Friday, January 30, 2009

wildlife

I was daydreaming. I was sitting in the back seat of Patrick's car, idly watching the scenery go by outside the window as we drove to work.

I then noticed some animals. Initially, just glancing, I assumed they were deer. After all, we were running parallel to the Arkansas River, and we often see deer--lots and lots of deer, up to 100 head at a time. But these deer were on the north side of the road, a good distance from the river, and we don't normally see them on the north side.

Then I noticed that there were 2 bucks, and they were fighting. And, wow! Were they nice bucks...hold on, those weren't deer, they were ELK!

And that's what I said, I blurted out, "Look, those are ELK! Holy Crap!"

Kev looked, saw them, Patrick looked and quickly pulled over to the side of the road.

We sat there a few minutes just watching them. They got spooked and took off, running west, the same direction we were going.

Elk. Not something I've ever expected to see here. I've heard rumors that there are some in the area, but I'd not paid much attention because, well, you hear all kinds of things about wildlife.

Six elk. Four cows, and two bulls. Not big bulls, but still bull elk. (Kev is the one who said they weren't big, cause he thinks to look at the antlers. Me, I just noticed that they weren't deer, and I did figure out they were elk, but I don't consciously think to check antlers for size.)

It was so cool. It was cool to see them, and it was cool that I'm the first one in our car to realize that they were really Elk. Cool.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

what would happen if...?

I am very good at playing the "What would happen if" game.

You know, What would happen if we bought this car?

What would happen if we just dropped our car insurance, or health insurance?

What would happen if cars quit running and I was trapped in Dodge, and the kids were alone in Bucklin and the power also went out and cell phones didn't work and...and...

What would life be like if we'd stayed in Colby?

That's the question I've been asking myself for the past year. That and, "Did I make the right decision?"

Kev and I went back to Colby yesterday for the day. He was a guest lecturer for the PTA class, I went along to get a few things I'd left at the library and to see former colleagues and friends.

But it didn't feel like home anymore. And, after visiting with folks there, I just felt like we'd made the right decision in moving.

Oh, there are many things we miss (like customer service and our friends), but all in all, moving and changing careers has been good for my career, Kev's career, for our family lifestyle and for our kids.

Now if I could just answer those other pressing questions...

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Playing with rocks...

This is our wall. Actually, this is the pile of faux rocks we bought to put on our wall. I think I mentioned earlier that we removed the French doors and built a wall. Kev put sheet rock up and we then painted it. We painted it because the stone we chose is a "stacked" stone, and it doesn't have any mortar or grout, so there will be some spots where you can see the wall...if you look real close. And, if you are that close, then don't look!
This next shot is of Kev fitting a row of rock. It was much like a jigsaw puzzle, pick out rock, put them against the wall, see if they line up fairly level, see if everything is covered, check the color, to keep it random. Keep the sizes and shapes random too. It's not that easy to do!
Once we had it all lined up, then we used construction adhesive to attach the stones to the wall. This shot shows Kev testing the "fit" of a rock before gluing it. Now, if you were using these stones on the outside of a house, you'd use mortar and a wire mesh, but since we are working inside, and our area is very small, we chose to just use glue. It works!

Once we finished this row of rock, we then set the pellet stove on the base and hooked it up to the stovepipe showing in this photo. It all worked out really well. We still have more wall to finish, but we'll wait until we get the window in and when we decide on a mantle. We'll put the Mantle in and then work our rock around it. Even though it's not finished, it looks really nice.

The pellet stove has sure been handy this week too, with the cold temperatures, we can run the pellet stove to keep the basement warm and it also helps keep it warmer upstairs. With the pellet stove downstairs, and the fireplace upstairs, we can keep the primary living quarters toasty warm. My bedroom is another story!

Gimme a horse

Have I said lately that I hate HATE automobiles?

Well I do.

Besides the ongoing expense of the car (which is in the shop getting fixed...) Today I got a phone call from the kids at 7:45.

"Mom, the pickup died once I got it out of the garage. I tried to get it started again, but it wouldn't catch once it turned over. What do we do?"

GRRRRRR.

"Call the school and see if the bus can pick you up. That's all we can do right now. Let me know what's happening."

Now, yes, it's cold today. With the windchill, it's -10 outside. But the pickup was in the garage where it's a nice toasty 40 degrees. We put a new battery in right before Christmas. So what the heck is going on?

I'm so sick of cars. SICK of them. I'm getting real close to trading in all the cars on a horse and buggy.

Anyone have a horse to sell? How bout a buggy? Give me a call, and I'll trade you a couple of automobiles for them.

I am so sick of automobiles.

Monday, January 26, 2009

flip flops in the snow

This has nothing to do with nothing...but...

One of my employees came in just now. She's 19. She grew up in Mexico and Southern California.

Today, she's wearing a nice black turtleneck sweater...with flip flops.

The temperature is like 15 degrees. With the windchill, it's -4. It's snowing as we "speak."

And this girl...is wearing flip flops. Oh, and she didn't bring a coat to campus either.

Flip flops in the snow.

I am so glad she's not my daughter. sheesh, some people's kids...

Flip flops...in the SNOW.

sheesh.

Pig butcherin' time

We butchered pigs on Saturday.

I guess, technically, we cut up pigs Saturday, because M. had already killed and skinned them on Friday. (M and his wife, D are friends from Colby who also moved down here. We have much in common--like wanting to raise and process our own meat.) D found pigs at an excellent price--for us, not for the farmer. We paid less than $100 for a 300 lb. pig. M and D have also done this several times before. I think they said they've processed over 50 pigs and 2 steers in the last 10 years. In my book, that makes them professionals!

Kev and M worked out in the shop, cutting chops and ribs and hams and steaks and grinding sausage. D and I basically wrapped the meat. We didn't season the bacon or hams there, but M told us how to do it, and we went home and worked on our own hams, bacon, and sausage.

For the hams, I found a recipe for a brine, so we are brining our hams. M showed Kev how to do the bacon--using a dry rub. If we had a smoker, we'd do that too, but we don't, so we've got bacon curing near the hams in the garage. (The temp in our garage stays above freezing, but it's usually around 40 degrees in there, which is perfect for curing hams and bacon.)

We had other commitments, so we didn't get to work on the sausage, but we're going to mix some ground pork with some of our venison and make a combo sausage. We'll probably make a simple recipe using sage and Cayenne pepper. We hope to get that mixed up tonight.

Cutting up a pig is much different than processing a deer.

Deer meat, you de-bone. Pork, you leave bones.
Deer meat is much much leaner, so it's sticky and dry and dries out your hands. Pork is definitely not lean, and your hands don't get dry, they get greasy!
Deer meat has a stronger, gamier scent. Pork smells like pork!

Kev and I were amazed at how easy it really was to see the different cuts of meat, and how easy it was to process. Granted, our chops are somewhat thicker than what we usually get, but who cares?

Yesterday, we had lunch with my folks. It was my birthday lunch, and Mom made me a Chocolate Cake with Carmel frosting. (yum!) But, as we were visiting, I asked if either of them remembered processing their own meat growing up.

Dad shared watching Grandad do hams and bacon. Grandad used a dry rub and Dad said he'd go down into the basement every night for a week or so and rub salt and seasonings on the meat.

Mom remembers more of her grandparents butchering, because she and her parents probably went down there and did several pigs together. So she didn't remember the rubs, but she remembered watching her mother and grandmother and aunts render lard and can meat and make head cheese, mincemeat and pickled pigs feet.

Both remember liking and enjoying hams and bacon, but neither really remembered being actively involved in the processing. Like Kev and I, they are curious to try some of our meat.

Doing this made me miss Grandpa tho. I'd asked him last year if he remembered his cure recipes and if he'd be my "consultant" whenever we tried doing our own pigs. He replied, "Well, sure, it's just salt and sugar. When you are ready, let me know and I'll show you what to do."

He's not here to show us, but I know he'd have been there helping out, or giving advice. And I know he'd be eager to eat our meat with us.

Isn't it funny...progress and prosperity for my Grandparents meant being able to buy meat already cut up and cured and done by someone else. Prosperity to me means I can do my own meat--where I know how it's raised and where I know how it's cared for till it enters my mouth.

Something to think about, isn't it.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Drama

I know I've said it before, but Miss Kat is a drama queen. Wait, that should read

DRAMA Queen.

This morning, at 7:45, my phone rings. I handed the phone to Kev to answer cause I was busy switching places with Patrick and moving his drivers seat up about 4 feet so I could reach the pedals. I didn't have time to answer my phone. So, Kev answered and was told...

"This is an emergency, I need to talk to Mom."

The "emergency" was that she couldn't get the computer to power up and her Ipod needed to be charged, and itwouldn'tchargeifshecouldn'tgetithookeduptothecomputer.

Now, I ask you, what can I do, I'm 30 miles away. I can't see the computer. I don't know why it wouldn't boot up. I can't diagnosis the problem while driving someone else's car in morning traffic.

Which, made Miss Kat angry. My solution, use Andy's computer to charge the Ipod.

Less than 5 minutes later, the phone rang again.

"Mom! My Ipod's ruined. RUINED. I can't get the computer to come up and I can't get my Ipod cord to work on Andy's computer. What do I do???? I need you to fix it. What will I do without my Ipod? I need it, and thestupidcomputerisn'tworking."

My reply, "Kat, this isn't a crisis. We'll look at it tonight. Your Ipod is fine, and if it isn't, it's still under warranty. If it isn't charging, the problem is probably in the cord. It might have a short in it. I'll look at it when I get home tonight."

"But I need it NOW."

... ... ...

Let's just say that right now, I'm not my daughter's favorite mother, cause I basically said "Tough" and hung up.

We also had drama last night, because I asked Kat to take some photos of us working on the rock wall so I could blog about that. She took the pictures and I asked her to upload them to the computer. But, she couldn't find the cord, and I was informed that I needed to learn how to do it myself.

So, when Kat finds the cord, and "teaches" me how to upload the photos, I'll post about our wall.

Oh, and don't tell Miss Kat this, but... I already know how to upload the photos...it's just easier to make her do it!

Friday, January 16, 2009

me being me

I'm going to be in big trouble someday. Or, at least I'm going to be horribly embarrassed.

Here at work, we just have the public bathrooms. I have a terrible habit of starting to unbutton my pants as soon as I hit the bathroom door.

Someday, someone is going to be in there as I walk through the door with pants unbuttoned and hand inching toward the zipper.

No, I'm not usually in that big of a hurry, it just...

saves time.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Found

Hey! Guess what!

Miss Kat found my missing cell phone. After 15 days, the lost is found...

Under her bed.

My phone under her bed.

I know that I wasn't under her bed. I don't know why my phone was.

I never looked under her bed, because, well, I hadn't been in her room that day...so...I wonder how it got there...and the phone isn't talking...

But, now, I don't know what to do, cause I already turned it in as being lost and got a new phone. So, what do I do? Take it in, have it reactivated and give the old one back? Take it in and have it set up as Miss Kat's phone? (cause she likes it better than her phone.) Just put it in recycling? I just don't know what to do...

But, hey, we found it!

Car trouble

You know..... I hate cars. Hate 'em, hate 'em, hate 'em.

On New Year's Eve, we let Andy drive the car to Dodge to go bowling with his girlfriend and other friends. The car is a Volvo and it has the most safety features of any of our vehicles, so we felt better about him being on the road with it.

Unfortunately, some idiot hit the car in the parking lot and then left. Hit and runs are very common in Dodge because there's such a large population of Mexicans who aren't quite legal, and don't have insurance. So, Andy reported the accident to the police (Case #1 in Ford County...isn't that just sweet? Yeah. Right.) Anyway, we've got it scheduled at the body shop, but it's going to cost us $1000, cause that's what our deductible is. I'd be happier if the idiot who hit the car actually had to pay for it...

Then last night. Kev was driving home from Andy's ballgame. About 2 miles from home; he hit a Bobcat. A very short time later, the warning light came on and a message flashed on "Pull the car over immediately and turn off the engine. Low coolant."

Terrific. As he was less than a mile from home, he drove on home, watching the temperature gauge, which didn't budge. But now, we've got more damage and more automobile bills, and we can't even look at it to see what's wrong till this weekend.

At the end of November, we had the diesel worked on. A couple of weeks ago, we had the Ranger worked on. (It was a factory recall, so it didn't cost anything, but still, cost us time and effort.) O yeah, don't forget a few weeks ago when the Diesel gelled up on Andy and we had to have it towed...and, I just remembered the new Battery for the Ranger bought in December.

What's next? Which Automobile is going to break down next? And why does it have to happen in clusters? I know why. It's a conspiracy. Somehow, somewhere, someone decides to make stuff happen to cars.

It's somebody elses turn now, cause I'm trading in all of our cars for a horse and buggy. I'm sick of cars.

Monday, January 12, 2009

remodeling

You know, if Kev and I moved into a brand spanking new house, we'd still find something we wanted to change.

This past weekend, we removed our French Doors from the basement. The doors have always puzzled us. Why were they there? It's a bad view, but there are 2 garage doors, next to them is a single door (white), then a window, then the French doors, then another window. (The French doors are the bigger white spot in this picture.) Why all the doors? They both opened into the same room, so why did we need both? We don't use the French doors at all. In fact, until recently, they were blocked by the couch. And, we decided that where the French doors were located is the best location for the new pellet stove.

So, this weekend's project was the removal of the useless French doors and to build a wall in that space.

Kev and I ran to Dodge on Saturday for lumber and supplies for the project. Yesterday, he removed the doors and built his stud wall. It all went smoothly, and brought some excitement into our world because with a nice big hole in the wall, the outside cats could freely enter the house and explore. The 2 adult chickens were also interested in exploring, but they were more easily kept out of the house than the cats were. Miss Kat and I were kept busy catching and removing cats from the house.

Instead of just closing in the entire area, we decided to put in a long, narrow window that will be above the pellet stove. We had to order it, so Kev temporarily closed in the window opening. It is still January and it gets rather cold at night, so we closed it off with plywood. Tonight, we'll put up the Sheetrock on the inside (over the insulation) and begin finishing the interior wall.

We'll be putting faux stone up behind the pellet stove, giving the area a rustic look. We hope to also add a nice chunky mantel which will be above the stone but below the window. It should make a nice focal point in the basement.

I know this is just the start of our remodeling; cause, we can't seem to live anywhere without remodeling something.

Friday, January 09, 2009

Ack!

If you read through my book list, and then read the comments, you'd fine one from Heidi asking how I kept track of all my titles. And you'd see a reply.

Guess what. I forgot one! While I was labeling all 300 of my posts (after deleting 3), I found a post where I reviewed a book titled People of the Book. It wasn't on my list!

So much for being accurate! sheesh.

I'm going to add it to my "real" list now.

*****

Shhhh! This is a secret.

This morning, I got a phone call from the school. My first thought was, "Dang it, my daughter is sick."

Then, the person said "I'm calling from the Grade School." This led to some confusion on my part because Miss Kat isn't in Grade School, she's in Junior High. But, the teacher went on to explain that Miss Kat had scored at the Exemplary level in Reading last spring on the State Standards Test.

The school is wanting to honor those kids who scored that high at a Home Basketball game in February. The kids will be awarded with a framed certificate of achievement and with a T-shirt that will say something like "cost of pencils $20, cost of paper $3, Cost of being Excellent Priceless" (something like that...so don't quote me on anything!) Thus the call, they wanted to know what size shirt to order her.

Isn't that cool? I mean, you call a library, talk to the Library Director, and tell her that her daughter is among the elite of readers! Now that's cool. O yeah, the certificate and the shirt will be nice, but seriously, it's much more cool to call and tell the librarian that her daughter is a good reader! Who'd-a-thunk-it!

I'm so stinkin' proud of her! I'm so glad she's a reader! Now, I just have to keep it a secret. And, you do too! So, Shhhhh.

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

My reading list...if you care!

I keep a record of all the books I've read during a year. In 2008, I only read 52 books. Now, I realize that that averages to one book a week, but there have been years when I've read over 100 books a year.

I feel like I'm slacking.

And yet, over Christmas break, I read 7 books and finished 2 cross stitch projects, and did all the home projects and even found time to go hunting...3 times.

So, I shouldn't feel like a slacker, should I.

I've only got one book waiting on me at home. It's titled "Dewey" and it's about a cat who lived in a library for 20 years. I've got a list a mile long that I want to read, but haven't yet.

So, in case you are curious to see what I've actually read this year, here's my list, with notes:
  • Voyager
  • Drums of Autumn
  • Fiery Cross
  • Breath of Fire and Ashes all of these are by Diana Gabaldon who's one of my favorite authors. I frequently have to have a Jamie and Claire fix. Hey, I can't convince Kev to wear a kilt, so I need a fix somehow!
  • Alice: Alice Roosevelt Longworth by Stacy A. Cordery
  • Escape by Carolyn Jessop
  • Strangers in Death by JD Robb
  • Blood Brothers by Nora Roberts
  • Sojourn Sorcerer's tale by Edginton Land this one is a graphic novel. I like graphic novels!
  • Trapp Family Singers by Maria Von Trapp I've also read this one before.
  • Chronicles of Narnia by C S Lewis another series I've read before. I guess I could count this as reading 7 separate books, since they are separate books...
  • Dragon Harper by Anne McCaffrey yet another re-read. Anne is another favorite author.
  • Memories Before & After the Sound of Music by Agathe Von Trapp
  • Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer
  • Beowulf graphic novel by Neil Gaiman
  • Beowulf: graphic novel by Gareth Hinds
  • Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery
  • Sojourn Berzerker's Tale by Edginton Land another graphic novel
  • Twilight
  • New Moon
  • Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer the infamous Twilight series. They were OK. But I'm not in love with these like so many teens and even adults. Like I said, they were...OK.
  • Sara Johnson's Mount Vernon by Scott E. Casper
  • Stolen Innocence by Elissa Wall
  • Except for Me and Thee by Jessyman West I last read this as a 7th grader and was curious about how I'd feel about it as an adult.
  • Tall Woman by...I didn't write down the authors name...bad me.
  • Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich
  • The Host by Stephenie Meyer I liked Meyer's first "adult" novel much better than I did her Twilight series.
  • Dawn's Early Light by Elswyth Thane
  • Yankee Stranger by Elswyth Thane I intended to read all of this series again. It was another series I'd read in Jr High/High School. But, unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this series as much this time. I made it through 4 of the 6 books...
  • Tribute by Nora Roberts
  • Ever After by Elswyth Thane
  • Light Heart by Elswyth Thane
  • Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer Now this last titles in the Twilight series was much more enjoyable than the other three.
  • Dragonlance chronicles 2,3A and 3B by Weis & Hickman Well, here's another 3 to add...These are graphic novels based on the original book series.
    His Favorite Wife by Susan Ray LeBaron
    Blood Covenant by Rena Chynoweth
    Ranger's Apprentice: Books 1-4 John Flanagan These are a series introduced to my by young Mr. Tate. They are YA books for boys, and just happen to be master Archers. I like them, but they are YA books!
  • Rett Butler's People by Donald McCaig
  • Circles of Stone by Joan Dahr Lambert This one is another one I've read at least twice. It just makes me think, and I like that.
  • Scourge of God by SM Stirling
  • Brisingr by Christopher Paolini
  • 19th wife by David Ebershoff
    It sucks to be me by...crap, I'm a librarian. Why don't I always write down authors? This is another YA book that I read cause it's been popular with my college girls...
  • Suite 606 by JD Robb
  • Salvation in Death by JD Robb
  • In the Serpent's coils
  • By venom's sweet sting
  • Between Golden jaws
  • Maiden of the Wolf
  • Queen of the Masquerade
  • Oracle of the Morrigan by Tiffany Trent. These last 6 are all by Tiffany Trent. Another YA series I bought for the library, and they are being read by girls. They are interesting and very different. There will be 4 more titles in this series that I'll have to buy and read over the next year or so.
  • Pagan Stone by Nora Roberts

That's it. If anyone has any questions about any books I've listed (or if you know that I left one out that I recommended to you, then let me know; cause I like to be accurate...

Yeah. right...

Monday, January 05, 2009

My Christmas List

How did we do on my real Christmas Wish List?

The Pellet stove: well, we attempted to get it installed. We built a base, got the stove pipe, but then discovered that you can't cut tempered glass. We wanted to run the pipe out of one of our useless French Doors temporarily. So, since we can't cut glass, and therefore can't run pipe through it, we'll have to hope for nice days when we can take out the door and frame that spot in and then install the stove.

The Hoosier: We did get the Hoosier finished. It has legs again after probably 50 years and it has a new latch. It also has a new home. We moved it from the "office" and put it between the living room and dining room. All my china is now in the Hoosier and lit looks really nice in it's new home.

The plumbing: We ran out of time, so the plumbing isn't done. Kev is still researching how to actually do this, so I have hopes that it will get finished.

The Office: The office is clean. It had to be, I had guests who needed to sleep in there. But, all the boxes are now empty. My CM albums all have a home, all my supplies are accessible. I have a table there to sew on and to scrapbook on. Now all I need is motivation to sew and scrapbook again.

The Chicken house: This wasn't on my list, however, we got the electricity run to the chicken house, so I can move the chicks out there soon. They are doing well in their stock tank brooder and are all growing like weeds and are healthy--even the one I tried to kill. (accidentally)

I have to say that I loved the fact that Kev worked so hard with me to get some of these things taken care of. I really enjoy knowing that we've got most of this off the "To Do" list.

But, the best Christmas gift wasn't on any list. It was a surprise.

See, we had Christmas with my folks and with my Aunt Sandy. It was important for Mom and Sandy to be with family for their first holiday without either of their parents. Grandma and Grandpa might not have been there in person, but they were there in spirit. My cousin G and I (mostly G) had put together a photo book in honor of Grandma and Grandpa. Neither Mom nor Sandy looked at them in front of us, but I know they treasure that book.

When we opened gifts, I had one from Sandy. It was a framed collection of Christmas fabric and part of a quilt block. With it was a card that said that Sandy had found this partial quilt block and the fabric in some of Grandma's stuff. She then went on to remind me that Grandma showed her love for us by making things for us, and that this framed block was a reminder of that love.

Whew, that really got to me, and I have hung it up in the office, above my worktable. It will be something that I will treasure for a very long time.

Hunting season 2008 recap

Deer season is over. I didn't get a deer this year.

It's been a year of learning for me. Hunting here is not at all what I'm used to doing, and I'm going to have to come up with some new strategies.

I learned that when it's 3 degrees above 0, it's OK to stay home. And, when you are standing in a tree stand when it's 3 degrees, your toes will get cold first, and they hurt when they get really cold. When it's 3 degrees out and your toes hurt, you can only tolerate that pain and cold for about an hour before saying "to heck with this, I'm leaving."

When you finally get in pickup, and start to thaw, then you will see 2 deer who probably were headed to the tree stand where they could laugh at the stupid human who got cold.

I also learned what it's like to really stalk deer. I crawled 20 or 30 yards to get close to 3 bucks. I made it within 10 yards before they saw me. And, it's my fault that they saw me. See, Kev and I decided to stop one day at the Hill. I had seen deer cut back in the pasture through a draw on 3 separate occasions. So, we decided to check out the draw. The deer were there all right, and I got so close, but I peeked up over some sagebrush to see exactly where they were, and one saw me and they all took off. It took me 30 minutes to crawl that 20-30 yards.

One week after crawling around trying to get close to these deer, Kev happened to go by and see 9 deer right there, within shooting range of my tree stand. For 3 months, I've been hunting there, and never ever had a deer come within range of my tree. I'm sure those deer were standing around, laughing at the stupid human who took the day off.

So, I didn't get a deer this year. But, I've got 9 months, and it will be deer season again. I've got that amount of time to out-smart these deer...

Missing

I lost my phone. On New Year's Eve. I lost it in the morning, somewhere in my house. See, Andy went hunting and called me, on my phone. I answered it while standing in the Kitchen.

That's the last time I remember seeing it, in the Kitchen while talking to Andy. Ten minutes after talking to Andy, I looked for it because Miss Kat and I were leaving. I couldn't find it. I had Miss Kat call it, but no ring. We walked through the house, checked coat pockets, and purses, but were never able to find it.

Since then, I have checked every inch of the house. I've looked in the trash, I've looked in the Chicken House. I've looked in the bath tub, in the sink, in all the kitchen cabinets, under the sink, in every drawer, under every bed. I have looked in places that no cell phone should ever be. No phone. Since then, any time anything in our house has been "misplaced", I've assumed that it's with my phone, having some wild party.

So today, I reported it lost, used my insurance, and got a new phone. Unfortunately, I lost all my contacts. Most, I remembered, but some are long gone. Shayon, yours is gone. So, call me! And, if you are feeling singled out, this will make you feel better--I don't know Miss Kat's number either.

I have had a cell phone for 8 years or so, and this is the first time I have ever lost a phone. And, to have to say that I lost it in the Kitchen is just a wee bit humiliating. Where on earth could it have gone? It would be much more entertaining for me to say that I lost it while traipsing through the wilds of SW Kansas. Or, I could say that in the heat of anger, I threw it at my children, hit one of them with it, and was broken by the force of impact. Or, maybe I could say that it was stolen by a rogue chick who wanted to call her mama...

But, I can't say any of those things, cause my phone disappeared in the wilds of my kitchen, on New Years Eve, at 10 in the morning. How boring is that?