Diary of a Cat…Part 1

Today I helped sort some family photos…

….You’re welcome.

Advertisement

In Search of Sleep

Sleep and I are on the outs.

It’s confusing because we used to be so close. We were always in sync, completely in tune with each other but lately he’s been aloof, distant, only stopping by when he feels like it.

I think the riff started back when I was in my late forties. Menopause came around and I started spending a lot of time with those troublesome hormones. They were always showing up unexpectedly, all flashy and hot, sometimes in the middle of the night. I think Sleep got jealous, tired of them intruding on the good thing we had going.

Whatever the cause, he sure has made himself scarce lately. I’ve tried all kind of tricks to bring him back, yoga breathing, visualization, exercise, even warm milk but it’s just no use.

Sometimes the problem is my brain, comfortably cradled on my pillow yet suddenly filled with EVERY SINGLE conversation or thought that has crossed it’s path in the last twelve hours. Sometimes the problem is more physical; aches and pains, restless legs, night sweats. I’ve become so unpredictable and high maintenance that it’s no wonder Sleep has gotten tired of me.

Most often during these lonley, Sleep-less nights I just lie in bed watching the hours pass, wondering what I could have done to drive him away. I also wonder how I’ll make it through the next day, red eyed and groggy. Some nights I’ll get up, read a book, have a snack, (write a blog post,) but usually I just wait…

…wait for Sleep to return.

He can’t stay away forever, right? I really hope not.

I love Sleep.

I miss Sleep.

A Little Kitty Break…

Our newest family member has an unusual way of relieving her thirst so I thought I’d share, just for fun. Happy Sunday!

The Weekly Smile…Perfect Day

So here is something I can totally relate to…

…or any other day.

The Weekly Smile is brought to you by Trent’s World. Stop by and share a smile yourself.

The Tale of the Red Dress and the Broken Glass

Recently, on Facebook one of those “get-to-know-you” lists was circulating. It had about 50 life events that you were just suppose to answer “yes” or “no” to, (been scuba diving, watched a baby being born, visited all 50 states, etc). One of the things on the list that I was able to answer “yes” to was “rode in an ambulance.” Usually, this would be a serious or sad event but my ambulance trip was more of a strange and embarrassing ride and, as it turned out, a really lousy way to meet men. Who knew, right? I hadn’t thought about that night for many years but it’s a pretty funny story so I thought I would share.

 

To begin this story we must first time travel back to the year 1983. My friend Patti  I, two twenty-something singles females, were heading out for a night on the town. I was feeling pretty fancy in my favorite little red dress with matching red heels, my brown hair permed to within an inch of its life. Patti was sporting a silk blouse with shoulder pads and high waisted pants with pleats (1983, remember).

The club we went to had a DJ and a dance floor and catered to hip young singles like us. By ten o’clock it was pretty packed. We staked ourselves a spot at the bar and I had struck up a conversation with a really nice looking blond guy that I’ll call “Doug” (because I can’t really remember his name but I think he looked like a “Doug.”) I was drinking a lite beer and Doug had a scotch on the rocks in one of those really heavy bar glasses, the kind with the thick bottoms. Somehow, during our conversation, as he leaned over to shout something in my ear, (the music was very loud), the glass slid out of his hand, hit the tile floor bottom first, and shattered into a million pieces.

The infamous red dress on another occasion

Everyone in the immediate area jumped back, stunned looking down at the mess on the floor. The tiny chunks of glass looked a bowl of diamonds spilled across the floor. It was really quite beautiful. Then we noticed that there was blood mixed with the diamonds. At first we checked Doug’s hands and arms but when I looked back down I realized that I was the wounded one. Apparently there was a cut on the inside of my right ankle just above the shoe line because every few seconds a little stream of blood would shoot out all over the floor and down the inside of my opposite calf. This was  both worrisome and macabre. I wasn’t in any pain but I obviously couldn’t stand there bleeding all over the dance floor.

The music was still blaring and most of the crowd was totally unaware that anything was awry. The area around me,however, was pandemonium. Patti came rushing over, a nurse in the crowd took charge and the bartender hopped from behind the bar and kind of pushed/carried me through the nearest door into the kitchen prep area. All the while, “Doug” was beside himself appologizing, hands waving around trying to figure out what he could do to help.

He followed our little group into the kitchen where the nurse quickly propped my foot up on the stainless steel counter putting pressure on the wound with a bar towel.  I lean heavily against Patti, balancing on one heel, trying to keep anyone from seeing up my skirt. The club manager appeared from somewhere, took stock of the situation and, against my protest, called for an ambulance. I suppose they were worried about a lawsuit.

The next thing I knew, two very efficient EMTs were strapping me onto a gurney, my ankle covered in gauze. Before they wheeled me out, Doug pushed a napkin and pen in my direction, asking me to please write down my phone number. “Okay,” I thought, “This would be a really interesting story to tell our kids someday” so I quickly jotted my number, pulled the sheet over my head and tried to make myself as invisible as possible while they took me out of the kitchen, across the dance floor, out the front door and up into the waiting ambulance. The EMTs and Patti hopped up beside me.

It was close to midnight by the time we got to the closest hospital. I was feeling pretty foolish as I sat waiting in the emergency room cot. Even though my left leg was covered with splatter blood, the cut on my right ankle which was no more than an eight of an inch had stopped bleeding before we left the club. The doctor that looked at it said that the glass had probably nicked an artery explaining the spurting effect and the amount of blood. (Ewww!) He poked around making sure there was no glass in the wound, cleaned it with some antibiotic cream then covered it with a tiny square of gauze.

The drama could have ended there except that as the doctor was signing the release papers, we realized that we couldn’t leave the hospital because Patti’s car was still at the club. Neither one of us was going to call our parents at that hour so the most sensible option was my sister Linda. She wasn’t crazy about coming out in the middle of the night to rescue us either and she was even more ticked when she saw the size of my band aid!

Epilogue….By the next morning my ankle was slightly bruised and tender to the touch but otherwise fine. My stockings and shoes were history but the red dress survived to party another night. And what about Doug, you might ask? He did call the next day but only to make sure I was okay and to apologize yet again. I guess he didn’t feel that our shared experience was enough of a basis for a relationship.

I don’t know if this story has a moral but I do know that my sister loves to bring it up at family gatherings every so often just to remind me that I owe her. 😊

The Weeky Smile….Happy and Healthy!

our happy little family of home grown VEGETABLES enjoyIng some time in the sun...

Mama and Papa Tomato with their eight little ones (I think the guy on the left is an Uncle from out of town). 😊

 

The Weekly Smile is brought to you by Trent’s World.  Stop by and collect a few more smiles or maybe leave one of your own!

The Weekly Smile – A Silent Parade

The elementary school where I work offers a half day preschool for 3 and 4 year olds. The classroom is in the main building along with the rooms for the older children and is taught by Miss Jessica, a pleasant young woman, not long out of college with lots of energy and clever ideas.

Case in point…

As I was coming back from lunch today, Miss Jessica and her parade of tots were heading outside so I stopped and held the door for them. I couldn’t help but smile when I noticed as they walked past that each little boy and girl had their cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk storing acorns!

I recieved a few waves from the preschoolers as they passed but not one word was spoken. I raised my eyebrows in question to their teacher who was at the end of the line. As she passed she leaned in and whispered,

“When we go in the hallway, we all pretend we have a mouthful of marshmallows. It helps them remember not to talk while the students in the classrooms are working.

Hmm? I wonder if that would work on the older students in the lunchroom?

It’s a thought. 😊

The Weekly Smile is brought to you courtesy of Trent’s World. Be sure to stop by and gather a few more smiles or maybe share one of your own!

If We Were Having Coffee…4/30/16

If we were having coffee…we would gazing out the sliding glass doors in the kitchen willing the clouds away and wishing for a little sunshine and warmth. At least I would be. It was painful to put back on long sleeves and sweaters this week when I was rockin’ tee shirts and capris the week before. Come on weather Gods, throw me a bone! Tomorrow is the first of May so I need some May like weather, please!

That reminds me of a really old joke a second grader told me this week….

“If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring?…..Pilgrims!”

Ba-dum-dum!

Anyway, if we were having coffee, we would of course mention the crappy weather but we could also talk about all the fun stuff we did this week.

You first.

Did you enjoy your week? Have you accomplished much or just enjoyed the peace and quiet? Was it busy, hectic, serene, sad or just plain boring?! We all have weeks like that. One of my friends had such a challenging week she was actually posting quotes from “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible No Good Very Bad Day” on her Facebook page. I suggested she might want to move to Australia. (For those who don’t get the joke, read the book, it’s really quite wonderful 😊)

If we were having coffee…I would be telling you how much I am missing Miss Dee who has been bopping around Disney on her class trip since Tuesday. I’ve spoken with her each evening and she seems to be having fun although I’ve sensed that the nonstop activity and the constant companionship is a bit difficult for her personality to handle. I totally get it. I can get downright crabby If I go too long without some quiet, alone time. My Hubby and son shakes their heads like we’re crazy, but my fellow introverts will understand!

I figured that this trip would be a challenge to her in that respect but I’m so glad she decided to go anyway. I know how important it is to stretch out of my own comfort zone now and then and it’s even more important when you are a 17 year old with a whole life of adventures and challenges coming your way. I’m really proud of her for going ….but I’m also really looking forward to giving her a big hug when she gets home tonight!!

Well, if we were having coffee, I would have to shoo you on your way because I have a full day ahead. Try not to be too jealous of my fun filled Saturday…..cleaning, wash, yard work, and some equally exciting errands to the drug store and the grocery!! Yay me. (If the weather would act a little more “Spring-like” I might be able to work up some enthusiasm. Just sayin’ 😎)

I’m so glad you stopped by and I hope you have a week filled with fun and excitement mixed with periods of peace and serenity.  Don’t forget to visit some of the other Coffee Share posts brought to you by our lovely host Diana at Part Time Monster.

If We Were Having Coffee…4/10/16

If we were having coffee today…we would be sitting at my kitchen table looking out the back door (past the Audrey Hepburn calendar clearly turned to the month of April), at the snow and ice covering the yard and deck. Ugh.

Yesterday was such an interesting Spring day. I had planned on running some errands and cleaning up the yard but instead I sat inside and watched the snow fall. I worked on a page for Miss Dee’s “Senior Year” scrapbook, I cleaned the bathroom and did some banking so it was a productive day, just not the one I had planned.

The view, yesterday from my sister’s front window.

It was, however, a more comfortable day than my Hubby had. He was down the shore helping a friend rebuild a garage….in the rain….and the snow. The garage had been damaged in the last flood that the Jersey shore had endured. A few weeks ago they had cleaned it out, throwing away much of the contents, and removing the siding and water soaked wood. My hubby has a big heart and this friend has done a lot for him so he was determined to help him finish this job before the elements did even more damage. I will find out this evening how it all went.  At least today is sunny and clear.

If we were having coffee…I would tell you that I am pretty excited that I was able to score a piece foam board big enough for the astronaut photo backdrop I was designing. I was a little worried because I needed a piece that was 4’x 5 1/2′ and that size is usually only sold by the case for big company presentations and such. Thank goodness for Craig’s List! There was a gentlemen in Philadelphia that had purchased a case of 20 sheets of  4′ X 8′ foam board and only used half so he was selling the rest for $10 per sheet. Even luckier was the fact that the teacher I’m working with has a husband who works in that area of the city and he ran over after work Tuesday and picked up two sheets. We figured we might need an extra piece somewhere down the line. I can’t wait to get started!

If we were having coffee…I would refill our cups and ask about your week? I hope I has been exciting and productive. Are you reading any good books? Have you done any traveling? Fill me in! I’m so glad you stopped by!

Be sure to visit the rest of the Coffee Share Posts brought to you courtesy of the lovely Diana over at Part Time Monster!

Weekly Smile #14

As a tension breaker during testing, the fifth grade teacher gave the kids a fun assignment. She had them read some articles and  showed them some videos on splunking (the sport of cave exploration) and then challenged them to write song parodies telling how they felt about this pastime.

Personally, I don’t even like spending too much time in our basement so after watching  the videos of these spelunkers squeezing into crevices, sliding backwards into spaces checking to see if they “can fit” and keeping track of passages so they can find their “way out” I was having a mini panic attack! Therefore, I really appreciated the group who came up with a parody using Bruno Mars’  “Lazy Song” changing the words to say…

🎶”Today I don’t feel like Splunking.

I just really don’t want to die!

Stalactites falling on my head,

spiders biting at my leg!

Today I don’t feel like splunking,

Think I’ll just stay in my bed.” 🎶

If it was up to me, these kids would get an “A+” 😊

 

This post is part of The Weekly Smile brought to you courtesy of Trent’s World . Pop over and collect a few more smiles or even leave one of your own!