Day 258 - Sis

Minding my business unpacking and putting my teapots on the hutch's shelves before cleaning them for their final spot.  Now I know I'm losing some of my mojo due to aging but don't think that it's totaling gone yet.  However my daughter must have a difference of opinion on this matter, (yeah brain stuff), because she walked into the room, took one look and with a slightly condescending tone asked, "Mom, you know you can't see the ones in the back, right?"  Really Lisa?

Day 258 - Lisa

What do I have a lot of besides CD's?  Cats and books!  So I had to find something to house what I have in an "adult" way.  I didn't want to spend a lot of money because well I don't know how long I'm going to be here.  Not on Earth, I mean in Georgia so I tried to do the old design on a dime (yeah I watch too much HGTV).  Target had these cubes on sale.  Hey that might work I thought! They are low and do not take but a ton of space dominating my room.  Two days later and a whole lot of cussing I finished them.  They were simple enough to put together IF they had all the holes pre-drilled and IF the instructions would have matched.  I finally pitched the instructions and drilled my own holes.  Now I know why they were on sale.  Another day at the ole Money Pit.  On the bright side it was fun unwrapping all my kitties and thinking about the people who gave them to me (Marcella, Lula, Tia Trudy, Jeff, and mostly my Tia Connie) or the place I was visiting when I purchased one:  Florida, British Columbia-Canada, Oregon, New York and Cali-Ventura, Pacific Grove, Carmel & San Francisco.  The cat in the dress shoved way in at the bottom scares the you know what out of me, it's freaky with the doll dress and weird, I'm on crack, yellow eyes, I'm always scared it's going to come alive like that Karen Black Trilogy of Terror Zuni warrior or Chucky.  I keep it because my Tia Connie was so excited to give it to me when I visited her up in Paradise.  "Oh thanks Tia that's really, um, cool."  I said in sheer horror.  I did not have the heart to tell her I was freaking out.  So there it sits honoring my Tia Connie cause when I really think about it, it's fitting.  She scared the you know what out of me quite a bit growing up too.  And her eyes would get kind of big and glowing when she was ranting.  LOL Thank God she gave me other good memories as well.  ;>

Day 257 - Lisa

I've been on vacation for a week.  The plan was to be able to focus just on our house.  I knew relaxing would not really be part of the plan but I wasn't expecting the daily trips to Lowes, Home Depot and Target.  Sometimes just one of the three, sometimes all three.  I think I've cussed more in one week than a whole year.  No wonder my Dad always said, "Babe, just call someone to do <fill in the blank>.  As anyone who owns a home knows you start one thing and it leads to another or you get two surprise problems trying to fix one.  I'm worn out and my mom keeps laughing and saying, "you need to go back to work to get some rest." All I can say is thank GOD for my cordless screwdriver and drill!  My biggest concern this week is my apparent lack of focus.  Why can I remember thirty things to do in one day at work but at home I haven't been able to remember what I went up OR down the stairs for?  I'm beginning to think home repairs & decorating are the true blame for dementia!

Day 257 - Sis

Yesterday I hung up this poster of my favorite author, John Steinbeck.  I've had the poster for a few years and it hung in my bedroom in Livermore.  Like me, the poster has wrinkles, also a tear from being stuffed in a box for awhile.  Now he's in the basement, behind my desk and it feels good that I can see him everyday.  On the other hand, much to my amazement,  it has created a very unhappy dog.  She wasn't in the room when I put John on the wall late yesterday and apparently discovered it this morning. She began barking incessantly and loud, I'm thinking she's irritated with me. Then I saw that she had her eyes focused over my head and it clicked, she couldn't distinguish the difference between a real live person and a photo!  All she knows is some guy is behind her good friend, which creates a danger for everyone in the room! I guess I will have to remove John for a bit, introduce him at close range to oneeya, the protector, then pin him up again.  God I hope he will be in one piece afterwards.  Okay, oneeya has decided to tolerate him.

Day 256 - Lisa

This might gross some out so reader beware.  I decided to write about this today because I almost stepped on a slug this morning on our porch.  When we lived in Livermore for reasons unknown to mankind we adopted a slug.  Yes, a slug.  He?  She?  Was with us for almost two or three years.  I think it was two, legend has it growing past three.  A slug you say?  Over the course of several weeks at night when I'd go in the kitchen, I'd see this slug on our dishwasher.  Sometimes at the bottom of it, sometimes near the top.  It wasn't hurting anything so I'd leave it.  It happen several nights in a row.  One day my mom, Tia Chickie and I were talking and it got around to us all noticing and leaving the slug alone.  We'd all seen it and none of us had the heart to kill or remove it.  Pretty soon, it was months and we gave it a name - Sluggo.  Sluggo started to get more comfortable and it would slither across the kitchen floor.  We'd find him by the refrigerator or around the cabinets but never ever past the cabinets out into the family room.  And generally only at night.  He became so much apart of our family that our dogs; Sammy & Simba and cats; Nicia & Maddie did not bother it either.  They'd step around it when they were in the kitchen.  Maybe sniff it.  Give a little nudge like, "hey little buddy" but that was it.  We all talked to Sluggo when we'd go into the kitchen at night for a snack or a cup of coffee.  Come morning time each and every day Sluggo would be gone.  One weekend we had a group of friends over.  My mom and I were in the kitchen prepping dinner and everyone was outside on the patio.  We heard all this commotion and our friend Theresa screaming about a slug.  I opened the screen door and asked what was going on and someone said, "oh nevermind Theresa saw a slug but Jeff scooped it up and threw it over there in those old flower pots.  It's gone."  At the same time in a state of panic my mom and I both shouted, "SLUGGO!"  "Oh no, what have you people done?"  It was then that we realized no one else really knew about Sluggo.  LOL  It had been our little family secret.  Well, not really a secret but we just never talked about it.  Needless to say, our friends thought we were completely off our rockers (for awhile).  The afternoon ended up being a bit of a memorial to  ole Sluggo.  We told them stories about Sluggo like the night it brought a partner to the kitchen.  We had assumed all this time Sluggo was a male.  Someone in the group asked what did you do when you realized you now had TWO slugs in your kitchen?  My mom quickly replied, "turned off the lights to give them some privacy."  And I said, "dropped a bit of wine on the floor for them to enjoy."  Now, I realize most of you out there are thinking my friends slowly backed away from the house never to return.  Wrong!  They embraced Sluggo!  Jeff became the villian and a campaign was launched by our friend Jason. Followed by some hysterically funny cartoons by Jeff.  We've now had a running joke going on about seven years.  Sadly, Sluggo never returned.  Sure, a few other slugs made their way into our kitchen but they never stuck around or made their way into our hearts like Sluggo did.  We miss you Sluggo but you live on in our memories and you showed us what true and understanding friendships we have.  

Day 256 - Sis

Going to recycle these pots, originally black, with some spray can paint. They were our, "just get us through a few months pots," that lasted three years.  Hope I'm  happier with them as planters, it won't matter how lopsided they are, unlike it did when they were on the stove burners.

Day 255 - Sis

Little fluttering and signs that Fall is starting to make her appearance.  A little early, huh Lady?!

Day 255 - Lisa

I found another treasure today.  My crocheted basket hat my cousin Marie made me. Our hats represent the patterns our ancestors weaved on our willow and sedge cooking & ceremonial baskets.  I added the shells and abalone beads.  Can't wait for the winter months to wear it again.  Been four years since we were last together.

Day 254 - Sis

Lisa told you we  went to a store and bought a peacock the other day,  well it seems they also have a unique security staff.

Day 254 - Lisa

Have been unpacking boxes marked "Lisa" today and discovered my Grandma Emily's tambourines.  My great grandfather handmade them for her when she was a young girl so they are easily 75+ years old.  She sang in a band during her teen years.  The cymbals are cut dry goods cans.  He individually tapped each one for the design on them.  They are held to the wood via nails and tacks.  On the inside of the skin is her and my great grandpa's signatures.  I plan to hang them again.  They are a symbol of the deep bond music has played in our family for many generations.  I can still hear my Grandma singing to me as a little girl with my Papa Marion and then of course our Linda Ronstadt and Patsy Cline duets and trios in my truck when we'd be headed some where during her last years of living with us.  :> 

Day 253 - Lisa

sunii is enjoying my vacation.  She likes to lay in that spot and catch the breeze from the window.  I guess I was in her way or she was enjoying the arm pillow.  Today we went to a new "home marketplace" here in Gwinnett County called Ridge Garden.  I could not explain why this colorful peacock spoke to my mama and I but he did.  So on the wall he now resides.  I decided to look up the history/symbolism of peacocks and now I know why he has a place in our home.  Perfect!

The peacock is a symbol of immortality because the ancients believed that the peacock had flesh that did not decay after death. As such, early Christian paintings and mosaics use peacock imagery, and peacock feathers can be used during the Easter season as church decorations. This symbol of immortality is also directly linked to Christ.  The peacock naturally replaces his feathers annually; as such, the peacock is also a symbol of renewal. Early belief held that the Gates of Paradise are guarded by a pair of peacocks. The peacock has the ability to eat poisonous snakes without harm. Both Origen and Augustine refer to peacocks as a symbol of the resurrection. Pythagoras wrote that the soul of Homer moved into a peacock—a hyperbole to establish the respect and longevity of the Greek poet’s words. The Greeks dedicated the peacock to Juno, the goddess of sky and stars, in recognition of the golden circles and blue background of the peacock’s tail.

Other images and beliefs:

“By the Peacock” was a sacred oath, because the peacock was thought to have the power of resurrection, like the Phoenix. A necklace of Amethyst, peacock feathers, and swallow feathers were a talisman to protect its wearer from witches and sorcerers. Christians thought, in early times, that the peacock's blood could dispel evil spirits. The peacock often appears among the animals in the stable in Christ's nativity. Two peacocks drinking from a chalice symbolizes rebirth and angels are often depicted with four wings of peacock feathers.  In Egyptian, Greek, and Roman mythology, the peacock feathers were considered much like the evil eye. They were all seeing.

Day 253 - Sis

Looks like show tossing shoes on telephone wires and trees starts early here. Or it's their version of a shoe tree?:-/

Day 252 - Lisa

The deck is almost done.  Still needs to be stained.  Here is the before and after.  I'll take the after for sure!  Before - no flashing, all nails, illegal latice, rotting metal pole supports.  After deck:  flashing, bolts, slat rail, leveled and cemented in posts!

Day 252 - Sis

While watching the Giants beating the Dodgers and after viewing the Niners melting the Cheeseheads today, thought it was a good time to brush my dog.  Guess it's been longer than I remember from her last spa treatment!  My poor girl she loves the attention and how good it makes her feel, she was so happy afterwards.

Day 251 - Lisa

My tia Madeline says all my cats have been crazy.  I say they have character and personality.  sunii might be tops in terms of thinking she is Queen Supreme.  And the girl knows how to live life.  Took these today while I was trying to put things in my new dresser and organize my bedroom.  Ms. Nosy had to be in EVERYTHING as always.

Day 251 - Sis

Bedroom preparations being made before visitors and new mattress arrives.  This is a futon that will be used only in an emergency, because they're SO comfortable.  After cleaning and getting ready to put on new cover I realized it looks like a room to keep a hostage, starting to worry Jack Bauer may break the door down one night!

Day 250 - Lisa

A coconut pie is always tasty or pumpkin.  Nothing like a German chocolate cake or an apple turnover. Yet, why is a good old fashion peanut butter and jelly sandwich still so good.  We still have a sandwich and cup of Joe for dessert once in the while.  Always hits the spot.  My favorites are blackberry, strawberry or red raspberry!  Oh yeah and the coffee just black, please!

Day 250 - Sis

We have stairs!  But there's a catch or fall just waiting to happen.  It's been so noisy with hammers and power tools going all day, can't believe the birds and squirrels aren't standing outside the window with protest signs.

Day 249 - Lisa

Boy do we have basil.  It seems to be the one thing my mom was able to grow this year.  Lots and lots of it.  Going to be so nice once the deck is done to grow all our herbs again.  Nothing like walking out and cutting so oregano, basil, thyme, etc.

Day 249 - Sis

I figure a lot of us save our change, unless you have kids, and the container looks like this when it's full.  If you're like me it's taking the change in to get the amount in greenbacks that's the problem.  Some banks want it rolled and stores have a machine that counts it and charge you a percentage.  Why does it make me feel miser like when I exchange the money that is US currency?  Also look  how it affects the container.  I end up feeling miserly and guilty !

Day 248 - Lisa

sunii & the discovery of liver:  sunii believes that everything in our house including the dog and us belong to her.  We are here to serve her needs.  She inspects and keeps inventory of every single thing that enters our home.  She sniffs, climbs on, under and in whatever she possibly can to check it out.  So far there's only two things that scare the bejeezes out of her;  the smoke detector and the garage door opener.  Everything else;  the cat is fierce.  Nothing fazes her.  Why the big introduction?  Because the cat is also super lucky.  I guess because she was with us first she thinks anything oneeya does or has belongs to her too.  No sense of the dog is eating so I might want to stay clear.  oneeya is taking allergy meds and my mom has to find new and creative ways to get her to down her meds.  Today the meds were stuffed in some canned liver flavored dog food.  sunii normally thumbs her nose to all foods only eating her own dry food.  Today as oneeya is eating, sunii saunters in, nose in the air.  She sits practically on top of oneeya sniffing her and trying to nose her way into the bowl.  At one point, she has her head under oneeya's chin smelling what oneeya is eating.  oneeya just keeps trying to eat.  Finally, oneeya gives up and backs away, licks sunii on the face, sniffs her and sits back like "go ahead, it's not worth you bugging me."  sunii goes to the bowl and proceeds to eat all the rest.  She is SO lucky that oneeya is a sweet and patient doggie.  She has no clue this is not normal.

Day 248 - Sis

It seems squirrels also stop to smell the roses!

Day 247 - Lisa

We would have been in big big BIG trouble if Hobby Lobby had been in California!

Day 247 - Sis

This is the unsafe deck we have and this will soon be the new, safe deck that will replace it!  Big relief to know we and others, whenever we get visitors, will be able to use it without stress or concern for our lives.  Can't wait to sit on it, with my bug spray in my hand of course!

Day 246 - Sis

I like my iPhone. I like all the features. I like to play games and the handy App store makes games available.  I like the people who play these games with me.  I like sleep.  I liked to tell these people that I like and play the games, but  I'm spending valuable sleep time. Spelling words for points, guessing songs from genres I don't have a clue about, drawing pictures on a split, ( truly split, from dropping ), screen which makes the drawings Picasso like. Soon I will have to hire someone to play the games for me if I don't get some sleep!  Just be patient folks I'll get to my turn, yawn.