I am getting good at recognizing these different stages of chemo withdrawal. This past weekend and yesterday were the "QUEASY" days. I have actually gotten Ger to take his nausea pill BEFORE he feels sick. That only took us 6 months to figure out!
Then there are the waffles that I made for him using BOOST instead of water. That way he gets his protein without eating protein. Sneaky but effective!
Today though is a chemo brain day. Ger has lost all ability to think . . . . He can not process anything except Fox news. And even that is a problem. (I have a problem with that on my best days!) Trying to talk with the man today is like talking to a dyslexic guppy. Anything I say to the man is met with a totally BLANK stare. I wait to see if the words are penetrating his brain in any way, shape or form. When I get nothing I repeat myself and wait yet again. After that I just say, "Oh, never mind." and walk away. There really isn't anything short of yelling, "FIRE!" that needs to get into his brain when he is like this. On chemo brain days I just put food and drink in front of him and let him take it from there. Much more than that is beyond him. I wanted to go to lunch with Jeanne and Frank, who by the way are STILL in Florida, thanks to the snow storm up North. I asked Ger if he would like to go out to eat. BLANK . . . I asked Ger if he would like to eat with Jeanne and Frank. BLANK . . . I finally just told him to put his shorts on because we were going out. That worked well. It's the questions that Ger just can't handle. That and standing up. The chemo makes him very weak and woozy. Yesterday he was sitting on the toilet and got up too fast and stumbled forward falling into the towel holder. Nice scrape on his head as a result. (Scared the hell out of me!)
I joke about the poor guy but seeing him at this phase of "recovery" where he has lost nearly 30 pounds and all his hair, he looks like such an old man. This is NOT the Gerry Lawlor that we all know. Ger was always so full of life and energy, (even if the energy was focused on the recliner and Fox news). To see him shaky and unsteady is unsettling. EXCEPT . . . I KNOW he is recovering and will make a come back over these next 6 months. At least his body will . . . I fear his brain is shot to hell for the moment and may take a bit longer to recover. No problem there, life with Ger is much more entertaining with chemo brain!
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Monday, February 11, 2013
CURE FOR OLD AGE
Getting older? Feeling tired? Can't sleep that well at night? Bones so achy that you don't want to move around much? Just feeling slow and lethargic? I HAVE THE CURE !
Spend 24 hours with a 2 year old and you will be as young and active as you were at twenty!
We had Smith here on Saturday for an over night and if anything will keep me moving he will ! What a great time we had! Smith's mom and dad had a big DJ event to attend so they asked if their little man could come to grand ma's for the night. I think I said YES before they even stopped speaking! This little guy is a joy to spend time with.
Up until Smith was born we were grand parents to two wonderful little GIRLS. Abby was our first grand child and then Kaelin came along 3 years later. Little girls are delightful. We have tea parties, play dolls and castles and princesses. Then Smith was born and Grand ma was introduced to the world of little BOYS. (Having been a kindergarten and preschool teacher I did know that little boys and little girls are very different. But it had been years since our own children were little and since I was teaching so Smith was a bit of a shock.)
Captain Destructo, as his parents call him, arrived yesterday around 4. He IS NOT a destructive child at all but he is a boy! NO sissy ass girl toys for this little man. Out came the trucks and cars and we were off and running. Ger stayed clear of most of the action which was a wise choice. Hot wheel cars were zooming through out the house, Huge dump trucks were carting sand across the patio from one sand pit to another and all this accompanied by shouts of "COME ON GRANDMA!" We buried and dug up all the jungle animals and "fixed" the rocking chair with the toy tools. There was not a single tea party to be had.
By dinner I was pooped when I asked Smith what he would like to eat. "HOT DOGS!" was his answer which was an excellent choice because of their ease to prepare. That along with some mac and cheese and apple sauce was our dinner of choice. Smith ate 3 hot dogs, a half jar of apple sauce and some mac and cheese. Ger and I couldn't believe how this little guy packed away the food. After dinner there was some more play with cars and then bath and bed.
Having any of our grand kids stay over guarantees I don't sleep soundly. Since Smith is no longer in a crib at home he wanted to sleep in the "big" bed in the guest bedroom. I had pillows on the floor all around the bed and in spite of the bed rail Smith did manage to fall out of the bed some where in the middle of the night. No problem, a few startled tears but no injuries. Thanks to all our adventures the little man slept until just about 7 AM ! And his parents complain that he gets up at 5 ! Not happening at Grand ma's house. We came out and snuggled and watched ICE AGE 2 before breakfast and then just continued playing where we had left off on Saturday.
I think Smith asked for his parents twice but didn't dwell on their absence. We were too busy! Grandma was up and down off the floor all day and today I am accessing the damage. THERE IS NONE ! Spending this time with Smith is the best thing for me. He keeps me moving and not snacking. He entertains me endlessly and the laughter never stops. He is the best cure for old age!
And when that little voice says, "I LOVE YOU GRANDMA" it just melts my heart !
Spend 24 hours with a 2 year old and you will be as young and active as you were at twenty!
We had Smith here on Saturday for an over night and if anything will keep me moving he will ! What a great time we had! Smith's mom and dad had a big DJ event to attend so they asked if their little man could come to grand ma's for the night. I think I said YES before they even stopped speaking! This little guy is a joy to spend time with.
Up until Smith was born we were grand parents to two wonderful little GIRLS. Abby was our first grand child and then Kaelin came along 3 years later. Little girls are delightful. We have tea parties, play dolls and castles and princesses. Then Smith was born and Grand ma was introduced to the world of little BOYS. (Having been a kindergarten and preschool teacher I did know that little boys and little girls are very different. But it had been years since our own children were little and since I was teaching so Smith was a bit of a shock.)
Captain Destructo, as his parents call him, arrived yesterday around 4. He IS NOT a destructive child at all but he is a boy! NO sissy ass girl toys for this little man. Out came the trucks and cars and we were off and running. Ger stayed clear of most of the action which was a wise choice. Hot wheel cars were zooming through out the house, Huge dump trucks were carting sand across the patio from one sand pit to another and all this accompanied by shouts of "COME ON GRANDMA!" We buried and dug up all the jungle animals and "fixed" the rocking chair with the toy tools. There was not a single tea party to be had.
By dinner I was pooped when I asked Smith what he would like to eat. "HOT DOGS!" was his answer which was an excellent choice because of their ease to prepare. That along with some mac and cheese and apple sauce was our dinner of choice. Smith ate 3 hot dogs, a half jar of apple sauce and some mac and cheese. Ger and I couldn't believe how this little guy packed away the food. After dinner there was some more play with cars and then bath and bed.
Having any of our grand kids stay over guarantees I don't sleep soundly. Since Smith is no longer in a crib at home he wanted to sleep in the "big" bed in the guest bedroom. I had pillows on the floor all around the bed and in spite of the bed rail Smith did manage to fall out of the bed some where in the middle of the night. No problem, a few startled tears but no injuries. Thanks to all our adventures the little man slept until just about 7 AM ! And his parents complain that he gets up at 5 ! Not happening at Grand ma's house. We came out and snuggled and watched ICE AGE 2 before breakfast and then just continued playing where we had left off on Saturday.
I think Smith asked for his parents twice but didn't dwell on their absence. We were too busy! Grandma was up and down off the floor all day and today I am accessing the damage. THERE IS NONE ! Spending this time with Smith is the best thing for me. He keeps me moving and not snacking. He entertains me endlessly and the laughter never stops. He is the best cure for old age!
And when that little voice says, "I LOVE YOU GRANDMA" it just melts my heart !
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
SITING IN CHEMO
It has been a good month. Our NY friends have been entertaining us and keeping Ger on his toes. We have made it through six months of treatments and today SHOULD be the last of it! To celebrate this occasion Keri is on a plane on her way to surprise Ger. She is taking a couple of days off from work and family and coming down to see her dad. I will leave chemo in a half hour or so to go pick her up at the airport. That's if they actually get this chemo session started. We got here an hour ago, got settled, had the line put into Ger's port and had some blood samples taken. Today Ger's red blood count is low so we are waiting on the doctor to see if she will go ahead with today's treatment. Wouldn't that be a laugh !
And so we wait.
In the meantime a family update is in order. I have really been terrible about writing this blog. Ger going to bed at 9 is totally throwing me off. I don't find time to write during the day and my creative side doesn't wake up till after ten. And that is my story and I am sticking to it.
The London Lawlor's are alive and busy as ever. At the moment Abby and her mom are in Atlanta. Abby is taking entrance exams for Catholic school for when she returns to the states this summer. YES ! The London Lawlor's are returning to Georgia as of July. Kyle has gotten another promotion and will now be in charge of all the US offices in stead of Europe. They are ready to come home. But before they do they have some traveling to do. Roman and & Kyle just visited Henry VIII's castle. In a couple of weeks they will be skiing in France. There is a trip to Scotland for a few days over Easter vacation and a cruise in the Mediterranean before they leave England for good. I wonder where they will travel once they are back in the states for good.
The rest of the family is doing super. Smith is continuing to work on being toilet trained. Mom and dad say it is going well but I did read something about Smith standing on his bed the other night in defiance of going to sleep and peeing all over the bed. No comment on the part of grandma since I stopped laughing.
My little loves in Maryland are all doing great and I can't wait till the end of March when they will all be here for a week.
Got to head to the airport so that's it for now. Hoe to see you soon. C
And so we wait.
In the meantime a family update is in order. I have really been terrible about writing this blog. Ger going to bed at 9 is totally throwing me off. I don't find time to write during the day and my creative side doesn't wake up till after ten. And that is my story and I am sticking to it.
The London Lawlor's are alive and busy as ever. At the moment Abby and her mom are in Atlanta. Abby is taking entrance exams for Catholic school for when she returns to the states this summer. YES ! The London Lawlor's are returning to Georgia as of July. Kyle has gotten another promotion and will now be in charge of all the US offices in stead of Europe. They are ready to come home. But before they do they have some traveling to do. Roman and & Kyle just visited Henry VIII's castle. In a couple of weeks they will be skiing in France. There is a trip to Scotland for a few days over Easter vacation and a cruise in the Mediterranean before they leave England for good. I wonder where they will travel once they are back in the states for good.
The rest of the family is doing super. Smith is continuing to work on being toilet trained. Mom and dad say it is going well but I did read something about Smith standing on his bed the other night in defiance of going to sleep and peeing all over the bed. No comment on the part of grandma since I stopped laughing.
My little loves in Maryland are all doing great and I can't wait till the end of March when they will all be here for a week.
Got to head to the airport so that's it for now. Hoe to see you soon. C
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
SOME REALLY GOOD DAYS
Ger has this week off from chemo. He was due for his LAST treatment today but last week when we went to see Doctor V she decided Ger looked really beat up so she gave him and extra week to recover. Next Tuesday will be the last treatment but for the time being we are enjoying his almost good health.
Actually Ger started feeling better right after our good friends from NY arrived. Jeanne and Frank arrived in town for a month of R&R at their condo just up the road from us. When we first saw them Ger had just finished a chemo session and was feeling pretty lousy. This was cause for concern for J&F as they had never seen Ger less than 100%. Jeanne confessed that it was a shock to see Ger looking so old and sickly. But that was three weeks ago and since then Ger has been coming back more and more each day. It is often said that laughter is the best medicine and if these past 3 weeks are any indication it's easy to see why Ger is doing so well. He still has chemo brain but he and Frank are the perfect match. Frank had brain surgery several years ago so he and Ger can sit for hours telling each other stories that neither of them will remember hearing 24 hours from now. It's GREAT! Jeanne and I have been shopping, gardening and just hanging out almost every day while the men folk laugh and laugh at the same things they laughed at yesterday. This of course is cause for Jeanne and I to crack up so it is a win win for all! I told Jeanne today that they should just move in with us for the month. It would save on gas for all. WE have know J&F for over 30 years and probably haven't ever spent this much time together. The two of them have been a GOD SEND in all the help they have given us and all the laughs they have provided. Frank has been working here every other day doing little chores for us and all we have to do is feed him every now and then. Today's payment was a cheese ball and crackers. Not bad for a day's worth of gardening ! Jeanne has been cleaning the pool and doing dishes every time I leave her alone. I think she muttered something about drawing the line at ironing and washing windows but maybe I can entice her with some pizza and chocolate cake.
This past weekend brought Kent, Kristen and Smith up to see Jeanne and Frank. NOT to see grandma and grandpa but to see our friends. Smith was a huge hit as usual and entertained everyone. Now that J&F have a six month old grand daughter up in NY we will start some match making. It's a toss up as to whether we should match Emma up with Finley or Smith. Jeanne and I always thought to match our daughter Keri with Jeanne's son Mark but since that didn't work we'll start on the next generation. Since Jeanne and I feel like sisters we thought making it official might be nice.
Tomorrow we all have plans to pack up our Christmas decorations and drive them over to our storage unit where we will stash them for another year. Ger and I took the tree over last week and it exhausted him. This way Jeanne, Frank and I can get the stuff loaded and stored without Ger having to do anything and then we can all go out to eat. (Any excuse to go out to eat is good with me!)
And I know we will be laughing up until these two awesome friends get on the plane next week to return to cold New York. They have to go home to rest!
Actually Ger started feeling better right after our good friends from NY arrived. Jeanne and Frank arrived in town for a month of R&R at their condo just up the road from us. When we first saw them Ger had just finished a chemo session and was feeling pretty lousy. This was cause for concern for J&F as they had never seen Ger less than 100%. Jeanne confessed that it was a shock to see Ger looking so old and sickly. But that was three weeks ago and since then Ger has been coming back more and more each day. It is often said that laughter is the best medicine and if these past 3 weeks are any indication it's easy to see why Ger is doing so well. He still has chemo brain but he and Frank are the perfect match. Frank had brain surgery several years ago so he and Ger can sit for hours telling each other stories that neither of them will remember hearing 24 hours from now. It's GREAT! Jeanne and I have been shopping, gardening and just hanging out almost every day while the men folk laugh and laugh at the same things they laughed at yesterday. This of course is cause for Jeanne and I to crack up so it is a win win for all! I told Jeanne today that they should just move in with us for the month. It would save on gas for all. WE have know J&F for over 30 years and probably haven't ever spent this much time together. The two of them have been a GOD SEND in all the help they have given us and all the laughs they have provided. Frank has been working here every other day doing little chores for us and all we have to do is feed him every now and then. Today's payment was a cheese ball and crackers. Not bad for a day's worth of gardening ! Jeanne has been cleaning the pool and doing dishes every time I leave her alone. I think she muttered something about drawing the line at ironing and washing windows but maybe I can entice her with some pizza and chocolate cake.
This past weekend brought Kent, Kristen and Smith up to see Jeanne and Frank. NOT to see grandma and grandpa but to see our friends. Smith was a huge hit as usual and entertained everyone. Now that J&F have a six month old grand daughter up in NY we will start some match making. It's a toss up as to whether we should match Emma up with Finley or Smith. Jeanne and I always thought to match our daughter Keri with Jeanne's son Mark but since that didn't work we'll start on the next generation. Since Jeanne and I feel like sisters we thought making it official might be nice.
Tomorrow we all have plans to pack up our Christmas decorations and drive them over to our storage unit where we will stash them for another year. Ger and I took the tree over last week and it exhausted him. This way Jeanne, Frank and I can get the stuff loaded and stored without Ger having to do anything and then we can all go out to eat. (Any excuse to go out to eat is good with me!)
And I know we will be laughing up until these two awesome friends get on the plane next week to return to cold New York. They have to go home to rest!
Thursday, January 17, 2013
NEED TO WRITE
It is "THE BLOGGING HOUR" . After 9 or 10 at night I start to relax and that is when the need to blog starts to appear. There is nothing on TV these days, (that is a direct quote from my father from about 20 years ago. At the time I thought he was crazy because there were all sorts of mindless sitcoms on that we would watch nightly without fail. I would try to get my dad to watch things like "SOAP" or "THIRD ROCK FROM THE SUN" or my favorite, "HOT L BALTIMORE" . He couldn't stand any of those and now I get it. TV basically is CRAP.) So here I am each night, turn off the TV, clean the kitchen for the umteenth time and then . . . what to do, what to do. By 9:15 Ger is not only IN bed but just about snoring. HE says he is saying the rosary but he is awfully quiet and the snores I don't think are part of any rosary that I know.
There is NO WAY IN HELL that I can fall asleep at 9:30 at night. Two in the afternoon is not a problem, even 5 in the afternoon is quite possible but 9:30? YOU have got to be kidding. Now since Ger is in bed ASLEEP I can't, in good conscience, play or surf on the computer because the computer is in the bed room. WHO'S DUMB IDEA WAS THAT? Actually that is the best room in the house for it and during the day it affords me some "alone" time. All I have to say is, "I'm going to pay some bills" and husband leaves me alone for hours. How the man can possibly think I am paying bills for two and a half hours is beyond me but it works! I DO NOT have my usual urge to blog during the day because there are way too many other things going on. My creative juices don't start to perk until the sun goes down and everyone else in the world goes to sleep. No phone calls, meals to prepare or laundry to do to interrupt me. Night is quiet and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the solitude of me and my computer. But wait, back to "The computer is in the bedroom". I Love my MAC but I just cannot bring myself to have that big bright screen shining across the room in Ger's face. I very much doubt it would bother him at all but I can't do that to the man. ( I can threaten to murder him but I can't shine a light in his face? Go figure!)
And so we go to back up plan #2. Plan #1 would be to use his iPad but I really don't like typing on the flat screen. I can't type nearly as fast on the Pad as I can on a regular key board. Plan #2 is to head to the original COMMAND CENTRAL! The huge old desk made of solid wood that is ages old was left here by the original owner of this house. I love this desk but it is so big and really does not have a place in the house so it was left in the garage. All our "important papers" are filed in its large file size drawers and the swivel chair is so comfy I could live out here. Tonight it is a little warm in the garage but not uncomfortable. I have my little compact note book computer that I use when we travel AND a wireless key board and mouse so I don't have to type on those tiny keys. Now I am all set to sit and let my brain wander. OOPS, I don't have the thingy that I need to plug into the computer so the wireless mouse and key board will work. "Where the heck could that be? Oh Yea, I brought it in to the bedroom a couple of weeks back because I was doing something on the Mac that needed a 'right' click and the Mac mouse doesn't have that and . . . . . . . . ."
I "creep" into the bedroom, wake up Ger by clunking around searching for the connector, trip over the chair and drop the flashlight. I get back to the garage and the batteries are dead in the mouse. I return to the kitchen for new batteries and proceed to drop the entire open package of batteries all over the kitchen floor. Returning to the garage I have now worked up a sweat and will probably need another shower after this which will wake Ger up for sure. As I FINALLY sit down to write my mind has gone totally blank on what I was planning on writing and I am left to writing this nonsense.
BUT . . . I FEEL GOOD ! I have gotten some words on "paper" and it feels good to just be talking. Sorry to bore you and waste your time but I think I'm ready for bed.
There is NO WAY IN HELL that I can fall asleep at 9:30 at night. Two in the afternoon is not a problem, even 5 in the afternoon is quite possible but 9:30? YOU have got to be kidding. Now since Ger is in bed ASLEEP I can't, in good conscience, play or surf on the computer because the computer is in the bed room. WHO'S DUMB IDEA WAS THAT? Actually that is the best room in the house for it and during the day it affords me some "alone" time. All I have to say is, "I'm going to pay some bills" and husband leaves me alone for hours. How the man can possibly think I am paying bills for two and a half hours is beyond me but it works! I DO NOT have my usual urge to blog during the day because there are way too many other things going on. My creative juices don't start to perk until the sun goes down and everyone else in the world goes to sleep. No phone calls, meals to prepare or laundry to do to interrupt me. Night is quiet and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the solitude of me and my computer. But wait, back to "The computer is in the bedroom". I Love my MAC but I just cannot bring myself to have that big bright screen shining across the room in Ger's face. I very much doubt it would bother him at all but I can't do that to the man. ( I can threaten to murder him but I can't shine a light in his face? Go figure!)
And so we go to back up plan #2. Plan #1 would be to use his iPad but I really don't like typing on the flat screen. I can't type nearly as fast on the Pad as I can on a regular key board. Plan #2 is to head to the original COMMAND CENTRAL! The huge old desk made of solid wood that is ages old was left here by the original owner of this house. I love this desk but it is so big and really does not have a place in the house so it was left in the garage. All our "important papers" are filed in its large file size drawers and the swivel chair is so comfy I could live out here. Tonight it is a little warm in the garage but not uncomfortable. I have my little compact note book computer that I use when we travel AND a wireless key board and mouse so I don't have to type on those tiny keys. Now I am all set to sit and let my brain wander. OOPS, I don't have the thingy that I need to plug into the computer so the wireless mouse and key board will work. "Where the heck could that be? Oh Yea, I brought it in to the bedroom a couple of weeks back because I was doing something on the Mac that needed a 'right' click and the Mac mouse doesn't have that and . . . . . . . . ."
I "creep" into the bedroom, wake up Ger by clunking around searching for the connector, trip over the chair and drop the flashlight. I get back to the garage and the batteries are dead in the mouse. I return to the kitchen for new batteries and proceed to drop the entire open package of batteries all over the kitchen floor. Returning to the garage I have now worked up a sweat and will probably need another shower after this which will wake Ger up for sure. As I FINALLY sit down to write my mind has gone totally blank on what I was planning on writing and I am left to writing this nonsense.
BUT . . . I FEEL GOOD ! I have gotten some words on "paper" and it feels good to just be talking. Sorry to bore you and waste your time but I think I'm ready for bed.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
IDENTIFYING ROAD KILL
There is a lot of road kill in Florida. Is it because we have more wild life than other places or is it because Florida has some of the world's worst drivers? Either way you can be sure you will see at least one dead "body" a day resting in the middle of the road. These poor creatures don't even have a chance to get to the other side of the road. They are just flattened right in the middle of three lanes of either highway or local road.
A couple of weeks ago I was going out some place and came out of my community and right on to the entrance ramp of Rt. 95. Right there in the center of the entrance ramp was a dead(?) alligator. Just a little guy, maybe 4 feet long. It took me a second to register ALLIGATOR before I went around it and then checked my rear view mirror to see if the poor thing was moving. It did appear to be dead but it was gone when I returned later that day. I bet there is some local with new alligator boots!
Most of the road kill does not disappear quite that fast. In fact there are times when there is a major pile up of road kill. It all starts when one poor creature, usually a possum or raccoon, tries to cross the road. They get nailed by a passing car and the remains are left for the turkey vultures. I think the turkey vulture is the Florida national bird as there are THOUSANDS of them. There are times when we have to check our pulse to make sure we are alive because there are 20 or so vultures circling our house. These birds are large and to say they are UGLY would be a compliment. Anyway, the vultures immediately show up when there is a dead animal in the road. The vulture is not only ugly but it is STUPID because they swoop down to have dinner on the road kill and within minutes they have become a second course for the next vulture that arrives. By the end of the day there is a dead raccoon and 12 vultures laying in the road, feathers and fur flying every where. (I did exaggerate there, the vultures will land and then do their hop-skip-fly thing to try to get out of the way of the passing cars. Most times folks do NOT want road kill stuck to their tires and will do almost anything to avoid the already dead creatures so the vultures are fairly safe.)
The reason I got writing about this today was that G and I were coming home from the doctor today and got stopped by a traffic light near our house. I had been stopped at this same light last Thursday and saw that a raccoon had been hit and killed just at the stop light. (Guess he didn't wait for the green :-) ) At the time he was still fairly fresh and you could easily identify him/her as a raccoon. Today, 6 days later, Mr. Raccoon was not looking too good. He was more of a large lump with sort of a tail sticking out and a lot of other nasty brown mess. As we sat at the light I pointed the road kill out to Ger and teased him about stopping to pick it up for lunch. Ger's comment was, "I don't want SNAKE for lunch". HA HA, funny guy but if that was a snake it had to be a 30 foot Burmese Python because it was a LARGE lump. Now maybe because I had seen the poor deceased animal last week and KNEW that it was raccoon it did not look anything like a snake to me. That was the start of the discussion for the next 10 minutes. What specie is the road kill? It's actually a good game and one that only ends when one of you gets out of the car and pokes at the remains, much to the irritation of the other drivers.
And speaking of crossing the road . . . . Why did the boy cross the play ground?
TO GET TO THE OTHER SLIDE ! Thanks to Kaelin for that one!
A couple of weeks ago I was going out some place and came out of my community and right on to the entrance ramp of Rt. 95. Right there in the center of the entrance ramp was a dead(?) alligator. Just a little guy, maybe 4 feet long. It took me a second to register ALLIGATOR before I went around it and then checked my rear view mirror to see if the poor thing was moving. It did appear to be dead but it was gone when I returned later that day. I bet there is some local with new alligator boots!
Most of the road kill does not disappear quite that fast. In fact there are times when there is a major pile up of road kill. It all starts when one poor creature, usually a possum or raccoon, tries to cross the road. They get nailed by a passing car and the remains are left for the turkey vultures. I think the turkey vulture is the Florida national bird as there are THOUSANDS of them. There are times when we have to check our pulse to make sure we are alive because there are 20 or so vultures circling our house. These birds are large and to say they are UGLY would be a compliment. Anyway, the vultures immediately show up when there is a dead animal in the road. The vulture is not only ugly but it is STUPID because they swoop down to have dinner on the road kill and within minutes they have become a second course for the next vulture that arrives. By the end of the day there is a dead raccoon and 12 vultures laying in the road, feathers and fur flying every where. (I did exaggerate there, the vultures will land and then do their hop-skip-fly thing to try to get out of the way of the passing cars. Most times folks do NOT want road kill stuck to their tires and will do almost anything to avoid the already dead creatures so the vultures are fairly safe.)
The reason I got writing about this today was that G and I were coming home from the doctor today and got stopped by a traffic light near our house. I had been stopped at this same light last Thursday and saw that a raccoon had been hit and killed just at the stop light. (Guess he didn't wait for the green :-) ) At the time he was still fairly fresh and you could easily identify him/her as a raccoon. Today, 6 days later, Mr. Raccoon was not looking too good. He was more of a large lump with sort of a tail sticking out and a lot of other nasty brown mess. As we sat at the light I pointed the road kill out to Ger and teased him about stopping to pick it up for lunch. Ger's comment was, "I don't want SNAKE for lunch". HA HA, funny guy but if that was a snake it had to be a 30 foot Burmese Python because it was a LARGE lump. Now maybe because I had seen the poor deceased animal last week and KNEW that it was raccoon it did not look anything like a snake to me. That was the start of the discussion for the next 10 minutes. What specie is the road kill? It's actually a good game and one that only ends when one of you gets out of the car and pokes at the remains, much to the irritation of the other drivers.
And speaking of crossing the road . . . . Why did the boy cross the play ground?
TO GET TO THE OTHER SLIDE ! Thanks to Kaelin for that one!
Friday, December 28, 2012
I'M HUNGRY
Merry Christmas! It was a great holiday with family here, lots of food, drink and fun.
At least I thought there was a lot of food.
Tonight Ger and I were going to have a nice quiet dinner of LEFTOVERS. There was a spiral ham. Half of a turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy. Plenty of vegetables and even some yummy sandwiches from Publix that we bought to have for lunch today with our nephew and his kids who came to visit.
When I went to the fridge to start digging out the goodies I only found a bunch of vegetables along with the turkey and ham. NO STUFFING! NO MASHED POTATOES! NO GRAVY! What's going on here ? Where are all the fixings that go along with the turkey and ham? Turkey without gravy is just not acceptable. Might as well just eat cardboard.
I decided to fall back on my second string dinner and have one of the sandwiches that were left from lunch. Care to guess what was also missing? So now my choices are PLAIN TURKEY, PLAIN HAM AND SOME VEGGIES.
Either my kids think I need to diet or . . . I honestly don't know what they were thinking. I told them to take some leftovers home but this is too much! I mean, if you are going to take food at least take the damn vegetables too!
I guess I'll have some peanut butter.
At least I thought there was a lot of food.
Tonight Ger and I were going to have a nice quiet dinner of LEFTOVERS. There was a spiral ham. Half of a turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy. Plenty of vegetables and even some yummy sandwiches from Publix that we bought to have for lunch today with our nephew and his kids who came to visit.
When I went to the fridge to start digging out the goodies I only found a bunch of vegetables along with the turkey and ham. NO STUFFING! NO MASHED POTATOES! NO GRAVY! What's going on here ? Where are all the fixings that go along with the turkey and ham? Turkey without gravy is just not acceptable. Might as well just eat cardboard.
I decided to fall back on my second string dinner and have one of the sandwiches that were left from lunch. Care to guess what was also missing? So now my choices are PLAIN TURKEY, PLAIN HAM AND SOME VEGGIES.
Either my kids think I need to diet or . . . I honestly don't know what they were thinking. I told them to take some leftovers home but this is too much! I mean, if you are going to take food at least take the damn vegetables too!
I guess I'll have some peanut butter.
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