RIP Li'l Man (Approx. July 2004 - July 29, 2006)

Like Gwen a mere 19 days ago, I (with the help of my Vet), had to help my gentle giant Li'l Man to the Rainbow Bridge this morning. Also like Gwen, he suffered from a serious case of Pneumonia which he was seemingly recovering from for the past three weeks, but for some reason "crashed" yesterday into a state where no recovery would be possible. He couldn't hold himself up, eat, or drink, he could hardly even breathe... his lungs were filled with fluid, making his breathing nearly impossible and very noisey. I had no choice but to help him go to where he would no longer be suffering.

I have attached two pictures... one that was taken while he was recovering (so I thought), on July 17th, and the other was during his last moments at home with me this morning... before heading to the Vet to say my final goodbye.

I will miss my big boy dearly.

"Dragon tales and the water is wide
Pirates sail and lost boys fly
Fish bite moonbeams every night
And I love you

Godspeed Little Man
Sweet dreams Little Man
Oh, my love will fly to you each night on angel's wings
Godspeed (Sweet Dreams)"... from the Dixie Chicks-Godspeed

Birthday Bust

Yesterday was my 39th birthday, and... well, it sucked.

I woke up with what seems to have been some sort of stomach bug, so I spent the entire day / night at home... alone... on the couch in the fetal position. My plans to have lunch with my family at this really nice local restaurant, the Sunflower, had to be cancelled... as did my other plans. *sigh*

We are going to all try to get together some night this coming week and do dinner, a late celebration of sorts... but this just won't be the same. Yes, I'm pouting.

It was hard enough turning 39... but to not even be able to disguise my difficulty in inching ever-so-close to 40 by hanging with family and celebrating, and instead having to spend the whole day alone, lonely, and sick. "Happy" Birthday my ass.

Don't get me wrong... I am grateful to be as old as I am, to have had another birthday. In the year 2000, I had a few serious reasons to think I wouldn't "make it this far," so for yesterday, good or bad, I am thankful!

I did get a wonderful cake (which I wish I wasn't going to be eating alone!), that my Sister L and Goddaughter E made for me. L just dropped it off moments ago, and I just had to share with a picture. (Keeping in mind that E just turned 5 earlier this month... hee hee) What makes this cake even better is... it wasn't made with a cake tin in this shape... they did it by hand! Thanks, L and E...

And, last but not least... thanks to my best friend, S, for the birthday gifts you brought by. Thoughtful...

Lookalikes?

As a spinoff from my friend Duane's latest blog entries... Who do I look like?

So I've been told: Cindy Lou Who (The Grinch Who Stole Christmas), Emma Chambers ("Honey," Notting Hill (2 pics)), and Monica Horan ("Amy" - Everybody Loves Raymond). Embarrassingly enough, I'd have to agree with all three of these... depending on the time period, what my hair is doing that day, etc. Though, honestly, when I saw Notting Hill for the first time, I was actually startled when I saw the character "Honey." Yikes! I'm not saying this is a good thing either! :/

Comedy Works

Last week was, for the most part, a rotten week for me. Losing my dearest rattie Gwen, my big rattie boy Li'l Man became quite ill two days later, not sleeping enough, and ending up with a migraine to boot.

There was an enjoyable evening spent with a few friends at Comedy Works though... Wed. night. It was an early Birthday get-together that Comedy Works offered me... part of their Birthday Club.

I had a great time, with a lot of laughs... my cheeks were sore by the time we left. :) I am glad that Brenda, Rob, Stuart, Kathy, and Kyla (clockwise from left) were willing and able to join me for my night out! I was disappointed that Zack and Joy were unable to find a sitter for their 3 kids... I would have liked to have them come along as well. *sigh*

The headlining comedian was Louis Johnson... and he was hilarious. The man pictured above went right before Louis... one of the opening acts... and he was hysterical as well. If only I could remember his name! (There would have been more pictures, but, apparently you aren't "allowed" to take them during the show. haha OOPS! I got a verbal spanking...)

Who's the guy in the 3rd row, with the backwards baseball cap anyway? Yes, I WOULD like to know. hehe

Perfect for me...

On my short drive to work this morning, I saw this bumper sticker:

Successfully disguised as
a responsible adult

Love it! (Thanks for the chuckle, whomever you are.)

RIP Dearest Gwen (Approx. May 2004 - July 10, 2006

"I miss my friend
The one my heart and soul confided in
I miss the colors that you brought into my life
The one who knew just what to do to make me laugh again
And let the light back in
I miss my friend"

Fight or Flight

My close encounter with a rather large BEAR this evening. Yes, that's right, a BEAR!

I took back the Jeep to *rhymes with Bonnie*, and when I was just about to leave the garage, I heard quickened footsteps on the rocks of the steep driveway... just before the cement starts at the top. What was the noise? It was a freakin' BEAR, a rather large brown bear, moving at a pace that was faster than running, but not running... a jog I guess it would be. Do bears jog? Anyway, I about peed my pants AND crapped myself, since he was probably no more than 15 or 20 feet away from me! Thank God I was just inside the garage where it was dark, since a storm was rolling in, so he didn't see me. (I've heard they can smell you at a 3 mile distance, however, so I guess he knew I was there.) =-0

My initial reaction? A very loud gasp, followed by panic. What I am suppose to do when I see a bear? I know you don't run... do you put up your arms and act bigger than he is... stare into his eyes? No, I think that's for mountain lions... Yes, panic is what I did. He goes over to Barney (my car), still too close for my comfort... as I back slowly into the garage, hearing my heart beating in my ears, feeling it on my temples... and start to go inside. CRAP! Shut the garage door... DUH! Thankfully, the button to shut the garage was nearby, so I pushed it and ran inside. Then like a the Roadrunner in fast forward, I run through the house and to the top floor to look for the bear. ACK, he's gone. Where has he gone? Is he on the back side of my car now, where I can't see him? Did he get into the garage before the door closed? Did he go up the mountain-side where I cannot see? Or, maybe he went down the hill from where Barney was parked and into the neighbors yard. (Not very comforting either, since it's still too close for comfort.)

I stayed inside for a while and decide to make a couple of phone calls, one of which was to my Sister and Brother-in-Law to tell them what was going on. Of course, K starts cracking up and thinks I should call 911 to have them come and get the bear. I don't want to move him, or scare him, or displace him from his long-time home... but, GEEZ!!! WTF? I didn't think this was an option, since he didn't hurt me, try to attack me, or anything of that nature. I just wanted him to "go in peace," so I could then go home as well.

I couldn't just hang out there by the window all night, so I had to "grow some balls" and get going. First, however, I had to make sure he wasn't in the garage. (I sure didn't stick around to wait for the door to close and make sure he didn't come in!) I think this was the scariest part... and, no, he wasn't in there. WHEW! Then, in the midst of a large thunderstorm and unbelievably hard downpour of rain, I ran from the front door to my car... all the while yelling at the top of my lungs... "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! Please go away Mr. Bear! Pleeeeeeeeeeease go away! You scared me enough already Mr. Bear! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" (I was told by J that making a lot of noise will scare him / keep him away.)

I've seen several deer, a couple of foxes, and a skunk up there... but now with this bear sighting... I'm not in a hurry to go back up to the Wild Kingdom they call home. I'm seriously spooked, and cannot believe I was that close to a wild bear, and I'm here to blog about it!

Thank you, God!

To Buy or Not to Buy?

So this long 4th of July weekend has been a little more fun and exciting than most long holiday weekends. I was fortunate enough to be given the "OK" on borrowing *rhymes with Bonnie's* new "toy" while he's out of town. Yipee!!

I went for my first ride in it, me in the back seat, about a month ago... a cruise up into the mountains, and it was such a blast! A bit windy I must say, I felt a bit like one of those bobble-heads, actually... but a blast nonetheless. And, it turns out, this fun and way-cool-looking piece of 4x4 was... GASP... affordable! When I found this out I decided that I just may want to get one for myself!

My car is shitty in the snow and bad road conditons... and it will not enable me to go up to my parent's place in the mountains during the snowy, winter months... I have to mooch a ride. *sigh* This goes against whatever independent streak I have (though I really appreciate the rides!). With a Jeep (or something like it), I'd be able to drive where I want, when I want... without the limitations that I currently experience with Barney (my car).

For a couple of days now, I've been driving this Jeep around, and the more I drive it... the more I want one! It's not a smooth ride, by any sense of the imagination... but it's more fun that way, bouncing around, wind blowing my hair. hee hee Not to mention... it's a bit of an attention- getter. ;) This is not a bad thing since I'm very single, and looking.

It looks like blue skies all day today, so running errands should be even more fun. It's almost time to return it, and when that moment comes and I trade back to my car... I admit, I'll be pouting.

The question remains... to buy or not to buy a Jeep Wrangler???