Yes, it's STEAK NIGHT!!!

Ok, so I'm really stressing out about the Ike/Houston thing. Yes, I prayed that Ike wouldn't come here and I'm thankful that it didn't. However, my son, JP, is in jail in downtown Houston (Harris County) and the area is being evacuated. JP called Tuesday night and we talked about the storm, but it wasn't really headed to Houston at the time. I asked him if he thought the inmates would be evacuated if the storm did come to Houston, and he said he didn't think so. The building they are in is 7 stories high and is a really sturdy, brick building. I think right now they are evacuating lower areas of Harris County, so maybe it wont affect the inmates. I can't stand the thought of something happening to him during the storm, but I can't stand the thought even more of how they would evacuate 10,000+ inmates! I know some people don't think of them as people, but they are! And they're someone's children or parents or husbands or wives and it's such a stressful thing to be taken out and put somewhere that nobody in the world wants them. I am praying for God to take care of JP in this and all situations and I really hope that the officials will feel that they are safe where they are and not try to move them.

But JP did sound really good when he called. He's got a few people writing to him and he really enjoys that. If anyone out there in blog land has it in their heart to write to a 24 year old who's trying to get through a terrible time in his life, let me know and i'll give you his contact information. I asked him if my mom happened to visit him while she spent 5 days in Houston while evacuating from Louisiana, but she didn't. My sister lives 30 minutes from the jail but nobody ever visits him until I come to town to see him. She has tried once recently to visit, but there were problems at the jail that night and she hasn't been back. When the weather settles down, I want to plan a weekend trip to see him. It really makes me feel good to visit him and see how good and healthy he looks. As bad as the whole situation is, I feel so lucky to still have him and to be able to see and talk to him. I honestly don't think he would be alive today if things hadn't happened to land him in jail the way they did.

Speaking of people in Houston, my sister, Donna, is under a voluntary evacuation due to Hurricane Ike. She is actually outside of Houston in Pearland and says they were told to "stay put." I have offered that she & her husband can come stay here if needed. It's a little awkward, because I wont have her sons here who are drug users/sellers, but they don't live with her currently and she didn't mention them coming, but that's probably because i've made it clear that I wont have that in my house. I am the anti-drug. Drugs have destroyed my oldest son and I've made a stand to not allow it around my younger son. Kids come in contact with drugs all the time, but I wont welcome it in my house. Did I mention both of her kids have been arrested for dealing drugs in the last 6 months? Yeah. Anyway, she said they will probably "stay put" as they are being told, plus nobody is 100% sure that Ike wont turn and come here! And just to give credit where credit is due, for all of us who prayed that Ike would stay away from Louisiana, God has answered our prayers and sent this storm all AROUND Louisiana, but is keeping it away from us so far!!

Tonight is steak night at Hilltop! Yay! It's my favorite night of the week! Brent is out of town for work, so Walter, Cathy, & I are going. I am so ready!!!! I had a long day with a few meetings at work, so I'm ready to relax alittle bit. 2 of the kids I went to see were absent, so I didn't have a whole lot to do. One of them (pre-k) was actually sent home after he bit the speech teacher! So yeah, I have my work cut out for me with him. He doesn't speak English and really doesn't speak at all.

Have I said how wonderful my husband is lately? Not only is he the smartest man I know, but he's the sweetest man I know too! I should add the phrase he adds for me when he says things like that. He says, "Ohhhh you are SOOOO sweet - when you want to be!" He he he. Anywho, I have been really sad about the fish dying in the river. Seriously, when you look in the water, they are either already dead and floating or gasping for air. Last night I asked him if there was ANY way to help them, like, I don't know, put oxygen in the water or something. He said that there really wasn't. So, later last night I was locking the house up before we went to bed and he said not to lock the garage because he still had a hose going out to the river. I said, a water hose? He said, no, the air compressor hose to see if the air going into the water attracted any of the dying fish! Awwww!! Maybe he can save a few? I thought it was really sweet! But i'm sure they're all dead anyway!

No word from the neighbors about the missing swimming pool ladder. Good thing, because I am totally ready to defend my position and to let them know that we aren't comfortable with the little girl being in the pool anymore because of the lack of supervision, plus we are having to make repairs due to other people's use of the pool (jumping off the ladder, hanging on the sides), when all I use the pool for is to float and read my book. It really isn't the little girl's fault that she is so obnoxious, but it is still hard to be around her. Her mother is a single parent who adopted the little girl, so I guess she just spoils her and lets her do what she wants. I am sure when I tell her that I'm not comfortable with the little girl in the pool without someone watching her, she will tell me i'm wrong - she'll say something like "I can see her from the house and she's fine," or something. I will have to say, "It is MY pool and MY rules, not yours." The neighbors truly are nice people and the niece and brat don't live there - except for now until their power comes back on (please hurry Mr. Nice Electricity Man). I will say that ever since that night, her car has not been next door, so either her power came back on or they had a fight about her letting the little girl in the pool and she left. I'm just sayin...Anyway, they are nice people, but the man is just too involved in our lives. I think they think we are the kids they never had or something. But we aren't! I've already got a set of dysfunctional parents, but thanks anyway!! This is the same neighbor who called and woke me up recently to let me know I forgot to take my garbage out! I do try to be patient and we do look out for them since they are older (in their 70s), but I'm not going to put up with any craziness. A few people asked about putting up a fence, but the only thing we can really do in our neighborhood is put a fence around the pool, which would look kind of funny because above ground pools are already so tall. Our neighborhood has restrictions against fences in the yards because of the view of the river, so we can't put anything between our yard and theirs.

That's all I've got! Have a great evening!!!

You can either regret or rejoice!

I came across this quote the other day and it really meant something to me. I made so many poor choices in my life, mostly as a teenager/young adult, that altered the course of my entire life. Had I made better choices, or maybe had better role models, there is no telling who or where I would be today. But then I look at my life now. I probably had to work harder and longer than most people, but today, I am a very happy, successful, person with nothing major to complain about. Sometimes when those old thoughts get me down, I tell myself that I probably made more of my life doing it "this" way because the decisions I made to get here were based on me and what I wanted to do with my life, not what everyone else wanted me to do. I think having so much contact with my high school friends recently started me thinking about a lot of the old problems. I've never been much on comparing myself to other people, so it's not about that. It's more about what I missed out on and the friendships I left behind. I was a mixed up teenager, raised by wealthy, alcoholic parents and never felt "smart" or encouraged to do big things with my life. My dad & I never had a good relationship and I know that affected a lot of the choices I made in my life. I was always forced to be like my sister, and we are NOTHING alike, go to the schools she went to regardless of where I was already in school and doing well, uprooted and moved every year or two because my dad's business plans were more important than roots and stability. Anyway, I ended up pregnant at 16 & 18, a high school drop out, struggling to make ends meet for my entire young adulthood. My dad's business plans finally blew up in his face and he faked his own kidnapping and ran off to live with a girlfriend in Pennsylvania. We lost our house, cars, money, dignity, etc. It took years for all of us (my mom & 3 teenagers) to recover and get ourselves together, but today, my mom, sister, brother, & I are all so much better people than we would have been if none of that would have happened. I managed to get my act together in my late 20's, divorced someone I had married that wasn't really a family man, and got myself back in college (which took me 17 years to finish with full time jobs, life, and children mixed in), and met someone who wanted a family and the things that were important to me. At 39, I graduated college and at 41 earned my Master's degree! Who would have thought! I am such a well rounded, smart, fun, friendly, life loving person, a decent wife & mother, and honestly have everything I need and most of what I want, but yet, I still think back and kick myself sometimes. And as a social worker, I know the importance of letting it go. And as a spiritual person, I also see all of the work that God has done in my life over the years when I never thought He was there before. So, to myself and anyone like me out there, let it go! Forgive yourself for decisions you made as a child and help those around you to make better decisions. Take those kids who don't have anyone telling them "they can!!!" and tell them yourself!!!! And imagine that I now work with kids who have behavior problems, hoping to make a difference, no matter how small! Whew! So, I got that off my chest. Any questions? I'm an open book, so feel free to ask.

Dieting today brings no new news, but i'm sticking to my diet and not gaining anything back, so that is something! I had bacon for breakfast, stuffed bell peppers for lunch, and tonight Cathy & Brent are coming over to grill steaks with us, so I will be in ribeye heaven!! As for the bell peppers, I made Walter & Cameron's (pretend with me that Cameron eats what we eat) with rice and made mine with steamed/mashed up broccoli!! I discovered that after eating the "pretend mashed potatoes" which are made with mashed up cauliflower that the texture of the veggies seem a lot like rice or mashed potatoes. And it was good! My friend, Lesley, is contemplating starting Atkins on Monday, so here is the pretend mashed potatoes recipe incase she needs it or anyone else wants it:

1 head fresh cauliflower, steamed until tender and mashed - I used a bag of frozen & steamed it
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 cup grated cheddar cheese chopped bacon
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Mix & mash ingredients together and place in a buttered 9 X 12 casserole or baking dish Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes or until cheese is completely melted and the casserole is heated.

Here are some pictures of the pier in progress! But first, I have to brag on what an awesome husband I have! His name is Walter, but he is affectionately known around here as "The Wizard." He can fix, build, or create anything!! So many times while we were building our house I would ask him "how do you know how to do that?" His answer is usually, "I don't!" But somehow he is able to figure out how to do any project and do it right. Once, Cameron's 3rd grade class was studying Penguins and each of the kids was told to make a Penguin. There were no guidelines - it could have been a drawing, a poster, etc. Well, here is what Walter & Cameron made out of paper mache' - a lifesize Penguin that was borrowed by the teacher the next few years as well as our public library!! After that, the school asked Walter & Cameron to make a paper mache' statue of liberty for a display in the cafeteria during a school celebration. It's probably a good thing that Cameron moved on to middle school or they might still be making creations for the school! Here are some pictures.

What memories!!! That seems like such a long time ago! Back then, Cameron said that having the penguin at school made him feel like "the president" because everyone was nice and wanted to talk to him!

So anyway, Walter has set his mind to building a pier and started on it this morning. He saw me with the camera and said "you outta take a picture!" I said, "Oh don't worry! This is good blogging material!"

We are also "boat sitting" for a friend of ours who needed to have work done on his boat trailer but didn't have anywhere to put the boat. They brought it by early this morning! He bought the boat on Ebay and flew out to get it! It really is a pretty boat and he will have a great time fishing in it.

Monday

Today was a rainy, gloomy kind of day and I did not go floating in the pool again. I tried that last week on a similar day and it was just too cold in the water and I am surely not into being cold!! Yuck! I mostly stayed inside playing games on Facebook! I am so addicted to Word Twist!!

Cameron is usually only here a week and then with Neil a week, but Neil had something to do out of town last week, so Cameron's been here 3 weeks straight, which doesn't happen too often. I wish he was here all the time, but I can tell that he does start to miss his dad after awhile. I took him to meet Neil at our 1/2 way spot - a little grocery store in Port Vincent, around 4pm today, but only after making sure he cleaned his room and his bathroom before he left. He can really leave a mess in there! The housekeeper comes this week and I don't have her clean our bedrooms other than sweeping/mopping, so I do expect him to pick up his trash and make it possible for her to get to the floor.

Walter came home a little early today and took over cooking the chicken I picked up this afternoon. I love when that happens!! He really is a great cook, and well, I suck, so I am very happy that he is in charge of dinner tonight! He brought home some fresh corn on the cob that a co-worker gave him and I can't wait for some of that!!!

A lady is supposed to call me this evening to come see the last 2 kitties. She said that her mom wants 2 of them, so that would solve all of my problems!! I told her i'd be home after 5 and I haven't heard from her yet, so we'll see what happens. I am also planning to "drop off" the outside cats at a place I know to be a "no kill" shelter for cats this week and plan to be done with the cat epidemic! A friend of mine gave me the inside scoop on a drop off location and Walter has agreed to go with me REALLY early one morning and do it. If you know of any of our previous adventures, you know that we will wear our disguises and get the job done!! That makes me laugh just thinking about it!! It's been a long time since we've had a good undercover adventure!!
Walter & I will pick my mom and step-dad up at the New Orleans airport this evening - late!! Their flight should be in around 10:30 or 11:00, so we'll be up late tonight! Walter does so many things for me and I really appreciate him more than I can say!

Saturday

We enjoyed a nice, lazy, rainy Saturday hanging out at home with Cameron & Landen. I haven't seen much of Cameron, but he does come downstairs searching for food, so I do know that he is here! Landen & I got in a little swimming time before the rain started, and he was SO proud of himself that he was able to walk on his own into the middle of the pool. Elizabeth said that he will never leave the side of a pool even when he can stand up, so she was excited to hear it to. We had to take a picture with the camera to show her (since her new lab puppy ate her cell phone) because Landen said his mom would be VERY happy!

Walter & Landen fished some this afternoon and caught a lot of fish, but most were small and they threw them back in the river. They got caught in a sudden rain storm in the middle of their fishing time, so it was cut short. Landen is spending the night again tonight and then has to go home tomorrow for a crawfish boil.

Here is a picture of our 2 cats. J.J. (aka GoGo) who is abnormally large for a cat, but is a really sweet boy. My friend, Kathy, came over once and saw him and asked me "what IS that?" I guess she thought he was some sort of panda bear or something!!

And this is Nadda (named because he's Nadda our cat) who is so scared of people, other than me, that he lives in our bedroom closet and only comes out when I'm the only one home or at night after Walter goes to sleep. Nadda sleep with me, sometimes on my pillow, and is really affectionate with me. He was completely feral (wild) living under the deck of the bad cat neighbor's house nearly 3 years ago when we were building our house and I bonded with him over many months of trying. He was about 6 months old and I couldn't leave him to whatever fate he would meet, especially considering that he is terrified of people. Most feral cats only bond with 1 person, if at all, unless you can socialize them before they are 8 weeks old. He is on anxiety medicine, which helps a little bit, and he is able lately to walk into the room with Walter or Cameron here, as long as nobody moves!!! He's Nadda our cat because I stole him without asking the neighbors and never told them what happened to him when they were looking for him! They had never been able to pet him, but at the time, they did still feed the cats outside, including his mama cat, KiKi, who disappeared to Houston with my sister!

I talked to my neighbor, Lou, this afternoon and she is doing really well, thank goodness! She was outside walking around and trying to get some exercise. Her doctor told her that the triple bypass surgery would be like having her tonsils taken out, so I asked her if that had proven to be true...ummm no! She has plenty of relatives cooking for her right now, so we promised her some gumbo next week.

We grilled steaks tonight and are just hanging out at home. We have the Jetson's movie on DVR and are planning to watch that. Landen has been creating art work all day and insisted that I take pictures, so here are a couple of them.

Enjoy your Saturday night!

FRIDAY 13th!!!!!!!

If you know me well at all, you should know that I was born on Friday 13th and that it is my GOOD luck day!! I am always excited when a Friday 13th comes along and I fully expected this to be a great day and I wasn't disappointed! My student who went to the orthodontist's grandmother called me today and he was accepted by the church to get braces! His grandmother said she had been crying since the appointment and was extremely happy. He will get his braces on June 30 and said that kids at school wont call him names anymore because of his teeth. And even more good news - the orthodontist treats his patients to an evening at Blue Bayou every year and it just so happened that tonight is the night, so my student was invited to attend! His grandmother actually said that "Friday 13th is supposed to be a bad luck day, but for us it was good luck today!" I had to share with her that I'm a Friday 13th baby! We both agreed that God was working this out for her grandson and are very thankful that he was chosen for this great gift!

Then, I brought the kittens to the vet at PetSmart for a check up and some medicine for their diarrhea. They are all fine - no worms, parasites, etc. and I got some medicine to clear up the problem in their tummies. As I was leaving, a lady asked if she could have one of them and ended up taking 2!! She seemed to really love animals and already had all of the supplies she needs at home for them. She assured me that they are going to a great home and will be loved! She took a gray one and a white one. I've also had 4 calls today from other people wanting to come see the kitties, so things are looking good!

And to top my lucky day off, Landen wanted to come spend the night, so I picked him up on my way home from PetSmart. Elizabeth wanted me to watch Mack too, but I politely declined and just visited him while I was picking Landen up! I love him, but I just don't have the energy for a 1 year old for more than a few hours, not to mention that I can't really spend any time with Landen when I'm chasing Mack all over the house. Landen was such a laid back toddler and it was always so easy to keep him anytime. We got home too late to go swimming because the sun was going down, but here is a picture of Landen anticipating our swim in the morning!

Walter is the president of our neighborhood homeowners association and had to go to court today due to a resident refusing to pay his dues! My friend, Cathy, is the secretary of the association, so she went too, along with a couple of other board members. They have placed liens on several houses after repeatedly asking the residents to pay current and back dues. This one guy says he doesn't have to pay, but i'm betting the judge will rule in the board's favor. I could see if our dues were high, but they are $40 per lot per year.

My brother-in-law, Tommy was released from the hospital today and is waiting for some test results and diagnoses regarding his dizziness that still hasn't gone away. He & his wife are having to cancel their cruise plans, so that is sad to me, but whatever is best for them is the right thing to do. I also think my neighbor came home today after her heart surgery on Monday. We will have to go by and check on them later. Leon told me he did not need us to send any gumbo over there, so we didn't, but I will check with Lou and see what she thinks!

So, i'm off to watch SpongeBob Squarepants and maybe have a glass of wine! I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Sunday in the sun!

Walter & I spent most of the day on the river today with Cathy, Brent, Gene, Sandy, & Wendy. It was a beautiful day and we really had a fun time. You don't have to look too hard to see our 52 ounce daiquiri mugs, which were quite a hit and source of amusement! We ate lunch at Hilltop and then stopped at some fun places along the river to hang out throughout the day: Blind River Bar, The Dock, and Swamp Waters.

I've moved the kittens into our bathoom behind a baby gate to see how that will work because my mom & step-dad are spending the night Tuesday so that we can bring them to the airport Wednesday morning and I doubt they will want to share their room with 5 very active, but very cute and sweet kittens!! We are planning to take my parents to dinner along with Cathy & Brent. My step-dad was hit in the hand on the golf course by a stray golf ball and fractured his hand, so we will have a get well dinner and a Father's Day dinner all in one!



The ad I put in the paper for the kittens should come out this week and I really hope there are some people looking for kittens now like their were a few weeks ago when people kept calling for the other kittens that I had already given away!

We really do have some great neighbors and I really do appreciate them. Walter has been breaking his back digging a culvert in the front yard all throughout the weekend and was figuring it would take him a few more hours to fill the ditch with sand and dirt just using his shovel and wheelbarrow. I looked out the window just now and a neighbor from down the street is out there on his tractor moving all of the sand and dirt 100 times quicker than Walter could have by himself. Just another reason I love living here! Speaking of our neighbors, the lady next door, Lou, is having open heart surgery tomorrow, so please keep her in your prayers! Her husband, Leon, has just completed chemotherapy for colon cancer, so they've had a lot to deal with recently. Walter is planning to cook a big pot of gumbo for them and we'll package it into dinner size portions for them.

Nothing much else is going on tonight. Cameron is feeling better and we are just hanging out at home.

Secret kittens!

Well, our little plan worked! The mama cat brought 1 kitten and left it on our back porch last night and another one this morning! Walter found the first one on the porch and picked it up. The poor kitty screamed really loud and I just held it until it calmed down and fed it some good food. I just happened to look out the back door this morning and saw the mama cat sitting with another kitten, so I grabbed it. They are both females and very fluffy and cute! I will find them homes and CAAWS will give me vouchers to pay to have them both spayed & get their rabies shots. I think they are only about 5 weeks old. I am so happy to know that at least these 2 kittens are safe and healthy! I have prayed for the mama cat to bring these babies to me, so this is definitely an answered prayer! I am going to keep watching for more. I will take some pictures after they have a good, long nap! I have had to teach them how to eat and to drink water. It's been a busy day for them.Walter & I went to the John McCain rally thingie in Baton Rouge today. I am not the most politically minded person, but I do want McCain to win, plus Walter bribed me with lunch downtown. Seeing John McCain was pretty cool, but the really cool part to me was seeing Bobby Jindal! He is so awesome and I really love this guy! I sincerely believe him when he says he isn't going to leave his position as Governor to be Vice President. I would really be mad and think poorly of him if he did, but I believe him when he says he already has the job he wants. And I think the best part of the day was when the rally ended and a nut in the back of the room started yelling out things to John McCain. The secret service man was on him real quick and it was funny to watch. He wrote all the information from the guy's license down and read through all of his nutty notes he was reading from. You know this guy is on a list now.


I have to correct what I said about JP in a previous post. He was arrested February 2007, not 2006, so he's been in jail almost 18 months, not 2 years. I couldn't make that work out in my head, so I had to stop and count back in time. It sure seems like 2 years already though. He called last night and may not be able to have visitors this weekend due to being written up for a minor violation, so I am waiting to hear from him to see what the deal is. I hope we will be able to see him, but if not, we'll just go another weekend, if I can find a free one! For now, I am going to cancel my hotel reservations, just in case, and wing it once i'm there. I don't want to have to pay for a night for nothing!

Monday

I got a couple of comments about Cameron having a girlfriend - how that is surprising that he's growing up so fast. You'll be more surprised that I dropped my little boy off for driver's ed. this morning! That is shocking to me to think that he is almost old enough to drive. He will go 3 more days this week and then wait until he turns 15 in the fall to do the driving part of driver's ed. And yeah, Joe, I think all the Kindergartener's will love him!!!

Ok, now i'll explain that last comment for anyone who is interested, since Joe said it in his comment about Cameron. My mom lived in Georgia until a few years ago and is/was pretty out of touch with my kids. She means well, but just isn't really the grandmotherly type. For example, only once in my kids' 24 years on this earth has she invited one of them over to spend the night or really even to visit. But we love her and as my social work supervisor, who I consider my own personal therapist, says - that is the way my mom is and I can say things to make her feel bad or start an argument, but i'm really not going to ever change who she is, so it's only an issue if I make it an issue. So anyway, when Cameron started 2nd grade, I had emailed my mom that he was excited to be back in school & was enjoying it, etc. and she replied that she was happy that he was doing so well and that she was sure that all the Kindergartener's would LOVE him!!!! I had vented and laughed to my friend, Joe, about it and just told my mom that I hoped the Kindergartener's would love him, but that I was counting on the 2nd graders liking him too! It always makes me laugh when I think about it.

And I did have lunch with my mom today at the outlet mall near our house and we had a nice time. We went to Cracker Barrel, which was ok today. Sometimes I just love that place, and sometimes it is just ok.

Cameron & I will be leaving for Houston on Friday to visit JP and spend some time with my sister, Donna, and her grandson, Elijah. JP prefers the weekend/morning visits because it is much quieter and less stressful then, so that is when we are going. Cameron & I are staying in a hotel near my sister's house, mostly due to her sons and their drug issues, so we will have a chance to swim in the hotel pool, shop around in Houston, and just hang out and enjoy a mini-vacation. Ever since I was little I have LOVED to order room service, so I think we'll indulge just one night and order it!!!

JP has just turned 24 years old and has been in jail since Feb. 1, 2006 on a murder charge. I wont say much about it since obviously anyone can find these blogs online, but he has opted to have a trial by jury rather than accept a plea deal for 40 years, in which he would be eligible for parole after 75% of his sentence. From what I know of the story, I don't think he should be charged with 1st degree murder and I truly hope the evidence will show that and that the jury will be fair and open to hear what happened. I have turned this over to God and I trust that God has a plan for JP's life and is working His will with JP now. I do not think JP would still be alive today if this hadn't happened, and honestly, he could have just as easily been the one killed in this case. I have dealt with his drug addiction since he was 12 and have tried everything that I knew to do, but he couldn't make the changes necessary to change his life. Occassionally, things would be good for him for short periods of time, but he would fall back in with the wrong crowd and couldn't make the right choices. I pray that this is going to be a new beginning for him. As long as he's drug free, I am going to be here to help him. I have always hated drugs, but now I refuse to be affected by them and refuse to have anyone that I know to use or sell drugs, including my nephews, around my children at all, which makes things difficult within my extended family. My oldest nephew is going to jail for 45 days in July for a drug charge (not the first time) and my younger nephew was recently arrested for dealing drugs. My sister is a wonderful person, but she turns a blind eye to the drugs and has said that "everyone smokes pot" as if there is nothing she can do about it, but I'm having to make a stand against it. I know that Cameron will be exposed to drugs, if he hasn't been already, but that doesn't mean that i'm going to lead him to it and let him be influenced by people he's looked up to all his life. Ok, i'm getting off my soap box.
And here are some pictures of my son, JP:

I floated in the pool for about an hour this afternoon and it was so nice! I got a lot of sun, so I really need to watch how long I stay in there at a time. We are really going to enjoy the pool!

I've also been entertaining myself with my favorite game - The Sims 2 - on my laptop!! The Sims 3 is coming out soon and I am very excited! I think it fulfils my needs to play with dolls, which I never quite grew out of!!

Anyway, Walter & I were out checking chemicals in the pool, which by the way is one of my new job duties, the good neighbors (as opposed to the bad cat neighbors) had company (who are the cutest little old couple in the world) visiting and their dog started scratching at the porch where the kittens live and got everyone all stirred up about what was under there!! I had to confess to Leon, the neighbor, that I am pretty sure kittens have been under there for about 4 or 5 weeks and that I didn't tell him because I was worried that he might fix the hole where the mama cat gets in to feed them. He pulled a board up on his porch and I tried to entice anything living under there to come out with some cat food, but so far, nothing. He promised to leave the board open all night so that the mama cat can get the kittens out easily if they really are under there and she will want to move them somewhere safer. So much for my secret kittens! I just hope I can find them and help them get to the animal shelter. As for the bad cat neighbors, I noticed the lady put a plate of food out on her porch after I put food in her bowls. Maybe she felt bad? At least the cats got some food.