My boss just stopped by my office with her granddaughter, who is very high energy. I gave her my AFLAC duck - a plushy and very cute. And when you squeeze it, Gilbert Gottfried yells AFLAC! three times, louder and LOUDER and LOUDER!

I would feel bad but I did ask her first and she said it was okay.

My perennial puppy, Madeleine, had her yearly check-up today. She's in fine shape for an old lady of 11, except for some loose teeth at the front of her mouth. Ouch! No wonder she wasn't eating the dry dog food. She's lost some weight, a combination of not being able to eat all the cat food she wants, no more extra treats, and a nightly walk around the neighborhood. The vet was very pleased. Also her ears were infection free, so the extra care and bathing is helping. All in all, a good check-up, and I'm heading to PetSmart in a wee bit to find some doggie toothpaste to see if we can help those front teeth last a bit longer.

She's asleep at my feet as I type, recovering from her yearly booster shots. She'd forgiven me by the time we got home, as soon as I tossed her an ice cube or two. (Perfectly okay to give her per the vet.) I told the vet I had always been a cat person. I'm not sure that I'm a dog person yet, but I am definitely a Madeleine person. She is just the best little dog ever. (The vet tech also has owned Cavalier King Charles spaniel mixes and thinks they are the bees knees. We talked about what wonderful little dogs they are.) So that's done for this year.

Rabies tags are heart-shaped this year. What a cutie!

I had a dentist's appointment yesterday, to get the back left bottom molar crowned. The tooth had a crack in it but wasn't hurting yet, so this should forestall a root canal. They also did some minor gum surgery, but yesterday was pretty much yogurt and bananas. Today has included oatmeal but I'm thinking of splurging on cottage cheese for lunch. I go back in 3 weeks for the permanent crown.

And now I'm broke (well, not really broke, but discretionary income is pretty much toast.) Medical care is expensive. Pity that dogs and teeth are both needed for a happy life.

Madeleine is asleep. Punkin is asleep. Johannes is asleep. I see a trend.

AKICOLJ (All knowledge is contained on Live Journal) request:

There was a series sometime within the last 10 years or so, science fiction, about a government agent who could be sent back in time but only for a specific period of time - I want to say it was seven days and the title had something to do with that. I cannot track it down or remember more than that. But obviously he would be sent back to prevent disasters and hijinks would ensue.

Anyone else remember it?

Finally off for some much needed downtime over the holidays. Got the latest batch out the door on Friday. So of course SOMETHING in the bug category bit me on the cheek over the weekend (current opinion is probably a spider) and i developed what looked like unilateral mumps. I spent most of yesterday and today curled up in bed as a result, but it is much less swollen now than it was Sunday morning, and much less tender.

The furries spent most of the day curled up with me. Punkin has moved into the niche left by the missing and presumed deceased Latte. He curls up with me in bed and demands petting and snuggles. Madeline just likes breathing the same air I do. She curls up in her doggie bed and snoozes. Doggy snores are very soothing.

Oh, the guy who fixed my patio cover came by looking for work. Told him I didn't have any and he shouldn't bother coming here anymore. Dude, really? You let my cat get out, despite my telling you to close the gate. The next time I hired you, you were supposed to come finish the clean up the next day while I was at work but asked for the balance due and like an idiot I gave it to you. The next time I saw you was 5 months later when you wanted work. My nephew had to schlep all your mess to the trash. You were supposed to bring me the permit for the patio cover. Never happened. And now you want work? I don't f*cking think so. Fool me once sort of thing...

I'm making a country ham with crowder peas, collard greens and cornbread for Christmas...yeah, it'll be a real hillbilly Christmas up in here. Maybe I'll make a berry cobbler for dessert. Or an apple pan dowdy.

Here are a couple of Bugs Bunny icons for you!





Hope one of these will work for you!

I spent a good 20 minutes sitting under hot water in the shower this morning,(times like this a shower chair REALLY comes in handy) and let it work out the kinks in my neck and pound most of my headache away. I spent most of that time singing "He Lives in You" from the Lion King for no reason I can discern, other than it's pretty and mostly in my voice range.

The nephew heated up soup for dinner last night and then put on a ginormous stockpot of caldo. Which is technically also soup, but caldo de pollo is to chicken soup what pate de fois gras is to goose liver. And when it comes to Hispanic cooking, the nephew rocks. I occasionally have to remind him that I'm a gringa and please dial back the heat a smidge, but he usually knocks it out of the park. Watching him cook is also fun because we do the "foodie shorthand" where he'll start to explain why he's doing something and I'll finish the sentence for him or we'll both just nod about halfway through a sentence because we both know WHY he's doing something.

A co-worker gave me some wild-caught tuna (her partner enjoys deep-sea fishing) that they had grilled over the weekend. It was a touch gamy for me - I don't know if it was how they prepared it or what - but someone in our house (points to icon) <3'd it to pieces. I don't think I should tell my co-worker that her fish went into the dog food though. Might upset her.

The nephew continues to take such good care of me, and so lovingly, that at moments it quite takes my breath away. Acts of kindness can bring tears to my eyes much more quickly than cruelty. I keep thinking of Scrooge (I must confess to liking the Alistair Sim version best) on Christmas morning, giggling to himself and saying "I don't deserve to be this happy!"

I had one of those Charlie finding the car keys moments this morning - the lost cash version. I was pulling out money for my breakfast kolache and then could NOT find the two twenties I had set aside. I got to work and even rooted around under the car seats to find them. No luck. I went in to the office, went to get something out of my purse, and there they were, in a pocket I had already checked. Thanks, sweetie! Nice to know you've still got my back.

I finished reading The Help. I enjoyed it, but I'm a little leery of a white middle-class woman explaining what it was like to be a black housemaid in the South during the early 60s. Now, the fictional book? Written by black housemaids and actually published in the 60s? That sounds like it would have been awesome. I wish a book like that really existed. A novel about that book, written from the safety of the 21st century? Not so much.

Season premier of Castle last night. Please, please, please...for the love of all that's holy, do not keep Moonlighting us! Either let them figure out they love each other and go from there or drop it. It doesn't have to be smooth - would anyone believe it if it was? but this unending will they or won't they is making me cranky. Although unexpected Michael Dorn (Worf from Star Trek TNG/DS9) was a nice bonus.

I taught today for the first time since returning to work. The class applauded when I came in. I overheard a girl say at the end of class "Finally! A real teacher!" to her friends as she was walking out. I was asked if I was teaching the second 8 weeks, and got cheers when I said yes.

Sigh. I know not to base my self-esteem on the opinions of students but it is nice to be missed. And damn, lecturing felt good.

I told my boss that I knew the schedule had been done to make my return to work easier and I truly appreciated it. She looked immensely relieved. She'd worried that giving me two classes in the vocational program would upset me. Heck, they're down a prof, and it helps me out. No, I'm not upset. We talked about some other things, including some insider "here's where the bodies are buried" stuff, and her final comment was "I really value your advice. Thank you for all the help."

Also met with the vocational director and got the info on the classes I'm teaching for them. She was sooo happy I was teaching for them. I'm so happy to be back in the faculty.

Got McNuggets coming home and fed some to Madeline then napped for an hour. It was a Rodney day so the house smelled great. I had asked him last week to help me move a full laundry hamper to the laundry room since it was heavier than I'm supposed to lift. Today I came in and the hamper wasn't where I left it in my room. When I went looking I found he had moved it to the laundry room for me again. I'm getting all verklempt just thinking about it. I have been surrounded by such love and kindness since I got sick.

And the nephew just called. He's leaving work and we'll go have dinner somewhere and talk about our days. Surrounded by love, I tell you.

I had dog food for lunch...and it wasn't so bad!

That's a bit of an inside joke. We make Madeline dog food here at home to reduce the amount of itching and thus, scratching, caused by commercial dogfood. One pound of ground chuck, mix in two cups of rice and cover with a quart of water and/or stock. Today's was beef stock. Put in rice cooker, push button. An hour later - a week's worth of dog food. The cost varies between $3-5 depending on the cost of the beef and the amount of stock. (unsalted stock, btw) It smells really good while it's cooking and today I took a small serving in a bowl, added a smidge of salt and did a quality check. It was good. Basic but tasty. Of course, being dog food meant no garlic or onions or spices, so bland.

So I filled her bowl, let it cool, and fed her. And I have a large ziplock bag in the fridge full of dog food. Plus, you know, lunch.

I made tuna salad for lunch. Watched my episode of True Blood from Sunday night - sitting in the deacon's bench, not my comfy-but-harder-to-get-out-of chair. Took another shower - man they do feel good. The other directors of the Homeowners Association sent me a fruit basket - it also has chocolates and some gourmet chicken soup mix.

I finished all the Parasol Protectorate books available. They were fun. Dang. I'm starting to like steam punk. How did that happen?

I foresee a nap followed by an evening of pot roast, Eureka and Warehouse 13.

But first, pain meds!

Oh, Eureka. Definitely Eureka. I'd be a nurse at the home for retired super-geniuses.