Ha!! Ha!!

"HELP ME - I AM A DISABLED CLONE WAR VET

NEED $$$ TO BUILD DEATH STAR"

$332.85 later

Harley came home today. She has to wear a cone to keep her from scratching and messing with her ear. You can see the back of her stitches in the close up picture. I had to use the visa to pay the $332.85. On the way home, as Harley scraped her cone on the top of the carrier, I realized that I might need to buy a second cat box for her because she might not be able to get her cone through the covered box doorway and we can't let her outside like usual. On my way to Walmart I looked over at Harley and saw her pop the cone off and start scratching her ear. I banged on the cage in hopes of distracting her, which worked for only a few seconds before she started scratching again. I banged on it again and she stopped for a few seconds, over and over again until I pulled into the Walmart parking lot. Jim met me there and while he figured out the collar and cone I ran into to get the cat box. Apparently the vet people had attached Harley's cone to her collar, which is seems convenient but a pain, because her collar is made so she can slip out of it if needed and of course she is going to feel that she needs to slip out of it since there is a cone attached to it!

Once we got home we let Harley out of the carrier and she went straight to the food. I tried to hold in my laughter but it was just as funny as it was sad, to watch her try to eat with the cone on her head. The cone would go flat on the floor, making a scraping noise on the floor as she scooted across the floor trying to pick up a piece of food. She had similar problems trying to eat out of the bowl. She just pushed the bowl across the floor as she and her cone tried to get a bite. She tried to go out the cat door to get outside but Jim had locked it and her cone wouldn't fit through so she just sat there bumping her cone-head on the clear car door trying to get out. So sad, yet quite funny!

She has to wear the cone for 2 weeks, then she will get her stitches out. It's going to be an interesting 2 weeks. Josiah went up to smell her and backed away, probably smelling blood and medicine. Of course Harley will be spoiled as much as you can spoil a cat with a cone. Right now she has been allowed to curl up and sleep on the clean blankets and towels on the chair. Sweet Harley, I'm so glad she's home.

Harley Rose

Harley went to visit the vet today because her right ear has swollen and has a large bubble on the inside. Her ear is infected, thanks to ear mites. I could just kick myself because I bought ear mite medicine to give her, Zeke and Shandee in October. I didn't do it right away and Zeke died, Shandee left and we now have Josiah, Minnie Pearl and Grizabella. So now Harley is having surgery to drain her ear today. She will have stitches that will need to be removed in a couple of weeks. I will make sure they are removed, unlike I did with our cat Jacob. There was a miscommunication and I thought the vet said his stitches would dissolve, so I never took him back in. Several months later I noticed his ear was still flopped down. When I looked closer I could see that the big blue stitches had not dissolved at all. Since Jacob had moved next door, where he liked to sleep on the neighbors horse I didn't see him everyday, but I still felt bad.
So anyway, Harley is at the vet right now, she may or may not get to come home tonight. One thing for sure the other are getting ear mite medicine tonight.
P.S. Harley weighed in at 10 pounds today!!

It's Winter Drum Season!!!!!

Last night was the first percussion show of the season. We were there for 6 hours! I can handle watching for 6 hours but my bum and back were not too happy sitting in the bleachers for that long. Being the first show/competition most of the drumlines only had 1/3 of their show done. It was somewhat humorous to watch them pull in the floor and set up for only a minute and a half show and then have to haul all their stuff off again. Alta and BHS out did themselves on the props, when the other drumlines barely got their floors in. All good shows though. I look forward to seeing more and more each time. Here's a few pics.

This was Jade's first drum show. She was a bit nervous. We were a bit nervous for her. They did great. Alta took 1st place with a score of 58.2, Kastner took 2nd with 57.0, Clark took 3rd with 54.8 and Reyburn took 4th with 50.3Alta's theme is Midnight in Transylvania, hence the vampire capes. They didn't wear their vampire teeth last night though.

My brother is now teaching at Clovis East (instead of Clovis West). The Clovis high schools are all in different classes due to their size I think(?) Clovis High is in "A" class with schools like Madera, Sanger, Tulare, Hanford, Exeter, Bullard, Hoover, Monache etc...

Clovis East is in "Open" class and competed against Lemoore last night. Clovis East won.

Buchanan and Clovis West are in the "World" class and competed against El Diamante. Clovis West took 1st with 72.2, Buchanan took 2nd with 67.4 and El Diamante took 3rd with 64.6.

They also have an Independent "Open" class so that Fresno's Propel and Bakersfield's V.I.P. can compete. Propel and VIP are for those who have graduated high school and for those whose high school doesn't have a drumline. My brother teaches with Propel as well.

Anyway, here's 2 pics of Clovis East.

Buchanan pulled out all the props! Unfortunately three of the big colorful panels in the background fell off during their performance. I thought their show was very good, especially being the first show. It reminds me of some of the drum corps we've seen over the years at DCI. I love how they put the drummers up on the props and turned them around etc.... very cool! Just need to perfect it now.Leesha plays the marimba. Jade is following in her footsteps at Alta.

Next time I think we'll have to find someone to watch our kids. One on one my kids have all sat through these shows but when they are all together it seems to make them restless.

In our family I do not ask my kids IF they want to be in band (or orchestra or choir) instead I ask them WHAT instrument they want to play. Zack is looking forward to next year when he can play be in band. He's wanted to play drums since he was really little but lately he's been interested in the trumpet. Naissa wants to play the piano, which means she will probably follow in Leesha and Jade's footsteps. Isaac the other day said he wasn't going to play the drums, he was going to play the TUBA!! We shall see, right now I think he would fit IN a Tuba! lol!

Has Anyone Seen My Son??

I sent my son to school this morning with a cute shaggy mop on his head. I received a call from him sometime after lunch. Apparently his hair grew at recess or something and at 1pm it was no longer acceptable and he was told he had to cut his hair today. Here we go again. I won't go on and on this time. My son a few days ago had decided on his own that he wanted to get a new haircut. I was unable to get him in due to time and money. We took him tonight despite time and money, because he kept asking us nicely. Now the stupid school people are going to think he got his hair cut this way for them and that just irritates me. BUT I'm going to let it go. (I think)
Well, I'm going to let it go after I say that my son looks like a different kid. I don't like his hair this short. He is now just like every other kid and I hate that. BUT I love him madly and if he's okay with it, then I will get used to it and be okay too. (or maybe I'm just trying to convince myself)
Anyway, here's a picture....
Jade is in winter percussion and their theme is Midnight in Transylvania. She had to get a tux shirt, bow tie and vampire teeth. They are also getting velvet pants and capes. We got the other kids some teeth too! This is my last picture of Zack with hair. At least Isaac has till August 2009 to grow his! ;)

HE PASSED!!!

Jim took his tests for his Contractor's License this morning and he PASSED!! Now he can contract stuff. lol! And for more money! lol! I'm just cracking myself up.
He just has to make the final decision on his fictitious name and pay money for this and that.
So we are going through name after name trying to come up with something that will stand the test of time. (That he won't be embarrassed about in 10 years)

Grizabella

I have saved my current ramblings for later and decided just to introduce our newest member of the Loper tribe. This is Sally. We took her in yesterday when our neighbors (Eddie & Shaleena) moved. We are not going to be able to call her Sally because Sally was a nose picking, booger eating girl from my mom's childhood! So, we have been affectionately referring to her as Grizabella, the Glamour cat from CATS. Though this Grizabella is not an old gray cat, she is still gray and beautiful, so the name has fit thus far. But as the poem "The Naming of Cats" says, a cat must have three different names. So we shall see.

The Naming of Cats by T.S. Eliot

The naming of cats is a difficult matter,

It isn't just one of your holiday games;

You may think at first I'm mad as a hatter

When I tell you a cat must have three different names.

First of all, there's the name that the family use daily,

Such as Victor, or Jonathan, George or Bill Bailey--

All of them sensible everyday names.

There are fancier names if you think they sound sweeter,

Some for the gentlemen, some for the dames;

Such as Plato, Admetus, Electra, Demeter--

But all of them sensible everyday names.

But I tell you, a cat needs a name that's particular,

A name that is peculiar, and more dignified,

Else how can he keep up his tail perpendicular,

Or spread out his whiskers, or cherish his pride?

Of names of this kind, I can give you a quorum,

Such as Munkustrap, Quazo or Coripat,

Such as Bombalurina, or else Jellyrum--

Names that never belong to more than one cat.

But above and beyond there's still one name left over,

And that is the name that you will never guess;

The name that no human research can discover--

But The Cat Himself Knows, and will never confess.

When you notice a cat in profound meditation,

The reason, I tell you, is always the same:

His mind is engaged in rapt contemplation

Of the thought, of the thought, of the thought of his name:

His ineffable effable

Effanineffable

Deep and inscrutable singular Name.

Find the Cat (game 2)

I know we played this game before but this time it's a different cat, same room though! All you have to do is find the cat....just like where's waldo. Ready?

stomach bugs

Why is it that the stomach bugs always seem to hit in the middle of the night? About 3 o'clock this morning I was awaken by the sounds of someone throwing up. It was Zack. He had eaten a bunch of hot Cheetos yesterday so the carpet in his doorway is now PINK! Because I gag easy Jim is the puke guy, so he helped Zack into the bathroom and cleaned everything up. Just when he was done with that....Jade threw up! He helped her and got Jade and Zack both settled in the front room. He then went into the bathroom and threw up!!! It's hard to sit around while someone is throwing up but at the same time you can't always do something to help them. With kids you can clean them up and help soothe them but that just feels weird to do with a 37 year old man. I also, as I said, gag easy not with sights but with smells. Jim walked by with the trash can someone had thrown up in and I gagged. Not exactly "Mom of the Year" material. Oh well. That's why God gives us spouses, to balance us out and to make up for where we are lacking! Jim and I compliment each other in most areas. There are a couple of areas where we are too much alike and that can get us into trouble at times. But mostly we compliment each other.

Naissa and "Gotta go my own way" aka "The Sad Part"

Even though Naissa has seen High School Musical 2 several times and heard the music even more, she still has yet to make it through this song without crying. It's so sweet it makes me cry too. In fact, she usually asks if we can skip this song on the CD.

And YES, that IS Jade and Jim in the background acting like butts.

Naissa and Isaac "Bet on it"

What Your Name Means

What Kristi Means

What Kristi Means

You are a seeker of knowledge, and you have learned many things in your life.You are also a keeper of knowledge - meaning you don't spill secrets or spread gossip.People sometimes think you're snobby or aloof, but you're just too deep in thought to pay attention to them. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something.You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense.You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing.You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long.You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start. You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong.You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know.You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do. You are a seeker. You often find yourself restless - and you have a lot of questions about life.You tend to travel often, to fairly random locations. You're most comfortable when you're far away from home.You are quite passionate and easily tempted. Your impulses sometimes get you into trouble.

What's" Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

What's that smell?

Today was one of those gloomy days. The kind of day that makes you wish it was a holiday so you wouldn't have to get out of bed. I could see it was rather foggy just by looking out the window, but what I couldn't tell was how stinkin' cold it was outside! I decided to take the kids to school in the wagon, just to save on time. Only it didn't save me time because I had to spend extra time trying to dry it off, thanks to the lovely fog mist in the air. I threw in some blankets and then the kids and then some more blankets and backpacks, grabbed my jacket and gloves and we were off! The kids snuggled up in the blankets as the wind snapped at their little faces, causing their noses to turn red. Little strands of my hair kept blowing in my face and tickling my nose and I would brush them away with my gloved fingers. After a couple times of this I realized that I kept smelling something funny, but I wasn't sure what it was or where it was coming from, so I kept going. Naissa got to her class and Isaac and I turned around and walked and talked with a friend. Again, my hair blew in my face and I brushed it away. My friend and I stopped near the parking lot and kept talking. Once again I brushed my hair out of my face and rubbed my nose and that's when it hit me......the smell.......I knew that smell very well.....how could I not of known what that was before......to make sure, I rubbed my nose again. YES! It was my glove.....the funny smell was on my glove! The funny smell was faint, but very much there. When it clicked in my head that my glove was the object causing the displeasing smell and that the smell was of all things......CAT PEE.....I ripped that glove off and threw it in the wagon. But then my mind began to go....which cat pee'd on my glove? Is there MORE pee somewhere else? What if the cat who pee'd on my glove pee'd on something I can't wash and ruined it? (not like it would be the first time but still...) Who is the guilty cat....that's what I wanted to know. Not that I would throw them outside in the freezing cold weather....I don't think? Was this personal? Is one cat jealous of the attention I give to another and so they pee'd on my glove to let me know I was being unfair? (I know, I've given this way too much thought) Meanwhile we stood out there by the parking lot talking for about an hour....my hands cold and numb....my glove pee'd on......good conversation though.
And while I'm going on and on about my feline friends, let me mention that Minnie Pearl went into heat this morning. I guess that answers my question about whether she's been spayed or not! Dang!

Making Wind???

By the way, there is a switch on the side of my camera that says, NightShot, Naissa had flipped it on and that is why the color was drained from the pictures!

Uncle Fred brought over this "wind maker" gadget, it's something out of ACME I'm sure. The kids had a lot of fun with it! You just pull it out like you would a slingshot and when you let go, instead of hitting someone with a stone....it hits them with a whole lot of wind! I'm thinking that you could spray a bunch of hairspray in the air in front of a person and then "throw" some air on the person and their hair would fly up and stay up??? We might have to try it out....on Zack! Ha!

My Camera

I got this new camera for Christmas. I don't like it much because it doesn't put the date on the pictures and I like to have the date on them....so I can look back and figure out when things happened and such. I do, however like the camera for other reasons. It has a larger screen than my old camera and it takes clearer pictures. It seems faster.

Anyway, we had some unexpected company and I stashed the camera away, "Somewhere Safe" so as not to be a temptation to all the kids. BUT then I forgot about it. AND then I couldn't remember where I "stashed" it. I looked for several days before I found it. Battery dead. Hmmm......I thought that was odd. So I put the battery in the charger and put the camera on my dresser and then probably went to clean something. When I came back to get my camera.....it was gone!!! I hollered! Where is my camera? Who touched my camera? Somebody better start talking!! After way too long I heard a little voice say, "I think I might know where it is." YOU THINK??? WHERE IS MY CAMERA??? I followed this child into my room waiting to find my camera damaged and disassembled and looking like C3P0 in The Return of the Jedi when Jabba's nasty little friend plucked out his optical sensors. The child took me to the side of my bed and pointed inside a box that was full of files. Filed away in one of the files, was my camera....lens cap off, flash up and covered in little dirty fingerprints. I grabbed it up, put the lens cap on, closed the flash and tried to wipe off the prints. We were on our way out the door so I just brought the camera with me assuming everything else was fine.

When we arrived at our destination I got my camera out to take a few pictures, but something wasn't right. The color was gone. The screen wasn't black and white...it was more.....gray and green. Again, I hollered, "Who messed with my camera?" The same child who led me to the camera, declared that it was her (oooh big surprise) anyway, this is a picture of that declaration.

Later when I was scrolling back at the pictures I had taken, I realized that I was holding the evidence of the one who had taken and messed with my camera. For there were a dozen pictures giving her away! Especially like the last one here.....

Make your own snowflakes

This is a cool place to make snowflakes, you should try:
http://www.popularfront.com/snowdays/

Cat butt and Reunions

Minnie Pearl isn't feeling so shy at this moment. Everybody is still up and she has come out from under the bed. Apparently she has an overwhelming urge to put her bum in my face. She keeps climbing up my chest and turning around! I keep pushing her away but that seems to only make her more determined! She nudges my face with her nose, rubs her cheek on mine, gets her fur in my mouth, turns around and plops down an inch from my face and starts to purr! Crazy cat!Josiah is calmly sleeping on my lower legs. Isaac too, is sleeping at my feet. (I guess not EVERYBODY is still up) Naissa begged to watch "White Christmas", Zack is playing 4th grade math games on the computer and Jade is spending the night at her friends house. Jim is listening to his Contractor's tapes. Poor guy, I'm surprised he's still awake. We've all gotten off on our sleep. Monday morning is going to be a difficult one.

Today I had lunch with my friend Angela, I can her Ang~ (like Tang w/o the T). We were best friends in high school. She is one of the few that I have kept up with over these.....almost 20 years! It was fun catching up. What are the kids up to? You're working where? You know who I saw the other day? Remember so-n-so? Much Laughter!! I've missed my friend. Life has been too crazy!

Maybe it's because it will be 20 years since graduation I don't know, but I'm being visited by my past. Recently I have run into more people, thought of more people and heard from more people. People I've not seen in almost 20 years. Some I recognize but I just can't remember their names. Others a name will pop up but I can't remember if they were from my class. Anyway, it's nice to know that many are doing well. Sad to hear that some are not. Interesting to know what they are up to now. My curiosity grows....but probably not enough to attend the reunion.
Besides I may be smothered to death by Minnie Pearl before then.

What day is it???

As I was gathering up my stuff from various places around the house, many items from Christmas I hadn't unpacked yet, I noticed something.......a trend in gifts........from family and friends.........and I began to wonder.........are they trying to tell me something? Do I ask what day it is too often? Have I missed their birthdays one too many times? Why else would everyone give me CALENDARS for Christmas? Jim brought home a couple of those desk type calendars from Facsco to add to the other EIGHT!! Did they know that one of my main resolutions this year is to get organized...to get my life back?? Or was there a big 75% off sale on all 2008 calendars I missed?
(a genuine thank you to those who gave me a calendar this year) :)

Berkeley Cousins

I've now got pictures to go with our trip to Berkeley.

Back Row: Bill, Vicki, Stacey, Dechen, Antoine, Ron, Leesha, Jade, Zack

Front Row: Naissa, Isaac, Kristi, Jeanne, Pete (Sharon is taking the picture)

Antoine, his sister Dechen and Naissa.

Pete and Jeanne celebrated their 67th anniversary in November. Crazy!!

It's funny how you can be related to someone and not really know them. You only see them once or twice a year and even then, you don't really talk about anything below the surface, never really go deeper than how old are the kids now? Where are you working? How's school? I heard you did such-n-such? How's so-n-so? Ya know? It's a shame. I have some really good people in my family tree. We may not share the same beliefs, in fact quite the opposite is true, but I have never met better people....and I'm not saying that because I'm related to them. I'm talking about my cousins in Berkeley. Right away you can see some differences, I'm from Clovis....much more conservative. They are Buddhists, I am a Christian. I don't know all of their political views but I bet we are on polar ends on a few things. They are used to the busy streets of San Fran, I prefer the quiet, deserted back roads in the country. BUT they have a gazillion people for holiday dinners, I've been told they are not always even people they know (and not limited to holidays). They feed the hungry and give drinks to the thirsty....just like Jesus tells us to in the Bible. They care about people. They love the person, look past any differences, don't judge because of skin color or sexually preference or age or financial status. They love the people. I know they aren't perfect, I'm not trying to make them out to be. I just find it funny that my Buddhist cousins are better "Christians" than many Christians I know. (If you argue that Buddhists aren't/can't be Christians because they don't follow Jesus Christ, I know that and you are missing my point)