IS THERE A JUNIOR IN THE HOUSE?

This is my "new" cat Junior. The caption to this particular picture is "don't wake this". Junior is a major live-wire when he is awake, so while he is asleep there is peace and quiet. He is a beautiful cat and is going to be really large when he is finished growing. I decided to keep him inside for the first six months or so because he is SO white and then was SO small, I felt he would be an easy target for predators at night (HOO HOO!). Anyway, now he is about 9 pounds so I am not nearly as concerned about him being kidnapped or killed.

Junior has a bunch of little rubber balls that he like to carry around in his mouth. He will play with these all by himself for hours. Sometimes he will bring the ball to wherever you are sitting or standing and drop it in your lap or at your feet. Then you are supposed to throw it and he will fetch and bring it back! Does he think he is a dog? IDK!

Around 2:30 or 3:00 every morning it sounds like the Olympics are going on in my living room, kitchen, foyer and upstairs as Junior is running and sliding and crashing into everything. He recently discovered the stairs and likes to run up and down them many times so it sounds like a herd of buffalo is in the house. Needless to say, we thoroughly enjoy having little (?) Junior around. He is not an extremely affectionate pet, but when HE wants to, he will "allow" a small amount of cuddling, even though he does purr all the time.

HAPPENINGS IN LOUISIANA IN THE HEART OF ACADIANA

Thibodeaux: Boudreaux, did you get the parrot I sent you for your birthday?
Boudreaux: Yes, it was good!
Thibodeaux: You ate the bird!
Boudreaux: Of course I ate it.
Thibodeaux: That bird spoke five different languages.
Boudreaux: Then he should have said something. **********************************************
Thibodeaux: Boudreaux, What's the score?
Boudreaux: Seven to Ten.
Thibodeaux: Who's winning?
Boudreaux: The ten.
**********************************************
When Boudreaux got home yesterday, Clotilde ran out to him saying,
"The car got water in the carburetor!"
"How you know that, you?"
"Cause it's parked in the Bayou!"
********************************
Boudreaux told Thibodeaux he was having trouble selling his truck, with 200,000 miles on it, for $1,500. Thibodeaux advised him to set the odometer back to 50,000 miles to make it easier to sell. A few days later, Thibodeaux asked Boudreaux if he had sold his truck.
"No," replied Boudreaux, "I decided to keep it. It has only50,000 miles on it."
*********************************************

Boudreaux and Thibodeaux went hunting and got lost in the woods. When Boudreaux began lamenting their fate, Thibodeaux said, "You know, I heard that the best thing to do if you get lost is to fire three shots in the air."
So they did that, and waited a while. When no rescue party showed up, they fired three more shots in the air. Finally, when there was still no response, Thibodeaux said, "Well, I guess we better fire three more shots."
"OK, if you say so," said Boudreaux. "But somebody better come soon-- > we're about out of arrows!"
**********************************************

Dare was da time Boudreaux was having trouble sleeping at night. Boudreaux wrote a letter to the Internal Revenue Service. He put:"Dear Internal Revenue Service,For da tax year 2003, I underpaid my federal income tax and I ain't been able to sleep well since. Enclosed is a check for $200.00.
Yours in Good Government,Boudreaux
And he put at the bottom,"Mais, P. S. If I don't sleep better tonight, I'm gonna send you da rest." **********************************************

AM I STARVIN' MARVIN?

I have to think so hard about what i'm going to eat, when and how much! It's crazy, but unless you succumb to the demands of the diabetes monster, you will become even more enslaved by medications.

It is truly amazing how little food the human body needs to survive. Nowadays my thoughts about whatever is on the so-called menu are limited to what can fit in the palm of my hand. Granted, some days the palm can extend all the way to my fingertips especially when something I really really like is on the mastication horizon!

This is the second time I have blog'd about the new companion in my life, diabetes and don't want this to turn into a blog for that. BUT there are some thoughts about this whole journey that I just would like to put out there for whoever may or may not be interested.

Any and I mean any kind of a vegetable seems to agree with the glucose-challenged. As we all should know, vegetables are full of soluble fiber which digests much more slowly. Meats are okay in small amounts, but processed meats such as lunch meat are not good. For some reason the lunch meat type foods really cause the glucometer to skyrocket! Grains are okay in very small amounts and be sure they are of whole wheat variety! Never thought I would like whole wheat pasta either, but it is tasting pretty darn good these days............................

I have also definitely confirmed that exercise of ANY type is good to metabolize. If you are behind a desk all day and have to pretty much be available there, it is so difficult to move too much, so one must improvise. Subtle stretching works sometimes as well as the famous Keigel type exercises, which really are simply flexing your muscles while you sit!

There are also people whose blood sugar is always going too low and it has got to be terrible for those people to deal with that. Low blood sugar can definitely kill you much faster than high blood sugar! For a brief period of time I was over-medicated and experienced several "low" blood sugar events (very scary). So trying to keep the sugar down is probably the lesser of the two evils between low and high (see I know how lucky I really am)!

I can totally understand now how people fail at diabetes and it is a lifetime committment to yourself that, once it is firmly entrenched, will not just GO AWAY. Acceptance is still overwhelming on some days, but not as bad as it was at the outset. I well knew the symptoms of diabetes, but chose to float down the Nile river and just knew that I was not having those symptoms. It has been a long and short two and a half years, but I am so much wiser now. I always thought I took good care of myself but could have been doing better all along.

Thats my story for now and i'm stickin' to it!

FOOD AND FUN

Well, I have been "officially" a diabetic for a little over two years now. One of the main lessons I have learned is the success or failure of this disease is all about, drumroll, FOOD! Once the medical professionals get your sugar level somewhat regulated, if you don't want to have to take MORE medicine, you have got to learn to say "hold back" to yourself when sitting down to more than a palm-sized portion of whatever food is in front of you.

There is a page on the diabetic.org site that allows you to "create" virtual plates that are then scored for correctness as far as your two vegetables, one fruit, one carbohydrate and one protein. Sound exciting? You bet!!!

I feel so in awe of much younger people who are suddenly diabetic as this whole deal has taken way more will power than I have ever had to use in previous decades of my life. The phrase "comfort food" now has a meaning I never contemplated fully. When we were young, we were given special treats for good behavior and special occasions. I even remember being ENCOURAGED to eat because way back then I was somewhat underweight (LOL)!!!!

So this eating thing is learned and formed behavior. But it has been an interesting transformation for me, as now I actually look forward to my apple with cheese or the avocado with a little dressing on it. A really big deal now is perhaps some roast with gravy (see above) and just a little brown rice with some kind of green veg. Plus, a little seems to fill me up. Now all of this is great as long as eating at home is happening. Eating out is a whole different challenge.

In summation, I don't think that you, dear reader, will have too hard of a time figuring out why this could be a crime in a persons lifetime.........BUT like Fox News, I report, you decide!

WEATHER OR NOT?

My goodness, it is that time of year again. No other part of the United States has the dread and trepidation that the deep south experiences from around June until October. We all wait with a mixture of calm and extreme anxiety as the latest "blow" comes across the ocean from Africa (I have figured out ANOTHER meaning to "Out of Africa").

Seriously, a southerner can be experiencing the kind of day that poets and artists dream of and pursue empirically, whiling away their time breathing in the balmy air. It can be only scant days later that you may see archival footage from the scary Weather Channel showing their scary frontman Jim Cantori hanging onto a palm tree while a stop sign is swaying in the background. So, then you are again "hooked" into the fantasy created (or not) by the Weather Channel and its sometimes terrifying warnings that may or may not turn into something to be concerned about.

In the interest of fairness however, I must concede that occasionally these dire warnings from TWC are not in vain, as witnessed by the 2005 fiasco of not one, but TWO major hurricanes within one month of each other!! As Randy Newman sang, "They're trying to wash us away".

Its true New Orleans almost got washed away, but the rest of the area could have changed the lyrics to "they're trying to BLOW us away". I lost a piece of fascia from my roofline during Rita and another piece during Lily (she was around 2003 I believe). Hurricane Katrina was no more than a puff of air where we live, and was a beautiful day. It was weird to think that only 70 or so miles away havoc was being wreaked by that mother Katrina.

In summation, I would like to send my condolences to Mexico and various other places in the Carribbean that just got SLAMMED by good ol hurricane Dean. Hopefully there are enough people in Mexico to help rebuild there, as it seems like the majority of the rebuilders of cities and countries are now housed in the southern part of the US rebuilding our cities, etc.

WE WILL MISS HIM (1990-2007)

Our cat Alex had a long and happy life on two different porches in the country. He was an exceptional feline. Alex would talk and talk and I knew if he only had human-like vocal cords we would have had a lot of conversations. He had a "comment" for just about anything you would say to him! He loved shoes, and the more worn and stinky the better!

He was taught most of what he knew by our late siamese/calico cat Ophelia. She was the surrogate mother of all the kitties following and would always take them in line for teaching the ways of the yard and other things cats need to know.

When we got home yesterday, Alex was not there to greet us as always. I knew something was amiss the longer he didn't appear. Bill went to look around and found him lying in the grass underneath the porch. The porch had become a place that Alex never left. He had lived his entire life on or around a porch, and I believe he felt most safe and secure there.

Alex had a very peaceful passing and was laid to rest next to Ophelia.

Goodbye for now my friend and companion.

BIRD OF PARADISE

I have heard that this bird can fly up ones nose. Figuratively speaking, I believe that when the bird of paradise flies up your nose, it may be that what you thought was a good and great thing to happen may have some flies in its ointment. Or maybe it is that one mans feast is another mans famine? Check out the lyrics below and see................

One fine day as I was a-walkin' down the street
Spied a beggar man with rags upon his feet
Took a penny from my pocket
In his tin cup I did drop it
I heard him say as I made my retreat
"May the bird of paradise fly up your nose"
"May an elephant caress you with his toes"
"May your wife be plagued with runners in her hose"
"May the bird of paradise fly up your nose"
The laundry man is really on his toes
Found a hundred-dollar bill among my clothes
When he called me I came a-runnin'
Gave him back his dime for phonin'
I heard him sayin' as I turned to go,
May the bird of paradise fly up your nose!
Was way behind one day to catch the train
Taxi driver said "We'll make it just the same"
The speed cop made it with us
And as he wrote out the ticket
I stood by politely a-waitin' for my change

Maybe the lesson here is that no good deed goes unpunished. One could say and know from experience there are lots of time when a favor, kindness, help, whatever are done and the recipient will never think enough was done for them.
We had a situation here at the office where our handles on the hot and cold water faucets in the ladies room were old, cracked and just needed replacing. Mind you, some of us were ecstatic to even have a ladies room, but I digress.......
One sunny day we came to work and the faucets had been replaced with brand new, shiny and sparkling fixtures. Very nice! I was in this facility later in the day and one of my co-workers was washing her hands and in a really nasty tone said "well, they should have replaced the sink too!" I wanted to ask her if she had ever pulled wings off of butterflies, but I didn't......

It is similar to when you spend all day cooking, say, Thanksgiving dinner and while everyone is eating you may hear, "well, there could be a little more salt in this," or, one of my personal favorites, "I like so and so's dressing better." One may not need to ask whether or not I still engage in cooking such meals, because I DO NOT. For the past few years my husband and I go out to eat on holidays and my compliments are always paid to the chef, not to mention the waitperson and any other staff that assist. On any worst day at work, I contemplate how horrible it would be to REALLY wait on the public and then I remember how much love I have for my present job!

We all know there ARE times when we do wish a bird of paradise situation on others. Maybe we are in traffic with some rude road-rage jerk, maybe we are treated badly as a customer. In those times, we could use the newer lyrics to the song as follows:

may the bird of paradise fly up your nose,
may the mud crawl between your toes.
may you get lost in the fog
may you sink in a bog.
you won't be missed, that's for sure
unfortunately for us, there is no cure,
to rid us of american cheese
so do get lost, please.

HIDDEN

In life, as in this tree, there could be things not visible on a cursory glance. What may appear one way on the surface of things, may go in a different direction upon close scrutiny.
The last few days have been enlightening in their own way as my self resolve, esteem and courage continue to grow, and at this time of my life, FOR ME! It has been such a long road, feeling like it was my duty to absorb other peoples rudeness, disrespect and downright meanness. There should not be the assumption here that I feel and have felt that way about ALL things, because there have been some amazingly kind, considerate, empathetic and wonderful people and events. I don't know how long a person must live before they understand how the negatives will always take over the positives in memory until you realize that is what is going on and make a conscious effort to change that!
It is depressing to think how many folks out there don't appreciate a cool breeze on their face or a beautiful view. When one hears a bird sing, or a lizard scuttling across the porch do you think that person ponders how wonderful it is that they can hear? When one can go out into the sunshine and not be afraid of dying from it, do you think they realize it and are grateful? Each and every day that I can put my feet on the floor (after waking up of course), is a truly remarkable day to me. Each day lived without immense and overwhelming pain is a truly wonderful day. We would never want people to experience the kind of things that boost your gratefulness of the simple but marvelous things that happen to us every day. We just want them to realize and know it without suffering that could bring it to the forefront.
Just think about the person who has lost their sight, hearing, sense of smell or taste. We all know these people are out there, suffering from something mysterious that has taken one or more of these senses away. I think about the people who are burned or have some other horrible affliction. What would they give to have a "normal" day like so many people have who just don't appreciate it?
The sky is so so so blue today and the air is nice and crisp. Energy is not in short supply for a change, so for right now and hopefully all day and week at least, everything will be peachy.
Be sure to magnify the picture if you have that capability and you too will get a clearer "picture" of how the most beautiful things can, upon a quick glance, be HIDDEN!
Have a wonderful absolutely MAHvelous day AND life! If you can read this and understand the message, LIFE IS GOOD!

LIFETIME CRIMES

Do you ever wonder why some human beings try to be like porcupines? Or maybe like big puffer fish, all blown up and lookin' scary?
While innocently shopping at walgreens this morning, looking for "travel size" accessories, I decided to ask someone who worked in the store where these items might be located. You know at most stores these little size shampoos, toothpastes, deodorants, etc. are located in one section all alone, so dear reader, you get the picture. I very politely approached this, um, woman and asked her where these items may be. She turned around and pointed at some empty containers and said, THERE THEY ARE. I again very politely said, no, the ones that have stuff IN them, not empty ones. She then "puffed up" and with a sneer, said WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU WANT???. I said, you know, stuff like toothpaste, shampoo, etc., well, then in a reallly snotty tone she said THE TOOTHPASTE IS ON AISLE 8!! OK this was the end of it, so after saying thank you, i walked off and said a few things not under my breath. Then all I can wonder is what kind of crappy life is this woman leading? Revenge, under the guise of karma didn't take long. I next spied the witch waiting on a big black lady who wanted to try ALL of the imitation designer perfumes in the store. Ha i thought, dare you to be snotty to that one!!!

I have another one of these wackos in my office. Ever since she did not get a promotion (my old position), she has been out for total destruction of morale. BUT the only person she is hurting is herself (ah, how well we know that scene, eh?). At least once a day you will hear her on the phone say, "i'm just a secretary, let me transfer you to (fill in the blank). This same person has refused to do work assigned to her, and I believe is the victim of a very unhappy home life and some kind of hormonal problem (she is not under my supervision). She worked at a freaking factory for 20 years, then went to secretarial school, and got a job with the state 7 years ago. OK< after 7 years you are supposed to be promoted just because you have 7 whole freaking years? geez. She has taken to mumbling when you speak to her. Looking for a fight? She ain't gettin one from me. She just doesn't know how many miles and trials in an office setting have already occurred for her to realize she ain't no big-ass fish to fry. I try to just sit back and watch her hang herself but sometimes have to do my "ohmmmmm" after certain dramatic episodes.
Luckily the other chicks in our office are wise to this amateurish/childish behavior. and yes, as usual, i do feel sorry for her more often than not. Some people just never get it.................
my next post will be on the ain't life grand side!!!

Darkness and Light

You know, each and every day is filled with both........you see a little humor in a situation that some could say was "dark". I have been accused before of being somewhat cynical, which is okay. Maybe that is a way I have found to survive and thrive when life seems to be getting a little, shall we say, cumbersome?

Take for example, my CPTP class I attended recently. The only available seat "with a green booklet" was next to this man who upon approach, was a little red in the face. OH, the ironies of life when I realized after sitting down that he smelled like smoke. Then I knew the best was coming. Just about every 3-4 minutes he would bust out in a hellacious hairball cough. This is only funny if you know about the 3 years I spent in the same office with a hairball hacking smoking cougher! It could be a tragic situation, due to the mental agony visited upon my soul 8 hours a day during my "imprisonment" with the COPD poster child, but I chose to see it as a very funny irony in my own life. Besides, the man sitting next to me in the class was there only for one day and he was relatively pleasant besides the intermittent hacking. The instructor in this class reminded me of Dennis the Menace's father (boy am I dating myself here). He would accept questions, but every time would end up saying, "lets' talk about that offline". offline? WTF?! Maybe he spends a lot of time in chatrooms! Anyway, after a few times saying this, it became very comical to hear it. I kept wondering what my husband would have said about his hair-do.........

I did forget to mention that in this same class, lo and behold who did I see after many many years but my old buddy WHIT! She had been sitting in front of me all morning and never once did it occur to me that the back of that head was her. After the lunch break she saw me and whispered loudly my name. We shared a hug and talked a little. I had just finished telling my co-worker that was at the class with me about the time, years ago, when Whit had told me to step outside in the parking lot so she could "Beat my ass". See, she was very upset because at the time she did not like our mutual supervisor. She wanted me to not like her too, and of course that wasn't going to happen, so Whit was really pissed about that! Anyway, when she said she wanted me to go outside so she could beat me up, i told her no, that was very unladylike and that I did not fight people. Well, eventually we both left that department and she moved on to another, but different one like I did. In the interim, she became friends with my sister-in-law, a very very sweet person. So they were friends for all those years and I would hear about Whit from time to time. After our encounter at the class, she called my sister-in-law and told her she had seen me and how I had left before she could apologize to me for her behavior all those many years ago. Darkness and light! I did tell my sisterinlaw that Whit had definitely grown up and that I had told her that I always knew she would be destined for a good position with responsibility, which she is! I look forward to our next meeting...........

WELL HERE I GO

I've been reading these blogs for over a year now, and it looks like a good way to just "vent it"! it doesn't matter if it makes sense, or who you are talking about. yes, there are times when you know that nobody particularly wants to hear your latest bitch session about WHATEVER, even though you steadily listen to theirs. I don't ever like to unload on my fellow human beings, as i believe my purpose in life is more of a listener.
Well, now i have started blogging, so as the day goes on i may find other things to write about. It is rather early in this lovely Tuesday morning, so I may be back....