Another Good-Bye

Halloween 1991. I was in 7th grade, just turned 11 years old. I went Trick-or-Treating with my sister and her boyfriend. I was a witch, she was a princess, and he was a...flasher. Not quite as bad as it sounds. Quite. As the evening wound to a close, we noticed a persistent follower. A tiny little ball of fluff with a major motor. We brought our follower inside with us. She was the most beautiful little kitten--a perfect blend of siamese and tabby. She was so happy and sweet. Whenever anyone even entered the room, her little motorboat purr would start. It didn't take much to convince mom to let us keep her--especially once we found out that her owner wasn't even aware of the new litter of kittens.

Over the years, we also had visits from her brothers--Leo, who looked completely tabby (though strangely the stripes were made up of spots) and Sia, seeming completely Siamese. But Spook was always the best. The perfect combination. Eventually I grew up and moved away, and Spook quietly moved on to old age, keeping my parents company. My little family returned and disturbed her final years with wild and crazy little girls and dogs and new cats, but Spooky remained the regal queen over the household.

Now I am nearly 30, and the time has come for me to say goodbye to my sweet Spooky. She has been old and fragile for quite some time. This morning, though, her body gave out. Her stiff hind legs refused to move at all. She seemed alert, though somewhat confused at her traitor body not responding to her commands. But the time had come, and I held Spook on the way to the vet and watched as my mom held her for her last moments as the vet administered the anesthetic that would help her to drift away from the pain. The little motorboat kitten was still purring as she spent her final moments with the family she loved for nearly 2 decades. I drove my weeping mother home as we left behind her beloved old friend.

And now I say good-bye to my old friend. Farewell, sweet Spooky. Thank you for being a part of our family.

I Hate Today

Was really tired today, so Terry took the girls to church and let me go back to bed. After a short nap, I discovered I was bleeding, so called Terry home and we went to the hospital. 6 hours in the ER later, I'm home, but with no good news at all. Not that I expected any good news.

So tomorrow morning I go back to the doctor to see how everything ends. And I have to somehow comfort my baby who is heartbroken that she will never be a big sister. But after a dozen pregnancies, I am completely done for. This one was my big experiment to see if taking the oodles and goodles of medicine would do any good. And I guess not.

I'm going to try to post quite a bit for the next week or two to cover up this awful day as soon as I can. But for now, here it is...

It's Alive!

I had a happy ultrasound today. I love those. I'd post the picture that they gave, but at 6 weeks, it really doesn't look like anything yet. Just a little fuzzy spot. It was much cuter in motion when I could see its tiny little heartbeat flickers.

Now I just need to take my astonishing amounts of medication (I think I could actually rival my Dad for the number of pills I need to take, though I guess at least I only need one injection a day) and settle in for--hopefully--another 8 months of worrying for no reason. And then the fun begins.

Tagged

I am sorry it took so long to write this up.
I know more than most people do about birthstones.
I want to go back to school to learn something, not just to get it over with.
I have three and a half beautiful children.
I wish someone would buy my house already.
I miss the circus in my kitchen and my Maypole Dance hallway.
I fear almost everything.
I feel loopy at night after I take my medicine.
I hear the buzzing of the computer, and not much else.
I love the quiet of school hours.
I smell not much today—I’ve got a cold.
I crave palmitos (palm hearts) and anything with cream cheese in it.
I search for a pen every day—where do they all go?
I wonder why this little exercise is taking me so long.
I regret very little.
I love my big crazy family.
I care for more than I always let on with my actions.
I always wanted to be a gypsy and travel all over the world, not to mention wearing the beautiful brightly colored skirts, scarves, and thick jangly jewelry.
I am not a gardener. Seriously, I can’t even grow weeds in a garden.
I believe things eventually work out to the good.
I dance badly, and only alone in my living room.
I sing loudly along with Indigo Girls or Pink Floyd when I’m angry.
I don't know how to make numbers dance in my head, the way Terry can.
I fight like a mama bear for my babies.
I write stories for children.
I lose most of the time when I play games.
I win only when I try to convince people that I don’t win all the time.
I never know what to say or how to act when I’m around people.
I listen to Philadelphia Chickens and other kiddie music when I’m cleaning.
I can whistle almost indefinitely without taking a breath. Sometimes I catch myself whistling and realize I’m happy, and I didn’t even know it.
I am scared of losing another baby.
I need something warm to hold and keep my heart together.
I am happy when I am making something beautiful.
I tag, ummm… who reads this? Maybe Jody and Angie... anyone else (you're safe this time, Monica)

Cheeky Monkey

Linda and Ashley discuss strategy in an intense game of Cheeky Monkey.

(for anyone who doesn't know what Cheeky Monkey is, I don't know, either. Some sort of card game. But all the cousins just LOVED playing it with Uncle Dave over Christmas)

Snow Day?

We had a light dusting of snow last night (seriously light--it was only barely more than what Monica posted about playing in in southern California last month). I didn't think too much of it, but sometimes the powers that be out here are real wimps about things like snow and ice. Not that I mind much...I am, too. So anyway, on a whim, I looked up school closings online, and there it was! I was so excited to send the girlies back to bed at a quarter after 6 this morning.

Now the only problem is there will be limited play in the snow, at least for the Linda. Friday afternoon was so warm, she didn't even notice that she left her winter coat and gloves at school. Though how her teacher--who is concerned about the cold when I send the girlies to school with socks but not tights under their (long) dresses--could have missed the lack of winter coat, I do not know...

My Brush with Fame, or Babysteps in Networking

I'm so excited. I just placed a signed bookplate into one of my newer books--Sucks to be Me: The All-True Confessions of Mina Hamilton, Teen Vampire (Maybe) by Kimberly Pauley. It's not the first book I've gotten signed, though it might be close--maybe the third? But it was probably the coolest, because it's from someone I know (ok, only virtually, but still...)

As a true wanna-be writer, I am on several writers' e-groups. Mostly lurking, trying to glean as much information as possible and turn into a "real" writer by osmosis, I suppose. But this Christmas, the discussion turned to books that they've been reading (with Christmas as the perfect excuse to buy more books, of course). Several discussions on Twilight got me to try that series (which I completely love and am nearly as obsessive about as any other Twilighter--now on my 5th time through the set. I think. I'm starting to lose count). But after a few times through Twilight, I decided I needed to expand my horizons, so I entered the YA section of my bookstore and found Kimberly's book Sucks to be Me, which was also discussed onlist quite a bit (since Kim is an active member of the list). So I read her book, and took her up on her generous offer to listmembers of a signed bookplate to place in it (it's really cute, too, with a picture of a bat on it). And that's something for me to consider if I ever have another book to want to promote.

So here's my plug for Kim's book. It's a great story. A fun and easy read--not intense at all for a vampire story, but mostly about family and growing up. With a lot of vampire jokes and situations thrown in. The characters are great, particularly George (who she meets at her vampire information classes). I don't think I could say enough good things about his character. I wished for the story to continue so I could get more scenes with George, but alas....