Ms. Crotchett in the House

Just fine...Except for the kids. That's how I would describe my Thanksgiving. It's official, I've become a crotchety old woman!

We typically spend the holiday with my best friend's in-laws and have a rather quiet and elegant day. This year, the in-laws all had other plans save for the Mom, one of my favorite people in the world.

Normally, my best friend's siblings and mother all gather at her sister's house about an hour and a half away. We never go there because, for some strange reason, my BF's ex managed to get "custody" of her family in the divorce. Seriously, my BF feels it's more important for her son to be with his cousins than it is for her to be there.

But, through a strange series of events, her family all ended up here in Sunland and we even got my Godson for the day.

As usual, the BF chided me for making too much food. She made a Tur-duck-hen and had several Sam's Club chickens, mashed potatoes, shrimp bisque, green veggies, Hungarian Apple bars and chocolate cake. Her sister brought ambrosia, Hungarian poppy seed pastry, and a pumpkin cheesecake birthday cake for two of the nephews. I made sweet potatoes w/ pecan topping, gingerbread, the gravy, homemade cranberry relish, and a huge pan of my mom's cornbread dressing. As usual, I chided her when we actually started running out of food before everyone had even arrived!

The food was great and the company was wonderful. We haven't all been together -this wonderful Hungarian family that adopted me my first year in California - since a funeral in the beginning of the year.

But the kids just made it miserable for most of the adults! All of the grandchildren are almost grown. My Godson, 16, is the youngest. Some of the older cousins have kids now. After watching these "kids" interact with their offspring, I think it's a shame we don't require parenting classes.

These little ones... aged from 2 - 10 were so horribly behaved. Running, jumping on furniture, screaming in the house. They ran in and out constantly even though it was in the high 40s outside. Their little hands were on the very door they opened. Couldn't they simply close it? And my favorite... all of them were fascinated by a half wall that separates the living area from the dining room and actually tried to climb the wall!

I was ready for home after cooking two nights and all day. I was in no mood for this. But as I sat lingering a bit with my BF's mom and mother-in-law, I had a most interesting example of mothering gone a muck.

The mother of two of the cousin's arrived. I've had much disdain for this twit since I met her precious infant daughter almost 20 years ago. This twit was never much of a mother to this girl or her brother. Their father raised them alone. To this day, she hardly sees the kids and has made two more with some other baby daddy. The thing I most despise about this woman is her inability to see how her own actions affect her life. It's always someone else's fault. I couldn't be with my kids because their father took them. Her lying, cheating, drug addiction and leaving the children with virtual strangers for days on end had nothing to do with it. I can't get a job because nobody will give me a chance. Not showing up for work is a sure way to lose a job.

She walks in and sees her two eldest and starts crying, "My babies, my babies!" to the great embarrassment of the kids. She finally gets some food and joins us at the table while her two five-year-olds run wild.

As she turned around for the third time in two minutes to get one of the her girls off the wall, she offered up this bit of parenting philosphy:

I can't control them. They just have no respect for me. Do you know what {Little Girl} said to me last week? I was correcting her for ...something and I told her, if you don't stop that, I'm going to spank you. You know what she did? She went running to {Baby Daddy} and said, "That bitch told me she's going to spank me!"

She paused to acknowledge the shock on all our faces.

It's his fault. If he didn't call me that, the girls wouldn't. What can you do... you just have to let it go.

The older women at the table said nothing... I think they were just as shocked as amused. But I couldn't resist.

"No one can mistreat you if you don't allow it."

But that's what he calls me.

"Yet, he still sleeps in your bed..."

**************************************

BITACLE.ORG steals content. JESUS GLEZ is a THIEF. If you are reading this post on BITACLE.ORG, you are supporting theft of intellectual property. This post was written and copyrighted by CREEKHIKER, who has not given consent for material to be reproduced. Please visit CREEKHIKER to enjoy this content LEGALLY.

If you want to know why this message is at the bottom of every post, read this post.

*****************

Regression Obsession

I know I've posted quite a bit lately about Mabel's behavior and I've complained to friends that I think she is regressing back to puppy-hood.

And now, I have MORE proof. Yesterday, she did something she hasn't done since she was about five months old. She stole my food!

I should explain here that, in some ways, I'm still five years old. I still, grownup, arthritic soul that I am, prefer to eat sitting on the floor in front of the t.v. I've always trained my dogs to leave me and my plate alone while I'm there.

But, back to the thief. When Mabel was a pup, I was prepping three steaks to cook on the grill. I always take the meat packaging straight outside to the trash. I pushed the plate back near the stove and went outside, knowing that Mabel was very tall puppy, capable of placing her head on the counter. Maybe because it was a blazing July day and I shut the wood door, she felt a little safe in stealing.

When I came back in, not even a minute later, there was one steak on the plate, one hanging off the edge of the counter and one was MIA. Mabel's tail was disappearing into the den as I entered. I followed and discovered the other steak, "hidden" under the edge of her bed!

She never tried to steal from me again... until yesterday.

I had fixed a plate of leftover orange chicken, brown rice and chicken satay. Only, the Godson had shown up to do some yard work and clean the pool. I stepped out on the porch to talk to him for a moment. And when I walked back in, Mabel had eaten a satay skewer, including the stick!*

I'm trying my original punishment - not a morsel off my plate for a long, long time.

I'm almost afraid of what's next...submissive peeing, incessant barking or chewing the spine off every book I'm reading.

*Mabel regularly ate sticks as a puppy so I'm not worried.
**************************************

BITACLE.ORG steals content. JESUS GLEZ is a THIEF. If you are reading this post on BITACLE.ORG, you are supporting theft of intellectual property. This post was written and copyrighted by CREEKHIKER, who has not given consent for material to be reproduced. Please visit CREEKHIKER to enjoy this content LEGALLY.

If you want to know why this message is at the bottom of every post, read this post.

*****************

Party Trick

Thinking of Maggie and kitty cats reminded me of one of our best party tricks. Maggie was a very smart girl but, honestly, I think Mabel is thismuch smarter.

Maggie could never discern between the words "kitty cat" and anything that rhymed with it.

So, when we had company, I would look at Mags adoringly and say, "Maggie May, you make my heart go pitty pat."

Maggie would take off racing for the nether regions of the back deck, patrolling for kitties.

My audience would be a bit perplexed and then I would add my punch line: "Funny, that's the same reaction I get from men."

**************************************

BITACLE.ORG steals content. JESUS GLEZ is a THIEF. If you are reading this post on BITACLE.ORG, you are supporting theft of intellectual property. This post was written and copyrighted by CREEKHIKER, who has not given consent for material to be reproduced. Please visit CREEKHIKER to enjoy this content LEGALLY.

If you want to know why this message is at the bottom of every post, read this post.

*****************

Post Mortum

This is the face of a murderer!

Today, I'm still shocked over my little murderer but she's been SO sweet and downright loving.

I just hate that this has happened. I keep hoping Mabel will have a kitty encounter that will freak her out. Like when the Rhodies' mom was walking her old dog and a big mean kitty just attacked him. My own Maggie May had a similar experience with a cat behind my old house. She cornered it behind the a/c unit. I tried to get her to budge... she wouldn't. As I pondered which hose was the closest, Mags pawed the cat. The cat tore into Maggie! From then on, she was interested in cats but, from a distance. I want Mabel to have an experience like that.

But no... her negative behavior keeps hitting the payoff button for her.

This is her fifth kitty encounter since this summer. All have only served to reinforce her prey drive. The first I mentioned in the previous post... she had the kittens stranded on top of someone's trellis and was on top of their grill, leaping in the air. Then she had a run in with a cat at Melvin's house near the creek. It was a Mexican standoff on their porch with the cat inside the sliding door. We cleared their porch of furniture. Next, she treed that same cat.

Right before my trip to Baton Rouge, Mabel and the Rhodesian's took off on us the minute they got out of the cars at the creek. This isn't usually a big deal. They run down the block to see Chalo, their pit bull friend. As soon as they realize he can't come play, they run back to us and off we go. But this time, they ran into a yard near where we park and managed to scare the dickens out of some poor cat. The only reason it got away was it jumped through a wrought iron fence and the dogs would have had to go all the way around the house to begin chasing it.

And now this...After all this reinforcement of her "fearless pack leader" status, I'm terrified of what's next.
**************************************

BITACLE.ORG steals content. JESUS GLEZ is a THIEF. If you are reading this post on BITACLE.ORG, you are supporting theft of intellectual property. This post was written and copyrighted by CREEKHIKER, who has not given consent for material to be reproduced. Please visit CREEKHIKER to enjoy this content LEGALLY.

If you want to know why this message is at the bottom of every post, read this post.

*****************

Not My Girl

WARNING: VIOLENT POST TODAY...NOT FOR THE SQUEAMISH.

Something awful happened today. The video in my head will not shut off. And worst of all, it has changed how I feel about Mabel.

Mabel is a murderer. I am witness to her crime. I blame myself really.

As we were leaving to pick up some lunch and show off some beads, a kitten ran into the shop yard. Mabel went berserk in the back of the jeep. I pretended not to notice and figured the kitten would jump the wall before we returned home.

I didn't see her when we came back. We went in the house and ate, then back into the shop to press more rubber for my class tomorrow night. When I finished, I decided to nap. I whistled for Mabel. She didn't come. I whistled a few more times heading into the house...no Mabel. Thinking she was being a jerk... she has issues with listening, clearly showing no respect for me as a pack leader... I went into the side yard by the shop expecting to find her snoozing in the sun.

When I didn't see her, I knew and started screaming, "NO, MABEL, NO!!!"

She was practically on top of the wood pile... so high I was afraid she would clear the fence! Then she wormed her way behind the pile... between the wood and the cinder block wall pushing the neatly stacked wood all amok.

As I approached her, still screaming, I saw the grey kitten in her mouth. It was trying to claw her. I grabbed a piece of firewood and tapped her on the spine...trying desperately to get her attention. Knowing I would hurt her, I ran back around the shop to get the hose, knocking over trashcans and nearly dislodging my clothes line. By the time I got back to the murder frenzy, Mabel was off the wood pile and still had the kitten in her mouth, shaking her violently. I sprayed her in the face full force with the hose and she dropped the cat. I grabbed her and ran her around the house, locking her in the yard.

I ran back to the cat. It was shaking and trying to lick. Screaming and crying, I dashed to the neighbors. They have tons of cats. I was terrified it may be one of theirs. They came over. The cat was still in the throws of death. They asked me for a bag.... I was confused. "How can we get her to the vet in a bag??" But she was gone...

If only I would've checked for the kitty when we got home...The neighbors thought she was a stray. She was just looking for a meal of the rats in the wood pile...doing us a favor.

It's just so shocking to know your animal can kill another.

I haven't written about this but a few months ago, a friend in Baton Rouge was brutally attacked by his Akita. He was trying to get the dog to move over in the bed and he must have startled his sleeping dog. The Akita bit him repeatedly in the face and arm. Thank goodness a family member heard the commotion and got the dog off him. It really made me wonder about the safety of sleeping with an animal. But that was months ago and she was not a vicious dog in my mind...then.

But tonight, I'm not looking forward to climbing in my bed. I'm feeling like I should sleep with one eye open, watching the murderer beside me.


**************************************

BITACLE.ORG steals content. JESUS GLEZ is a THIEF. If you are reading this post on BITACLE.ORG, you are supporting theft of intellectual property. This post was written and copyrighted by CREEKHIKER, who has not given consent for material to be reproduced. Please visit CREEKHIKER to enjoy this content LEGALLY.

If you want to know why this message is at the bottom of every post, read this post.

*****************