Bonnie-Onnie

11 Jan 2011 Leave a comment

by cherilindsey152 in Uncategorized

We got an unexpected gift Sunday evening. Bonnie’s new mama has to have surgery so can’t keep her since she’s a single mother and will have no help. She loved Bonnie and really hated to give her back, and I can understand that….Bonnie is a real sweetheart. In the picture above she was telling Ronnie how her heart was broken, but Ronnie told her not to cry because Daddy still loved her. By the time I got home from work Monday morning at 6 A.M. all her tears were dry and she was so happy to see me that she tinkled on the floor. Now that’s happiness there, bubba! When’s the last time your spouse was so happy to see you that they tinkled on the floor? …That’s what I thought.

Last night was the last night shift I’ll have to work for a week, and I’m not saying it was my worst ever shift at work, but it was up there in the top 5 or 10% of my almost 28 year career at this place. We had problems stemming from places in the company that I wouldn’t even have been able to point to on a map which boiled down to trouble for us. Then, while we were shutting some equipment down it caused something else to go haywire, and then the shit was on the rest of the night. The general consensus was to go straight home and hit the hooch. Liquor might not make last night any better but a good stiff drink could make you feel better all over , and help you to come to terms with the situation that caused the stress to begin with. Carried too far, it could actually make it worse or even get yourself fired.

When I was younger and stupider, I’d just take it out on others. I think I’ve taken it out on others enough. So it’s time for us all to take the blame for our parts and let others do what they were responsible for. That way no one gets blamed for it all. I HAVE SPOKEN! So, there!

Update at 6 P.M.: There is a new gentleman coming for Bonnie tomorrow evening.  He sounded so happy that he’d found her.  He has a 15 year old daughter who’s wanted a dog for a while but he kept putting her off.  He said tomorrow is her birthday and when she wakes up she won’t have a present but she’ll have one tomorrow night!  Wow, how cool is that?  And they have a pet door and a huge fenced yard and he’ll finish all her medical.  Sent from Heaven?  I hope so!!!!!!!

Warm Toes

09 Jan 2011 Leave a comment

by cherilindsey152 in Uncategorized

Well, I get to keep Aidan for a little longer. The prospective new owner decided that it wouldn’t benefit Aidan to add him to her brood and I agreed with her. But before I went to work a happy recent adopter called and asked about Aidan and Jackson for a friend of hers. It sounds like just the place the boys would be happy. The lady is older, has older grandchildren, a relaxing house in the country with part of it fenced so they could run when they felt the need. If this pans out I think I’d be more comfortable letting them go. They say good things come to those who wait. Maybe that’s true this time.

I read a tech article last night that says that Facebook’s days are numbered. I understand that nothing lasts forever but I have really enjoyed getting a glimpse into my friends’ and family’s lives, and now am interacting with the rescue community so I can help in more ways than I could if I didn’t have the information. How else can you put 50 people in one place with information to share out to all their friends, which goes to their friends, etc.? We can telegraph needs of animals in other states from the keyboard of a laptop. I love being able to help, especially for the ones who need so much and have no way of raising enough money for their care. It not only helps the animals but also the people who have taken their time, sweat and tears to rescue a defenseless animal who otherwise would surely perish.

I think this will be particularly good for me now that I’m going to be recuperating from surgery for 3 months and won’t be able to foster any of my own. At least I’ll be able to “keep my hand in” and not totally lose track of where I’m needed, who needs what, and where I can still save a life, provide a shoulder or lend a helping hand even when I can’t be there physically.

We are in the midst of an Arctic cold front blowing in so I’m going to cut this short today in case I lose power and lose my entry. I hope everyone is doing well and keeping their toesies warm………c

Jackson Pie

08 Jan 2011 Leave a comment

by cherilindsey152 in Uncategorized

Home and Jackson is back from his surgery. He’s very alert and happy to see me. As is usual for Jackson, he’s trying to lick my skin off. From the first time I picked him up from sitting on the floor at the shelter, he’s given me kisses, kisses and more kisses. In fact, that’s how he got his name.
I picked up Jackson and Woofie (who were just numbers to the shelter) and headed home down 59 South. I’d gone to BARC on the way home from a doctor’s appointment in Alvin and had forgotten to take any crates with me when I left home. So, there I was with 2 male Chihuahuas in my little Honda in the middle of 59 and nothing would do but Jackson sat in my lap, licking my chest, my neck, my arms, my face, whatever inch of skin he could manage. And I’m trying to see where I’m going and not kill us all (that convinced me never to travel without crates again). I’m watching signs to make sure I’m in the proper lane to hit I45 South and see over Jackson’s nose and tongue at the same time. And, wouldn’t you know it, I missed my lane and ended up in downtown Houston at rush hour.
I needed to get my bearing and started watching street names. I saw Travis and I saw Jackson. You know, I thought to myself, that would be good names for these two boys, I’ll keep that in mind. Finding a place to pull over, I whipped out my handy iPhone, consulted the map program and before I knew it was zipping along on I45 headed for home.
Over the next couple of days I tried to fit names to the new kids, but try as I might I could not make Travis fit either of them. The 2 year old looked away from me in the car coming home, I remembered, and from the back of his head he looked like a wolf. So, Woofie got his name. And Jackson, being the elder at 7 years old, became, you guessed it…….Jackson.

Woofie had to be neutered, and was, and was adopted by a very loving family who appreciates him immensely. Jackson is heartworm positive and had a small mammary tumor which he had removed yesterday and has been sent to the pathologist for examination. He started heartworm treatment the day Woofie was neutered and is well on his way to good health. He still loves to give kisses even though he has stitches in his tummy. He’s still our sweet boy until he gets his furever home.

There’s a Vacuum In My House!

08 Jan 2011 Leave a comment

by cherilindsey152 in Uncategorized

Two weeks ago I had 10 dogs. When I got up today I had 5. I felt like I’d lost my children, a piece of my heart. When I get home in the morning I’ll have 6 dogs; when I get up I may only have 5 again. Why?

One female German shepherd puppy found a home around Christmas, leaving us 5 foster dogs and our own 4 Chihuahuas. We found homes for 3 more of them, leaving us 6, then this morning one of our fosters had a tumor removed so was in surgery all day. So when I got up (the second time today—I started nights tonight) Ronnie had dropped Jackson at Dr. Pickle’s office so I only had 5 very quiet Chihuahuas to wake up to (with). Last week we had 9 dogs, one female German Shepherd puppy, one Australian cattle dog puppy, and 7 Chihuahuas of varying sizes and weights, 4 of which belong to us full-time. Confused yet? Sometimes it’s like a revolving door for dogs at our house.

So we found homes for the German shepherds, the cattle dog, one Chi, and someone is coming over tomorrow to look at one of the male Chis from the shelter. So, when I get up, another of my babies may have gone to his furever home…and he’ll take another piece of my heart.

Aidan has been with us since July. He was previously abused and scared of his own shadow. He was flea-bitten with hair missing in places that we didn’t know would ever grow back—it has. The vet tested him not once but twice for mange but he was negative both times. He looked bad! He had a eye infection that has cleared. You could not only see his ribs, but count them and each vertabrae and every joint in his body. He was nearly starved to death; now he weighs a solid 10 pounds. He could lose a couple of those but he’s happy and healthy and beautiful. He holds his head up proudly. He is a light tan (I call him honey-colored) with white markings on his chest, feet and the tip of his tail. Where he used to hide behind the loveseat now he snuggles to me as if his life depended on it; at one time, maybe it did. He loves to walk on a leash and once when he slipped out of his harness he simply walked beside Ronnie all the way home as if he were still attached; he was–emotionally. He was heartworm positive, has had treatment and is now heartworm free. He’s also been neutered so all his medical is complete. He still could use more confidence, otherwise he is beautiful inside and out.

And I’m giving him up so he can have his very own people to belong to. It’s breaking my heart but I want him to know the happiness of being THE dog, not one of the rescues. I want to give him that chance because he deserves it, and because I love him that much.

I’ll let you know what happens tomorrow………

Looking Forward to Going Back to Work……NOT

29 May 2010 Leave a comment

by cherilindsey152 in Uncategorized

I sometimes wonder which is worse: being exhausted from working so many hours or being exhausted from trying to play catch-up on my days off. Even though I enjoy my time off it gets so hectic trying to complete the multitude of “lists” I make for myself.

This is a list of my current lists:
shopping
to dos
books
doctors
sewing
home repairs
storage
groceries
errands
business
bills
family
painting
phone calls
Did I leave anything out? Oh, yes,…..get my hair cut, nails done, clean the fish tank, cut the dogs’ nails, hire another housekeeper (my grandson told me last night I have enough dog hair in my house to start another dog) and take a bath. (Actually the bath is understood otherwise I’d have to have a lot of lists just to keep up with hygiene.)

Additionally, the last two days I had off I suffered from nausea simply because I was so busy I forgot to eat. Maintenance medications and vitamins on an empty stomach do not get along. I gotta slow down! When I got ready to go to work today I felt dizzy, nauseated and was sweating profusely. I thought to myself that it might be a heart attack coming on until I remembered that I hadn’t eaten….again, and my blood sugar had to be in the toilet. What a difference a french fry made!

All this used to come so easily when I was younger, but I don’t spring back so well at 58. There was a time I thought I’d never retire. I loved working and planned to keep plugging away until I fell off a tower or out of the pipe rack. But now, retiring in 20 months sounds like forever. The good thing about having almost 2 years (oooh, that hurts to even think) before retiring is that I’m learning valuable lessons on necessities for retirement. I didn’t know until I paid off the house how much I’d need each year for taxes and insurance since the mortgage company has always paid those fees. Now I know I’ll need to save throughout the year for these expenses. Also, I’m learning to stay out of Walmart. I haven’t been there for 2 months. I never thought I’d see a time when I didn’t “need” something from Wally World. See? Already I’m saving money and it’s been painless. How freaking amazing!

Well, someone (I think it’s me) must go to work. Good night, Gracie.

Have You Seen My Butt?

25 May 2010 Leave a comment

by cherilindsey152 in Uncategorized

It was dragging along behind me a few days ago. Maybe it hasn’t caught up yet……..I know I haven’t.

BUT I’M STILL HERE!!!!!!!!!!!

Today I Am A God!

05 May 2010 Leave a comment

by cherilindsey152 in Uncategorized

We all have our days when we’re down in the dumps and things are just not going the way we planned. But who ever celebrates the days when it all goes better than expected and they’re on top of the world? Exactly. Today is my day.

Twenty years ago I stopped smoking (so “fashionable” in the 1950s); after 22 years I was sick enough to finally stop and stay stopped. It is also Cinco de Mayo (way to go, Mexicans!). Also, I have fixed the telephone line, the DSL router, a laptop and the water in the fish tank. I went for my 1 year checkup at the cardiologist and was taken off half my medicine. I go back May 4, 2011. There was a substantial deposit made in my checking account (no, I’m not running drugs!) and I bought myself a Georgia Mud Fudge Breeze at Dairy Queen. Does it get any better than this? Yes, actually. If Ronnie ever gets to come home from work (he was swamped last time I spoke with him) he’s going to take me out to dinner at Berryhill’s Baja Grill. Yes!!!!!!! I told him if he was really tired he could sleep in the car while I drank Margaritas and I would wake him up when I was ready for him to drive me home. I DO NOT believe in drinking and driving. From the silence over the telephone I don’t think he got the joke, but at least I know he heard me.
“Hearing me” is a big thing at our house. Lots of folks are audiologically-impaired by this age. Even if you didn’t like electronics before there’s a lot of people that are “wired” at an advanced age. One of those will be my wonderful husband some day. Workers Comp has approved his claim so now he is waiting for his company to pay for his hearing aids. I don’t scream at him to be heard like the cartoons; I save that for when I really want to be heard. Fortunately for both of us that only happens about once a year, otherwise I’d have to apologize more than I do now. My husband has had hearing problems since before we met. It might be interesting to see what conversation’s like when we both really hear. It may be that we don’t like each other at all. Maybe the smiles and the sign language have him fooled into thinking I really am the little red-haired girl he wanted all his life.

Clean My Garage! Please!

03 May 2010 2 Comments

by cherilindsey152 in Uncategorized

Do you see a boat? I see how full my garage is. Any volunteers to clean it out?
So, this was the grand winner of the shopping trip. I forgot to ask when the first payment comes out of Ronnie’s check. He loves it and has taken it out the past two weekends. My first comment was “Well, it doesn’t look like much, does it?”. I thought he was going to divorce me on the spot (or shoot me which would have been just as bad). Honestly, I never thought about how it sounded; I just said the first thing that came to mind. Guess I know how he feels when I hyperventilate while opening the box of a new laptop and he sports a sick half-smile before turning back to the TV screen. I just don’t get it! Even the dogs were more interested than I was.
Oh, yeah, the dogs. We’re down to five now. Two months ago we had seven, which was 55 pounds of pure canine joy. I’m a sucker for a needy dog. Definition of needy dog: one that looks at me…..
Seventeen years ago I adopted a three-month-old blonde female Pekinese from the local SPCA. Two years later I bought another Pekinese that we lost to illness three years ago. It was sudden, heart-breaking and soul-destroying. I thought I would never get over it. But by the time she died we’d bought a long-haired Chihuahua from another pet shop, so she helped me to survive.
Five years ago my step-daughter gave us another Chi, which gave us four before Miss Baby died. All my girlz were spayed except the new Chi whose time under the knife was due. However, Ronnie decided we should let her experience motherhood. (Motherhood?) Though we already had 4 dogs, he was adamant, so after a couple of tries we had three new puppies. They were a precious five weeks old when Hurricane Ike hit. I refused to leave because no hotel would take so many dogs. While Ronnie and his mother slept I experienced the scariest night of my life wondering if, with the next gust of wind, my roof would disappear. But that fear was nothing to the eventual realization that I had to give the puppies away. What? But, but, but, THEY’RE MINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We gave one of them to my sister-in-law whose stud we had used and the male to my mother-in-law. Then we adopted another male from the shelter to help raise the puppy we bought from a street vendor (did I tell you my husband loved me?). Got it? Did you keep up with the doggie dosie doe? So….that made seven dogs (six female and one male). I was totally happy, with all the love I could handle. So many babies to snuggle, cuddle and to feel their warm little hearts beating against me. (SIGH)
But now we’re down to five………..

Well, A Deep Subject

01 May 2010 Leave a comment

by cherilindsey152 in Uncategorized

I swear it felt like I was going down for the third time! After staying up until 10 A.M. this morning trying to fix the original blog, I decided to chunk it into the circular file and started a new one. Maybe Ronnie can give it an honorable burial at sea (if it ever stops raining).

As Arnie used to say, “I’ll be back!”.

Fishing Fool

01 May 2010 Leave a comment

by cherilindsey152 in Uncategorized

Time marched on. Every day Ronnie had off he was elbow deep in the motor of the Fishing Fool. It didn’t get any better and it wouldn’t restart after it was shut down and warm. Finally he’d had enough of working on it, sending it to the shop and being towed in. So it sat in the barn and gathered dust while Ronnie worked and worked overtime, and then worked some more. All the while, if we ate fish, it was from Kroger. Years later he decided he wanted another boat, found a good deal on a smaller boat, bought it, went out in it…but it just wasn’t the Fishing Fool that he’d known and loved. So he parked that one in the barn, too.

Over time, the fishing need and the fishing fool reached fusion. It was January 2010 when he finally told me he wanted another boat. This time, not just any boat…he wanted a NEW one. Just as any other respectable wife when faced with potential disaster, I ignored him. After all, I’m getting ready to retire and as soon as I get his truck paid off I will tell my employer adios.

That was my plan. When all the bills were paid off I would no longer feel guilty about retiring before Ronnie and I could leave my job of 27 years with a clear conscience. A new boat would cost mucho bucks and I’m not working long enough to pay for it, no way no how, uh uh, nope, nein, ain’t happenin’ now, later or no time in the foreseeable future. I’ve worked for 42 years and I’m tired (don’t cha hate how that happens?). Nothing except death (his, of course) could make me stay longer in my job. (Come to think of it, I have insurance on him, so I could feasibly still retire.)

So he told me again in February and I realized that this time he was totally serious. When he told me the average price range of the boat he wanted, my life, credit rating and fleeting dreams of retirement flashed before my eyes. Cold, hard panic hit me! What could I do? What do you do when you’re 58 years old, in a panic and no one’s around to pull your flabby butt out of the fire? Sobbing didn’t work even though it had worked in the past. I was beginning to wonder if he could see me at all through the stars in his eyes. Once the tears abated and I put some figures on paper I decided he wasn’t as nuts as I thought he was, especially since he said he would pay for it, that I could go ahead and retire whenever I wanted to. What a sweet deal!

I thought back about all the things I’d spent money on since we’d been married (computers, cell phones, a few elective surgeries) and realized that if I added it all up it still didn’t equal the price of his new boat. And he would have three boats! Why would any sane person need three damn boats? I didn’t know anyone who had more than 2 boats and maybe 5 or 10 guns. This is Texas and everybody in Texas has more than one gun. But polygamous boating? And with my money? (Well, Community Property made half of it mine!) OMG! This man was going to kill me yet! However, I agreed as long as it debited out of his check so I’d know he was indeed paying for it.

Once he saw me smile he knew: my money and my fishing fool were going boat shopping.

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