Moving in with Sam was the easy part. Learning to share space has been a challenge for both of us. Sam believes the dining table is his desk. I believe it is to be used for what it is -- a dining table. Before I moved in, the table was always covered with mail, bills, magazines, feeder batteries, phone books, etc. I would always stack the mess into one pile so we could utilize the table for dining purposes. We compromise now --- he still uses the table to pay bills and work on paperwork but is better at remembering to clear the table when he is through. Otherwise, he knows I will put it all in a neat little pile and remove it from the table. I can picture him right now peering over his reading glasses at me and asking, "Where did you put [insert choice of lost item]? It was right here just two minutes ago." I shrug my shoulders and point to the "pile".
Our ongoing battle of wills concerns the floors. I detest dirty floors. I vaccum or sweep every day. Rain days create mud days. Mud days demand all the patience I have. Sam plays dumb as his boots leave a trail of mud clods from one end of the house to the other. He has one pair of lace-up boots that he wears on cold days. These boots were made for grabbing and holding mud until worn inside on a clean floor. Upon contact, the clean floor activates the boots to release the mud clods. AARRRGGG!! This always happens right after I have mopped the floors. Sam suggests that I don't clean the floors on mud days. "Robin, people live here. Do want this to be a shrine?" Well, yeah, that would be nice. My argument is that I don't like to walk barefoot or even in socks across a dirty floor. "Daisy Mae, wear shoes and you won't notice the dirt and crumbs." Yes, let's don't forget the crumbs that look like ant trails in and around the kitchen and dining area.
We have a 80% chance of rain tonight; 90% chance of rain tomorrow and 70% chance tomorrow night. I feel a mud day coming on......it is a waste of breath to bitch about the mud that will be tracked on my clean floors. But bitch I will. And Sam will act indifferent and say, "Don't worry about it. The maid will clean it up." He might end up being swatted with the broom.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Time? What are you talking about?
Domestic felines are wonderful companions. Independent little creatures but good companions nonetheless. I have a genuine affection for my cats. Until they wake me up at 2am, 3am, 4am and 5am. Granted they are nocturnal creatures but, really, respect the human body's need for at least six hours of uninterrupted slumber.
They are waiting impatiently for me as I walk through the door between 4:30 and 5pm to feed them their wet food. The rattling of saucers drives them insane. Gray Cat is trying to climb up my leg to get to the food. Simba swirls in and around my ankles. Daisy prepares to launch onto the counter because I'm too slow in dividing the food onto the saucers. I somehow manage to get the saucers to the floor without anybody getting seriously injured. Food is devoured in less than 3 minutes. And all three cats KNOW they have to go outside to tend to business. No ifs, ands or buts.
Then its back inside to their self-designated locations. Simba is in a windowsill. Gray Cat sprawls out in front of the fireplace. Daisy curls up on one of three pieces of furniture. Bedtime rolls around and I toss them outside one more time hoping against hope to tend to business. My plan is that once I let them back inside they will leave me in peace until at least 5am.
2am: Simba jumps on the nightstand and paws at the miniblind. This is my cue that he wants outside. Other cats are still asleep.
2:45am: Simba is scratching at the outside window screen (which is very annoying and it pisses Sam off). This is my cue to that Simba wants back inside.
3:20am: Daisy starts yowling at the bedroom door (which does NOT lead outside). This is my cue to let her outside. She always wants to be carried to the door. She is a duchess in her own mind. Other cats are asleep.
4:10am: Daisy is crying at the porch door (which is annoying as hell). This is my cue to let her return to the warmth of the house.
4:50am: Gray Cat thunders through the house (all 15.5 pounds of him) into the bedroom. He is the most vocal of all three cats. YOWL, YOWL, MEOW, YOWL! This is his very insistent way of way of saying, "Hurry! Hurry! I have to go outside NOW!"
5:30am: Gray Cat is performing his version of "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" (which is always off-key). This is my cue that he is now ready for breakfast and wants inside NOW.
Its like having a newborn with colic. No wonder I am absolutely exhausted by 8am. Time means absolutely nothing to cats. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. A little compassion from them would be greatly appreciated during my REM cycle. Oh, wait, I don't have those anymore because the damn cats are waking me up! Gotta love the furballs.......and yes, there is a litter box INSIDE the house.....
They are waiting impatiently for me as I walk through the door between 4:30 and 5pm to feed them their wet food. The rattling of saucers drives them insane. Gray Cat is trying to climb up my leg to get to the food. Simba swirls in and around my ankles. Daisy prepares to launch onto the counter because I'm too slow in dividing the food onto the saucers. I somehow manage to get the saucers to the floor without anybody getting seriously injured. Food is devoured in less than 3 minutes. And all three cats KNOW they have to go outside to tend to business. No ifs, ands or buts.
Then its back inside to their self-designated locations. Simba is in a windowsill. Gray Cat sprawls out in front of the fireplace. Daisy curls up on one of three pieces of furniture. Bedtime rolls around and I toss them outside one more time hoping against hope to tend to business. My plan is that once I let them back inside they will leave me in peace until at least 5am.
2am: Simba jumps on the nightstand and paws at the miniblind. This is my cue that he wants outside. Other cats are still asleep.
2:45am: Simba is scratching at the outside window screen (which is very annoying and it pisses Sam off). This is my cue to that Simba wants back inside.
3:20am: Daisy starts yowling at the bedroom door (which does NOT lead outside). This is my cue to let her outside. She always wants to be carried to the door. She is a duchess in her own mind. Other cats are asleep.
4:10am: Daisy is crying at the porch door (which is annoying as hell). This is my cue to let her return to the warmth of the house.
4:50am: Gray Cat thunders through the house (all 15.5 pounds of him) into the bedroom. He is the most vocal of all three cats. YOWL, YOWL, MEOW, YOWL! This is his very insistent way of way of saying, "Hurry! Hurry! I have to go outside NOW!"
5:30am: Gray Cat is performing his version of "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" (which is always off-key). This is my cue that he is now ready for breakfast and wants inside NOW.
Its like having a newborn with colic. No wonder I am absolutely exhausted by 8am. Time means absolutely nothing to cats. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. A little compassion from them would be greatly appreciated during my REM cycle. Oh, wait, I don't have those anymore because the damn cats are waking me up! Gotta love the furballs.......and yes, there is a litter box INSIDE the house.....
Monday, January 11, 2010
Spring Semester
Today, Kris started the spring semester of her sophomore year of college. She called me at 8:45am so I could "walk" her to class. We go through this process at the beginning of each semester just like we have since the first day of kindergarten. She began three new classes this morning and yes, I walked her to each class.
I can remember thinking my baby was growing up too fast when she decided in the 2nd month of kindergarten that she didn't need me to walk her to the door anymore. It made my heart ache thinking she wouldn't need the security and comfort of me holding her hand as we walked from the car to the classroom. But as the first day of school rolled around each year she still needed that extra boost of encouragment from me.
Kris is taking 14 hours this semester and has only morning classes. The idea of morning classes is to free her time for an afternoon job....which is still only an idea. She earned a 3.87 GPA for the fall semester and is still shooting for that 4.0 GPA. (Little Miss Over-Achiever is making the rest of us look bad. haha!)
She will have two new classes tomorrow and I will await her phone call so I can "walk" her to each class. Kris may be out on her own but she is still my little girl needing that gentle nudge from her mother telling her, "I love you. It is all going to be okay. You'll do great! This is just another step along the road of life. Just think of the wealth of knowledge you will have at the end of the year." And she gives me that little wave and turns to begin a new chapter of her life.
I can remember thinking my baby was growing up too fast when she decided in the 2nd month of kindergarten that she didn't need me to walk her to the door anymore. It made my heart ache thinking she wouldn't need the security and comfort of me holding her hand as we walked from the car to the classroom. But as the first day of school rolled around each year she still needed that extra boost of encouragment from me.
Kris is taking 14 hours this semester and has only morning classes. The idea of morning classes is to free her time for an afternoon job....which is still only an idea. She earned a 3.87 GPA for the fall semester and is still shooting for that 4.0 GPA. (Little Miss Over-Achiever is making the rest of us look bad. haha!)
She will have two new classes tomorrow and I will await her phone call so I can "walk" her to each class. Kris may be out on her own but she is still my little girl needing that gentle nudge from her mother telling her, "I love you. It is all going to be okay. You'll do great! This is just another step along the road of life. Just think of the wealth of knowledge you will have at the end of the year." And she gives me that little wave and turns to begin a new chapter of her life.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Resolutions
Welcome, 2010! I think. Losing weight is not on my list this year. 95% of the American people will have "LOSE WEIGHT" in the top five of their resolution lists. I figure if I lose weight, I lose weight and if I don't, well, I won't be disappointed in letting myself down.
One thing I need to work on is to be a better listener. I tend to jump to conclusions before people finish their sentence(s). I am going to allow myself to be a little selfish as well. I need to create a corner for myself where I can sit and ponder or read. There are days when I need to escape for just a few minutes and take care of myself. As a nurturer and giver, this is going to be a tough resolution.
I need to work on being more considerate of others and their feelings. If I ask, "How are you today?" then I need to be willing to give that person a few minutes to tell me how they are actually doing. And I also need to stop whining and complaining so damn much. I won't even open that can of worms today. Let's just say I need to stop and enjoy life instead of letting it slip away because of my chore list.
Hopefully by working on a few small things in my life, it will help make me a better person. The world is a big and scary place but I am going to make the most out of the time I have left in it.
HAPPY NEW YEAR! And good luck with those resolutions......
One thing I need to work on is to be a better listener. I tend to jump to conclusions before people finish their sentence(s). I am going to allow myself to be a little selfish as well. I need to create a corner for myself where I can sit and ponder or read. There are days when I need to escape for just a few minutes and take care of myself. As a nurturer and giver, this is going to be a tough resolution.
I need to work on being more considerate of others and their feelings. If I ask, "How are you today?" then I need to be willing to give that person a few minutes to tell me how they are actually doing. And I also need to stop whining and complaining so damn much. I won't even open that can of worms today. Let's just say I need to stop and enjoy life instead of letting it slip away because of my chore list.
Hopefully by working on a few small things in my life, it will help make me a better person. The world is a big and scary place but I am going to make the most out of the time I have left in it.
HAPPY NEW YEAR! And good luck with those resolutions......
Saturday, January 2, 2010
The gods are not smiling.....
.....on Mike. For Christmas, Shannon gave a ticket to Mike to attend the TTU game to be played in the Alamodome today. She even threw in a TTU shirt and face paint. Shannon and Mike have both been looking forward to attending the game since they found out the game was scheduled to be played in the Alamodome.
Mike woke up this morning at 3am with a stomach virus. Needless to say, Mike is feeling, well, a little like caca today. Sam pulled the plug on Mike going to SA today to attend the game. We are all feeling sorry for Mike...not only because he feels like he got hit by a train but also because he won't make it to the game today.
On a lighter note, we survived Christmas and all the holiday cheer. Joy, joy, happy, happy and all that good stuff. Kris is still home from college and has taken full advantage of doing nothing. Its been nice to have her underfoot. Sam scheduled a prescribed burn on New Year's Eve and it worked according to plan. He actually let me be a "torch girl" and I got to help get the party started. Sam's plan was to burn about 220 acres and although it was still damp under the trees, he says we did a lot of good for the pasture that houses the whitetail deer.
We ate our black-eyed peas and scrounged up enough cabbage in our salad to call it good on New Year's Day. Bet Mike was wishing he had eaten some black-eyes peas last night....or maybe not considering how he feels today......
Mike woke up this morning at 3am with a stomach virus. Needless to say, Mike is feeling, well, a little like caca today. Sam pulled the plug on Mike going to SA today to attend the game. We are all feeling sorry for Mike...not only because he feels like he got hit by a train but also because he won't make it to the game today.
On a lighter note, we survived Christmas and all the holiday cheer. Joy, joy, happy, happy and all that good stuff. Kris is still home from college and has taken full advantage of doing nothing. Its been nice to have her underfoot. Sam scheduled a prescribed burn on New Year's Eve and it worked according to plan. He actually let me be a "torch girl" and I got to help get the party started. Sam's plan was to burn about 220 acres and although it was still damp under the trees, he says we did a lot of good for the pasture that houses the whitetail deer.
We ate our black-eyed peas and scrounged up enough cabbage in our salad to call it good on New Year's Day. Bet Mike was wishing he had eaten some black-eyes peas last night....or maybe not considering how he feels today......
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