Vixen’s Den

Hello all you random visitors and lovely T13ers. This weeks TT is and idea I saw at Lesley‘s some weeks ago (go say hi, she just shared a BIG secret for her TT. Congrats Lesley!)

The Idea is you enter your name into a search-engine, like Google, followed by the words chosen below. So for example, would enter “your name dreams” in the search box. So, if your name is Georgie, enter “Georgie dreams” and include the quotation marks. Lesley used: Dreams; hates; loves; travels; searches; wants; wishes; begs; refuses, watches, buys, eats, and writes. I am going to be totally unoriginal and try the same to see what I get.

1. Dreams: The first night Vixen dreams she hears a key in the door and sees a figure watching her, only to discover the dream is a real-life nightmare…Whew, that scared me to death. Just kidding. My only nightmares are about my house burning down. Guess I could give that one up for now.
2. Hates: Vixen hates remotes. I had never thought about that before, but I truly do. I hate that there are so damn many of them, I hate that I can’t get them to work 50% of the time, I hate when the batteries die, and I hate, hate, hate when I can’t find it.
3. Loves: Vixen loves belly rubs and cuddles and gives lots of kisses. As a human, I imagine I don’t fully appreciate the belly rubs I have received; however, I am definitely a lover of cuddles and kisses.
4. Travels: Vixen travels down a lonely, secluded path toward no where, hoping to find….I have traveled many lonely, secluded paths. What I find at the end is not usually what I am hoping for, but what I am needing.
5. Searches: Vixen searches upstairs and is also murdered. Ah oh. Does this have anything to do with #1?
6. Wants: Vixen wants everything done yesterday. How does the internet know me so well? That is freaky!
7. Wishes: Vixen wishes she had sexy pants. I am not really into sexy pants. I really do want some pants, but more the comfy, relaxed, well-fitting kind.
8. Begs: Vixen begs off saying she’s tired. That happens a lot lately. I think its my damned tooth keeping me down.
9. Refuses: Vixen refuses to name that tune! “I can’t,” she insists. “If I did, then I’d have to kill you. HA HA. Frigga knows that isn’t true. I would have to kill whoever tried to stop me from playing Rockin With Frigga!
10. Watches: That Vixen watches too much TV and has an active and fearful imagination. I do not watch too much TV! Hmmph! I do spend entirely too much time on the computer, but that is another story. I do have an active imagination and some people may be fearful of it, lol.
11. Buys: I’d still like to know how Vixen buys the pellets….Ok, what kind of pellets? Because I have certain stores for certain pellets…
12. Eats: We ALL learned that Vixen eats “crap” on a regular basis and that she sometimes DOESN’T clean her plate. What? I always clean my plate!
13. Writes: Vixen writes in a rambling stream of consciousness style that reels you in. Not yet, but maybe someday soon.

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More pictures I played with are here

Mark Twain had a sharp tongue and his quotes are known to be some of the most sarcastic. I truly appreciate his wit, as I have been known to be a bit sarcastic myself. Here are a few of my favorites:

I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.

There are several good protections against temptation, but the surest is cowardice.

One of the striking differences between a cat and a lie is that a cat has only nine lives.

The holy passion of Friendship is of so sweet and steady and loyal and enduring a nature that it will last through a whole lifetime, if not asked to lend money.

Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence in society.

Let us be thankful for the fools. But for them the rest of us could not succeed.

It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.

The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them.

Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been.

The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don’t want, drink what you don’t like, and do what you’d rather not.

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1. Filthy :: Dirty, disgusting dog run
2. Therapist :: I would have loved to become one, but I have too many of my own issues
3. Duck :: I need to teach Ladybug how to play Duck, Duck, Goose
4. Slant :: Uneven
5. Artist :: Creating
6. Lease :: Destitute
7. Wish :: Unfulfilled
8. Doormat :: What I feel like I am used as
9. Global :: Peace needed
10. Apartment :: Nannygoat’s home

New post up at my 365 Project too.

(Many thanks to Harlekwin for the TT graphic)

Hello fellow 13 addicts and anyone else silly enough to stop by this day. Today’s edition is a special holiday edition. It’s Thanksgiving, so I feel compelled to do a holiday appropriate post. I present:

Thirteen Things Vixen is Thankful For

1. My extended family. I am deeply moved every single day by the depths of which I love them all. They entertain me, love me, astound me, delight me and without them I would be nothing.

2. Miracles. Those of you who have visited before know about some of my miracles. There have been many over the years, some of which I haven’t even posted about yet. In the last few years though I have had no less than three four. Ladybug, MacD, Grama, and the fact that I had just moved out of this house before it burned to the ground. And those are just recently. God is great.

3. My mother is driving all the way from Utah to come cook me dinner visit us for Thanksgiving. I must admit, I adore cooking all day and witnessing everyone enjoy the fruits of my labor. But this year? After that last few months? I am beyond thrilled that someone is going to cook for me. All I have to do is eat and eat and eat and eat.

4. My strength and resilience. I am not responsible for this, I give thanks to God and genetics. Everyday I am grateful that I have the strength to go on despite of the trauma that accompanies life in Vixen’s Den.

5. Life lessons. I haven’t always taken away the message I feel I was supposed to, but I do learn (eventually) from every single moment of my life. My successes and failures deserve equal appreciation.

6. My country. Many people feel that things are wrong here and many may be right on many levels (that was a lot of manys). However, I relish our freedom to complain, our freedom to think, and our freedom to believe in something intangible. I am not a Mayflower offspring, no trips through Ellis Island for my ancestors, nor am I the progeny of Native Americans. My lineage results from a family escaping the potato famine through the port of San Francisco and an expatriate Canadian who’s parents moved here when he was 10 (love you daddy). I work in a job with 90% foreign co-workers and I understand their apparent jealousy of my country. I am proud to be an American and to live in a country built on the premise of religious freedom.

7. Babies. You frequent readers can throw out the whole “oh she is really attached to her granddaughter because of what happened at her birth” idea. I seriously adore babies. They smell good. They are cuddly. They grow up to be adorable. I cannot get enough of little babies. Not just mine either, ask anyone I have ever met with an infant: I will steal said infant and cuddle until someone demands I return said infant.

8. My Lord. I am not a born again. In fact, I am not all that great of a Catholic lately, but that entire Footprints thing? I know He is with me daily and I draw on that power daily.

9. My husband. In a lovely mass/wedding ceremony, on August 15, 1982, I was united with my soul mate. I can count on him for anything. Without him, I would not be the person I am. He is the reason I wake up smiling every single day.

10. Nannygoat, my first born. A lovely blend of avant-garde, curious, creative, loyal and ardent. I am amazed at what Mr. Vixen and I created in her every day. I watch her maternal, nurturing instincts and, wow, I just melt inside. I thank God for giving me a protective, affectionate child and mother to my grandchildren.

11. MacDougal. My only son. Honorable, ethical, trustworthy, perceptive and devoted. He is a canny, clever and open-minded young man who keeps me honest. If the world collapsed around me tomorrow, I could rely on him to stand beside me and try to save our world. I always said he would make someone a wonderful husband.

12. Bear, the youngest of my beloved children. Feisty, fearless, attentive, passionate, and authentic in every way. I watch her interact with people everyday and I am thankful at how her attitude reflects upon us.

13. The people who have joined my den through the above listed progeny. Lloyd, who adores my oldest daughter, and is a wonderful father. Funsize, who returns my son’s devotion in a way that he deserves. Fishboy, who is young and feisty like Bear and who’s allegiance to my youngest I am indebted for. Sparkles, who’s mother told him “Happy Birthday, you are 18, move out tonight.” He was absorbed into our family and is nearly indistinguishable from blood children. He is genuine, loving and faithful to all of us.

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
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November 20: TAILS – Never Say Never (What is something you thought you’d never do or say, but now you do?)

Hmmmm…..Well this could be another six part post. But I will try and condense it into a simple HorT entry. My oldest daughter (who reads this blog daily and suggested this story) is bi-polar. I didn’t know that for the longest time. Long story, as short as is possible, she was diagnosed with depression at the age of 8. Continued problems, yada, yada. Possible OCD diagnosis, possible ADD, possible who-the-f*ckknows. There was no decent psychiatric care in UT those days. At any rate, my point is, she had some issues. Not quite the regular teenage issues, but a little more serious. Bi-polar disorder’s number one characterization is making bad/risk taking decision. So on top of all the issues most 12 year olds go through, she also was bi-polar and made decisions that we did not always agree with.

She gets into a relationship, which I freely admit, I was okay with at first. She had been so isolated and lonely and I was happy she found someone she could relate to. Unfortunately, it was a boy and it progressed way further than any parent would have liked. Let us just say there is activity that was “inappropriate” to her parentals. Lots of other stuff in between, but ground zero equals: We get job offer out of state. We discuss with counseling. They say could be way to get child out of uncomfortable situation, but don’t tell her. We plan move and tell child minimum info. Child sneaks out of house. Mom knows. Most of the family moves, except Mom and child, but Mom feels something bad is going to go down. Child skips school. Mom has “instinct” moment and calls school. Finds child within 20 minutes. Puts child in car for drive 900 miles away where balance of family is waiting. Child has ‘attitude. Mom gets annoyed after about 700 miles and loses temper and then states, “You will never see that boy again. Ever.”

Fast forward many more years of parental insanity and one more inpatient visit for child. She survives. She graduates. She falls in love. Twice. She attends junior college. She gets a job. She decides to attend a college back in UT where she left 5 years ago, living with her Grama.

Fast, fast forward. Never, ever, say never.

I am the lucky, blessed grandma of two. They belong to the above mentioned child AND the above mentioned boy. They are happily married for three years, with two beautiful children. Who knew.

But, would I change anything? No. It is what it is. Maybe it would not be, if I hadn’t been the parent I was. Who knows? I did the best I am able.

I got a little excited about finishing the long saga of MacDougal, not because I was tired of writing it, but because people kept asking me when I was going to be done!

In my haste to sum up, I forgot to mention a few things:

1. In spite of the many surgeries and close calls, all of MacDougal’s parts survived.
2. There will probably be one more surgery in the near future to address the large amount of scar tissue left behind.
3. In the last two years, I have taken no time off except to care for/be in the hospital with either MacD, Ladybug and Mr. Vixen. In spite of the fact that I earned two weeks vacation last year and three weeks vacation this year, I am currently a whopping 80 hours overdrawn in my PTO account. That means I spent all my vacation time (200 hours) PLUS 80 hours too much time in a hospital/physician setting. I deserve to be honorary CEO of the hospital or something (a frequency discount?).
4. Does anyone know of a part time job in which I can earn enough to buy one of these? Apparently maternal promises made under duress, must still be kept. Hmph.

Nononsense Girl tagged me with 7 Random and/or Weird Facts about Me and I remember she tagged me with a dancing story meme which I never completed. So I will give it a shot. (more…)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 2 and 3 Revisited Part 4

Part 5

We arrived at the ER in about 15 minutes. MacD was in pain and very down. Someone from the lab came to draw pre-surgical blood. Her name was Jocelyn, but we ended up calling her the blood draw beast from hell. She stuck MacD three times before she got the blood she needed. Then she came back five minutes later and said the blood “hemolized” and she had to re-draw it all. That also took three attempts in the other arm. The regular nurse had difficulty getting the IV started. MacD complained long and hard that it didn’t feel right and was very painful. Just then an ER doc came in to check him over and admit him for surgery. I told him what MacD said about the IV. He glanced at it passingly and said it was fine. He went back to questioning MacD about his history. The nurse in the room looked at me and mouthed silently that she would replace it in a minute. A moment later, I looked down at his hand where the IV was; he was bleeding and there was already a small pool of blood on the floor. The doc looked embarrassed and quickly left the room.

As we were waiting for MacD to be taken to surgery, he began talking to me earnestly about how he didn’t feel good about this. It felt wrong. He was afraid he wasn’t going to make it. He said he had a good life and was tired of this fight. He was tired of being in pain and tired of having surgery. I was so upset. I tried everything to cheer him up, to lift his spirits, to revive his spirit. I finally ended up promising him a concept Camaro if he would fight and live. I still owe him that car.

This surgery took an hour or so. I noticed immediately after we finally got back to the room that MacD looked better than he had since this began. His color was better. He recovered from the anesthesia quicker and was joking around with the nursing staff who knew us very well now. They said he was there so much, he should have a wing named after him. By the second day he was circling the nurses station on his walks.

It was not all fun and games after that. Recovery was slow and painful. There were many more doctor visits and the entire summer was spent with CT recuperating but alive.If you are one of the poor people who have read my blog in depth, you will know that in 2005 I lived through participated in witnessed two miracles. I am very blessed and thank God every day for my life. Now that this saga is over, you are all probably disappointed that the final entry is so tame. That is ok. My point in sharing this story is to raise awareness about diabetes. MacD is now in complete control of his diabetes, on the lowest medication, and there is a possibility he will be able to discontinue oral medications altogether soon. But he will have to remain vigilant his entire life, as he is a diabetic.

Things you should learn from this story (in my opinion): Love well and hard every single day, you never know what tomorrow will bring. Keep your faith even in the most trying times. My son is awesome. Get a physical every single year. What doesn’t kill you? It makes you stronger.

The End

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