Trixie

trixie before her new home, but after eating

trixie, after her first meal





I know I haven't blogged in a while, partly because it gets more daunting every day that I don't to actually do it. I feel impossibly behind and so I just avoid blogging. But something happened this week. And it's not even peanut related, really. So I will save a catch up post for next time, or never, and share with you the story of trixie...dumpster cat.

The other day I was driving down my alley minding my own business and ahead, I saw a man and a woman looking under a dumpster for cans. Now's a good time to say that our neighborhood is less than awesome. We like it, but we know that in reality its not as financially stable as where we lived before (huh, but isn't that true of us?). It's in transition (also us). So when people approach you and you are driving, it's best to just go on and pretend not to see them. I have a well practiced regretful head shake, and I can look right through people who come too close and won't back away. I can even add an eyebrow furl, puckered lips of regret for their situation. It works and keeps us safe/unbothered/isolated/etc, though suspect that I'm not fooling anyone and that as kind as I wish my expression of regret to be, I probably seem just too stuck up, too Bourgeois.

But, given my very skilled expressions, it came as a great surprise to me when the woman approached the car and stood right next to the drivers side window and lifted up her purse. Now you and I know that you do NOT open your window when a person you don't know walks up to your car and shows you something. Was she trying to show me drugs? If so, could she see I had a kid with me? Then I heard her say something I have dreams about, but have never heard before. "we found a kitten. Can you help us?"

A kitten? finger goes to let down window. "Can you help us?" me: "I can't have another animal" her, "please, we can't take care of it. It won't eat. There was another kitten too, but it died today." me: "oh no. Can you take it home?" the man now "we are homeless" me, in my head "shit." out loud: "oh, wow, sorry, can i see it?" Woman opens purse: a very small kitten meows from within. Yep that's a kitten. Not a gun or a knife or some drugs. Then the woman says, "i think its 4 weeks old. it won't eat." then they both continue to plead with me to take it, so I agree to. Looking for something to hold it in or with because it is filthy. The man says, "give her the purse. We found the purse too" the woman now, "I kinda wanted to keep the purse." Knowing I would only throw away the purse I said, "keep the purse. I can just hold it. Then she removes the thing from the purse, and the man offers a shirt he found in the trash which smells strongly of cologne and begins to hand it to me, but then pauses...."are you sure you can take care of it?" I say, "I'm a dog trainer. I will find it a home. Until then, it can stay with me." The man says, "give it to her. She has a kid." as if my mother-status would qualify me to care for a tiny little kitten. Then the woman hands it to me. And I have a kitten. I find a clean, but not 100% so (just food crumbs on it) cloth diaper in the back seat to wrap around the shirt. Then thank me and thank me and bless me and we drive away. Me, Peanut, kitty. She cries now. I thinks she must miss the woman, but this isn't even her last transition. I cannot have another cat. as much as I love kittens, I do not love cats all that much.

We bring the trembling kitty home and watch life come into it as it eats and eats a half can of wet food. It's incredible. Later that night, she is playful, not shakey, and on her way to her new home. The next day, she is named trixie. She weighs in at one pound.

The whole experience makes me glad to have a home. Glad to have a home for my animals. And glad for such a network of friends.

And although I must not update right now, I will post some peanut pics for those of you here just for those.

love this pic of peanut dancing.


boating this summer with uncle M.

feeding our chicken who lives with our friend.

saying goodbye to the beach, which is artificial and gets drained after labor day.

Knitting.

Oh, and if you're wondering, I have lost 17 lbs so far on w>eigh>t w. Almost 10% my starting weight. I feel awesome.

to blog or not to blog...

that is the question

whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer
in private the slings and errors of outrageous toddlers
or to take up blogging against a sea of diapers
and by reporting, clean them. to write, to post
no more -- and with a post we say we end
the headaches and the thousand natural shocks
our nerves are heir to -- tis a conversation
blogged as much as wished. to write to post
to post perchance to read. Ay there's the rub,
for in that post that's read what comments may come
when we have gathered all that we have said
is there some meaning? There's the respect
that makes meaning of the insanity of a day so long.
For who would bear the bites and kicks of life
the incessant repeating of elmo's song, the peed on opportunity
the pangs of despised love, the laws delay
the insolence of toddlers and the spurns
the patient cat who is unworthy takes.
When we ourselves might invite others to quiet us
with a honest blog post.

gotta start somewhere

When i was a wee thing in catholic school I remember learning about the order of things. We had to memorize our house number, street, city, county, state, country, continent, hemisphere, planet, solar system, galaxy etc, and had to recite them on request. This occurs to me now because I'm so far behind, but I don,t feel like I can skip anything. It would mess up the order. I also think I need ti start with explaining what's going on with me before I can really go into what's happening with e. That is in an ideal ordered world, which I don't live in.

As I was walking to the computer last night, in fact, I ran into my son who had just gotten out of bed to tell me the room was too dark, but actually the heat emanating from his body and flushed cheeks told me something else...he had a fever. I did take him back to bed, J was at book group, but he stayed awake for over an hour. So much for writing. But I am writing now. Literally, its been an day of working and child care...and A certain bald 4 year old who's name shall not be uttered for the next 10 hours, at least...i hope. We don't usually let e watch much TV, but right now we feel he needs it when he is sick. he doesn't slow down on his own. So it was a long day of "I'm just a kid who's 4..."

He's sleeping now and so is J. when i blog i often get very tired. Its because the light right here is poor. So I'm working in a dark corner and can hardly read the keyboard. I try to stay awake by eating snacks and drinking decaf coffee, which isn't healthy but leads me to one update.

1. I am joining weight watchers this week.

I tried lots of other things and can't stick with them...but a recent realization that I'm much bigger than I used to be (recent, more like constant nagging). I usually put myself last, but I know that is no good for heath.

me about 10 years ago...finding this picture was a wake up call.

me post half marathon.

me now.

its not even so much how I look, though Im not happy with that. It's also that I have so little that fits me well and I dont feel strong and healthy anymore. so anyway...i know this is a superficial post, but its one of my updates. I have so much more but it's 1 am, j is sick now too, and I need to get the last of the chores done.

Thanks for reading.

I'm coming back

and I have a lot to update on. Big life stuff. not much (any) crafting, but lots of other things. If you ever read me, please keep me on task to do this update. I feel like I need to blog. Even if I don't have time to very much anymore.

E is 2. and so smart and so fun. Here is a picture of him. He's changed so much.


he did his own hair here, and ate too much sugar.


a visit to the zoo during our week on our own, that's for the update, but i love this picture.

also from our week on our own. He's walking the dog and dressed in an outfit of his own design.


Us saying goodbye to mama.


Kicking back in jammies in the yard on st. pats day.

Happy birthday peanut!

On February 20, 2008, the amazing peanut came into our lives. I am ever grateful for him. I love him more than anything.

I'm posting from my itouch, so this may(will) be a bit brief. But I still wanted to mark the day after his birth as a day to remember.

Pics soon. But I can't do those from here. Can I?

birthday cake face

moms and peanut

trains with cousin k

at the MSI

Hernia, furloughs, birthday countdown, and where the hack i've been

could they BE any sweeter?

Ok. So I've been away forever. Literally. Well, literally, a month. it feels like forever though. I've been away trying to work more efficiently at my job. That means no blogging at work. Would I actually ever have blogged at work? guilty. yes.

Because i work for a state university that is struggling through a financial crisis right now, I decided my job wasn't so much of a sure thing anymore. Why do I think this? well, it's a combination of them telling us so AND the furlough. We are all being furloughed 4 to 10 days. Thus the never blogging. That coupled with the fact that I've been doing more hours for the dog training and also coupled with the fact that my little baby is quickly approaching his 2nd birthday (which means a lot, but it means he's taking off in all kinds of directions). Link with that the fact tat J has been sick a bunch, her job ended so I'm working more hours and we're trying to sell stuff to make up or a 2 source income loss (furloughs and a lay off).

Then on Thursday of last week, something more happened. I woke up with a bad stomach ache. I felt bloated and sore al at once. Looked at my stomach and low and behold, I had a lump protruding from underneath my belly button. What the? I suffered through it Thursday. made an appointment with a new Dr. for the beginning of march and carried on. In discomfort. I also had a cold. I was coughing a lot. Every cough hurt. Went home. told J. She was like, well, maybe you should see a Dr. before that. I thought, eh, maybe. Friday. more pain. larger lump. Ok. So I went to the er to find that my suspicions were correct. I had an umbilical hernia. My brother had one too, last year, so I guess it must be genetic. They tried to push it back in. OUCH. When they couldnt, they decided to admit me and correct it surgically. Great.

What does this mean? Well, it means a lot o things. I'm on sick leave for the week. I am recovering from minor abdominal surgery. I get lots of rest, lots of olympics. I have a more normal looking belly button than I've had in years (see, it was looking funny for a while. it just started with the hard lump on Thursday).

Oh, and I can;t pick up anything heavier than a gallon milk carton for 6 weeks. E. is about 30 pounds. Which means J is on duty 24 7 and i can only talk to him. and kiss him. it's very hard. He's a very physical kid, and I find myself really missing him.

His birthday is Sat. and we have J's parents coming from MN. My mom and fam (who have been great through all this hernia business) will come too. But that's it. Small party. I can't believe he's going to be 2. He talks like crazy now (4 to 6 word sentences) and uses the potty a little. He knows when he has to poop, but has a hard time with pee. Sometimes he makes it to the potty, sometimes not. But every time is a win. And we're not in a huge hurry at all. We have switched to disposable diapers till I'm better. I'm the diapers washer, and J doesn't need that to add to her duties. The laundry is in the basement. Sorry environment.

Well this post is everywhere. For real, I hope that the promised squirrel will be done this week. I've been pretty remiss, but also, pretty overwhelmed for as long as I can think Sorry Leslie. I hope you still feel like a winner and are still reading.

Some recent cute pics!

table surfing. kid loves to climb

cousins

Hope

I have too much going on to write right now, but I wanted to put this out to any crafty people out there. Also to anyone who likes to buy handmade crafts. There is a website and an etsy shop that is donating 100% of it's proceeds to Doctors without Borders for Haiti. I am going to make some stuff for the shop. I'll letcha know more when I actually get it done.

for now visit the store and the site. and do what you can.
http://crafthope.com/2010/01/craft-hope-for-haiti/


let me never forget how safe and lucky I am.