879.

Happy Sunday folks! 😀

Hopefully everyone is enjoying this beautiful day in peace and harmony. It's warm and sunny here and I'm resting for now.

Up until this moment, this weekend hasn't been what I thought it would be.

 My expectations: restful quiet with snacks, music, crochet, needles and thread...

Instead I got lots of conversation(s) with my friend, a lost-dog crisis, a bug-in-the-house crisis, and a dearth of rest/sleep.

- Sleep deprivation is not news around here. 😒😣

- The bug incident had my heart racing. I've lived at my current residence for seven years. I can count on one had the number of big bugs I've seen in here.

I turned on the bathroom light and there it was, on the floor. I began screaming. Baby Bliss et al ran out to see why. I said, "Cockroach". Her boyfriend said, "Water bug".

Either way, my adrenaline shot up as I ran in search of something to spray it with.

Febreeze was the first thing I saw.

I blasted that sucka but it didn't stop him. Baby Bliss came with a shoe and a screaming-shouting frenzy ensued.

The sound of a bug "splat" is horrendous. Worse is seeing it happen. 😰😱🤢🤮 But she smashed it. I dare not describe the mutilation I witnessed. Thankfully the boyfriend cleaned up the debris.

After all that drama and mayhem, my nerves were shot. It sent me on a tear. (See definitions 1 and 2.)

Bugs like paper and I have lots of it in here: waiting-to-be-filed: manuscripts past and present, receipts, etc. as well as waiting-to-be-shredded.

Some of that paper will see the inside of our dumpster as soon as I go out today.

Perhaps it was a reminder from the Great One that I need to get my ass in high gear regarding my ongoing quest to free our living space of Things Which No Longer Serve Us.

As discussed in one of the many conversations I had with my friend yesterday, I keep stuff. He said I'm a hoarder. I consider myself a sentimental preserver because I keep things of remembrance: greeting cards (I have the one my mom gave me for my 16th birthday as well as the cards I got at Baby Bliss' baby shower 20-something years ago); some of Mr. Bliss' clothes/shoes/important papers; Baby Bliss' childhood artwork and report cards; old diaries and journals; income tax filings dating back to the 80s including those spanning several marriages...

Some documents I've retained because of a few scary incidents in my past that necessitated me having to prove I did or didn't engage in some thing that could have had serious consequences (fines, penalties, and/or jail time) had I not been able to prove my involvement or lack thereof in said activity.

Seriously.

However, I do acknowledge that some of those documents could probably be disposed of without negative repercussions.

I also know that to move forward, one must be willing to leave the past behind. Or, as my friend and I discussed recently (and on a few other occasions), "What are you willing to give up to get what you want?"

Part of me feels like I've given up so much already, unwillingly (Mr. Bliss, my dad). I know trying to hold on to that which cannot be held is ultimately foolish and possibly dangerous. I also know that memories are ours to hold in our hearts forever, until we are only memories.

Life...

It's a combination of so many things. Two of my favorite songs sum up those feelings for me.

One is Vivir Mi Vida.

The other is Rie y Llora.

- Once again, my neighbor's dog got loose and ran away from her. The first time was back in early fall, when the dog and my neighbor were new companions. She took the dog out for a walk and thought it would go potty faster off the leash. 😑

The dog decided to explore the land.

Alone.

My neighbor was devastated. The dog was returned to her by animal control several days later.

This time the dog ran off when it was frightened by a different neighbor.

Allegedly.

My neighbor called me several times to tell me but I was otherwise engaged and couldn't answer. So she climbed my stairs and knocked at my door.

I had to talk to her as I peeked around the side of the door because I wasn't dressed. 😶  She told me the dog had gotten away again. I told her I'd get dressed and come down.

Long story short, we looked for the dog for a while and made a few stops to inquire and inform. No dog and two hours spent.

When I awoke this morning, there was a text from my neighbor saying the dog had returned.

Hallelujah.

- My friend and I have been enjoying excellent communication for a couple of weeks now. We talked numerous times yesterday, starting at 2 a.m. and ending close to midnight. We've talked twice today.

It feels like we're ramping up the excitement leading up to our anticipated visit and I'm really digging our interaction. According to him, he is too. 😊

I was anxious about going home but now I'm eager to get on the road.

Oh happy day! 💃

Time to change the scenery y'all. Gotta henna this head.

Ciao darlings. 💋

791.

Hello everyone.

Just a quick update:

First, thank you to everyone for the prayers, positive energy, healing thoughts, and all things wonderful sent my way. I appreciate you all and send virtual rainbows 🌈, sparkles ✨✨✨, and lots of love 💕💕💕 in exchange.

An update on my dad: I talked to him today. He was in good spirits and his voice was strong but he was very forgetful. I know cognitive issues can be common post-stroke so I'm not overly worried but it is disquieting.

It's another reminder that daddy's health is definitely declining. My prayer for him is that he's at peace with his life and remembers that he is loved by many. Amen.

My grandma is healing quite well and has already resumed many of her favorite grandmotherly activities. 😁

Baby Bliss and I took in a movie earlier this evening. We saw "The Dark Tower".  Not as bad as some of the critics (both paid and those of the backseat driver variety) made it sound.

Yes, there were seven (or eight) books in the series. (None of which I read, big huge Stephen King fan that I am... 😩)

No, this movie does not have time to cover the whole series. Big whoop. There's no way I can think of to compress that much material into one movie and this one only runs for an hour and a half.

So why see the movie then complain that it didn't accurately reflect the books? 😆😐😶

Any way, Baby Bliss and I enjoyed lots of aspects of the movie. Maybe there will be another installment...

On another note, sometimes when I come home after dark there is a single cockroach waiting for me on my porch. It's always sitting right where it can be seen. I'm not sure if it's the same cockroach each time but it's like it's waiting to make sure I get in safely. 😉

If I've already shared this information, please forgive me. I don't remember and I'm not gonna go back to check. Also, some of you may not know either. What's a few re-hashed stories between friends right? 😁

But I'm sure lots of you know that I believe in signs and omens, dreams and red strings of fate, yes?

And there's the animal totem thing as well. Which also extends to insects. (Y'all know where this is going right?)

Although they are on my list of Things to Never Bring into the House, cockroaches do have an interesting totem story. If I shared it before, feel free to ignore the link. If you don't know what I'm talking about, read here: Cockroach Animal Totem.

G'night y'all.  😴😴😴

590.

A second date last night.

More kisses; no rain.

He wants me to go fishing with him later today.

I'll be the one crocheting and taking pictures while he baits his hook.

Yah...

171: grab a holtuvit

hey y'all.

baby bliss and i were watching a documentary the other night called Okie Noodling. we turned it on halfway thru and were disgusted (me) and enthralled (her) with the practice.

the fish (ginormous, alien-looking catfish for y'all who don't know) were frightening in appearance. something that would make me never stick my foot in a puddle of muddy water ever again, i tell ya.

their skin was green and yellow, their whiskers thick and rubbery-looking, and the noodlers were pulling off the fishy skin with pliers.

nas-teeeeeee.

the highlight of the whole program? (and no, i didn't change the channel cuz baby bliss wanted to watch and it was eh-dhu-kay-shun-ul people.)

the highlight of the entire program was when one of the noodlers was showing and telling one of the researchers how to get the fish out of the holes.

he said, "... grab a holtuvit..."

baby bliss looked at me, clearly confused. she said, "mommy, what's a 'holtuvit'?"

my own amazement was authentic as well . i didn't have a clue what she meant. then she said, "is it another name for bucket?"

then the dam broke as i realized what the guy meant. and i screamed/laughed so loud that baby bliss thought i was gone off the deep end for sure. after i wiped my tears, i explained to her that "holtuvit" is just the way some people say "hold of it".

our public t.v. station showed it again that same night. we watched it and we watched it again the next day too. all to hear that guy say "holtuvit" again. :-)

we shared the story with mr. bliss and got him to watch it with us the third time so he could hear it too.

that's been our private joke over the last few days. and not to make fun of the guy. i have a thing for accents, colloquialisms, slang, etc. but only if it sounds cool. '=)

on another note, mr. bliss has decided he wants to drive down to charleston for a visit. one of my relatives used to visit charleston often and she loves it. i've never been and i'm wondering how i'll like it.

i know it's on the water. is it more humid there than non-coastal towns? are there beaches or is it swampy? i don't have a clue. i'm gonna do my research (online) soon cuz we might be going this weekend.

we haven't taken a weekend trip in ages. i'm a bit excited but apprehensive too. maybe i shouldn't have mentioned potential travel plans around grandma but i did. now it's threatening to be an extended-family road trip. which could turn into a family feud cuz one or more of the extended family members have "control issues".

and one has a dog that sometimes travels with. i love that doggie but i don't want critters on vacation with me. and i surely hope that person doesn't want to car pool y'all. we'll be taking our own car, thank you. so we can come and go as we please and not have to wait on the group.

so what's the point in us all going as a group any way? i can guarantee that we won't agree on what to see, where to go, what to eat, where to stay... there will also be dissension on how often to stop for potty and food breaks, how long those stops should be, who should get out and who should watch the vehicles/valuables.

maybe we should just sneak off without them?

but the real question -- the one that will cause the most trouble around here -- is should i take the laptop?


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158: got ants?

i'm not sure if this works since we got rid of our ants using other methods.

i heard that a mixture of cinnamon and red pepper spread around the boundaries would keep ants away from (and out of) the house.

i bought some of each for my grandma and i'm gonna mix it and sprinkle a test mixture around the patio door. them critters seems to have a gazillion points of entry tho so we'll have to see what happens.

if any of y'all have already tried it, lemme know if it helped?

thanx y'all. :-)