I walked home and let Shadow outside as soon as I got the door open. Later, when I walked downstairs Lady was on the window sill on the landing and I saw she was watching Shadow. As I leaned down to pet her and say hello to shadow, I saw that he was in a mexican stand-off with "the black cat". I went outside and the black cat started to run off, of course Shadow went after him. So they rolled and clawed and I ran after them yelling. Shadow was distracted by my yelling and I got him to stay still long enough so the other cat got away and I could try and calm him down. This is the first cat fight he's been in since we moved. He's got a puncture in his ear, above one eye and by his jowel, I think something on the back of his neck too. Poor baby. I am not letting him out alone again any time soon. : I'm sure he'll be fine tomorrow.

Anyway.. off to bed I go.

Another thing happened to make me feel old.

A woman came to the library and wanted to know if her fines could be reduced. They were really old, from 1998. Well they were returned in 98, they were 3 years late. ( heh) the weird thing was this woman, who I gathered had 3 kids was younger than me! She looked old, ( is that what 3 kids does to you?) well, not really old, but I assumed her to be older than me. It's odd, your perception of people in relation to you. hrrm. Long story short, the director reduced her fine by half, and I pondered the possibility of having 3 kids. ( eeeek) I think it will be hard to get me to have more than one when the time comes. As much as I think that kids should have a sibling.. ( I'm an only child) We shall see.

Chris has a job interview tomorrow. He applied for this project manager position at US Cellular(where he already works) and didn't get past the prescreen. The later he checked his work email ( he brings his work laptop home on the weekends) he had an appointment for an interview on Thursday. He said he had to reread it a couple times to make sure that it was for him to be interviewed, since he has so many other appointments where he is interviewing people for other jobs.

Ok... I heard the mail man honking as he approached my house, so I ran down to see what was up. I have rural delivery because technically I don't live in "town", even though the people on the south side of me are in town and further away. Anyway, I ran down stairs and outside and he had a package for me. In case you didn't already know this about me, I have a strange obsession with the mail. I LOVE it... even junk mail. So it doesn't really surprise me that I ran outside with out first unlocking the door. ( we can open the door while it is still locked, just can't get back in.) So of course I was freaking out and I ran around back, muttering "SHIT, shit" under my breath. I asked if the mailman if he had a cell phone, he didn't have one with him. He looked at my windows to see if he could open them.. But we have all the storms down. ( shadow was majorly growling at him as he touched the windows, it was hilarious. Good guard cat!) Anyway, normally we have a key hidden outside, but we gave it to our friends that feed the cats when we are away. I had gotten another one made, but I kept forgetting to put it back out. I felt for it anyway... and there was a key there. So, Chris, when/ if you read this. You fucking rock. I so did not want to have to call you at work again to drive home to let me in the damn house. ( the last time this happened, it was February, I had no coat and I had to walk to town to use the phone at city hall to call him.)

So, today I am thankful for 2 things. 1. That my hydrangeas have finally arrived, so now I can really start to think about planting them. and 2. That my husband actually remembered to put a spare key outside again. I'm still relieved about that. ( rolls eyes at self.)


on that note, I am going to start to dream up something amazing to make for dinner to celebrate not being locked out of my own house.

*cheers

Ps: I sure did use a lot of parentheses in this post.

Small talk barely brushes the surface.

I guess that's just my way.

He picked me a flower of the hibiscus tonight. I was listening to love songs on the computer and crying. He reached over my shoulder to give the flower to me. I cried harder. I needed that flower. More than anything.


thank you Chris.


I love you.

So much to do, so little time.

Where did it go? Seriously. I think someone is slipping somethigninto my coffee.

My mom is gone. Wow, since Monday already. She was gone before I got up. That was really odd. I felt weird about it all day, no closure to the visit. She got up early I guess, the sun shines through the window in the guest room first thing. I had a weird feeling about it... which is why I got up to check. Anyway, I heard from her later that she won over $400 at a casino in Elgin before her flight. ( that's when she was leaving early)

Basically, the week was good. We bickered a lot but that's sort of how we always are. I have a chip on my shoulder right from the start, I think she's picking on me all the time. Of course, then I feel guilty because I should be being nicer to her since I see her so seldomly. Then it begins again. More than once I had to take a moment, walk out of the room and scream. I am so like her, and that freaks me out. I try not to , but I see it.. and I wonder... Do I do that!? I need to relax.

We did get a lot of stuff done, it's her nature. Chris' word for it was "driven" , I guess that works. Of course, I can't find a lot of things now 'cause they weren't where I left them in my organized chaos. We totally "organized the closet in my guest room. ( my house is really old and the closets are very small.) This one didn't even have a bar, just hooks around the outside. So now it has 3 really deep shelves for all of my quilts and bed spreads etc. The rest of it is split, half tall hanging things and then small shelves for my sheets, towels and blankets. It is so COOL! ( did i just say an organized closet was cool?... I'm losing it)

She also bought me a butterfly bush. We planted that on her last day. I'm glad that she did... It's like something to remind me. It's kind of funny, by the end I was just able to relax and be comfortable around her, not so defensive. Then she was gone.


Chris and planted 4 trees that we had dug up while we were up in Mercer visiting his parents. The next generation of tree's. It's weird that we have to think about that. Someday... the twelve 100 year old oak tree's in the yard will die... and we need to have some trees to fill the void. The trees are only like a foot tall each right now. ( a spruce, 2 fir trees and a long needle pine)

I still have to plant all of my bulbs. I still have to clear areas to plant said bulbs. I still have to install the shelving stuff that Mom and I bought for the other two bedroom closets. We still have to do 3 million things in the bathroom to finish it. Still have to put the backsplash in the kitchen, as well as toe kicks and the filler on either side of the dishwasher... On and On and ON.

I don't recall if I even mentioned how humid it gets here. Or the fact that I have a very old toilet, with a very large tank. A tank that sweats a great deal in the humidity. Pools of water form under the toilet, we wondered where the water might go. Well, while mom was here I got on the step stool in the pantry to get a can of coffee on the top shelf. This is when I saw the soggy ceiling tiles. So, I guess the water is leaking down around the copper water pipe and through the hole in the lino where the pipe goes through the floor. ( greeeaaaaat, I love owning a house) No calling the landlord to complain anymore... I am the land lord. Well, technically I'm not, my name isn't on the title. I can complain to Chris. ( hehe) it really isn't that big a deal. We bought this styrofoam liner thing that you put inside the tiolet to insulate it and this will end toilet sweat.

Yesterday was the last day of the book sale at the library. $3 a bag. I have this GIANT canvas bag, I filled it with books. :D all for the low, low price of six dollars. Good thing I was meeting Shawna after and we were going to my house, because I could barely carry that bag the block to her house, let alone to my house.

Ok, enough babbling.

The weekend went so fast.

I guess I should be used to it by now. I've been noticing lately how quickly time passes. Starkly contrasted to how s l o w l y time went when I was young. I wish it would pass at even a fraction of how it once did.

Considering Chris and I had 2 days off together, you'd think that we would get a lot done. We didn't. We burned some things on Sunday, and that is about it. Chris tried out the chain saw, cut up some of the trees I had previously cut down with the pruning saw in a fit of industry. We added to the stack of logs and burned the spindly left over brush that isn't big enough to stack, as well as some raspberry canes I had cut down last weekend. I don't want to compost them for fear of getting poked later.

Chris moved the old rusty burn barrels off the cement platform of the old well. One broke right away, leaving a pile of black ashy compost in the yard. Not a big deal, we'll just rake it out and pull out the bits that did not burn. We think this is how he wrenched his back. I guess he's been taking ibuprofen all day and it still hurts. It must really hurt because it's usually me that likes to complain about my pains. ( I don't think of it as complaining though, just.. discussing)

On Friday we went to the Sarah McLaughlan concert in Milwaukee. Chris and I, my friend Shawna and her friend John. We went out for Indian food first, it was really good. Our seats were pretty good, on the side about 10 rows up. You had to twist your neck the whole time, but other than that, they were not bad for a stadium seat. The concert was really good. They did a bunch of encores and played everything I would have wanted to hear. The opening act ( butterfly boucher) was good too.

Today, not much was accomplished. I scrubbed the walls of the shower and that's about it. In a fit of decadence I decided to make crab dip for dinner. Not as an appetizer... as the only thing. * It was really good.

I went and dug up some mystery plants in the neighbours woods today. ( just to the left of here. I think they are some kind of rhiozome, like an iris or something. Maybe a day lily? They didn't have as many leaves, nor were they as wide as an iris, but they were growing in rather dense woods, so hopefully they are actually "something" and not just some kind of grass. We shall see. near where I dug these up there is an area that is all wild mint, or rather mint gone wild. It smells wonderful. I may got back for some of that later, I only brought a narrow transplanting trowel. In case you were wondering... I have "permission" to walk etc on the neighbours property. Not to dig up their plants persay, but I really don't thinkit matters. it's just deer food anyway. ( *see sarah rationalize theft)

Tomorrow I open at the library. It is the day after a holiday. The book drop is going to be INSANE! It stresses some poeple out, but I think it's fun to try and get it all done. Books and videos piled high on the counter, a montain creeping out of the book drop closet! Not to mention the boxes of interloan we are sure to get. Oh... and the patrons them selves. Regular check-outs and Checkins... Trying to keep the straigt... Knowing what to back date etc! I like the challange :D

Wednesday we have a staff inservice. I have to work on my day off :( As well as stand infront of everyone (along with my group) and give a deomonstration on workplace ergonomics.

Fun fun.

Next weekend we are going to Mercer to see Chris' parants, then on the 13ths my Mom is coming to visit for a week. Busy!

need a vacation.