Living in a Houseful of Males

Migraine Report: Not much new. Having about one a week. Looks like I will probable have to go on preventative medication and I’m not very happy about it! At least for the most part, the migraines are only lasting about a day and not 3 like they were for a while! Pretty sure humidity mixed with heat is a trigger too. I’m still learning!
Took these photos a few days ago when I looked around my house and wondered how different it would be if I lived in a home where boys didn’t live. All you have to do is look around the house and there are signs everywhere. As illustrated:

The first thing you see when you come in the back door from the garage is this. All matters of shoes in a pile. Granted, I’m glad they have been trained to remove them before coming into the rest of the house. However, in the closet directly next to this rug is a piece of furniture that is full of shoe sized cubbies. But these shoes don’t make it into those cubbies by themselves. The shoe fairy puts them there!

The next thing you see is a dual piece of furniture. Not only is it a kitchen chair, it doubles as a hat rack. Both boys do this. They are not allowed to wear their hats at the table so when they sit down for a meal the removed hat lands here. Usually doesn’t move from here until the hat needed again.

Now this one I’m guilty of my self. I toss clothes found around the house on this rail hoping they will eventually make their way upstairs as the boys pass by them on their way. They’ve all caught on to this one, at least the tossing part. The clean clothes that are folded and placed on the stairs to be put away typically get stepped over until I nag about it. Then they make it upstairs and into their respective rooms on the floor in front of the dresser. Success?

Recently, a new piece has been added to the family room. It’s purpose is squirrel patrol which is another story all together. Honestly, someone visiting our home might assume the have cause for concern.

I mean really, doesn’t every one have a pellet gun in the corner. Maybe we’ve spent too much time at the lake and the boys are absorbing too much Hillbilly from the water or something.

One last thing I noticed this day was how our laundry differs from others. It’s possible some people don’t have camo hunting clothes sitting on the dryer.

Mind you I’m not complaining about living in a house full of men. It just recently dawned on me that maybe this is not the norm!

Never a Dull Moment

Many of you who know hubby are probably aware he is a man of great patience. After all, he has been married to me for 25 years. What you may not be aware of is his weakness for silent auctions. Especially when it comes to charitable events. For example: we got NOS’s first car at an auction at Cowtown. We also own a gas-powered margarita maker that came home from a K-State golf tournament.

So really, it shouldn’t surprise me that hubby came home from a Duck’s Unlimited banquet with more than he said he would. I believe his words on the way out the door were, “I’m not bidding on anything because we don’t need anymore duck paintings”. Famous last words! He and LA roll in around midnight with a duck painting (“It’s for my office”), a pellet gun, a size small ladies’ vest (I wear a med.), and a bar-b-que sauce kit.

Fast forward to a few days later…..So we have these neighbors who are having squirrel problems. They have shot at them with b.b. guns and currently have a trap in their tree. LA who, thrilled with the pellet gun, was just dieing for an excuse to use it. He came home while hubby and I were gone and suited up in his choir clothes to get ready for a contest at school.

LA- Center singing in Sotto Voce

When he happened to spot a squirrel in the neighbor’s yard.

It just so happens that Sat. afternoon that our neighbor’s niece was at their house. You can imagine their confusion when she tells them she sees a boy in their yard. With a gun. And “why is he wearing a tux?”

Next thing you know their doorbell rings. LA is there, gun in hand, to let them know he left a present for them in their back yard.

Nope, never a dull moment. And by the way, the boy’s choir group scored a #1 rating!

Happy Belated Easter

Migraine Report: Only had 2 migraines in the last 5 weeks since I started taking the Singular. Met with the neurologist on Mon. and we have worked out a plan!
Wanted to share this story in case someone hasn’t heard it!

That’s me and my daddy circa 1965, I think. You see me hunting Easter eggs. Why no basket, you ask? Because my Daddy was very clever and very naughty. In my family you were not allowed to carry your basket with you to hunt eggs. Your basket stayed in one place and you brought the eggs back to it when you found them. The purpose of this was that while you were out hunting eggs, Daddy would rehide the ones you had put in your basket while you weren’t looking.

He and my mother got great entertainment from this. Because my brother and I didn’t catch on for years. We would see an egg and exclaim, “I just looked there”. It was pure magic to us and we could spend an hour looking for a dozen eggs!

They say only the good die young.

A Critter’s Welcome Home

Migraine Alert: After 2 1/2 weeks of bad migraines I was really being ready to throw in the towel. The usual steroid shot didn’t touch it so two days later I started oral steroids for a week. Still nothing. Desperate, I called my allergist to see if, on a long shot I should consider changing my allergy meds. So they prescribed Singular and scheduled me with a neurologist 5 weeks out. Big news, I could feel a difference almost immediately! They also prescribed an anti-depressant that is often prescribed for irritable bowel syndrome, as well as, cancer patients with chronic pain, and migraine sufferers. I haven’t taken it because I’m doing so well. I still have my appt. with the neurologist who will probably tell me “the problem is all in my head”! But for now, I’m really enjoying life pain-free!
Just returned from spring break in Steamboat, CO. NOS went to Mexico with his girlfriend and her parents for Jess’s “senior spring break”. So we told LA he could take a friend. Nana came with us as well but she didn’t ski. She read by the fire, got a massage, shopped….I think she has the right idea!

It dawned on me the second day on the slopes as Hubby and I were trying to keep up with our high school charges that I have come full circle on the skiing thing! In high school I often skied with the guys because my girlfriends were in ski school and I didn’t want to ski alone. They were usually pretty good about watching for me but it was keep up or get left behind much of the time. Well as Hubby and I stopped to catch our breath on a run I realized that yes I was still skiing with the high school guys, but boy did it used to seem easier! I’m sure it was just a mental thing since I celebrated my 40 something birthday that same day!

So what does this have to do with critters you ask. Ahhh our welcome home.

When it was built our house was wired with one GFI switch on the fuse box for all the bathroom outlets. Don’t ask me why. On that same switch, is the sprinkler system and garage outlets we have discovered. In a hard rainstorm when the wind is from a certain direction, the GFI is triggered and the fuse pops. So just go flip the breaker you say. Unfortunately, it is not that easy. The breaker cannot be flipped while it is still wet which is sometimes days. What does this have to do with critters, you ask? I’m getting there.

You can’t tell in the photo because of his hat but Hubby shaves his head. So for him, the non-operating bathroom outlet is not at all an inconvenience. The requirement of an extension cord from a bedroom outlet to use the blow dryer and whatever other hair styling accessories necessary is not much of a concern for him.Thus, a solution to the problem has never been a priority.

For 4 days before we left for our ski trip I was using the extension cord. Again, what does this have to do with critters, you ask? Getting there.

Home from spring break we’re unpacking and washing all the ski clothes. Hubby decides to be helpful (thank you dear) and put some ski things in the totes we keep in the storage room in the basement. Woah….what is that smell? And what is on the floor….leaking from the critter freezer (the freezer we use for all the pheasant, deer, duck, you know, critters)? Could that be blood from thawed critters? Guess which fuse the outlet the critter freezer is wired in to? Yep, same one as all the bathroom outlets!

Nothing says “Welcome Home” like the stench of thawed critters. I hope the trash man doesn’t turn us in thinking there is a dead body in our can!

I think I’ll call him Cedric……

Migraine Report:  Had done well for quite some time. The recent migraines I’d had were fairly quickly dashed with my meds, although I would be very tired! Yesterday I had to cancel dinner plans. We had invited some friends for dinner but I woke up with such a migraine, I had to go back to bed for the rest of the day. Trees are budding, damn!
A look out the window by my kitchen sink and a quick unintended gasp from me is all it takes to send Maggie tearing through the family room, nails sliding on the wood floor as she rounds the corner to get to the back door ASAP. That squirrel is on the feeder again and it is her duty as dog in charge to chase him away!

You would think she was a hunting dog the way she points and then patiently sits beneath the branches, eyes fixed on the critter. I buy seed and regularly fill the feeder for entertainment value alone. Not just for Maggie’s, but for mine.

It’s amazing how he can hold onto the tree with nothing but his feet and even turn the feeder around. However, Maggie is unimpressed by his acrobatic moves. She simply sits and waits for him to make a run for it so she can chase him.

I find the whole thing very entertaining, thus the name!

I don’t care what they say….

Yes it’s the middle of February. And yes it’s still cold. But I’m seeing signs of spring that you can’t deny.

Yesterday I let Maggie outside and she spooked a small covey of doves (can you say covey for doves, or is that just quail?) from underneath the bird feeder. Haven’t seen them for a while.

The sun came out! And it was warm enough to refill the bird feeder, scoop poop, and sweep the road sand and silt out of the garage.

This morning I put on my lined dog walking pants, ski coat, ear bra and gloves to walk Maggie. And yes, snow is in the forecast for tomorrow. But before I even saw them, I heard the red-winged blackbirds who perch on the tall grasses lining the golf course. On one pond the geese had found a small area of open water to paddle in. How they can stand it I still don’t understand!

Even more impressive was the heron by the pond. I’m sure he would not be there if he didn’t think he could fish. Course if he likes them frozen, I noticed several belly up and motionless in the ice.

I should be praying for snow since we are skiing next month. And the logical me knows that March is the snowiest month here. But I see signs of spring. I don’t care what they say!

Christmas Spirit

First of all, to anyone who ever reads my blog. I apologize that I have been AWOL for so long. It’s not as though I have nothing to say!

Now for the fun….Christmas Spirit. Last weekend, hubby and I went to KC just the two of us to start a little Christmas shopping. We made a big dent, however, though we had a nice weekend, I was having trouble getting in the mood which usually is not a problem for me.

You see, I am a believer in the magic of Christmas. My dad made Christmas big at our house. Mother says it is because the majority of his childhood his family struggled financially and he never had big Christmases so he was making up for lost time. Both my parents were only children and we couldn’t always travel the long distance to visit grandparents so it was often just my parents, brother, and me. But I never remember that time as being lonely or empty.

My childhood Christmases were big on decorations and traditions. There were gifts too, but the magic came from all the preparation. Wrapping gifts, a “chore” to some, was an opportunity to be creative with my dad. He enjoyed putting up the outdoor lights and used to make a huge lit up tree on the side of our house each year. Getting the tree was an event. One year, he cut down such a big one we had to move most of the furniture out of the living room just to make room for it! After my brother and I had left home he dressed up as Santa for the kids across the street.

So yesterday we drug the boys to the tree farm where we always get our tree. We celebrated Christmas early with the cousins who were here for Thanksgiving. Then Number One Son left for dinner with his girlfriend’s family. Hubby and the Littlest Angel left to go hunting. It was me and the dog, Maggie. I spent the next 3 hours putting lights on the tree. At 11 pm I turned on the tree lights, some Christmas music and Maggie and I flipped through the Christmas scrapbook. Magic, I found it. It’s right here at home!

In my world, Christmas is lights, warmth, tradition, and magic. Truly a feeling of the heart.

As my children grow I hope the memories I have created with them are as good as they look in the pictures. I hope I have done my daddy proud by passing on the family tradition of Christmas magic. Maybe once the kids are out of the nest it will give them a reason to come home!

Dogs and Squirrels

Migraine Report: No migraine since Aug. 24 until yesterday! I’ve narrowed it down to 4 possibilities. Weather-it was very humid and cloudy, a front was moving in, hormones-always a possibility, stress-I taught a class yesterday but I wasn’t feeling particularly stressed, allergy shot-I’ve been back at a .5 dosage for several weeks now, and I got one that day.
So I’ve started paying attention to my bird feeder again and the squirrels have noticed. And Maggie, my precious golden retriever has noticed the squirrels! For some reason my reaction to seeing a squirrel dangling from the feeder hanging in the tree outside my kitchen window, is a low gasp. It’s proof that even the dog has selective hearing when she jumps up like someone poked her with a sharp stick from what appears to be a sound sleep when I ever so quietly, and subconsciously, gasp at the sight of a squirrel.  And by all means don’t say the word. We usually refer to the rodent by S.Q.,  because it is laborious to spell the entire word.

At any rate my gasp sends her to the back door in a flash of golden fur. So, of course, I let her out. She runs to the tree and will continue to sit staring up into the branches listening to the terrified tsk, tsk, tsk from the little entertainer. You would think her neck would cramp, but usually before that happens the little bugger will make a run for it. So squirrel jumps from the tree and races to the magnolia tree on the side of the yard, with Maggie in hot pursuit. A minute later squirrel realizes he has made a mistake and again leaves the safety of a tree to make a mad dash to the neighbor’s iron fence where freedom and safety wait.

Well, apparently Maggie wasn’t convinced that I saw the entire thing play out. Because she returns to the tree with the feeder looks up, then looks at me as if to say “did you see it, it was up here”? She then follows the squirrel escape route with her nose and looks up the magnolia tree. Again, she looks at me with an expression of “so then, it ran to this tree, did you see that part”? After a look through the fence, she turns back to me showing me “and here’s where I lost it.”

And I thought I was done with the “Mom, watch this”, when the kids grew out of it. I don’t suppose the dog ever will. That could be the thing I love best about her!

Oh to be 16 again

Migraine Report: none this week. Reports are for a really bad ragweed season. Really hoping my 10 months of allergy shots will help!

Last Sunday we got home with a few hours to relax before running up to the pool for LA’s 16th birthday party. Geeze we didn’t plan that well. Taking one up to college and celebrating a milestone birthday in the same week. What were we thinking? No one needs to reply on that one!

We tried and tried to have an evening party, but it is football season after all and there is no life during football season. So, Sunday afternoon it was.

Every girl who came to the party wore a bikini. Most of them are athletes and what I would give to have a body like that. Not only that, they were all very confident with their bodies and interacting with the boys. They are all good friends. They entertained themselves with pool games they organized themselves.

They had a blast doing what 16 year olds do. All teenagers should have this much fun together!

A Needed Distraction, but Really?…..

Migraine Report: Yea for me. No migraines since I started on oral steroids 8/24. Hope it lasts till frost!

Those who know me, know I am not a morning person. Have not been for a long time! I’m not grumpy or mean, simply non-functional. So it’s Sat. Aug. 22. I’m up early to leave the house by 7:30 am to take my son to college. I decide the ride up to Manhattan would be a good time to change purses. An activity I could do in the car to occupy my time on the drive. I grab a purse I had stashed in the bottom of my closet last year. I’m pulling the old tissues out when I look a little closer near the purse handle so see a very dry, very dead, but very real SNAKE!!!!!

Hell yes, I freak out! I’m running around the kitchen going ooooh, ooooh, ooooh. Of course, hubby thinks I’m hyperventilating due to the emotional distress of moving our son to college. I somehow manage to get out the words “go look at my purse” pointing as best I can while dancing from one foot to the other.

Half the way to Manhattan I’m still trying to get over it, calling hubby who is following us in the other vehicle with critter reports of  “I’ve seen a deer, 5 turkeys, and one snake, what you got?” I’m also talking to God, mentioning that I don’t mean to sound ungrateful for the distraction, but a snake, really? Did it have to be a snake? I must have needed a biggie that day!

Needless to say, the first thing we did on returning home was pull everything out of the closet and vacuum like crazy. And, I have a new purse.