Back. . . . Finally

Had a wild and great trip across country to bring Mike, his wife (Mandi)
Lynn, and their unborn son, William, home to North Carolina. We almost
got run over in Utah (our group vote for the world's worst drivers), saw
the Grand Canyon, missed Sherry in Oklahoma City, re-discovered why we
don't like mosquitoes in Arkansas, missed seeing Toadsuck (also in
Arkansas), was deliberately hit in Tennessee (buggers tried to claim
that I'd hit them and did more than $5000 damage for a scratch and a
dent) and cruised through the mountains and home here in North Carolina.
Only to find that the renovations that I was hoping would be done
while I was gone hadn't started yet.

Last night I finally found my lap top underneath a pile of belongings
stacked on the coffee table in the living room. I still haven't found
my mouse pad and somehow broke the expandable cord on my mouse while I
had it bouncing around in the U-haul. It no longer stays put when you
expand it. So I have a sort of knot in it so that it will behave. That
will get ya for hiding, you nasty little mouse cord.

Since we got back a month ago, every bit of flooring (except in the
bathrooms and laundry room) in the house has been replaced with either
Pergo or ceramic tiles. Not as warm as carpet, but not nasty like
twenty year old cheap carpet is after being through so many (we're the
fifth owners of this house) owners and their children, pets, and so on.
Awkward sentence, isn't it? Not only that but that really ugly wall
paper on our dining room and kitchen walls has been removed and the wall
between the dining room and entry (foyer) has been replaced with an
archway so that I can actually breathe in here now. The walls in the
foyer and dining room are a funky dark Easter egg green and the kitchen
wall has been painted a sunrise gold. I like it.

Now to get the house put back into some resemblance of order, get Mandy
Kae and Jim married in February, Get Mike and (Mandi) Lynn's baby,
William Michael, delivered in February, and get the rest of us through
the holidays.

The cats have been really weirded out by all the different work crews
who have been in and out of the house. Except for Pine Cone. He helped
the tiling dudes by sniffing the cement (or whatever you call that
stuff) and then the grout. He stood on Pergo slats while watching the
flooring dude in action. For a day he had a yellow streak down his back
from rubbing it in fresh paint in the kitchen. Then he helped stain the
quarter rounds in the living room, kitchen, entry, and dining room. I
think he got off on the smell of paint and varnish. QC loved on the
work crews and got them to pet her or try to let her out the front door.
We ended up incarcerating her and Smokey in Jim and Mandy's room from
7:30 am to 7:00 pm so that they wouldn't cause more havoc than PC did.
The rest of them spent their days in my room (Tanada, Merlin, Sonya,
Huey, and PC) or in the kitty gaol and Jim and Mandy's room. Currently
I am working with only Merlin near me. The rest are spread out over the
house. I don't think Merlin and Tanada will be with us much longer.
They are both in their mid to late teens and losing weight. TED agrees
with me. He says that we're doing all we can and that it is a matter of
time. Tanada is over 19 years now and Merlin is about 15. The only one
older than him is QC and she's pushing 16 or so. It seems like only
yesterday that they adopted us.

On the financial front. Still no money from the VA. It has been almost
eight months since Rob died. We are living on our life insurance
benefits. I suspect that I am fixing up the house so that I can sell
it. I think Rob was right when he said that the VA hates vets and only
wants them to die. Now that the election is over, I can take all the
documents over to Congressman Kissel's office and see if his office can
do any thing to help. All of this for $1135 a month. Sheesh.

Sorry about the whining. All in all, life is good right now. The kids
are threatening to get me that Siameser that I've always wanted, but
have agreed that eight is more than enough right now. I have the room
in my heart for more, just not the room in my house.

Pam S.

Welcome back Pam!

Jeanette

tanadashoes wrote:
snip
Sorry about the whining. All in all, life is good right now. The kids
are threatening to get me that Siameser that I've always wanted, but
have agreed that eight is more than enough right now. I have the room
in my heart for more, just not the room in my house.

Pam S.

Welcome home! Purrs for you to keep the house.
--
Adrian (Owned by Bagheera & Shadow)
Cats leave pawprints on your heart
http://community.webshots.com/user/clowderuk