big flood

I should write more often. Time gets away from me, but I need to comment on the great flood here. Although the official amount of rain for Nashville was about 14 inches in two days, we had about 19 inches. And we were trapped here in the neighborhood. In fact, Hwy 96, Hwy 100, I40, Old Harding, and just about all the roads were closed. The power was off, we had no water (we found out later a main had burst ) and no phone. BUT- we didn't flood here on top of the hill. So many people in Bellevue lost everything. Now you drive down the roads and all the possessions of these poor families are out on the street to be picked up. Water laden dry wall, beds, appliances, boxes of who knows what- all out to be thrown away. Mom and Dad were flooded from the Harpeth in their finished basement. We have been helping out, throwing soggy everything away. It is so hard on them, and they are too old to deal with it all. Jon and I went to stay at Rebecca's house. She and Matt were in Seattle, and I was so glad to have a place to go to. When we could finally leave the neighborhood, we had to pick up the Natchez Trace on Hwy 100 before the closed area, drive to Leiper's Fork, drive down Old Hillsboro (where we found gas, thank goodness) and on to Hillsboro to Old Hickory to Hwy 100. In other words, we drove about 50 miles to go 10 miles, but it was the only way. We had Rebecca's cat in the car and Elsie. Somehow they knew to behave. I can hardly believe that I have all those pioneers in my ancestry. I felt like such a wimp, and I'm still pining for my land line phone!! Who knows when we'll have that again. We were at Rebecca's for four nights until the power came on and we had water again.
I wonder if the people will try to rebuild in the areas that flooded. Although the flooding has never happened before, I sure wouldn't feel good living there. People died here in Nashville! A good friend lost her home and all possessions. No one had flood insurance in these areas, because they weren't flood zones. I just don't know what will happen to them. How sad. Even in our house water poured in the basement where the water line comes in. Never happened before. I'm filling that gap up with concrete!
In addition we bought a condominium in Navarre Beach Florida. It is lovely, but now we are dealing with the oil spill and the prospect of the beautiful white sands covered with oil and tar. The fishermen will be out of work, and the animals will be suffering. It is a sad time in so many places.

Long time, no write Now in Seattle

Big summer for us. The wedding for Rebecca was in June and it was great. Everything went smooth as silk, and everyone had fun. Especially the bride! I've never seen anyone have so much fun at her own wedding. Then on August 8, Rob and Amelia's baby was born, my first grandchild. Zachary Lee Wright was 7 lbs, 10 oz. We've been up here for two weeks and he has changed so much in that time. Now Zach is also known as Zachleewright, pronounced Zak lee right. It has been great staying here in Magnolia on the water, but I am so ready to get home. On a sad note, Bella died and after a while I adopted another Rottie from the pound in Clarkesville. Elsie is a beautiful about 9 month old Rottweiler. I hope that she remembers me when I get home. I'm ready for my life to get back to a routine. This has been a Busy, Exciting summer. The sad part, so sad that I can hardly think about it, was Bella's death. I loved that dog. I still love her.

I hope that I get my act together and write more. There is lots to write about. And I'll post some photos too if I remember how!

Writing again

I have no excuse for not writing in the blog. Things are happening though. Rebecca is finally getting married, and the big date is June 6, 2009. Rebecca is marrying a detective, and that meshes well with her job as a DA. AND- very exciting- Rob and Amelia are going to have a baby the first part of August! I pray that everything goes well. I've been hoping for this for a long time. Rob sent the first ultrasound of "little Wright" It was too early to tell the sex. I looked at that and just cried. So this will be a big summer. Jon and I will go to Seattle for a couple of weeks, and we are planning on driving up again. We'll take a different route this time. The U. S. is such a big country and I loved the drive last time. Well, most of it!

Right now we are in the winter doldrums. It is hard to get motivated to do a whole lot. Jon is going to the boat tomorrow and start getting it ready to send to Rob in Seattle. Rob is paying for it to be shipped all the way up there. I think they are both crazy. People who get addicted to boats have some real problems. I have a primo example living here. The old adage is true- a boat is a hole in the water that you pour money into.

I'll be writing more about the wedding. I guess I'll move into high gear around May. Right now the church and reception hall are reserved. The caterer has his deposit as does the florist. The invitations are here. Rebecca has the photo guy and cake lady set along with the DJ. She still has her dress from the last time, and the bridesmaids are suited up. All will be well. Let us hope.

Time flies

I can't believe it was March when I last wrote in this Blog. The elevator is finished, and the process was a pain in the patooty, just as I thought it would be. And I still haven't taken a ride on the elevator. I am afraid of enclosed places, and that is sure enclosed. It does have a phone in it in a box, and I put a flashlight in there too. It is nicely decorated. I have an oriental rug (very small) on the floor and a painting hung in there. The walls are cherry. It is really nice looking. Jon doesn't try to make me ride it, but everyone else does. We had a party last Saturday. It was a Summer Solstice party. The longest day of the year. Now the days will get shorter and shorter. Damn. But I digress. The party- it was a success since no one cried or threw up. The food catered by La Dos Divas was yummy. Everyone had to wear a name tag. I think that this helps to break the ice. It also saves you from desperately trying to remember a name. All that is needed is a discreet look down to the chest.

I haven't done any of the pottery that I told myself I would do this summer. Who knows what I do with my time. And why is is so hard to get up in the morning? I think that I must go. I'll try to write more later- before three months have passed.

Installing an elevator

First question- why didn't we do that when we built this house eight years ago? It would have been sooooo much easier. However, here we are. Jon really needs a knee replacement, and he is convinced that he'll be a crippled old man- any day now. Where to put the elevator to run from the basement and garage, to the main floor and then up to the top story. Well, it turns out that it will be in my closet with the main floor door opening into the bedroom. Fortunately, the closet is 10.5 feet by 22 feet. And the elevator cab will be on Jon's side taking up 4 by 5 feet. That's really ok, because we can put new rods, shelves or whatever on the walls where the elevator is. That is really the least of the problems though. Number one that is being worked on now is that the upstairs heating and air has to be moved, and the ducts in the basement also must be moved. A large mess and expense. The concrete floor in the basement has to be cut out, and framing is necessary. Electrical work is part of the project along with painting, etc etc. My nerves are ok for now, but I'll let you know more later. I'm really afraid to get on the elevator , but Bella will enjoy it as her arthritis makes going up and down difficult.

dog problems

Poor Bella. She has had a hard life, and if dogs are reincarnated, she'll come back to live in the lap of luxury. Oh wait, she already does live in the lap of luxury, but NEXT time she'll be healthy and will always have a home.

I rescued Bella about 5 years ago. She was an abused dog who had been dumped in the pound with a litter of pups. When I went up to Kentucky to get her, Bella was so terribly thin and had kennel cough. She also had a terrible case of separation anxiety. We worked on it for a long time. I would leave and then pop right back in repeatedly. Then I stretched the time out and tried to have someone here when I left. Of course I didn't see this, but Jon and Rebecca told me that she wailed and cried when I left.

Bella gained weight and was truly doted upon. I love her so much. One day about six months after I got her, Bella got really sick. She was so tired, didn't eat, was thirsty all the time. I took her to the vet and he called to say that she was in kidney failure. How could that be? But then, he said that we should check her for Addison's disease, and sure enough, that is what she had. There was an amazing change in a few days. Her Addison's was managed beautifully with a monthly shot of Percortin and a small dose of Predisone.

Then in September of 2006 we rushed Bella to the vet because she had a urinary obstruction. She had bladder stones and an infection. The emergency vet performed surgery and Bella healed up pretty quickly. But then, she had repeated infections and last week Bella had surgery again for stones. The first stones were Struvite stones, usually caused by infections, but these were calcium oxalate stones. She had seen a vet internal medicine specialist, but she didn't really have any solutions.

Sadly my vet had a fit of frustration ,and told me that he didn't want to see Bella anymore. I won't go into my opinion of that behaviour. Trust me that it is pretty low, and I should have trusted some gut instincts. He was just in over his head with this complicated health problems with Bella. A good friend whose dog has Cushings recommended her vet. I took Bella today and he prescribed potassium citrate to prevent the oxalate stones, repeated urinalysis to check for infection, and to put her back on the predisone on a low dose. The internal medicine vet wanted her off of the corticorsteroids and only on the mineralcorticodes (percortin). In the end, I was receiving so many different orders that it was impossible to keep up with. I just want someone to help me to keep Bella feeling ok, and to let her live out the rest of her life as pain free and happy as possible. I hope that I have found this someone to help Bella and me.

I've mined the web sites repeatedly looking for a magic bullet. There isn't one of course, and I know that one day Bella will die. It is so hard to love your pet and then lose them. I'm old enough to have loved and lost quite a few furry children. If there is a heaven I just know it wouldn't be paradise without them there.

thinking about bladder problems

It has been a long time since I added to my blog. I guess Christmas was busy, and then I got in too big a funk to write. Winter is so boring when you can't be out in the yard. Now, I've been in a twist because I have been having bladder issues. About six weeks ago I started having sharp stabbing pains in the bladder. Finally I saw my doctor and he said no infections and prescribed Urospas to stop spasms of the bladder. it didn't work. I feel like I have to pee twenty four hours a day, and when I do go, it is just a little and there is stinging afterwards. I saw the urologist today, and he did a cystoscopy. The doctor saw nothing wrong, but I can tell you that something FEELS wrong. He prescribed Detrol, but after reading the drug information it seems that the side effects could be worse than the problem. I am really frustrated. I would rather not think about peeing at all. I'm hoping that it disappears by itself. Sigh. I've plumbed the depths of the internet on bladder problems. One thing that I can say for sure is that there are a LOT of people out there with bladder problems that defy medical treatment. Looking up things on the internet can be instructive, but it can also cause a potential nervous breakdown. There are a lot of horrible illnesses that maybe you are better off not knowing all about.

Christmas was nice. Rob and Amelia came in from Seattle, and I had the big Christmas Eve party here with all the extended family for a change. For many years we all got together- cousins, aunts and uncles, all living relatives. After my grandmother and grandfather died, the party was held at my parent's house. One year when my kids were still pretty young, my mother decided to cut out the extended relatives, and just have her three kids and their spouse and children. It wasn't as much fun after that, so finally I decided to take charge and have it here. At first Mom was all bent out of shape, but she came around after pouting a while at the party. It was a lot of work but worth it all. Rebecca broke up with her sweetie of three years, but is dating someone else now. Her sweetie wasn't ready to make a commitment after three years of dating. What can I say- he'd never be ready.

I worked on another birdhouse in my pottery studio. So far I am so pleased with it. It is an undersea birdhouse for Parrot Fish. I have fish, coral, an anchor, starfish, and shells. Doing clay makes me feel so calm (usually). I need to add some photos of my pottery. Yes, that is what I'll do soon. First I have to take the photos.

I wish that I had more exciting things to write about. I also can't forget the old Chinese curse, "May you have an interesting life." Dull is ok for now.

improving mood by talking to yourself

Can talking to yourself help your state of mind? I'm willing to try, and I'm starting small. Every morning I noticed that I would wake up stressed, thinking "Today I SHOULD do this or that, or everything. Supposedly, and I believe it, this is bad for your mental health. All those imperatives in your brain. It turns yourself into a slave driver. And the only person you're driving is yourself. Ok, so I tried to step back and eliminate the "shoulds." But they were always lurking in my brain- at first a subtle reminder, then an order. "Oh, go to hell" is what I wanted to tell my brain. Finally one day recently, it just came to me-- Hey, let's just substitute COULD for SHOULD. Amazingly, this works really well, at least with me. I Could iron today. I Could fire the kiln today. I Could swim today. I Could caulk all around the house. Etc. Etc. and whatever applies to you. I Could put this in my blog, and I did.

I Dream of Wienie in East Nashville

Going to East Nashville

56 years ago I was born in Nashville. I am a native- a rare and vanishing breed here. But there is one part of Nashville about which I know very little- East Nashville- across the bridges over the Cumberland River. I had never been to East Nashville until last week! Susan called me to go have brunch there and look at the cute shops. She wanted to know if I knew where this restaurant was. "Susan", I said, "I've never BEEN to East Nashville. My mother told me NEVER to cross that bridge!" Now I must tell you that it was a reasonable warning back in my younger days. Now, East Nashville is undergoing a rejuvenation, and lovely homes are being renovated and restored. There are some great restaurants and cute shops. But I really didn't know how to get there (other than crossing the river). So, I picked up another friend who was going and we decided to get lost together. We found the restaurant after being a little lost, and we all looked at "cute" shops afterward. It was just like going to a completely different city! I know that there is still a lot of crime there, but East Nashville deserves to come back strong and safe. Maybe I'll even go back there one day.

Beets and digestive tract

Fresh beets are such a great fall vegetable. Over the years I have cooked beets many times, but only last week did I roast some beets- and they were yummy! Here is how I did it: First I cut the greens off and scrubbed the beets well. Then, I parboiled them for about 10 minutes, dried the beets, and rolled them in olive oil. I sprinkled them with Kosher salt and ground some pepper, then roasted them in a 500 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Tasty. Rebecca was at the house for dinner and she snarfed beets too.

The next day I had the most horrifying moment of looking at the contents of the toilet, and thinking that I was bleeding from the colon. The whole business was red! I was already planning my funeral by the time I flushed. After a few minutes of hyperventilaing, I thought, "Hey, wait a minute- that must be beets" Or at least I'll THINK that it is beets unless this should happen again. Being the helpful person that I am, I told Jon, "Hey don't get all nervous if you have bright red poop- it's the beets. He just looked at me like I was crazy, and said, "Who looks?" Me, that's who.

Later that night before I went to bed, I was talking to Rebecca. We chatted about this and that, and then she said, "Mom, a little alarming about the beets." Immediately, I knew what she was talking about, burst out laughing, and said, "thank goodness, at least I know it wasn't just me, or worse, BLOOD!" Then we got the giggles which increased when I said that Jon never mentioned it. Bec said, "He must be one of the .2% who don't look." Exactly! was my comment.

So enjoy those beets, but expect the unexpected!!!

The end of daylight savings time

Time again for me to complain about the short days until December 21 when the winter solstice occurs and the days begin to slowly, ever so slowly, lengthen. Night just comes way too soon now. If I were in the mental institution (where I probably belong) I would be one of the people that the doctors call "sundowners". They go crazy when it gets dark. I love the light of daytime. When Jon gets up early, or I get up to go to the bathroom before the sun comes up, I open the shades so that the sun will awaken me naturally by shining on my face. When we built this house I had all the rooms except one bathroom and the laundry room have windows on at least two sides. Ah, the sun! I'm sorry, Rob, but I don't think that I can move to Seattle. They don't make enough Zoloft to keep me sane where the sun doesn't shine for months at a time. Also, we are on top of the hill where we get the last bits of sun much longer than the people in the valley. How sad it is to see the my friend the sun disappear. I love the moon too, but she can't compensate for it being dark. So time for us all to burn more lights, light more candles, and to look forward to when the days are long again.

raising kids

I've been thinking about how serious these young new parents seem to be about raising their children. I mean, it is a serious business, but they seem to make some mountains out of molehills. Take potty training for instance. Have you noticed that parents are not potty training these kids until they are old enough to be changing their own diapers? Was our generation warped by using the toilet from an early age? I think not.

Here is how I did it and my kids seem fairly normal. At about 15 months for Rebecca and 20 months for Rob, I just took off their diapers and let them run around the house with nothing on their bottom. It didn't take long for them to figure out that the previous contents of their diapers were coming from them! It was also a lot easier to catch them urinating or pooping and run the kid to the potty. It only took a week and it was over. Of course, I made a to do over "big girl" panties or "big boy" pants. Then at night before I went to sleep, I would pick up the sleeping child, go to the potty, put them on it, and say "GO!". I ran the water in the sink for adding stimulus. They would "go", and back to bed they went. Worked for me. I asked Rebecca the other day if I said "GO", if she would have the urge to go pee. She looked at me thoughtfully, and said "Maybe."

When it came to taking away a bottle or pacifier I was a total failure. it probably didn't help that I took a bottle myself until I was four. And, for the record, my teeth are perfect. Why, I don't know, but dentists are always amazed. Maybe it was all that milk. Anyway, back to the scandalous tale. Rob and Rebecca both took bottles until after they were two. And Rebecca and the pacifier. That is a whole "nother story. She loved her pacifiers. There was the "worker"- the one that worked, I guess, and the white one (self explanatory) I've forgotten the other names, but there were others that were not very popular with Bec. She could say the word pacifier perfectly at one year because the Mother's Day Out personnel were always searching for it for Rebecca. She could talk at age one and I would ask a question , pop the pacifier out ( a literal pop) and then stick it back in after the answer. This went on until she was almost three. I had always called a pacifier a "fooler". Rebecca called it an Ooh Fooh. Or I should say she called it an ooh fooh at home and a facifier everywhere else. At night sometimes I would hear her calling out "oooooh fooooooooo" I would go into her room, and usually find the worker under the bed or stuck to her hair because it had gotten so sticky. Jon's mother summed up my sentiments on the subject perfectly. She said, "Let her husband worry about it." That shut people up. One time Rebecca stayed with some good friend's children and the babysitter while we all went out for the evening. When we got home Rebecca was sobbing hysterically. It transpired that the babysitter thought she was way too old for a pacifier and refused to let her have it! I let the babysitter have it though.

Rob's love was cars from a very early age. He loved books about cars, playing with cars, pretending to work on cars (getting underneath chairs with a screwdriver). One day Dana and I stopped at the Goodwill box and picked up a big old metal pedal car. Rob LOVED it. He would wash the car all the time. Sadly, my mother got rid of it. Later Rob loved real cars. He also had a history of bad luck with cars. His first car had a tree fall on it before he ever drove the car. Then he wrecked one. Then Rob wrecked another one. Then a deer ran in front of him for another wreck. Then his girlfriend wrecked his car. We call him Wreck 'em up Rob. It was frustrating especially after the insurance was cancelled for all of us. But thank God, he was never hurt. He still loves cars. But now other things and people are more important like his wife, his dog Basco, his home, garden, computers, job, hiking, camping, and living in Seattle.

By the way, Rebecca at age 28 does not still have a pacifier. I did buy her a candy pacifier one time as a joke though. She seemed to really enjoy it.

getting a mammogram

Really I am so thankful that we have modern medicine with tests like a mammogram. So many women have found an early cancer that way and their lives were saved. However, I DREAD and HATE having that annual smashing event. In fact, in my case, it isn't quite annual since I usually take a little additional time to psych myself into it. This year I was due for the mammogram in July, and I am having it next week. Not too bad! Usually I start worrying the month it is due, then wonder if I am hearing more about breast cancer- and if that is a warning from above- then I put a note to myself every day to make the appointment, and finally I do it. I have a week or so to really get worried after making the appointment which requires me to do a breast check every day, several times a day.

This year I am trying a new place for the mammogram. I told my doctor that I couldn't stand being in there for hours, so he is sending me to a more private place in Cool Springs, fortunately associated with Vanderbilt. Yesterday, I went to pick up my previous mammograms from Baptist Hosp. It is upsetting me seeing that big green envelope sitting on my desk. I wouldn't open it for anything.

Here is why I hate getting a mammogram other than the worrying part of possibly having something wrong.
First of all, you have to take off your bra and top, then put on a hospital gown- tied in front. This means you have to clutch it closed all the time. The ties are at least a foot apart. You are also required to remove your deoderant so that the metallic salts (aluminum) won't interfere with the test. So, you sweat and feel like maybe you could be getting stinky.

Next you go into a room of women just like you all clutching their gowns and looking terrified. One by one names are called and off they go. Finally, it is your turn. A new indignity! They tape BBs to your nipples to "identify" them. The technician then proceeds to place you in impossible positions and smashing your breasts WAY flatter than you thought humanly possible. It strongly resembles some form of torture.

The following step is that you go into another room (BBs intact) to wait and see if you need more tests. Everyone knows that if you get called back again that it is bad news. Sure the tech may say it was fuzzy or something, but still that is not good. Finally, finally, you are released to spray on my deoderant, remove your BBs, and dress. Now all you have to do is wait for some radiologist to finally get around to looking at your mammogram, send a report to your doctor, and then have him or her mail an all clear, or God forbid, call you with bad news.

I'll do it, but I think there should be a better way.

Bella and the salmon run

It seemed like such a nice morning for a walk to the salmon stream. Here at Minter Creek the salmon are running, and we decided to take a walk to the creek to look at the fish making their way up the stream to breed and die. I watched from the bridge for a minute and then decided to take the path to the creek for a closer view. Big Mistake!!!!! Bella the mighty huntress escaped, dragging me into the muddy creek, while she jumped wildly among the big salmon. Then, she snatched one up, and shook it. Bella's collar was off, and she was WILD. She had that salmon and was not letting go. Finally, I managed to grab her by the tail and put her collar back on. Poor salmon- it was at death's door. In order to get Bella back up the hill and to the road, I had to push her muddy butt, beat the hell out of her (NOT my normal activity) and pull her up. It was so hard that I was panting and on the verge of tears. Remember that Bella weighs almost 100 pounds- not much less than me, and she is much stronger. Finally, finally I got her to the road, and had to walk back to the rental house covered with mud- and was wearing a skirt.

Once I got Bella back I knew that she would realize what that splashing in the creek behind the deck was. It was those fish! Those wonderful fish that are so much fun to catch. I told Jon what had happened and said that he needed to watch her while I went in. Two minutes later I came out, and there was Bella- down in the muddy creek wildly chasing salmon. Jon went down and finally got Bella, then rigged up a harness to keep her on the deck. In the past Bella has killed a fawn, raccoon, squirrel, rabbit, vole, mouse, mole, and now a fish. She had to feed herself and her puppies before I rescued Bella. She was abused and pathetic, so I can't fault her survival instincts.

Now we are in Seattle spending the night with Rob and Amelia. We ate Salmon for supper. It was good, but I kept thinking of that poor fish in the stream.

Driving from Nashville to Seattle

Let's just say first of all- Thank God for antidepressants. We drove with a hundred pound dog from Nashville to Seattle, and made it. Secondly, What do they do with all that corn in Nebraska? Miles upon miles upon miles of corn. We have a diesel car, but never got to try biodiesel. Maybe on the way back.

I hear that it was over 100 degrees in Nashville, but it has been COLD here. This morning was 58 degrees. It reminds me of the quote from Mark Twain, "The coldest winter that I ever spent was the summer in San Francisco." We rented a house sight unseen on Minter Creek. It is a long way from anywhere, although it is ostensibly in Gig Harbor. The house is on a tidal creek which is full of birds, salmon, and other creatures, but most of the time it looks like a mud flat. Also the house is dark as Egypt (a southern saying referring to calling outhouses Egypt.) One of the first things that I did was to go buy new bright light bulbs. They were PC with the compact flourescents. To hell with PC. I've got to see to pluck my chin hairs.

I'm sure everyone wonders if I got in knock down drag out fights with my husband. A few minor skirmishes, but no major battles. It has been nice to see my son and his wife. Another downside to this house is that my cell phone has no reception. The wifi also does not work. At one point, feeling rather cranky, I said that I may as well be in a tent in Alaska. Not quite, but close.

In addition, I have been trying to calm down about not talking to my daughter 15 times a day. I suppose this is all good for me. I do hope that all my muscles don't atrophy in this month. What if I can never swim a mile again. What if my butt gets bigger? To illustrate how plebeian I am, while my son and husband were sea kayaking, I went to the local Target for fun, then the grocery to admire wine sold actually in a grocery, and then to the fruit stand. Does this make me really boring, or easily satisfied? I bought some magazines and papers for my reading enjoyment too.

Here's hoping that I don't crack anytime soon.

Skunks

Another perk of living in the country is wildlife all around. It is usually lots of fun and exciting to see, except when the wildlife is black with a white stripe- a polecat, aka skunk. Well, last week we had seen three skunks in the yard, and one was an albino, wandering around in the day. If you see a skunk in the day, that is bad news. They are nocturnal animals and this usually means a sick skunk. In addition, the skunk family was near the house and seemed unafraid of humans. Bella went out one late afternoon, saw Mr. Skunk, and took off away from me. Bella made a quick grab for her prey, then flipped, and immediately began to rub frantically on the ground. It only took a nonosecond for the miasma of burning rubber smell (that is how it smells to me) to reach me. I had to grab Bella and run for the house and into the shower. Everything reeked- Bella, me, the house, everything. I put out those electric air filters, lit candles, washed everything washable that had touched her, and sprayed Febreeze on Bella. Yes, Febreeze. I read the label and it seems to be non toxic- made from corn. It helps a lot. I don't know if anyone else has tried it, but it mitigates the odor better than hydrogen peroxide, I can tell you for a fact.

Anyway, over the next few days we saw the skunks again in the day. I made a call to the vet and left a message with the State people. The concensus was that they were probably rabid and needed to be killed. How upsetting. I hate to kill anything, even bugs. But Jon went out when we saw one dudring the day and shot it. There was another the next day, and another the next. A friend was talking to me about the sadness of having to kill a living creature, but she did say something probably quite true. "If they are sick and suffering it is not bad to put then out of their misery." The State people (in charge of Rabies, I guess) told me that over 50% of the skunks tested around here in Middle Tennessee are rabid. Interestingly enough, only 20% of the bats are rabid, and there aren't any rabid raccoons here. There are plenty of them in East Tennesseee though. By the time we killed the third one, I was totally paranoid, and had Bella revacinated. She had her shot for Rabies in March, but I wanted to be really sure. I asked the State guy how skunks got rabies, and he said that they give it to each other. I hope that there aren't any more around. Watch out for skunks in the daytime.

candy

Back when my kids were small I would occasionally let them buy their favorite candy in the grocery store while I shopped. I'd hand over the money and they would go get their treat. When I asked what they bought, Rob or Rebecca would answer with a mouth full of "something"---Annihilators!!!! That name seemed to be a little grusome for candy, but it must be good, or the kids wouldn't want to get it all the time. One day, years later, I mentioned that I thought that was a really odd name for their favorite candy and the kids burst out laughing. "Annihilators!!!!!- Not Annihilators- NOW AND LATERS! Ever heard of them?

Once when Rob was about three or four years old he went to the bank with me, and they gave him a sour ball type candy. In the car I heard a horrible sound, and looked back to see Rob choking. The sour ball had lodged in his throat. Somehow I got it out- I don't know how. It was in the days before the Heimlich, so I think that I did what you aren't supposed to do and stuck my hand in his throat and flipped it out. It is all a blur though. From then on, I lived in fear of "hard candy". None allowed in my house! If the kids ever got some sour ball or fire ball type candy they had to bite it in half immediately! - In my presence! My warning for years, even after they were grown, was, "wear your seat belt, park in a safe place, and don't eat any hard candy."

Rob's favorite candy for a while was Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. I'd pack them in his lunch box every day. One day he came back home totally panicked, and showed me his uneaten (but with a bite out) Reeses. There were little meal worms in the filling. They are harmless of course, but icky. That was his last Reese's P.B. Cup- as far as I know.

Rebecca loved candy so much that I felt I must have failed as a mother somehow. She loved candy so much we called her "candy head". Once after Easter she ate so much candy that she developed an allergy to Yellow Number 5- a common coloring agent in candies. She would sneak candy from Nanny's house and eat it under her bed. Rebecca was found out by the ring of stickiness around her mouth. We also called her "glue mouth" or sometimes that was shortened to "glumuth". Rebecca still likes candy, but now cares a lot about her figure and health too. I guess it wasn't really a failure on my part that ol' "Candy Head" loved her sweets.

Foot Fetishers

Did you ever think that it was a joke that some guys were turned on by feet? It is not a joke. First of all, I must preface this post by saying that I always have painted toe nails and I love to wear flip flops- fancy flipflops with sequins and beads, preferably hot pink. My feet are pretty small too, so I guess they look ok- for feet. Summer time is prime season for the foot fetish people. All of my experiences happen in the summer. Well, you could hardly expect someone to see through your socks and winter shoes to admire your feet. So now, I will relate two of these run ins with foot people.

I was home alone one night when a neighbor who was on the Board of Directors of the Home Owners Association called me. I was president of the Board, so there was nothing unusual about the call. Mark (names have been changed to protect the guilty) said that he wanted to come over to discuss something. No alarm bells went off in my head. He was a nerdy type of guy, married, and seemed as normal as anyone around here. (That is- not REAL normal, but close enough). So, I let him in, I got us something to drink, and I waited to hear what new neighborhood disaster was disturbing Mark. He spoke of this and that, and I noticed that he kept looking at my bare feet. I had my legs up on the coffee table, and figured that he just thought legs didn't belong on coffee tables, even your own table! The next thing I knew, he sidled a little closer, and said, "Can we have sex?" I was so taken aback that I just said, "No Mark!" Then he moved a little closer as I moved away and asked, "Then can I go down on you?" Horrors! All that I could think of was- how the hell can I get this nut case out of here, and who knew he was insane? Also, why did I let Mark in here when hubby was gone? My answer to that request was "NO!" Then he leaned in to me and whispered, "Then can I suck your toes?!?" Eeeyew! What I was really thinking was that I really needed to repaint my toes. Mark looked affronted, and said, "Well, you don't have to look so disgusted!" I jumped up, pointed my (unpainted) finger at Mark, and said "YOU have to go- NOW". Then unbelieveably he said, "Well what are you going to do if I say no?" At that I felt panicked, and the only think that I could think to say was- "If you don't go- then- I'm going to cry!" Mark said, "Oh damn, I hate to see a woman cry- I'm leaving." I more or less shoved him out the door- locked it, drew the shades, and got my gun. From then on I avoided Mark but always acted pleasant. We have never mentioned it and he never looks at my feet.

The other time I am going to talk about was in Florida. I was in a Wal Mart in Pensacola with my husband, daughter, and her friend. They all went off to look at CDs, Videos, and fun things like that while I had the cart to get groceries. I was pushing up one aisle and down another, and vaguely noticed the same guy passing me back and forth. Anyone who has ever gone grocery shopping knows that is not unusual at all. If you maintain approximately the same pace, you'll see the same person on every aisle. In the bread aisle this man stopped me with an "Ahem, Ma'am?" I thought he was going to ask me if I knew where something like where the Wheat Chex was, so I stopped with a pleasant smile on my face to hear what he was going to say. Then this nice gentleman looked at me and asked, "Can I massage your feet?" My reply was a flustered, "No thank you, not now." And I sped off like Mario Andretti to relay my latest to the family.

There have been a couple of other times, one just a month ago or so when I was at the pool, and the lifeguard said, "I love your toes!" I could feel them curling up but just gave a sprightly "Thanks". From then on I've wondered if he studies my toes when I do a flip turn!

There is a pic of my feet, my daughter's, and my son's feet as the next post. Doesn't do anything for me. I used to draw faces with a pen on the kid's big toes and then take pictures of them. I still do it if they let me. Maybe I attract these foot people in some cosmic way that I don't know about. Better that they have a fetish for feet than some other body parts, if you ask me.