Fairies ( a joke)

My friend Jennifer sent me this joke, and I laughed, and laughed, and laughed, and laughed.  My remaining neighbors probably think I've lost it. :)  Oh well.  If any of you have had a rough week, and are female, I'm sure you will get a kick out of it too.  Here's to the weekend, and to fairies with a sense of humor!!

40 years of marriage.. A married couple in their early 60s are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary in a quiet, romantic little restaurant. Suddenly, a tiny yet beautiful fairy appeared on their table. She said, 'For being such an exemplary married couple and for being loving to each other for all this time, I will grant you each a wish' The wife answered, 'Oh, I want to travel around the world with my darling husband The fairy waved her magic wand and - poof! - two tickets for the Queen Mary II appeared in her hands. The husband thought for a moment: 'Well, this is all very romantic, but an opportunity like this will never come again. I'm sorry my love, but my wish is to have a wife 30 years younger than me. The wife, and the fairy, were deeply disappointed, but a wish is a wish. So the fairy waved her magic wand and poof!... The husband became 92 years old. The moral of this story: Men who are ungrateful bastards should remember fairies are female.....

Batman

I just heard a news flash about a man who was dressed up as Batman arrested for trespassing.  Immediately my mind flies to "Ty".  Ty was a kid who lived next to my Aunt and Uncle in Madison, WI.  Twice a year we would play with and stare in amazed wonderment at this odd duck.  We didn't have anything like him back home.  He definitely danced to the beat of his own drum.

On one of our later visits to Madison,  A.D. (after David) Ty had, what he called, a monorail in his yard.  Pablo has one, and it's really called a zip line.  We had an awesome time whipping from one end of the yard to the other.  For some reason I got in huge trouble from my Uncle Joe for going barefoot.  It was an odd thing, who cares if you're barefoot?  He wouldn't budge and told me to put on the shoes or go to my room.  I was angry at him and went stomping off (carrying my shoes) to what was my room for the visit.  I don't think he expected that one.  I remember him coming up and talking softly to me about his reasoning, which I can't recall, and I put my stupid shoes on.  My uncle was not a soft talker, ever.  That's probably why I remember it.

Anyway, back to Ty.  At some point since our last visit he decided that he was Batman.  Not playing batman, he WAS Batman.  He would run around fighting crime, and we would either stare blankly at him, or shake our heads, but he had the zip line, so we tolerated his oddness.  I think he was my age, so he would have been at least nine at the time.  Shortly after we returned home his obsession turned to Superman.  My Uncle told me on the phone one night that Ty had broken his arm.  He ordered a Superman kit in the mail, (garbage bag cape) went up on the garage roof, and jumped off because he was after all Superman, and could fly.  Uh, yeah..... not so much.

I often wonder what became of Ty.  I now realize that he was more than likely developmentally disabled, kind of a Forest Gump type.  While we thought he was weird, I'm glad that we were always kind to him.  Even if it was because we wanted to play on his zip line......  Holy Oddballs Batman!

Crazy Cat Lady

Well here it is Milk fans!  She finally has her own blog.  Too much of a diva to share with Mom anymore.  You can find the latest antics of Ms. Milkie Meys here.    http://www.themilkreport.blogspot.com   

Yes, I am aware that I walk a fine line between sanity and crazy cat ladydom, but you know what?  I get more comments about the Milk blogs than anything else, so perhaps I'm crazy alright, crazy like a fox!  It's late, I'm exhausted, the newest Robin Hood movie stinks, and that's it for now. :)  My shortest blog on record to be sure!

A Mother's Love

Today my Mother would have been proud of me. There are many days that she wouldn't have been...... and in fact, wasn't. I like to think that I taught my very strict Catholic mother that everything in this world is not either black or white. There are many, many shades of gray in between. Things she said to me later in her life confirmed that perhaps she did understand, although in good conscience could never approve, or at least admit out loud that she did. :)

Yesterday I visited with my (x) Mother in Law for what would be the final time, and I knew going in that it would likely be. As we sat together and she drifted in and out I thought "Gee, this is a very Catholic woman, there is probably something we should be doing." She had received the sacrament of Last Rites a few days prior, so I don't mean that, but something that would comfort her at that moment. So as I often do in these situations I consulted my Mother. "Alright Ruthie, what should I do?" I sat there for a moment, wracking my brain. Did all my years of Catholic education teach me anything? Then the blue prayer book popped into my brain. Although I'm no longer a practicing Catholic I own one and I know where it is. My Grandma used to read that book a couple of times every day. Ruth (yes our Mother's had the same name) had one somewhere in the house, I had seen it when I cleaned for her. So I asked her if she wanted me to find it and read to her, and she did. Judy located it, and I just read through, picking random prayers.

When Steve came in the room and sat down and heard me reading the stations of the cross he kind of lost it. Which in turn got me going, but I did not falter. In fact she reached over and squeezed my hand, hard. So I sucked it up the best I could and soldiered on. It is the last memory I have of her, and I will treasure it always.

We had a typical Mother in Law, Daughter in Law, love/hate relationship. I was between her and "The Golden Boy" and that was not always a pleasant place to be. However, for the last year and a half I have been cleaning for her. It gave us the opportunity to really cement a friendship, that had nothing to do with him. I will always be grateful for that opportunity.

Steve told me that this morning when they knew her time was near the four kids sat around her and read prayers from the blue book. She just slipped peacefully away. I told him I was glad they had done that, because it would have been exactly what she wanted. He looked at me and said "Well, we took the cue from you." Yes, my Mother was proud of me today.

So for the first time in my life, ALL of my mother's day greetings will be lifted up in a prayer on Sunday. Grandmothers, Godmother, Mother, Mother-in Law, so many wonderful women who each in their own way have helped shape me into the woman that I am today. I miss you, and I love you, God keep you til we meet again. ♥

Life, death, and Everything Inbetween

This has been quite a week for me. My list of blogs has been pushed aside, and while I have had the time to write, I have had no inclination. More likely I couldn't find the words, or didn't want to write them down. Things become very real, at least for me, when I write them down. You can't hide from it, there it is in black and white.

Lets see, we'll start with Easter Sunday. The family all gathered at Kate's house, and we did have a "grand ol' time". The weather held, the eggs were hunted for, the presents doled out, the kite almost immediately in the tree, good food, good company. The kids seemed to enjoy themselves, and that's what it's all about. Living life, enjoying the people you love and who love you. That was really brought home Sunday night while looking at the paper. A girl I knew who was a year behind me in school was in the obituaries. Nothing brings your mortality home quicker.

My sister Kate has a history of aneurysms. Early Monday morning she and her husband left for the cities to have a 3d angeogram of two that are newly arrived. She turned out to be a viable candidate for a new procedure called "coiling". They attempted that surgery on Tuesday, but very near the end the Dr. nicked the vein with the wire, halting everything. They had given her too many anti-coagulating meds to continue. So, now they (Dr. included) know that she really is a good candidate, and the Dr. really feels if she comes back in a month or so that he will be able to help her. That's all that came of this trip though, that information and a good caramel nut bun from Tobies.

I spent last week living at my sisters, taking care of Cierra. It went pretty well, but it is an exhausting task to be sure. She is five, but functions more at a two year old level. It requires a bit of lifting, but my back held, so it's all good. I think I only said one bad word the entire time, it was a doozy, so it's a good thing she doesn't usually repeat things. :) I was changing the crib sheet at 2 a.m. and it pulled off and shot and the F bomb flew before I could stop it.

Meanwhile, my ex Mother in Law is dying. She has cancer, and emphasema, and has been fighting these for a few years. I should mention that she is ninety. The last week things have really snowballed, and my x husband just called a few minutes ago to tell me they are giving her a week to live. I'm glad I sat with her a week ago for a few hours and visited, and also that I stopped by last night with some lemon sherbert and had a little dessert with her. I'm glad I told her that I love her, and got to hear her say it back. Today she is bedridden, confused, and will likely remain so. Not having that closure with my own Mother made this very important to me. Although I shouldn't say that, because I did say I love you to my Mom the last day I saw her alive. I just had no idea it would be the last time I'd hear her say it back.

My Great Uncle Bill also passed away a few days ago. While it was also expected, it's never an easy thing. He was a snowbird who settled in Arizona for his final years, and I assume that like his wife, my Aunt Pat, there will be some sort of funeral up here also. It will be good to see my Dad's side of the family again. It's just a shame that funerals are the only time I ever see most of them.

Leon went out of town for a week, so he dropped Sam off on Friday morning. I stopped home on my way to work just to see that she and Milky were settled and drop off my bag. Then after work I came home and snuggled with both of them. I'm glad to have Sam this week, as she truly is my comfort. Hmm..... if I change the locks, possession is still 9/10th of the law right? I was supposed to have the goovers last night, but canceled earlier in the week when it was clear I'd be at CeCe's at least til Friday morning. Maybe next weekend, depending on how this week goes. They do take my mind off of things, that's for sure! I just needed some "me"time to get back on my game.

Thanks to my co-workers for covering for me, and to Grandma Dorin for babysitting for me. Unfortunately we'll be doing it again sometime soon I believe. :) To my LaVerdiere family, all my love, thoughts, and prayers are with you as you send Uncle Bill home. Lastly to my own (never x) family. What you've done for Ruth, keeping her home as she requested, and caring for her, is very admirable. I am praying for you, and if there's anything I can do for you please don't hesitate to ask.