House of Zathras

With or without salt?

Having to clean TWO refrigerators!!

We’ve had two refrigerators ever since we moved into this house. With four growing kids we needed it (and couldn’t afford to buy a new humongous one). The second one wound up being used for extra freezer space and drinks. All the sodas, extra milk, beer, and water bottles went into the second one. It sat in the dining room…making it very convenient to just reach over and open the door and get a drink during dinner.

But my sister called the other day and was bemoaning her current refrigerator…they’ve told the landlord three times it’s going out, and nothing has happened. Since her husband has recently lost his job (she homeschools her kids), they don’t want to push it too much in case they need a break down the road. Their refrigerator cools…but that’s it. It won’t freeze. And it’s missing most of the rails for the door shelves, too.

So…I’m giving her my second refrigerator. We only have two kids at home now. It’s selfish for me to keep it when my sister and her family are in real need.

So today, my job is to clean out BOTH refrigerators. BTW, did you know that cream cheese is green? Just thought I’d pass that on.

And when the fridge is gone, I can move a credenza into its old spot. And I can set up my sewing machine there and LEAVE IT THERE! Normally, I use the dining room table, which means constantly moving my machine. Now I won’t have to! I can start sewing something and leave it for days if I want. And not have to worry about kids spilling food on whatever project I have going on.

So yes I lose the extra refrigerator space…but I gain a space to do something *I* like. Kind of an ‘instant Karma’ for helping my sister.

But it’s her responsibility to find a way to get it to her home. She’s desperate enough to tell her husband if he can’t borrow a truck, he’s going to have to do this:

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…but you can see it from here.

Joan of Argghh! has a fearsome take on Obama, North Korea, Iran, Honduras, on the state of our society in general:

…We have suffered a Chinese Water Torture– a slow drip of insistence. And then a soothing sense of entitlement. And then more insistence by Others who simply must prove they are right.

…Dangerous powers are moving. Powerful weapons are in immature, unstable hands, and life is cheap.

Go read the whole thing. Well worth it.

…is renewing your pistol permit. While wearing your Vacation Bible School t-shirt.

“…so we were out in the pasture shooting off the fireworks. And let me tell you, it’s a scary thing to hear panicked cows stampeding in the darkness and not knowing if they’re coming at you…”

Okay, fair warning. Menfolks, this is one of ‘those posts’. Whence I talk about female stuff. Monthly female stuff. You’ve been warned once again…and yet you guys still keep stopping by. What kind of pervs are you, LOL??

Anyway…it’s been a little over two weeks since my surgery. It’s about the time I would normally get my period…and I haven’t really yet. Just some light spotting that’s been happening on and off since the surgery. Barely noticeable. But so far, so good. If this is the most I’ll get…that would be great! But this post-surgery spotting is normal for a few weeks, and it should stop soon. I’ll see the doctor on Friday for a post-surgery check-up. And hopefully get the all-clear for, ahem, more strenuous exercises.

Some of you may ask…’why the hell does she write about this private stuff?’ Because, if nothing else, it gives me a record of what has happened. There have been many times when I need some details about a past event, and often I can go back in the HoZ archives and find what I need. I often ‘forget’ some of what I’ve written…I love the ‘oh, yeah’ feeling when I re-read some particularly interesting post. I’m just sorry for any readers when it includes some TMI moments, too.

And sometimes, too, it can help others. I wish I could have found more post- endometrial ablation information on the net. There’s plenty about the procedure itself, but not a lot about post-op. I finally found one site that provides a forum for various stages post-procedure.

Anyway…I guess that’s enough TMI for today.

VBS is over, finally. Each year, the kids sing at Mass on the Sunday after VBS, so I went to Church this morning instead of my usual Saturday evening. At the sign of peace I was turning to greet a friend. Across the aisle was a little boy who had been in my class. He recognized me when I turned and he immediately gasped. He started tugging on his Mom’s shirt, saying, “MOM! MOM! It’s my teacher! It’s my teacher!” and began waving furiously. I grinned and waved back at him.

Being part of a kid’s joy like that…priceless. It makes all the other headaches so worth it.

We picked up some fireworks today as a surprise for Buck. While we were checking out we chatted with the owners. The woman said she was a retired teacher. Looking around the racks and displays of explosive goodness, BR said, “It’s nice to see you retired to something less volatile.”

…is a bad cookie.

I was typing away when I glanced a bag of Oreos on the stack of stuff that sits between BR’s and my computers. They had been there awhile. I picked it up and could feel the weight of a few cookies. I asked BR if they were any good anymore.

He made a face. “They’re kind of old.”

I opened the flap and ate a cookie. Yum. An Oreo would have to be pretty bad for it not to be any good. It’s a PMS thing.

This Sarah Palin video over at RealClearPolitics via Instapundit had me cracking up. Go ahead…it’s less than a minute long. Plus, guys, she’s wearing a t-shirt.

Earlier today BR and I took Buck into Mobile for a Young Marines fishing trip. On the way back, we stopped at a little hole-in-the-wall called the ‘Tiny Diny’. Yes, really, that is the name. Miss Trudy, the owner, greeted us vociferously, her big hair, big cross necklace, and bright red lipstick calling for as much attention as her voice. The waitresses had shirts that said, “Get your hiney to the Tiny Diny”. My husband had steak and eggs…we’re guessing the ‘steak’ was maybe nutria. Or possum. Or possibly coon. He said it was good, however.

When I asked where the restrooms were, the waitress said that it was right under the deer’s head…she turned to point, and then wondered aloud, “Now where did they move that deer head to?” I laughed to myself…maybe the deer head had been sent out to be dry-cleaned.

My husband says that there are a lot of Mobile society folks who eat at the Tiny Diny and take care of business dealings there. The two overall-clad old men at the table behind us were talking some kind of money deal.

As we paid, Miss Trudy commented on my husband’s credit card, liking the Constitution which was displayed on it. Then she commented on the state of our country and how godless it’s getting and we just have to pray that it gets better! I’m pretty sure she’ll be voting for Judge Roy Moore for governor of Alabama next year (he is running again!). I almost expected her to break out in the ‘Battle Hymn of the Republic’. Her good-heartedness is based on love of God and love of country, you could just tell.

Upon leaving, we drove past a huge sign in the parking lot encouraging (in large letters, of course) “Attend the Church of Your Choice”. Underneath that phrase were the words ‘Sponsored by the Tiny Diny’. That phrase was faded, but the first command’s letters were still clear and bold.

It just made me giggle to be in such a part of a stereotypical Southern-Americana. Nothing but great hospitality and good Southern food. I wish it weren’t so far away so we could go back again…I didn’t get to try the biscuits.

I’ve been teaching VBS this week. I won’t go into many details, but suffice it to say, I should be earning lots of credits to get out of Purgatory earlier than expected.

The first night ended with a kid throwing up. The second night we had a lost tooth and a nosebleed. I also have a little girl whose mother thinks the $10 she paid at VBS registration means she won’t be there until EXACTLY at 8:30 or later to pick up her daughter. Apparently that $10 means she’s entitled to every second of the three hours EACH night we have the kids, in which we give them a t-shirt and a dinner and crafts and Bible lessons. We finished 10 minutes early one night and everyone else was gone within 5 minutes. I let the little girl use my cell phone to call her mom and I could plainly hear the mother say, “But I have five more minutes before I have to pick you up!!!” The little girl was saying everyone else had left, but the mother refused to give up the last five minutes. In fact, the mother won’t even be there at 8:30 any night. She waits to hear from her 7 year old daughter before she’ll even move her butt to come get her. I have to remind myself that it’s a Christian activity and I must act with charity or else I’ll negate my Purgatory credits.

The third night we had an ADHDx100 kid sticking his finger in the fabric-paint on kids’ artwork…smearing the said work. This kid is wearing me out. I have to have him at my side every second or trouble like that above occurs. As one of the other volunteers said, “You didn’t come here expecting to be his personal attendant, did you?” *sigh* The director of VBS even called to thank me for working with him…I think she’s afraid I won’t come back next year.

It’s obvious this kid comes from a troubled home situation. He’s told me that mama has told him to lie to daddy about where they spent the night. He’s been wearing the same unwashed shirt for three nights, and this kid doesn’t know how to eat neatly. His shirt is the only napkin he uses, despite my best efforts. He definitely doesn’t know how to behave in Church when we go in there, and demands a ‘prize’ of some sort every night to take home. If he doesn’t get his way, he collapses in a heap, claiming a stomach ache. But when we do the activities in the booklets, he is focused and works well, if a little bit loudly.

This is a lost kid. He has so much potential that is mired in an apparent home life of no structure. I hate having to be so firm with him, but if I don’t, he takes away from the rest of the kids. I’m just grateful we have the volunteers to help with the rest.

And tonight…should be interesting. We have a ‘camping’ theme for VBS this year, so in keeping with that theme, we will be making smores. I’m thinking…long metal rods or pointed sticks…fire…flaming marshmallows…with this active, active kid, we’ll all need firemen’s gear. I think God knew what was coming and sent us a bunch of rain last night…trying to soak the ground to keep the flames from spreading. The irony of the situation is that mine was the deciding vote on whether or not to do smores. I voted ‘yes’ because kids these days are often limited in experiences beyond electronics. I think it just proves God has a sense of humor.

So if you hear on the news late tonight of a humongous wildfire in the South…you’ll know how it started.

…a wall against which I should bang my head.

Because I was talking to my mother this morning on the phone. About politics. I should know better. I’m 43 years old, and I should just friggin’ know better.

She told me that one of the reasons she voted for Obama is that there wasn’t a viable candidate otherwise. She was afraid McCain would DIE in office because he was so friggin’ ancient and then PALIN would be president. My mother is such a misogynist. She is also brainwashed by the MSM. I asked her what she felt about Pelosi. Oh, my mom hates Pelosi, too, and that was another reason she voted for Obama.

Hunh?

According to my mom, if Palin became President, then Pelosi would move up and have TOO MUCH POWER! So I said to her, ‘Instead, you voted for a like-minded liberal and gave them the nigh-unbreakable power together to tear down this country with their freakin’ hopeandchange crap?’

She asked me then about the PBS decision to take on no more new religious programming. She didn’t think it was a big deal because she never saw any religious programming on PBS anyway. ????? She can’t really understand that in other parts of the country with bigger population centers there could be quite a bit of religious programming. She didn’t see it as an attack against religion because it didn’t affect her directly.

Mom then said that we religious people need to be more vocal. I then asked her ‘How?’ How can we get our voices heard when the MSM won’t let us? When we’re told that it’s freedom FROM religion and we can’t have a voice in the government because of the separation of church and state. She really couldn’t see the implications because it didn’t affect her in her own little corner of the world. Her world that consists of watching old sit-coms/dramas, talking on the phone, going to Church (just a few blocks away), and occasionally running to the local Wal-Mart. Don’t get me wrong…my mom is a good-hearted woman. But she just can’t see a bigger picture beyond herself. She won’t look beyond or question anything she sees or hears in the news because then she would have to think beyond herself. My mom is such a product of the 50s…the woman stays home and doesn’t worry about anything.

So, we butt heads sometimes because we have such different ways of looking at the world.

For the record, my dad is a retired veteran, but an almost liberal Democrat. I don’t know how I wound up the way I am. *sigh*

The article is a lot longer than this one sentence, but it pretty much explains a lot:

A man who first reported seeing a lizardlike swamp creature in Lee County 21 years ago has been shot and killed in what authorities say was an apparent drug-related incident.

I’m sorry there has been a death involved…but lizard-men? Drugs? I don’t think we need Scully and Mulder out to investigate.

I greatly admire John Williams and his musical talent…the great visionary for the music of ‘Star Wars’, ‘Jaws’, ‘Close Encounters’, ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’, and more…

…but I don’t know if even he could have pictured this:

We think Bitch Cat is gone. For good this time.

Bitch Cat (BC), for most of her life lived up to the name of ‘bitch’. She was aloof and only occasionally deigned to allow you pet her. It was the humans’ honor and duty to feed her, of course. And if you did something to insult her, she would withhold her presence from you for a day or two. Just look at the arrogance and disdain on her face:

BC was a small cat, not much larger than a kitten. But she had the attitude of a mountain lion. Definitely not a ‘people’ cat. She didn’t like being enclosed in a house. All that changed with her walk on the dark side.

At least, we think that’s what happened. She disappeared for eight days…back when I thought I might have killed her. But she returned. (BTW, =HC= is how I referred to to BR back when I used a blogger site)

Since that return from the dead, BC has been decidedly a house cat. Old age was catching up to her, rendering her slower and less agile than before. The nicer temps in the house felt good to her, and she wasn’t having to continually fight the cats in the neighborhood, including our own PoopKat, who is a bitch in her own right.

BC (actually her name is Misty) has been gone several days now. Yesterday BR and I were walking out in our ‘park’ (the side yard of our house), we saw a disturbed area in the leaves, slightly curved, about 6 inches wide and a little over a foot long. Not too far away we could see a hawk on its nest and heard little screeching sounds. We kind of surmised the hawk had snagged an animal, probably Misty, and went back to the nest. BR mentioned that he was surprised not to find any feathers around, knowing Misty would have put up a fight. That’s when I saw this:

Yep…it matched the bird standing at its nest.

I hope it was a quick death for Misty. Better than the downward spiral she had been taking…slower, skinny as a rail, not able to hold her own in the cat fights.

BR says that whatever little hawkling ate her is going to be the baddest s.o.b. in the forest, ingesting all the bad-ass attitude that Misty had. And Misty came to BR from out of the woods as a kitten, and she returned to the woods. It’s a cycle of life thing, I know. But I’m going to miss that cat. And forgive me if I wish that hawk had taken the yappy little pissing dog that drives us up the wall sometime.

Happy Father’s Day to all you dads out there! And to some of you who are childless fathers, too.

(Courtesy of a commenter at LOLNews.)

I was ROFLMAO when I read this text from ‘Texts from Last Night‘:

(402): Nothings more american than taking a shit with a handgun next to you.

Crude, yes. American? Definitely. We shouldn’t be caught with our pants down, unprepared for possible threats. Unlike some (Barack “I peer down my nose in your general direction” Obama, Liberal “If you’re not like us you’re a threat” Dems, Barbara “I’m not worthy to be called ma’am” Boxer), who think their shit don’t stink, and therefore that makes them great Americans.

Guess what Obama, Dems, Boxer, and a whole host of panty-waisted, self-slobbering egoists: your shit stinks. You know it, real Americans know it, the world knows it. Why else do we have the threat of nukes from Iran and North Korea headed our way? Because they’re bringing their stinky shit to throw at you, because you pretend yours is odorless. That view is going to bring a shit-storm raining down on us.

And it will crack me up if John McCain has to save our collective asses. Who’s the bigger man??? The one who has a handgun next to the toilet. So let’s just ’strike a match’ before the stink smothers us all.

My grandfather’s wisdom has now been backed by scientific research. He hated for anyone to be skinny. He always reasoned that if someone got really sick, they would need those ‘fat reserves’ to help get them through the illness. Plus I think Granddaddy liked curves…especially on Grandmommie, who was ‘fat’ in all the right places.

Now scientists are saying that chubby people live longer.

Take that, you skinny old bitches! Whoops, can’t say ‘old’ because you won’t be around, mwah-haa-haa-haaaa! Just pass me that cheesecake you won’t be eating…

…but with a twist.

My stepdad is in his 70s. At the point in life where most needs are pretty simple. He is also a diabetic. So he wants diabetic socks for Father’s Day.

Okay. I can do that. But to hand over a gift bag and say ‘Here’s your socks’ just felt…blah.

I know he needs those socks, and I am going to give them to him. But not quite in a gift bag:
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I have been throwing away my old socks instead of selling them on ebay. Who buys this kind of crap? People with foot fetishes???? We are a weird society.

BR was leaving for work this morning, and we were discussing plans for the rest of the week. (I was still in bed, simply because it’s summer and I can!!)

I totally thought it was Wednesday. BR assured me it was Thursday, and I thought he was kidding at first.

I lost a whole day. And I wasn’t even on any drugs or drunk or anything. I just lost a day. Somebody stole Wednesday from me. They took my hump day. Oh, wait…no hump day for me till the doctor gives the all clear. Guess I didn’t need Wednesday after all. I hope whoever found it put it to good use. *sigh*

Actually, it’s BR and he FINALLY posted again. But fair warning…it’s about Carter, so it ain’t pretty.

I read an article this morning about a school in the Chicago area where almost 60% of the kids did not pass eighth grade. The burning question…whose fault is it? Was it the fault of the teachers? The parents? The students? The affects of the high poverty rate in the area? Why did these kids fail? The school claims they notified the parents, and some parents claim they weren’t notified.

I don’t know how they do it at that particular school, but in mine we are required to send home progress reports (for ALL students) halfway through each report card period. If a child has low performance, we have other documentation that the parents are also required to sign. If a child is in danger of failing, there are at least two notifications sent home on top of those other notifications. And yet some parents will still try to say they didn’t have a clue.

This post isn’t really about that kind of parent. This post is to say ‘thank you‘ to those parents who DO have a clue. Parents like these from that Chicago school:

“You have to be in your kid’s life, you have to know what’s going on in their world,” said parent Vanessa Ewing. “I’m up at the school. The teachers know me. I stay on them. I stay on my kids.”
***
“It was something that child must not have been doing right in order for him to stay behind,” said parent Sharon Shavers.
***
…another mother said she has all the cell phone numbers of her kids’ teachers and she calls them all the time, and her kids are doing well in school.

Even one of the parents whose child had failed, and claimed no notifications, was reported thusly:

…Dennis says her son is so upset he failed eighth grade, he is now determined to be a better student, pass his classes this summer and go on to high school.

This post is about those kinds of parents. Parents who do their best to make the child responsible for his/her education. Like the one in this snippet from a post at Bluebird’s Classroom.

The Guidance Goddess continued. “I know the family and know that they are on fee waivers, so they wouldn’t have to pay for summer school. So, I was reaching for the fee waiver list and mom told me to hold it right there. She wasn’t going to utilize the fee waiver. She made Gawky Girl pay for it out of her birthday money.”

“Seriously?” I asked. Accountability? Finally?

“Seriously,” Guidance Goddess answered. “Gawky Girl was not happy, but mom insisted. She said maybe she’d learn to value her education if she actually had to pay for it.”

It comes down to desire. A desire for success on the part of the child, the parent, AND the teacher. But make no mistake. It starts with the parents. Parents who instill the value of success in their children. A success that must be EARNED, not given. You parents who strive and sacrifice for your child…THANK YOU! It can be as simple as asking your child DAILY about school…being suspicious if there’s no homework…making sure the school has valid phone numbers…taking away video games or other play time if grades drop…in other words, giving the gift of your time for your child.

Thank you, parents. Thank you.

BR was sitting at his computer, ostensibly paying a credit card bill online. Then he started chuckling. Not a humorous type of laugh…no, his twisted, evil laugh when he’s done something un-PC. Warily, I asked him what he was doing.

BR: Oh, I’m just paying off this statement.

Me: And it’s funny because…

BR: Well, it only has two items on it. Your recent surgery and my new pistol (which is really sweet, btw!).

Me: And what could possibly be funny about paying hundreds of dollars like that?

BR: *Giggling maniacally again.* ‘Cause I just paid for a cooter and a shooter!!!

Me:

Me:

Me: *Leaving the room before I throw something at him.*

You’ll want to view it full screen.

Civilization by Marco Brambilla from CRUSH on Vimeo.

I want to have the aplomb to act like this.

There’s a political lesson in here.

While Obama and his ilk put their head in the sand about the economic and national safety threats to our country, I hope the rest of us will keep moving, even if it seems to be too slowly to make a difference. We can reach the end of this mess.

Wow! Are these things uncanny in their accuracy!

You Are Wise

You are a protector and teacher. You help people deal with their struggles. Right now, you are seeking a new challenge and a complete life change. You are drawn to people who are philosophical and thoughtful. You feel like there are many major things in your life that need to be changed. You are quick to react. You are courageous and bold.

You are a protector and teacher. You help people deal with their struggles. Yep, I’m a mom and a teacher.

Right now, you are seeking a new challenge and a complete life change. I guess my surgery would count here, right?

You are drawn to people who are philosophical and thoughtful. Do BR’s un-PC remarks count here?

You feel like there are many major things in your life that need to be changed.. Back to that Aunt Flo-changing surgery again.

You are quick to react. Is that a nice way of saying I have a temper?

And I can’t post about the jungle without posting my favorite video of the song: