Making Plans

I get so angry every November with my good friend Kat. She simply hates her birthday and refuses to let anyone celebrate her day. I've tried to tell her the her birthday is not about her. It's about allowing those of us to love her to celebrate her life.

And this week, she pointed out what a hypocrite I am. Kat had talked me into playing hooky from working on taxes to help her shop for a sofa. When we stopped for a bite to eat, the subject of my imminent birthday came up.

And my friend totally called me on my yearly birthday disappearance. My typical birthday consists of rising early, phoning my mom and sister (so they won't worry or get mad), a trip to the creek with Mabel and then I simply disappear. I spend the day doing what ever I please but, more importantly, I avoid everyone else in my life. Even my young godson is aware of this and often calls me the day before my birthday.

So, over our soup and salad, I asked Kat why she hated her birthday. Her reasons are her own and I will keep them private. But I told her my reasons which I've already written about here.

In addition, it is somewhat about getting older - I remember being all melancholy on my 10th because I would never be a single digit again! And this is the only week you can guarantee I'm coloring my hair and giving myself facials and religiously moisturizing. I'm normally not vain at all but my looks seem to just bug me more this week.

As I got older, it just seemed embarrassing to have someone make a fuss over my birthday. And then there is the Boyfriend Rule #1 which states that, if by some miracle I have a boyfriend, he will break up with me right before Christmas and we'll make up shortly after my birthday. Nope, not once in (almost) 44 years have I had a boyfriend for Christmas, Valentine's or my birthday.

But it's really all those childhood scars that just make me want to disappear. Last year, I didn't....couldn't. My sister was here and I spent a blissful day with her and the best friend and her sister. And, in spite of my annual sudden search for physical beauty, I'm actually looking forward to this birthday. It doesn't feel like some tragedy is impending around every corner.

And yet, I'm still going to disappear. The best friend B is taking me to Vegas on a working vacation. She's adding a clothing line to her golf business and wants my input. In over 22 years of friendship, we've never gone away just the two of us.

We're not the kind of girls who will need to "leave anything in Vegas." But we will have a lot of laughter, some good meals and do a little shopping.

I think it's going to be a fun weekend and maybe I won't feel too much older when we get back on Tuesday.

And for those of you wondering, the Princess has a spend the night babysitter who will be sleeping beside her in my bed. Funny, it's my birthday and she gets pampered!

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Scattergories

I got this from Annie's Blog: "SCATTERGORIES" ...It's harder than it looks! Copy and paste into your blog and try it!

**Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following --they have to be real places, names, things ...nothing made up! You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

What is your name...........................Holly

4 Letter word....................................Hell

Vehicle................................................Hovercraft

City......................................................Hollywood

Boy Name...........................................Holllis

Girl Name...........................................Hillary

Alcoholic Drink...................................Happy Hawaiian

Occupation..........................................Head Writer

Something you wear..........................Hat

Celebrity..............................................Holly Hunter

Food......................................................Hushpuppies

Something found in a bathroom........Hairpins

Reason for being late...........................Hiccups

Cartoon Character...............................Hobbes

Something you shout...........................Hallelujah!

Animal....................................................Hippo

Body part...............................................Hair

Word to describe you............................Honorable

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Recipe for a Good Afternoon Nap

Ingredients:
1 hound of questionable breeding
1 80 degree February day
1 two hour hike
1 bright blue tennis ball
1 chilly flowing creek with a sandy shoreline

Directions:
Take hound for hike. Throw tennis ball in creek. Hound will give chase and retrieve. Lightly bread wet ball with sand.

Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.


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Mabel on My Mind

Oh NO! Puppy on the bed!

I've spent a lot of time this past week pondering the wonders of my girl. While the calendar tells me she is six come Saturday, Mabel still behaves like a puppy. At least once a week, someone at the creek will ask me how old my puppy is. When I tell them almost 6, the reply comes that she's very big for six months. They will look at this large, strange, happy, energetic, playful girl with amazement when they realize we're talking about years.

I guess I'm starting to worry a little. She sleeps more, and not on the porch where she can "protect" her yard. Not on her bed in whichever room I'm working in. She prefers my bed during the day or when I'm asleep and her own bed tucked into a corner of my bedroom during the early evening.

But at the creek, she's all puppy: wide-eyed & alert. Her mood, like mine, is adjusted upwards when outside and exploring.

Shh!!! The baby is sleeping!

Five Years, Ten Months & Twenty Three Days

That is the longest I've ever had a dog. That is the reason, instead of rescuing another fully grown Rottweiler, I got a puppy six years ago (my first and last).

I must admit, I chose her for her looks. Clearly part rottie, but not quite. That black line that separates a Rottweiler's cheek from the muzzle was missing giving her the sweetest look on her face. She was cute and she knew it. But it was wearing off and her mischievous nature had made her so hard to place.

Yes, I KNOW I peed on the floor... but I'm CUTE!

Lately I've come to realize, I was meant to be her mom. No one else could put up with this brat! And frankly, no other dog would put up with me.

Even after all these years, she still pushes my buttons, tests my will and makes me just plain crazy. And, the thing I hate most about my dog is probably the thing that makes her the most like me: We both share an incredible need to march to our own offbeat drummer, everything else be damned.

A prime example is when we round the bend near the "kitty house." Mabel will glance over her shoulder to see if I'm on my game. Even if I am, she pauses at the fork in the trail, thinking: left to the kitties, right to the creek.

Some days, she darts and I have to forget about my ridiculous, handicapped feet and race after her, paying dearly for it later. But, I secretly enjoy when she makes up her own mind to turn right, rolling her big browns as if to say, I won't...but I could.

And still, just to piss me off one more time, she always stops to potty where the trail narrows, knowing (hoping?) I will pass her by and she can turn tail and run back to the kitties.

All Grown Up

Now that Mabel is six, I find her less needy. She no longer gives her kisses on demand. She doesn't need to join me every night on the sofa in winter (more like every other night).

Come cuddle Mama!

We've lived side by side and for most of that time, I've worked at home with her nearby. I know her dark side. She knows mine. We sleep side by side and while I fully admit she has me wrapped around her little toenail, I sometimes wonder how well I know her at all.

Around five this morning, in my pitch dark bedroom, I became aware of her breathing. It was not that of a sleeping, restful dog. It got my attention enough to force me fully awake. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I realized her head was up. Mabel was fully awake and alert. And she was staring at me.

I realized how vulnerable I was, sleeping with a big powerful dog in my bed. What was she staring at? What did she want?

I felt her moving, scooching closer. I see her paw moving. It went straight to my right wrist. She wrapped that paw around my wrist and pulled my hand out from under my pillow. She wanted me to pet her. At five in the morning?!?!?!?

I guess she's still my baby after all.

Queen of the Mountain

Happy Sixth Baby Girl! Many more...Please give me many, many more!





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My Thirteen Cents Worth

Janet's post about irritation at banks and life have me thinking about my own fangs.

I have a new approach to dealing with ShittiBank - the problem was first written about here.

Basically, they started charging me a $10 "no service" fee for paying my loan on my condo direct debit on the 10th. I've paid said loan exactly this way for 20 years! And I guess I wouldn't take issue with them except you can still walk into the bank until the 16th and pay the loan and not incur any "no service" fees. If they are going to change one rule, they need to change the other!


I have successfully avoided the "no service" fee by simply walking into the bank closest to my home, you guessed it, a ShittiBank.

At first, I simply took pleasure knowing that:
a) they were getting their money a full five days later
b) it cost them more money to process a paper check
c) it would be a couple more days before that money left my bank account.

Only now, that's not enough. I've created more ways to make them getting their money out of my hide even more costly.

Now, in addition to paying on the 15th, I pay part of the loan - say $40 - in cash. The teller has to take longer to process both cash and my check. And, my loan amount ends in 87 cents so, I round up to next dollar. A whopping 13 cents. Which has to be applied to my principal. Which the teller never knows how to do. She has to call over a manager. It takes a few minutes but I really have fun watching them figure out what to do with my 13 cents. And because I paid a tiny bit down on the principal, they make a penny or two less in interest the next month.

This may seem minute to you or even the bank, but honestly, I have more time than money and I really enjoy watching the tellers work for it!

And in the end, I pray I'm costing ShittiBank around ten bucks a month.
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