Well it's back to babysitting duty for me as of today. My brother in law finally found a new job, it's been 8 months since he was laid off and it's been a nightmare time for my sister's family. But yesterday he got called into a construction firm, *he's a welder* and will work from 7am to 4pm with lots of extra hours if he'll work them available. He will or he'll get his ass kicked! lol
But for me I'm back to getting up at 6am and chasing a 3year old boy around all day. Most days it's fine but when I have to do him and stay with my Mom it becomes really tough. She refuses to put her stuff away that he has to be kept out of then screams and hollars at me all day long to keep him out of it. He's 3 for goodness sake, if you tell him no he is going to want to play with it even more. Sometimes I'm not sure which one of them is more childish. But I'll be pulling my hair out I"m sure unless I find a way to go back to keeping him at his house next door.
Now if I can just figure out how to stop staying awake until 2am and how to not throw that blooming alarm clock against the wall.
I am coming to the realization that even though I thought I had defeated my addiction to adrenalin, I was wrong. I can't get in the car to go anywhere that I don't want to find a stretch of road and open it up and blow these damn blahs away. Speed and screaming music and taking it to the point where if just for an instant there's a chance I can't keep control. That is a wonderful feeling as the fear bites your gut but for once it is a fear I can understand and handle, I have control of the fear even if only by loosing control of my life for a bit. Soon, I promise myself, very soon.
You know what how did it work out that a cat chooses a rat and a birdy for her very best friends? They are supposed to be my prey instead they are my strength and support, reminding me that no matter how dim or depressed things get I'm not alone in it. If nothing else we can have a good chase (think Tom and Jerry here) trying to get together with our silly schedules. Of course it could be questioned as to how a rat and birdy picked a cat for a friend? I'm thinking Fate and the blessings of the Goddess brought us together for no matter how we screw up and step on each others feelings, deep down I know that if truly needed we'll be there for each other. Love you girls.
Working in the state police as I did, it was a paramilitary unit and we did often have to stand at attention and I took orders from so many it wasn't even funny. *low on totem pole* lol Oddly enough it was easy to do when you respected the person you were saluting but if it was a lousy leader, it was the hardest of things to do. Figures that they were the ones that demanded such spectacles the most. Most Governors only required it for very rare and special meetings but there were a few that turned out to be the worst ones that wanted it at nearly every meeting involving the state police.
Such was the case one rainy Christmas eve in the late 80’s when nearly the entire department from border to border were attending the funeral of a young trooper who had been killed in the line of duty. He was shot and killed on a lonely section of road very late at night just a few days before the funeral. His killer hadn’t been found and the men and women from my barracks which was where he worked also were exhausted from 3 days and nights of little sleep and long hours since none of us wanted to leave our stations. The trooper killed was a nice guy with a young wife and they had just announced they were expecting their first child. He had served as a military MP and returned home to become a state trooper and live a good life. Now someone had taken all that away along with our friend, my friend that I was joking with, just a few hours before at the barracks.
We were all so tired standing there was hard but none of us would sit even though the opportunity was offered for those of us who had worked the longest hours to enter sit in cruisers and wait until the rest of the officers had been released to enter the church and take our places then. A useless suggestion, Johnny deserved every bit of respect we could give him and if this was to be the last way to honor him we wouldn’t loose it. So his barrack mates were required to stand on the front line of officers including those from other departments in our local area and spreading out to encompass officers from over 40 other states that had flown in to attend the funeral. There was close to 2000 police/fire/ambulance and military members standing in the rain waiting for the order to enter the church. The family came in and his grieving father stopped long enough to look at us all and lift a hand in salute. That had a lot of us hoping the tears would be confused as rain drops. Finally all the family, extended family and friends had entered and were seated along with the local politicians that wanted to be there, taking nearly an hour and then we were waiting for the governor and 2 state senators to get there and be seated. Word came that they had been delayed and it would be nearly another hour before they could arrive and they family had elected to wait for them. The governor had also sent word that he wanted the police honor guard outside to remain for their arrival. Oh goodie. We had stood so long that a couple finally hit the ground and some of the Lieutenants ran up and down the lines warning everyone to remember to bend the knees every few minutes to prevent passing out. Seems standing at full attention for too long with your knees locked will put many people down on the ground.
Finally they arrived and waltzed into the church without even looking in our direction. *jackasses* 5 more minutes while they were sure to get on camera for the TV news crews where there too and we were finally given the word to prepare to silently march into the church take what seats were saved and all who couldn’t sit to circle around the church in layers for the whole ceremony *still at attention*. I was one of the few lucky ones to get a seat since I was from Johnny’s home barracks but only about 200 of us were able to scoot closely together on the pews left for us on the sides and another 100 able to sit in the balcony, everyone else stood and many of those were left standing outside the doors down the steps of the church.
The service lasted about 40 minutes and then we all marched back outside and walked ½ mile back to where our cruisers all had to be left out of sight. We drove to the cemetery where we reformed into the lines of first responders standing at attention while taps was played and a 21gun salute was fired. Oh god those are some awful shots to hear and taps still makes me cry. I had attended other officers funerals but this was the first time in my career one of my friends and barrack-mates had been lost this way. The hardest part of remembering that time is that his killer was never caught and his police car still sits under tarps in a garage in the headquarters section in case we should ever get a break in the case. In Kentucky murder cases may go cold but they are never closed and I know of 25 and 30 year old cases being solved. I still hope that Johnny’s killer will someday be brought to justice if he hasn’t already been. A couple of years ago Johnny’s young adult daughter visited us (her mom and remarried and moved away about 3 years after his death) It was the first time many of us had seen her since birth but looking in her face was like a time machine back to her fathers so closely she resembled him. She wanted to talk to some of us that knew him and were friends and to know if the case was closed forever. She knows now that he is still missed and we will never stop looking to find whoever killed her father.
COMMENTS
Madam N?
It surely beggars belief that the triviality of some expecting their fragile egos to be massaged at a time such as this is of such importance to them, and all I can say is I admire profoundly all of you who had to suffer those appalling conditions, but perhaps the fact that you all attended for your special and honoured friend may have at least assauged some of that, and I sincerely hope it did. I have an immense admiration for you Americans, a very loyal and honourable People, and this story alone states exactly why I should feel this way, as an Englander.
Sincerely,
Ade XX
That is really, really sad
Being shot by some coward on a lonely road is bad enough but then to be used as some way to get a politician in the news is just plain horrible :(
Got up this morning and was just lounging around in my pj's talking with Mom watching schools and business' north of us releasing and closing down right and left, the weather was getting bad there.
Then the phone starts going nuts as the ice storm is headed right for us. I get dressed and head off to pickup my neice from school and grab some pop and milk then get my butt home.
Had no problems as it hadn't started yet and picked up Mandy and headed to the store, calling the Rat to see if she needed anything, nope she was good but still craving some chocolate after her Dad blew that pickup the other day bringing in something she'd croak before eating. lol She wasn't asking for any but hey we were close by so it was fun to surprise her and Mandy and I ran her by some candy. Mandy loves getting to see Kay as she thinks she's just awesome. :) Mandy's 11 and really wants to hang out with my girlfriends and I. lol
It was just starting to sprinkle rain then.
Went by the bakery and got some buns and bread then dropped the groceries off at my house and my sisters then we went to grab some breakfast/lunch. The rain had picked up steady by then but the roads were still in good shape so we headed on home with our food.
Got out of the car both of us with our hands full and started across the sidewalk toward our door, I'd checked it before starting across and it wasn't slick so I was a few feet ahead of Mandy when I started to slip, I dropped the foot, my purse and threw my tea somewhere out in the yard but I fell anyway. Straight down onto my knees but managed to jerk my right one straight enough that the left bore the brunt of my fall along with my right elbow. My neighbor Chris saw me and came running out her front door barefoot and got Mandy off the sidewalk before she fell too and yelling at me if I was okay?
The answer to that wasn't available to me just at that time I was too scared of what I might have just done. Both my knees have been surgically repaired and the right one just a bare month ago. Chris kept yelling and was going back to call 911 when I stopped her and rolled over to my backside. I couldn't move my knees yet I was too afraid to try.
Then a neighbor lady driving past pulled into the drive and got out to see if she could help. Luckily I still had my crutches in the trunk of my car and opened it and Chris got them for me and I was able to scoot across the ice covered sidewalk and use them to pull myself up to my feet. My right knee wasn't hurting much but my left didn't want to bear any weight so I used the crutches to get on inside while Chris and my neighbor carried in my purse and stuff.
I was soaking wet from the waist to the knee and still could just sit for about 10 minutes or so. Finally I changed clothes and got a good look at my left knee. Sucker is already blue and swelling but hopefully it'll just be a bad bruising. Tomorrow will feel pretty awful between it and my wrist and elbow, sore town here I come. lol
But that's what I get to pushing my luck with freezing rain coming down. Cat's don't always land on their feet. lol
COMMENTS
I would give up chocolate for a month if that had not happen sis. :(
The chocolate wasn't the problem, me deciding to go 3 places for dinner was what kept me out so long! lol Then I still didn't get my ice tea! lol
I hope it's just a bruise and feels better soon.
You be more careful please!
Was listening to a comedian the other day and he was talking about having married a southern woman. He told several funny stories but then came out with a sure fire truth that we have to admit to. You can say anything about anybody in the the south as long as you follow it up with "bless their heart"!
You neighbors show you their new baby and you say afterwards "that's the homeliest young'un I've ever seen" Bless his heart! lol
I've heard this so many times over my life that I can't help but laugh my butt off. Bless my heart!
COMMENTS
A couple of wonderful men left VR and UO last night. I will really miss both of them for they were great fun to chat and play with in the house threads. BaoloDrawn and PlatinumWitch, Lon and Michael, I'm very sorry you have both left and hope life brings you great happiness and prosperity. Goodbye my friends if you ever return be sure and give me a shout.
COMMENTS
I just wish people would TALK to their house mates and friends before doing this- nothing is so bad that friends can't help
Just discovered my Uncle John died, he was 88 years old. It’s really weird because he was the last of my father’s 8 brothers and sisters living and now they are all gone. Most died at relatively young ages of Cancer like my Dad who died 20years ago at 52 of Lung Cancer and he was the baby of the family. After my Dad passed they began dying very quickly one or more every few years. Strangely the youngest were the first to die, Uncle John was the oldest of the children and now he’s the last to die. I’m too shocked to feel grief right now and since it has been some years since I saw him after he remarried and moved off, I’m not sure how I feel about it at all. He wasn’t the warmest fellow I ever met but I do remember as a kid playing in his backyard with his son and daughter and he always had this big laugh and would make home-made ice cream before they made the churns electric so he always let us kids have a turn as cranking that thing. We had some awfully good times there as a kid and he and my Aunt Grace (who passed some years ago) were very good to us children. They didn’t yell if you stepped into the house without wiping your feet first or something silly like that. I’m thinking this will hit me later on when I’ve had time to digest it. Goodbye Uncle John
COMMENTS
Hugs! Holler if you need something!
What she said. I will be at mom's in the morning til later in the night- but I will be online, and you know the phone numbers. USE them if you need to talk sis.
*hugs* Love you dearly.
I feel for your loss.
Hugs you comfortingly
Michael
*hug* I"m sorry sugar..
I can remember my grandfather making homemade peach ice cream in one of this contraptions as well...at the family reunions, or whatever, and he let me take a turn at it too...some of my fondest memories are from things like that- if I ever find one of those things, I"m going to buy it and bring it up here so I can share it with my family too...
I'm so sorry for your loss.
*Hugs*
Hugs, sorry to hear this.
There's a thread in the forum about paranormal experiences and while I'd love to post this story I don't dare since I was ordered by my Commanding officer not to tell. But he's long gone and I'm retired so I'll post it here simply to enjoy being able to speak of it at last.
It isn't often that most of us know we really helped save someone's life, this is my story.
While at work one dangerously cold winter night as a police dispatcher I had an officer checking the interstate highway for stranded motorists since it was cold enough to kill. We had tractor trailer trucks froze up on the highway where they sat and was towing them clear as fast as possible. My officer came upon another truck sitting on the highway right before his shift ended and he checked but couldn’t find the driver anywhere around it. I checked the only 2 truck stops open that night and he wasn’t there either.
Here’s were it got strange, instead of just towing the truck and going on, my nerves were going crazy yelling at me something was wrong. I called a wrecker but then I also hunted down the owner of the trucking company and called him it was nearly 4AM but he answered and when I explained said he thought something must be wrong because this driver was his buddy and should have been headed home. I told the officer but without evidence he didn’t know what else he could do so with the truck towed off he went on home to bed. I couldn’t bear it, I just knew something was wrong and so I called a supervisor who ordered the officer back to the scene and he got up and joined him there, I also was now able to call out the rescue squad and they too responded. One half hour later the driver was found unconscious in woods off the side of the road a ways. He had become ill and wandered into the woods before passing out. He was taken quickly to the hospital and a few weeks later was able to go home to his family. I found out he’d have been dead long before morning if we hadn’t have found him.
This wasn’t the first time I’d had these type feelings but this was the most significant result I ever saw. Well except for the time one saved my own life. I now listen very closely when those nerves go off.
Later some of the officers told me how bad they felt that I wasn’t getting the credit and commendations that were given by Headquarters for a job well done. It made the news all over the South since the driver was from Georgia and the company owner had friends in high places and talked it up big time. I had to keep silent for it wouldn’t do according to my Commander for anyone to know the officer had given up searching against my advice. I was angry at the time for the order but happy that everything had worked out for the driver since he had 3 small kids and a wife at home that loved him dearly. The hardest part was when a large card came in with signatures from all the church members where he was a deacon, thanking the officer for saving their dear one.
The officer stayed mad at me for months because I called the supervisor on him. How's that for ironic?
COMMENTS
Ahh yes ... one of the finest and bravest and officers in the land; committed to serve and prote .. oh hell, it's too cold for this; I'm going home.
Yes but in his defense he was on his 14th hour of work and did what he was legally required to do. He just wouldn't listen when I told him this one was different. lol
Spookey and lifesaving .... woooooo
As a truck driver's daughter- I think the gods you had that tingle, and the supervisor step up to stand with you.
You are the best, sis. :)
Finally back on VR after all 3 of my accounts were screwed with by someone or something. Heck I'm not sure what happened but my passwords were all changed. The crazy thing is that I had passwords that were complicated with letters and numbers both and no one on VR knew them. Of course when it happened I thought I'd lost my mind putting them in over and over until I was locked out more than once. lol
Thanks LadyChordewa for messaging me off vr and letting me know what was going on. Makes me really glad my Email addresses are good. lol
But you know I was going a bit wonky not being able to log in at all. Maybe I'm more addicted than I knew.
COMMENTS
I am glad your e-mail is current, also, and that the perpetrator did not think to scramble the e-mail addresses also.
It was a simple abuse of a VR page, not a hack. The orginial VR reset password page, just had that you put the VR member name in. So someone just sat there and input all of the members, from Admins on down, it seems.
But its all fixed and you are very welcome. I was just praying that you turned on your yahoo, you rarely use it lol.
Thanks Jayme, you're a lifesaver or sanity saver at least. I sure hope Karma has something interesting in store for whoever did that.
that wasn't fun, now we prepare for the second 'round...accounts being deleted also....
::sighs::
Swanny girl twists her neck in.. smiles at puddy cat, It would be a sad day if they ever took our profiles away!
Today the National weather service is running all over the place trying to determine which storm was actually a tornado and which damage was just high winds. I think the only ones that really want to know is the insurance companies because they find ways out of paying the victims I'm sure. (can you tell I distrust them) lol
But for me the answer comes really easier, sure the twisted trunks of big trees and spiral patterns left behind are big tells but the response of it sounded like a train or 5 trains coming right through the house satisfies me. Having been through several and one that hit my home directly I know well that big train sound. It means throw Mom into the bathtub and cover her up before the world goes wild.
I truly feel for those hit by these storms, the pain and damage from them will go on for a long time as they try to find missing friends, family & belongings to rebuild. They all could use help but given how well our government has proven to be at that (katrina) I don't figure it'll happen.
Well hell don't this just figure!
![]() | |||
![]() | Hillary ClintonScore: 45 | AgreeIraqStem-Cell ResearchHealth CareAbortionSocial SecurityEnergyMarriageDeath PenaltyEnvironment | DisagreeImmigrationTaxesLine-Item VetoGun ControlEducation |
![]() | Barack ObamaScore: 45 | AgreeIraqStem-Cell ResearchHealth CareAbortionSocial SecurityEnergyMarriageDeath PenaltyEnvironment | DisagreeImmigrationTaxesLine-Item VetoGun ControlEducation |
-- Take the Quiz! -- |
COMMENTS
I take it then, that you are not voting for Billary either =)
I have serious concerns about her too but it mostly depends on who the Republicans put up that will determine for whom I cast my vote. I am quite disappointed with our choices on all sides. While I'd like someone who doesn't owe their allegiance to others instead of the American public, that seems impossible as I watch Obama sell off more of himself every day. So quick to make deals to get elected he always says exactly what the crowd he's before wants even if it's not the right thing for the whole country.
COMMENTS
Birdy just watches the two.....and grins.
I think the cat won that round!
Cat licks her chops and thinks "that was really fun"
Now I wonder where that birdy is hiding? 0-0
LOL... rat never looked so good. O.o
Stitches are out and the healing is going well according to the surgeon. I wasn't expecting to go in to see a video of the surgery and the inside of my knee. Good thing I hadn't had breakfast. They even sent me home with a cd of it all. Goodie lol
The trip wasn't really bad just tiring, the roads stayed clear but the winds were 50+mph and a blowing dry snow that was a bit like driving through a fog bank.
I won't have to go back for 1 month unless I have problems which I don't think I will it seems pretty stable so far. She gave me some exercises to help strengthen and improve the stability. Not even hard ones so I might actually do it.
Going to get to see the Rat and Birdie Sunday so that is something good to look forward to and I'm so looking to get out and relax a bit.
COMMENTS
Wonderful news. :)
Wonderful!
Are you going to post the video?
im glad this operation went better than your last one on the other knee. Give birdy and Rat a hug for me and tell them to hug you for me. Take your time healing hon. We love you and miss you.
Great news :)
YouTube is free *hint*
You guys scare me - that video is icky since it's the inside of me! Not something I want to share or even see myself... Fiends - you all are gory fiends
Glad you are feeling a little better! :) Just think ahead ..you Birdy and Rat wont be seeing any ot that snow stuff in New Orleans! Roll on August :)
COMMENTS
-
Vampirewitch39
21:49 Feb 29 2008
If you throw the pillow just right... it snuffs out the sound. :)