Spider Wall Art

The recent warming of our weather appears to have called some spiders out of their much appreciated slumber. Today I had to kill 2 "jumping" spiders, and although small they are still enough of a sight to startle me. Which brings to mind the OTHER spider that I had killed this winter. This is one of those times when I REALLY wish I had a digital camera, as words alone are inadequate to describe what remains on the garage wall. (Oh yeah, like you clean up spider guts if you don't have to!)

One morning I was loading up Simon and Lucy to take Simon to pre (I mean "pretty") school. I had to go back into the house for something, and since we were in the garage, door closed, car not yet running, I left them in the car. I flicked on the garage light, and that's when I saw an impressively huge Black Widow sitting on the wall next to the door. My initial thought was to run away, but I knew that the kids often walked along that wall to the car while running their hands against it, or we do as we blindly feel for the light switch or garage door opener. So the bravado of my "mother protecting her offspring" kicked in, and I decided that it was the appointed time for this creepy crawler to meet its creator. What to use? A shoe would have left me too close. (What if it jumps? Or splatters?) So, I wisely settled for the garden spade hanging on the wall. To show how smart I am, I even carefully considered the amount of force I would need to sufficiently smush the disgusting thing WITHOUT endangering my marriage by putting a hole in the garage. I'm pleased to say that what remains now is a dark stain and one (inch long) leg. Not even a dent in the wall! I haven't had to deal with spiders of that size since the jungle in Thailand! EWWWWWW!

Telling of my age

Last week we joined one of the local gyms, with a "family membership". The main difference here compared to any other gym I have ever been part of is that with this one, they actually have REGULARLY scheduled child care morning and evenings during the week AND I don't pay extra for any of it! {Note: Just to explain, "family" was $9 more/month than "couple", with couple child care would have been $3/hour/child.} So, this is how this story begins...I wanted to start going to some aerobics classes, and since I am not obligated to work, have more time on my hands. Unfortunately, so do my kids since there is no school on Friday for either of the older 2. There was an aerobic aquatics class M-W-F at 9 am, just when the FREE child care started, so I excitedly loaded everyone up yesterday and got to the gym just in time. However, the sitter was a few minutes late so the class was already in session when I tried to sneak in. My first clue as to what type of class this was came when I noticed not towels against the wall, but CANES. The aerobic content of this class was mostly focused on getting all of the crimps out of our fingers...Seriously. Fine motor skills, likely designed for those with arthritic hands that have been impaired for a LONG, LONG, LONG, LONG.....You get it......TIME. I was trying to think of how I could leave un-noticed, but figured I could just leave with any of the gals that were leaving 1 at a time apparently to use the bathroom. Well, that was a bust so I asked the gal at the front desk when a more appropriate class would be held, and had they considered indicating senior classes on their schedules? Anyhow, today I ended up at an 8:15 Intro to kick boxing which I really enjoy! I actually got to PUNCH things, had to wear the gloves and all....But I have somehow injured myself (boy am I a wimp) and broke vessels or something on the inside of my left wrist. The gal just said "Next time you'll have to wrap your wrists"....Apparently I am so STRONG that I hurt myself and didn't even know it. So I got to play at HITTING things (and it was a hard workout for someone as out of shape as I am) for an hour, swam in the pool to get some of the soreness out (ya right), hot tubbed, back to the pool, then watched some DODGEBALL of which Kevin and I decided we will now play on Saturdays there, since most players are kids of school age and their parents. Any connection there? I think SO. 6 hours later, I have such a gimp to my stride...I don't know what I have done to my right hip, but I hobble like, well, like one of the ladies in the aquatic class that I apparently should have stayed in! :) Maybe I can get enough physical endurance up to join the "regular" kickboxing classes they have 3 times a week. I just never realized how satisfying it is to glove up and hit something with intent. I'll bet I could think of motivators to, but I'd better wait until my bruised wrist is healed first.

Dooder-Ramany

Yesterday I drove 6 hours (combined) to accomplish a couple of tasks, one of which was exchanging my cell phone. The day before it stopped working suddenly and went to "Car Kit" mode, of which I had never used. I called and was told that unless it had water damage, it was under warranty still and I could pay $10 shipping for my "free" replacement (and pay to send them my defunct one) or go to the nearest store (not kiosk) and exchange it. Since there were a couple of other things that I could accomplish by driving 3 hours one way, I decided to do it. (By the way, I've never been one to shy from road trips.) So, as I am in line in the phone store, with Lucy and "sick" Tavin in tow, the techno gal points out that there was actually water damage in the car-kit port (which I have never used). I assured her it had not been dropped in any water, etc. She then eye-balled Lucy who was frantically grasping for anything she could see and trying to shove into her mouth, and wryly asked "Do ya think it's possible SHE got it?". Great. I did know that she had played with it some, but who knew that baby drool was the equivalent to dropping a phone into a bucket of water? So, no warranty equals no new phone, equals no PHONE for me. It's alright, I'll manage.

At dinner last night Simon was announcing to all of us that their class learned a verse from Deuteronomy. "What is it?" Tavin asked him. Simon very slowly and loudly said "DOO-DER-RA-MAH-NY". We still don't know what the actual verse was. :)

Mirror, mirror in the stall....

Last night Kevin and I had our first "alone" date since prior to Lucy's birth! And by prior, I mean a good month or two at least. We've gone out with other couples a few times, but this was definitely a welcome milestone. While we were driving in the van, we were almost giddy saying "Listen! No sound! No kids! And we're not even playing the quiet game!" We discovered a really nice restaurant, very new and what I'd call "swanky". Excellent Seafood, fresh from the multiple sources of our area, and the company was also wonderful. (It is "Oyster Festival" for this month, which means we had the best Oyster sampler ever for an appetizer!) We spent more than 2 hours on dinner alone...not that we minded (although the price almost made Kevin choke.) Here's the kicker, and why I deemed it "swanky" instead of just "up scale". Every stall in the women's restroom had an individual sink and lighted mirror. Wow. So of course, I asked Kevin to check out the men's restrooms. Get this: Every urinal had a 13 inch T.V. playing "Smoky and the Bandits". Vanity mirror for women, TV's for men! I guess it's better to have them over the urinal than in the stall, otherwise, as Kevin commented, you might never get them out of there!

Info on Foley Catheters

I am still recovering from this weekend, which was my 2nd one on-call since I started with Home Health/Hospice. I had serious thoughts about HATING my very part-time job and many reasons why I should quit, especially when I had to go to an unfamiliar region, known only by a less-than-glowing reputation and it was a little after midnight. However, once I got there and waited for the mortuary staff to arrive, I realized again that there were people having a much worse night than I was. After returning home around 1:30, I was awakened AGAIN at 6 :30 am. I have decided that Foley catheters are a tool of the devil. Not only then, but again Saturday night was I summoned for misbehaving plumbing. I'll spare all of you non-medical personnel the details. Overall......2 hospice deaths and 7 catheter incidences. Must have been a full moon. Sheesh. It seems like only yesterday, and it's been about a week already. PLUS when I was on call on Wednesday I had to go out for ANOTHER catheter mishap. Good NIGHT. Let me do some teaching to these folks about how to MAINTAIN these things and to their PHYSICIANS about appropriate use! They should be used for genuine problems, like retention or temporarily for skin breakdown, not for convenience or incontinence, unless they are a hospice patient. There is my rant for the day.

Tavin had an art project/science type thingy at her school last week, sponsored by the parent club. They were given 3 weeks to complete a project of their choosing, and Tavin had hers done the day after coming home with the information. We tried to get her to take her time and put some thought into it, but she was afraid of waiting until the last minute like she did with the hat contest. So, she took a cereal box, empty paper towel roll and a paper place setting with the Chinese Zodiac (of all things) from our neighbor's restaurant and fashioned a "telescope". It was the first one finished and sat in the school library for 3 weeks, waiting for everyone else. We didn't want to discourage her, but knew there were kids working on elaborate things, likely with parental input and guidance. I wish I had a picture so show you the project, and the 2nd place ribbon it won.