Good Night Sweet Stormy

This week we lost one of our beloved dogs, Stormy.  If you are a pet owner, you know how they become a part of the family.  When you lose one, you grieve just like you would if it were a child.  As all of your know, our dogs are our children.

Stormy came into our lives at a very important time.  We had lost our first dog, Freeway. We were devastated and vowed that we would never have another pet because the pain of losing her was too great.  However, the silence in our house turned out to be deafening.  Unbeknownst to me, Rick began trolling the dog pound looking for another dog.  On one of his trips he found Stormy and fell in love with her.  He immediately came home and told me to get in the truck.  I asked where we were going, but he wouldn't tell me.  When he turned onto Route 13, I knew where we were going.  I said, "Rick, we agreed no more animals."  He just kept driving.   Next thing I knew I had  an 8 week old black fur ball with a spotted tongue licking my face.   It was love at first sight.

Over the next 10 years, she brought us so much joy and at times, some grief.  When we first got her, it turned out that she was sick with an intestinal virus.  We spent many days nursing her back to health.  Then of course this winter we  had to face that fact that she had a tumor on her liver as well as having arthritis. We spent many nights worrying over her of late.   Of course there were many sleepless nights because of her fear of storms.  She would cry, pace and pant every time there was thunder and lightening.  A little ironic wouldn't you say when you consider her name was Stormy!  She also had an annoying habit of eating poop!  Yuck!!!  Why do dogs do that?

The good times, though, far outweighed the bad times.  Stormy brought laughter and love back into our hearts after losing Freeway.  She in no way replaced Freeway, but she did help us fill the void.  As a pup  she was exhausting.   She would play ball for hours!  She had a way of picking it up and dropping it at our feet when she wanted to play.  And she was persistent. We finally learned to just throw the damn ball vs. trying to ignore her.  Then she went through her squeaky toy period.  Stormy loved her squeaky, and Rick hated it.  In fact, I bought a bunch of them and kept them in the cupboard.  Stormy would play with that toy until it fell apart!  I loved annoying Rick, so I was able to replace it immediately! Then there was her love for Sophie.  Well, at first there wasn't so much love, but Sophie grew on Stormy.  They became the best of friends.  They chased bunnies and kitties together.  They dug up the yard searching for moles.  They would wrestle and chase each other around the house.  They would also tag team each other until they got whatever food  that was left on the counter down.  The  last snack they shared was an entire angel food cake!

Stormy was also very stubborn.  She knew how to get what she wanted.  We had a few battles over the years about who was in control.  Our last battle was over the new couch.  I didn't want her on it, and she didn't care.  I did every thing I could think of to keep her off of it.  I tried to barricade her in the kitchen, but she always found a way around it.  When I realized that wasn't going to work, I started barricade the couch.  That  didn't work either!!  In the end we compromised.  She agreed to stay off of it when I was home, and I agreed to cover the couch with a sheet when I wasn't home.  As I sit here now looking at that couch, I would give anything to see it covered in black hair.

As hard as it is, we know that Stormy is in a better place.  She is no longer suffering from the cancer and arthritis.   As my friend Cheryl said, "Stormy is now in heaven jumping on all of the couches".   Thanks to Todd Burpo's book, 'Heaven is For Real', I know that there really are animals in heaven.  It makes us happy to know that Stormy and Freeway are chasing balls and jumping on furniture under God's watchful eye. 

So to our Stormy, we say farewell.  We want to thank you for all of the love you gave us the last 10 years.   You always greeted us at the door with such gusto!  It didn't matter if we were gone 5 minutes or 5 days.  The greeting was always the same.   We want to thank you for coming into our lives when we were at our lowest.  You helped us heal our hearts and you showed us how to love again.   You licked away our tears when we were sad.   You made us smile with your antics.  You were the best.  

As Dr. Williamson said in her card, "Life is ephemeral, but love is eternal."  You may be gone, but you will never be forgotten.  You will live in our hearts forever.

Make Every Day Count....

Dad, Mom and Sophie

You've Come a Long Way Batman!

Sophie woke me up this morning at 3:00 by pawing me.  When she does this it means one of two things.  Either it is thundering and lightening outside or she has to potty.  I scooted over and she jumped up on the bed.  As she was settling in, Stormy started whining and barking downstairs.  Once again either  she was afraid an approaching storm or she needed to potty.    Because of her arthritis and her fear of the hardwood floors, she needs assistance to get up the stairs. So I got out of bed and headed downstairs.  By this time I realized that it wasn't storming, so  I decided they both needed to go out.  I let them out but they just stood on the porch and looked at me.  So, I begrudgingly, walked out in the yard with them.  Nothing spookier than to be outside in the middle of the night by yourself!  Any ways, they potted and we went back in.  As we were heading up the stairs, I was aware of the real problem.  I heard the THA, THA, THA, THA, before I saw it.  We had a bat in our belfry!  Apparently there is now a third reason for  pawing and whining in the middle of the night!

This is not our first bat.  I'll never forget the first one we had.  Once again we were jarred awake in the middle of the night by the sound of something circling our bed.  Freeway, our first dog, was barking at the bat while Rick and I were trying to figure out what was going on.  Finally it dawned on us what was happening.  We grabbed the dog and scrambled under the covers.  A discussion was held as to what we should do.  Rick decided that Freeway and I should stay under the bedspread, and he would find something to kill the bat.  So, my brave husband made his way into our walk-in closet and found his belt.  He proceeded to put only his arm out of the door and would swing the belt at the bat when it would fly by! I have no idea how long it took, but eventually the bat fell from the sky!  (Okay, we now know the importance of bats and no longer kill them. So, please don't call the SBA (Save the Bat Association) on us! )  After our little escapade, we found out remodeling and new construction will stir them up.  They don't like the noise.  Apparently it messes with their sonar equipment!

A few years later, Rick went to the NASCAR race in Michigan.  I spent my first night home alone in 30 years.  I have 7 siblings, so being home alone all night simply didn't happen.  Well, you know where this is heading.  It was like 1:00 in the morning I heard the familiar sound of THA, THA, THA, THA.  I totally freaked out.  I didn't know what to do.  This was before cell phones, so I couldn't exactly call Rick.  So, I did what any reasonable woman would do.  I called the Sheriff's department.  Okay...I'll wait  until you are done laughing.......Done?  So, the on duty cop answers the phone and asks what the problem is.  My EXACT words were, "I have a bat in my house, what do I do?"  He answers, "Ma'am, we don't do bats."  And I responded with, "Well that's good because I didn't ask you to do the bat.  I asked what should I do to get rid of the bat!"  After he finished laughing, he told me to get it in one room, shut off all of the lights and open a window.  It will eventually fly out.  I thanked him with clenched teeth and hung up.  I got the quilt off of the bed and draped it over myself.  Just call me Harry Potter with my invisible cloak!!!  I did what the nice copper told me to do and went back to bed.  Woke up the next morning, went to my sewing room and looked in.  There on the valance was the damn bat!  Apparently I was given wrong advice.  If you ever had bat what you do is  turn the lights ON, not off!  The intruder will go towards the darkness and hopefully fly out the window.

Well, this morning I screamed when the darn thing flew over head.  The dogs started barking and Rick woke up.  He asked what is going on, and I told him we had another bat in the house.  This was the second one in less than 2 weeks!  (I slept through the last one!!!!)  It was like deja vu.  The darn thing decided to hang out in my sewing room.  I turned the lights on, opened the window and closed the door.  I headed back to bed.  At this point, Rick is up.  I told him what I did and said good night.  He went and watched it fly around the room for a while.  (We have glass doors so you can see everything).  After a few minutes he decided to physical remove it.  He has captured many bats over the years and now has it down to a science!  He went to the garage and got his huge fishing net.  Within 5 minutes he had caught it and released it outside.  

As you can see, my personal Batman has come a long way since that first bat 25 years ago.  He went from annihilate  the sucker  to catch and release!  It's so nice to know that I have super hero in house.  You never know when the next bat will attack!

Make Every Day Count
Denise

Another One Bites The Dust

Another one bites the dust 
Another one bites the dust 
And another one gone, and another one gone 
Another one bites the dust 
Hey, I'm gonna get you too 
Another one bites the dust ........Queen


Yep, another summer has come and gone.  It has bit the dust!  I don't know about you, but the older I get the faster summer goes.  I remember as a kid thinking summer was forever.  In fact, I remember getting bored because it just seemed to go on and on and on. I know I would miss my friends and eagerly wait for the start of school.  Now, I barely remember summer because it seems to fly by faster than Buzz Lightyear.  It makes my head spin!!


I mean it just seems like last week that the school year ended.  Now on the eve of my first official day back, I find myself feeling nostalgic about my summer vacation.  What exactly did I do this summer? It's all a blur!  Well, the first week I was immersed in yard sale stuff.  The International Travel Group sent up in my garage for the annual Marne Yard Sales.  It was a fundraiser for our European trip.  What a crazy week!  We spent days setting up and then we spent two days selling the stuff.  In all it was a great fundraiser, but I was jonsing for a break.  The second week of summer I was virtually comatose!  If I wasn't sleeping or napping, I was sitting in my chair listening to Sports Radio with a glazed look in my eyes.  I couldn't do anything!  I would be safe to say I had  bit of a meltdown!  


Eventually, I recovered and found my cleaning stride.  I decided that I had let the house slide over the year.  Of course, if you had my schedule, I'm guessing house work wouldn't be at the top of your list when you had some down time.  Each week I took two days and cleaned a room or an area!  Besides it rained most of June and July, so what else was there to do!?!?  Well, actually a lot, but the responsible adult overruled the unruly teenager, and I 
did some long overdue work.  Now I did rewarded myself every Thursday by going to Barb's, my BFF, and we sewed for 5 blissful hours each day.


Unfortunately this summer was filled with illness.  You see, I very seldom get sick.  Prior to this year, I hadn't had the flu since 1997!  I have a theory about being sick.  After 27 years in the classroom, I have developed a tolerance for germs.  I love my students, but let's be honest, when there are 600 of them in your building, germs are running rampant!  I feel the harder you try to avoid them, your  frequency of getting sick rises.  I have a few friends who are a little anxious about germs and they seem to be sick all the time.  I, on the other hand, am not afraid to have some cough on me or throw up in my room.  I am immune!  Well, that is until this summer!  I started the vacation with a bronchial infection  that lasted 3 weeks.  And then I ended summer vacation with an intestinal flu that last 2 weeks!   Unbelievable for someone who never gets sick.  You know the lesson here...never say never!


Even though there were low spots, there were equal high spots. Given all of the heat in July and August, I spent a lot of time inside.  Therefore,  I got a lot of sewing/quilting done this summer.  I finished up 3 UFOs (Unfinished Projects) and made a new baby quilt for our vet.  I got a lot of card making and scrapbookking done as well.  And read!  Man,  I read 12 different books this summer.  If you are looking for some good reads I recommend...Heaven Is For Real by Todd Burpo, The Help by Kathy Stockett, and My Year With Eleanor by Noelle Hancock.  There were also some day trips in there as well.   Of course I also interfaced several hours a day on Facebook or on my blog, keeping in touch with my family and friends!  There were also my two visits with Hurricane Judy.  She blew into town twice this summer.  I love spending time with my mom.


If I had to pick my favorite part of this summer, it would be starting my 5K "training".  It is crazy at the age of 49 and 50 pounds overweight to think about running a 5K on my 50th birthday, but yet, here I am.  I have  a LONG way to go yet, but as along as my body will let me I plan on continuing with the plan.  Every time I run, I envision myself running on April 28th wearing an Over the Hill sash and crown! One more than occasion, that visual picture is what helped me finish the run.  


So here we are.  It is 9:58 p.m. and time to call it a day.  The alarm is set for 6:00 a.m.  It is going to be a shock to my system!  You see, I have this summer tradition.  I will get up every morning around 7:00 a.m. like clockwork.  Then comes August 1 and all of a sudden I can't get out of bed before 9:00 a.m.  My friend Barb says it is Freudian.  Whatever it is, it is annoying! 


 Well, there was my summer vacation in a nutshell.  I enjoyed it, but now I am ready for the next school year to start. After all, summer vacation is only 9 months away!!!!  To all of the teachers and students out there, may all of 
have a wonderful year!


Make Every Day Count
Denise

Two Weeks in a Row!

Those who know me, know that I have an attention span of a gnat.  As my mother always said, I was like a fart in a skillet.  I'm not real sure what that means, but I'm guessing it refers to my inability to sit still and stay focused. Even at the age of 49, I still have to have these issues.  I'm easily bored and need the distraction of other activities.  This is why you will usually find me multi-tasking.  I always have at least 5 different quilting projects in various stages of completion, several scrapbooks in the making,  two blogs and numerous books going at the same time.  With all of the possibilities, I can usually find something to interest me.

So, you can only imagine how difficult it is for me to sit still through an entire movie!  Rick gets so frustrated with me.  You see he loves to watch movies and always wants me to sit down at night watch one  with him.  I try, but it just isn't always possible for me to sit through the entire production. To help me,  I always have something to work on while I sit in my chair.  It is either a quilt or embroidery piece.  Or sometimes I will check my emails and blog.  Other times I will read a book while watching the movie.  And most of the time, I vacillate  among all three.  No matter how hard I try, 90% of the time I will finally just get up and go do something different. The next thing I know the movie is over and I am pissing Rick off by asking how it ended.  Oops!

So as you can imagine we rarely go to see a movie at the theater.  Besides my inability to pay attention, there are a few other reasons we don't go.  One, there is the cost.  Let's be serious by the time you pay for admission, popcorn and drinks, you could send a child in a third world country to school for a lifetime.  Two, there is the heating and cooling.  No matter how hard I try, I either freeze or sweat my tushy off!    Three, there is the quality of movies.  Rick and I do not share the same criteria for what constitutes a good movie. He is a Caddy Shack kind of guy, and I am a Gone With the Wind type of girl.  Four, there is the sound.  May be I'm old, but does the volume have to be so loud!!!  It is for these reasons that we usually go to the movies only once a year.

Well, the unthinkable happened this summer.  I actually went to two movies, two weeks in a row!  I'm not kidding!  I'm still in shock at the reality of it.  If you are a regular reader, you know that Barb and I went to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 last week.  (If you're not a regular reader, why not?  You have no idea what you are missing!!!!  LOL)  As a huge HP fan, I have watched each HP movie in its entirety  without leaving my seat once!    I think it is because I have invested so much time in reading the books and learning about the characters.    In fact, I didn't even look at my watch once during the movie.  Normally, I check my watch numerous times when at the theater. Less than an hour in, I'm usually bored and ready to move onto the next activity.  Like I said, it is hard to keep my interest for 2 hours.  Well, Barb and I went to see The Help today.  It was an absolutely amazing movie. Like most of the world, I read the book earlier this summer.  When I finished the book, I knew that I had to see the movie when it came out.  I'm happy to report that for the second week in a row, I watched a movie that kept my interest the entire 2 hours.  In fact, I once again made it through the entire movie without looking to check the time.  I should report though that I had to go buy a sweatshirt first!  It was freezing in the lobby, so off to Sears I went.  I am now the owner of a really cool new OSU sweatshirt...AND it was 25% off!  I'm sorry, I digressed.

At the conclusion of the movie, Barb said to me, "Do you realize that you have been to the movies two weeks in a row?"  I was like, "I know!"  I really don't know why!    Is it because  I so invested in the movies that I was able to control myself?  Is it because I was with Barb who shares my interest in books and movies?  Or is it that I am growing up?   I'm not sure what the answer is!  All I know that I was completely entertained by two really great movies!

Who knows?  This may be a new era dawning for me.  Perhaps I can become the next Roger Ebert and review movies when I retire!!!!  Weirder things have happened!

Make Every Day Count..

Denise

Farewell My Friend! Thanks For the Memories!

Today I went to see the final installment of the Harry Potter movies.  At the end it was like saying a final goodbye to a great friend.  I admit that I shed many tears.   It really was like a loss.

You see,  Harry Potter has meant many different things to me over the years.  First, as a teacher, it gave me some common ground with my students. Let's be honest, at this stage in my career, there is quite an age difference.  I'm not always current!   So it was great because tell me what kid who  doesn't know who Harry Potter is?  The books and the movies led to some lively conversations over the last 14 years.  There were many debates about which was better... the book or movie.  We spent many hours discussing what would happen in the next book.  And that final book..wow!   We talked extensively about what happened and the closure it brought us.

Secondly, Harry Potter has been a best friend to my friend Barb and I.  Barb is a retired English teacher, and she shares my love of the written word.  We are always sharing book lists!   As soon as the Harry Potter books came out, we would race each to see who would finish the book first!   We would have literary discussions as we read.  It would be, "How far are you?' or "Have you read this part yet?" It was a killer to be the first one done and have to wait until the other finished!   Then we would spend hours dissecting each book.  Barb always defended Professor Snape.  She knew all long that he had some redeeming qualities.  I, on the other hand, was ready to throw him under the bus!  We also had a standing date to go to the movies.  Now, we did miss a year or two due to life conflicts.  But today, we saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 together.  It took us three attempts....we got postponed twice.  Once due to my illness and the other for grandkid babysitting duties.  At the end of the movie we sat and cried together.  It was like she and I lost our best friend!  We also spent the entire trip home discussing the movie.  First of all, we agreed that the movie was actually better than the book.  The director really did a great job at bringing all the loose ends together.  Then we talked about our favorite characters....Neville was hers and Luna was mine...and how we would miss them. We also talked about how we won't miss the slithering snake!  A special thank  you to Barb.  You see she went to see the movie on Sunday and didn't tell me until our friend Pat accidentally ratted her out.  She still went with me and I'm glad.  Other than a couple of my nieces, there was no one else I wanted to spend such a special occasion with.

Lastly, there are my nieces Adrianne and Jordan.  Since they were 12 and 9, I have been buying them the books.  I first heard about Harry Potter from the Rosie O'Donnell  show.  She was so excited about it and urged everyone to read them.  In fact, she was the first person to interview JK Rowling on national TV.  I decided to read it.  I fell in love and bought the first book for the girls.  I also bought one for Mikaela, but she wasn't so fond of it.  But Jordan and Adrianne fell in love with the little wizard and his friends.  From that moment on, I would buy a copy for each girl when it would come out.  They would grab them and devour them!  In fact one year Adrianne came and spent the night with me.  We went to Walden Bookstore at midnight and stood in line to get one of the first copies of book #4 (I think it was #4).  When we got home, Adrianne claimed she  was going to stay up all night and read.  I said, "Not me.  I'm too old!"  Guess who ended up staying up all night and who fell asleep!!!  The old lady obviously still has some mojo!    Then one year I showed up in Florida with book #5 for Jordan.  She was so excited.  Then there was movie #6.  I travelled to Bowling Green, my alma mater and Adrianne's.  We hit our favorite BG bar, Howard's, for a cold one before going to the midnight premiere.  What a night!

So, you see, when I say that I feel like I've lost a best friend today, I'm not kidding.  Since 1997,  Harry Potter has given me so much.  He and his friends have entertained me for years. I have enjoyed every book and movie.  He also helped me create memories with loved ones that will last an eternity.  He allowed me to bond with my nieces in a way that wouldn't have been possible without his wizardry.  He also gave me a favorite movie line.  Until today, I only had two movie lines I would quote.  One, is 'Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn.' (Rhett Butler from Gone with the Wind.)   Two, 'You did what in your cup?' (Mater from Cars)  And now my third one.....'Not my girl you bitch!'  (Mrs. Weasley to Bellatrix Lestrange)

And with that I say, "Farewell my friend.  Thanks for the memories".  It's amazing how one fictional little boy with a lightening bolt on his forehead could give so much enjoyment to a 49 year old woman.  Good  night Harry Potter, sweet dreams.

Make Every Day Count...
Denise