705:13:02 - Leak!

I work in an older office building. Built in the 1940's I think. The building has been having plumbing problems. The other day all the "flushometers" blew. I'm not entirely sure what that means - but it had something to do with too much pressure in the system and I guess it wasn't very pretty. Since then only about 1/2 our toilets have worked at any given time and you just never know what state a bathroom stall will be in.

Today I found this.. 3rd floor ladies room. I guess they thought the women could use a little direction on what to do when we got there. I thought it was very funny.

Now.. I must go finish packing. I hope to leave by noon tomorrow and I still have to get the SUV serviced - buy groceries for the family to eat while I'm gone and other stuff. 'Cuz you know what??? It's vacation!!!

706:12:48 Vacation is just two days away!

I'm packing already. I always forget stuff so it's not a bad idea.. I'm still sure to forget something I need and will probably need to run out to the store but Peter lives about 15 miles from anything larger than a Safeway or Rite-aid so it really is best to plan ahead. I have learned that Safeway sells socks though.

I think I've got it this time, I'm taking EVERYTHING. I've ditched the traditional suitcase. I'm not going to mess around with the concept of "packing light." I've got the SUV in the garage (first time ever!) which is now a really big suitcase with wheels. I bet you're jealous.. huh Jewels??

I've already put in my knitting, my work boots (I understand my future includes slogging around in the ditch digging out weeds) and my overalls.

Somebody.. quick.. remind me again why I like going there?? ohhh.. that's right.. I love him. A lot.

707:12:47 - Bathtime!

I have the funniest dog. She is part Beagle, part Norwegian Elkhound and part Princess. She loves to sleep on something soft - much like the princess and the pea. She will sleep on the sofa (even though it's against the rules) and she even sleeps on Peter's bed when she can get away with it.. but shhh.. don't tell Peter.

She absolutely hates being wet. Water is only good for drinking. She will NOT go outside to pee if it is raining. She won't. If it HAS been raining and she must go outside she will tiptoe and she will pick her way through the grass like the water will hurt her. She will walk along the edge of the flowerbed on the 4 inch brick "curb" rather than get her toes damp. She hides at the first sign of sprinklers and hoses. Don't EVEN think about taking her swimming!!

The other day I decided she needed a bath. Baths, by design are wet. For days I've been trying to lure her into the shower. No luck. I tried to trick her into the bathtub. No luck.

I finally resorted to sneaking up on her while distracting her with a good session of "ball." I had prepared the hose and the soap and the towels. This approach will probably not work twice. You would have thought I was axe murdering the poor dear. She shivered and shook and twisted and spun and backed up and went forward and . . . oh my gosh. I got nearly as wet as she did. We both lived through the ordeal, just barely, and now she smells like pomegranate body wash.. awwwww.

708:13:30 - Treasure Hunt!

I bought pistachio's today. I love pistachio's. I bought them mostly for enjoyment on my way to Peters on Wednesday, but some for snacking on now.

I was just craving a pistachio and went to get my newly purchased purchase. I couldn't find them. I looked high. I looked low. I looked in the pantry. I looked in the laundry room. I looked in each and every cupboard in the kitchen. I finally found a small portion of them in a tupperware next to the fish tank. Makes perfect sense to me.. Nuts, fish.. nuts, fish. Perhaps that the fish in the tank is named Dill made it seem to be an obvious choice to my mom. I still have not located the main container of them. Nor have I found any sign of the peanuts I also bought today.

My mother loves tupperware and tupperware is NOT the same as rubbermaid. When I bring stuff home from the grocery (cereal, macaroni, nuts) she immediately removes it from the original package, places it in un-marked or mis-marked tupperware and stashes it somewhere. Sometimes she mixes it together. Yumm! Rice Krispies, Cocoa Puffs and Life cereal - a treat to remember! I'm sure, at this point I have long-forgotten food stashed under beds and in cupboards that some future archeologist will consider a rare and unique find. The tupperware should certainly keep it safe.

It's like a treasure hunt every day. Not only does she hide new stuff I buy.. but she will move things from one container to another and you can never find the thing you're looking for when you're looking for it. She re-locates all the kitchen items at whim. At Thanksgiving we didn't find the good silver until the next day - when she mysteriously found it in her underwear drawer.

Someday I hope to have control of my kitchen and my "stuff"... but I know that when I do.. some of the excitement and adventure I get to enjoy now will be gone and it probably will not be nearly as sweet as I think it will be.

709:22:02 Train vs. SUV?

My daughter got her driver's license yesterday. She did a great job.

This is important to my story because she is going to need the (non-gas-guzzling) car next week. I'm headed to Peter's for the holiday and she is taking care of her grandmother. I'm thinking of taking the train rather than the gas-sucking SUV.

I enjoy the train. It's a wonderful way to spend 6 hours. It's rarely crowded, you get two second run movies between here and Bellingham. You can nap, knit, read and "compute." The round trip train ticket is about the same price as gas for my SUV. However - I'm a little frightened of running into the last people I met on the train.

The last time I took the train my son got into trouble at school. The morning I left I got a call from one of his teachers, explaining to me his offense and that the outcome could be a one week suspension. Fortunately he had not gotten into trouble before and this teacher agreed that kicking him out of school for a week was more of a reward than a punishment. I left a message for my son to go straight home from school and call me the minute he got there.

He called me while I was sitting on the train waiting for it to pull out of the station. The train was somewhat quiet with small conversations going on around me. There were about 20 people in the whole car. My phone rings, I dropped my voice and hunkered down in my seat hoping my voice would be suitably muffled. My end of the conversation went something like this (only much longer and possibly with more curse words)..

"I got a call from Ms. X today. She tells me you're in big trouble"

"That's not what she said."
"What the hell were you thinking??!!" (I think my voice went up a little here..)
"It's bad enough that you're doing it.. but to do it in school.. in PE class!!"
"Until I get back I've taken your TV, your game station and your computer. You're grounded from everything."
"You should have thought of that BEFORE you did this!"
"I don't believe you.. You're lying to me - this teacher would NOT make up the story she told me."
"Now you're just pissing me off. Enjoy your phone because I'm considering taking IT away when I get back."
"Bye. Love you"

I let out a big sigh.. and then I noticed the entire train was quiet. No more little conversations. Dead stinking silence. I shrunk into my seat, hoping that perhaps no one would know it was me on the phone.. and maybe blame the lady behind me... and then a voice.. from the farrrr end of the train said, quite loudly.. "I gotta know.. how OLD is this kid??" and then more voices joined in and then everyone was talking about MY son. They all agreed I should call him back, pass around the phone and THEY would give him the advice he apparently so desperately needed. It was a very long 6 hours. The SUV is looking more appealing all the time.

710 days:13 hours:20 minutes

Goats say... "mehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"
I learned that today.

I want, I neeeeed this license plate..

However.. while viewing websites that carry things like this lovely license plate frame I notice there are a lot of references to the "crazy goat lady" and more about women and their goats.

It makes me wonder why, oh why, aren't men more involved in raising goats? Are goats a "girlie" livestock?

I do not EVER want to be referred to as the crazy goat lady.

Ever.

Day 88 - or better.. 711 days - 14 hours and 28 minutes

I found this cool count down widget. Rather than counting up.. I think I shall count down. The countdown date is for my daughter's projected graduation from high school. Once she graduates - let the goat shop dreams begin!

Now.. Just for fits and giggles. Here is a picture of Peter and I, and my friend Penny from a 1982 Halloween party.

Isn't it a hoot??!! and I'm not going to tell you who is who!! (Shelly.. this one is a gift to you!)

Day 87 - miniature goats

I have been looking over my past postings and realize I've gotten..

a.. boring

b.. unfocused

c.. remiss regarding my knitting

d.. pessimistic

Now.. I admit.. it's been a rough couple weeks. Sophie died, Kyle graduated, Jill turned 16, I fell from the world's largest spruce tree, my mother continues to believe that worms live in her skin and the carpet...

But really.. it's time to completely snap out of it. Tara has been very good.. she's helping by continuing to send me goat news. I think she's nearly as excited by the goat idea as I am.

Today she sent me a web site that talks about different types of goats. I learned that miniature goats can make fine dairy goats. Miniature goats are so cute.. AND you can milk them. I wonder if you can put them up on a table when you do? Otherwise a person is sure to end up with a back ache in no time.

Time to get back to my knitting too!

Day 86.. recovery continues

GOATS!

That's all.

Don't forget the goats!

Day 82

I slept! Because of my recent boo-boo to my shoulder I have been unable to sleep laying down. For the last two nights I managed to catch a few winks sitting upright in a chair. I came home from work early today (after waking at my desk to find a pencil indent on my face) and slept for two hours stretched out on my bed. Heaven.. absolute heaven.

Perhaps tomorrow I will have the energy and passion to write something goat-ish. Stay tuned!

(Hey.. Jewels.. Spanish wine would probably make me feel much better!)

Day 80

I fought the tree and the tree won.



But Peter sent me pictures of goats on tractors.

I wonder if that's like the song.. "Cows with guns?"

Day 78 - Trees. BIG trees

Since it's been difficult for me to be away overnight, Peter has been doing most of the traveling for our weekends together- and we're stretching the time between our visits to three weeks. Today we met in Olympia just for the day to break up the long stretch without each other.

We drove over to Lake Quinalt and hiked up to a few beatiful waterfalls. We saw the world's largest Spruce tree (according to the sign) and we saw the "Quinalt Cedar" an ancient cedar tree which you can actually stand inside.

Both trees are thought to be over 1,000 years old.

The world's largest spruce tree has a circumference of 58'11". It has a huge root system. I climbed up the roots of this tree. That doesn't seem like a big deal.. but check out the picture! The roots are considerably taller than I am.

Climbing up was easier than coming down. That's not quite accurate.. because once I started down.. I CAME down. None to elegantly. I scraped the skin off my elbows. I wrenched my shoulder and the worst? I slid the last part on my backside. The tree was pitchy. I ended up with a pitchy skidmark on my bottom. Not attractive. Nope. Peter said to me.. "Ewww.. if THAT'S on the outside.. I can't image what's on the inside!"

Oh.. we saw some goats today too! Yay goats!!

Day 76 - Sparky

Nothing new to report on goats today.

But here's my Sparky. She's very funny and is still getting used to a world without a big sister. She is half Beagle and half Norwegian Elkhound. Most of the time I think she has an identity crisis - although both parents are hound dogs so she clearly gets the howling. She like to sit on/over feet because they often move, which causes her belly to be rubbed. She's a smart girl! I wonder if she will get along with goats?

Day 75. Enough

Enough. I've had enough. I don't like to be sad. I'm done with it.

I shall breathe deeply and get on with it. Besides.. I have other things to do. Wednesday morning I came down the stairs to find my mother on her hands and knees on the family room carpet. I was, at first, quite distressed and concerned that she had fallen and hurt herself. No. She had a fork in her hand.

What was she doing, you ask?

She was trying to stab one of the imagnery worms that she sees cavorting in the carpeting. Apparently they actually take air and she was poised and ready to stab one to prove it to me.

She had no success with her worm hunting - however my daughter informs me she was at it again today.

No time to dwell on sad things.. Let the loony bin thrive!

Day... something

The rhythm of my house is so different than it was. I expect to see Sophie with her nose pressed against the door, wagging her whole body in anticipation of my entry into the house. I expect my son to go off to school.

Sparky, my other dog.. my only dog now.. is quite restless. She does not quite understand her place in this house. Sophie was always top dog. Sparky was always the follower. She is having to learn how to find her own way. She will manage over time I'm sure. She will be my inspiration.

My son has begun going through his things.. discarding junk, packing the "good" stuff. He's not leaving for three more months but he's gearing up.

Things are so.. odd. It's exactly the momentum I need to to achieve My Little Goat Shop dreams. This is exactly what I wanted and anticipated but I don't think it makes it any easier. It's going to be a long and hard 730 days.

Day 72 - part 2

Desicisions. Sometimes they are taken out of our hands.

My dear Sophie. My protector. My Champion. The girl who listened to all my secrets, my dreams and my disappointments and kept them safe for the last 13 years passed away about 6:30 this evening.

I will miss her with all my heart.

Day 72 - decisions

Dogs get old.
Dogs get sick.
Dogs get better.
Dogs get sicker.


Today was a very bad one for Sophie. Decisions had to be made. I took her to the vet. I listened to the prognosis. I weighed the costs vs potential outcome vs her quality of life. The sensible and humane thing to do was to have her put to sleep.

I could not do it. I couldn't. I tried to say the words but couldn't make myself. She had a temperature of a 104. Her body is fighting itself. They say she MIGHT get better. How could I take that chance away from her?

She's spending tonight at the vet. They are giving her iv's and antibiotics and I may have to mortgage my house. Or sell the car. Who needs 'em anyway? I think I will go finish crying now. Maybe tomorrow I can be a grown up.

Day 70 - One out, One in

Last night my son graduated high school. The picture qauality is not so very good.. but BOTH of my beloved children are in this picture. My son, the High School Graduate, is the one closest to the camera and my daughter is in the white shirt, playing the trombone, to the right of my son.

Thursday night our town was under a tornado warning and this facility flooded - as well as the street around the corner from us. The class graduating Thursday had to wade through 2 or three inches of water.

I have TWO great kids!

Goats in Trees!

Check out these goats! Aren't they the funniest things? My friend Tara found another blog about goats (I'm trying not to get jealous...) but this one was about tree climbing goats from Morocco.

I do not want this kind of goat. Could you imagine how complicated milking them would get? Get the ladder, haul the bucket up the ladder, go down the ladder, move the ladder, get a longer ladder.

No thank you. I want goats that stay on the ground.

Day 67 - Miracles

Do you KNOW what this is??

THIS is a small miracle. I do not mean to imply, EVER, that my son is not brilliant - because he is. He has just lacked motivation to prove that to anyone else.

However - Today he broke down and proved it. Yesterday he was not going to graduate - today he passed his final exam with a 94%.

Not only am I tickled pink because my son has finished and graduated high school - but because (and here is the selfish part) he's one half of step 13 on my To-do list!

It has been noted in the past week that I live in a loonie bin. I'm pleased that perhaps, the loonies in my bin are getting fewer (in a good way).

Day 66 - Doctors!

I took my mother to a neurologist yesterday. As I vowed early on not to say anything bad about anyone on this blog.. I will simply say that he and I had a difference of opinion and quite possible the entire problem was my own.

I am certain that it was my own post-weekend exhaustion that caused me to perceive his actions and words as arrogant and uninformed. Not to mention just plain stupid. I'm certain that if I were not so tired I would not have been offended by his brusque and rude manner or his high-handed handling of my dear mother.

It's not him.. it's me.

At his recommendation my mother got an EEG today. It was an interesting process. This is the only recommendation of his that we will be following and I do not believe we will be returning to his fine office. I think, instead, I shall refer my mother to the best Chiropractic Neurologist in the Northwest. Thank goodness I know who that is!

I also took Sophie back to the vet today. One of these days I should probably work a full week - or at the very least - a full day.