Happy Spring...

It appears as if Spring has finally arrived to stay here in my corner of the world. The grass is growing. Birds are singing. The trees have buds on them. Green shoots are pushing through the dirt. The chipmunks have invaded with a vengeance. Rabbits have overrun my yard.

Yes, you read those last two things right. Let me explain. I love these fuzzy little critters, I really do. But here's my problem: They seem to think that they should be in the house pets. Two times now, a chipmunk has had to be relocated (no, they're not allowed to be killed!) to a pine tree across the street. *hangs head* I may have named him Alvin (Honestly, Simon and Theodore would NEVER get into this kind of trouble!) I have two that live in my garage. My neighbors have got to think I'm insane because I stand in the garage and tell them, "Simon, Theodore, you can stay in the garage and hide from Oreo (my neighbor's cat), but I swear to all that I hold holy, if you get under the hood of my truck and chew on the damn wiring, you're cat food!"

The rabbits have built a den within the walls of my second bedroom. The way that room is laid out, a couple of them have made their way inside. The adult was shooed out fairly easy. The baby, on the other hand, was more difficult. Never mind, that as this is happening, I have 175 lb. dog thinking he needs to get in on the fun which only aggravates the bunnies more! The fact that neither of them had a heart attack impresses me! Now, they've taken to lounging on my front steps. How do I know this? Because there is rabbit shit all over my steps! This is a place where they have to go up three steps to lie down! Nothing like stepping out there in bare feet in the morning and having those little surprises. (I'm usually on autopilot and forget until it's too late. This is pre-caffeination.)

However, I have finally found the way they're getting in the house. Before this is, it was a mystery. Now, to get some wood to board up the hole. Getting the landlord to do it is not an option since he's not reliable on anything except complaining if the lawn isn't mowed on his schedule.

Did I also mention that the damn chipmunks have taken to climbing onto my bedroom window screen to chitter at me at 4 am? And no, they're not singing. If only... Uh huh...I'm thinking these little beasts don't understand the human way of living. Just because the sun is rising doesn't mean this human is getting up...I just need another hour.

Yeah, Spring has arrived and this author's world seems to only get nuttier every time the season changes. Maybe this is what city living does to a country girl! It makes her crazy :) Oh wait, I was already there.

Happy Easter!

My Itchy and Scratchy Christmas

As I've said before, the holidays are rough for me. But let me tell you about one Christmas where I was absolutely miserable!

It was my freshman year of high school and I was so tired. I went to help Grandma get ready for our Christmas Eve gathering. I wasn't feeling Christmasy or anything close to happy. I was simply exhausted. We got everything ready and I went in on Grandmas bed to lie down. Everyone brought their coats in to lay on Grandma's bed, but I didn't care. I just wanted a dark room with a comfy bed. Grandma had to do her pre-present opening picture of us grandkids in front of the tree. I remember being upset and surly. Dad got on to me about my attitude and told me I needed to straighten up. I remember tears coming to my eyes...that's how miserable I was.

We did the whole Christmas thing and visited for a bit before we went home. I went into the bathroom to get ready for bed. My mom called in to me asking if I had any red spots. I did. I had them on my back, my chest, my stomach...I had come down with chicken pox! Merry Christmas to me, right?

I remember Dad had to run back to Grandma's house to get calamine lotion. We lived 20 minutes from town and it's not as if anything were open. Mom painted my spots with polka dots of pink and sent me to bed. I didn't want to celebrate Christmas. I wanted to sleep. The virus wore me out completely. But instead I got up and celebrated...reluctantly. I spent my entire holiday break with those damn red spots. My brother came down with them the week after and ended up missing school! LOL

Here's my holiday music picks for today:

This has to be one of my favorite songs simply because I grew up loving the Chipmunks. Alvin, Simon, and Theodore were the best!

I always loved Snoopy and the gang! They represented every holiday to me. I never missed an episode of their specials.

I definitely don't miss the chicken pox, but there are certainly pieces of my childhood that make me long for those days.