A Different Way to Decorate For Christmas

So we set up the tree as usual and someone was very curious. This would be the indication of things to come.

He looked around and all through it. He peeked from behind it. Oh, the things he would do to this green growth in his living room.

The family was jolly and filled with Christmas cheer as the four legged critter lurked in the rear.

Little Matt got in on the fun investigating the lighted house he thought could be home.

This ladder is mine too, said Jack as he glared.

I'll get you back for this he sneared.

Some more jolly folks posing in front of their tree while Jack was conspiring to wipe out that green debris.

A few days later this was the scene while Jack sat back looking so serene.

For the next several hours there it did lean. Jack thought,"You people aren't serious about this tree thing." If so I've got news for you, while you're not looking...

This is what I'll do.

Take that you grren monster in all your decor, if it's up to me you'll be out the door.

Dad came to the rescue and took the tree all apart and restrung the lights and re-decorated it...

While Jack looked on again. Now what are you thinking, Jack?

The tree is still standing this time. Jack has removed a few decorations, but has left the tree alone for the most part.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

Not Me Monday!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

This is my first attempt at Not Me Monday. It was fun. I just remembered this event in my life a couple days ago and remembered Not Me and thought I'd try to write it that way. Hope you understand and enjoy my first attempt. I did.

When I was 23 years old, I did not drive across the United States in a Ford pick-up truck with no AC. I did not bring an un-neutered cat and a 9 month old female dog that had Parvo with me. The dog did not refuse to eat and did not throw up for most of the trip.

The cat did not spray inside the cab of the truck right before I went into the real estate office to sign papers for the sale of our townhouse.

I did not bring my SIL who couldn't drive a stick shift and my BIL to help me drive. We did not camp in the canopy together with the cat and the dog every night until we got home.

I did not go almost blind from driving for ten hours a day with cheap
sun glasses on. My eyes did not burn so bad that I couldn't do much of
anything, but apply ice and wait for my eyes to get better.

I did not climb in the back and let my SIL, instructed by my BIL drive the truck until we found a place to camp.

The cat did not get loose in one of the campgrounds and climb 25 feet up a fur tree and have us chasing him all over and calling him to "Please, please, come down" for an hour.

We did not go inner tubing on a river in Montana on the way home and see a snake swim across the river just ahead of us.

I did not try to pass a WA State Patrol officer at a pretty fast pace in his unmarked pretty blue car when I was only three hours from home. I did not just drive all the way from Virginia Beach, VA at this same average speed without getting stopped by the State Patrol in any state.

I did not posses an OR registration, a VA License plate and a WA driver's license and avoid getting a ticket. I did not say "I'm a military dependent and my husband is out to sea and we just sold our townhouse in VA and I'm trying to get home and I've been driving for five days and I didn't notice that you were a State Patrol."

He did not say, "Well when you're driving a long distance like that, be sure and slow down when you get near the cities."

None of this happened in the scorching temps of July 1981. No, I would never do things like that.

Jack's Big Day

This was Jack's day to get his nails trimmed. I am not experienced with pets and I thought it would be best to have a more experienced person do this. I also wanted her to apply the flea treatment.

Jack hasn't been in the car since he went to be neutered. When we brought him home after the procedure he was terrified and urinated in his carrier. That was nasty. My daughter had the carrier on her lap and of course she got a little wet. Since he wasn't too fond of it then I wasn't sure how he would like it now.

We let him get into the carrier and get familiar. It's clear now, he has outgrown the carrier. It was suppose to be big enough for adult cats. Apparently not Jack. He's kinda big.

There is a little fish toy hanging in there and Jack likes that, but he doesn't care about it when he's in the car. He's too scared to play I guess.

We get to the groomer and my daughter takes the carrier out of the care and puts the shoulder strap over her shoulder. Next thing I hear is "OH!" I walk around the car to see the carrier on the ground and the shoulder strap in H's hand. She said it just dropped. Poor Jack! He is truly too heavy for this carrier.

We take Jack in and the groomer takes him out of the carrier. She says, "Oh, Jack peed!" Lovely! She quickly trims his nails and puts him back. She explains he needs a bath before he gets the flea treatment. She showed me how to do the treatment and we took stinky home and gave him a bath.

He hates being bathed. Thank goodness he had those nails trimmed. He wanted to get down and away from me.

He sat by the back door and licked himself for quite some time. The kids combed him some and got a lot of loose fur off of him. No fur balls I hope.

Here he is in all his regalness. His head is dry. Now he sleeps by the back door. A cat's life is rough isn't it?

A Skunk In The Night!

My husband used to ride his bike part of the way to work. He worked the swing shift so he left work for home about 10:00pm. He would leave his truck parked at a grocery store parking lot so he only had to ride 3/4 of the way there and 3/4 of the way home.

Since it was so late and he would have to ride up this huge, long hill near our house I thought it was a good idea. He would ride the bike trail part of the way. He had a light on his bike so he could see the path.

This is the interesting thing God did. That day when he was leaving for work I felt like he should take the cell phone with him. We only had one. So he packed it in with his lunch and off he went to work.

About 10:30pm the phone rings which scares me awake. I don't like phone calls late at night. To me it usually means something is wrong. I see the caller ID and know that it's my husband. "Oh no!" I quickly answer it and it is Gary. He tries to tell me he's waiting for an ambulance on some street at the end of the bike trail.

He tries to explain that a black and white cat, I mean skunk, crossed his path and he hit both hand breaks and flew over the handlebars. He had used the cell phone to call the ambulance first. Good thinking.

He finds out where they will take him and I agree to meet him there. I have two little kids sleeping sweetly in their little beds. I think they were three and five year olds at that time. I get the kids up and put on their coats, grab their blankies and head out the door.

We parked near the hospital emergency room entrance. When I opened the car door I could smell SKUNK!!! I knew my husband was in there for sure! We went inside and the smell was stronger of course. I felt bad for the people in the waiting room, especially the pregnant lady. After a bit they said we could go in and see him.

He was on the gurny and they were about to stitch his lip up which made me gag. I cannot stand seeing people get worked on in any way in real life. Especially one of my loved ones. If you get queezy skip this and go down to the third break.

They were giving him a shot in his top lip, to numb it, which was split and another in his little finger which was broken. His face looked like hamburger (ROAD RASH!), his two front teeth were broken which punctured his bottom lip.

They were going to take him into the shower and poor tomato juice all over him and clean him up after he was all stitched up. When the Dr. said she was going to pull his pinky finger back into place I dismissed myself and we went back to the waiting room. Gag!!

Everything Gary had on had to be thrown out because it smelled so bad. His belt, wallet, lunch pack, even the bike seat. We just didn't want to deal with trying to get the smell out. The police brought his bike home for him that night. Aren't cops awesome?

Any way, Gary missed a day or so of work and we had to get his truck which had been in the parking lot for too long, but the memory of that smell lingered for a long time.

Are you wondering if the skunk was hit? No, Gary even saw him do the skunk squirt dance. Hind legs up, aim and sweeesh that guy on the bike and run. That night was awful, but it is so funny to remember. Well, for me anyway, Haha! I think Gary laughs pretty good too when I tell it.