LOW BATTERY

Yesterday I went into work and arrived about 7:30 AM and I left a little bit before 6:45 PM.
One of the girls at the clinic had a baby a couple of weeks ago and has been on maternity leave. My very good friend at the clinic is also pregnant and is due on March 6th. We are so short handed right now that everyone is running around like their heads have been cut off. Add to this fact that the Doc has just added two more veterinarians to the practice. This means more patients to be care for with a very short staff. I have been helping up in office reception area while my part-time help covers the boarding area until 11:00 AM. After the lunch hour I usually go back to MY area and run around trying to cover the afternoon and evening shift since my part-time help is needed to cover the morning hours.
So, I've been tired.
I got home last night and spent the first hour feeding and cleaning up after the dogs and then scooping litter boxes. I sat down to the TV with a slice of cold pizza and fell asleep during one of the lame shows that was on. I had thought about getting on the computer but I felt too tried to even think and afraid that my mind couldn't form the words to type a comment on any of the blogs that I love. So I went to bed.
And then at 2:00AM

I woke suddenly to something. A sound?
I noticed that Ruby and Twinkle were pacing on the end of the bed and then I heard a voice. Did I dream that?
I waited a moment. Nothing. I laid back down for a few minutes and then I heard a high loud CHIRP kind of SHRILL noise and then the woman's voice again. This time I heard the words...."LOW BATTERY!"
I sat up and looked at the clock on my nightstand 2 o'clock- something.
Crap. Crap. Crap. I got up and Ralphie started barking and then Twinkle. Soon everyone was up. So down the stairs we went where the rest of the dogs jumped and barked in a hysterical chorus in the laundry room. I let everyone outside and walked into the living room. That damn smoke detector.

You see, when I had my house worked on and rehabbed a couple of years ago, they installed smoke/carbon monoxide detectors that were wired throughout the house into the electrical system. I AM HAPPY that I have them but I forgot about THAT at 2:00 AM.
I got out my step stool and climbed up and pulled out the battery and then put in a new one. A few minutes later, The SHRILL beep again! and the WARNING voice. I took the battery out and tried putting it in again. A few minutes later, same story. I messed with it again and the fire alarm went off.
FIRE! FIRE! I got it to stop, hopefully before I woke the whole neighbor hood up. Then I pulled the battery out and went to bed. A few minutes later. CHIRP! LOW BATTERY! Yep, the backup battery or something was working. I still have no idea why but I laid there and pressed my pillows against my ears.

Every ten minutes or so, off it would go. I thought about dressing and driving to an all-night grocery store but eventually I feel asleep for little bits of time and woke several more.

You couldn't really call it sleeping.
This morning I dragged into work and found my friend and her husband dropping off her dogs for me to board. She was going into LABOR early! What a day. Now we were down TWO people. We all did the best we could and joked how we going to go home have a drink or two.
I called my sister on the drive home but no answer. As I pulled into the driveway, she called me back. She was at the hospital with my youngest niece who had an appendicitis attack and was going into surgery in a few minutes! Then she called back and told me that my niece was now IN surgery. I told her that I thought my friend was in the same hospital and then 20 minutes later, my sister called again and said that she had just visited my friend in her room and she was in a lot of pain and at the end of her labor. Then she called me back even later to say that my niece was out of surgery and doing well.
During all these phone calls I replaced the battery with an expensive one that I had bought on my lunch break but apparently I didn't "click" it into place because it fell from the wall with the wires hanging. I attempted to put it back up when I accidentally set off the fire alarm again and then voice was shouting FIRE! FIRE! from that smoke detector and the one in the upstairs hallway! FINALLY, I got it turned off and put up back up.
I poured myself a cocktail.
As I look around I see that my house has really slid into disarray. There are piles of laundry, books, and shopping bags sitting on the chair inside the door. My enclosed front porch has become the catch-all place for STUFF. The recycling is sitting out there waiting to be carried to the outside bin and bags of kitty litter need to be carried inside and downstairs. I feel like I'm living in THAT house. The one where one more pile of laundry or bag of canned cat food  will make it ready to be on that hoarders/junk show!
I have to get some sleep and then I have to get this place together. MY battery is LOW!

http://blog.theblakewright.com/archives/date/2009/05
So I might have to step back and get it together.
I might not be around for the weekend or for a week or....I just need to get it together. So that I can think.
Take care and please don't forget about me! I adore you all but I just need a little break.
XOXOXO - Cindi

COOKNG FOR LOVE

I don't cook.
Not really. You can't call microwaving potatoes or dropping waffles in a toaster, cooking.
Once in a while I'll boil some noodles and add some canned sauce. Mostly it's frozen pizza's in the oven.
I might buy chicken breasts and put them on the George Foreman but I don't usually get the frozen ones because I always forget the thawing out process and then if I thaw it by the microwave, well... the stuff on the plate makes me kinda gag and it doesn't seem to be that appetizing any longer.
Yep, I eat a lot of cereal.
I just don't enjoy the shopping (expensive)
and
(time-consuming)

the preparing (messy)

the clean up afterwards (ugh! I hate a sink full of dirty dishes.)

I used to cook MANY years ago. I would make quiches and omelets and barbecued spare ribs and chicken enchilada's and cheesy meatloaf. These were my "specialities".
I was always getting RAVE REVIEWS but I did it for LOVE. I did a lot of things for love back then. I went to baseball games while I hated baseball. I sat in smoky sports bars and pretended that I understood football. I actually even spent a WHOLE afternoon watching GOLF on TV once!

I also wore high heels rather than tennis shoes and wore contact lenses and was never seen in my eyeglasses.

I spent far too much of my youth trying to be what some guy thought I should be.
So I vowed never to be or do what wasn't true to myself again.
But now I find myself coming back to cooking again.
For LOVE.

Yes, the things one does for LOVE.
I have gone and bought meat and vegetables. Some apples and lowfat cottage cheese.
I've climbed up on my step stool and gotten down the pots. I've washed the dust off of them and I starting to cook. I want my Love or should I say my LOVES to be healthy.

Or....wait. Is it all supposed to be RAW!?

Hmmm, Maybe I DON"T have to Cook!

GREENHOUSE IDEAS and CHRISTER'S BLOG

One of my favorite blogs is http://thecottagebythecranelakeolof1.wordpress.com/
Christer has been making plans to construct a greenhouse this year. He lives in Sweden

and the growing season is shorter. (so now of course I've been thinking about greenhouses and look what I've found!)

http://www.re-nest.com/re-nest/creative-reuse/greenhouse-made-from-old-windows-078618

Christer used to have his own garden center and he grows the most amazing plants.
He also is a HUGE animals lover and has the happiest of pets. He takes them on daily walks and is always thinking of them.

He just rescued another dog Nova - SUPER NOVA!

(that's Nova on the left)

after the loss of his old Erna. She's fitting in well with his two boy dogs Hector and Orvar.
 He also has two cats, Teodor and Bertil.
This is Teodor who usually prefers to be inside and warm!  He reminds me of my Dewey.

I am TOTALLY in love with Bertil. Bertil is always following Christer and the dogs on their walks!

That cat is just the coolest. He reminds me of my Harry.
So, if you would like a WONDERFUL VISUAL TREAT, head over to Christer's blog because he's a FANTASTIC photographer.

JUST A FEW OF HIS PHOTOS!!!! LOL!

What about DOG FOOD?

http://www.dogs4dogs.com/

On my other blog, http://bigwhitedogblue.blogspot.com/
I just did a post about the BEST and WORST in commercial dog food.
Stop over if you want details!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

I thought about not even posting today. Just sort of pretending that I didn't realize what day it was but....
Oh well, HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!
I wish a happy loved fill day for all of those of you with your soulmates. I always smile and feel a tinge of envy when I see couples like this.

But I'm afraid that my past loves would have turned out more like this-

So, I am thankful that I do have unconditional love in my life.




 and I can paint my house PINK if I want to! LOL!

XOXO - Cindi

and YOUR weekend plans?

The weather guy said it's supposed to start warming up!
Into the 30's on Saturday and then 40's for Sunday!
I have to go into work for a while on Saturday morning and then come home and do some house cleaning but Sunday will be reserved for......

Yep! Those poop landmines will be popping up as all this snow melts and I gotta get busy before it gets any warmer!
Ahhhhh, I lead such an exciting life.
I'm sure everyone is so envious!
I hope everyone has a fun and happy weekend! :) - Cindi

SWAGGER WAGON

I have you seen this!?
Last year I bought a minivan. I was kicking and screaming as I felt myself slipping in the sinkhole of middle age.
Hell, I know, I know! Don't you dare say it!
I'm planning on being a centenarian so I AM middle-aged...not OLD!
But it was hard for me because for some silly materialistic reason... I have always been car-crazy.
Not in the gearhead sort of way. I mean I seriously have not even opened the hood of my van since I've bought it except to add windshield wiper fluid. When I have bought a car in the past, I appreciated the effort when they would open the hood for me but I would just wave my hand. I have no IDEA what is supposed to be in there. I'm more concerned about the color. When I was in high school, my father made me walk or ride my bike the 2 miles to and from school. I kinda hated him at the time for doing that. Especially when friends would wave to me from the school bus but Hey, I didn't have ANY cellulite! So I saved my money from my after school job and one day my Dad said we could go looking for a car. He found a few boxy looking things and I shook my head and said that I'd stay with my bike. Then one day he found the perfect used car.
It looked just like this:

My Dad showed me how to change a tire and he TRIED to show me how to change the oil and I said No Thanks to that! I'll pay someone to do it. But sadly one day it just wouldn't run anymore and my Dad made me buy his old car. So I bought that ugly old thing and started saving for my dream car. After several years I got a brand new Camaro Berlinetta. It looked like this:

Except mine had tan interior and no spoiler on the back. (I thought that a spoiler made it look more like a guy car, and I thought tan was classier).

So you see, I've got this thing about cars.

In my fantasy of my old age, I always envisioned myself as this stylish chic elegant woman with a shiny silver trendy hairstyle driving this:

but instead, I'm driving a van wearing Crocs and hoodies.
But ya know, this van can get through the snow and I can load thrift store and estate finds and a giant dog inside without a problem. I think that I will always have a van!
and HEY! it looks like it might actually be COOL now! LOL!

THINK PINK

I used to be a magazinaholic. I HAD to have Domino, Country Home, Cottage Living, Victoria  and Country Living every month.

And sometimes Coastal Living, Metropolitan Home, Living Etc. and Better Homes and Gardens and House Beautiful.

Now most of my favorites are gone......

So I've started to become addicted to design blogs. There are so many to follow but I do miss the feel of a magazine. I adore sitting and staring at them. I would rip out pages sometimes and put them on my bulletin board or heaven forbid, my refrigerator. I liked to crawl in bed at night and flip through the pages and "dream". Sometimes I'd have them in my handbag so they would be at the ready. I could pull them out and stare at fabric or a painting in a store....
But lately except  (for Country Living) I have found them lacking. The photos were adequate but nothing special, certainly nothing to be devoured or torn out.

Until this month! I adore the March 2011 House Beautiful issue!

I want to paint my whole house PINK!

Or maybe I just have SPRING FEVER!