Am I 48 or 84?

This whole week is going to be flooding rain thanks to Beta hovering over us.  Last I saw it wasn't going to become a hurricane, which is good news.  It's still a slow mover and is going to dump a lot of water on the Southern coast.   The forecast says we could get a foot of rain.  

Tuesday I had a podiatrist appointment.  For quite some time I have had the feeling of a hard marble under the ball of my left foot.  I first noticed it many many months ago when I stepped barefoot into the shower.  It didn't hurt... then.  It wasn't noticeable at all when I had shoes on so I kept going about my business thinking it would go away.  Gradually over time it grew sensitive then quite painful off and on.  I couldn't be barefoot on a hard surface or touch the ball of my foot. There were a few days last month where it was so painful I couldn't walk on it at all.  Thanks to Dr. Google I diagnosed myself and the podiatrist confirmed it:  Morton's Neuroma - a very painful swollen or thickened nerve in the ball of your foot. 

It's progressive and can require surgery to remove the nerve.   For now, I was given a steroid shot in the foot.  Or through the foot because the injection goes in the top by your toes all the way to the nerve on the bottom.  OMG I was not warned that it would hurt so much.  I got dizzy and teary eyed it hurt so much.  SO painful.  The days following were worse than before the shot.  My foot turned red and swollen.  I couldn't walk on it at all for 2 days.  I'm still hobbling around like an 80 year old woman and can't put all my weight on my foot.  I go back to the doc in a month, which he did mention sometimes it takes more than one steroid shot. (oh no not again.)  Sometimes they don't work at all and the only solution is to remove the neuroma.  In the mean time, I'm attempting some self care suggestions I found online.  I bought some Vionic shoes to try.  Ice, calf stretches, toe separators, toe socks, metatarsal pads, pain meds, and lots of rest.  I have no idea what caused this because I'm not a runner and I don't wear tight pointy shoes or high heels ever.  I'm trying to be positive, but this is a long term condition and has gotten me feeling pretty down.  

Just so this post isn't all gloomy, here's little Deme cat with her round little belly that's getting rounder by the day.  Kittens in two weeks or so is my guess.  She really is the sweetest little kitty.  

As 2020 continues....

Guess what y'all??  We're in Phase 3!!  YAY!!!  Well it's more like Phase 2.1 because of some crazy restrictions from our governor.  BUT five day in person school returns in two weeks.  Band will resume for Valerie.  No word on choir for Veronica but I'm sure that will happen also.  

Oh wait.  It's 2020.  Before we get to do all of that, school is cancelled AGAIN. 

What else ya got, 2020??  Laura was a hard hit west of us. Sally is going to be a weak storm, but a slow rainmaker.  SO over it all!!!  

Kitty is still here.  I guess I might as well accept the fact that we have another cat!  She is definitely prego.  Right now I have her set up on our front porch with food, water, and a bed.  She's super chill and quiet.  She comes to me for pets, but mostly seems content to just lay on the cement under my patio furniture.  I sit out there with her a few times a day.  I can't bring her inside until she's vet checked.  Once before I adopted a tiny kitten from the shelter and he turned out to be Feline Leukemia positive, so I can't take the chance of exposing Gizmo and Bella to anything.  I feel like the kitty has had a rough start and I feel so bad for her.  She's so thin that I can feel all of her bones.  I brought some kitty toys out to play with her, and she was SO scared of the fuzzy toys on a stick.  It made me wonder if someone had hit her with a stick.  People suck.  She's so pretty....  her eyes are wicked green!!!  

No name yet.  Veronica is insisting we call her "Demeter."  I'm not sold on that, although I could go with Demi for short.  Freckles.  Jade.  Ash.  Lilith.  Spooky.  We shall see!  

I can't make this stuff up

 As y'all know, we just said goodbye to my sweet SassyCat.  Sure do miss my old girl and I still find myself glancing around the corner for her sometimes.  We still have Bella and Gizmo to keep up with and I said I was not getting another third because three cats in the house is too much.  

Late yesterday I opened the front door to the sounds of cats fighting.  Bella was on the defensive as she is very territorial.  And this gorgeous, friendly little gal was there to greet me.  Meows, purrs and all.  Painfully thin (except for being a little full in the belly - UH OH).  She's nothing but skin and bones.  Of course we fed her really good and oh she's the sweetest. She's still here this morning and seems to have taken up residence on my porch and is desperately trying to come inside.  

As I sat there staring at this cat, I can hear my Dad's voice in my head.  We always had cats.  Too many cats.  We had six or maybe seven at one time.  Dad's theory was that anytime we lost one cat, another would soon come along to take it's place.  Never a shortage of cats, he'd say.  Usually he was right.  

Sigh.  Kitty has a very old flea collar on.  I posted in all the usual Facebook groups and no one has claimed her.  I need to get her scanned for a chip, but I'm willing to bet she doesn't have one.  I also HIGHLY suspect she's on her way to being a MAMMA cat.  Oh lawd. Kittens too??  Sigh.  It's only been a day so still hoping someone claims her.  The chances of her being dumped seem pretty high though. 

IN THE MEANTIME!!!

On our way to pick up lunch, Veronica (who is insanely obsessed with CATS the musical) blurts out: 

"I've been secretly praying to the fake cat god from CATS the musical to send more cats to our house.  Does this mean it's real?"  

DEAR LORD I HOPE NOT!!!!  

To be continued......  

Back to....

SCHOOL!!!!  Yes, after five long months it's back to real in person ride the bus to SCHOOL!!

Valerie 10th grade, Veronica 8th grade:

From what little I got out of them, their first day seems to have gone well.  My girls will go on Mondays Wednesday, and every other Friday. They are required to wear a mask at all times from the moment they step on the bus until they are dropped off after school.  On the bus, it's one person to a seat and the windows must be down.  At school, temperatures are checked and they are to wash hands several times a day.  Desks are spaced apart and sanitized in between classes.  Hallways are one way, and the same goes for stairwells.  They can't sit next to anyone at lunch.  Valerie said at the high school's common area, the picnic tables were replaced with desks so you sit alone in a desk to eat lunch.  Water fountains are closed and all students were given a reusable water bottle to carry with them.  No one is dressing out for PE.  There is no band.  No choir.  All extras have been cancelled. 

I give it.........  about a month before one of them is either exposed and is sent home to quarantine for 14 days or actually catches the virus.  I figured it's just a matter of time before it runs through the schools.  Taking bets on how long this in person school lasts!!

Around Town

Over in my hometown of Morgan City, LA there is a column in the local paper called "Around Town."  Basically it is a free space to publish birthdays, anniversaries, congratulations, etc.  Clint called it Facebook before there was Facebook!  In a way, I guess it was.  All you had to do was call early in the morning (or email in more modern years) and ask to put something in Around Town and it would be in the paper that afternoon.

During the lockdown, I fell down a rabbit hole called newspapers.com. I don't even know how I ended up there, but I did somehow and after a few clicks, I was coerced into signing up for a 7 day free trial.  I began looking back at decades of my hometown's newspaper,  The Daily Review.  Of course the first thing I searched for was my name and it brought up so many memories!  Every honor roll award, honor choir, reading club award, etc.  I searched my parents' names and even our old address.  I found every garage sale and lost cat ad my Mom ever listed in the classifieds.  I ran across ALL kinds of random stuff that landed us in the newspaper over the years.

Anyway, my Mom was a frequent caller and liked to put things in Around Town.  I dug up a lifetime of Around Towns, starting at birth.

It wasn't every year, but there's a lot of them.  When I was a little kid, I would wonder if my Mom remembered to put my birthday in the paper.  I'd wait for the newspaper to be tossed in our driveway, just so I could grab it, turn to the back page, and look for my name in the paper.  It was and I was so excited.  It my little kid mind the whole town now knew it was my birthday!!  It never dawned on me then that someday there would be no one around to put anything in Around Town for me.  Those were my first thoughts as I looked through all of them - that after my mom died in 2008, there were no more Around Towns for me.  It's funny that it's the little things we take for granted that end up being what we miss.

Anyway, happy 48th to me!!  (I don't know how I can be 48?!)  Friday, Clint came home with a bouquet of roses.  Saturday morning I baked myself a cake:  triple layer white wedding cake, strawberry filling, and almond icing.

Saturday evening Clint and I went to the movies to see "Unhinged."  Our theater finally reopened a few days ago!!  Not too bad of a movie and since it was filmed in New Orleans, it had lots of familiar sights for us.  Today Clint cooked me breakfast and then we had family dinner at Texas Roadhouse.  We made a quick visit to Spirit Halloween then came home for cake (which is really good by the way!)   It was a pretty low key day, which is fine with me.  Here's to year 49!!!  

  

And this is 2020

Or maybe it IS Jumanji?  Cuz I really don't know anymore. 

Guess where I live?  Go on guess....   see that blue dot right under where the paths make an X??  I can't make this stuff up!!  Monday Marco is coming and Wednesday Laura.  Even if the track shifts (which it will), we'll still be getting hit by both back to back.  School was supposed to start Monday!!  They just cancelled it for the whole week and will start on August 31 instead. 

Crazy stuff. 

What could possibly be next?? 

I'm not worried.  Just some wind and rain.  It's the inconvenience that bothers me the most!  Here's to hoping the power stays on....

So long summer

My girl is talented and gifted, y'all!  I knew that already, but back in February, Valerie was asked to audition for Talented and Gifted (TAG) in music on clarinet.  She made it through round one and round two was supposed to happen in March, but then came the shutdown.  I was finally contacted to reschedule, and on August 7, Val had her audition.  I won't lie - she has NOT practiced at all.  Marching band was cancelled, so she had no motivation to pick up her clarinet.  She crammed in as much practicing as she could in just a few days.  She aced her audition and scored a 29.5 out of 30!!!  Welcome to TAG!  She'll be part of the TAG program for the next three years with an individualized program to further her skills in music.

Just like that this endless summer has ended!!  How crazy that school has been out for FIVE months?!  At the time, it seemed like so long but it passed in a blink.  We survived week one of virtual school and have another week to go.  Then it's a hybrid of in person and online starting the week of August 24.  As of now, there will be no choir and no band.  They aren't allowed to sing or blow into an instrument until Phase 3, whenever that may be. 

Veronica's first day of 8th grade and Valerie's first day of 10th grade:

Veronica's dance classes also resumed.  She's in tap/jazz on Tuesdays and hip hop on Wednesdays.  Thursdays she now has theater class.  She has become obsessed with CATS the musical and theater in general.  She speaks of moving to New York, adjusting to living in a tiny apartment, being on broadway...   Oh my.  Big dreams for a 13 year old, so she's taking theater classes and we shall see where it leads.  Anyway, she's so happy to have things to do!  We're going to be busy busy with all the chauffeuring back and forth.  It's almost like normal life again!!

Clint's new career as a realtor is going well.  He hasn't gotten a listing yet, but he's shown several properties and hosted some open houses.  It is very different than working in the oilfield, but so far, he likes the change of pace.  (BTW If anybody out there is looking to buy or sell, let me know and Clint can give you a referral to an agent in your area!)

Other than that, not much else is going on....    It's a typical hot summer down south and a typical August with busy tropics.  Hey, Laura and Marco don't even think about it!!! 

Wordless Wednesday ~ a PSA from my dear daughter

Obviously not a morning person: 

The Story of SassyCat

In September 2001 my grandma's cat had kittens.  When they were around five weeks old, the mama cat vanished, so my Mom started looking to find them homes.  She gave them all away except one.  "She's the best one out the litter," my mom said.  "She's so sweet."  She couldn't understand why no one had chosen her.  My Mom told my grandma she should just keep it because it would be good for her to have a pet.

Not long after, my Mom made her daily visit to check on my grandma and found that she had tossed the kitten outside in the cold.  It was always in the way, slapping at her feet.  "That - that's a sassy little thing. Not good for nuthin."  My Mom took the kitten home and we named her SassyCat to spite my mean old grandma.  Clint and I had gotten engaged and it was understood that SassyCat would be MY cat once we were married and settled into a home of our own.  

In December 2003 our house was built and SassyCat came to live with us.  She was very skittish of her new surroundings and hid under the bed for four days.  It wasn't long before she adjusted and would come cuddle with us at night.  Only at night.  During the day, she was almost invisible.  Any slight noise - the doorbell, the phone, loud kids, strangers, etc..  Sassy would vanish.  At night she'd jump in bed and demand her pets and scratches as she happily purrrred.  If we stopped too soon, she'd reach out with her paw and demand more pets.  Sassy had the softest fur.  She'd like to bury her face in the crook of my arm and suckle, as many kittens who are taken from the mother cat too soon often do.  If we were late going to bed, she'd come find us and tell us to go to bed; it was petting time!!  

The years marched on and Sassy was with us through all the major milestones: marriage, a house, birth of the kids, death of my parents, the passing of other fur babies, and so on.  When she hit 14, I began to wonder how much longer she had left.  15...16....17...18....  now 19 is upon us.  

Dear SassyCat has been completely deaf for a few years now.  Yowling very loudly at times, which we wondered if she was trying to hear herself.  She's had a very crooked stance for some time, which we figured was old age related arthritis.  Still, she was rather lively and set in her routine.  Eat.  Go outside to look around.  Wander around the yard.  Bask in the sun. She loved laying in her sun patch beaming in from the windows. Time to eat again.  Naps. More food.  (she was a hearty eater for an old girl.)  If she needed something, she'd come find us and yowl.  She'd scurry off leading the way, stopping every few steps to glance behind her,  to make sure we were obeying her call.  She didn't like day old water.  It had to be fresh water in her bowl. The Sassy alarm went off every morning between 5-6am reminding us it was breakfast time.  Oh she had us trained!  For Christmas, I bought her some wooden stairs so she could easily get on and off our new bed. She learned to use them rather quickly and seemed to love her newfound independence.  Nighttime was always petting time.  Always.  

Bella and Sassy holding hands

Sadly, we are just a few weeks shy of SassyCat's 19th birthday, and we had to say goodbye.  Suddenly she became almost unable to walk and seemed to really be struggling to get around.  She'd take a few crooked steps, then fall over.  She'd try to sit up, but ended up laying down.  Still, she tried so hard to stick to her routine.  She tried her best to come find me when she was hungry, but ended up crying for me in the hallway instead.  She couldn't get up to eat, so she was fed and watered in her bed, as all good kitties should be. No doubt she was in distress, and as much as I dreaded it, I knew it was time to say goodbye.  My heart hurts so much.  I just keep seeing her sweet little kitty face looking at me for the last time and I feel so guilty. 

The house seems so empty with out her.  We will bury her ashes next to our other fur babies - Kita the dog, and cats Skooter, Perriwinkle, and Pepper.

May we meet again someday my dear, sweetest SassyCat.
September 2001 - August 3, 2020.

Wordless Wednesday ~ truly speechless

These are legit billboards around where I live.  No joke!!!  Can't make this stuff up.  

July Happenings ~~

Oops, I guess I took a little unintentional blogging break there.  I haven't posted anything since mid-June!  And wow, it's the end of July already?!   In a few weeks this long summer is over and it's back to school....  As long as we don't regress back to Phase 1 (which looks highly possible), school is a go for us.  We have the option to do virtual, but nah...    If we are in Phase 2 as we are now, it will be two weeks of virtual, then a hybrid schedule alternating days in class and at home.  My girls will be in "A" group: Monday, Wednesday, and every other Friday in class.   ALL extracurricular activities clubs, sports, etc. are cancelled.  No marching band.... no choir festivals....  nothing. If we ever go to phase 3 it will be regular 5 days a week school, or as regular as it can get these days.

BIG NEWS:  Clint finished the online realtor's class!!  He then traveled to Baton Rouge and took the state exam July 2 and PASSED!  My husband is now a licensed realtor in the State of Louisiana!!!  It's a slow process to get going, but he joined the team of a local real estate office.  Look at him all fancy and professional in this flyer for an open house:

Other  NEWS:  Since marching band has been cancelled for the year and there's no band camp this summer, Valerie decided to get Driver's Ed over with.  She passed the written test with a 97%!  She was very nervous about driving portion, but she seemed to do just fine with it.  She passed the driving part with an 86% and now has a learner's permit!  She has yet to do any driving (I think she is still scared) but we have plenty of time to work on it.  I'm hoping by next spring she'll be license ready.

Veronica got to attend a week long "Broadway Boot Camp" that the local theater put on.  She is nuts about musicals at the moment and it is ALL she talks about.  She had a fabulous time and I really hope she gets a chance to audition for an actual role whenever things get back to normal.  I think it would help bring her out of her shell.

Here she is as Olaf in a short scene from Frozen: 

I will leave y'all with a HILARIOUS video of my kiddos.  Disney World is back open, and the wait times are practically nothing.  Valerie is a die hard Disney fanatic and every day she gives me updated wait times and shows me pictures of just how empty it is.  We were toying with the idea of going for a few days.  Airfare is so cheap!  The condos we stay at are 1/3 of what they usually run.  So tempting! The girls came marching in the living room decked out in Disney gear and presented us this Power Point to persuade us we should go...    It's a little long and I wasn't prepared to video at all but they really put a lot of planning into putting this together.  

I will get around to visiting you all and catch up very soon!! 

Wordless Wednesday ~ just a drive by!

It's been a while and I probably have a lot to say!!  But for now... it's a drive by Wordless Wednesday...

Single?  Taken?  At the gym with Batman!