What I'm Reading, the Cat, and Other Things

OK, the cat is not working out. She lives almost exclusively in our bedroom/bathroom. I can live with that, and I appreciate that she uses her litter box (and only poops every other day) and uses her scratching box (and not my furniture or fancy bedding). However, she's attacked the dog TWICE with bloody results - completely unprovoked. She hisses at Zulu anytime Zulu is anywhere near her. If her paw can swipe Zulu, then she uses it. She wants nothing to do with the kids, but does not hurt them when they do get their hands on her.

I emailed the shelter to see about exchanging her. I want a cat, but I don't want this cat. I want a cat that loves my dog and kids, and she is not it. I thought I was adopting a lazy, fat, laid-back cat. She is fat, but she's got a lot more spunk to her than I was expecting and she's clearly aggressive with the dog THAT IS TWICE HER SIZE (and the aggression is of far more concern than the spunk). Oh, Penuche, you put on such a good show at the shelter.

Moose and I worked on the yard yesterday, getting ready for my in-laws to visit (it's stuff that needed done anyway, but in-laws visiting is good motivation). We put the strawberries in more appropriate containers and seeded cucumbers, radishes, carrots, and spinach. I also potted two patchouli plants and a eucalyptus plant. The car smelled downright heavenly on the drive home. We also mulched one the beds and mulched around a big oak tree (need more). Does the purchase of plants go against my "No Stuff" challenge? I decided it does not, because it (a) stays outside and (b) enriches life and the environment. They are all things that will decompose safely and not take up space in my house. My challenge, right? I can make up the rules as I go.

I have succeeded in paying off my Kohls card and the statement balance on my Visa. I have given away five bags of things on FreeCycle, and sold a small appliance I wasn't using on Craig's List. I did visit a local consignment shop, but it was a bust. They appeal to an older crowd, so my low-ride pants and formal dresses didn't appeal to them. Fair enough. I tried.

I remain in a deep funk of unknown origins. I am not throwing myself off a bridge (though, we do have plenty of those in Louisiana), but I'm just blah-de-blah lately.

Over at Composting a Life, Laura's writing topic of the day is What I'm Reading? For once, I'm not reading multiple books and am actually just two pages into a new book: Nothing Right by Antonya Nelson. As you can imagine, it's really helping my blah-de-blahs. It's a collection of short stories that I originally read about in The Writer (or was it Poets & Writers - one of those magazines). As I said, I'm two pages in, but I'm loving it. It's been a rich and thoroughly depressing two pages smothered with motherly guilt and angst-ridden teenagers. As someone consumed with both motherly guilt and teenage angst (despite, umm, being 28), it's fair to say that I expect to LOVE these stories.

Recently read, If You Want to Write by Brenda Ueland was AMAZING. If you are at all a writer or creative-type, you must read it. She's dead but pretty much the most likable and down-to-earth person ever. If I had known about her earlier, I would have put her down in one of those college essays about, "If you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?" Her book is a golden ticket of knowledge and beauty.

The Urban Homestead is quite informative but far less personal than Made from Scratch. So, good enough if you want more information on homesteading, but don't expect a lot of love and passion in it. I'm looking to read The Backyard Homestead next (already own it, so I won't be buying it during my "No Stuff" break).

Columbine was also an awesome read -it hits on so many levels, mistakes kids make, mistakes parents make, mistakes teachers make, mistakes the media makes. It makes the world seem like a small place in some weird way. It reminds me of the classic Hiroshima by John Hersey - good, old-fashioned, investigative journalism. We don't have a lot of that anymore.

So, that is that.

August Shenanigans

I am still working on editing some older blog posts and on my new pages. I'm giving myself another week to work on the blog (and maybe another week after that, if I so choose), but I decided that I can still continue to post.

Moose started speech therapy this month. He really enjoys it. His biggest problem is closing his mouth correctly for "m," "b," and "p" sounds. She suspects that his teeth are a bit big for his mouth. He CAN close it properly (as he says MA-MEEE loud and clear), so it might just be a bit of sheer laziness. Who knows. I do know that he naps like a champ when he gets home from speech.

Bean started karate. Similar to soccer, I don't think there's a lot of natural ability there. He often whines about practicing and has trouble paying attention, but I think all that is pretty age-appropriate. Tonight is his first class lesson, which is earlier in the evening. I'm hoping the earlier time will help a little bit. His private lessons were at 6:30, which is pretty late for him.

Bean has kindergarten testing next Thursday, I guess just to evaluate where he's at. I'm not sure if they mix the kids up or separate the higher- and lower-scoring kids. My school teacher friends tell me it depends on the school, and the school will never admit which way it goes. He starts classes the following Monday, August 23. Thank goodness, there's been A LOT of togetherness this summer!

Moose starts Mother's Day Out on September 1 from 9 a.m. till 1 p.m. twice a week. Can you imagine eight hours a week of NO KIDS. Oh, how blissful. We visited the class last week and liked what we saw. He didn't want to leave.

Both boys got haircuts today (nothing major). We have family pictures scheduled for Saturday morning. It's our fifth wedding anniversary, so we have a sitter for the afternoon and evening. We're going to Painting with a Twist and to dinner (still undecided, we have a free meal at Outback, but we're really craving Copeland's Cheesecake Bistro - it's a tough call, but I'm guessing FREE will win out).

I also submitted a personal essay to a contest. I'm not sure when they announce the winners. I have my eye on two more writing contests by the end of the month. It's good for me.

I'm in the middle of several books, most notably Barbra Ueland's If You Want to Write. I have another on urban gardening (still) and another on Unitarian Universalism (very insightful - I become more and more convinced we're in the right place there). I went to the downtown library branch last week - what a wonderful place. It's not kid-friendly like the one I usually go to, but it feels so smart and urban with all its levels and such.

The boys and I are headed over the church to work on one of the gardens (of course, we don't have medians in the parking lot, we have GARDENS) this afternoon. Will probably come home with a nice selection of tomatoes, peppers, and whatever else is hiding amongst the weeds (we are going there to clean it up, not to pick ... but pick we shall).

On Planting, Potty-Training, Etc.

Dragged the boys outside this afternoon. That big one hates going outside:

-I'm thirsty.
-It's so hot.
-Being outside makes me tired.
-It's cold.
-Being outside makes my elbows hurt.
-It's so bright.

Once I suggested he help plant some hollyhocks and lettuce, he was up for it ... as long as I put the pots and soil and seeds and shovels in the shade. I also let him water them afterward (he likes watering - I think he just likes being in charge of the hose). Later, he and Moose "scrubbed" the driveway. A bucket of water, some sponges and an old vacuum cleaner part provide an hour of entertainment.

I'm considering potty-training Moose. He knows how to bring me a diaper, so I'm guessing he could probably handle going to the potty. If I get it done before my in-laws come to visit over Labor Day, then we can probably drop both kids off at the RV and have a night out.

I am drowning in books once again. So much to read. Finished Cutting for Stone (surprisingly good, I expected it to be a bit boring. I mean, it IS about surgeons from India in Ethiopia and is 600-plus pages long) and my friend Laura's book. Am still reading The Urban Homestead and started Columbine. I'm fascinated with most anything written about Columbine - but not in a morbid way (I don't think). For most people my age, there was school before Columbine and school after Columbine. They were two different places. I also went on a trip with a few kids from the Littleton area (they were not from Columbine High School, which actually isn't even in Littleton). They knew some of the kids and were hesitant to specifically tell you where they were from. "Outside Denver" is all the teachers and kids said for the first few days.

Moose is on his third outfit for the day.

Note to self: Order more sippy cups.

Nesting

I got home and decided to start really finishing the house. I put the new bedding on the best, and I am in love with it. Life feels more luxurious and pretty with it. It happens to go perfectly with a print of the Ernest Hemingway's Key West home we brought back from our honeymoon. I slept wonderfully and am considering a plural marriage with the bedding and my husband. He likes it too, so I don't think he'll mind.

While the bug hit me, I also framed up a lot of ignored artwork and picked places for Husband to hang them. He did so quickly, and I am even more in love with all of it. We also picked up some tension rods to hang curtains over the metal blinds - I hate looking at metal blinds. Tension rods are a renter's best friend (and the best friend to a girl who cannot hang real curtain rods to save her life and must depend on her husband for such things). We also got tension rods for curtains in the boys' play room (since I have plenty of panels, because I was obsessive on NOT including the curtains in the sale of our old home - and I'm glad I didn't).

I rearranged the boys room and Husband hung up their artwork from Red Bean Dream up there and his pilot memorabilia stuff - it's a good place for it. The plane stuff is great for little boys and its nice for them to have reminders up of their daddy (and it's nice that it's not in any of the common areas of our home - we are proud of him, but I really hate putting stuff like that front and center).

I tidied some bookshelves.

The whole place feels more like our home. I'm totally loving it.

By the way, my nesting is not part of a pregnancy. I assure you. I am suffering from MSB, as my mom calls it (menstrual syndrome bitchiness). No combination of drugs and caffeine seem to keep it in check. The only thing that works - and temporarily - is just to eat a lot of delicious food. My husband, trying to tread lightly, mentioned the drastic change in my moodiness. I wasn't mad at him, because I very clearly see it in myself too. Not sure what to do about it, but I can't spend nearly a quarter of my month acting like this. I do have two lavender plants growing outside, and they are proven stress relievers. Maybe I should start smoking them.

I have more dirt and seeds to plant. A friend shared a planting guide designed specifically for our region (written by a local professor/scientist), so that's really a dream come true. I can make sense of our growing season and can likely harvest foods almost year around! Score one for hot, humid summers and mild winters!

I did get a good deal on some very beautiful frames (framed up six pieces for significantly less than a single custom frame would cost).

I strongly suggest that you splurge on bedding when you are in a position to do so. Amazing - I can't say it enough!

Vitamin D

My husband is on casual duty while all his medical stuff gets wrapped up. He likely will not be starting training till December, so this means he has a pretty lack schedule nowadays. This means he's around A LOT. I love him, I really do, but when you're used to someone being gone most the day most days, it gets a little trying sometimes to always be "sharing" day after day with them. I've got a vibe at home that doesn't include him some of the day. This morning I told him he needed a second job, I could have him hanging around the house all the time. He told me to get a job. I said, "Fine. I'll apply at Michaels and work at night and on the weekends, that way we don't have to pay for daycare." The look on his face immediately suggested that he regretted saying it, but I started filling out my application (and what a tedious application it is).

My mom is in town for the week, so I have another round of taking care of her :) She had a long flight in yesterday and is on blood thinners and is very weak and tired. She is doing better today, though. We managed to go to lunch and stop by a plant nursery - I bought some ailing strawberry plants, two jalapeno plants, and herbs (lavender, chives, oregano, and mint). I worked outside for more than an hour planting and arranging and watering. I am soaking wet with sweat and humidity, but it feels good. I love not having to worry about the house (one benefit of renting) and spending so much more time in the yard.

Speaking of the house, the kids and I worked on redecorating the guest bathroom. I may have mentioned the "custom paint job" that my landlady came up with ... beige walls with red and peach sponge paint and stenciled green/black fleur-de-lise. Oh, I wish I was kidding. A friend (Mrs. Precious One) suggested vinyl a while back. First, Bean picked out a bath mat that was orange and blue and then some fun towels - one shaped like a blue monster and one shaped like a green frog. Then I found some shower curtain hooks in orange, green, and blue all from Kohls. We also found green and blue vinyl spots for the walls from Kohls and a large "Surf's Up" vinyl poster from Hobby Lobby in blue and orange. Yes, it's a wild mess in there, but it's much more kid-friendly looking and fun. I'm not completely embarrassed of it anymore.


I also bought this bedding from Bed Bath & Beyond. I've had my eye on it for months and am so happy to call it my own. The designer originally designed scrapbook supplies (which I was a fan of it), so it's no wonder I loved it. I skipped the designer throw pillows and throw, though, to make it a bit less girly. The sheet set is also different with my set - it all looks like that green paisley design pillow (umm, so more girly) and the euro shams are cream with pink embroidery. Hmm. I saved $91 with coupons ... so that just sort of suggests how much I spent on it (but worth every penny).

Sweet Home Louisiana

Made it back Thursday morning around 6 a.m. I took two 5-Hour Energy Shots to make the drive and it took me like two days to recover from the stuff. I had a similar experience with caffeine pills in college (took them for a week, completely melted down, and never touched them again). On the plus side, I made the drive in 13 hours and 20 minutes (including stops) AND painted the office when I got home. I finally passed out and proceeded to have a pounding headache most of the next day.

The house was standing and the boys, dog, and plants were alive. I suspect my husband makes a better homemaker than I do (the house was certainly tidier). However, all three guys were happy to have me home AND I was happy to be home with them (you know, after the energy shot hangover passed).

My mom is doing OK and will hopefully be back at work by the end of the month. It's been a long and miserable process for her.

My husband had a PET scan while I was gone. We got great news Thursday. The scan was clear. Thank goodness.

Not wanting my mom's lousy kidneys and my husband's cancer to take all the attention, I decided to FALL at a bookstore yesterday. It was the perfect storm - flip flops, long dress, door with metal slates, carrying a box of heavy books. I went down hard, dislocated my pinky and skinned and bruised my knee. I was so embarrassed. I don't remember falls sucking this much as a kid. My finger is in a splint (most the time, the darn thing gets hot and itchy) and my knee hurts every time my pants touch it. So, umm, fun times.

Post-fall, I dropped some items off at a locally-run thrift shop and saw TONS of plastic pots in their dumpster. I asked the employee (or, more likely, criminal doing community service) if they were just throwing them away. He said yes and agreed that it was wasteful and loaded 20+ into my trunk. Plastic pots aren't my first choice, but FREE plastic pots certainly are.

I am convincing Husband to build me a chicken coop and run. He's surprisingly on board with the idea. City ordinances OK chickens, but we need to get the by-laws for our neighborhood. Hopefully no one has thought to ban them.

Bean starts school in exactly one month! He'll be a real kindergartner at a new school. I should probably figure out how to register him for that foolishness. I am also hoping to get Moose into a private pre-school a couple days a week starting this fall.

It was Artist Sunday at church today - church members and people from the community came out to sing, read, dance, and play. There were belly dancers, little ballerinas, violin, piano, drums, poetry, stories, etc. Artists also had artwork (jewelry, paintings, collages, books, etc.) on display and for sale in the church classrooms. Very neat.

Am in the middle of three books right now - Urban Homesteading, Cutting for Stone, and a book written by a local friend. I'm enjoying all three and having a hard time deciding which one to pick up each time I get a chance to read ... now wonder I can't keep the house tidy. Ha ha.

Home Sweet Home

Last week, Bean and I headed back to Texas. He did his last two days of school, and I closed on the house. We had a great time - one last goodbye to good friends and to the old house. Mrs. House of Toys was a great hostess.

Bean really enjoyed his last days of school, they had a water day and a fizzy foam day - you know, those last few days are packed with education :) He had lots of fun, though, and I'm glad I took him back for it. He also loved spending lots of time with his best buddies and enjoying their birthday party.

Closing on the house was easy. I mowed that huge lawn one last time (and told the property good riddance - I hate mowing that yard). A few signatures later and we're richer. The buyers only used about half the closing costs they were anticipated, so we walked away with $1500 more than we expected. We certainly won't complain about that!

We are settling into Louisiana nicely. We're only 20 miles from the Texas border, but it feels like a world away. I am loving Super Target and living within 10 minutes of nearly everything.

Bean made some friends today. There is a five year old boy two doors down one way and two brothers (maybe 6 and 7 or twins) and a little girl (4 or so) two doors down the other way. Best neighborhood ever :)

I brought home my potted plants from the House of Toys and have been arranging them around the house. I also have two big hibiscus plants that Mrs. House of Toys acquired from a mutual friend. Mrs. House of Toys doesn't care for the maintenance of plants (and escapes to North Dakota for MONTHS during the summer), so I rescued the pretty plants. I know they sell hibiscus plants in our area (I saw them at Lowes), but I haven't seen anyone with any in our neighborhood.

Our master bathroom has a bizarre smell that only ceases when we leave the window open all the flipping time. I stuck some indoor plants in there - particularly the fern. It doesn't seem to be helping. Maybe a bigger fern? We can't determine the source of the smell and no amount of air freshener freshens the room. Suggestions?

I am also very bothered to learn that the show Billy the Exterminator features a pest control business that serves my area. That means EVERYTHING I have seen on his show could very likely be in my yard or house - huge rattlesnakes, alligators, armadillos (which carry leprosy - yes, freaking LEPROSY), bats, etc. Ohmigoodness.

Oh, my birthday is Wednesday! We've been so busy that I haven't thought that much about it. My sweet husband had balloons set up (yes, already) when I arrived home from Texas, and I've received a few gifts in the mail :) Maybe I'm waiting to open them (but maybe not).

On the camera front, I narrowed it down to the Nikon D3000, Nikon D5000, and Nikon D90. I fiddled with all of them at Best Buy today and have decided on the D5000 - the features/options seem quite a bit better than the D3000 (justifying the price difference) whereas the D90 doesn't seem that much better than the D5000 (therefore, not justifying the price difference), so the D5000 it is. Now, I'm going to investigate a couple lenses and decide on one of two of those (probably just one, hot damn, this stuff is expensive).

Oh, the counter tops were tiled while I was away - they look much nicer than the burnt linoleum that was there before :) Husband also cleared out the courtyard and remulched the front. He also got a shepard's hook for our bird feeder - so far, I've seen a few finches at it, but that's it. I think food is pretty plentiful right now, so the birds aren't scouting out feeders right now. We have LOADS of squirrels in our yard. They haven't messed with the bird feeder, but I always see at least four running around the big oak trees.

Moose has taken to calling everything "Maaaamaaaa" lately and in the most whiny voice ever. Oh, I love him to pieces, but those Terrible Twos are hitting hard.