Lookie lookie!

It snowed the other night and I forgot to turn off my headlights when I got to work. 5 hours later a co-worker asked if my truck battery still worked.

Huh?

A dash out to the parking lot accompanied by a teeth chattering prayer was rewarded by silence when I turned the key in the ignition. Grrrr! Dickidoo gallantly offered to give me a jump when I got off of work at 11:30 that night. Unfortunately the short drive home wasn't enough time to recharge the battery and once again I was greeted by deafening silence the next day when I tried to start up the engine.

Dickidoo had finally had enough. He called the bank, got pre-approved for a loan and took me car shopping as soon as I got off of work the day after Christmas. He tried to talk me in to a surprisingly nifty looking mini van, but from the first moment I saw it I fell in love with a sporty little 2008 Impala. It was out of our budget but some fast talking on Dickidoo's part, coupled with the car lot's need to make a sale during the declining economy... and the sacrifice of Big Red as a trade in had me driving home in the Chevy.

I am still in a daze. But my daze has power steering, a working heater and the windows all roll up and down!

Guess I wasn't that bad after all.

Cos Santa brought me all kinds of goodies this year. Dickidoo was worried that it would be a meager Christmas for the Oompas, but we don't know how to do 'meager'. He should know this by now.

It started with the arrival of Gabe and Little Ryott. Believe it or not my little Grand Oompa recognized Dickidoo almost immediately while it took him a day to warm up to me. From then on though we were Bread and Butter, Peanut Butter and Jelly, Bacon and Eggs, Coffee and Hazelnut Creamer! We were inseparable! I taught him to blow kisses and raspberries. He taught me that one never really gets used to having someone else's (even a grandbaby's) snot wiped all over one's face, and even at 48 years old my heart can still grow to accommodate my growing love for him.

We made our annual trip to the mountains to find a tree. We took Arthur's Pink Haired Girlfriend and her family with us. It was a first for my nephew as well. It's always so fun sharing our traditions with others. I came home one night to find a slightly tipsy Gabe in the crawl space under the stairs sorting through the decorations and ornaments we had accumulated over the years. We spent another hour or so reminiscing over them and Christmases past. I hope one day he will know the pleasure I felt sharing with him when his own boys come to visit him on some future Christmas.

Gabe and Ryott left before Christmas, but it was a wonderful prelude to what would be an amazing Christmas. We did our Christmas shopping in the quaint shops of Manitou Springs rather than fight with the crowds at the Mall and my store. As much fussing and fighting that goes on here, I was amazed at how much thought and consideration went into the gift selections. They cooked, baked, decorated, sang, laughed and reminisced together. I knew it... they really do love each other!

We had a White Christmas this year. It didn't actually snow on Christmas day but we had a good blanket on the ground... The snow, as it turned out, initiated a chain of events which led to an extravagant gift that Dickidoo had no idea he was getting me. I'll save the details for later, but I will give you a hint. I no longer have Big Red, but nor do I have a mini van!

Here's hoping everyone's Christmas was as amazing as mine was!

Return To Sender, and the Tyrano-Truffle

We got this package in the mail

the other day. Anthony, our mailman, was very apologetic. Without knowing what the box contained, he understood the importance that it reach it's intended recipient. So did the others who had handled the package in an attempt to get it to Gabe. Their efforts were evident all over the front of the box. On behalf of the US Postal Service, Anthony sincerely apologized. It's all good though, Gabe is home. And thanks to the US Postal Service, Gabe will get his priority package tonight.

I spoke with Gabe yesterday afternoon. I still can't believe how good he sounds, and how good it feels to know that he is just a few thousand miles away rather than half the globe away. I could hear my Grand Oompas in the background giving their Momma a hard time. I miss the good old days when they were still here. At least Ryott will be here tonight. The thought of having him and his Daddy safe in my arms kept me up in the clouds all day.

When I got home from work I finally crashed. It makes no sense at all. My son has returned safely from that awful war zone. He and my Grandson will be here in a matter of hours. And what am I doing? I'm sitting here crying in my wine! It's like a dam just suddenly, finally, burst...

A dam full of jet black mascara which is now streaking down my face.

I'm getting too damn old for this. "Uncle Sam, I'm sorry but my son Gabe cannot go out and play with you any more."

Ah, if only it were that easy.

Who am I kidding? Gabe would go anyway.

Rocky made me a humongous truffle the other day. It was the size of a tangerine. I still haven't finished it yet. She made it out of Oreo cookies, cream cheese and chocolate almond bark. It's positively sinful. I don't mind though... it's worth it! I'm not on a diet but if I were that sucker would have set me back by a couple of years. If you haven't tried them yet and want to, let me know... I'll give you the recipe, and then we can all sin together!

Twinkie comes to visit.

The Oompas have been bugging me almost daily for a new pet. Every stray that comes by they feel compelled to adopt it. If I hadn't said 'no' each and every time we would probably be host to a menagerie of 5 puppies, 4 cats, 2 ferrets and at least 2 dozen snakes of various size. I am okay with the occasional pet sitting though, and today it's Art's pink haired girl friend's yellow haired kitten named Twinkie. I was surprised that he hadn't been dyed pink to match his human mommy.

Twinkie is adorable. He (I believe those are baby balls below his tail... I hope those are baby balls, other wise she might be needing a trip to the vet...) loves to snuggle and rub his cold little nose all over my face. He purrs like he has a little V-8 engine in his throat. And of course, he's just a baby so I check on him constantly. I mean, you wouldn't leave a 6 month old human baby alone in a room without checking in on it constantly, so you certainly shouldn't leave a 6 month old kitten alone without checking in on it.

During one of my 'checks', I lay on the bed and little Twinkie snuggled up against my neck, wiped his nose on my face, and then decided that 'hey, I have to sprinkle the kitty litter!', so he tiptoed over to the box, stepped in, squatted, did his deal and then stepped out and came back to snuggle against me.

But then he did the unthinkable! He put his little paws on my face!

Dude! I don't go splashing in my toilet after I piddle and then rub my hands on your fur without washing first so don't go wiping your paws all over my face after a little sashay through the kitty litter! You could at least lick yourself before touching me! Dang!

He began to purr apologetically, and what could I do? After all, he is just a baby. I forgave him... just this once, and let him snuggle back against my neck. In a minute he had purred himself to sleep.

Stupid cat!

SCHOOL VIOLENCE - TOO CLOSE TO HOME

Last evening a text message was forwarded to area high school students just as quickly as a 'Help Little Johnny' email on the internet. Apparently a boy over heard another boy telling some other boys that he was going to shoot up the school. The boy told his mother, who went to the police. She then set up a phone recording verifying the information for concerned citizens and skeptics. What wasn't clear to the general population was which of the three area high schools was involved.

We played it safe. The Oompas stayed home today. In the mean time it was reported that the scare was legitimate and a 15 year old boy from our rival high school just a few miles south of here was arrested. I am relieved that it was not one of my kids classmates, but it very well could have been.

We are trying to baby proof the house for little Ryott's arrival. Funny how quickly a house can become un-baby-proof. We had my 18 month old nephew staying with us until the end of October. Here we are just one month later and there is so much to be done. Ah, but it's worth it! I have missed my little Ryott and can't wait to hug him again. And Gabe too!

We had a White Thanksgiving. And yesterday I had to shovel the snow out of Big Red before I could climb in and sit down. We've had White New Years, White Valentines, White Easters, and once it snowed up in the mountains on the 4th of July. Maybe, just maybe, we might have a White Christmas this year. I hope so.

Yeah, I say that now, but when it happens I'll be fussing and complaining about shoveling out Big Red, and how the heater doesn't work and the window won't shut, and about snotcicles...

Did I ever mention how much I hate winter? Brrrrrrr!