Systems check

Eyes - pretty clear and dry
Nose - mostly clear, occasional stuffiness
Sinuses - not much of a headache

All in all - things are looking up.  While I have taken to the antihistamine WITH decongestant along with the nasal spray that does four things including shrinking swollen nasal passages, G has just suffered - for two weeks.  He thinks he has a cold.  I don't think so, Skippy!

With the heat we have been having, I think it is probably mold.  Most of the pollen counts are fairly low.  Trees either haven't begun to bloom or were so stressed by the drought last summer there isn't really tree pollen.  Grasses, surprisingly, haven't begun to grow vigorously, thus no blooming.  So that leaves the dreaded mold whose spore count is always high.  Even during the summer last year, the mold counts were high. Go figure.

Super Bowl Sunday is upon us.  G and I decided that Family Dinner would be cancelled.  Usually the kids have other things to do.  And not to disappoint,  Son and DIL have plans - with her mother.  Ah well, "a son is a son ..."  I really didn't expect to see them anyway.  I really thought they would be with some of their "friends" that are rather questionable anyway.  But I guess it is all the family from her mother.  We may go to Daughter's if they don't invite the world.  She said no,  but that can change.

I really could/would/should just stay home Sunday.  I care nothing about the Super Bowl.  I used to watch pro football, but it has lost its luster for me.  When I see those guys "playing a game" for all that money, it makes me ill.  This carries over to all pro sports though.  I used to be a real basketball fan.  Not any more.  You have to have a money tree to go to the games, and then for the players and owners to have a lock-out.  That was the final straw.

If you took just one salary of a pro player, you could probably hire at least three teachers for a year.  With the higher paid ones, you could run an entire small school district.  Shameful.

OK - I try not to get on soap boxes like that, but I have just one more thing while I am b*tchin' about money and salaries and the like.  When I look at the money spent on elections, I get livid.  There is no excuse for that kind of spending.  Not to become a public servant - oh, forgot.  They don't serve us.  They are also professionals.  Hummmm, is there a link there?

Anyway, our plans for the weekend aren't big.  I plan to lock myself in upstairs and sew.  And get pictures to post here and other places.  We made really cute little heart candy holders that we embroidered and then they are to be woven together.  Got the embroidery and cut them out - not sure about getting it woven.  Wasn't going well before I left, so I just threw it in the machine trolley and scatted.

Hope you have a great weekend.  But then I believe most weekends are good.  Mine aren't as good as when I was working, but then I have a week of weekend days.  Too bad it took me so long to get to that point.

Peace.

Second verse

I have not been ill in a good long while. Chemo didn't even make me very ill. This thing that I picked up over Thanksgiving simply will not leave me alone. I thought I was fine on Monday. I thought it was a simple 12 hour bug, but it decided to visit me yet again yesterday. It wasn't as bad, but still . . .

The verdict is out for today. I think I am back to normal, but only time will tell. I just hope it doesn't come by to check in tomorrow. I called B last night, and he is well. So that's good news.

K called yesterday. Among the things she said, and I believe it was really first on her agenda, was she didn't know if they would make the traditional trek to the SSB for New Years. She said that is causes her to be too hard on her children so they won't bother anyone. She made hints at B and C, but she knows they won't be there since C is not going to be able to travel by then.

I really think she was addressing me. I am not allowing Monkey Boy to be an animal in my house anymore. Thanksgiving Day, he did his usual "grazing." He has never been made to sit at the table and eat. In fact, they eat at the coffee table in the den in front of the TV. So he was at least at the table, but sitting side saddle. He was dropping food everywhere. Simone ate the droppings off the floor because I was too lazy to get up to sweep up his mess. I was really tired after cooking dinner. She was sick all day Friday. Monkey Boy actually got in her face once to make fun of her.

When he started eating like that again, B and I made him sit properly at the table to eat. He is never required to mind. Lady Bug is supposed to give him whatever he wants if she has it. He brings golf balls into the house to throw. Nothing is said to him. I have two sliding glass doors and a glass fireplace door. Glass and golf balls don't mix. All that is said about him is "he is just a boy."

I had a boy too. He didn't act like that. K was always accusing me of getting on her rather than B. Well, you stab your brother with a pencil . . . I did discipline B. I didn't excuse his actions with him just being a boy. She says that when B and C have their baby, they will see why she is the way she is. No. They have the same ideas about child raising that I did. Children want to be disciplined.

That was the most obvious when I was the Educational Therapist at an in-house unit for mentally disturbed children. We would discipline them. It was behavior modification. There were strict guidelines for their behavior. They were great - until they went home on a pass. There were no boundaries there. They would come back and act out. On Monday mornings, I always had to check to see who was in seclusion after coming back to the unit and acting out - violently.

I'll step down from my soap box now. Thank you for your attention. I will return to keeping my mouth shut - unless my house is in danger.

Peace