We had this great kitty, named Rocky. Sometimes Rocko or Rockster, or Rockstar.  Sometimes Dumbass or Ding Dong.

He thought he was a tiger or at the very least, a jungle kitty.

Right from the start he got himself into all kinds of trouble....

He loved water.

Rocky thought he was really good at hiding.

He also thought he was human.

If you go to "google images" and type "google kitty" he's there.  Rocky on the web.

Well Tuesday night we lost our little buddy.  He was hit by a car on the road.  We've found him a final resting place under the tree he used to climb in the back yard.  The crew here at Shady Lane is pretty sad, and will be for awhile.
It just isn't the same around here without him.  He didn't flop down on the carpet with a "murr"  (not a meow) while we watched TV.  He didn't climb on my pillow to get me up after the alarm this morning.  DH didn't have anyone following him to the bathroom looking for treats. And Boy and Girl didn't have him to greet them when they got off the bus today.
Our fuzzy buddy is missed.

God speed, Rocky.  We miss you.
Amen.

touchstone

It has been a crazy week.  I've had some issues and they are dragging me down.

Part 1
I have an eternally optimistic happy friend who yesterday promised me that "there is a silver lining," and "this too shall pass."  Then I talked to someone who assured me that "this is only going to get worse" and I should "learn to deal with difficult people, cause there are lots of them and sometimes they have it out for you."
So I went to my lovely, optimistic friend and I said to her, "You lied to me.  This is bad, and it will get worse.  There is no silver lining. So there.  I am going to my office to wallow in self doubt and pity."  And I did.

Part 2
I don't watch a lot of TV, but my one constant show is the Young and the Restless.  I confess.  I DVR it, but I still only see it about twice a week.  That however, is enough to keep me up to date.  On Y&R Sharon has recently discovered that she has a mental illness.  Her therapist told her that sometimes [crazy people] find a touchstone helpful and calming.  A touch stone is an item, or piece of music or video that they continually go back to for grounding.

Part 3
It's possible that I am in need of a touchstone.  My lovely optimistic friend showed me a video clip from you tube this week that I have now watched 12 times.  I am going to watch it again when I put the link here, and probably again before bed.  It makes me happy.  It is calming.  It is my new touchstone.  I think you will like it to -- you don't have to be going nuts to appreciate the magic.  Enjoy.

Part 4
My lovely optimistic friend also delivered gluten free one-bite brownies to my door.  They can't be a touchstone -- I ate the bag already.

Boy humour

This is Boy and his best bud, D.

Don't think they didn't plan this....'cause they did.
This is 14 year old boy humour.
It just is.

Age

I have pneumonia -- I am getting over it, but my ribs still ache and sometimes my breath just goes away.  Like, completely away.  Then I make this knarly sucking-in sound that could be construed as a cough or laugh but either way doesn't really look nor sound quite right.  When I make that sound and hold my ribs, the kids at school look at me and then back slowly away.  My family has grown immune to that sound, so they just ignore me.

Catching my breath has made me think about aging.  I think only really young people and really old people get pneumonia.

I am not young.

I know.

I know because I filled out an online survey today and I had click on the scroll down box to find the year of my birth.  I had to scroll down.  Waaaayyy down.

That proves it.

I am old.

and wheezy.

I will call him Dougie

this is not my photo -- just a random clip from Google images...

Boy went to buy another lawnmower from a local auction house.  Turns out that it there was a pony auction before the lawnmowers went up on the block.  Boy was very taken with the ponies.  Some were only going for "tens of dollars."

Boy came home with a push lawnmower with deluxe wheels, but no pony.  (Thank heavens!) But he is convinced it would be a great pet.

This is how he tried to convince me:

Boy:  Mom, you wouldn't have believed how cute these ponies were.
Me:  uh huh
Boy:  ...and small, they were really small.
Me:  uh huh
Boy:  small like a dog.  We should get one.
Me:  silent. I give him the look that clearly says "over my dead body."  He does not get the message -- I'll have to work on my "look."
Boy:  It would be so great.  It could pull a cart.  It could pull the cart with my lawnmower in it, so we wouldn't waste so much gas.
Me:  Where would we keep a pony?
Boy:  With Smoke.  Or we could build a wee tiny pen in the shed.  Or Girl's little house.  It could even come in our house sometimes 'cause it'd be small enough. And if you had to take it to the vet, the vet wouldn't have to make a house call, we could just load it in the back of the jeep and take it to town. That would save a lot of money, wouldn't it?  That's a good idea.
Me:  again with the look.
Boy:  If I got a miniature pony I'd call it Douglas.  Dougie for short.  I would love him and squeeze him and call him my friend.
Me:  Really, Dougie is a good horse name is it?
Boy:  Also, Dougie could be chick magnet. Girls love horses.
Me:  ...and just how is that going to go.  Are you going to say, "hey pretty girl, want to see my leetle horsey?"
Boy:  Boy leaves the room --he's got nothing.

Mom -- score 1.

a nap

Today I had a nap.
A long nap.
The kind of nap that leaves you with drool on your face and the sensation in the back of your throat that means you've been snoring.

I got to have a nap because I didn't have school today (yeah!) and because DH and the kids went to pick up some brake parts for my Jeep.

When I awoke from my 10 min. rest (2 1/2 hours later) I found that they came home with a bit more than brake parts....

Here's the list:
-brake parts
-2 pairs of leather gloves
-1 boot jack
-1 saddle cover
-3 signs that say "Cadillac"
-1 pink coat
-1 pair of pink fuzzy slipper (guess who the coat and slippers are for?)
-a baby bottle for dolls (again, guess who?)
and
-1 John Deere lawn mower -- a REAL lawnmower, not a toy

How, how does this happen?

It happened because I took a nap instead of riding along.
It is ALL my fault...

Good night.

This is me, and Smoke.  His is the big butt with the tail; I'm the big butt sans tail...

This is Smoke and I before we went for ride.

This is me with Smoke.  I love him.

Very much.

Amen.