While I'm away....

I've been cleaning house today.  The house will be uncleaned for two and half weeks while I'm away.....which had me thinking what my two men will be up to during this time.  Last night we were talking about meals since I am the chief cook and bottle washer.  R. and my Love jokingly said they would go out every night since I would be eating out every night.  I mentioned I could make some tasty casseroles for them and neither was keen on that.  Secretly I was relieved.  I wasn't excited about cooking and freezing recipes I have never made before since I don't make casseroles.  My Love said not to worry that they would take care of meals.

I thought of how many school mornings a school lunch that hadn't been made would have to hurriedly be put together or money passed to buy lunch.  R. isn't wild about the cafeteria food this year.  Last year I finally gave in and gave him money once a week so he could buy the rice bowls they did with Chinese food, till they changed white rice for brown rice which he was not happy about.  15 year old's don't like someone trying to fool them with a change like brown rice for white.  R. is a creature of habit as well, so this really didn't go over for him.

How many times will the cats be not fed?  I feed them their meals.  I feed Stewie in the morning and R. feeds him at night.  My Love will have to take on that task that he normally doesn't do.  Of course the cats will let him know if a meal has been missed.  Especially a dinner meal, where if they haven't been fed then during the night they will start walking all over you, disturbing your sleep.  Then they will sniff your face or touch your face with their paw.  I know this because even I have forgotten when I thought I had fed them.  They won't give up till they are fed.

Which brings me to the litter box since our cats are indoor only.  I also do that.  Now one or two days is gross but it does happen.  Anymore than that and there will be two very angry cats who may not want to use the litter box.  Not to mention that the box will be a disaster and cleaning will require a Hazmat mask.  Which leads me to a mistake I made yesterday.....

I had cleaned the kitty litter box and double bagged the stuff that they do.  I missed a couple of days and it was rather full (I know...I forgot...).  I brought it out to to take to our outside garbage which at our house is a long way from where the kitty box is.  I set it on the floor intending to take it when I left the house but unfortunately I forgot to get it.  There was one hour's time between when I left and when my Love came home.  What he walked into was less than pleasant.  Now I don't understand why some dogs love kitty poop but we have had dogs that do.  Just to get to the kitty box I had to make it a snug "kitty only" space under our laundry room sink space.  Here I left this bag right out for Stewie and what a time he had.  My Love walked into find kitty litter, clumped pee and kitty poo up and down the hall, in the kitchen and well wherever he could drag the bag that he so cleverly tore open.  Of course he had to clean up and then vacuum the floors.  I really felt bad about leaving the bag that way...I did!

So back to my leaving next week and our home, sweet, home.  I hope that maybe once the kitchen floor will get cleaned, along with the counters and then the bathrooms.  I also know that this more than likely won't happen.   Two bachelor's for those 16 days....no freshly changed sheets or clean towels either.  I won't be here so I won't see it til I come home!

I'm not a super neat freak.  When Annie was alive there was almost always Golden hair on the hardwood floors you could see.  A big dog seems to create more presence whether it's their hair or  drool and Annie did like to drag toys all over the house.  Stewie, being small and short haired hardly leaves any hair that can me seen except on light colored clothes.  He doesn't drag toys around either.  Then again if he isn't let out enough he will pee or poo in the house.  So I am hoping that the boys remember to let him out often.  He must not have the ability to hold his bladder because he always seems to need to go outside.  He is like clockwork when it comes to doing "his duty".  If you miss taking him out he will go poo inside.  Simple fact.  I've decided being a shelter pooch that he clearly had no housebreaking skills.  He wasn't neutered early so he did like to "mark" on the floor.  That  cropped up when our daughters brought their kitties home.  He got along with one but not the other two.  He has really improved from the time he came to live with us to the present.  Really good!  Still he does have times when he leaves those little "tootsie rolls" in the same location.  Oh Stewie....he will miss me.  I nurture and love that little pup.  I know my Love will give him lots of attention to help with my absence.

Lastly will be my plants.  Most of the indoors and my succulents only will need one watering a week and I am telling my Love to just water them once while I am gone unless it is really hot.  Plants can be replaced and this time of year the season is beginning to change.  They should do just fine.

The men will hold down the fort and they will do just fine too.  I will enjoy hearing what goes on while I was away.....

The Bon Bon Club 1985 to 1987 ~ part 1

     My body was swollen with child when we moved into the house on Bridge Road.  I was almost seven months pregnant and useless when it came to moving unless you call pointing to where a box was to be put.   My ankles were swollen and if I laughed I potentially would pee in my pants.  I cried easily and often before, during and after our move and wondered what kind of personality my unborn child would have with such an emotional mommy.

     We had bought this wreck of a house that needed much work, just the type of house my Love and I could buy to fix up and eventually sell with a profit.  I however, was wanting a home and was willing to settle for this sad house knowing that my Love would make it a place that would become a home.  Because a house is just a place that you can see in any neighborhood but a home is where we can nest and fall in love all over again.

     When we brought the families over to see our new home I saw the look on my mom's face that fell like a souffle.  My father believed in my husband and his family always believed in him  knowing his construction abilities.  Of course my mom was already bothered with me for being pregnant with my third child.  I had upset the "apple cart" by having one more child.  How would three fit into her Mercedes Coupe, I projected of her thoughts.

     The house was tri-leveled, old and neglected.  I believe the previous owner had died and I hoped that he or she did not die in the house owing to my belief in the supernatural.  Upstairs in the future nursery and our master bedroom were wide cracks starting from the middle corners of some of the walls reaching towards the ceiling.  Our bedroom had french doors with a faux balcony and his and her walk in closets.  The kitchen had no disposal let alone a dishwasher with dingy painted cabinets, but on the bright side it was large and had a breakfast nook.  The living room had a charming fireplace that at last I could place Arleen and Clark's andirons they had given to us several years before.  There was a bonus room on the lower part that would be perfect as a playroom for our daughters multitude of toys.  The backyard was tiny but the swing set my Love had built would fit.

     Prior to our moving in we painted, scoured and scrapped wallpaper, and did deep cleaning of the bathrooms and kitchen, leaving our two girls at their Grandma's home since it was close by.  It was especially appreciated of her always having a hot meal for my Love and I when we were done working.   My Love had rented a steamer for us to attempt to get the horrendous wallpaper off the walls.  Yes, there I was on a step stool, holding the steamer plugged into the wall with an extension cord while it emited hot humid steam,  with my huge belly having Braxton Hicks contractions  and trying to be as careful as I could not to fall.   I was mad at the former owner for putting this paper on only to find another layer underneath.  Some days I would go alone and  I would cry in this house while I went up and down, over and over to attempt to peel off the wall paper, wondering if this was the best we could have found for us to live in.  I was overwhelmed by a move while this far into my pregnancy and feeling bereft of my mom and her attentions.

     I don't know what the neighbors must have thought of our comings and goings.  We took our time fixing and cleaning and the day of our move felt like a tornado had dropped our belongings there.  Since I couldn't pack like I would have the organization of what were in boxes was not done.  My brother by marriage and father by marriage assisted with the move and toys were throw into boxes like we were running out of town on a fast escape.  Once again I sat on the floor crying in our new home, trying to find the doll that my little E. wanted and was afraid didn't get moved.   Moving is hard on children who just want to see their belongings and feel secure.  I prayed my dishes didn't get broken with every box that was dumped on the floor.  

     To welcome ourselves to the neighborhood my Love and I had a garage sale.  What better way for the neighbors to get to know us than by seeing what we were getting rid of!  My Love and I sat on our camping folding chairs while kids rode by on their bikes, back and forth, their curiosity finally driving them down our deep driveway to check us out.  And really, that is how we all got to know each other.  It was the kids who met us first, followed by my first new neighbor girlfriend- to- be  Janice.  She had three kids, one our oldest daughters age and two boys.  And with that our house became a home.