Kelly!

Kelly came into my life in March of 1990 and there's never been a dull moment since. She didn't sleep well at night until she was 2 years old, and I'm convinced that was because her little mind never stopped. She started talking when she was 14 months old and I swear she's never stopped. Kelly is a happy-go-lucky person, full of energy and insight, has a terrific sense of humor (she's made me pee my pants on more than one occasion much to her amusement) and is ever creative. She inherited artistic genes from Grandma Dody - they pretty much skipped right over me. Her favorite creative outlets include beadwork, sketching and sculpting with modeling clay. She has a great ear for music - took violin and piano lessons for a while but didn't have the discipline to keep up with daily practicing, so those activities dropped off. Then there were a couple of years of dance class (what a riot those recitals are!! I highly recommend a dance recital if you're feeling down in the dumps. You'll laugh so hard you'll be crying. Seriously.) And she was in Girl Scouts for several years, which I willingly participated in as a helper (for a while, anyway). These days she works hard at school getting really good grades, spends countless hours on the phone with friends and works part-time at her first job at a local family restaurant. She loves her family, really loves her pets (future veterinarian? she says but that may change) and is the most wonderful friend and daughter a mom could ever want. I wouldn't trade her for anyone else!

Matthew My Son

My most wonderful son came into my world in July of 1986. This is part of a letter I wrote him prior to a retreat he was to go on during his senior year in high school.

"I can think of endless adjectives that describe you. You’re smart, good-looking, talented, creative, sensitive and a deep thinker. You’ve got the soul of a poet, and a mind that calculates, multiplies and imagines all sorts of things. You’ve got a hankering to be a musician, and the incredible skills it takes to be a computer whiz. You’re a Lego-Maniac, a pretty good poker player and a really good bowler. You’re a good friend to many, and the best buddy for your favorite feline, Beanie.

I can also think of many, many words that tell how I feel about you, my first child and the apple of my eye since you were born in 1986. You made me what I always wanted to be – a mother. Thank you for that!! I have fed you, diapered you, given you medicine, helped you to walk, then ride a bike. We read books together, played at the park and the zoo on countless sunny days – all the things that you and I loved to do. You’ve made me laugh, made me cry and you’ve kept me awake many nights. (Some things never change, do they?) You have changed me, helped me to grow as a person, and you have taught me many things – about patience, how to be a better listener, how to interpret body language, how to bite my tongue sometimes … and now you’re teaching me how to let go. You’re just about grown up, ready to go out on your own and it scares me to death. It’s time for you to help me grow some more – how to be the parent of a grown up, no longer “Mommy”, no longer the biggest influence in your life, but hopefully still a trusted ally and friend as you go through college.

My hope for you as you continue to grow to adulthood is that you love the people in your life with all your heart, that you find your passion and pursue it, and that you grow to be an outwardly focused young man, always reaching out to your family, friends and strangers, sharing your time and your talents. You have so many wonderful gifts to share!

Remember, I’m here to hold you close and love you unconditionally. I’m always ready for that big hug whenever you want to give one, and I always want to hear what’s going on in your life. I’m your Mommy forever! ~ XOXO ~ I love you!"

Matthew has taught me so much, and as it comes time to let go of him I'm worried, scared and happy for him all at once. I've done my best to be a good parent for 19 years, and I hope I've done it well. Go and be happy, Matt! And always wear your seat belt :)

Four Felines in the Family

I've been a cat lover since I was young, growing up with two cats named Fluffy and KT. They were indoor/outdoor cats which caused me many nervous days and sleepless nights. They were great hunters and, since our neighborhood bordered on a large county park, they would take off sometimes for 2 or 3 days on lengthy adventures in the woods. All well for them; I would worry constantly til they came back home. Hence, my cats since then have been indoor cats. I have enough stress in my life without having to worry about where my cats are, dead or alive, hurt or healthy ...?

Our first cat is Lucy pictured above in her favorite spot, on top of the dryer in the laundry room. She especially loves to sprawl on the dryer while it's doing a load of clothes - her old bones love the warmth. She's 16 years old and in decent health, lives a pretty low-key existence in the laundry room. She'll venture out at night to visit the kids as they watch TV or work on the computer, but as soon as she hears one of the dogs she runs for the safety of the laundry room via the "cat door" that Chris installed years ago. Lucy loves a good scratch behind the ears and under the chin, but whatever you do, DON'T go down her back towards her tail else you'll get a big HISS and a growl out of her.

A number of years later we acquired Kirby (named after the kids video game). How old is Kirby? Mmmm, probably about 10. But she's kept her girlish figure very well, thank you. She's the biggest scaredy-cat of them all, very timid, petite and afraid of ... well, pretty much everything. Believe it or not, I actually paid good money ($20) to take her to a pet psychic a few years ago. We had a "reading" done in which the lady told Kirby that she needn't be so afraid of the dogs and encouraged Kirby to stand her ground with them. And she has gotten better with the dogs - but still lives her life in Kelly's bedroom, or in the laundry room. She slinks in and out of Kelly's room whenever she thinks the coast is clear, and makes a beeline for the basement and into the laundry room. What a sad, sad life! She's even intimidated by our newest cat who seems to take enjoyment in cornering her in Kelly's room. Kirby's favorite thing to do is snuggle with Kelly (see picture above), the closer the better, usually draped around her head in some fashion.

Cat # 3 is Big Fat Beanie. He's about 8 years old, very striped like Lucy and unfortunately is quite obese. He weighs in around 20 lbs. which I know can't be healthy (I think it's genetic!). I'm ashamed to take him to the vet - Dr. Jeff would be sure to give us a lecture about good nutrition for our felines. I don't think he eats any more than the others do, and they're all slim and trim. So what's the deal?? When we first got him we were trying to figure out a good name which always takes DAYS when you have 2 kids with all sorts of ideas (and of course I had my thoughts as well ...) One evening we couldn't locate him anywhere in the house, then discovered he was practically right under our noses snoozing in a pile of Beanie Baby stuffed animals. So that decided it - Beanie Baby it was. He's right at home with the dogs, has never minded them at all because of his laid-back personality, I guess. He hangs out with them all the time so we refer to him sometimes as our "Cat Dog." He does go out on the back deck with them and naps in the sun once in a while, even tries to get out of the yard once in a long while. His favorite pastime is to sleep with Matt, right up close in a big hug. I think Matt uses Beanie like one of those body pillows.... Beanie's portrait was taken out on our deck as he enjoyed the sun one fine fall day.

Two years ago we were introduced to an angry little black kitten who was injured and scared. Our neighbor told us she was mean and nasty, but nonetheless was walking up and down the street with this hissing creature in a cat carrier, trying to find a home for it. Well, as always, we have SUCKER written all over us, so Chris and I agreed to take her to the vet with us the next day since we already had appointments for the 3 dogs to have their check-ups. We got her all set up in one of the dogs crates - food, water, toys - and kept her in the laundry room overnight. Doctor Jeff gave her an x-ray the next morning and found that she had a fractured clavicle (?shoulder? do I have the right word?) and that nothing could be done to fix it, really. Just like when a person has a broken collarbone - you can't put it in a cast, you just have to keep it immobile and let it heal slowly. So that's what we did for this kitten - we tried in vain to find someone to take her, but no luck, kept her in the dog crate for a couple of weeks, tried to minimize her activity (HA!) and let her get better. We never did come up with the perfect name for her so she's remained "Baby Kitty" or most often just BK. She's an undercover kitty - loves to wiggle her way under a bedspread or blanket and sleep all curled up. And she's the only one who loves to play fetch with cat toys. She also hangs out with the dogs, doesn't mind them at all, and she enjoys a good tussle with big fat Beanie once in a while. They groom one another sometimes as cat pals will do but that frequently ends in a wrestling match. So BK is here to stay.

Our mantra now is NO MORE PETS - we've sworn that there will be NO ADDITIONS from here out. We need to enjoy the 7 that we have and realize that we can't save them all. We've done our fair share! Have you??

The Flowers of 2005

October and November inevitably bring cool nights and frosty mornings, gorgeous leaves on the trees, fall decorations on the porch and the sound of the marching band off in the distance at the high school football games. The down side to this crisp fall weather? It's time to say good-bye to my gardens and potted plants, time to get down and dirty and clear out all the flowers that I've worked to cultivate over the past 6 months. I so much look forward to the warm weather every year, from pansy season all the way through the mums of fall. So emptying the containers, pulling out the annuals and trimming back the perennials is a chore that I don't look forward to. It means that winter is really coming, cold days and even colder nights are just around the corner ... and I just start marking time until April rolls around. I love the colors, the shapes, the smells of my flowers - I get a cheap thrill out of arranging and re-arranging the pots on the deck and on the front porch, and yes, I love to go to the garden stores to shop for even more flowers than I already have. One of my favorite things this season was the new window box that Chris made and mounted up high on the brick wall above the driveway. Just beautiful - a perfect bithday gift! The geraniums in the box are still going strong because the warmth of the brick and the morning sun keep them thinking it's still summertime. Gotta love it - flowers blooming in November! Here's to the flowers of 2005!

The Joys Of Pet Ownership

The three canines in my life keep our household lively ... that is to say - chaotic, noisy, messy, interesting.

Tandie is the old lady, moving a bit more slowly than when I first met her 8 years ago. We're really hoping that her fence-climbing days are over (yes, she had mastered the art of hefting her overweight self over the chain link fence into the neighbors yard, and from there - freedom to roam the streets!) She's the "original" dog of the house, still considers herself the Canine Queen of It All.

Then along came Tyson from the SPCA. We saw him there 2 days in a row and couldn't turn our backs on him. He's a little high-strung, you could say - has quite a bit of nervous energy. If our home is ever invaded by burglars, he'll be the one biting and chewing on legs and generally making a scene. Very protective, very spastic, always hungry. That's our middle dog.

Then, one summer day, we saw a pen of puppies in a yard, beautiful little black dogs, half German Shepherd, half American Eskimo. When we saw Tango's blue eye/brown eye (just like Tandie's) ... well, let's just say we beat a path to the ATM machine for the $50 bucks the lady was charging. Tango came home with us at 8 weeks old and has grown into a magnificent, impressive dog. Those who don't know her are intimidated, but she's gentle, loving and quite submissive. And does she ever talk. Just an incredible dog (can you tell which is my favorite?).

You'd never know that I was the cat lover and didn't like dogs too much ... but these guys have given me a new perspective. (In the background you can probably hear my husband saying, "See, you're a dog person now!" to which I respond, "I'm a cat AND dog lover now. I love our dogs, not necessarily ALL dogs!" )

Those are the canines. I'll devote another entry to the four felines.

I Did It All By Myself!

Even though I'm not a techie person, by golly I think I've managed to set up a basic blog account. Yow. Even we older folk can do this, without the help of our teenage children! Now if only we could get Mom on-line (83 years old, going strong) we'd have a miracle on our hands. But I should try to get the Sisters onto this...and Tom, in Montana.

This is one of the VERY few quiet moments I have in my life - the hubster is out of town (in Louisiana helping with hurricane clean-up) and Matt's at Emily's -?- I'm never sure where he is. And Kelly is at her dad's for a while this evening. So it's me and the cats and the dogs and lots of housework that should probably be done. The story of my life. As usual, I'm multi-tasking, heating up some dinner, running a load of laundry and doing my computer work.

So let me see if I can't actually post this and call it a good night!