So JA and I went out last night to see PAUL’S! brother play at a bar.

This is all good gossip if you know the players…For some background on this stuff, read here, here and here for a background.

Now since all of those “here’s” up there, life has happened. My friend Judy and PAUL! are now a couple and are living together. A big shock seeing they broke up some 22 years ago. And I will add, they are the happiest I have ever seen them. Very happy.

So there is the background on them. Keep in mind my SIL, (go to the categories and read up on that wench if you feel like. She is a real piece of work, that one.)

So JA and I get to the bar last night…as soon as we walk in, I see our Judy and PAUL! waving to us. I briefly notice that JA does not follow me. When I give and get all my hugs, JA comes over and sits down. Judy quickly tells me my theory about SIL seems to be true.

I was confused at first but then realize my SIL is IN THE BAR! And DRINKING HEAVILY!!! What a hyprocrite!

It was her that nabbed JA at the door.

And she is up to her sneaky ways. She flirted with PAUL! and confirmed my theory that she has a thing for him. He can’t stand her. She just about fell over when she realized my Judy was with PAUL!. She was speechless.

And not once did she ever come over to say hi to me. I felt no need to do the same to her. After all, the BIL has been dead for well over a year and we have not heard from her except once. She changed her phone numbers and no one we know has the new ones. So in my book, she has made no effort to let us keep in touch, so why the hell should I make the first effort.

Besides, I was there, in glory with JA, Judy and an obviously much loved friend of PAUL! which is a much coveted thing. Few gals ever earn and I have had that title since I was 16.

Maybe she was too embarrassed to come over because she realized that if PAUL! and I are close friends and he is living with Judy, then I most likely would know all about her slutty past by now.

But the whole evening was a blast! Did not drink much since I had to drive but oh did we have a great time!

We have had some drama. Nothing bad, funny actually.

Athena has always been a sassy little kitten from day one. Dictating when and where she will be held or petted, tearing through the house at all hours, wacking you upside the head when you pick her up or gently snuggling. Never had a cat like this one!

Now, there was this little matter of girly parts. They looked a little odd to me. But I chalked it up to a kitten growing and developing.

In all honesty…I was soon to find out I was clueless.

Well, the other day, she was laying on my bed. Mark came out of his bedroom and in true sassy Athena style, she flew off the bed, stuck her tail very high in the air and ran in front of him. He followed behind.

A few seconds later I hear, “OH MY GOD!!!”

Me: What is wrong? Are you ok?

Me: Oh. Did she take more bells off the Christmas tree again?

At this point, I should have won the Clueless Pet Owner of the Year Award.

Mark comes racing down the hall.

Mark: No Mom! She is not a she but a HE! Athena has balls! She is a boy not a girl!

Cue in the perfect timing of said kitten to saunter into the bedroom and jump nonchalantly onto the bed with tail high in the air.

Mark: This is horrible! She, I mean he must be so confused! Leave it to a male to come up with that statement. He was truly horrified we had treated her like a delicate little baby girl!

And there I got my first sighting of little boy parts on my kitten.

Athena name has been changed.

He is now called Annubis!

Angelique has gone to the Rainbow Bridge. After nearly 21 years, her heart was failing from two suspected strokes. Her last weekend with us alternated from just letting her hold her, to running to the fridge when we opened it…for that was her special treat. At 21 years of age, you better damn well she was going to get a little milk on a plastic spoon if she asked for it.

Her last day was very sudden and very, very, very . While we were preparing for something to happen, for she was very frail and now tiny. Eating well, “talking” and doing things normally, just very slowly, we kknew it was a matter of time.

JA picked me up from work crying, saying he had just stopped home to check on her and something was very wrong. She could no longer stand and her legs were limp.

We ran around and found a vet who would keep his office open if JA stayed and signed the paperwork while I ran home and got Angelique.

I was totally devastated to see her like that. I got to the vet, they prepped her and in minutes she was gone. Fell asleep with her head on my hand, purring. She once weighed in at 24 pounds, but that evening, she barely made six pounds.

We cried so hard that I nearly had to make a visit to the ER to control my asthma.

I am devastated she is no longer laying on her pillow, waiting for the fridge to open or to ever greet us again at the door…or to sneak out for an adventure at night.

However, I want to celebrate her life. For 21 years ago, we found her abandoned in the drive next door by one of JA’s coworkers. We picked her up and she purred and owned us.

Hearts to Angelique, my baby.

I know I have not been around much. Things have been quiet yet they have not. Does that make sense?

The biggest news is both twins have their driver’s licenses. Tim bought himself a used F150 from a friend of JA’s and is so proud of himself. He prides on how well it handles and likes to scare me by pulling it in the drive as close to the garage door.

I am not too amused.

Work is absolutely nuts with big changes and those who are opposing the changes using annoying and dramatic venues.

Again. I am not amused.

PAUL! and Judy are dating again and are so genuinely happy. I have not seen either one of them this happy since they were dating over 20 years ago!

Alas, Angelique, our “pretty kitty”, as she liked to be called, is with us no more. She was a few months shy of 21.

Alas, Lamont did not last very long. His longing to be outside was overwhelming. He wanted outside so fierce. But he has acknowledged our hospitality. He is creeping nearer and nearer to the door in the evening. Should he ever try to come in on a cold night, he can sleep in the little bathroom off the backdoor. Cozy, warm and near the door when he wants to be let outside.

But in other kitty news, my Mark was walking home yesterday with a friend. It was dark and getting chilly. They heard a noise. They determined it was a kitten crying. A very young kitten.

Tracing the noise, they were able to find it. She was nearly in the street, crying and crying and crying. She was so tiny, that Mark nearly stepped on her. He called home and asked if he could bring her home. JA said let’s try it because Mark made such a heartfelt plea for this kitten.

One look and you understand. She has the palest baby blue eyes, with nearly a touch of lilac. Her fur is bluish silver and I believe she is a long haired kitty.. The “M” on her forehead shows that she is a tabby. Her pawpads are a blue color as some breeds.

She has a couple of fleas, which we treated (along with our other pets and sprayed the house). She was not malnourished at all. She walks a little funny on her back legs. We are wondering if she was not tossed out at the stop sign. She seems to be getting better. She is so young that it could be she is still getting her walking legs.

She has made friends with everyone in the house, all pets except Annabelle Lee. AL seems she is not sure if she should be terrified of the kitten or accept it. AL is very curious, just cautious.

But Athena, named by Mark himself, loves Mark. He and only he is allowed to hold her for more then a few minutes. She chooses to sit by him when he is around.

I am amazed at how little fear this little gal has. She has set herself up with the litter box, knows her food area and just walks around and climbs on everything as if she has lived her since she was born.

It has not been 24 hours and she is clearly the boss of the house.

Oh I wish you could see her eyes.

After many years, 4 or 5, we have finally decided to take in the teeny, tiny stray cat that has hung around our home.

We don’t know if it is a male or female. All we do know is that it has managed to survive brutal northeastern winters OUTSIDE. We do not think it will survive outside this year. He most likely does not even weigh 5 pounds. Over the years, he has endeared himself to us and our neighbors. We feed him and give him water. He looks weak lately as if he does not have it in him to try and survive the cold anymore. He now waits by the garage door when the weather gets bad for us to let him in for shelter.

He is amazingly clean for an outdoor cat.

He runs to us when we go to work or come home. He likes to sit on our laps near the fire pit.

And he loves our dog, Izzy. Absolutely loves Izzy. Izzy, at 10 pounds, towers over him. I think Izzy loves him more.

Yesterday I picked him up and put him in the master bedroom suite. He did not even fight me. Other then one big MEOW of fear, he has not fought any of this.

He played with Izzy for a few minutes and then has squatted under the bed only coming out to take a brave look around and to do his business. Which is to be expected of a cat.

Izzy checks on him periodically. I have seen Izzy walking under the bed and the cat nuzzling him.

He eats his food, drinks his water. He mostly sleeps the sleep of one who has not slept for a long time. In fact, he likes to sleep in our laps at the fire pit over the past few years. I have turbned on the heat and opened the windows even though it is chilly, so he can hear the sounds he is used to and the smells he is used too.

Today when I came home from work and walked into the bedroom, I heard a tiny meow of welcome and a little body running back to his hiding spot. Can’t let mom know he was happy I was home.

I do not think this cat is for much longer of this earth. We are keeping him away from our other cats until we can take him to the vet.

Maybe this is wrong, but I can tell you he is comfortable, safe and does not have to look over his shoulders for predators. We have coyote, birds of prey and other animals even though this is a typical suburb. We do live smack against a National Forest, so you can only imagine what could prey on him.

We call him Lamont. And we are very attached.

1. Are your parents cousins? EW! NO!
2. Have you ever done hard time? No.
3. What’s the weirdest job you have ever had? Aerobics Instructor. Hated it.
4. Do you snort when you laugh? No. But sometimes I do while I am sleeping.
5. Look like anyone famous? A couple of people…that lead singer from The Bangles, Courtney Cox, Pat Benatar and now I am being told that I look like Sarah Palin.
6. Do you collect anything? Beads, unusual rings, and trouble.
7. Have you ever worn or owned leather clothing? I had the cutest pink leather coat in the 80’s. Size XXS, with fringe on the arms. Loved it!
8. Can your momma still whip your butt? No but she can still make me cry.
9. How many siblings do you have? Two.
10. Most pets you’ve had at one time? Up until this summer we had 3 cats, 1 dog and 4 fish.
11. Thing that freaks people out most about you? That I seem so quiet and shy and then they find out that I am none of those.
12. Guilty pleasures? Naps on the weekend.
13. Formal wedding or elope? Very formal.
14. Favorite Oklahoma musician? Have no idea of any of them.
15. Most annoying celebrity at the moment? Paris Hilton
16. Have more than 1 driver’s license? No
17. Ever scream at the top of your lungs? YOMFG YES!!!!
18. Sing to your pets? No. But I talk to them a lot.
19. Secret ambitions? Always wanted to go to school and be a nurse.
20. Do you like the song, “Happy Birthday?” Well the way my family sings it, it sounds like a funeral dirge, which makes me laugh which in turn means I like it.
21. Ever barfed in public? Hell yeah.
22. PDA? No. Not really.
23. Do you return your grocery cart to the store? Seeing that my son started out pushing carts in his first job, I now put my carts back.
24. Are you a good tipper? Yes. Especially if the person takes time to help my deaf sister.
25. Would you strip publicly for any dollar amount? Depends on the dollar amount. (same answer as Aunt Murry & CJ!)
26. Are your pets neutered? All but the fish.
27. Are you? No but I might as well be!
28. Do you watch or have you been on “Cops?” Love to watch the mess people get themselves in and then marvel at the patience of the cops.
29. Do you talk to anyone daily? DH and the twins throughout the day.
30. Hero’s? Yes. And I could not have survived without them.
31. Lie about your age? Hell no. I look good for my age of 47!
32. Fallen down in public? There was this one time in particular. At a gas station on a busy corner, wearing a dress. Ended up on my elbows and knees with my butt in the air. I laughed so hard I had an asthma attack.
33. Ever dislike a total stranger because they LOOK like someone you genuinely dislike? Yes and even more if they had the same kind of personality.
34. Ever done something so petty to someone else that you’d NEVER come clean? If I did, it was so petty that I don’t remember.
35. Anything TOO embarrassing to talk about? No
36. Would you run for public office? Never. EVER!
37. How many times a day do you use the “f” word? If you combine it with when I say it and when I think of it…it’s not a pretty picture.
38. If a man pees sitting down, is he less of a man? I could care less.
39. If you were to come back as an animal, what would it be? A bird. I would love to fly!
40. Most unfavorite food? Cauliflower.
41. Money being no object, what extravagant thing would you buy? Every person in my entire family a new car, gas paid for a year and a kickass trip to Disneyworld and pay off their homes.
42. Family member you wish you weren’t related to? Uncle Bob.
43. Profession you’d be great at but didn’t realize it until it was way to late? Still want to be a nurse.
44. Do you think that everyone is beautiful? I believe there is beauty in everyone. But if you are an asshole, it is going to take me one hell of a time to find it.

Tonight the twins set off for their last homecoming. Bittersweet. And they know it.

Even more bittersweet is one of the football team players passed away last night very unexpectedly. The kids are reeling from the shock and grief. The school is devastated. So it will be a dance tinged with surrealism as Rick will not be there or ever again.

They all plan to write his jersey number on their faces at the dance so when you look around the room, everyone will see a part of Rick everywhere. It sounds silly, but this is how they are coming together and mourning. It is the first time the twins have experienced death of one of their peers.

As for them getting ready, they made their own plans, flowers, dinner and all without help. Which made me proud. I know there were some mistakes made I am sure…but this is how they learn.

I only got one picture out of it and did not get to see the girls. Sigh.

Next big dance is senior prom. SOB!

Does anyone know where CJ of Honey Side Up has gone or been up too? I miss her and her site is down.