Elusive Packing Rat Comes Up For Air

Gasp!

I am coming up for air. This is the neverending cleaning/packing spree. It is a good thing that I have never had to earn my living by cleaning. I do get the job done, but I am just not very efficient at it.

I have become more efficient at filling up garbage pails and bags. It is getting easier to throw things away. My cat Scud also helped out by deciding to pee all over a box I had in the closet. It seems that all of this commotion is not to his liking. There is nothing like cat urine in an enclosed space. Another reason that I have had to come up for air!

Sorting through clothes is under control. I am stacking many vacant hangars as I decide what to go ahead and pack for storage, what I will need over the next few months, what should be donated, and what needs to find the garbage pail.

I should have enough boxes since people have been collecting them for me. I just hope that I don't end up filling all of them!

So, you see, things are moving along. I have also been spending time looking at condos and townhouses. Unfortunately, I seem to have champagne tastes on a beer budget... probably cheap beer at that. But I will adjust and keep looking. Somewhere there is a home just waiting for me to find it... hopefully before they raise the interest rates again!

Have a great holiday weekend and think of me in that stinky closet, cleaning out closets, sorting through household items, and going blind on the computer finding more condos to go see.

The Elusive Packing Rat

Another Episode In The Life Of Mary Who Cannot Help Herself

Mary is quite an organized person and always does a good job at whatever she chooses to do. She is known for doing things to the Nth degree. She also has a knack for getting herself into predicaments. If you don't remember Mary from my previous posts, check out the post I suggested you read in yesterday's post.

Friday night I took dinner in for Mary since she is currently a bit incapacitated. We had a nice dinner, some wine, and talked about divorce, starting over, friends, decorating and a number of other things. It was a nice evening and one which happened because of Tropical Storm Alberto and one of Mary's whims.

We didn't get too much rain and wind from Alberto, but we knew it had brushed by on its way for a visit a little north of here. As Floridians often do when we get a storm like that... nothing too serious... Mary was participating in an impromptu hurricane party... even though Alberto was not really a hurricane. She and some family and friends had been out to the pier to look at the bay and were back home. That is when Mary who cannot help herself got it into her head to take her son's razr scooter out for a ride in the wind and rain.

Mary was having a grand time until she hit that innocent looking puddle. How could she possibly know that it hid a slick slimy spot? After Mary went flying over the handlebars and landed in the puddle, it occurred to her that perhaps it had not been the best or wisest of ideas. Her chin hit the pavement along with both hands and arms and her left upper thigh. Ouch! The end result was not as bad as it could have been. She had not knocked out any teeth, her chin only had a scrape. She was alive with no concussion. She did however sprain her right wrist, break her left wrist ( just about a compound fracture, but the bone didn't come through the skin) and acquire a bad bruise on her upper thigh... with a bit of a nasty bone bleed.

So Mary who cannot help herself really could not help herself! She has had surgery to her broken wrist including some pins to hold things together and is sporting a sore leg and left wrist. All of this makes it difficult to do things like get dressed, open a bottle of wine, play the piano, and cook. The doctor has told her that she may never have full use of her thumb again, but she is determined to play that piano anyway.

Once again, Mary who cannot help herself has done a complete job of something. Somehow, even though she has probably learned her lesson, I suspect that there will be other Mary episodes to relate to you in the future.

By the way, her new townhouse is beautiful, and she has offered to help me with the decorating in my new place when I get it! Yay! I'll hide the scooters, and maybe the scissors, knives, and any other potentially hazardous items.

My Week Ahead

Well, my cleanup is getting closer to being totally done at work. After sorting through boxes of files and shredding numerous unnecessary pieces of paper, I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. It does feel good to walk into my office and see clean surfaces and know that I actually have deleted the need for some boxes and that I actually have created some room in the file cabinets.

Now I need to turn my attention to my not so organized home. Yup my mousepad needs some cleaning and organizing again. Maybe I will get started tomorrow. Maybe I will get started Tuesday night. Maybe I will take a break and wait until the weekend. Naw, I need to get started... tomorrow night it is! Tomorrow and the next night and the next night and the next night...

Boxes need to be packed and stored. Even though my storage unit is stuffed, I will need to fit in a few more storage containers. Hopefully, in another month or so, I will be unpacking that storage and moving into my new home. It still seems a bit surreal, but I am also looking forward to it!

Wassup With Me?

I'll tell you what's up with me! Last night I wrote a long post only to have it disappear because of some sort of blogger problem when I went to save it. To say I am frustrated is an understatement. Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while may remember "Mary who cannot help herself." Well, Mary was the subject of last night's post. Those of you who don't know of Mary can look up a post referring to her using "Rhodent's Favorite Posts" under the title of "They Just Don't Make Them Like Him Anymore." I will try to reproduce the post this evening or tomorrow.

Once I Was Blind, But Now I Can See...

I had to laugh yesterday when my daughter Allison saw the picture of the mouse on my "Still Just Hangin Out" post... she exclaimed laughingly, "It's the Mission Impossible mouse!" That thought had never crossed my mind! Now it is absolutely obvious. It just goes to show you how easily perceptions can change when you are given a different perspective.

I have had other times when my perspective has taken a dramatic shift. It is those "aha!" moments that so often create growth in our lives. Many of those moments I view as God working in my life. Recently, someone said to me that they didn't believe God involved Himself in the everyday and little things in our lives. I don't agree with that. I think we look for the big things and often overlook the little things where God reveals His hand in our lives. Some of my most significant growth has resulted from some little adjustment in my perspective that has led to major changes in my life... like when you are missing a piece of a puzzle that when found finally reveals to you what the puzzle picture actually is.

So, I look for those little things. Life moves forward, or sometimes backwards, one small step at a time. Sometimes a step backwards is what creates the change in perspective, sometimes it is a step forward. Then, once in a while, I get to experience a leap forward. But I know not to wait for those leaps... it is those little steps added together that bring about the most change.

Another One

You Are 50% Weird

Normal enough to know that you're weird... But too damn weird to do anything about it!

How Weird Are You?

Still Just Hanging Out...

This all feels a bit precarious...

I am still just hanging out around the house today, but right now my whole life situation feels a bit precarious. It's like standing on a rug with the expectant feeling that any moment now, someone is going to pull the rug out from under me and send me on a flight that ends in a painful crash.

Missy Mouse

This cute creature is now sitting on my desk at work. I had found photos of this mouse, along with some other similar sculptures while searching for rhodent pictures to use on this blog. Then, one day while fooling around on ebay, I found some of these creatures for sale! In an instant the bid was done. In a day Missy was mine.

You are probably not wondering why I picked this particular creature, but I am going to tell you anyway. Besides the obvious mousy cuteness, I currently identify with her expanded plumpness. I feel like I have blown up like a balloon this past month and she looks like she has as well. Will I get a skinny mouse to replace her when I lose the weight again? I doubt it. She will still be the same mouse on the inside. Besides, I doubt that I will ever have any skinny days again! I might get her another mouse to keep her company though. Everybody needs a bud!

Since it is Father's Day, I want to wish all of you dad's out there a very happy day! I have such fond memories of my dad and tomorrow would be his birthday, so I thought a lot about him while at Mass this morning. He was a very loving, giving man. Like all of us he was not perfect, but I knew that he was there for his family every day of his life. I was lucky to grow up knowing that I was loved and important to him. He modeled the joy of generosity to others. That is a memory that I really cherish and a characteristic that I try to maintain. It's good for the soul.

Just Hangin Out

Zoey Graduates From Puppy Obedience School

Yes Zoey has graduated from Puppy Obedience School. She has successfully trained her owners in how to perform positive reinforcement with yummy treats. She is a very smart dog.

Allison congratulating Zoey on her accomplishment

These are the three puppies that made it all the way through. There were a few dropouts, and one puppy had to be expelled for aggressive and unruly behavior... a pit bull who kept going after the other puppies. The other two dogs in the picture are an Italian Greyhound and another German Shepard mix. The owner of the Italian Greyhound is a World Religions Professor.

Now if they could just train her to keep that ridiculous tongue
in her mouth!

One More...

Your Bumper Sticker Should Be

Squirrel - it's what's for supper

What Bumper Sticker Should Be On Your Car?

Hmmm... amusing.

But I Like Dr. Pepper!

You Are Coke

A true original and classic, you represent the best of everything you can offer. Just the right amount of sweet, just the right amount of energy... you're the life of the party. Your best soda match: Mountain Dew Stay away from:Dr Pepper

What Kind of Soda Are You?

You are a Romantic Realist

Okay, so you fall in the middle. You know that love isn't like a greeting card... Yet you can always find a greeting card to describe your feelings. You are the best of both worlds Girly yet independent, dreamy yet serious. Almost any guy can find balance with you.

Are You a Romantic or Realistic?

The Keys to Your Heart

You are attracted to obedience and warmth. In love, you feel the most alive when your lover is creative and never lets you feel bored. You'd like to your lover to think you are stylish and alluring. You would be forced to break up with someone who was emotional, moody, and difficult to please. Your ideal relationship is lasting. You want a relationship that looks to the future... one you can grow with. Your risk of cheating is zero. You care about society and morality. You would never break a commitment. You think of marriage as something precious. You'll treasure marriage and treat it as sacred. In this moment, you think of love as commitment. Love only works when both people are totally devoted.

What Are The Keys To Your Heart?

Your Fortune Is

He who thinks by the inch and talks by the yard deserves to be kicked by the foot.

The Wacky Fortune Cookie Generator

Sunday Morning Moping

Well it is Sunday. I am a bit down today. The first tropical storm of the season is brewing, and although we desperately need the rain, I am not looking forward to another hurricane season. I am also overly tired today. I have been thinking too hard about things over which I have no control and not sleeping well. I need to catch up on packing my things for the big move, and I don't look forward to that. The antidepressants that I take tend to put weight on me. I had been off of them for a few weeks, but have had to go back on them... instant twelve pounds. Getting them back off will take a few weeks, but I will do it. Oh well, life goes on...

At least I have accomplished some good things at work of late. It does feel much better to walk into my office knowing that things are in much better order. Yesterday my boss reminded me of what I still need to get done. I guess that will be my chore this next week. Hopefully things will remain quiet at work for another week.

I had a nice visit with my youngest on Friday. We met up at the hair salon and had our hair cut, etc. I also had a pedicure which is something I have come to enjoy once in a while. It is an extra that I hope I will still be able to do when on my own. While at the hair salon, Allison gave me a cross with bright pink topaz stones that she had found for me on e-bay. She knows very well that pink is my favorite color! So I will think of her whenever I wear it! My other daughter, Lainey also gave me a cross last Christmas. It is set with garnets and is beautiful. Garnets are her birthstone. When she gave it to me she said she chose the garnets so that I would think of her whenever I wore it. I think of all of my kids most of the time, but it is nice to know that they care.

Son Matthew is getting settled in his new job in Virginia. I am looking forward to the next phone call from him... can't wait to hear about the job and how he likes where he is living. Son Jason seems to be busy as usual. I heard through the grapevine that he has recently done some traveling. I will probably give him a call tonight. I did have a great time with him in Hartford!

That's about it for now. Maybe I will feel a bit more creative tonight. Hope you all have a good day!

Mouse In Mediation

Marauding merciless mouse miffed over muddled matrimony and miserable memories, meandering madly through messy macerating mediation maze, might become militant while meaning to mitigate missing the minimum money mark and might be mildly morose and muttering many meaningless musings and misanthropic remarks about moody, miserly, male malcontents.

Does This Mean That Abe Was Also An Easy Rider?

It's always amusing to me to take these personality tests that can be found online. Do you think that these two accurately capture my personality? Was Honest Abe an Easy Rider? Have I slipped entirely into insanity?

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Been There And I Made It Out Alive!

My son's girlfriend, Sheila, set me up on My space when I was visiting them in Hartford last month. I recently decided to poke around a bit and try my hand at adding friends, etc. It was fun. I figured out some things on my own and read up on my kids' entries. And then it happened...

It took me off guard at first. This older woman, Shirley, sent me a message asking if she could add me as one of her friends. Cautiously, I inquired back as to how she found me. Before I got an answer from her, I decided to look at her list of friends. That was the shocker. Her friends list and pictures seemed to consist of raunchy male porn stars and hookers! So, I thought, this has got to be someone's idea of a sick joke. I talked to my daughter, Allison, and she laughed. It seems that type of thing is common on My Space.

I think that I will stick to blogging here and just check my kids' entries on My Space on occasion.

It's A Week Of Fiesta!

This week we have been celebrating with the theme of Mexican Fiesta... it's Vacation Bible School Week! Everyone, participants and staff, are wearing our Fiesta T-shirts and enjoying the kids, decorations, snacks, and general hub bub that goes along with VBS. The buildings are all decorated... including the hallways. I think that we adults enjoy the week even more than the kids!

The rest of my work time has been mostly taken up with filing and general cleanup in my office. This time of year is generally quiet... it starts to get crazy again at the end of June. So now is my chance to do those chores that I never get to during the rest of the year. My garbage pail has been overflowing. I have even had to gather extra garbage bags to accommodate my pitching-out frenzy. But it does feel good to be getting it done. I can see my desk now as well as the tops of the filing cabinets. I only have FOUR more filing boxes to sort through! YAY!

So now I also have time to do a couple of things for me... like get the latest permanent crown put in my mouth! Oh... and Friday I will take some time in the middle of the day to get my hair cut and highlighted AND I can finally get that pedicure I've been looking forward to having! Now if I could only manage to find some time for a massage...

Summer Is Here

It has been hot and muggy here... and it isn't as hot as it will be in another month! This morning I walked out the front door of the house and walked a few yards to get into my car. By the time I got to my car the hair on the back of my neck and my forehead was already wet with perspiration. Yup, good ol sweat. It rained today as well... a good old fashioned Florida steam bath. Summer has arrived.

How long until January?

Very Busy With A Couple Of Things...

It's Time!

I began this post on Saturday with the intention of finishing it up tonight. Little did I know then how apropos it would turn out to be at the end of this holiday weekend! What I anticipated as being a rather tiresome weekend turned out to be a really shitty weekend. Way too much drama.

We celebrated the two birthdays that take place every year over this holiday weekend. My friend Lori turned 30 and my daughter Allison turned 22. Lori got an exquisite diamond necklace and a very sweet card from her adoring husband... which was probably the highlight of the weekend. We also celebrated the completion of my son Matt's Masters Degree in computer engineering. He is now off to Virginia to work for Lockheed Martin. I guess I won't see him again until I can get a chance to go up there for a visit.

I had two hours to think on my way home from the weekend and came to some conclusions about my life...

• Typically the people you should be able to trust the most are the ones that are the most likely to betray that trust
• The only person that you can really trust in this life is yourself... because when the chips are down, you are the one that has to pull things back together... no one else is going to help you
• Too many people in this world think of themselves first and you can't change that
• People who have made a habit of lying will continue to do so
• Any faults or imperfections that you have will be routinely pointed out to you
• Families can be close or they can be scattered, but neither has any relevance to how they treat each other
  
• People who say they love each other do mistreat each other

Sounds pretty dreary, I know, but that is the way it is. Mostly, at the end of this weekend, I am more determined than ever to never again be a cross between a doormat and a punching bag. I am not going to be overly concerned about saying what I really think. I will stand up for myself, and I don't give a

who doesn't like it. I have had too many years of being humiliated by my husband and other family members, and betrayed by friends. I have just been too stupid and naive for my own good.

I have decided that men will not corner the market on going through second childhoods. I think that it is about time for me to let loose a bit. My kids are raised and grown, I am unattached and I intend to do some things that I have not had the chance to do before. Now admit it... it sounds like a great plan, doesn't it!?!?

Sometime soon I will be in my own place and on my own. I think it will be a relief. I know it will be a relief. I can get on an airplane and go someplace without having to get permission or listen to how it costs too much money. I can eat what I want, when I want, and where I want. If I want to splurge on something, it will be my choice and my money. I will probably do some really stupid but fun things. I think that I need to do some of this to finally grow up. Yup, it's time.

Coming Soon... It's Time!

Have A Great Weekend!

Have Fun, Celebrate, and Be Safe...
Have a great Memorial Day Weekend!

Wise Advice As Hurricane Season Approaches Once Again...

Old Arab Proverb...

Trust
In God
But tie your camel.

Yup, it looks like another busy season. It is doubtful that this season will be as crazy as the last one, but definitely above average for activity. We are already watching the tropics. Personally, I have already decided that when I retire, I will want to move to another state. The main question, however, is what mode of disaster do I prefer? I can eliminate the earthquake states easily... and probably the states that have ice storms. Floods? Well, they can happen in most states... so I won't move near a river, lake or any other large body of water. Tornados... well I will probably want to avoid tornado alley, but tornados can happen in many states. Fires are a possibility anywhere.

Hmmm... maybe I just need to invest in a bomb shelter in high ground within an earthquake free zone and equip it with generators and a years supply of provisions. Or I could stay in Florida in a less vulnerable area... since there is no area in Florida immune to hurricane damage... and prepare for the inevitable. Hmmm. Okay. I guess that settles it. I'll tie up my camel wherever I am.

Still The Second Mouse?

I have been thinking lately about the many changes that I have been through this past year as well as pondering how my life will be changing over the next year. It is all a bit surprising and unreal to me right now. With this in mind, I have decided to bring back one of my very first (2/05) posts...

The Second Mouse Gets The Cheese

For most of my life I have been a person that is hesitant to stick my neck out and be first at almost anything. I am usually very cautious. I have always viewed this as a flaw in my personality. Recently, however, I have come to view this "flaw" as a bit of a blessing.

I remember that growing up I watched what my older sister did to get in trouble, and I made sure that I never made the same mistake. She did not date that much in high school (actually, I didn't either), but it always seemed that when she did there was a problem. I watched her get in trouble and grounded for coming in late from a date. I watched her get in really BIG trouble for getting caught necking with her date in his car in front of our house. So, I made sure that I never came home late from a date or participated in necking with my dates in front of our house. I probably did far more forbidden things than she ever did at that age. I just made sure that I didn't make that same mistakes. I was always home on time. Anything that I didn't want my parents to know about I made sure they couldn't find out. I didn't get caught. I'm sure that they had some suspicions about what I was doing... after all they had to go through the teenage years as well... but there was never a confrontation about my behavior. My older sister got the trap. I watched her get caught and then I got the cheese.

Think about it. If I can learn from others mistakes, doesn't that make my life easier? It is a lot easier to build something if you have watched someone else do it first. Maybe they mess up and it falls apart. Then I stand a better chance of getting it right if I can figure out where they went wrong. There is still plenty of room for serendipitous discoveries.

It is always fun to taste a different type of cheese, but it is nice to know that someone else has tried it and liked it first. Then, I can make sure that it does not have too much of a bite. Growing up, I was the second of two girls in my family. My older sister always got to try the cheese before me. That was probably a good thing for me. My life has always been calmer. It shows how placement in the family has an impact on personality development. It shows why being the second mouse suits me. It is familiar. It is comfortable.

Now, once in awhile, more and more often as I get older, I do stick my neck out... verrryyy carefully... and taste some new cheeses on my own. I think that is because I now have a better idea of what mouse traps look like and how to avoid them. I trust my own judgment and have faith that God has better things in mind for me than my neck in a nasty mouse trap. So, sometimes, I buy the wrong stupid grout cleaner. It is not the end of the world. My grout still got clean!

Sometimes I am the first mouse and I still get the cheese! :o)

So I am wondering... am I still the second mouse or have I ventured totally into first mouse territory?