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Mice Away...

We've left the mice in California with our favorite sitter and the dogs and have headed to South Carolina to visit Jack's Mom and Step Dad. Megan is having the time of her life, playing with cat and today while Jack and his mom shot a round of golf, Carlos, Megan and I went out on the party boat. It was a glorious fall day, cool and sunny. From the boat we saw fall colors and Megan and Pop's drove the boat for a while together and really bonded.

The trip here was long - a 5 hour flight to DC then a 1 hour layover ended up being a 3 hour layover, when we finally were allowed to board we were left to sit on the plane for 30 minutes and then were told our flight was canceled. Luckily we were in the second row and made it to the customer service counter first, so we were rebooked on a later flight after the storm passed - but it meant we had another 3 hours in a rather dull airport. So we got in at 11, and drove up to Keowee Key by midnight. A long day that started at 4am Pacific (7am Eastern). Megan was a real trooper the whole way and when we boarded our second plane out of DC, Megan was the only one not complaining. She was just happy to finally goto Grandma's and see the cat!.

Moon Rise

this gets my mind off of mice and makes me happy...

Moon over Antarctica

I want a cat

The mouse is of course back - in the pantry on the same shelf. I have our bug man coming sometime today to take care of it, but in the mean time Jack came home from work and chased the mouse out of the closet and straight to its hole. So now I know where the bug man can put the pellets. I did what any terrified person would do - I ran to a chair and jumped up on it. I didn't know I could move so fast!

Megan is thankfully distracted with Sesame Street. I really want a cat - apologies to the allergic/asthmatic husband.

eck and yum-oh!

Thanksgiving has come and gone. Wednesday I baked pies and brined the turkey - yes I cooked a turkey this year. I also made a yummy cranberry sauce which called for pecans. I was reaching in the pantry looking for the bag when I noticed mouse droppings. ugh...

I spent the next hour vacuuming and pulling stuff out the pantry. When I goto the bottom shelf, and pulled back the box of ziplocs - a mouse jumped out at me - I screamed louder than i've ever done in my life and jumped back. After catching my breath I called Jack who agreed to come home at lunch and deal with the mouse in the closet. I closed the pantry and loaded Megan up in the car, we went out for sushi and hit BevMo.

When I got home, Jack had finished emptying out the pantry, found the hole and filled it in. I then spent the next couple of hours sorting through all the food, scrubbing down the pantry and putting it all back together. Then I made the pies and the Cranberry sauce.

Thursday morning I woke up and had a quiet morning with Megan, watching the parade ( she loved the big balloons). Then in the early afternoon, I got the bird in the oven, chopped stale bread and lots of veggies for the stuffing, and made all the other yummy stuff.

The bird came out beautifully. I kid you not, the drippings made an orgasmic gravy. I found the recipe online so I will share it . I made a mushroom gravy for the vegetarians. And we all sat down to a lovely meal.

We held off on Pie till after the girls went down, but Josephine really wanted to go home, so they took there pie to go. And Megan exhausted from a hard day of play is still happily asleep.

two corn heaven

I'm currently baking Two Corn Casserole for Megan's schools thanksgiving party. This lovely dish was one my sister used to make for Fish Fry's when she was married to her first husband, Brian. It was one we all loved to gobble up and its a great one to take to pot lucks. - Perfect for Thanksgiving too.

Megan and I joined our playgroup at the Oakland zoo today. We really had a blast. First we headed down the new children's zoo which really is down a very big hill from the parking lot. We played around there and all sorts of neat creatures. Instead of feeding goats and sheep like most zoos they let you brush and curry comb them- Megan managed to get every single goat in the pen and loved every second.

We then had a quick lunch (after a hike back up the hill) before heading to the rides area where we all enjoyed the carrousel, Train, and cars (car's on a track that go around in a circle). Then everyone else bugged out but Megan and I went back into the zoo and headed up the hill the other direction to check out all the big game. We saw Elephants, Lions, Giraffes, along with various deer and zebra. But there was something about the day, and whole experience. This was our first trip in a few months and since then Megan has had a language explosion. So this was my first trip with a truly talkative and inquisitive Megan. It really just added a whole new dimension and was just too cool.

We ended the day with Megan caring a bunch of long reeds that she'd picked up on the ground and she told me on the way home how she was going to use them to make a giraffes tail cause she was going to be a giraffe for halloween!

Oso's favorite scent

A few months ago I felt like a bubble bath. Not having any bubble bath here, I went out and bought this and well after one soak, Oso wouldn't leave me alone. I'm not quick, so I didn't pick up that he was smelling me, until a week later when I took another bath. Ok having a dog follow you around and want to inhale you is off putting to say the least and so I haven't used the bubble bath until tonight, when I used it to soak my feet in the massaging bubbling foot bath Jack gave me for Christmas a few years ago.

I finished up and headed to the sofa and he comes in climbs up and proceeds to give my feet kisses. I kid you not- this strange dog is loving my toes. Jack if you want Oso to love you, may I suggest a bubble bath :)

I don't mean to brag but...

I mailed off all my xmas gifts for nieces and nephews today :)

ahh sweet relief!

mind games

I went back to film club today for the first time in 3 months. The season ended in August, took September off and well with Mel out of town in October I sort of forgot all about it. But today I managed to remember and went and I really enjoyed the film.

It was The Dying Gaul, written and directed Craig Lucas. It was the type of film that seemed to be going one way, and then took a surprise turn, but then turned again when you were least expecting it. It was very well written and acted. Loosely its the story of Robert, a gay screen writer in Hollywood who sells his scripted to Jonathan, and the friendships that develop with Robert, Jonathan and his wife Elaine. The mind games then follow for both the characters and audience.

?what the?

I just got off the phone with my doctor's business office. I got a bill from them that said they had done an extra part of a procedure I knew they hadn't done. She says to me, "well we already bill your insurance - what do you want me to do about it".

"Correct it" I said,

"I suppose I could, but they haven't paid anything yet..."

"I know but you do realize the bill is wrong you didn't do that."

"yeah but they haven't paid anything so well what do you want me to do? "

"CORRECT IT"

"are you sure?"

"yes"

"ok then if your sure, I'll submit a corrected claim"

"thank you..." - a tad sarcastic to be sure

In the same mail but not opened until after the phone call was my insurance benefits explanation, they had paid the claim. What do you bet they don't send me a Thank you card for catching it.

Also I keep having doctors want to collect a 25 co-pay when My card says its $15. Well the benefits form confirms its $25, so I keep ripping off my doctors.

tis the season

We have a bit more than a month til Christmas, and so I feel the urge to start shopping. I'm making my lists and checking them.... On my side of the family, we draw names for one adult (and spouse) and then give to all the kids, so I have 10 kids to shop for. I like to give fun, yet educational gifts to my neices and nephews. Things that require thinking, and maybe give some entertainment during rainy days or snowy days depending on where they live.

I'm Also in the mood to decorate, but since we haven't even had thanksgiving, I'm trying to hold off - though I reserve the right to start on or just after thanksgiving - depending on when I can get Jack to get the trees down from the attic (thats right trees!) one for the living room and one for the dinning room. Jack usually does the outside lights and I do the inside decorating.

I think what's put me in the mood is that Jack and I got our fireplace working this weekend. After having our second string babysitter stand us up on Saturday, Jack ran and picked a new screen and some wood, and I took the plywood down from the front from when we baby proofed for Megan - so its been a good 2 years since we had a fire, and it just makes the whole house smell wonderful and with the chill in the air, I feel as though it should be christmas already.

How I spent my Saturday afternoon ... or should be required reading :)

I'm a sucker for surveys ...enjoy

THREE THINGS I DON'T UNDERSTAND:
1. blind faith
2. Bigotry and hatred
3. tight fitting cloths

THREE THINGS ON MY DESK:
1. My husbands camera, computer and books
2.bills
3. Megan's art work

THREE THINGS I'M DOING RIGHT NOW:
1. watching "threshold",
2. waiting to start a hearts game on game-smith
3. filling out this survey

THREE THINGS I WANT TO DO BEFORE I DIE:
1. See the pyramids of Egypt
2. walk on a glacier (preferably in Antarctica)
3. use my telescope someplace very dark, clear and warm

THREE THINGS I CAN DO:
1. sew a piglet costume
2. make people laugh
3. cook and garden

THREE WAYS TO DESCRIBE MY PERSONALITY:
1. creative
2. jovial
3. inventive

THREE THINGS I CAN'T DO:
1. answer computer questions
2. ride down escalators with out hyperventilating (or roller coasters for that matter)
3. understand the neocons and their supporters

THREE THINGS I THINK YOU SHOULD WATCH, READ OR LISTEN TO:
1. my blog ;)
2. whatever the story you should read about it from many different news sources
3. NPR and AirAmerica radio

THREE THINGS I SAY TOO MUCH:
1. crap
2. frell
3. shit

THREE THINGS I'D LIKE TO LEARN:
1.how to let go of things
2. painting
3. how to not let other peoples opinions affect me

THREE BEVERAGES I DRINK REGULARLY:
1. diet caffine free coke
2. coffee - (decaf)
3. tea

THREE SHOWS I WATCHED WHEN I WAS A KID:
1. Dallas
2. General Hospital
3. Falcon Crest

THREE THINGS I WISH PEOPLE WOULD LEARN TO DO:
1. to merge on the freeway and to drive in the rain
2. put their trash in a garbage can
3. recycle

its back!

My laptop just arrived, and while apple gave me the wrong or bad tracking number, they did fix my machine and clean it up and its lovely, so I can't be mad. It works!

Megan's been napping since 1, she fell asleep the second her head hit the pillow. I think she'll probably be up shortly though, but maybe not - sleep is definitely what she needs right now.

waiting fever

Megan's got a 101.9 fever (without Tylenol, with it goes down to the 99.9 range) So we've spent today watching movies and napping. Megan cried alittle while ago and asked to goto school, she said she wasn't sick, though the crying made her cough which sounds like a seal has invaded her little body. We're watching blue's clues now and she's agreed to nap after. She's also managed to eat some crackers and have alittle grape juice.

While its awful to have Megan sick it does mean i'm home and able to wait for my laptop to appear. I got the word from apple that it is repaired and on its way. Course I can't get DHL to tell me anything based on the tracking number apple gave me so I don't know when it'll come. :)

will be very glad to have it back.

trapped

So i'm currently using my old laptop which was replaced because the monitor would go out and the whole thing would need a good shake to come back on. It seemed to be getting worse yesterday but i've managed 20 whole minutes without even a dimming monitor - makes me want to stay on all day :)

of course as soon as I move it I'm sure it will die. Oh apple hurry up and send me back my machine!

Pictures