I had Brandy out in the snow today and noticed she was walking funny.  I have seen this before but dismissed it thinking I was just seeing things.  She seemed to be able to run well.  She stands up or her hind legs to beg for a treat.  I have watch her play with Molly and she didn’t seem to be in any pain.  Yet as I watched her closely today her hind legs seemed to be bending backward.  I called the Vet. and was told to bring her in about 3:00 pm and they would look at her then. 

Just a little before 3 we arrived.  I have to say I was concerned.  I kept thinking I should have paid closer attention to her sooner. 

Dr. Buck looked her over and announce she was double jointed.  She stands very straight, goes on tip toes, then breaks what ever that means.  She assured me there is nothing wrong I just have a weird dog.  I replied that was all right she lives with a weird family.  Brandy just gave me one more reason to love her plus the ones I had already!  She weighs 9.2 pounds now so she isn’t quite the piggy I thought she was.

First a Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you.  I wanted to show you what my Valentine was up to just after daylight.  Yes my friends we got ours last night.  Not as deep as some poor souls around the country but enough for Jay to pull out the John Deere and plow the driveway this morning.  I didn’t get outside but did catch him as he came in after he finished. 

He said it was amazing how warm the house felt after riding that tractor.  He gets to do so little driving that he honestly likes plowing. 

I have to show you a picture of my little ballerina sans her tutu.  It is sad what a girl has to do to get a Corn Chex for a treat.

Sadder still was the look on her face before lunch when Molly walked up to her dish with tuna juice in it, drank it all, and then got up on the utility room desk to drink her own.  Poor Brandy looked at me like do something!  This is the first time Molly has ever touch anything of Brandy’s on the floor.  Jay said Molly is a pig disguised as a cat! 

Yesterday I spent over two hours on the phone to numerous departments of AT&T and my health insurers to find the answer to the two missing statements needed to finish filing my taxes I finally got the answers I needed.  But I have to say following the ‘yellow brick road’ when you have a non standard question is a pain in the ass.  The first question is usually do you want this in English?  After another three or four questions the recording asks you if you want to talk about one of the following items naming nothing that pertains to your question.  So you say Representative.  The recording says I don’t understand and name the same items again.  You say Representative. The recording say I don’t understand.  This goes on for three or four times and finally the recording says I’ll connect you to a representative.  Then you get this ‘all representatives are busy please hold’ business.  Finally you get the live person and have to give a PIN number which you don’t have so they connect you to Security to check you and help you decide on a PIN number.  Then they connect you back to the Representative who’s line is busy—please hold.  When you finally get the Rep. again he/she informs you that they don’t handle that question but will connect you to someone who does.  Repetition of the whole thing starts again with a new voice.  I find it very hard to keep a civil tongue and calmly answer the same questions over and over again.  I tried asking for a Supervisor and was told in no uncertain terms that who I was speaking with had the same authority as their Supervisor.  All I can say is it is a sad state of affairs when a company tells you what they want you to talk about, in what language, and doesn’t have the decency to offer you a person (or a number to press) when their options don’t fit your needs. 

—but I can still see over the edge!!! 

2:15 in the morning—what is that noise?  The cat ? No it is my Brandy whimpering.  So it is haul my old carcass out of bed, find some shoes, then a coat and the leash.  Get Brandy, hook her up and stagger out in the cold.  I stand there half asleep hoping that she is doing what ever it is she needed to do because I haven’t quite got my eyes open yet.  I’m used to the cat bumping the basement door to be let downstairs in the middle of the night.  I hear her when my good ear isn’t in the pillow.  When it is Jay usually gets up and lets her down.  But that is not near as traumatic as when the wind hits you bare legs in the early morning. 

I’m sitting here tonight in a lined flannel shirt trying to think of something hilarious or at interesting to say and be darn if nothing is working.  I know in a few days I will not have my daughter’s other mother to share a birthday with this year and that is a downer.  We knew each for over 30 years and she shared some life changing experiences with me.  The birth of Cindy, the death of my first husband, my second marriage and through it all she was nearby if I needed someone to keep things going when I worked.  It is hard to think to realize that she is gone.  She shouldn’t be.  We were exactly the same age, born the the same day.  On our 70th birthday Cindy and I took her to dinner. 

I am also worried about this appointment with the new doctor.    I’m hoping he can get Jay’s arm straightened around.  It has been over six months since we started on the dialysis journey.  He has had so many disappointments that I sometimes wonder how he copes with everything.  But he does and that is what is important.

Enough of the down stuff—Keep warm , healthy and happy!

On the 7th after completing all my to do list except meeting with the mop bucket, ironing a shirt and dusting I could feel my old ankles and feet beginning to scream.  This continued all night despite the 800 mg Motrin.  The pain of stepping down on the floor after waking twice in the middle of the night only added to the apprehension of making it 17 steps to the bathroom without an accident.  I have a walker and a cane in my bedroom but both were across the room by the bathroom door—smart planning!  I know better than to do too much in one day.  That I will pay for overdoing.  But I try anyway.  I can’t seem to accept the fact that my old feet and ankles won’t stand for the abuse any more.

Yesterday when I finally rose for the day I decided that I would let the rest of the list go.  After breakfast made by an understanding hubby I went into the front room to this sight.  Molly and Brandy were both asleep in the morning sun and I knew that I needed to at least put up my legs and relax also.  I piled into the recliner with my book and the afghan I’m working on.  With my legs up I stayed until the bladder called for a pee break. 

Today I feel much better after a restful night.  I have kept up with the dishes, the laundry, and feeding my animals (and birds inside and out) for now but the mopping and dust is still on hold.  I’ve figured the check book, revised the list of medicines needed for Dr. visits, updated the medial expense list, and finished my 500+ page book.  Now I’m going to read e-mail, visit blogs, make a lunch for Jay when he gets home from dialysis, and try to squeeze in a little Free Cell!

Keep happy and warm until we visit again!

It is off to the post office this morning to get these squares mailed to firefly in New York.  She plans to assemble four blankets by the 28th so I had to get this part done.

In Otisville I buy my suet and outside bird seed at Otisville Glass just across the street from the post office so I’ll stop there while I’m out and a look at the gas gauge said that I’d better drop a few bucks at Conlee’s Mobil just a block away.  The truck starts as soon as I turn the key even in zero weather so I don’t want to let it get too low before a refill.

The rest of my day will be devoted to catch up.  My squares took a lot of time away from the vacuum, bird cages, dust rag, and mop bucket so I will make a list as soon as I leave you and start working towards crossing everything off before I pick up the beginning of my afghan again.  One thing I will have to add to my list is to put my outside bird seed into plastic milk jugs and get them into the blue plastic box on the deck.  This makes storage easier and puts the seed right at hand when I need to go out in the cold and fill the feeder. 

Wow now this plans to be an exciting day in what, my daughter, Cindy calls ‘Hooterville!  But such is life when when the big 72 looms closer every day!!!!

From the beginning something wasn’t quite right.  Well two little mice sitting with two big cats sitting between them.  The first hand found the mice in the lead.  the second hand and we were still leading.

The cat in the hat was was very quietly watching every move we made.  He like his partner didn’t bid excessively.

No sneaky cat was waiting and watching our every move.  We eagerly took the the cards, like crumbles of cheddar, into our hands and digested every one.  The third, forth, and fifth hand and still we continued through the maze without interference from the cats.  I suddenly notices their eyes began to gleam and their tails twitched ever so slightly.

My partner, the little red mouse, continued to study her cards smiling once in a while but not saying much.
On the sixth hand I sensed that something had change .  My cheese was beginning to lose it’s flavor.  It seemed to grow weaker in my hand. On the seventh and eighth hand the cats began to bid us up and as we dropped off they grinned like Chessies with tails switching slowly.  I knew then that they had been just playing with us waiting to make their final move.

Then on the ninth hand as we sat there helpless they pounced.  They had won again and all we had was a little squeek of defeat left in our tiny bodies.

We tried to smile as good losers do but this was not a game of pinochle but of cat and mouse , my friend!

If you have missed my silver tongue words of wisdom ( read bullshit baby) this is why.

Firefly from I Live On A Farm  has a project in which she makes quilts for Habitat For Humanity projects that her hubby is involved in.  She has people from the net knit 7 inch squares which she sews together. I checked with her and found she accepts crochet squares also.  So far I have seven ready to go using leftover yarn from other projects.  If you are interested in helping go to her blog and click on Gracious Parcels. 

In between times I pick up this and read a chapter or two.

This novel has 569 pages.  I’m on page 238 so it will be a while before I get through this one.  I really liked ‘The Da Vinci Code’ but the sheer size of this book has kept me doing the put it down and forget it for a while.  But I am determined to get it read so I pick it back up. 

Jay’s dialysis appointments have gone from Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday to Monday, Wednesday, and Friday now.  The time of his session has changed from 3 1/2 hours down to 2 1/4 hours.  His appointment with the new surgeon is on 2/23/07.  Hopefully it will be a fixable situation and he will be able to shower in one session and wash his hair when he wants to. 

Yesterday Les, Anne, and Courtney came up for the first visit since Christmas and Jay made Chinese Five Spice Ribs with a kick butt Sweet Orange BBQ sauce.  He made mashed potatoes with cream cheese and garlic to go with it.  Homemade pickled beets, whole kernel corn, Caesar salad, and a Cherry Fruit Filled Torte from the bakery at the grocery store rounded out our meal.  It was a combination catchup and fix my computer screw-ups visit.  I sent the two Bradbury books home with Courtney to read and invited Anne to a visit to the jam room to restock. 

So it is back to the hook and the yarn for a couple more squares before I ship them off.  Stay warm, remember to smile and we will visit again. 

Interesting when you think I’m not a Bible reader and haven’t been in 50 years.  I guess somethings stick in the memory.

I am: Gregory Benford A master literary stylist who is also a working scientist.

Which science fiction writer are you?