Monthly Archives: November 2010

When I started this blog I had a steadfast group of women whose husbands were overseas serving our country. And knitters. Now I’ve one knitter and no more military wives that I know of.

There’s still a group of readers who like this niche blog, and for that I thank you.

For the folks in service to our nation and your loved ones I wish you love and best wishes this holiday season. If there is anything you need to enable you to contact your spouse and children please let us know and we’ll do whatever we can to make it happen.

We’re new here and don’t know any military families. I’ve been an “orphan” at several Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners so now host those who can’t fly to family or who have none.

Thanks go out to those serving our country, and to their families left behind. We wish you well this holiday season. Cheers, Dee

Jim can lie down and sleep this cold off. I have to sit up or stay up so here’s my entry. I’ve no voice except for that which is written.

There is a little plot of land, garbage actually, that is called Fiesta Island in San Diego CA, USA. It was traditionally used for a scout camp, Over The Line tournaments, but mostly for beach access for dog owners and water sports enthusiasts.

Because San Diego’s Park and Wreck (should be Recreation but that’s what we call it) hates 60% of the population, the portion that own a pet, has deemed us park haters, they will not permit a dog owner to tread on the turf that taxpayer pays for.

It has taken fifteen years since I was in the trenches working with community groups and lobbying the City Council. I even interviewed a candidate for office. We spent an hour over coffee and he promised to keep an open mind. I went door-to-door helping to elect him and worked phone banks and he won. Afterward, he never gave me or his other volunteers the time of day.

One wonders why California and San Diego are in the pits, moneywise. No, it has nothing to do with dogs or leash-free areas. It has to do with people and how they are treated. If Fiesta Island never changed it would still meet the needs of its users. It took Park and Wreck and the City government to put everyone at odds. Left alone, people might just get along.

Yes, I was an agitator many years ago and even now my little park has the most Animal Control presence of any park in the City. Sorry, folks. It was a pretty scary bunch back in the day, two Bichons, one Poodle, at least three Yorkies. All owned by retirees. Back then Animal Control would radio in the attack then drive in with three vehicles, bursting sprinkler pipes, all after seventy-year old widows and their canine companions.

Most of our human and canine friends are gone now, to other communities or to a final resting place. Over forty friends gave money to the city for a tree in our little park, to memorialize my dog Chani. The haters fought it every step of the way but since Park and Rec dictated the type, size and placement of the tree they had no choice but to accept it. I love that it has a view of the much disputed Soledad Cross. It is a badge of honor that I tried so hard to get Chani a legal area in which to chase her ball and she died before our dream could become true.

The haters said to leave it alone. Given my age and wisdom I may have done so. If I hadn’t drawn attention, it would have been left alone. Once the two complainers are gone, current dog owners will be safe once again to have reponsible fun at the park. Fifteen years, and I just wrote an editorial to the paper back there, and I hope people will continue planting seeds in the bed we’ve sown. With much hope for the future, Dee

Is that the same as “dog tired,” that I wonder. Shortly after driving home in a blizzard yesterday I started feeling sick. This morning Jim got showered and ready for work this morning, ate breakfast and went back to bed. I’m hoping his is more of a cold brought on by flying, exacerbated by spending eight hours splitting and stacking wood for his parents. I’m taking “Wellness Formula” every three hours and if I lie down I’ll get pneumonia.

Our dog Zoe was thrilled that we were both home for her all day. She showed her joy by getting up, stretching on our bed and vomiting. Yes, it’s been quite a day and even though I’m more ill than both of them I managed to buy Jim new shoes, pajamas, and cook breakfast, lunch and dinner.

I hate being sick together, as I’m on duty all the time. Meals must be made, and the dog must be taken out. Hopefully he’ll be better tomorrow and I can rest and heal. Cheers, Dee

I was going to call it the Venus Flytrap because it catches your legs and squeezes them to death. But no. Yesterday, I tried to take a break in Jim’s mother’s massage chair. My elbow nudged the controls on the way in and before I could say “Uncle” I was flat on my back with golf balls in my spine. I could not get up and Margie came in right away and changed things.

Last night I barely slept. Today the worst is my coxxyx, the base of my spine where multiple bruises are already evident. Most of my spine is also tender but less so than the base. Luckily there is padding on the bed at Jim’s childhood home we slept in last night. I’m afraid of this bed at our home 1,500 miles away but will make do.

The other day this chair worked on my neck and shoulders after a flight and did wonders. The pattern it chose was my error and I will pay for it. The point is to know what you’re doing. I didn’t. Enough said. Dee

I am a veritable Dorothy, come to roost at my husband’s familial home after being naked scanned, felt up in public, and swabbed for bomb residue. It’s midnight when we arrive. We go to bed in Jim’s old bedroom but I don’t sleep.

The next day it takes a couple of hours for the infamous potato rolls to finish rising, bake and cool, and for the nine of us in the three-bedroom home to get ourselves clean and ready to make the 20 minute-ride to Nanny’s for Thanksgiving.

We arrive. There were 53 there that day. The onslaught began at the door. No-one thought we’d make it because of the weather so that was what we dealt with first, then where we’ve been since we’ve gone missing for two years.

There weren’t enough at home so we had a sleepover for four more wonderful and engaging children. So the 13 of us got ready the next morning. I enjoyed all the machinations of the girls and boys Thanksgiving evening trying to figure out who was going to sleep where. And after 10:30 the house was quiet, amazing!

Everything would have settled to normal then but Jim took up balloon twisting this summer and has practiced a few times. He made a few for the neighbors grandkids to have, then made a number of them at the airport awaiting our flight. He was the hit of Thanksgiving, with dogs, bumblebees, pirate swords, then princess scepters, alien hats, and guitars.

The problem was that we heard all these names and didn’t know who they were or who they belonged to! It appears that there are a lot of new children in Jim’s extended family and it took me a bit to find out who belonged to whom without asking questions, as we missed a lot last year!

The other interesting thing is that it is mainly men/women at this annual event. The men watch football. The women cook, serve, clean and take care of the children. This year I saw men I met a decade ago deal with their young children. And yes, I had to match the grandpa to the child running around the house, because certain grandpas have never engaged with children or the women present. This very sight was a gift to me being a woman who travels there (is not supposed to bring food), brings food, and helps out and even gives cooking lessons. To see the children grow over these years is a real treat.

Jim and I do not have children, not that we didn’t want them. It was probably apt that he made “alien” balloons for the kids that requested one, because no-one understands what he does for a living, and no-one understands how we could live a life without babies. We do. We have to.

Would I have liked to marry right after college and start a family? No. I wasn’t mature enough to do that, especially as I started school a year early. Was it right to wait for my love? You bet. This is the real world and we have yet another wedding anniversary coming up. Happy holidays to you and yours, Dee

Schools started sending kids home starting at 10:30 this morning. A neighbor called to say the Interstate was going to be shut down imminently. We are very lucky to have snow tires and to have them mounted before this week.

They stopped plowing and shoveling this morning, hopefully to take it up in the wee hours. My husband let his team go at three this afternoon and he got up the mountain safely. We do not yet know whether he’ll make it into the office tomorrow morning, or if our flight will commence on time or at all. Everything’s up in the air right now. I was unable to get our dog to her destination, sorry Crystal! Our dog sitter is under ten and has already asked if we could stay away longer so she can take care of her upstart, herding charge.

I spoke to several old friends today and was advised by a frequent traveler to opt for the naked scan instead of the grope. So on Black Friday you can probably order Dee’s naked scan on eBay for two cents. Plus shipping, of course.

If I’m going to pretend we’re leaving tomorrow (my husband shoveled a path two hours ago and there’s no sign of it) I should get to bed now so I can make my list, pack a bag for the two of us, drop off the fish and dog and clean the house so our ski friends will have a comfortable time house-sitting. No pressure. Take care, Dee