comcast couldn't bring another one out until late Tuesday, so I was mostly internet free for nearly 3 days.

It was refreshing.

I didn't get overloaded on news about 45, which actually relaxed me for a bit.

I actually got some reading done too. That was amazing.

In those days I really came to understand what "Too Much Information" really means. News is out there in so many sources, real and fake. (BTW CNN isn't fake news...) And what does that news do? It helps foster the hatred that is so prevalent in our society today.

Maybe we all need to unplug a lot more.

Then we wouldn't be angry or jealous or just anxious of what is going on.

Watching the 6 o'clock news is enough to fill the void anymore.

Losing My Mind

OK, most of you probably know that I don't have much of a mind to start with, but I am losing what I have left of one now.

I get books from publishers to review and from authors that have tours scheduled for their books.

One book has gone missing, and I swear to god I had it.

I swear it had been on the mantle above my fireplace.

The only place it could have gone from there would be my reading room and it isn't freaking there.

I swear to god that the book has vanished into thin air!

This is the kind of stuff that happens to me all the dang time.

Join me in saying ARGH please.

Why I Don't Like Holidays

Holidays always bite me in the ass.

I try to make them nice.

I go out of my way to decorate...to make good food...whatever I can and yet nothing ever goes right.

Memorial Day had my kitty 'Mokey in a tizzy. I thought he had a UTI. Seems my cat is neurotic and has a horrible flea allergy.

Can  you say bye bye to money?

$173.00 later, 'Mokey had quite a shot and now has a fancy flea coller.

Hopefully that will help the little guy out.

This comes one month after Dewey had eye/ear problems.

Seriously, I can go years with no health issues with my pets, but when they decide to get issues they do it all at one time.

And things like this always happen around holidays or birthdays or other days that are supposed to be calm and relaxing, but never ever are.