happy easter, ya'll . . .

so yesterday was a whine with cheese day.  until . . .

kidlet slammed out the door in disgust.  depression doesn't do a lot for your ego.  and hers was taking a hit.  she needed some air.  some peace.  when the door opened again, there was a grin.  a big old wide one from back in the day.  she held out her hands and stuffed my arms with this:

yup, a mexican easter pinata!!!

so we hauled it out front:

and hung that puppy from the nearest limb:

and then since we couldn't find a bat, we confused our sports and used kidlet's bo staff:

i got first whack:

and nothing.  i smacked that puppy hard enough to send it back to mexico.  did it share its goodies?  no. so i whacked again and again.  nothing.  well except the pinata gave up its handle from which it was hanging so we changed sports again and started pitching it like the over sized egg it was.  kidlet's turn:

who happily beat the crap out of it, but still nothing.  it was not giving up its stuff.  my turn again.  note the staff bending under my amazing strength:

back and forth we went, all the while a very sick and sniffily joanie snapped away.  and finally, success!!!

and while i thought it was one of those pre-stuffed pinatas, this one turned out to be thoughtfully jammed pack with craft stuff, yoga socks, googly eyes and a copy of les mis.  YES!!!!

gotta love this kidlet:

she always knows how to make me smile!!

oh and let's not forget miss curiosity whose paws are definitely not allowed on the kitchen table:

well, maybe just this once.

happiness is a kidlet.  a pinata.  and a whole lotta love!!!

aren't you glad you asked . . .

hi!

we're still here.  just paddling upstream. 

it has been, as usual, full of highs and lows.  on tuesday of last week, kidlet ventured out into the world.  she took her crocheting and headed to the bridge and soaked up some sun and chatted with those interested in what her nimble little fingers were doing.  this was the first time she had left the house for more than appointments with the good doc and the therapist in ages.  get excited here folks, this is major.

thursday, after i picked kaitlyn up from school . . . she and kidlet headed to walmart.  when they popped back home, we had a little of this:

friday, kidlet picked kaitlyn up from school again and after scoffing down pot roast, taters, carrots and hot buttered rolls, the two of them took off to daytona beach to check out the boardwalk during spring break and play some miniature golf.

and yes, this is my child who has not crossed the threshold in months we are talking about.  and she paid the price.  she crashed and burned.  saturday.  sunday.  monday. tuesday.  wednesday she made it through a visit from family and then nested.  and nested.  but friday?  friday, she ventured out on her own again.  another trip to walmart for essentials and then out for a run.  yes!  you read that correctly.  kidlet went running.  and so we live with the ups and downs and hope they simmer into some semblance of normalcy. 

pip's had her ups and downs too.  yesterday morning she sat frozen in delight perched on the arm of the sofa with her paws up on the window sill, ears twitching.  two baby squirrels were practicing their climbing skills on the oak.  pip's nose wiggled in delight.  the more they danced through the limbs and up and down the trunk, the more light shown in pippin's eyes.  she was in kitten heaven.

a little later, i was in the laundry room doing the inevitable.  pip, having long ago gotten used to sitting on the glass top of my washer, loves to snuffle around in the clothes warm from the dryer.  this time when she made the leap from the floor her timing was bad and the lid was up . . . the look on her little face when she plopped straight down into the tub was priceless.  it took her all of two seconds to fly back out, run from the room and hide for the next two hours.  she is still tentative about the laundry room but hopefully not for long considering that is where the litter pan is.

and then there is me.  apparently the rope is fraying. the good doctor has announced i can officially live on ativan in addition to my lexapro and she will wean me off when life looks a bit brighter. 

spring is just around the corner and things will be better then.  i can feel it in my bones.

bob, bob, bobbin' along . . .

once a year, the robins hit town.  they come en masse, settle in nancy's holly tree, snap up every holly berry in sight and take off leaving a decidedly naked tree.

day before yesterday, kidlet was outside and texted me to come see the flock.  at first, true to form, i didn't see anything unusual but then, apparently having disturbed the universe, they left the tree by the droves.  thinking they would settle down if i left, i went inside for my camera. 

when i got back, some had returned but not nearly as many as had left. i found fifteen hiding among the branches.  i think i should have circled some in white. 

 and then as i stood there for a while, i found this guy nibbling away on his brunch:

and to my surprise, when i enlarged the photos, they weren't our yearly robins. 

someone is going to be very hungry and cranky when they stop for their annual feast and find the platter clean.

another day in paradise . . .

joanie's dad is a very spry 91 year old and a whopping 6'5" tall . . . and did i mention bright as a penny.  after having some issues last year, he's back in almost full swing . . . just has a tiny bit of difficulty with his balance which has put the kibosh on his bike riding.  yep, at 90 he was still rocketing around the neighborhood on two wheels.

but he missed it terribly.  he tried a stationary bike but you know . . . boring.  so he checked around town and on the internet for a trike . . . and finally found one. 

it was shipped to billy's shop, assembled and delivered today.  .and then the kids came out to play.  first eddie:

and then joanie:

and yes, i climbed on board but since it was my cell taking the shots, it stayed safely in my pocket.

just another gorgeous day in paradise.

i should have stayed in bed . . .

got up bright and early this morning and fed the rambunctious crowd and slithered right back into bed for one last snooze.  three hours later . . .

i decided my abject laziness called for something ambitious, so i gathered some rubber gloves, grabbed the ladder and headed off to attack the gutters.  oh my.  there were leaves and muck, plants with roots,  that sand like stuff from the roof and critters, various critters and those caterpillar type fuzzys that fall off the oak every spring.  it was a virtual party up there.  everyone was happy except me.

i slowly made my way around the cave until i got to the back 'super' gutter which is supposed to carry the rain away from the pool.  it was stuffed fuller than the 9TS after Thanksgiving dinner.  overflowing.  growing a pea vine with five foot roots.

there is one section where the pool cage zigs and zags around an odd corner of the house just above the kitchen.  i have in my younger days, actually pulled myself up on the roof and shimmied my way into that corner to clean things out properly.  i am no longer able or willing to wedge my slightly larger body between the 45 degree angle of the roof and the flimsy screen of the cage praying that i don't crash to the deck below.  let's just say for now what i managed was good enough.  i figure if the roofers are afraid of the pitch of our roof, i should be too.

so there i was, covered in black wet leaves that had been fermenting since last spring, a bruised shin compliments of the ladder, craving a nice warm bath.  i got the bath alright, thanks to mother nature.  she must still be ticked at me for some reason.  but no, i am not sharing a photo of me in the pouring rain, plastered in all things yucky.  the damned gutters are clean and checked off my list. i love my world. truly.

ups and downs . . .

doing a happy dance this morning.  with the moving process completed, i started in on the phone calls.  the house needs to painted, there are a couple of rotten boards that need to be replaced, we have some mold issues in a closet and bathroom ceiling and the deck needs repainting.  the painting part was easy.  i've been using the same guy for years now, but who do i go to to have the ceiling fixed.  the answer was right under my nose.  john the painter can do it all.  yay.  he's got a full calendar but sometime toward the end of the month, the cave will be looking good.  color me relieved.

you can also color us a tad crabby.  the corned beef was nixed.  the jambalaya mix i cheat and use and was to be for dinner stuffed with shrimp, has been nixed.  did you know there is soy in graham crackers?  and nitrites and tryamine in bouillon?  caffeine as well as chocolate, in moderation?  good thing we have another appointment with the good doc on thursday, i need some clarification.  but here's the thing, if i can learn how to re-cook after the 9TS open heart surgery, i can darn well learn how to cook without nitrites/tyramine.  so there.

but i am bagging the low fat tonight and making shrimp newburg over rice. bring on the butter and the half and half.  slurp.  and the vino to go with the whine.  glug.

happy saint pats . . .

ah.  the quiet that is the end of bike week.  yes! [insert arm pump]

happy st. patrick's day my friends.  i went grocery shopping yesterday morning and bought the obligatory corned beef and cabbage for tonight's dinner.  kidlet loves corned beef.  it is one of her most favorite meals.  yay!

the problem is, long about saturday night, my brain clicks on and i rush to google to see if corned beef contains tryamine.  it does.  crap.  chicken caesar salads for dinner to night.

tomorrow we will call the good doctor and see if kidlet can have a bye just this once.  the level of MAOI that she is currently on has no dietary restrictions but she is to avoid tryamine in case they have to up the dosage.  color kidlet not quite happy.

chapter closed . . .

yesterday was our final trip up north.  we tossed the last of the odds and ends, scoured, dusted, mopped and vacuumed.  the rental agent met us at 2:00 and we turned in the keys and gate pass.  goodbye kidlet nest.

this is what it looked like after a long day of moving in August 1, 2006.

 

of course to keep things real, when the 9TS and i went to visit a couple of months later, he walked in, crossed the room and sat in the far chair.  finally he looked at Kidlet and asked if anyone was hurt.  she looked at him awry and he continued . . . when the bomb went off.

i am sure her little home held a lot of memories for her but i am equally as sure that she will fly on her own again one of these days and leave the nest for a happy and healthy life.

jeanne vs. the yard, round three . . .

i'm still trying to play catch up with the yard.  i wish i could say it had only been neglected for the past year but the truth is, it really hasn't been touched in a lot longer than that.  yard work was just not very high on our to-do list.  heck, it never even made the list.

so this is what it looked like year before last when we had some trees trimmed, so add two more years of growth and you've got a general idea:

see the mess to the right off the big oak?  snake haven.  not my favorite place.  and, you can see some of the grass that had overtaken the spider plant under the oak.  and then there were the dead banana leaves.  ugh.

remember my barter?  lookie, lookie!!

banana trees trimmed.  asparagus fern removed.  tree down.  saplings thwacked.  hooray!

i wish i had thought to take a shot of the spider plants infested with yard grass and other weeds before they started but i was too startled by the cold.  brrrrrrr.

my front yard looks 100% better and i am thrilled to have bartered the work.  yay.

next month, they will be covering all the bald areas with mulch and i can stop worrying about the HOA knocking on my door telling me i am non-complaint.  breathe.

what a difference a day makes . . .

thankfully, we already had a scheduled appointment for kidlet with the good doctor at 8:10 a.m.  although she still faces the rest of the withdrawal, with the help of Ativan, it shouldn't be as painful and kidlet is so overwhelmingly joyful that there is a reason for her behavior that she is fairly content to nest in what used to be the man-cave and is now kidlet's corner, and weather through the storm.  how's that for a run on sentence.

and, since it was determined that it would be safe for me to leave her for a bit, it was yoga, oh, glorious yoga for me and lunch with the crew.  think i'm neglecting kidlet, nope just regaining my sanity.  i did get a couple of texts during lunch.  one was a change in her lunch order at MickyD's and the second was a request for gummie bears.  yep, she was feeling a little better.

we spent the rest of the day napping and watching netflex and one of us doing some crocheting.   and the left over stuffed manicotti was so much better soaked in lots of homemade gravy.

on another note, i must be worried about the final check on her apartment.  first i dreamt the office forgot to lock the door and someone came in with a can of black spray paint and had a ball with graffiti.  then i dreamt the inspector came with a construction crew and they were digging out the septic tank to prove that i had not cleaned it to their standards.  while another crew was hassling  about the amount of width between the joists and how i would be charged to move them.  sometimes i wonder about my brain.

regardless, it was a much better day.  thanks again to all my friends who hold me together and to the good doctor for holding tight to my kidlet when i could not.

here we go round the mulberry bush . . .

may i never have another day like this one.  amen.

let's start with a little back story.  saturday, kidlet and i were supposed to go see Wicked in orlando . .  she had purchased the tickets for me for christmas but by friday, she was literally drenched in sweat and shivering.  her stomach was upset and she was inconsolable.  i called her doctor to see if it could be the increase in her newest meds.  the doctor was out for the day but the nurse told me to cut back on the meds and call monday morning.

monday morning.  the story:

at 7:00 a.m., having had no choice but to head up north to meet the moving company at her apartment, i left kidlet to call the doctor on her own.

she spoke with the good doctor and it was agreed that kidlet would hop a cab to her office.  thank God, joanie was able to take her for me.  kidlet was a major mess and had yet to navigate a taxi . . . we live in the woods, folks.  the nurse called me and said kidlet was already in the office which was weird since i had just spoken to her at home.  she was at home, the nurse just assumed she was there.  hum.   it seems she was going through withdrawal from the Effexor and here's where it gets tricky.  if she took more Effexor, the withdrawal symptoms would cease but then it would be two weeks or more before she could get on Emsam, an MAOI . . . Effexor and Emsam not being good playmates . . .  and she was crashing badly.  it was decided to switch to the MAOI now. 

you know how everyone has a health insurance nightmare.  now i have one too.  the doctor had put in a referral for the MAOI some two weeks ago . . . we belong to a local HMO.  the referral came through but for some reason, the Emsam was never ordered and she needed it now - as in today -   our HMO pharmacy did not have any on hand, nor did any of the local Walgreen's which are covered under our contract for after hours.  so since i was up north in the big city, they located the meds at a Walgreen's up there and i needed to pick it up.  so now i am juggling a kidlet who is falling apart, a moving company in mid-route and a pharmacy across the city when the only route i know is from home to her apartment and back again.  i left the movers and headed for points unknown and got lost twice.  when i finally arrived at the pharmacy, the price was $726.00.  Ouch.  while the amazing manager was working on her end, i was calling my insurance's client services.

the charming (not) agent i was chatting with was adamant.  it did not matter that they did not have the meds in stock.  it did not matter that my daughter needed them today.  it did not matter that none of our county Walgreen's had it in stock.  it did not matter that we had found the meds up north, the medicine would have to be mailed down to us.  they would not refund the $726, nor would they allow me to pick it up prior to six o'clock.  ARE THEY * CRAZY.  ok, so i left out an adjective.

however, the manager at that Walgreen's was able to override the insurance lady and got me the script for $60.  meanwhile the doctor was calling asking if i could get the meds here before 4 p.m., the movers were ready to leave and i was once again lost on the other side of the city.  i told the movers to leave, called the rental complex to lock up and headed south.  now i just had to beat the van, get the meds to kidlet who was camped out at the doctor's office and get back home.  thankfully, the moving crew needed lunch and i know how to press the gas pedal.  i flew into the doctor's office, chatted with the doctor, threw poor kidlet in the car with her new found patch affixed to her back and slid into home base right before the movers.  whew.

all in all, there were 42 phone calls including a second one from the not so nice lady at our pharmacy who told me she didn't realize that the director of the pharmacy had been involved and i could now pick up the meds.  she didn't seem to understand, i already had them in the car with me.  oh, and she also wondered how in the world we got disconnected . . .   maybe because i hung up on her right before i burst into tears at Walgreen's.

all is well,  kidlet, although still feeling the effects of withdrawal, is so happy to know it is withdrawal and not depression that had her feeling like she was losing her mind.  she is in unpacking and setting up shop in the man-cave.

the movers have come and gone and were THE absolute best, kindest, most efficient people.

and i have my wine.

sometimes you have to just sit back and count your blessings:

kidlet is happy she isn't crazy (EDIT by kidlet: Kidlet is happy she isn't crazy - much).

her doctor and staff let her camp out at the office where she was safe since i was out of town (EDIT by kidlet: aka, I'm lucky I have such an amazing doctor and nurses that they were willing to babysit me even though I'm 24).

the movers couldn't have been more understanding.

the manager of Walgreen's, a complete stranger in strange city, took the time and energy to get things resolved

and my friend Joanie and her mister bailed me out once again.  joanie, i love you (EDIT by kidlet: Joanie, the whole house loves you - including kidlet, bear, ninja, and pippin).

with people like these, i can handle the occasional id-jit who can't see past her nose.

and on that note, i am taking three aspirin and grabbing a nap.

where meatballs really come from . . .

kidlet and i were making meatballs and gravy.  she is my official ball tightener.  as i was cleaning up, she looked in the sink and there was the lone meatball that had jumped to its death from the counter top and ended up in the sink among the egg shells. 

she looked up at me and without batting an eye, said: that's where meatballs really come from.

if A, then B . . .

you know how things snowball?  before you can do A, you have to do B, but before you can do B, C is raising its ugly head.  that's what's going on in the cave.

the moving company will be bringing Kidlets things on Monday but in order to have room in the man cave, some of the current contents need to be stored in the garage, but until the garage is weaned of some of its junk, um, special mementos, we are at a stand still.  as in stopped dead.  in our tracks.

since today is garbage day, at 8:00 a.m. this morning, i was out dragging sheets of old ply-wood, old suitcases, dead bottles of car wax, and miscellaneous piles of why.in.the.world.do.i.own.this, to the curb.  joanie wandered over to help drag and lift my spirits.  we won't mention the pile of wood that had earlier fallen over and trapped me between the wood and some kind of giant saw.  luckily, i had my cell in my pocket and called kidlet to rescue me.  owie. 

then came the metal man.  this guy has been around for years.  comes the night before and the morning of garbage days and sniffs out metal from the trash.  he was having a field day.  and when i offered him the hanging/speed bag complex taking up valuable real estate in the man cave, i swear his eyes lit up and spun in circles before coming back to center.  color us both happy.  i had been trying to give away that monster for a year now.

i'm not beyond bartering so barter i did.  the guy who put in my river rocks will be removing three quasi trees from the front yard and weeding and cleaning the rest.  two of those quasi trees are some kind of saplings that found a vitamin bottle a few years back.  the other is a rather drunken holly tree that leans precariously to the west.  it is infested with mistletoe and threatens to come down every time the wind blows.  adios, holly.  go lightly.   and so, in exchange, my garage divested itself of a circular saw, a jigsaw, some other kind of saw and a lot of flotsam and jetsam.  call us even.

i'm sorry but if its mechanical and doesn't have Kitchenaid etched on it, it's up for grabs.

the garage looks a lot better now and hopefully, the garbage men will take the remainder of the goodies and i can rest in peace.  unfortunately, they are pretty picky about what they will and will not take, so i am still stuck with 53 cans of paint most of which i can't remember ever having graced a wall in the house.

it also seems, i am the proud owner of one of those venomous banks of plastic drawers which slam shut on innocent fingers.  it is chock full of the contents of aisle 26 at Lowe's.  you know, the aisle with the whose-its. whats-it and thing-a-ma-bobs.  i went through each drawer.  i actually found a waterbed patch kit from the 90's, if that gives you a clue.  if i knew what it was and thought it was useful, i kept it, if not, i put it in a box for the metal man. 

joanie's mister is going to go through the enormous red tool box and put together a useable set for me.  right now, i am thinking the 9TS was a bit of a tool hoarder.  i counted 27 screwdrivers not including a box that contained one body and 42 interchangeable heads.  and lets not discuss ratchet and socket accessories.  i did keep the electric drill and the staple gun.  they have helped me reupholster many a dining room chair.

after a dunk in the tub, i have squatters rights to my bed and i am not moving.  ever.  or until tomorrow.  maybe.

may you never find frogs in your under pants . . .

May the light always find you on a dreary day.
When you need to be home, may you find your way.
May you always have courage to take a chance
and never find frogs in your underpants...

kel, you are the very best!

cave dwellers . . .

i woke up this morning to a chilly 32 degrees.  eek!  there was only one thing to do: light a fire and make a cup of chocolate coffee:

life is good.  and when the fire finally burned down to a good bed of coals, kidlet headed for the marshmallows.  nothing like a perfectly roasted marshmallow shell:

and then there was dinner to think about.  over a year later and i still had not attempted the 9TS's stuffed manicotti.  it was time.  some stuffing:

some shells:

 fresh from the oven:

and it was pretty good.  i used bottled gravy instead of homemade so it wasn't quite the same but good enough for a cold march night.  next time, a little sloth magic and we'll be good to go.

coming home . . .

we left for trip three this morning in the process of moving Kidlet back home.  the first trip was toss and purge.  fourteen bags of garbage later, we headed home.

trip number two was to pack.  we fell short and had to go back again today.  mission accomplished.  another load hauled to the garbage.  yes, she is a pack rat like her grandfather.

i went to book the movers we had used for the last three moves, only to find out they are out of business.  their number has been taken over by a company two hours south of us.  their Angie's rating was a solid F.  i was back on the hunt.  i finally found a local family operated business peppered with A's.  fingers crossed.  dear 9TS, please come back and handle this.  i am spoiled.

then another trip to clean her previous home from top to bottom.

booked a date and time for the walk through from the rental agent and then we are done.  the cave will be packed to the hilt with boxes and extra furniture but she will be all tucked in.  no more trips north.  hurray!!!

trying to get home tonight was a little tricky.  I-95 was closed for miles in both directions.  so glad we were in home territory and knew the back roads.

ebony and ivory . . .

so a while back, joanie and i joined a local camera club.  they meet once a month and have two shows a year.  the first was tonight . . . black and white photos only.  this was the first time either of us have entered a photography show.  it was a learning experience to say the least.  lots of angst among these two newbies.  some giggles too.

while neither of us won, we learned a lot and i now have a shot of my favorite subject for my wall.

if you've been around for a bit, i bet you can find my photo faster than a 9TS can cross a road.

as soon as joanie sends me a copy of her shot, i will share.

EDIT:

 consider "Athena" shared.  isn't she gorgeous.  she should have won!

say what?

the bad news:

the protocol kidlet has been on has failed.  big time.  they think it is time to change her from SSRI's to MAOI's . . . this is my new language.  like it?  unlike SSRI's which increase serotonin, with MAOI's, the enzyme monoamine oxidase, which is involved in removing the neurotransmitters norepinephrine, serotonin and dopamine from the brain, is blocked which makes more of these brain chemicals available.  got it?  serotonin is the stuff that makes us happy.  we want more of it.  but not too much.

MAOI's have a ton of restrictions . . .  nothing with Tyramine which means no aged cheeses, no beer, wine, fava beans, sauerkraut (like kidlet would eat that anyway) but also no bacon or soy sauce . . .  two of her favorites and no pepperoni.  ouch! also nothing with epinephrine which is found in a lot of pain medication and decongestants.  say what? the list goes on.

the good news:

as they wean her off her current SSRI, she is noticeably happier.

                                                              !!!!N O T I C E A B L Y!!!!

so they have decided to try Lamotrigine before the MAOI's.  Lamotrigine is a sodium channel blocking class of anti-epileptic drugs also used for depression, and has fewer restrictions.  still with me?  now that would be amazing because i am lost in the jargon of some medically adroit jabberwocky.

what i do understand is that kidlet is happier than she has been.  i vote for happiness.