Giving Thanks...

T'is the season yet again... and I've been sorely neglecting my duties as a blogger.  Lately I've been receiving some gentle prodding to get back to writing... yes, you!  I really have missed sharing and venting with you all.  Not going to make any promises... but I'll attempt to keep you all updated and amused on a more regular basis from now on.

What I'm thankful for this year...

Becoming an Ex-Smoker... I'm still vaping away on my eCig (electronic cigarette) and loving it.  Finally I can smell / taste / breath again... without hacking up a lung daily.  I haven't felt this good since I was a teenager! 

New Friends and Unexpected Family...  While transitioning from smoking to vaping, I joined a couple of forums... for support and information.  There I found a new online home with some of the most wonderful, caring people I've had the pleasure to meet... I found family.  We all check in on each other... rejoicing in each other's victories, sharing in the sorrows and lightening the load of the daily grind.  A couple of my online friends are getting married next year... Guess who got asked by the groom to be the Best Person... big grin....  I'm going to look good in a tux!

One of my favorite authors, Richard Bach, said it best in his book Illusions - The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah... "The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life.  Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof."  (More quotes from Richard Bach... If you've never read this one, you really should... it's fun and offers some wonderful insights!  He's best known for writing "Jonathan Livingston Seagull") 

Rediscovering Love... Not only did I find friends and family on the forums... I found a wonderfully, amazing woman to share my life with.  (Now you know why I've been neglecting you all... but I'm sure you understand... don't you...) While our's is still a long distance relationship at this point, we're making plans to change that.  Meanwhile... thank god for unlimited phone plans!  My fondest memory of the year... meeting her for the first time... losing myself in her smile... and realizing just how much I do love her.  (I know... I know... more another time...)

Family... Issues and all... About to undergo a 6 hour round trip to eat Thanksgiving dinner with G-Ma and the Brothers at Shoney's (G-Ma's choice what can I say)... They may be quirky and make you cringe at times, but I love them dearly just the same. 

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Remember me?

Welcome back, Dear Reader... and my sincere apologies for keeping you waiting.  I've spent the last few days practicing my deep breathing... gathering my courage to jump back into the blogsphere once again.  It's been awhile... so let's catch up some, shall we....

The Boy has gone off to college... about 10 minutes down the road.  He's enjoying his freedom and seems to actually be attending class.  Once a week I get a call asking if I'd like to go to dinner and catch up.  (Translation for the childless:  Feed me and bring cash)  At least he holds up his end of the bargain by regaling me with tales of college life... like how they discovered neither one packed a can opener.  I understand his pool game is improving too.

Brother1 has finally moved out of G-Ma's house.  He was able to obtain a three bedroom goverment subsidized apartment once he convinced his ex to sign papers granting him half custody of his kids.  Since then his kids decided they'd rather not move in, he's lost yet another job, and G-Ma's starting to get concerned that he'll be moving back in before the holidays.  Don't know what he's going to do with the leopard skin couch and matching chair if he loses the place.  Such a shame.

Brother2 recieved a summons the other day naming him in a paternity suit.  He helpfully explained to the officer that maybe they had the wrong person.... after all he has a twin... and a cousin with the same name... and he didn't even recognise the gal's name.  He's since placed a face on the name and is now just keeping his fingers crossed. 

G-Ma has been staying busy between volunteering with the Red Cross, taking Brother1 and kids on vacation, and fumigating her place.  Seems Brother2 found a wonderful used couch for his apartment... infested with bed bugs.  Eventually he brought enough of them over to G-Ma's to start an outpost there.  *shudder*  We've kept visits with G-Ma limited to day-trips lately.  She's making headway against them though... hopefully.

And what of Yours Truely?... well as you'll recall I switched from cigarettes to an electronic cigarette back in Febuary.  Since then I've been quite active in the forum community and helped start an e-cig group in our state.  We get together once or twice a month to visit, share new flavors, and have fun.  Since The Boy has moved out, I've been battling a bit of depression and a slight resergance of agoraphobia.  Makes each of these get togethers it's own little victory.   Meanwhile, some friends have begun fussing at me for being such a "lone wolf".  One buddy of mine recently declared that he'd be my wing man... he's sure his wife won't mind.

That brings you up to speed a bit at least.  Promise we'll chat again real soon, Dear Reader....

Nip it in the bud!

The Brothers have run through several jobs over the years. The list includes numerous fast food positions. I don’t think there’s a fast food joint within 10 miles of G-Ma that hasn’t been graced with the presence of one of the Brothers over the years.

Brother2’s love of uniforms has lead to a rash of security jobs. Even his email address begins with “Officer”. Thankfully, he’s not qualified for jobs that require a firearm. Recently he’s not been scheduled for more than three nights a week though, putting him in financial straits. Yours Truly asked if he was looking for additional work over the holidays only to be told that he couldn’t risk a second job as he’s on call 24/7. Translation: They might call me in if the stars are aligned just right.

G-Ma tells me that Brother2 has finally realized that he has to find an additional source of income. Of course, this comes after a few weeks after she finally admitted to having bailed out his over-drawn bank account and having bought him a used car when his died. “He was talking about how he was going to lose his job and apartment! I couldn’t handle the thought that he might need to move back in too!!”

Brother2’s master plan has Yours Truly a bit concerned though. According to G-Ma, he’s found out that he can sell plasma four times a week at $25 a visit. Now there’s a brilliant idea. First, I don’t think they allow you to sell plasma more than twice a week, not to mention potential health issues. It could also affect his main source of income. I mean, imagine Barney Fife sporting a ghastly pallor, listlessly wondering around your place of work at night. Not a pleasant thought.

Meanwhile, G-Ma’s busy looking up horror stories of blood donors to confront him with. I’m betting after he passes out the first time from low blood he’ll start working on Plan B.

Buzzed!

Unfortunately, I had to be stuck babysitting when Brother2 decided to get buzzed for the first time. I heard a strange "ffzzzzztttttt" sound and suddenly a smoky, hair-raising, ozone smell filled the air. Running into the dining room, I discovered Brother2 frozen in place in the middle of a slowly dying ring of fire still clutching the now deformed butter knife with which he'd decided to play electrician. Fire was also sputtering along the length of the clock plugged into the wall outlet. I frantically snatched him up, stomped out the remaining cinders in the carpet and ran for the phone.

Oh, Brother!

You've finally found a free moment to relax, the Brothers are peacefully napping in their cribs... when suddenly there's a crash from the nursury!  You barrel down the hallway, leap over the baby gate, and discover.... one of the cribs on it's side in the middle of the floor and the Brothers blissfully crawling around.  WTF?  No use asking them, they can't even walk yet much less talk.  How in the world did they get out of their cribs?  How did Brother1's crib get tipped over?  I mean, thank goodness they're fine, but what a mystery!

This is exactly the situation that my parents were faced with.  No one could figure out what had happened.  Finally they had to just shake their heads and shrug.... but it kept happening.  We tried to figure it out, we really did.  G-Ma even posted me outside the twins' door for a time to watch what happened.  Nothing.  This strange phenomenon only occurred when no one was watching, but occur it did!  Not only were we stumped, but we were genuinely worried that they might get hurt doing... whatever they were doing.

In desperation, G-Ma came up with a stroke of genius.  She had me set a ladder outside the nursury's window.  Then she lay the boys down for a nap and went her merry way.  I stood patiently on the ladder, peering over the edge of the window.  You wouldn't believe what I saw that day!

The boy's were always too hyper to nap much.  It wasn't long before Brother2 was pulling himself up by the rails to stand.  Brother1 was awake, but just lay there quietly watching.  Brother2 stood there for a minute, listening... looking.  He must have decided the coast was clear.  I had to stifle a gasp as I watched him pulled his torso up to flip over the side of the crib and execute a well-practiced landing on the floor.  He paused there, listening... looking... before crawling over to Brother1's crib. 

Brother1 was grinning from ear to ear with anticipation.  Brother2 crawled over to his crib and kept going straight under it.  He rolled over onto his back under the crib and proceed to kick up against the bottom of the crib.  The springs under the mattress hooked into a couple of large eyehooks on the head and foot of the crib.  Brother2 had figured out how to kick those springs right out of the eyehooks!  Down came springs and mattress with Brother2 sliding right to the floor.
Once down, the Brothers proceeded to detach the mattress and springs completely and begin pushing the crib away from the wall.  When there was enough space, they both crawled behind it and pulled into a standing position with the wall at their backs.  This is the only time they made a sound.  They looked at each other, leaned back against the wall, said their equivilent of "Go!", and plunged forward against the side of the crib.  Their weight was enough to topple the frame into the floor with a crash.  Mystery solved!

Did you know that chicken wire makes a right proper lid for a crib?