Nice

These pictures don't do it justice but C worked hard this weekend power washing the driveway. Here are before and after shots. He got super dirty and is now pretty much crippled from the work! Poor guy. But it looks so great and is appreciated. He has done a lot of much needed work around the yard and I am thankful for all of it. Now we just need to replace that awful fence between the house and garage with wrought iron. It will look great!

Cat

Thanks to Spacemama's find this past Saturday morning, we have a new critter. We are supposed to be "test driving" s/he but I think s/he will probably stay. Looks like s/he and his/her siblings were well taken care of but dumped on the sidewalk near a major 4 way stop intersection in our neighborhood. With the way animals have been running rampant since last year's hurricane plus the recent economy, I guess the former owners felt the kitties had a better chance leaving them on the sidewalk than taking them to a shelter? I'd like to think that is their reasoning. Lucky for them (or is it us?!), they found the right people to adopt them.

We aren't sure of the gender yet. There is no visible male genitalia but I don't know how old they are or really anything about cat genitalia so who knows for sure. I've been calling her "she" for now. O wants to name her "Straw" because her stripes remind him of the stripes on a drinking straw. I honestly cannot get used to the idea of a cat named Straw. Once we go to the vet and know what gender we are dealing with then maybe we can think of a better cat name.

Here she is getting nose-to-nose with Brody. He is really good with her. He just wants to play and doesn't understand that when he chases her it scares her. She stands up for herself though and isn't afraid to approach him when he is not chasing her. Jetta, the other cat, has always been quite antisocial. She is not happy to see this critter in her territory. She hisses, arches her back and carries on beyond what is necessary. Little cat gives it to her right back and isn't intimidated. I think they will work out a truce eventually.

S/he is so pretty and has such a lovely personality. I just love cats and I'm happy to have 2 in the house again.

Much cooler and much less humid this morning. Would be perfect except the mosquitoes are eating us alive!

Looking at Target's fall fashions. Why are all the tops paper thin? I mean how many layers does one need to wear for double the price and half the fabric?

I'm hungry and I have an entire mall food court available to me. Nothing sounds good to me. So I just wander around until something smells or looks good I guess

It has been a week

No, nothing bad happened. Everything just seemed challenging no matter which direction I turned. Maybe it is the PMS? Who knows. It was dark and dreary for much of the week which always just kicks me in the teeth. I don't mind a day here and there and even enjoy the rain. But this seemed like it was non-stop dreariness. UGH.

O was home from school sick on Mon and Tues and his teacher kindly sent me his homework page by email so that we could make sure he was up to date when he returned on Weds. Well, it seems he has a dinosaur project due this coming Monday. They gave the kids a week to do it. It involves art skills that I really dislike and don't actually have so I've never cultivated them in the kids. M loves to draw and do more artsy things and I'm not sure where she gets it. Probably from C's sister, CF. Too bad she lives too far away to encourage that skill.

Anyway, the students were given a week to do a diorama or a detailed drawing of their chosen dinosaur. I can barely keep up with my homework and my responsibilities and by Sunday I'm just a blubbering idiot. So I'm in a panic thinking that I am going to have to spend every waking moment tomorrow sitting with O to get him to complete this project. Not looking forward to it. To his credit though he did rough out a sketch and make notes about his project today so maybe it won't be so bad. Some days I can barely take care of myself and now I have to help a 7 year old create a diorama???? Help! Too bad I'm not more like my friends Annie & John who actually care about and follow through on their kids' education.

M decided to cut her own hair by herself on Thursday. Luckily she pulled her hair straight out in front of her to cut so she could watch it. That put it right about chin length. You should have seen the drama and the tears while I evened it out. She kept saying, "I don't want to cut my hair!" And I would respond, "But you already did! I'm just trying to make it all the same length!" Even though we cut off a good 4-5 inches it turned out super cute and she loves it. I'll try to post pictures soon.

We went off to the Astros game last night but the tickets we wanted to purchase (free kid ticket for every adult ticket purchased) were sold out. So, we bought tickets for tonight's game and hung out downtown for dinner. It was nice to be out with the family doing normal family things. The game tonight was fun. The Astros lost but I don't really go to watch the games so much as to watch the people. Tomorrow is their last scheduled home game this season. Hard to believe it is coming to a close.

In clinic yesterday the intern I'm following was swamped with three patients very close together with their appointments so he quickly handed me their folders and had me do the intakes. Now I do these sorts of things a lot as a massage therapist so I didn't mind giving it a try. Some of the questions are similar and some are quite different. I left the tongue and pulse diagnosis for him to do because I don't trust my skills in that department yet and I didn't want the patient to have to do it twice. I think it went well and that I helped a lot. We saw patients who were dealing with anxiety and depression, wanting relief from symptoms of the common cold, needing treatment for knee pain, wanting help to stop smoking and a patient who gets relief with acupuncture for this sinusitis condition she has had since 1985! She has been congested for 24 years and finds that acupuncture every other week is the most effective treatment for her. It is incredibly interesting work and I'm starting to see myself actually doing this job in the future. I hope my patients have just as diverse issues to treat once I become a licensed practitioner like those that I see in the school clinic.

So, there you have it. The week in a nutshell. My first quizzes begin next week so I'll be spending tomorrow studying. I'm glad the first quizzes will be done before I head to Vegas in two weeks! I can't wait for the time away. I really look forward to going and hanging out with friends every year at this time. All you gals out there are always welcome to join us so let me know and I'll keep you posted as to our plans. If anyone else can join us at the last minute this year then please do! The more the merrier.

C had a rough week at work for numerous reasons. Some I can't go in to but suffice it to say that he is dealing with some annoying opposition, some wonderful support and he is really getting tired of this position. I hope that it improves for him soon.

I'm fading fast so I think I'll go crash for the evening. Love to you all.

Funny M

This photo makes me think that M is doing her impersonation of a hungover celebrity caught by the paparazzi. Makes me laugh! So funny!