The babies made it through the night! And woke me for a 4 am feeding!!!! I haven’t been up to feed a baby at 4 am in well over 20 years. But just like a baby, when hungry these guys get really loud.

They still seem to be dehydrated, but I can’t get them to take the pedialyte. They love the formula. It’s so cute to watch their little paws (that look like hands) curl around the end of the syringe while sucking on that stuff like it’s the best thing they’ve ever had.

Even cuter is the way the cat and dogs come up to watch. Rocky was even trying to bathe them…or was that tasting them? Hmmmm. I think I’d better watch out for him! I actually caught him trying to climb into the aquarium I have them living in. I had them out at the time, so the cover was off, but he still got fussed at for the effort!

I did some more calling around and actually found a person that takes in these critters and raises them and then lets them go back into the wild. She said she’s been doing it since she was 15 and loves it. She takes in pretty much any abandoned wild critter and also teaches others how to take care of them. She was happy to take the babies and the stuff I bought to take care of them. I was happy to donate those things to her since every little bit helps when you are volunteering your time to do stuff like this.

She said her favorite part of the whole thing was when they were able to be released back into the wild. Now I think that would be the hardest part, but I guess if you do the job right, the goal is to get them back with their own kind. Her job is just to get them ready for that. I hope God will richly bless this sweet woman for what she does!

This is my cat, Rocky. He’s our big (20 pounds!) baby.  He sleeps inside most of the day and roams outside at night. He’s about 9 now, so not as much of a hunter as he once was. He used to keep the yard clear of any moving objects (especially moles and mole crickets! good kitty!!). Every now and then we’ll see some blue jay or mockingbird feathers laying around, but since they spend so much time aggrivating him we figure they are asking for it.

This morning when I went to let him in, I saw a small squirrel laying just outside the kitchen door, on the enclosed patio floor. I thought it was dead. Rocky sat there looking all proud, since he was bringing me a prize. I put him inside and figured I’d deal with the dead squirrel in a few minutes, as I was busy doing something else at the time. When I got back, the squirrel was moving! It wasn’t dead, or even hurt. And then I found a 2nd one! Rocky had to have brought them in, because they can barely crawl around by themselves.

I fed them some soy milk, then called around to see where I could take them. I don’t want the cat eating them. I was directed to our county animal control, but all they would do is destroy them. (Nice way of saying they’d kill them!) So I went to the pet store and bought some formula, an aquarium, some bedding and a couple of baby bottles. Then I found a website that said DO NOT FEED THEM FORMULA if they are dehydrated, which it turns out they are. So back to the store for some pedialyte.

They are the cutest little things! They cling to the bottle nipple like it was mama and then try to suck my fingers when they miss the nipple. They make a really loud squeaking sound, which I guess is how they call their mom, but she’s nowhere to be found. So I guess I’m going to try to keep them alive long enough to wean them.

Since they do have all their fur and their eyes are open they have a better chance of living than if they were younger. But I’m not naming them…yet. Let’s see if they live through the night.

Anyone want a new pet?

This is a different kind of quiz. All but one of the questions came from an INS Citizenship test. Greg helped me compile the test, so he can’t take it. Good Luck and no cheating!!!

  http://www.quizyourfriends.com/quizpage.php?quizname=070727084448-547348&  

This is my Aunt Margie. She’s 86 years old and was my dad’s older sister. There were 7 of them, 4 boys and 3 girls. Aunt Margie has outlived all of them.

When she was 45, she started taking vitamins and putting wheat germ in everything. She would bring jars of wheat germ over to my dad, hoping it would help his failing health. He would laugh and the jar would remain unopened in the fridge and every now and then she would replace it. But she’s had such good health for so many years and I have no doubt it was all that good stuff she took for so long.

A few years ago she had a stroke. She was left with damage to her eyes and equalibrium. She went back home after some time in a rehab hospital and even though she lived alone, her daughter wasn’t far away and she did really well for a while. Then one day she fell and did some major damage to one of her legs. After that it was determined that she couldn’t live alone anymore and she moved into a nursing home.

She’s not real happy there, but it’s been about 6 years now and she’s made some friends and is fairly resigned to being there. She only has the one child, who doesn’t visit nearly enough to satisfy Aunt Margie. My sister and I had been faithfully visiting every weekend or so, but then she had some surgery a few weeks ago and really needed someone with her on a daily basis. Since I’m the only one with that kind of free time, it sort of became a part of my routine to go see her at least once a day, but usually it’s more like 2 or 3 times a day. I take her food when she wants it, or other items she needs, but mostly I just listen to her stories. And you know, she really has some good ones. She tells me old gossip about family members that are no longer alive and remembers things about growing up or trips she took or maybe pets that she’s had.

Some days I think I’m just too tired to go back up there one more time, but then I get there and her whole face lights up and I know it’s made a difference in her life. She gets so lonely.

Nursing homes are full of lonely people. I make it a point to talk to the ones sitting in the hallways in their wheelchairs. If any of you find yourselves with free time, visit a nursing home. It doesn’t matter whether you know anyone there…just ask a nurse who needs a visit. They’ll point you in the right direction. You’ll be amazed at how good it makes you feel!

I joined a gym about a month ago. It’s just amazing to me the things I’m finding out about exercise. It really drastically reduces the hot flashes I’ve been dealing with for a couple of years now. And it gives me so much energy!

When I was young I was so thin, kids in school made fun of me. To make matters even worse, I was also taller than almost everyone in my classes, especially boys, until about high school.  Add to that the fact that I was so bad at sports that I was always the last one picked for teams in PE class, after awhile I didn’t even bother. In the 10th grade I even failed PE because I refused to dress out. There were several reasons, but I think probably a big one was all the teasing I had gotten in previous years. Most of the exercise I got was from walking. My best friend in high school lived about 3 miles from me, and I often walked over to her house. My family was way too poor to be able to buy us cars, and the only one that got a bike was my twin sister.  But that was ok, because I enjoyed the walk and never even considered it to be healthy for me.

Forward about 35 years and here I am, fat, no muscle tone, completely out of shape. It finally became clear to me that I had to do something.

For the first few weeks I was there every other day. Then my 86 year old aunt (Margie) had surgery.  The operation went ok (blood clots in her leg along with a blocked artery), but recovery is hard on someone her age. She had a 24 hour sitter and most of them were good about taking care of her basic needs, but she was very confused and scared. I ended up spending a lot of time with her at the hospital and again at the nursing home when she was released. I was there 2 or 3 times a day, just making sure she’s getting her pain meds and helping her through her confusion. She’s finally feeling better and is back to being completely oriented to where she is, but during all this time, I haven’t been going to the gym. And I’ve been so tired. I haven’t gotten anything done around the house except some much needed laundry. So I finally started back a couple of days ago. And then I went again today. Finally the energy has kicked back in! I’m cleaning the house and mopping the floors….it’s great! Who knew?

On another subject…..my 14 year old dachshund is afraid of houseflies. He has been for as long as I can remember. He will hide in the bathroom or bedroom when there is one in the house. All I can figure is maybe a dog fly bit him in the past. It’s just so funny watching him run from these things!

There’s a fly in here now. While I was sweeping the kitchen floor, he went outside and wouldn’t come back in until I made him. As soon as he came in, he ran to the back of the house and that’s where he has stayed ever since. I guess as soon as the floor dries I’ll hunt down the fly and kill it. Anyone know where the flyswatter is????

The profile picture is my Aunt Margie and my dad in 1973.

 My little sister’s oldest daughter and her high school sweetie finally got married tonight. It was such a pretty wedding. My sister, Trish, was a very lovely mother of the bride.

Trish’s husband Bill looked very handsome as he gave the bride away.

Isabella, Trish’s oldest granddaughter, was a very pretty, but reluctant, flower girl.

Trish’s youngest daughter, Dia, was a bridesmaid. Here she is holding Trish’s youngest granddaughter, Gianna. The only problem with the reception was the a/c didn’t work and everyone got hot. Only the baby was lucky enough to get really cooled off!

Paul, Trish’s son and his wife Melanie, parents of Isabella and Gianna, get a moment alone to dance.

And finally, Jenny and Fred. Don’t they look like they are tired of posing for pictures? They are such a happy couple. I hope it lasts forever!

Today is my birthday and I’m 50 years old. Wow. I remember when I thought being 50 was having one foot in the grave. It’s funny how we think about these things when we are so young.

In preparation for this half century old body to withstand another quarter century (at least) I have started going to a gym. I know, I should have done it a long time ago, but I always have been slow with the good ideas.  So far I’m really enjoying it. I go every other day for strength training and cardio, but I think I’m going to start going every day for the cardio. I have a lot more energy and as an added bonus, it has actually lessened the frequency and intensity of those horrid hot flashes I’ve been having for almost a year now.

I’m spending my morning cleaning toilets….what fun! Obviously I’m working this week. Trudy had been celebrating my birthday for days now. As I’m writing this she is back in her room drawing me a birthday card. She said she really wanted to bake me a cake (because she wants some!) but instead she is going to buy me a cookie when we go bowling this afternoon.

Last night I took her & Frances to a bingo game, (the rotary club hosts monthly games just for the clients) where another client, George, gave me a rose for my birthday (because the girl he really bought it for didn’t show up) and yet another, Paul, sang Happy Birthday to me. They love birthdays and most are really good at celebrating everyones. I’m blessed to have them as friends.

My twin and I exchanged hibiscus plants and cuttings today. Nice present for each. Also she brought her granddaughter, Faith, and her daughter Sara over to see me. That was a good present all in itself.

I was looking on the internet at some of the things that have been invented since my birth.  The first satellite went up in 1957. It was called the sputnik. I remember when I was small, one of the local grocery stores had a sign made to look like a satellite and we always called it the sputnik store.  Some other things that have come along in the last 50 years are computers, video tapes, microchips, fiber optics, and push button phones. While dial phones have almost completely disappeared. Most of today’s children will never know about dial phones, 8 track tapes, or maybe not even cassette tapes. Strange how things come and go.

Looking back on my life, I can say that I’m about as happy and content as I’ve ever been. I have a husband who loves me and spoils me rotten, and a daughter that I can also count as a friend. I have a job that I mostly enjoy and, best of all, the knowledge that my God loves me and is always with me to help me through any rough times. Life is good.

According to the AP, a 12 year old girl (7th grade) was suspended from school for a week for bullying another student.

While it seems that most parents these days would be yelling at the school board that their child is innocent, this child’s mother went in another direction. She made the child spend the week standing outside various schools with a poster reading: “I engaged in bullying behavior. I got suspended from school and this street corner. Don’t be like me. Stop bullying”. And the child’s comment was “I don’t want to hold the signs, but I think it’s the right punishment”.

Yea, mom!

My daughter, my only child, came home for a visit this weekend. She just got in last night and she’s still sleeping now, so we haven’t had a lot of time together just yet. But simply having her here is so wonderful. It doesn’t matter if we don’t get to do much more than talk and go to Church together, it will be a great visit.

I think that the most precious Mother’s Day gift of all is the love of our children. I’m not talking about the love they feel just because they are related. It’s the love you really feel from them when they talk to you and the way they look at you. It’s the willingness to spend time with you when they really don’t have to. And being excited about it. And it’s knowing that they really like you as a person.

I feel so lucky to have such a great daughter. Having been one myself, and knowing that my relationship with my mother wasn’t the best in the world makes my relationship with Holley even more precious.

God had truly blessed me.