#148 Going Home Again

Funny that this is the topic for the day in 'A Year of Blogging Ideas'. 

Before I looked for today's topic, I was looking at the new Google Maps this morning, since I get to test it out a little early.  Of course, I looked at my own address.  I found that the current photo was taken in Sept 2012, and in our driveway was our little blue Jellybean!  The one that was totaled this past Christmas night in a rollover accident.  :(
(Don't worry, we're all fine. All parties involved walked away from the crash!)

I also attempted to find where my dad and I used to live when he and my step-mom got married. 30 years ago.  That was such a long time ago, I only have a vague recollection where the spot is.  It was off a logging road in the Idaho mountains. Well, they're mountains to me. And of course, it was a dirt road, no set house or foundation.  I can only guess for now, until I get my dad in front of the map and have him show me. 

I also commented on a blog post about moving coast-to-coast. Which I've done. A few times!


In 2007, I was in a really low place in life.  I'd just gotten divorced, was in a rebound relationship that was turning bad, I was living from place to place to place to car.  The rebound turned abusive (and I was low enough not to drop him immediately) and I really needed to get out.  A trip to Vegas for a week with about 1000 rollergirls was a much welcome escape from reality. It was RollerCon. It happens every summer in Las Vegas. In fact, I think it might be going on right now or starting this weekend.  You want to party with more Rollergirls than you can dream of?  Head down there for RollerCon!!  Derby girls know how to party!

Anyway.  On the drive back (Vegas to Seattle(ish) is a LONG drive in the summer!!) we stopped in Idaho and had breakfast with my mom and dad. There I found out my gramma was going to have back surgery soon and would need in home care.  DING DING DING!!!  A way out of my shit life in WA!!

A month later, I packed up everything I couldn't stand to discard into my little teal Ford Ranger, and I high-tailed it over the mountains.  I drove into my gramma's driveway on 9/11/2007.  It was a Monday. 
I left my son behind, as his father has custody, but honestly, living on couches, in basements, in hotels(don't do it!), out of my truck... No place for a little boy. He had a steady home with his father and that's what was important after the turmoil.  Of course I see my son.  In fact, I'm sure I will blog something about him in a few weeks, as he will be here for the summer. He's a teenager and WOW is he a teenager!! Not to mention about 8 inches taller than me.

I miss my friends back there, but I've never looked back.  This is home. My dad, my mom(before she passed), my gramma.  Home.  I felt it as soon as I smelled the air.

And, 19 days after rolling into town, I met Sidewayz, and we've been together ever since.

This is Home. And unless the country totally collapses, this is where I'll remain.

Say my name, say my name.

Write about your first name: Are you named after someone or something? Are there any stories or associations attached to it? If you had the choice, would you rename yourself?

My actual first name is Katharine.  With an A. Not an ERINE.  I was named for my mother, Catharine, and this classy lady.
                                        
                                          
I don't know exactly why.  My mother never told me.  Also, both of my grandmothers, who had never met (and I don't think ever did), upon hearing of my upcoming birth, wanted me named with something angelic.  So, I got another long name.  Angeline.  Thus, for a while, I was Katie Angel.  As only grandmothers can call you! ONLY GRANDMOTHERS!!

I have never come close to achieving the level of grace The Great Kate had.  But that's ok. I do have her stubborn streak! :)

Now, would I rename myself? Nope.  I probably wanted something more popular when I was growing up. I mean, Katie didn't compare to Jennifer or Kimberly.  I think I remember wishing my name was Kimberly at some point.  Good thing I didn't have a say in it back then!  I like my name.  I shortened it when i was 18 and away from home for the first time.  All the girls I was hanging around with at the time did.  Mine just happened to be pretty unheard of, at least in my world in 1994.  The only person I'd heard called Kat back then was Christina Ricci in Casper! (and no, I didn't change it to emulate her.)  Now, of course, Kat is all over the place.  Oh well, no big.  Looking around me, I'm older than most of them, so I had it first. NYAH!

I just wish I were destined to look this good in my 90s.

                                 
                              Katharine Hepburn  May 12, 1907 - June 29, 2003 (aged 96)

When our loved ones get towards the end of life.

This is a difficult topic to post about.  Most bloggers these days are still years, possibly even decades away from facing this.  But make no mistake, we all have to face it, if we have elderly loved ones.

I just got a phone call from my dad, giving me an update on my gramma.
We've known for a few years now that she struggles with completing sentences.  It started off as an elusive word here and there in her story. Not to mention telling the same stories over and over and over again, but, that's kind of what happens when you get into your 70s+ and you don't see someone every day. You have stories to tell!

Now, however, Gramma can't complete any sentences, mostly.  And you can see the utter frustration in her eyes.  Unfortunately, that frustration now often turns to anger. And then to downright pissed off, don't you dare talk to me, just leave!  Gramma is a sweet southern lady from Missouri, and when she's mad at you, she turns away. Instead of yelling or telling you off, she turns away from you.  A pretty obvious dismissal, and in the nicest way possible!

I think she's been officially diagnosed with dementia.  She has been living in an independent living facility, which is basically just a low-income apartment, where you can call for help if you need it with one of those call cords.  Great idea, if you're prone to asking for help.  Not Gramma!  No sir!  She prefers to suffer in silence! As evidenced by a fall she took about a month ago.  She didn't have her cell phone on her, which I  personally fitted with a ribbon to go around her neck, like a lanyard. But does she keep it on her?? NOPE.
When she fell, she couldn't get to any of the call cords, of course, because she'd piled so much of her possessions IN FRONT OF THE CORDS.

Are you shaking your head yet? Yeah, me too.

So, no one found Gramma on the floor in her apartment for TWELVE hours.  And that was only because my dad was supposed to take her to a Dr. appt. that morning. When he couldn't get an answer on her phone, he raced down the canyon.  That was a few nights stay in the local hospital. At that point, we found she couldn't remain in independent living.

Just a few days ago, Dad got word that she wasn't eligible for assisted living, either, which was the next step. Her dimensia is too pronounced, with her agitation and all, because even tho it's assisted living, it's not round the clock care.  So, unfortunately for Gramma, she's stuck in a nursing home.  And what's really going to get up her duff... she has to share a room with someone.
 
Bless her heart, she still assumes she's going to get better any day now. She thinks she's going to drive her Cadillac again.  She thinks she's going to go back to college and complete her art degree. (she hasn't been back to school in almost 10 years) She talks about her painting and sculpting again.  Last time I visited with her, she even talked about helping me landscape my new house(once we get one).  I say 'talked about', but what I really mean is, she often says, "once I'm better, I can...." and that's where it stops, but since it's in response to whatever the subject is, I know what she's wanting to say.  I've been hearing "once I'm better" for 6+ years now.

I love my Gramma. She raised me for 4 or 5 years when my mother left me. I started school when I lived with her.  Because of her, lots of elderly people in her little town STILL remember me as "Little Katie".
It breaks my heart to see her like this, lost in her own brain.  It breaks my dad's heart even more.  And it breaks my heart to see my dad have to go thru this. Even tho he's the younger brother, he's stuck doing EVERYTHING when it comes to his mom.  His brother does NOTHING. And he & his wife, live in the same town as Gramma!  None of the rest of us live closer than 30 min away.

Don't you wish you could pick your family?   Ask my cousin some day about his bio-dad. Whoooee, the rants we have together!

So, if you're still young enough that you haven't faced death of family, or faced the impending end of a loved one, take all this to heart.  It's no picnic, and you'll hate having to deal with it, but if you're any kind of decent human being, you'll step up and just make do. You kind of have to.



This is Gramma and I at my backyard wedding, 1/1/11

Getting too old for this...

Blurk.  Hangovers and recovering from a night out. Again, I say blurk.

Clearly I am too old to party like that anymore. Yesterday was spent very carefully doing not much. All day. I even took a nap in the afternoon and slept till after 9!  Then wen to bed around midnight or 1, and slept till 8:30 this morning!  At least I feel better today.  I even did Day3 of the exercise plan I'm attempting. Today was 40 jumping jack and 20 crunches.  There are 90 days of this plan, so yes, Day 3 is rather light, so far.

What was the party?  Roller derby.  Nuff said, for those in the know.  For those that don't, here's a mini-recap.

Saturday was derby down at the Idaho Fairgrounds.  It's where we used to skate, back in the day, before we upgraded to the Arena and the big time. :)  Fairgrounds mean crappy hard metal bleachers, poor echoey sound quality, and, in this case, no beer served. It was Family Night. A throwback to the old days when the league was getting itself established. Sidewayz and I wore our old derby gear. I was in my old TVR green jersey and he was in his 'derby shirt' - a black & blue bowling shirt with a pinup girl embroidered on the front. We took a flask of bourbon. We sat in the stands and cheered. We yelled at the refs. We explained the game to anyone near us that didn't understand the rules. We saw old friends. We were asked many times when we were coming back. I won't do a recap of the bouts. If you want that, go to Examiner.com and read my friend Tom's updates on all things derby. He should have a recap of our bouts in a day or two. He just happened to be the coach for one the teams that came in this weekend.

Afterwards, there is always an afterparty.  A chance for the hard working skaters to let off some steam and party with your new friends who came from out of town. Namely, the skaters you just destroyed on the track. We always drink, and we always dance. Sometimes there's karaoke. But not coming from me!! I just drink and dance. And dance. And dance. 
Then we take a cab home (cuz we're smart!), stumble our way thru getting our stinky, smokey clothes off, and fall blearily into bed. (this particular place didn't ban smoking. It's in a little part of town that didn't have to.)
Then comes the wakeup.  Of course, because we got home around 1 or 1:30, I wake up at 8am. As I stagger out of bed, trying not to trip over pets, I realize just how bad dancing all night was.  My legs and feet are killing me.  Of course, with lubrication, I'd forgotten how I'd damaged something in my foot, and how it hurt to walk or stand for any length of time. And I danced for a good two hours. Dummy.

I started in on the water. Thankfully, I knew I had at least 2 hours of quiet time to myself before Sidewayz roused himself. So I watered the outside plants, transplanted some, and made an attempt to sit in the quiet sunshine. Storm clouds were rolling in, tho, so that sent me indoors. Hey! I have the computer!  Sims family, here I come! 
And that was my entire day until naptime.  Sideways was in no better shape. He lounged/napped on the couch till I took a nap. Then he took over and spent the rest of his day playing Everquest.

All this is to show you just how 'too old for this shiz' we're getting.  A full day and more to recover from a few hours of beers and dancing. Ok and maybe 2 or 3 Washington Apples.
It was wonderful seeing and dancing with friends.  Even got the hubby out on the floor to dance with me! 

Today is Memorial Day and the hubby plans on grilling a pork tenderloin. Let's see how that goes!

#141 No Limits

Today's blog comes to you from the number 141.

                                                                No Limits.

                                                         What does that mean?
                                                        It can mean ANYTHING.

No limits on your credit card.
No limits to government spending. ( I wonder if, once in office, the nation's budget seems like a no-limit credit card?  That might explain some things.)
No limits on pizza or ice cream toppings.
No limits on free drinks at the event.
No limits on the amount of bad press some celebs can wrack up.
No limit to the love a mother gives her child.
(to a small child) No limits to the amount of fun to be had playing with favorite toys.
No limits to waves crashing on beaches.
No limits to the stars in the universe. (yes, we have come to a pause in exploring those stars, but we'll get there! Just not in our immediate lifetimes.)
For some of us gluttonous readers, no limits on the amount of books we can read in a lifetime.
No limits to the woolgathering I can accomplish in a day.  (I don't mean that literally. I have never gathered actual wool from a sheep. But I did get to pet one and bring home some really oily wool in a paper bag when I was 4 or 5. But I did stay at a Holiday Inn.)

See, No Limits can apply to just about anything. Not quite everything, tho! There are limits to how many drinks I can have and stay functional. There are limits on how much BS I can take. There is a limit in my bank account. (I should probably reach in there and dust off that big fat ZERO at the bottom of my bank account. It used to be covered up by my paychecks, but since I stopped working, that big ZERO has been rather exposed to the elements.) You know, the normal stuff!


What do you think of when you see, "No Limits" ?

#140 Eyes Wide Open

     What do I see when I look around me?  The detritus of two people who've been living a temporary life for far too long.
By temporary, I mean not permanent.  Things are stored in boxes. Piled high and crammed tight in closets.  Items I haven't seen in years and other items he hasn't seen in over a decade. 
I am a firm believer in out-of-sight, out-of-mind.  Which, when it comes to my stuff, I have a problem with.  I want to see and touch and be able to USE my stuff.  Otherwise, I wouldn't have bothered to save it when I had to high-tail it across the mountains to get here.
We're temporary because we have yet to buy our own house. Sidewayz, the cute name a friend gave my husband, because, well, look at the picture of the two of us. He's looking sideways. In almost every single photo of us, he's looking sideways, away from me, with a smirk.
Anyway. Sidewayz has been renting this duplex for over 10 years.  Great for character building, which will later help with a loan.  But, at our ages, we really should be in our own home.

     When I look around me, I also see all my houseplants.  And my dogs. And. all. the. toys.  Ringo is just like a toddler with a short attention span, for his toys.  I'd include a photo of the cutest. puppy. evar.  but I am sans decent camera/phone at the mo.   You'll just have to wait.

     I have a strange relationship with my houseplants.  Some thrive and some can't die fast enough.  Many are cuttings from family, friends, Hewlett-Packard.  I name my plants, usually depending on who I got them from.
I don't even know WHAT some of them are called, but I love them all the same.
I always knew that plants were great for oxygen in the home, but I didn't know until recently that they are little air-scrubbers.  Great!
The one type of plant that seems to thrive the most in my house(which, mind you, is pretty low-light) is the spider plant. Mostly the non-striped variety.  I got a cutting from my friend Sabra (I named the plant after her, as I do with all my plants from people) from her bead store, Need to Bead, and that thing has produced SO many babies!! I have an over abundance of spider plants here! You can see the Mother Plant here, as it lives in the store. Doesn't look like much, but man, is it prolific!

     I said up there that one of the places I got my plants is Hewlett-Packard. Boise is home to one of the HP campuses, and it is quite a large employer for the area, what with all the contractors on site.  I used to work there, and had the opportunity to get plant cuttings from some of the plants there. ( I asked, I didn't just take!)
Some day I'll have to be bothered enough to look up some of the plants and actually know what they are, other than my plant-babies.

So, what do I see when I look around me?  My life.

Keep It Simple

                                                     
I got the idea for this blog post after doing a search for blogging ideas. I found Cynthia's Blog.

I'm still raw enough at this that I have to fish around for ideas.  Otherwise I flounder and eventually, I will stop blogging.  I really want to give this a shot.  (Did you notice the two fish references there? I didn't even try for that.)

Today is #139.  Yes, I am quite aware that I didn't start from the beginning. So?
Topic: Keep it Simple

I decided the most simple thing I could do was a list of my basics. Pretty simple.

The following points were stolen from a reading challenge I had thought to participate in, at Goodreads.com before I realized that too many reading challenges will make my brain explode.

1. Birthday - 9/29/75 (yes, I fully admit my age.  I also have grey hair that I don't bother to color/cover.  I earned it.)
2. Hometown - I have two.  Emmett, ID and North Highlands, CA
3. Relationship Status - Happily married to my best friend.  I out-geeked him the night we met and we've been together ever since.
4. Occupation - You're looking at it.  And thankfully I don't have a webcam, so you never get to see me always in my jammies in a never-clean house.
5. Favorite Author - My go-to is always Stephen King, but since I joined Goodreads.com, I have discovered so much more!  At this point in time, I have too many authors I love. (check out my book lists, see what we have in common!)
6. Favorite Color -  This has changed since my childhood.  It was always blue when I was little.  It has changed to purple.
7. Ideal Vacation Spot - Camping on a beach.  Preferably a sandy beach, not a rocky one!
8. Role Model/Mentor - I don't have just one.  So many people amaze me with their talents.  Cooking, crocheting, knitting, roller skating, web-design, writing, sewing, parenting, painting, just having their shit together.  I try to take examples of all the people in my life and learn from their doing.
9. Favorite Food -  whatever I decide to stuff in my face.
10. Favorite Holiday - Halloween
11. Favorite Animal/Pet - I was always a cat person.  However, we got a puppy just over a year ago from a rollergirl friend of ours and I have fallen in sugary sweet love with Ringo.  He's just a mutt, and that makes him all the more lovable, in my heart.
12. Trait You Admire - Unfailing loyalty.
13. Favorite Hobby - I don't really consider reading a hobby, as it is so much a part of my life.  I haven't taken enough steps into my blogging journey, so I can't count that. Yet.  I do have a whole lotta yarn, tho!  I guess, crocheting/knitting.  I also really dig house plants.  Can 'houseplants' be a hobby?
14. Phobia/Fear - Coulrophobia- Fear of clowns, and of course,  Arachnophobia- Fear of spiders.  Also, not real fond of zombies. Kinemortophobia.
15. Obsession - Whatever I seem to glom onto at the moment.  Right now, it's learning to blog effectively.  Also, still reading as much as I can in a year.

So there you have it.  A really simple blog post.
Happy Tuesday!