ho hum the anonymous blogger

ollie, ollie, oxen-free....

2010-01-31T22:01:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had to hire a private investigator? Do you know someone who has? My dad had to hire one back in the 70's to find his long-lost brother. His brother just up and disappeared and my dad could not find him for over two years.

Until he hired the PI. Turns out he was just living in Arizona with his new woman. I believe he had five wives total. Not all at once, of course.

Have you ever gone two years without having any sort of contact with an immediate family member?

Anyway, my uncle died a very lonely man. None of his kids or ex-wives would have anything to do with him when he was alive or even after he was dead. My dad cremated him and he sat in their basement for a couple of years while my dad waited for one of his kids to bury him.

My dad finally buried him.

Warm Regards,
AB

heavy heart part two

2010-01-25T21:53:00.001-08:00

The deed is done and hearts are indeed, heavy. Rest in peace my sweet Macaroni.

May your days all be warm and filled with endless balls to chase, endless shoes to shred and endless tummy rubs.

Warm Regards,
AB

heavy heart

2010-01-25T01:57:00.000-08:00

So what do I do? Here's the abbreviated version of the problem: Family adopts dog from shelter. Family, (especially little boy), falls in love with dog. Dog begins growling at everyone but family. Dog begins BITING everyone but family. Vet says dog must either go back to shelter or be put "down."

I've got three options:
1. Call Animal Control tomorrow and have them pick up the dog....they will put the dog down.
2. Take the dog to the vet and have the vet put the dog down.
3. Take the dog back to the shelter. However, this is a "no kill" shelter. Although the dog is old and can't have more than 2 years left anyway, I can't stand the thought of him living in a tiny cage for the rest of his life.

I'm very torn up about all this. However, my son is going to really suffer over this. Now comes the question about what we tell him. I'm really leaning towards a nice older couple from Utah, who live on a big ranch, needed a guard dog and that's where our dog ended up.

In any case, no matter what avenue I take, it's going to be a sad day for everyone tomorrow.

Warm Regards,
AB

Mmmm......CANDY!!!! Candycandycandycandycandy

2009-12-09T11:46:00.000-08:00

Holy Crap! I just ate a one pound box of See's candy, (nuts and chews), all by myself! I am so glad no one knows who I am!

Do any of you ever do that? Just get going on something and before you know it, it's all gone. I'm shocked that I ate it all. It did take me two days. And one pound really isn't that many chocolates.

Just listen to me starting to rationalize all of it. I wish they gave out Nobel Peace Prizes for the Art of Rationalization....I would so win!

So tell me some of the outrageous things you have rationalized in your lives. C'mon, out with it!

Warm Regards,
AB

Tardy, Late, Not-Punctual....

2009-12-07T10:53:00.000-08:00

I sit here waiting. Someone was supposed to be here at a certain time; just got a call and they are running 30 minutes late. Which of course in late time actually means 45 minutes. I know all this since I am the Queen of Late.

Has anyone seen my crown?.......

Warm Regards,
AB

Shades of hell

2009-12-04T13:23:00.000-08:00

We had our first hard freeze last night. I was very worried about my newly-acquired white leghorn chickens, Lavern and Shirley. Apparently, their combs are in danger of frostbite if they are in sub-freezing temperatures.

Obviously, I had to do something. So I bought a red heat bulb and placed it in the door of the hen house. It was hell. I mean, it looked like hell. I don't know how those poor chickens got any sleep with that red light glaring at them.

I checked on them a few times during the night and it was a funny sight to see. A little brown hen house with red light shooting out of all the little holes and crevices.

I had to break the ice on their water this morning, but I'm happy to say that Laverne and Shirley are doing well. Despite their night in purgatory.

It's going to freeze again tonight. So....it's back to hell for them I guess.

Off the subject; A company called me today. I answered and was told by a computer to please hold for an important message from them. Hello! Don't call me and put me on hold. Is there seriously someone out there that really holds for these people? I'd like to hear from you.

Warm Regards,
AB

Bits of this and that....

2009-12-02T21:31:00.000-08:00

While putting up our Christmas decorations, I noticed that the Baby Jesus was missing from our small, ceramic, very badly made, Nativity. (Someone left it on our porch one Christmas, VERY sweet)!

I've oftened longed for a new Nativity due to it being small, ceramic and very badly made. I've never gotten a new one due to the fact that this one was a gift. Not only was it a gift, it was an anonymous gift. (You know how much I love anonymous).

So instead of shouting for joy that I finally had a reason to get a new Nativity, I was actually somewhat sad about it. I mean, how do you throw away Mary, Joseph, little Shepard boys, etc? Just HOW do you do that?!

So I've come up with a plan. I'm not sure about all the particulars yet, so I'll just give you the Index version. I am going to buy a new Nativity. And I'm going to purposefully hide the Baby Jesus.

Then, during the two weeks or so before Christmas, we will have regularly scheduled, "hunts" to find the Baby Jesus. These "hunts" will include caroling to widows, writing to folks in the military, and basically, all good works one can think of.

What better way to find the Baby Jesus than to do His will? To serve those He would serve if He were here Himself?

Now, totally off topic; oyster crackers. Are they just the greatest or what?

Warm Regards,
AB

The league of bad parents

2009-12-01T21:11:00.000-08:00

My darling son had his school picture taken just like every other year. And once again, I just didn't care for it. So I took him and had professional pictures done for an insane amount of money. Yesterday he comes home with a sheet of plastic. On this plastic are little "punch-out" tree ornaments with his picture on them.

These are accompanied by a letter from the school stating we can keep the cheap-o ornaments for a mere 10 bucks; or we can send them back the next day without buying them. What a racket! Of course all the kids have seen their cute little faces adorning the piece of plastic. They WANT them! They must have them! They can't live without them!

So us parents are completely suckered into shelling out ten bucks for flimsy, cheap Christmas tree ornaments with pictures of our kids we don't even like! (We don't like the pictures, not the kids). And if we don't want the ornaments, our kids feel like we don't love them.

Someone at that school must have won some sort of prize for coming up with this "fundraiser".

GGGRrrrrrrr.....

In a completely unrelated topic, who has got their Christmas shopping done? Man, this time last year my presents were bought, wrapped, ribboned and labeled. This year, nada. I have really got to get on this!

I love, love, LOVE shopping online! I even have my credit card number memorized with the little security number on the back.

Warm Regards,
AB

family.....

2009-11-30T19:38:00.000-08:00

Do you get along with your family? I watched "Surviving Christmas" with Ben Affleck yesterday. He makes the point that most people, if they are going to survive being with family during the holidays, have to really "liquor up" in order to stand it.

What about those of us who don't drink?

Big, big hoopla happening in the family right now regarding Christmas. The majority of the family live in the same city. No big deal. They all got together and decided to change our huge party from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day.

Well.....this will exclude two entire families who already had things planned for Christmas Day. No, they were not consulted when the big "change" was made. I've been a part of this family for the past 14 1/2 years and our big party has ALWAYS been on Christmas Eve! So of course, we make plans with the other half of the family on Christmas Day.

It's always worked out so well.

Now feelings have been hurt and so on.

I guess I can drink eggnog and pretend it's spiked.

Warm Regards,
AB

Let's face it.....

2009-11-29T13:23:00.000-08:00

....we are in big, BIG trouble!

I used to have a life-threatening disease; you know, one of those "rare" weird ones that no body's ever heard of. Turns out there are only a handful of doctors in this country who even understand this disease and can treat it properly.

I found an amazing website and message board with tons of information about this condition which led me to the handful of doctors who could help me. I was treated and cured. So that's my happy ending, right?

Uh, well, for me it is, anyway.

The message board that helped me out so much has members from folks all over the world who have had the ill fortune of having this same life-threatening condition as I had. Many, and I mean, MANY of them are from countries where health care is government run.

They DO NOT GET WELL! Because of socialized medicine, the doctors there do not have any incentive to do research on the hard to diagnose and treat illnesses. No one in those countries specializes in these hard to treat illnesses.

So I read and read and read about all those poor souls who can't get ANYONE to listen to them and then I read and read and read their obituaries.

A very few lucky ones have the resources to come to our great country and get treatment. Those who don't, well, I already told you what happens to them.

And we want this crap here? I do not. I thank God every day that I am already cured and feel very sorry for my sick fellow citizens who will not be able to get fixed even in this country because of socialized medicine.

Luckily, there is one bright spot in all this. I am a firm believe that Jesus Christ will return again to the earth in power and great glory. All this crap our government is doing to take away our freedoms is just hastening His coming.

God help us all.

Warm Regards,
AB

2012----will it be the end?

2009-11-28T21:02:00.000-08:00

So the husband and I (finally) saw 2012 today. I really liked it but the husband said it was too predictable, too much like all the other mass-destruction movies, too........well you get the idea. He didn't really care for it.

So what do you believe about the Mayan Calendar ending on December 21, 2012? Do you think that will be the end of it all?

Could it possibly be that Mayan calendar writing guy's pen just ran out of ink right then and he just never got around to finishing the job?

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

Warm Regards,
AB

Gobble!

2009-11-26T12:35:00.000-08:00

Said Mr. Turkey, fat and gray,
gobble, gobble, gobble, gobble, gobble!

It soon will be Thanksgiving Day!
gobble, gobble, gobble, gobble, gobble!

Most folks think it is such fun,
but I think that I shall RUN
and hid until the day is done...

Gobble, gobble, gobble, gobble, GOBBLE!

My darling nephew used to sing this to me when he was young.

Happy Thanksgiving to all you anonymous readers out there from AB!

2009-11-25T10:31:00.000-08:00

So last night a friend of my husband's dropped in for a visit. Unannounced. Does this bother you when people just pop in and expect you to drop absolutely everything to visit with them?

For the most part, I don't care. I think it's even kinda neat that someone would think of me for no reason, really, and drive to my house just to talk about nothing in particular. It's really great when they come right after the cleaning lady has come. Which was the situation last night.

So we all got to talking about the state of our country. I don't care who's side you are on; I think we can all agree that things are a mess.

For whatever reason, it got me thinking about a conversation I had about 13 years ago. America was involved in one of those little skirmishes we had during the 90's and there was a rumor going around that the government was going to bring the draft back.

My husband and myself were talking about this with one of my good friends and her husband. We started really thinking about how hard it would be if one of our sons was ever drafted and we had to send them off to war. Send them off to kill or be killed. Send them off to witness violence and images that would live forever in their nightmares. Send them off with the knowledge we may never see them alive again. *Shudder*

My friend's husband retorted that if the draft was ever reconstituted, he and his sons would immediately head for Canada. The subject was soon changed and the mood was lightened.

As my husband and I were driving home I brought up the comment made about running to Canada. My husband spoke quietly but forcefully and said, "We would send our son off to defend freedom with pride and honor."

And ya know, we would.

War is ugly and does very little good for anyone. But sometimes, you just got no choice. There are some things in this world that are more important than ourselves.

What do you think?

Warm Regards,
AB

ps. Just wanted to add that one of the phrases I miss most saying is, "Hey, it's the 90's!" I guess if I live long enough I can use it again in about 80 or so years.

My Version of Clean

2009-11-24T13:27:00.000-08:00

So I am fortunate enough to have a cleaning lady come once-a-week. When she first came I explained I just wanted her to clean the bathrooms and floors. Then, if there was time left over she could dust.

Very slowly she's sort of taken over. Seriously. She cleans the bathrooms, floors, dusts, cleans the blinds, does laundry. One day I got home from the kiddie carpool to find her taking down the curtains in the kitchen.

She washed, dried and ironed them. Then I found her standing on the kitchen counter mopping the ceiling. Really. Well, my ceiling is really clean now.

I've told her several times I don't expect her to do so much. She used to do a really great job. The husband even wanted me to tell her he loved her. It was just so nice to walk into such a sparkling house.

She's been having some personal problems lately. Things are happening to her that are not in her control and they are really wigging her out.

This has affected her work here.....for quite some time. I know she's having some issues so I feel like I just need to ride it out with her. Yet at the same time I'm really paying her some dinero to clean.

So whatdoIdo? The AB would welcome any suggestions.

Warm Regards,
AB

My very first blog post.....EVER!

2009-11-24T00:18:00.000-08:00

Ya know, I'm not telling one soul about this blog. As you've surmised it's completely anonymous. I'm wondering if anyone is actually going to read this and actually respond to this blog.

It's 12:20AM where I live. My poor son has croup and can't sleep which, of course, means mom can't sleep either. Not that I really mind. I love being a mom. I had to wait quite some time for it to happen so I try to appreciate every second. Even the seconds that include not sleeping due to croup.

Speaking of moms: I am a SAHM and really love it. I've had the successful career and the kind of big paychecks. I must admit, I really miss that paycheck.

However, I'm of the opinion that no one can raise my kids better than me. And a paycheck just doesn't make up for missing so much of my kids' lives. Am I living in the dark ages or what?

Actually, I've noticed that women who choose to stay home to raise the critters are not looked upon too favorably anymore. Does anyone else get this vibe, too?

It's like if you choose to stay home you are somehow not contributing to society. The way I see it, I'm raising a family and teaching them, (ahem, trying to teach them), to be kind, thoughtful, have integrity, be a good citizen and to love their neighbors. I'd say that's a pretty good contribution to society.

No one needs me to say that raising kids aint easy. Man I wish they came with a handbook. I remember when my son was just a few months old, he would only sleep when I was holding him. I called my mom, babbled on about the problem in a sleep-deprivated haze and asked her, the successful mother of five children, what I was suppossed to do.

She told me, "Oh, you just deal with it." So much for the manual.

Anyway, I do have a degree and could be making decent money. I choose to make decent kids instead. Going to work is soooo much easier!

I know staying at home just isn't for everyone and isn't financially feasible for everyone. And that's ok. I'm just glad I have the choice.

When I was doing my student teaching one of the teachers at the school came back from her six weeks of maternity leave. She cried and cried. Most of the female teachers sighed, said they understood and just let her cry.

I just think that's so sad.

Warm Regards,
AB