HA! HA! HA!

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Civic Duty

We voted today. Have you voted yet?

We drove into Cleveland to queue up for early voting. It only took us about 30 minutes. I couldn't help but think about some of things that make this country great as I stood there in line. People of every color and economic status were there- ready to cast their vote. I know that we are not a perfect country but there were no gangs or guns or anyone trying to make you vote a certain way. We all stood there as equals, shuffling along, waiting for a chance to have our voices heard. Hey I know this is cheesy but you are reading the blog of a woman who will cry EVERY time that she hears the National Anthem.

ummm, Grandma Rose it's completely okay if you never mention that picture to Grandpa.......

First Fire

Last night it was chilly enough for us to start using the fireplace. Les just lit a small fire for us to sit by in the evening. Evelyn loved and she has been asking for another "inna house fire" all day. I must admit, it was nice.

Trick or Treat at Grandma's

Ok. Billy Bones hasn't brought any more death and destruction to helpless tiny animals lately so I can proceed with T-o-T at Grandma's house. It worked out good as her t-o-t happens in the afternoon so that took some of the spook factor out. Evelyn wanted to be dressed up in her costume immediatley upon wakening and I had to hold her off. We arrived at Gram's about 1 pm , had lunch and visited for awhile and then it was time to gear up. By this time, Les had Ev's Hylian shield and a sword made so she was COMPLETELY tricked out as Link. Brev is/was Spiderman and he kept his mask on for a total of 2 seconds (I saw a few Spidey's and none had the mask on).

The Bean loved t-o-t this year. It was nothing like last year, she was running about saying "trick or treat and thank you". She didn't get freaked out and scream at all. She was in seventh heaven really. It was so much fun watching her. Les was a monster type creation, I call it Tongue-o as he has a big, pink tongue hanging out. I went as Rosie the Riveter. It was sunny and warmish. The leaves were bright and colorful and the air was fresh and autumnal. It was perfect.

We have one more round of trick ot treat here at our house on Friday, that's in the evening so I can't wait to see how Bean will do.

Carnage: Warning Graphic Post

So the latest to-do of Billy Bones has temporarily eclipsed the Trick-or-Treat post that I was all geared up for. This all started on Saturday. Evelyn was asked to go down to the basement and bring us up something (yes she is four and not afraid to go anywhere in this house alone and/or in the dark). When she's down there though she starts yelling her head off and I hear all of this thumping and I nearly break my neck getting to her. We met in the living room where I found her in a high dudgeon. She was red in the face and puffing and yelling - I couldn't understand a word of it. So I holler back " Hey slow down I don't know what's wrong!" She yells " Well that crazy thing has a BIRD!" I go - intelligently I might add- " WHA.....?" and she yells " BILLY BONES HAS A BIRD!!!! HE HAS IT IN HIS MOUTH!!!! HE IS EATING A BASEMENT BIRD!!!"

This is all as she is hunched over and lunging after Billy Bones and I am standing there like a lump and trying to catch up. Then I see a dark clump of something in Billy's mouth and I head toward him and then he opens his mouth and a small, dark bird flies right out of his mouth and starts circling the living room frantically while I am still a bit shocked and wondering if all of my stuff is about to experience Feline Apocolypse ( the cat has huge honking feet with 23 toes it's not good to mix that formula with my breakables). I am struggling to understand because well, Billy Bones is an inside cat here at the Manse and um, we had no windows open and I just couldn't fathom that there was a bird in the basement (there was though and we still aren't sure how).Enter the Papadopolis. Les comes down, scoops Bill up and realizes that the bird is still in good shape, so we pick up Bill and carry him onto the front porch and he drops the bird and it flies off into the distance. We bring Billy back into the house and set him down. Then he proceeds to hurl himself against the screen door frantically trying to get his prey. After awhile of this he starts running from window to window. After that he proceeds down to the basement where he inspected the ducts, chewed the hot water tank insulation, stared at the walls,paced and meowed for just about 12 hours. I thought we were done.

Not that lucky.

This morning I am busy reading or something and I hear all of this scuffling and I say to Evelyn, who was ensconced on a shelf in the hall closet with the door pulled closed, "kiddo what are you doing" She says "oh that's not me it's Billy Bones Pip" I say "ummmm wha..." and she says, real casual like, " he has another basement bird"

!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I go after him. This time the bird is badly beaten and has a broken wing, when he drops it, it sort of scuttles around, squeaking and Ev and I hop madly out if it's way. Bird goes under the bed, cat goes under the bed, kid goes under the bed, Mom grabs kid. Bird goes into my closet (by scuttling under the closed door) , unbelievably cat goes into my closet the same way. Bird comes out, cat gets stuck. Bird gets away while cat is stuck and human looses track of bird trying to help cat. All of this time Evelyn is keeping a running commentary like CNN and I am hoping that this doesn't end up outside somehow because I am only wearing a t-shirt and underwear ( go ahead and laugh it was Stella' specialty to get me out of the house, under dressed in just that way so I know that it's always a potential when dealing with "cat issues"). Bird becomes utterly unaccounted for. Minutes pass. Furniture is moved. Cat is confused and bitter, child is constantly offering suggestions to Mom and words of sympathy to cat.

Mom takes a much needed (by this time) bathroom break.The Mom walks into the bathroom and scares the, now found, bird. Mom jumps and shrieks like a pansy. Cat comes running. Kid comes running. Mom does not get to pee. Bird meets an ugly end in the bathroom.

After awhile the now tired Mom who has inexplicably developed a facial twitch, has to clean the feathers and splatter off of and out of the bathroom. Then Vacuum the entire house getting all of the other feathers out. Mom is completely put out at the cat, as this was NOT EVEN a floor cleaning day and she never did get to pee and will probably get a bladder infection but, that's okay, the Doc can check out the facial twitch along with prescribing antibiotics. (plus she's still a bit embarrassed by the girlie shrieking)

Damn cat.

Damn bird.



PS The kid thinks that the bird got lost in the house and has no idea that her cat ate it. So she will have no long term suffering.

PPS The bird got revenge in the end as the cat is somewhat "gassy" after eating him and we are all suffering an olfactory onslaught.




Here is a picture of what my bathroom looked like when I let Billy out. I edited out the actual carnage.

Groove Is In The Heart

Evelyn has developed a new form of dance. We are not quite sure what to call it though. So enjoy the video and try not to snort as you laugh. I have no idea where she picked this stuff up, but I have a feeling that Step Up 2: The Streets MAY have had something to do with it, I dunno. She is grooving to Allison Kraus and Robert Plant, the first song on the Raising Sand album.

Yesterday Morning

We were up earlier than usual yesterday morning and as I moved about the kitchen making biscuits and cleaning up a bit, Evelyn laid there in the middle of the room. She was lit by the filtered morning light, she was well, beautiful. I looked down at her and knew that I was in one of those moments that I would cherish forever. One of those moments that would send torrents of tears down my face as I remember it on her wedding day. Just look at her. Those tiny feet, that little body wrapped in pink fleece, that face, those hands with only the tiniest bit of clinging baby fat left.

She had her "Bible" (which is also known as the Legend of Zelda Game Guide) and she was talking intently about Link's allies and enemies, his weapons and "outfits", fighting techniques and she had enough detail to impress the most geek-y of the geeks.

My God how I love this girl.

I wanted to pick her up and hold her and make her promise over and over to not grow another centimeter.