Friday, October 16, 2009

Ramblings

UB was complaining of his chest hurting on Wed. night. His asthma has been pretty bad due to the weather. By late Wednesday night, he had a fever of 101. During the middle of the night, it had gone up to 102. I gave him a breathing treatment and a dose of Tylenol. By the morning it was at 100. I called and made him a doctor appointment.

When UB woke up at 1 am, I had a hard time going back to sleep, so I stayed awake. Praying about everything and anything. I think I dosed for a while then woke up at 7. Hubster's alarm had not gone off so off I went to get him up. While making him breakfast, I noticed the temp on the fridge was not correct. The items in the fridge were sweating and they were getting warm while the items in the freezer were defrosting. I started to take the stuff out of the freezer to put elsewhere. Then I put the stuff in the fridge in the freezer.

I called the repair guy to come see what was wrong with the fridge. I was tempted to just unplug and then plug it back in. But someone, no names (Hubster) told me not to. I should have just listened to myself.

It brought me back to the days of when I used to travel as the training supervisor for Wal-Mart. When I'd get all the new equipment unloaded and put in it's proper spots, I'd have to start it up. When the main office equipment wasn't working, and after I tried everything I could (including unplugging then plugging back in) I'd have to call in to Network Support. The only problem I had with those people was that they were computer knowledgeable people. People that I couldn't really understand. Literally.

Their first question, always, was "Is it plugged in?" Hmmm, well, I would have never thought to do that. Seriously, what kind of question was that? Duhhhh

So I would have to pretend to do what the person was asking me to do. But since most of the times I couldn't understand them anyway, it really didn't matter.

They would tell me to plug it, unplug it, move it to another plug, change chords and on and on. Crazy stuff that after wasting 2 hours of my time, they would come to the conclusion that I had originally called in with. The equipment was defective and I needed a new one.

Well, yesterday, when the repairman showed up, he started removing all the panels. Checked everything possible with the gadgets and could not find anything. I should have just unplugged it while the fridge was out.

After an hour of no answers, he reset the control panel and left. Wouldn't you know it, it started working again.

On the bright side, my fridge is as clean as the day I bought it.

It seemed overwhelming during this time. Dealing with the stuff laid out all over my kitchen and every space imaginable; dealing with calling places to find grout for my shower; dealing with making sure UB was OK; dealing with cooking all the food I had in my fridge so that it wouldn't spoil; dealing with trying to clean the house so that no one else would get sick.

But then Hubster came home and told me a story of a person he knew. A sad story. I thought I was having a bad day, but this story made me realize that my issues were petty. So I made the best out of the situation. Loaded everything back into the fridge, washed the dishes, mopped the floor and did only what I could.

My fridge situation was not bad after all. So what that I had to clean it. So what if I had to actually cook something. So what if I had to sweep and mop what seemed like 20 times just to clean up the mess on the floor.

Going back to UB. The Doctor said that he had the flu. Prescribed him some tamiflu and off home we went. But not before I picked up some cheap Chinese for Hubster and myself.

UB never whines, gripes or complains when he's sick. He'll do his usual kid griping but nothing major. I had no clue his throat and ears were hurting. Or that his head throbbed. He is a quiet sick kid. Unlike the other one. The other one can have a hurt finger and it's the end of the world.

So today I will do nothing. At least in my mind I will do nothing. But in reality I will tend to a sick child, wash load after load of laundry, spray Lysol on all of us, and wish that I could take a nap to make up for my lack of sleep for the last two days.

All is good......

Monday, October 12, 2009

Cow herding 101

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to stay in bed while Hubster got up and ready for work. My mom and step-dad were in town and I figured I would sleep in, make Hubster breakfast and take it to his workplace. Yup, the plans that I make.

Hubster got up and I turned over in bed, snuggling back up under my blankets. As I closed my eyes, I herd a loud moooooo. I opened one eye to see if Hubster was playing a joke on me. No one there and nothing I could see. I got comfortable again and closed my eyes again. Moooo.

I raised my head this time and looked at Hubster's phone, surely he wasn't playing a trick on me with his phone. Besides, we don't own cows.

Nothing there, so back to bed I went. Mooooo, again. I got up, looked out my bedroom window and wouldn't you know it. A cow. In my flower bed. Mooing away. At 6:30 in the morning.

I then look past the cow right outside my bedroom window and see more cows down our front yard. Lots of them.

I go to Hubster and tell him in a panicky, yet calm voice, "There are cows all over our yard. There is a cow outside our bedroom window. What do we do?" I don't think Hubster believed me. I think he thought I was wacko. Until he heard the mooo.

My neighbors own cows. These cows try to be David Copperfield and usually get out of the pasture. I call her to ask her if the cows on my yard were hers. "How many are there?" she asked. "15 " I respond. "No, I don't have that many" she said.

So I call my other neighbor who owns the field in front of us. I got no answer. I'm standing outside in my robe, making sure these cows don't eat my bushes and few trees that we have, when my neighbor comes running outside. She said she came to see if they were hers. She took one look and yes, they were hers.

I go inside the house to get dressed to help her get 15 cows back into the pasture. Since I'm a city girl living in the country, I own lots of cow herding clothes. NOT!! Shorts, a t-shirt and tennis shoes is what I get on.

I saw my neighbor at the front of my land starting to get the cows back to her land. I ran to help her and she is making these noises to the cows. Clicking her tongue and hollering. Sounded like I was in a western movie. So I panicked. I didn't know any cowboy/cowgirl terms to round up cattle. Hee yaw is all I know. Along with 'move it', I got the cows to move some. At this time I should say that while I was getting dressed, my neighbor was able to send the cow that was by my bedroom window, back home. So we were down to 14 cows. Actually, 13 cows and 1 bull. Lovely.

We started running after the cattle, but they wanted to go a different way. Hubster was still here and was in his truck trying to help us. We chase the cattle up the field, then we chase them down the field. These cattle would not go in the gate that led to their pasture.

The cattle end up on the south of our land. Hubster is at one end, in his truck, and tells me to get on the opposite end. I slowly walked over there because there is no doubt that I am scared of cows. Especially 13 cows and 1 bull all staring me down. Oh, and did I forget to mention that when I rapidly got dressed in my cow herding clothes of shorts, t-shirt and tennis shoes that I hastily put on a reddish pink shirt? Nothing like being stared down by a bull while wearing a reddish pink shirt.

Can you say rut row?

So Hubster was yelling at me to get in front of the cattle. I started walking, but I was praying y'all. Praying that being run down to death by cattle is not the way I die. Praying that the bull that is looking right at me, at 5 ft away, doesn't mistake me for a barrel or something. "Move some more" Hubster said. I inched over slowly. Right foot, then left foot until Hubster yells some again "More" Hmmm, easy for him to say, he was in the truck. "You come out here and let me get in the truck" I said. No answer then. I was wishing at that moment that I was like a cow whisperer or something. Then I could talk to these animals and tell them that they were making me workout and I wasn't wanting to. That they were making me get scrapes on my legs from the tall grass we were running in. But most importantly, I wanted to tell them that they WOKE ME UP when I was able to sleep in.

We somehow managed to get the cattle to move again. But this time they went all the way to the back of my land. Only 12 cows and 1 bull because one cow decided to go through the gate that led to the pasture. My neighbor decided to go get her 4 wheeler to go get the cattle. She drove back there, but it's rocky terrain. She ended up falling off her 4 wheeler. I told her to leave the cattle back there. They weren't in my way and they weren't eating my little trees.

My mom and I went for a walk. We were up, so why not. She was actually laughing at me because she said I looked funny chasing the cattle. Thanks mom!!

When we were on our way back from our walk, I noticed that there were some cattle by our pond, but more cattle at our other neighbors house. They don't own cattle either. By this time, all the cattle, even the ones that had previously gone back home and the ones that were still in the pasture that didn't join in the great escape the first time, were out there.

I go to my neighbor, the cow owner, and tell her to drive me over there. We drove and she was herding the cattle with her car. She then stopped because there is no where else to go, I got down and tell her that I would chase the cattle one way, on foot, and she could drive the other way. As I am chasing the cattle, I hear a crash. She had backed into a tree. She drove to the edge of my land and we proceeded to follow the cattle through my land. I told her to drive home. I follow the cattle and they went to their land. The stinking gate was open. It looked like someone had actually opened the gate for them to go out.

We laughed about it after all was done. But it sure wasn't funny at the time. Stinking cows.

I tell you, always an adventure with me. Which I'm glad, because it makes life a lot funner.

Friday, October 9, 2009

Me and My Mouth Before my Caffeine



The alarm beeps, or should I say, makes annoying sounds at 6:00 in the morning. I roll over and Hubster pushes the snooze button. This goes on for another 20 minutes. He finally gets out of bed. I lay in bed contemplating whether I should pretend I'm asleep or get my hiney up and make him breakfast.
Now, before you think I'm the wonderful wife. Let me tell you, I am no June Cleaver. I do not have a smile on my face while doing this so called wonderful thing for my husband. I make him breakfast because of his diabetes. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
I usually get up and quietly and alone proceed to make breakfast. Usually breakfast tacos of some sort. I'm alone in the kitchen, no one to talk to me, no one to distract me and I'm great with that. Simply because I need my caffeine in the mornings. Caffeine in the form of an ice cold coca-cola. Caffeine that is usually not ice cold at 6:30 in the morning because someone (me) forgot to put it in the fridge the night before. Caffeine that is stuck in the freezer getting super cold, super quick.
One day this past week, I was in a not so good mood. I let other people get to me especially at 6:30 in the morning. I was thinking about something that someone did and that got me riled up. I then took it out on Hubster. I didn't hold back. I told him what I thought about the situation.
I had forgotten that when I haven't had my caffeine, I am a not so nice person. I say things without thinking them through. I say things that are hurtful. I don't ask God to shut my mouth.
Hubster went on to work and I grabbed my can of coca-cola that I had stuck in the freezer and I went to sit down and have a talk with God. Just me, my coke and God.
It's funny how He never says, "I told you so" or "why did you do that" or "are you stupid or something?"
He shows us in a loving way how how we were wrong, and then He waits for us to acknowledge it ourselves.
Well, while I was spending time with Him, I realized what I had done and said and knew that I was wrong. And I am never wrong. Ha Ha Ha, that was a joke.
I did the right thing and called Hubster and apologized.
I have to remember that I can't control other people. I can't have that hang up in my life.
All I can say is that I'm glad I have a loving Heavenly Father who showers me with His Grace and Mercy on a daily basis. Even though I don't deserve it.

counter