I am basking in the glow of another family holiday over, and well done. Everyone was in a good mood and talkative. The toddler and tween behaved well. The white elephant gift exchange was enjoyed by all, and people understood my jokes. The food was not great (I will be leaving a Yelp review) but it was okay. The drinks were flowing and they were reasonably priced and tasty. I've always thought if my family drank, the holidays would go down more easily, and I was proven right. (The older generation were teetotalers, my generation was cautious, but the younger generation drinks openly, so now my generation does too.)

My drink was called a Vampire Barbie - it was bright pink and had edible glitter with fruit. It was also delicious.

I'm so glad it's over! for another year. So in addition to glowing, I'm relieved.

Trepidatious AF

So I did a thing…..

I saw a dog in dire need of rescue. He was set to be euthanized on Monday. I saw him late Saturday, started making calls Sunday. Long story short, no one wanted him because of his medical conditions ( severe dermatitis, alopecia, HW +, malnourished etc) He didn’t have a chance in hell of rescue. And he was not adoptable. He had to be pulled by a rescue. So I made calls and found a rescue.

Cliff notes version: he’s out (yay!!) but now he’s having breathing issues and is spending the night at the vet in Houston.

I feel soooo helpless just waiting for news. He’s getting an X-ray tonight. Hopefully the HW isn’t so progressed that it’s causing CHF. Time will tell.

I almost bought him toys at the store tonight. But I don’t even dare to name him.

Sad. Tired. Disengaged. Hungry. I don't know why. I suspect my antidepressants aren't working any more.

I’ve been trying to not let my feelings have the ‘upper hand’ in my daily life life. Sometimes I feel outrage for those who elected to choose a felon and his uncouth billionaire buddies to occupy offices better equipped with professionals who know how to run the ‘show’. Then I’m also super concerned and fucking scared for those of us who aren’t billionaires. Truly a WTFH moment, if ever there was one before, which I’m sure there has been before. Ages ago, the last time a megalomaniac was elected to power.

I won’t be long before the apocalypse ruins the world as we used to know it.

But I feel like a made a good choice to buy certain things before the punishing tactics of the insane takes over the world and brings it all crashing down.

At least, there is that.

Pretty well. I had two caffeinated drinks today, and that always makes a difference in my mood. Hopefully, I won't have any trouble getting to sleep tonight.

Also, I got a sweet Christmas card from a friend today. It really made my day.

Pupdate!

His X-ray was not great; it showed an enlarged heart and fluid in his lungs. The vet couldn’t tell if it was a bad cold, advanced HW or cancer.
He did say he thought Bowser ( his shelter name) is younger than his intake states. He says he remains in good spirits despite his obvious discomfort.

Two days post iv antibiotics, various topicals and oral steroids, his foster has reported that he is breathing better, walking easily and even wags his tail and plays with her other dogs. He also appears to be cat friendly.

Nothing is 100% certain. It will take months before we know the extent of the HW damage. But he seems to have a lot of fight. And a huge appreciation for
The love he is now showered with.

I’m thinking of calling him Sam…

I woke up really early this morning and crying. I had been dreaming and was missing my Mom.

I was also mad at my sister. I gave her a very simple list of things I wanted from our Mom's house. It has been over a year and she has still not delivered. It's not like I asked for a lot of expensive stuff. I asked for some sentimental stuff, and a few practical things, and I told her exactly where to find most of it. My sister has brought me some of it, but also some stuff I didn't even ask for and surely did not want. (I'm looking at you, painting of an Amish couple with "Welcome to the (last name) home" on it, currently in a trash box.)

I couldn't stop crying, so I got up and ordered an All Star special from the Waffle House that delivers. As I suspected, a pecan waffle made me feel better.

I will have to think of a way to light a fire under my sister. All she thinks about these days is her grandbaby and the next one on the way.

Cinn, I'm rooting for Bowser/Sam! I knew a Bowser (he passed a few years ago) he was a Basset Hound and was the sweetest.

I'm feeling calm. Two days off of work and not an overloaded agenda.

Completely drained. Been a whirlwind.

The move. Seeing the post Helene devastation first hand. Just trying to find some normalcy and homeostasis.

And now I must drive to Houston…that will actually feel relaxing by comparison!

Calm and rested. I had some things to do today, but nothing onerous. Everything is ready for tomorrow. I will get to bed early and am looking forward to a delicious Christmas stollen for breakfast that a friend made for me. I'm looking forward to opening presents, and more importantly to me, watching the boy open his presents. I'm looking forward to eating cookies from my grandmother's recipe - they are traditional every Christmas with us. And I will eat as many as I want and not care one little bit. :)

I'm feeling good. The November/December holiday run, for my primary circle, has completed. Tonight was cooking dinner for my parents with my kiddo and their partner, while listening to good dance music from the 50s and dancing while cooking. There was makeshift swing dancing, while cooking salmon, roasting broccoli, and mashing potatoes. Everyone ate well and then we played a few hands of cards. Now, almost 7pm, My father is safe back at assisted living, mom has a drink and is watching her shows, the kids are home, and I'm getting ready to get back to work early tomorrow morning. Win win win.

Happy and full. The day was full of presents, food, naps and TV. We watched Miracle on 34th Street (the one with Maureen O'Hara, who people used to say I looked like when I was younger and my hair was red) while we ate dinner. I forgot to make the cherry cobbler, but after dinner we were so stuffed we didn't care. There are plenty of sweets around here anyway. I also forgot to open the wine, but since I'm the only one who drinks it, and I'm plenty happy now anyway, it doesn't matter. Life is good. Merry Christmas to everyone!

Awake. It's 3:30 am and I can't sleep. This is supposed to happen on Christmas Eve, not Christmas night! Maybe I should have opened that bottle of wine after all . . .

Tired but happy….

I've been feeling a little down since Christmas. I was feeling kind of guilty about it too, since I had such a good Christmas with friends and family around.

But then I heard a story on NPR about how it is not unusual for some people to get depressed between Christmas and New Year's. People have been running around (sometimes for months), busy, eating treats, seeing friends, and celebrating in general. Now that it's okay to rest, because everything is more or less done, it's hard to change into "relax mode".

This made me feel a little better. And now I'm up for New Year's Eve and the Rose Parade tomorrow and the UGA/Notre Dame game. Tomorrow afternoon I will take a long nap.

Feeling ?
 

I feel like saying HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL in this fine butchfemmeplanet !!!!

Not so great. The crazy terrorists in New Orleans and Las Vegas have really got me down - those poor dead people and their families and friends. My sister has friends who were planning to go to the French Quarter that night, but decided at the last minute to stay in Meridien and go to the Sugar Bowl the next day. Last I heard they were still trying to decide whether to wait an extra day and go to the game, or just safely head back home. Either way, they are fine. But it could so easily have gone a different way. My sister and her husband could easily have decided to go with them. It's too close, just too close.

Not too good physically. I'm losing weight and on the most part it's going well, but it's been rough these last couple days. The crazy fatique started when I reduced my water intake. Guess I shouldn't have done that. I'm hoping some electrolytes will help out to get me back into the swing. If not, I'll call my doctor and see what they recommend.

On the good side, I'm thrilled that the former First Lady, Michelle Obama, has delined her invitation to President-elect Trump's inauguration without explantion. I love that she's not showing up for her man, her President, nor her country. I'm here for this.

I'm excited! My family has a new member - a baby boy. My niece delivered him today at about 12:30 pm. She was showing signs of pre-eclampsia, so they induced her about a month early. But the baby is totally fine, his lungs are fully developed, he doesn't even have to spend any time in NICU. My niece is also totally fine. No pics yet (why doesn't somebody just snap a pic of the kid? it's been hours!) but hopefully soon.

I'm wiped out.

• Work has been very high-stress.
• I'm in the stretch of home buying that is very stressful.
• We got the results of my father's MRI yesterday and it showed signs of a stroke and moderate shrinkage of the brain. He hardly talks anymore. It's so hard to know what he's thinking.
• I'm not sleeping well at all.