Mel’s Life

So the other night I walked upstairs, leaned against the doorway of the bathroom and issued Clint the following demand:

“I want a new video camera. I want something that is smaller than what we have now and easy to use. After I use it I want to be able to plug it into something on the Mac and be able to post it on my website or put it on a dvd without having to put forth any effort.”

He just looked at me with an expression on his face that usually means “Yeah, whatever.”

So I added:

“Find out how much that costs and what brand and model we want.”

And I walked away. Now, I issue demands all the time around here - they’re usually ignored. Imagine my surprise when last night Clint comes downstairs and tells me that he’s been researching and has come up with a couple of possiblities. He was able to give me price ranges, battery life, size, ease of use, extra features, and answer all of my questions. To say I was in shock is an understatement. How could this man who I can’t talk into taking out the garbage go to all this trouble to help me fulfill my dreams of posting video of dog antics? Then I realized - a video camera is a gadget and Clint loves gadgets. So I’m looking forward to going to Best Buy or Fry’s this weekend and looking at different cameras to see if this one particular Sony really is the best bet or if we should invest extra money on something else (something else being either a canon or a panasonic I think) I’m a little leary of the sony, we haven’t had the best luck with sony recently. I am quite brand conscious. I’m more particular with some types of appliances and electronics than others. Some brands are just better than others. When I first moved out of my parents house back in 1993 I purchased a Kenmore cannister vacuum and that thing really worked. Clint will try to say that he was always pulling it apart, but it could always could be fixed. I bought a new vacuum in 2003 and replaced it less than 5 months later, and then replaced again with a GE bagless model that I’ve been very happy with as well. As happy as I was with my Kenmore and GE vacumms, when I went to buy a new dryer, I didn’t look twice at either brand. I almost went with a Maytag, but ended up with a Whirpool after the salesman told me about the repair statistics. As a side note, don’t ever buy an appliance anywhere but Lowe’s. I don’t think I’m unusual in my brand favortism - people either fall into two camps: 1. It’s all the same. or 2. You get what you pay for. I’m firmly in the latter. Especially when it’s really important. When I bought my sewing machine, I knew that my mother bought a Viking close to 30 years ago and I dont’ think she’s ever taken it in for service. I bought a Viking and I love it. Of course a Viking is something of a status symbol. If you’re talking with other sewers you’re knowledge is judged by what type of machine you have. If you say you have a Singer or another of the crapo brands you’re just not that cool. But if you can boast a Bernina or a Viking, you’re obviously a person who’s in the know. It’s a bit silly really, I know there are people who’ve sewn on a Singer for years and turn out quality garmets and there are those who have a Bernina that’s been nothing but trouble or couldn’t sew up a simple skirt if their life depended on it. But this type of attitude is a commonly encountered one. One only has to recall high school to know that there are situations in life where the label on the back of your jeans is really important. Thankfully, what’s on the back of my jeans is no longer that important - but jeans have just been replaced by handbags and digital cameras. Wow, this post has really gotten sidetracked. It started out as a simple revelation and ended in a diatribe as to why my gingher scissors are better than your fiskars. (Though that’s not true, I use my fiskars for 90% of my cutting and pull out the ginghers when I need to trim a seam super close or some other precise application).

Filed by Mel at 3:49 pm under Just a Thought
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So I see today that there are going to be some changes in the No Child Left Behind laws - you can read about it here.
Apparently, there is going to be more state involvement in things like testing. I don’t know if this is a good thing or a bad thing. Pretty much everyone I know agrees that the education system in this country could use some help, but no one really has any good ideas on how to go about that. I’ve always been undecided on this subject. Take school funding for example, part of me thinks that it makes more sense for local school boards to decide the best use of funds because local people should know the needs of their community. But then I remember being in high school and I know that there are a lot of school boards that believe new football uniforms are much more important to their district than a computer lab. Of course, I would say that because I went to high school in a very small town (Greenwood, Arkansas) and we had 3 basketball stadiums, but no auditoriam - we had a cafe-toriam.

Apparently, the old No Child Left Behind (hereafter refered to as NCLB) laws allowed states to test 1% of students at their developmental level rather than their grade level - sounds fair to me - but now their going to allow 2% and some people are not happy. I don’t see what the fuss is. Lets see, I graduated in a class of about 250 - multiply that by four grades and we have 1000 students. If Greenwood High had tested 1% at a developmental level that would be 10 students. I’m here to tell you that there were at least 10 students in my grade with no hope of ever reading on even a 9th grade level - no matter how good their teachers were. I feel confident that out of every 1000 students, 20 lack the mental capacity (for whatever reason) to test at their grade level. I don’t think that more or less state accountability is going to change that. Though, there must be a reason that states like California produce better test results than states like Arkansas. I went to school in both those states. The elementary school I went to was considered a very good school, the Junior high was considered bad. In Arkansas, the high school I went to was considered academically good (though I can tell you a secret about how they pulled that one off) and lets look at me. I can’t spell for shit, but despite the way I write blog posts, I know my grammar. I’m good at certain types of math and sciences, but don’t ask me about history and never, ever trust my geography skills - though I make up for it be being an expert map reader. Does this have to do with my education or is it just who I am? I think it’s who I am. I have a friend who can spell anything - she went to a catholic elementary school, same high school. Can she spell because she went to catholic school? We’ll never know. I don’t know that we can compare math or science skills since it hasn’t ever come up - I suspect that I’m better at math just judging what kind of grades we made. But this has little to do with how our intellegence compares. I might be better with history if I had taken a history class in high school. No one ever believes that I didn’t have to take any kind of world or american history in high school - but I swear it’s true. I think all the debate and stuff I took somehow allowed me to escape it. But I had several history classes in college and I still say things like “Oh yeah, I had forgotten the role of Japan in WWII.” I don’t know these things because they aren’t interesting to me. But I think the point of NCLB is less about adults remembering which ammendment gives women the right to vote and more about turning people out into the workforce who can read and understand a newspaper article and work out the area of a triangle (just try and tell me you don’t use what you learned in algebra). That’s a noble cause - but it just isn’t possible. There are some people who have no mental or emotional disease and they just don’t get geometry. Everyone knows these people. I remember a girl that sat next to me in high school algebra. She would sit and take notes, ask questions, pay attention all through class. She would come in on test day and show me all the notes she studied with and tell me that she had re-worked every homework problem we’d been assigned. She was really trying. We’d get the test back the next day and she’d have at best, a low C on her paper. My paper would be marked with an A after the 30 minutes I’d spent looking over the chapter the night before the test. What’s sad is that she had no learning disabilities, she wasn’t emotionally distraught, and that algebra class was taught by one of the best math teachers I’ve ever had. She just wasn’t that bright. So when it came time to report test scores, the state of Arkansas had to report hers along with countless others who didn’t have anything wrong with them to allow them to be included in that 1%. So I agree, something should be done about the educational system in this country, but I think it may be time to just face the fact that some kids just aren’t that bright and the best teachers and the best programs aren’t going to change that.

As a side note: The way Greenwood high boasted good ACT and SAT scores were that you had to meet with a counselor before scheduling these tests was “allowed”. I had several friends who were told by the counselor that there was no reason for them to take these tests and talked them out of taking them. The vast majority of the students that took those tests in high school were the ones who made really good grades or were considered above average intelligence. The rest were encouraged to pusue either vocational school or join the military.

Another side note: I hear that some student attending Greenwood High created a website mocking the administration and the school suspended them and made them take remove the site. I guess the parents sued and the judge made the school distrinct take the students back, remove all reference of the incident from their “permanent records” (Have I mentioned just how many jobs I haven’t gotten because of all those damn detentions I had to serve?) and allowed the stundent to keep the website. If anyone out there knows the link for this website, please send it to me - I’d love to see it.

Filed by Mel at 5:30 pm under In the News
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So back a few months ago I decided that if I was going to stay sane I absolutely must get a job. I decided that any job I took would have to meet a few requirements:
1. Little to no responsibility.
2. Less than 20 hours per week.
3. No need for learning anything extra aside from standard procedures and such.
4. Short distance from my home.

So with the above in mind and a JoAnn Fabrics less than a mile away from my house I started working at JoAnn in November and so far, it has been everything I expected. I have a good time there - I get to work with fabric all day, always know when the good sales are, get a discount, and sometimes I get to talk to knowledgeable sewers and quilters. Not surprisingly, I usually spend a lot of time explaining the most basic of concepts to people who couldn’t distinquish wool from silk on a bet. I know that I possess more sewing knowledge than the average person, but seriously, I can’t believe the ineptness of some of these people. Here, for the amusement of all (but mostly myself) I’ve provided exact quotes (for the most part) from the most “duh” moments of my carreer as a JoAnn Team Member.

1. “Where’s the Poly/Cotton?”
Answer: “Uh, everywhere.”
Probably every person who asked this question, in their mind, had a very clear picture of what they wanted. That’s great, but it doesn’t help me - there are hundreds of fabrics composed of a blend of polyester and cotton. I can show you some drapery lining that’s poly/cotton, or would you be interested in some flannel? I wouldn’t expect the average person to understand that terms like cotton, silk, rayon, etc. refer to a fiber and terms like “flannel, taffeta, seeksucker, etc. refer to a finish. But I do expect that anyone who finds themselves in a fabric store would understand that describing something as “poly/cotton” is not providing me with enough information.

2. Crazy looking woman with lipstick on her teeth: “Do you have that thing that’s like a little vacuum for cleaning up after you sew - like to pick up threads and stuff?”
Me: “Like a dustbuster?”
Crazy: “Yeah, but it’s for sewing.”
Me: “No, we don’t carry a handheld vacuum for cleaning up threads.”
Crazy: “Well I have a dustbuster thing, but I heard this one is specifically for picking up threads.”
Me: “Like a lint roller?”
Crazy: “Oh yeah, that would work too.”

Why anyone would actually purchase something to pick up threads after they sew is beyond me. For years I have evicted those evil strands of thread from my floor with a simple pass of the vacuum or a broom. If you really can’t seem to get them up, I’m quite sure any lint roller which can be purchased at your local supermarket or Target for about $2.00 would suffice.

3. Any one of the hundreds of people who have stood across the cutting counter: “How much fabric do I need to make curtains?”
Me: “How big are your windows?”
Anyone of many:”I don’t know.” or “Standard size.”

This one happens every day. If you know how big your window/bedspread/table/sofa/huge ass is, I can help you. But if you have no idea if your window is 6′ high by 5′ wide or 2′ by 1′ I really can’t help you. I can tell you that you need a lot more than you’d think to make a tablecloth that goes to the floor and covers a round table, I can tell you that for lush looking curtains you need three times the width of your window. If you didn’t measure before you came to the store, I’m not going to guesstimate for you. Like I’m going to let myself take the blame when you get home and realize you only needed a third of the 18 yards you purchased because you described your 2′ wide window as massive.

4. Ok, this one didn’t happen to me, but to a co-worker who really isn’t that bright. She was cutting some fabric for a customer who is a regular and it was quite a bit of fabric (like 8 yards) and when she went to fold it up, some of it fell of the counter and hit the floor. The customer got very upset and started yelling at this poor girl about how she should never let the fabric touch the floor because people are going to take it home and sew clothes out of it. Now again, not something I would expect a non-sewer to know, but this woman sews so she should have known - You always pre-wash fabric before you cut it out and sew it. For several reasons, but mostly because fabric tends to shrink, warp, etc. when you wash it the first time and you want to get that out of the way before you put seams in it which will pucker and look funny if you neglect to wash it first. I also can’t imagine anyone would think that fabric that’s been manufactured, rolled onto a bolt, boxed and shipped, unboxed, displayed, and then been touched, moved, and cut by tons of different people is anything close to clean.
Bottom line - if you don’t prewash your fabric before you sew, you are not a seamstress and you have no business acting superior to someone who works in a fabric store.

5. Woman: “Do you carry The Purple Thing?”
Me: “Purple thing? Is that the name of the product or the color?”
Woman: “It’s the name of the product.”
Me: “I’m not familiar with a product of that name, what is it exactly?”
Woman: “I don’t know what it is.”
Me: “Well is it a craft item, or a sewing item, or a quilting notion?”
Woman: “I’m just not sure, a lady I know said I needed one.”
Me: “Did she say what you needed one for?”
Woman: “No.”
Me: “Then I just don’t know.”

If you don’t know what something is, how do you know that you need one. As a side note, I think what she was refering to is a product called “That Purple Thang” which is a tool you use to turn small tubes right side out after sewing them up or threading elastic through a casing. We don’t carry that particular item, but we do carry items that do exactly the same thing - they’re called tube turners. If she could have explained to me what it was I could have helped her.

I could go on and on - maybe someday I’ll post the dumb question of the week or something. Probably not cause I wouldn’t be consistent enough with it. I am going to get around to putting up a gallery of some of the stuff I’ve made though. Stay tuned for exciting pictures of a spring jacket in a pink boucle, or a summery dress made from pink and white polka dot silky rayon, or hopefully a picture of a white and pink linen skirt that was supposed to have these lovely pink gore panels but just didn’t turn out and then got attacked by a dog, but god willing, will be salvaged into something both wearable and cute. I have a pink problem.

Filed by Mel at 4:20 am under Just a Thought
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For years I’ve been saying that I’m claustrophobic. Today, while lying in the tanning bed it hit me - if I’m so claustrophobic how come I’ve never gotten upset while tanning? Tanning beds are basically shaped like a coffin - the top is about 6 inches from my nose and there is about a two inch opening on either side. I think that if you were going to have a claustrophobic moment, the tanning bed would be a perfect place. Maybe I’ll pass this info along to some psychiatric association.

Newsflash - Claustrophobia can be cured quite simply. All you must do when heading into a tight spot is lather yourself up with some coconut flavored lotion, put on some silly goggles, aim a fan at your feet, and place a radio tuned to adult contemporary at your head. Problem solved!

Filed by Mel at 5:43 pm under Just a Thought
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No, this isn’t a post about Maggie - though I could easily adapt it to that. I just finished reading the above title by Mark Haddon and I have to say that I’m not exactly sure what I think of it. “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” is a story from the perspective of an Austistic boy. It opens with the murder of his neighbor’s poodle and as he plays detective, he finds more than he bargained for. I would say that it was a good story, but the story isn’t really the heart of the book. The book is really about how this child sees the world. I have never made it a secret that I am uncomfortable around people who would fit into the category of “Special Needs”. The reason I’m uncomfortable is because I don’t know how to act - I’m sure that anyone with experience would say “just act normal”. But that is easier said than done. I’m always afraid I’m going to offend someone, even the use of the phrase “special needs” worries me because I fear that A. This term is not considered acceptable with regards to Autism. B. This term is no longer considered politically correct. or C. This term was never politically correct and my use of it is an insult to many. I’m confident that if I had ever had any experience with someone with Autism or Down’s Syndrome or any other myriad of syndromes I would be more comfortable. But quite simply I don’t know if all people with Autism dislike being touched or just some of them, I don’t know what is expected of me if I can’t communicate with another person. I’m sure there are many who would think this ridiculous - “They’re just like everyone else, you treat them like you would anyone.” Not so - the fact is that everyone has some sort of “special need”. Some people are allergic to mustard, some people spend more time in the bathroom, some people are scared of elevators, and some people can’t interact with other people unless they’re stoned. These “special needs” are mostly minor and the majority can hold it together if they get some mustard on their burger and so on, and if they don’t - they’re the asshole. Here’s where I have the problem - If I encounter someone who is say, blind - and I don’t immediately realize that they are blind and do exactly what it necessary to ensure that they are not inconvienenced by thier inability to see then I’m the asshole. I’m uncomfortable with this. I know that many people with disabilities (am I still allowed to say that? probably not, but considering that what I’m refering to is a person afflicted with a condition that prevents them from experiencing life in a statistically average manner, I’m sticking with that term) get on quite well and do not expect to be treated any differently, but in reality, there are many who do not and there are many who simply can not.

I once read a letter in a Dear Abby type column from a woman who had a child with Down’s Syndrome and was often asked what it was like dealing with it and basically if it sucked. This woman said (and I’m paraphrasing) that it was like planning a trip to Egypt - buying guidebooks, learning some helpful phrases, saving the money, choosing which sites to see, and so on. After years of looking forward to your trip to Egypt you are finally on your way. After the plane takes off and there’s no turning back, you find out that this plane isn’t heading to Egypt, it’s going to Turkey. You’re dissapointed at first because you don’t know anything about Turkey, and because you were really looking forward to Egypt. But once you get to Turkey you realize that despite not being prepared, there are a lot of really fantastic things about Turkey and you’re glad you got to see it. I like this story - it makes me feel better about things, things like the fact that I’m 30 years old and if Clint and I and a few doctors with test tubes ever manage to turn one of my eggs into something I can name, I’ll be in the age group where Down’s Syndrome is a serious concern. I hope that it’s natural to have fears such as these - surely I’m not a monster because I worry about how to relate to someone that seems so different from myself. Isn’t this the basis of racism? Many have written about how we fear what we don’t understand. And while most accept this as fact, it doesn’t really solve the problem. I know how to handle a situation once I’ve dealt with it, until then, I’m only capable of an educated guess. Educated guesses are fine in a situation like deciding which headache medication to buy. Do they really work that well for important things like interacting with another human being? I don’t think so - I guess well meaning is better than nothing, and if we’re talking about someone who doesn’t like mustard, well meaning will probably be adequate. Well meaning doesn’t mean much though if the situation involves someone whose entire thought process shuts down if you touch them.

Most books I read provide me with something to think about, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” was certainly no exception. What is a bit exceptional is that I’m really not sure if I liked it or not. I liked certain aspects of it - it was fairly well written, it was unusual, and it was intriguing. It also left me feeling a little depressed and unfulfilled. I often feel like this after reading a good book because I’m going to miss the characters. I have these feelings for different reasons this time - I feel depressed over the unfairness of the situation the characters are left in and unfulfilled because I really don’t know how things will work out for them. It’s still a pretty good book and I would recommend it to anyone who is a serious reader.

Filed by Mel at 5:17 am under Review
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It’s truly amazing whenever I get Clint to go along with something. He’s fairly stubborn and usually just ignores any request - like the time I insisted I would only answer to the name Rusty Shackleford. So I’m quite surprised to be writing my first post for my own separate blog. Last night I told him that he should just move my posts to another site and for some reason he didn’t like the idea. He never really fully explained why he was against this idea though later he mentioned that he thought I wasn’t planning on posting anymore. I really just wanted to separate our blogs because I frequently want to post something but find that he has just made a post and I don’t want to bump his down - and I know he has the same problem. There’s also the fact that many people who read his blog either don’t know me or don’t like me. People who don’t know me can get straight to the Clint posts without wading through mine now - which I think works better. As an added bonus, people who don’t like me really have no business reading my blog (unless they just want more reasons to dislike me) and I can now say things that might offend them and they shouldn’t ever have to read it. If they do read it, it’s their problem because, hey - they have no business reading my blog. Of course, there is a very slim chance that I will ever write anything of that nature. I just want that option.

I’m creating a new paragraph here because Clint gets onto me about not using paragraphs. This is not the correct place for a new paragraph, but the fact that it’s incorrect makes me happy - so new paragraph.

After talking it through for over an hour, Clint finally agreed to my plan of separate blogs. Once the decision was made he told me that he had been wanting to separate them too. If this is true (I have no reason to believe that it isn’t) it means that he either forgot that he agreed with me, or decided to argue with me just for fun. This is what I have to live with. But it all ends well because here I am with my own spot and I can put up my own links for things I like (like Elliott Smith) and things I don’t really like but read about anyway because it helps (like emetophobia - that’s fear of vomiting for those that don’t know). So now I’m off to clean so that I can work on some sewing project. I’ve got some nice boucle that I think I’m going to make a nice spring jacket out of.

Filed by Mel at 5:56 pm under Just a Thought
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This is a common problem. I sit in front of my computer trying to find something to listen to for what seems like hours. I’ve got plenty of music on iTunes, at present, I could listen to music for over 8 days and never listen to the same thing twice (except for all 17 versions of numerous DMB songs courtesy of my husband) It would seem that there should be no problem finding something to suit my mood. It should be a simple process - am I in the mood for something deep and reflective like Elliott Smith or Radiohead…. or something fun and upbeat like John Mellencamp or Three Dog Night? Maybe I want blues like Robert Johnson… or poppy like The Beatles… maybe it’s sunny and The Eagles would be a perfect fit. Sometimes late at night when I’m almost ready to go to bed, surely The Shins would be a better choice than Guns ‘n Roses. Or just maybe, Clint has been out of town and I have an overwhelming urge for some Dave Matthews. See - it shouldn’t be that hard. But it is - as I type this I’m listening to Radiohead’s “Hail to the Thief” and it took me over 10 minutes to make that decision. It might help if I could browse by genre - I know iTunes has this feature but if you’re an itunes user go browse by genre right now and you’ll see what I’m talking about. According to iTunes, the only Alternative Rock music I have is PJ Harvey, Pete Yorn is classified as Punk, and while I agree that Michelle Branch (my husbands, not mine) is pop, I don’t think Mark Knopfler would be too happy to know that he’s stuck there too. In fact, most of my music is placed in no genre - you would think it would be easy to assign Sarah Mclachlan and Aretha Franklin (pop and R&B respectively), but iTunes places them in no category. I know I could assign all the albums appropriate genres but that is too damn much work. So my problem remains. I honestly think that I might just have too much music to choose from. It could also be the way I listen to music. I don’t know what other people do but unless I’m putting on music as background noise to clean or sew or something, I rarely listen to entire albums. If I’m listening to “listen to music” I want to skip around and hear all of my favorites. And yes, I’ve got a million playlists. The problem is that the 25 songs I wanted to listen to yesterday aren’t the same 25 songs I want to listen to today. Sure there are some songs that I’m almost always in the mood to listen to - but the key word is “almost”. There are circumstances under which I just don’t feel like hearing “The Origin of Love” from the Hedwig and the Angry Inch soundtrack - I know it’s amazing that anyone could say that. Also I don’t want to go strictly by these playlists because I forget about music I love. I can go months without remembering how much I love Elton John’s “Goodbye” or Radiohead’s “Climbing up the Walls”. So I have limited choices. I can choose to jump around and listen to a bunch of stuff - the downfall being that this requires constant attention and I might forget a song I love. I can choose a playlist, but this is going to end with me skipping a lot of songs because I’m simply not in the mood to listen to Ani Difranco sing “Shy”. Or I can listen to entire albums which is difficult because there are few albums that I truly like every song on them - Radiohead’s “Kid A”, The Beatles “Abbey Road”, Elton John’s “Madman Across the Water”, U2’s “Joshua Tree”, and right now REM’s “Around the Sun” are the only ones I can do it with. Many albums come close and I suppose I could uncheck “No Surprises” on OK Computer and such and have a few more. Actually, I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I actually just realized that might be a good solution. Ok, but I know that I’m still going to end up switching albums after the first 3 or 4 songs because what always happens is that track 3 or whatever reminds me of some song I like and I have to listen to right this minute and it does no good to finish whatever I’m listening to right now because now anything short of Jackson Browne singing “The Pretender” is just crap. See, as we speak I remembered how much I like that song and I’m going to have to switch over to it - except that for some reason Jackson Browne always makes me think about Broadway plays so now I think instead I’ll listen to the West Side Story Soundtrack and I ask you - How in the hell can someone who is listening to Radiohead suddenly get a desperate urge to hear “I Feel Pretty”?
I hope I’m alone in this, because if I’m not….. I’m scared for this world.

Mel

Filed by Mel at 6:55 pm under Just a Thought
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Butters “Captain Chaos” Dickens 2004 - 2005

Earlier this week, a tragedy occured. Not a tragedy on the scale of loosing a child (which also happened in my family this week), but a tragedy nonetheless. It may be hard for some to understand why loosing a pet is so upsetting, but let me try to explain. Some of us do not have children, and some have had children and now they are all grown and living independantly. The desire to nurture and protect those who need us is an instinctual and sometimes overwhelming need. So some of us, when circumstances demand it, choose to funnel this energy into a pet. I guess it really does no good to try and explain it - if your pet is a family member, you already know what I’m talking about, if you are petless or your pet is simply a pet, you’ll never understand. My parents, like me, consider their pets members of their family. A few days ago, my parents lost their beloved Butters. He was hit by a car in front of his home. My parents live out in the country and, unfortunately, this is a fairly common occurance. I talked of Butters in a previous post so I think I’ve made it clear just how special he was to my parents. He managed to weasel his way pretty deep into the hearts of those who knew him only briefly. He was truly a magnificent cat. My parents have had many additions to their family over the years. This is mainly due to their living in the country where many people decide to drop carloads of kittens when they are too lazy to find them good homes. I’ve always believed that there is a special place in hell for people who dump animals, and so it follows that there is a special place in heaven for those that pick them up, dry them off, bring them inside and let them stay. I imagine this place in heaven is also heavily populated with all kinds of pets as well - pets that were lucky enough to wander into the yards of people like my parents, and those who weren’t so fortunate. So here’s to Butters - may you rest in peace. No matter what you choose to call heaven, I’m sure that right now Butters is there; napping someplace soft and warm and will wake in a bit to chase a nut or small bit of string. We will miss him.

Melanie

Filed by Mel at 5:35 am under Just a Thought
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At night, inside the house of Sharp
A creature tiptoes in the dark
To pacify the urge to chew
The creature nabs a human’s shoe
Such pleasures only charm so long
When no one’s there to say it’s wrong
Around the doorway, down the stairs
To sniff a cat perched on a chair
A skillful nose detects a treat
Cat cookies simply can’t be beat
Important business now aside
The creature needs to go outside
Depsite it’s desperate whines and moans
It can not wake the human bones
Best effort given, it waits no more
It squats above the moonlit floor
The creature leaves the mess behind
Intent upon more fun to find
What pleasant luck to simply happen
Upon a pile of fast food napkins
This frolic could go on all night
If not for mornings first sunlight
For that is when it’s plain to see
Such capers aren’t reality
A dream while sleeping sadly fettered
But she would if we would let her

Melanie

Filed by Mel at 11:02 pm under Poetry
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Over the holidays, I met someone who has, I believe, taken me and my sister’s place as favored people in the eyes of my father. This someone is a small, rat-like, stealer of nuts, batter of small objects, and licker of other people’s food. This someone is Butters - a kitten. My parents brought this beast into their home several weeks ago and he has managed to wrap my father around his finger to an extent I could have hardly imagined. So my parents did indeed name this kitten after Leopold “Butters” Stoch of South Park fame, but they were unaware that Butters has an alter ego - Captain Chaos. Discovering that bit of info made a lot of sense to my parents - Butters the cat also spends a good amount of time acting as Captain Chaos, but he is one of the cutest cats I’ve ever seen. He’s about 4 months old and has not figured out how to control his purr - he automatically starts purring the second you pick him up - even when he’s struggling to get away. Check out the Gallery for pics of this magnificent cat.
Anyway, onto other things - It was a good trip, once we got there that is. Our flight from DFW to Ft. Smith was cancelled so we had to find other arrangements. Luckily Clint’s dad and his pilot’s license were able to get us to Fort Smith a lot earlier than American Airlines was able to. We also had trouble getting back home. We were supposed to get home at 9:30pm on Monday - that didn’t happen. Our flight out of Ft. Smith was delayed, and then we had to circle outside of DFW because of weather and by the time we landed our Seattle connection had left. So we tried standby on two flights but got neither so we finally got a flight to Las Vegas at around midnight with a flight to Seattle at 9:30 the next morning. We had to run to make the Las Vegas flight and wouldn’t have made it if the gate agent hadn’t been nice enough to get the plane to move back and extend the walkway so we could board. We spent the rest of the night watching Harry Potter on the laptop and then managed to get an earlier flight to Seattle so by 11am we were home. So I had a whole day to get the house clean and such so we’d be ready for Maggie’s arrival on Wednesday. Speaking of Maggie, she is currently taking a nap which is nice. Earlier, she was trying to help me type - didn’t work out too well, she would be much more efficient if I needed someone to chew through the power cord. Anyway, so my last couple of weeks has been all about cats, dogs, and American Airlines complete inability to get me to any of my destinations. So now I think I’ll watch a little King of the Hill and go to bed.

’till then

Filed by Mel at 5:55 pm under Just a Thought
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