Newest Member of the Litter

(& by 'litter' I mean my sister's family)

Introducing my newest niece, Aliana Shea

& this is a ham.

We have... seedlings!

Seedlings, that's the stage that comes between seeds & full-fledged plants, right? How would I know the correct terminology? We've already discussed my lack of green thumbed-ness.

Two weekends ago I moved/transplanted/toppled pots in an effort to separate the seedlings as instructed. I'm not sure this was done with any level of success, but all the plants are still green & nothing is shriveled!

We call that ---- major achievement!

They've moved from their previous residence in the garage to a nice, luxury location on the front porch. It seemed to me they were crying out for more sunlight (all the little plants were leaning toward the window, that is a sign, isn't it?). Now they have more by way of reflected, semi-direct & shade throughout the day.

I could have put them on the back deck, but by the time summer gets here it's going to be more like a furnace out there than a hospitable environment for delicate (b/c I am growing them) little plants.

I'm not too sure all of the seeds are going to turn into something... you know, edible... but it's looking like 85% of the seeds will turn into something other than just seeds. I'm sure that counts are 'growing a garden'.

I'll take what I can get.

Someone is already asking for my 'overflow' of plants. I'm hoping this is not a jinx. Talking about the future in such ways is sure to make it go astray! Perhaps I should declare the topic off limits... Of course, saying things are off limits is like trying to get Roxyann to stop torturing the one plant we actually do have in the house.

In another development, I came home from work the other day and found, oddly, one of the smaller pots 'tipped' over on an angle. I thought to myself - was it really windy today?

Self said: No, it wasn't.

I take a step closer & see that not only was that pot askew, but there were 'dig' marks in other pots! WHAT THE???? Just what has been DIGGING in my pots? My poor little seedlings! They were molested by an unknown assailant! That's just wrong!

The discovery had me concerned. Obviously I couldn't have all my hard work eaten up by a freeloader stopping in for a snack! I wanted to see these things reach maturity! I asked Cop'er to come up with a solution.

Still waiting.

I might have to be creative for this problem. Perhaps I need to put a 'scaredog' out there...

Pets are like kids, Part II

Monday morning I was on my out of the house to go to work. I was on time (yes, please note that in your calendars) for a change. I fed the cats & noticed something 'off' with Roxyann.

By 'off', I mean, she was oozing a little...

[I must warn you this might be a little more information that you want to think about right now]

...she was oozing a little pus & blood from her anal region. [Ewwwwww!]

Ok, now even I, novice to all things animal & child-related, knew this was NOT right. This was NOT normal... & most certainly NOT something I was hoping to see on a Monday morning.

Immediately [grossed out] worried about the poor little furrball, I ask Cop'er if he would be able to take her to the vet if I made an appointment for the afternoon.

He hesitated.

He eventually agreed to it... then tells me he wants to take Lil Guy too!

Huh? Lil Guy too??? [Lil Guy was due for his rabies & assorted other shots.]

Fine. Whatever. Double duty. I call the vet's office. The receptionist doesn't seem at all alarmed about the whole issue [see above if you need reminding]. Guess it's not life-threatening.

So Cop'er takes them to the vet. [Side note: I called him when he was on the way & all i could hear was Lil Guy whining & Roxyann meowing her head off]. Cop'er calls a little while later with a question from the vet - did Roxy always have this bump on her head?

I have to mention that Roxyann was also there to get her eye checked. It has been pinkish & irritated for about a week.

Me: No... I didn't notice any bump on her head.
Vet: You didn't see this big bump on her head?
Me: No
Vet: Has she always had it?
Me: I guess if i don't remember seeing it.
Vet: How long have you had her?
Me: Since she was a kitten (as in 9 years now)
Vet: ok

When Cop'er finally called back with the outcome of the exam, I found out what a mess Miss Priss really was. The 'issue' [again, see above for explanation] was a ruptured anal gland. The bump on the head - anybody's guess. It's a cyst, or something of the like, filled with fluid.

I took note of her head when she got home & saw that she did have a big bump on her head... a bump I didn't see earlier in the morning. It was disguised with fur stripes! From the side, it looked like something might be growing from her 'forehead'. Ewwwww!

Does it make me a bad mommy b/c I didn't notice? I thought it might, but then I realized that Cop'er had been with her at the vet's & didn't notice. Granted, when they asked him about the bump, she wasn't in the room at the time so he had no visual reference, but even still, he hadn't noticed it before. I guess that means I'm off the hook too!

What it boiled down to was 1 round of antibiotics for the cyst & 'issue', a 2nd round of antibiotics after that just b/c there is so much infection-y stuff going on with her... & to top it all off - eye drops (though they think the eye thing like be from the cyst on her head).

Sure, sounds pretty easy in the scheme of things, but have you met Roxyann????

Parks are for Kids

Went to the park with AriCaVa, Jelly & Otoño Poco last weekend. The weather was perfect. Ok, it was perfect in the afternoon. Later in the eve, it was chilly! The park was a nice way to entertain AriCaVa... she gets a little restless, likes to have things to look at. So, she looked at the trees... and water... and all the people.

I was busy taking pictures, trying out new & exciting things I 'learned' how to do on my toy. I'm not sure I have completely 'learned' what to do, you know, correctly.

I got enough out of it to get a few nice shots though... see... nice, aren't they?

Bet you can't say 'no' to that one!

What color is my thumb?

Last year I had the great idea to use part of the backyard & create a garden area. Cop'er & I went to Home Depot, got the supplies, dug out the area, pulled the weeds. I even let Cop'er play with the electrical tools... We planted tomatoes, watermelon, cucumbers, peppers and herbs.

I had the best intentions - really i did! The long, hot summer wore on... the rain was less frequent; oddly, so was the watering from me.

I admit I was disappointed. The only place in the yard that we had space to put the garden didn't offer enough sunlight for the poor plants. They just didn't perform well. It was a loss. Very sad. I really wanted homegrown veggies!

This year I decided to try a different approach. I bought seeds & planted the seeds in  little containers & am currently growing them in the garage. I went out there a few days ago to water them & little tiny sprouts were working their way out of the dirt.

I went out there yesterday & they were growing like weeds - which they aren't, because we didn't plant those.

In just a short while, I'll be able to separate them into their own pots. I'd like to have enough to share with family & friends... but I don't want to get my hopes up. I know things can go horribly wrong in the blink of an eye. Things go from green... to... gone!

All in One Piece

We played.

We ate.

We slept.

We ate.

We played.

We tired... very tired.

Alive & Walkin'...

For those of you keeping tabs, all the neigh-sayers, the got-your-back supporters and even those who just stumbled onto this blog thinking that the title of this post meant something a little more sinister... it's update time.

Back in February, I blogged about my Healthy Lifestyle Change. I started, as you may recall, the beginning of January (conveniently my first day back at work after the looonnngggg holiday) to change my eating habits and make better choices.

Well, faithful readers, I HAVE NOT swayed from this path! That's right... I'm still kickin' it HLC style! I haven't had fast food in 14+ weeks & have only had one soft drink. Can I get a 'hell yeah'????

I didn't know if I had the willpower... Seriously, there were many days when I didn't think I would be able to drive by McDonald's without stopping in for fries!... but somehow, i found the gumpshun within me to do it.

Fessing up:
I can admit that I have had french fries, but I don't eat them all - & not from a fast food restaurant.
I also have not always made the best choice for meals, but I am much better at balancing the options throughout the day.
I do eat breakfast every morning - during the week.
I have had ice cream (what a weakness), but only 2 times. The rest it's straight-up frozen yogurt!

Yeah, that's the damage. That's all I can fess up to. I'm not perfect & I don't think it would do me any good to pretend that i was, but I am really proud of my 14 weeks 'sober'.

I also mentioned in February that I'd be walking the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure in May with my family. If you'll take a quick peek at your calendar - i'll wait - you'll notice that it's just a month away! OMG! Just how am I going to perform when faced with 3.1 miles ahead of me??? I am in NOT a walker, runner or someone who gets her rocks off from exercise. But then again, there was no way I am going to be the one they are pushing (or dragging) to the finish line.

Come on - 3 itty bitty little miles??? I can do that!

Can't I?

I wasn't so sure. I needed to confirm this for myself. Unfortunately the only way to do this was to... walk.

WHOA IS ME!

So last Friday I strapped on my Zune (for you iPod people, that would be the Microsoft MP3 player), leashed up O and headed out the door for parts unknown... you know, around the neighborhood.

While O was an eager walking companion, I don't think he was sharing that vibe with me. I made it about a mile & was never so happy to see my abode in the distance (I think I might have even hallucinated it when I wasn't close to it). It was only a mile, but it was more than I'd walked the day before... & it was 1/3 of the distance I have to complete for the 5k.

You know, I think I might be able to do this...

And to prove it to myself, I have walked 10 miles since then with the longest distance being 2.5 miles.

Good thing I have a few more weeks... I'm almost there. ALMOST.

Goin' Huntin' for Eggs

Cop'er & I had quite the busy day on Sunday, being Easter & all. We hoofed our way up to Stafford by 1pm for lunch with his family & then made it back to my side of town for dinner with my family. Both outings included egg hunts (none that I got to partake in, however) for the kids.

While there was candy to be had, there were also shiny silver coins & a few green bills hidden in the not-so-hidden eggs. Next year I think we should 'lose' those eggs so that I might find them 'later'.

The egg-hunter ages varied - 2+, 3+ & 6 (others too young to hunt were watching, catching tips for next year, learning the competition's strategy). It's funny to see how serious they take it the older they get. Ry-guy was all about scoping them out beforehand, running to them & then trading with Caidelcake if he didn't like the egg (a few were shaped like animals & he HAD TO HAVE the cows). I guess it's good that he was trading, at least.

Every year it's a given that some of the eggs might not make it back into the house. It's not because of a tragic egg accident, but because the egg-hiders can't remember where they were all hidden. Somehow, though we hid 64 eggs, we found them all! When I say "we" I do mean there was a prelim "we're done" break where we counted the eggs & then decided there were 3 more out there. After that, the egg-hiders went back out to look... thanks to Sister Fantanimal, all were spotted.

Somehow the Easter Bunny managed to make it to all his other stops, but neglected to stop by my house. I'm not sure, but I think he might have been scared. He probably heard that no Cadberry Creme Egg was safe in the vicinity of Cop'er. I know none in our house were allowed to hang around for long...