kimberly

Twinky, I haven't seen any shoots coming up yet. It is still a little too early for us. When I see those naked Dogwoods start putting forth their shoots I know Spring is coming. The Hosta starts peeking its little rolled point up through the soil and yessiree, honey child, I know Spring is upon us.

This may sound crazy but it is what I have reckoned in my head....The Daytona 500 in February makes me feel like we are on the downside and coming out of winter!!! Nature start your engines!

I wouldn't go on a cruise with anybody. When I do get to go on vacation I want to be as far away as possible from other people.

In my opinion, Pat Robertson is just out and out wicked. His thoughts and words are wicked/evil. He is about as spiritual and Christian as a dead cow. Even if what he thinks about the Haiti situation was true, a loving, caring, sensitive, mature, wise Christian (I use Christian because that is what he claims to be) would never dare to think to utter the kind of meanness that came out of his mouth.

Yuck, ugh, spew...This is why I hate religiosity, particularly the Christian brand. It is pure-teefied, rotten hatefulness.

Oh, mercy, what a voice!!

I used to have some real fits with sinus/allergy. Capping and taking cayenne pepper put an end to all of that among other things.

Local honey, raw as can be and taken at a tablespoon once or twice a day works wonders for allergies. I have two friends that spent an insane amount of money on doctors, prescriptions and surgeries because of allergies. They were allergic to pine trees. They started on doses of local honey a couple of years ago and as of today are no longer troubled. Now, they take a tablespoon 3 times a week. You ought to hear them once they get on their soapbox about honey and how it cured their allergies. I tell them they are candidates for an infomercial.

I'm walkin on sunshine!!! 55 degrees here today and I worked in the yard for 4 hours. I feel like a new person... released from the trappings of the indoors.

Funny though, the back of the yard, where grows the Hosta garden, was still frozen. Trusty ole shovel would not go in that ground!

I dug out weeds in another garden, spread lime and mulched with newspaper and leaves. A landscaping friend gave me several bags of leaves some months back. They have been in the black plastic bags until today. It is amazing how much they have composted.

Aahh, what a wonderful day!!!

Unbiased news.... the Weather Channel. "Storm Stories" is one of their great shows.

Some friends and I were talking the other day about food allergies. We all agreed that growing up and even into our adult years we never heard of or knew anybody allergic to peanuts.

Sports medicine doctor says, Kimberly your knees hurt because of all your years as an athlete...all that running and sorts. It is arthritis and you will just have to live with it. But the good thing is, your cardiovascular system is in great shape!!!!!

What a trade off! Yee haw!!! Great cardiovascular and sometimes the pain in my knees make me want to say real ugly words. I keep going, though. I keep exercising (walking) and not going to let this get the best of me. blah, blah, blah... I'm suppose to live with this? Ain't no way.

Then I read an article about a woman who had the same problem. She went with a friend to a homeopathic type health food store. The woman working there noticed her limping and asked her about it. Oh, it is just arthritis. The clerk asked, have you ever been tested for food allergies? The woman responded she had not. After being tested by her doctor it was found that she was allergic to gluten. She eliminated gluten from her diet and within a month had a new lease on her knee life.

I read this and decided to eliminate gluten from my diet. Give it a try... what do I have to lose. Well pain free is what I have lost and 15 pounds to boot. It has been 3 months and I am here to tell you I am a new knee life woman. I never imagined I could live without bread. Growing up a southern girl there was bread every meal. I did not grow up eating pasta but love it in my adult life. I ate lasagna a few weeks back and the pain in my knees returned. The left knee (that I had surgery on some year ago) was particularly trying to out smart me.

I don't think the allergy is from the wheat seed. I think it is in all the herbicides, pesticides, and whatever is used to "fertilize" the wheat, rye or barley. Chemicals, chemicals, chemicals mutate that what was once good.

I guess this coming summer I will have to make gluten free bread for all those home grown mater sandwiches. Thank God there is still grits.

It works for me. I hope this can help someone else.

Gumby and Pokey was a childhood Christmas gift. I still have them.

Back at'cha, WG!

I must say the veggies from the garden have been keeping us comfy warm. Several pots of soup. I love the speckled butterbeans on top of a bowl of rice.

There is no getting out to the garden. The temps just will not allow it. The end of this arctic blast is in sight for us. Starting Wed. it is suppose to be in the 50's. Dang, that will feel like a heat wave.

Hey Twinky. I used Gatorade because I knew it had "stuff" in it to replenish, on a short time basis, certain human body minerals. I thought, if it gives a little jump start maybe it would for Sweetie Pie.

I read an article and saw the same on Animal Planet that cats learn to hunt from their mothers. If their mother doesn't teach them then they do not know how to hunt. I had never heard such!

Sweetie Pie is now 4 years old. Forget her hunting anything. We decided about a year ago she should start going outside. It was an itty bitty step by step coming of age for her. At first she sat on the window ledge and howled. A long process it was. Then after a couple of months she would lay on the ledge and watch the critterhood. Then she started laying under the bushes in front of the ledge and watching. Then she ventured out under the bushes by the fence. Then she started laying under the pecan tree near the house. She was amazed by everything. She even got to where she liked to go outside at night for long spells.

She started laying under the bird bath. The birds did not seem to care. One day Sweetie Pie was drinking from the bird bath with husband and wife Cardinal. We fully expected a preening day at the bird bath spa to be next. Animals are so instinctive.

About 6 weeks ago there was a feral cat howling in the critterhood. Sweetie Pie was outside. She has never wanted to go out since then.

There is a telephone number you can call and have your name/number removed from the call lists. Sorry, I don't remember the number as it was several years ago. I haven't had any telemarketer calls since.

Just a little info in case some are bugged by them...

I just checked out this thread for the first time last night. I guess I thought just because I don't have any scaredy cats I wouldn't have anything to add.

Cutey cute pictures of the cats. They all look like they could have been from the same litter.

I just got my daughter a yellow, male tabby for Christmas. Her other yellow tabby, Spanky, (yes, two of our dogs were Darla and Alfalfa) was maimed by the two boxers that Alfalfa protected me from. This little fellow is just 8 weeks old. It is sweet having a new baby in the house.

Our other cat is Sweetie Pie. Sweetie Pie was also the name of the baby in the carriage in Our Gang. Our Sweetie Pie is a black, white and yellow calico. When I got her, I was told she was 8 weeks old. I said, gee, she sure is tiny. Oh, her mom is little. Sweetie Pie almost died and the owner was forthcoming and admitted she was only 5 weeks old!!!

Sweetie slept on my chest or neck and I woke up to find her limp as a dish rag. I woke up daughter and we worked feverously through the night with her. She was limp yet panting with her tongue hanging out. I started injecting small amounts of red Gatorade down her throat with one of those little pet syringes. As soon as the pet store opened I was there to buy feline mother's milk. One hour she got a syringe of milk and the next a syringe of Gatorade. After 24 hours we took her off the Gatorade. We kept her on the milk for 2 more weeks. It took her about a week to recover to where she was able get up and walk. Very scary couple of weeks.

As far as Sweetie Pie knows, we are her mamas. She doesn't know how to hunt because she has never been taught. She knows her name and will come when called. She rarely has to be called because she is content being where we are.

Her reaction to the new baby kitty is another story, though.....

I have to laugh about the flowery romantic languages (French/Italian/Portugese)....anybody ever hear John Hendricks speak in tongues?..?..yippy skippy, whatever....

RottieGrrrl, I know you have the perfect pair of shoes to wear with those jeans!!! Cause just not "any" shoe will do!!

Hey, Twinky, my garden isn't doing anything either but that is good. We are experiencing abnormally low temps. It was 14 degrees this morning and only reached 39 for the entire day. The temps are suppose to be like this for the next week. We usually have something like this for a week in February.

We make it to the compost pile every other day. I have a bin under the kitchen sink where we put compostables. The new one is growing.

Fixin to try my hand again with snow peas.

Must have a soil sample test done on one of the gardens. The collards in that garden twice as small as in the others.

Thank you Rocky and Zshot. It is just not the same without him. Never will be.

Today, I finally took up his bed and covers and washed them. I put them, with his bowl, on the shelf in the storage room.

I got to sleep in Christmas morning, woo woo!! We did our traditional going out to breakfast. Going out to eat is special because that is the only day of the year I eat out at breakfast. Unless, I am on vacation away from home.

Like you, brainfixed, I was able to put my two feet on the ground and get up. I run circles around folks twice younger than me that complain/grumble about this and that. I have a job(s) and that is a true gift these days. I have several friends hurting right now because of job situations. We have a roof over our head (which will be paid for Jan 2011), heat, food, clothes but most of all, the most important gift, family.

Our precious Alfalfa passed away New Years morning. He had an intestinal cancer. Because he had suffered so in the last weeks I made the decision to put him down. The vet was closed for the holidays. I went to the den and saw him lying on his bed. I called his name and knew he had passed.

The boy helped me wrap him in white cotton that I cut from a bolt of fabric and we buried him down by the creek next to Darla. They are now running the streets paved with t-bone steaks.

Alfalfa was twelve and a half years old. He became a member of our family when he was 8 weeks old. During his growing up years we had to replace many door and window frames, re-upholster a sofa and a chair, and rip up what was left of the carpet in the den and lay down wood floors because he was true to his breed...he liked to chew up stuff.

He was loyal and committed to his family. He considered it his one job on this earth to love and protect his family. He loved and protected whom we loved. He never left his yard (except for one reason) but would sit patrol near the road. The neighbor next door with 3 little children said she felt like Alfalfa was the protector...looking out for all of us. Lily the other lab yaps at leaves blowing on the ground. We pay her no mind. But, when something or someone was not familiar to Alfalfa on his territory he let out this deep, guttural bellow.

One night I heard his warning bark and went out to investigate. The neighbors boxers had gotten out and were in the driveway. As one of those dogs approached me Alfalfa came in front of me pushed his body up against mine and shielded me. He was not going to let them get close to me. He growled, showed his teeth and then decided he had had enough. He chased them out of his yard and away from his mommy.

The boy is heartbroken. I have a picture of them I entered in a photo contest. It is titled "A Dog and His Boy." The boy is holding Alfalfa's face and Alfalfa is looking at the camera, smiling, literally. They grew up together. The one reason Alfalfa would leave the yard is when the boy left the yard. Alfalfa would follow by his side and wait by the door when at a friend's house. Then escort the boy home.

We lost a member of our family. The sorrow has been great. Alfalfa was a one and only.

One of my misuse/misspelling peeves is sit and set.

Shellon, one thing I learned from my children in their teenage years is that they loved to hear about all my sufferings. I am serious. And I have to kind of chuckle right now thinking back about those years. The boy is 16 almost 17 so he knows most of it.

It made them feel like, "if mom went through it and came out on top then I can too." I have always been very honest with my children about everything. There is some ugly details about a divorce they have never heard and doubt they ever will unless they ask.

Too sad. He was brilliant.

Roy, my brother, I can certainly understand your frustration with Social Security and all their questions, questions, questions and paperwork and paperwork and paperwork and paperwork.....and on and on and on. It can certainly seem unending. But that is just the particular nature of the paperwork beast when it comes to Social Security, Medicaid/Medicare. The system is designed to know the business of those it helps. That way they can help in the best way.

You can be a big baby if you choose...BUT....I know you are a praying man. And I know you have been praying for this doctor(s) you are going to see and all this Social Security mess to get straightened out. You know you are loved.

I cry. There are still moments when I am overcome with grief concerning the death of my nephew, Josh. He committed suicide and to this day we don't know why. The pain my best and dearest friend suffers sometime from the loss of her youngest daughter makes me cry.

I know where you are coming from, Roy.

Love and blessings,

Kimberly

Kit, honey, that is wonderful!!! Ya'll keep doing what you are doing.