Oh, Canada ...

Today, Mom woke up early an' took a lonngggg drive up the I-5 to visit the "Great White North" ... It took her about two hours to drive from Seattle up to Blaine, Washington ... an' then about fifteen minutes to pass through customs into Canada.

Mom was furry disappointed that her new passport just got scanned an' no stamps were made on the flawless pages. She had to resist making sarcastic and/or quippy responses to the Mountie's questions 'cuz she KNOWS that Homeland Security agents have had their senses of humor surgically removed.

After passing through into Canada, she drove on the 91 freeway and ended up right where she started ... How baffling! Canada is a circle in the Vancouver area?

Anyway, she got on something called the King George Highway an' went to White Rock, B.C., to spend the afternoon at the beach. She bought some t-shirts an' post cards from a very nice Chinese-Canadian shop keeper, took a walk on the pier, took photos of the "white rock", and wrote out her post cards. The shop keeper gave her very good directions to a drug store where there was a post office so that she could buy some stamps and mail her post cards ...

Then came a TWO HOUR wait to get back into the U.S. ... Yes, two hours.

Over all, it was a very lovely trip. It's not called "Beautiful British Columbia" for nothing.

DMM

PeeSss: As soon as she returns, Mom will post her photos.

What did you do, Mom?

Mom an' Auntie Toni went to watch "Get Smart" an' then had dinner at Bahama Breeze where Mom ate a Cuban sandwich. She said that the movie was cute an' silly ... an' that I would have loved nibblin' on the Cuban sandwich 'cuz I love sammiches!

Mom'll be home in one week!

Last night, Mom went to XXX Rootbeer restaurant in Issaquah with her auntie an' Uncle Jer. She had furry yummy rootbeer in a frosty mug an' a delicious burger named after a car. A side benefit was horrible onion breath.

Today it's Thursday, so Mom will be home a week from today an' I cannot wait to snuggle with her 'cuz I've missed her a whole bunch.

She told me that today she was gonna drive down to Lacey to eat lunch at Ruby Tuesday ('cuz that place doesn't exist in our market) an' then she'd get a mani-pedi. The traffic wasn't furry bad, so she made good time on the freeway through Federal Way, Tacoma, an' Nisqually (where our great-grandparents used to live). She had lunch an' then headed back to Seattle after a quick stop at the Wal*Mart for juice an' water ... an' to look for rosemary an' parsley for our auntie (they didn't have any left).

When she got back toward Seattle, she stopped at a nail salon near some big shopping mall by a PetSmart. She got her toes painted purple an' her hands painted pink (sounds furry odd to me), then she went to PetSmart to buy two lids for Ben an' Lucy's canned foods.

Target was her next stop for the rosemary an' parsley, but this Target didn't have a garden center, so she was outta luck again.

Tomorrow, she might drive up to Victoria, BC for a little look-see ... an' to get a stamp on her passport.

On the weekend, she'll be driving down south to visit with Zoey, the Fur Balls, an' Cha-Ching ... It's supposed to get furry, furry hot there ... Mom was hopin' for some rain.

Gotta go ...

Stay tuned for the next postcard from our momma ...

DMM an' the Feline Americans

Wednesday: Vacation's halfway over now.

Today is about mid-way through Mom's vacation an' she'll be home next week. She sent another post card with an update on what she's been doin' besides playin' with Ben-Fuzz an' Lucy-Fur:

She's shopped with our auntie for new tennis shoes ... Mom got her some black leather New Balance shoes.

Mom has given Auntie a pedicure an' has helped to smooth the bottoms of her feet with a Pedi-Egg. Perhaps they'll go to a salon for a REAL pedicure sometime before Mom leaves?

They went shopping for work clothes as Auntie's clothes are all too big now ... They bought lots of pretty blouses, sweaters, an' a pair of jeans, too!

The Mary-Janes that Mom ordered arrived yesterday an' are a perfect fit! Yay! They are dressy enough for work, but casual, too. They're furry pretty. If I wore shoes, I'd wanna wear Mary-Janes, too.

Yesterday, Mom an' Auntie went to Kent to watch "Kung Fu Panda" ... They HIGHLY recommend the movie. Apparently, it's furry cute an' the panda is a good fighter.

Mom has been reading while Auntie goes to work: She's read "Fearless Fourteen" an' is half way through "Twilight" (which would appease Mom's students furry much).

Tonight will be a trip to XXX ... It's a rootbeer place near Issaquah that has hamburgers an' other good stuff. Mom will be going with Auntie an' her Uncle Jer, too.

I guess that's all that is left to report for now ...

DMM

One week of vacation ... Only ten more days left without our mom.

Mom Update:

We have received a couple of postcards from Mom since she deserted us for a holiday in Seattle (an' points nearby). This is what's been happenin' ...

On Thursday, she drove clear across the state to visit our Aunt Montie (an' Harold an' the woofies). Aunt Montie lives outside of Spokane, so Mom spent the night at the Coeur D'Alene Casino. Our auntie is fine ... she got a new SUV so that she can go grocery shoppin' even if it's been snowin' (which it did three weeks ago ... Yes! In June!). The bad news is that our woofie friend Whimpy has really bad cataracts an' is nearly blind. He's too old for the surgery, so it's just gonna have to be. His seeing-eye human is a nice lady.

After a night at the casino (where she lost no money 'cuz she didn't "play" anything), she set off for the Tri-Cities to help her aunt an' cousin to finish packing up their household to move to the great flat-an'-full-o'-tornadoes state of Kansas. It was furry hot (in the mid-90s) an' Mom nearly melted! They took a whole bunch o' boxes to UPS to be mailed so that auntie, cousin, and three woofies could travel by airplane. Mom has new respect for those people who wear the brown shorts!

At four in the morning, they got up to make the four hour drive back to Seattle to drop off the woofies at "cargo" to be "shipped" to Kansas. The woofies weren't too happy 'bout that, but they arrived safely at their destination, so I guess that all's-well-that-ends-well, right?

When Mom arrived back at her auntie's Seattle condo, she took a nap out on the deck in a sunny spot (I can sure relate to that!), but that caused some trouble 'cuz nearby golfers thought that she was a "dead body" an' they notified authorities who disturbed Mom's nap. Mom thought that it was pretty funny that they thought that she was a corpse. Hee, hee ... uh, wait a minute! Mom was dead?!? That's not funny AT ALL!

Then Mom realized that she needed cash an' tried to use her ATM only to find that the new card her bank had sent had a new password. ARGH! A quick call to our grandma remedied that problem pretty fast ... so Mom has money again. Whewwww ...

Now she's just waiting for Uncle Jer to arrive so that they can drive down to Olympia to have lunch with Aunt Ellen at the new location for the Ranch House BBQ place. The old location flooded back in December, so they moved the whole thing to the Governor Hotel. Mom REALLY likes brisket, so lunch should be furry, furry yummy. We're still hopin' that she'll bring us some on the plane when she returns. Right, Mom?

That's all that we know right now ... stay tuned for more news from Mom's postcards!

DMM

Northwest trip on Tuesday (vacation day 2)

Well, we heard from Mom. She is safe an' sound in Seattle visitin' with our cousins, Ben Fuzz an' Lucy Fur. She says that her flight was fine once it finally got off of the ground.

She had a 2:30 PM flight yesterday, but there was trouble with the plane's "anti-lock breaking system" so they were grounded 'til 5:15 PM while mechanics fixed stuff. Considering the fact that Mom was dropped off at the airport at 12:10 PM and she was buzzed through security (since she flew first class), she cooled her heels for HOURS while waiting to take off.

She told us that she was seated next to a really odd and creepy man from Anchorage for the flight and he was very sloppy ... He also took over nearly all of the space (Mom was grateful for an aisle seat).

Tonight is a trip to Ellensburg to pick up Uncle Jer's "new" truck. His horrible Ford Escort wagon died a couple of days ago an' he's buyin' our cousin's truck 'cuz our cousin's movin' to Kansas this weekend.

Thursday, Mom will drive her rental car to eastern Washington to visit our Aunt Montie an' she'll be staying at a casino overnight. Then, she'll drive down to the Tri-Cities to pick up another auntie an' bring her, the woofies, an' luggage back to Seattle to catch their non-stop to Kansas. Whewww...

Mom is enjoying herself already, but she says that she misses us (although Ben an' Lucy are trying furry hard to make Mom feel welcome).

That's our update on Mom's vacation so far ... Stay tuned!

DMM

Mom's leavin' on an airplane this afternoon ... sniff

Mom's goin' on vacation in just a couple of hours, so we're gonna be absent from the blogosphere until Sparky Fuzzypant's birthday/Gotcha Day (July 3) ... Grandma an' Grandad can't help us to blog 'cuz they're kinda "computer illiterate" ...

Mom's gonna stay with our Auntie Toni (Ben Fuzz an' Lucy Fur's momma) in Seattle, but she's gonna visit our cousins, Zoey, the Furballs, an' Cha-Ching, too.  

Charmee is mad at Mom 'cuz she raided his piggy bank for foldin' money (an' quarters) for the airport ... 

In her defense, she does pay for efurrything for us an' doesn't tend to carry cash.  

She bought us a bunch o' Temptations that our grandparents will dole out judiciously in her absence an' Charmee is supposed to pay for those Temptations with the recycling money (an' the pennies that Grandad finds on his walks).  

Charmee is kinda "attached" to his piggy bank an' his money ... 

He gets pretty bent out of shape when anyone gets to close to his stash o' cash.

Although Mom is kinda anxious an' worked up about gettin' on a plane, Charmee isn't givin' her any slack.  This scowl on his face looks kinda ... permanent.

Happy Fathers' Day to our Grandad!

It's a furry special day for our Grandad ... 

an' all of the dads in the Blogosphere, so we're gonna say:

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt #72: Emotions

EMOTIONS

The Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt theme for this week is EMOTIONS.

Lucky Charmz is often Mom's guinea pig for "kyoot" outfits an' outrageous costumes.  Sometimes (like after he's had a snootful of St. John's Wort) he's easy going 'bout the clothing; sometimes he puts the mega-bitey on Mom to show that he's "had enough of her nonsense".

Here's Charmee showing emotional range with "Exasperated Disdain" ... Can't you see the EMOTION on his furry little face?  He knows that he's powerless against the dragon costume, but he's still showin' that he doesn't like wearin' it.   Mom found out the hard way 'cuz his next move was to give her quite a bitey on her hand.  OUCH!

We'll always remember Kali ...

Our sweet furriend Kali is going to the Bridge this afternoon ... We'll miss her an' we hope that her fambly will accept our sincerest condolences. Stop by Tyler's bloggy to pay your respects.

Friday Fill-In and Friday's Feast

Friday Fill-Ins #76
1. _A hot air balloon trip from Del Mar to Temecula_ is high up on my bucket list.

2. My favorite quote is _”It is a tale told by an idiot ... full of sound and fury ... signifying nothing”_____; it's from _Act 5 Scene 5 from William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”_____.

3. Skeezix the Cat and Kukka-Maria____ inspired me to start blogging.

4. Strawberries are best _on someone else’s plate____.

5. _I was already on vacation_ in the last dream I remember having.

6. The most enjoyable time to go for a walk is _in October ... right before the clocks change to “darker earlier” ... when the air is cool and it smells of night-blooming jasmine_.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to _watching junk on OnDemand_, tomorrow my plans include _taking my mom to lunch and finishing my Fathers Day shopping_ and Sunday, I want to _pack my bag as I’m leaving for Seattle on Monday afternoon for a seventeen day trip_!

Feast One Hundred & Ninety Three

Appetizer
Do you consider yourself to be an optimist or a pessimist?

Neither ... I’m a pragmatist. I think rationally and I deliberate major decisions so that I do what’s right and not just what’s easy.

Soup
What is your favorite color of ink to write with?

I like hot pink ink for things like checks. I like Pilot Varsity disposable fountain pens. The Varsity comes in turquoise, hot pink, purple, navy, and black. I own and use all five colors on a regular basis.

Salad
How often do you get a manicure or pedicure?  Do you do them yourself or go to a salon and pay for them?

About once or twice a year, I go to ProfessioNails and get a mani/pedi. The rest of the year, I do it myself. I have better nail colors and I like to mix tints (I guess that I actually mean “layer” tints).

Main Course
Have you ever won anything online?  If so, what was it?

Other than auctions on eBay and through the Cat Blogosphere, the answer is no.

Dessert
In which room in your house do you keep your home computer?

I have a spare bedroom/utility room/ginormous closet where the computer lives.

Storm, the Furry Fighter: Godspeed, Sweetie!

Stormie has gone to the Bridge after her courageous fight against the ravages of cancer. We wish her the best and will remember her always.

Thursday Thirteen ... Summer Vacation!

Mom’s “summer” vacation ... the last one before her nearly idillic year-’round schedule is changed for the 2009-10 school year ... is just three weeks and four days long (25 days).

It’s been a really tough year with a difficult principal and the worst group of ninth graders (a few were good) that she’s ever known. It’s obvious that Mom needs a break for both physical and mental health.

Here’s her Thursday Thirteen ‘bout Why Mom's happy 'bout Summer Vacation ...

1. Don’t have to get up at 6:00 AM for 25 days (bad point: school starts at 7:25 AM beginning July 14th).

2. No pantyhose for four weeks.

3. The ninth grade class of 2011 is no longer Mom’s problem.

4. The seniors of 2008 and all of their “issues” are no longer Mom’s problem.

5. Everything needed for Mom to start classes has been copied and placed into student folders.

6. Everything Mom needs for a new honor society membership drive is copied and ready.

7. There’s still a little bit of money left as “seed money” for the class of 2009.

8. Mom leaves for Seattle on June 16 and doesn’t return home ‘til July 3.

9. She’ll miss:
Grandma an’ Grandad’s 42nd anniversary.
Charmee’s fifth birthday

10. She’ll be back in time for:
Sparky Fuzzypant’s tenth birthday
The fireworks to be “fogged out” again.

11. She might get to go to Silverwood in Idaho when she’s travellin’ around Washington.

12. Her officers and president for next year are very good kids and will be helpful. Yay!

13. One of her Special Ed. students managed to meet the requirements for honor society.

Wordless Wednesday: One more school day 'til Summer Vacation!

Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt #71: (Regrettably) Bad Hair!

BAD Hair

The Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt theme for this week Bad Hair.

Those of you who know Mom in person know that she's colored her hair so many times (an' made so many shade mistakes) that she doesn't even know her original shade anymore.  Case in point:  Mom's hair is currently a kind of sweet potato-y color over an ash lt. brown.

So ... suffice it to say ... there are many, many photos of Mom with "bad hair" to choose from.  But, Mom would likely punish us severely if we put any of 'em on the innernets for you all to see.

Our photo for this week's theme is the less hazardous-to-our-stash-of-Temptations:  Uncle James.  He was substituting at Mom's school during Homecoming Week in October of 2006 when he lost his mind and painted his hair red an' navy (the school's colors) for a spirit day.  As this photo was bein' taken, he was making his furry best "heavy metal dood" face an' screeching "RHHHAAAAAAARRRR" at Sparky Fuzzypants an' Charmee (Uncle James is far scarier than Mom when he shouts, so Charmee an' Sparky didn't realize that he was only playin' with them as they peeled down the hallway an' hurled themselves under the bed).

I suppose that Uncle James wouldn't look quite so vomit-inducing if he hadn't painted his goatee, too.

Friday Fill-In and Friday's Feast: Meme me up!

FRIDAY, JUNE 6, 2008

Friday Fill-Ins #75

Questions courtesy of One Knutty Knitter; thank you, Knutty!

1. Idle hands are _wasted ... multi-task, multi-task, multi-task_.

2. I love _lime-scented shower gel from Philosophy_ in the shower (‘cuz it smells like Life-Savors).

3. My favorite time of the day is when _the bell at the end of lunch rings and I have a ninety-minute prep period to get my act together before the next day’s classes_.

4. The last tea I drank was _a Ceylon tea at a retirement tea party at the Westgate Hotel last Friday ... Oh, wait a minute ... It was a tropical tea that I had Wednesday night at PF Chang’s_.

5. I like to _play in my Sea Eagle kayak_ in the Summer.

6. My mother always said _”I’ll back you up ‘til your belly caves in” ... Yep, she’s kinda odd_.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to _relaxing on my new 2 inch foamy mattress cover ... it’s so nice_, tomorrow my plans include _actively avoiding the scholarship breakfast and sleepin’ in_ and Sunday, I want to _get a mani/pedi_!

Feast One Hundred & Ninety Two

June 6th, 2008 •

Appetizer
When you drink soda/pop/coke, do you prefer to drink it from the bottle, a can, or after pouring it into a cup?

Any carbonated soda gives me hiccups, so I prefer to pour soda into a cup of ice and then add water to ease the hiccups.

Soup
What television show are you willing to stay up late to watch?

I actually really enjoy using my DVR to “tape” bunches of Food Network shows and HGTV shows that I’ll watch late into the night. Stuff like “Over Your Head” (tell me that Eric Stromer doesn’t look like “HeMan” of the “Masters of the Universe”), “Don’t Sweat It” (Steve Watson is yummy), and “Ace of Cakes”. I got hooked on “Dexter” on CBS, though. I don’t want to watch it on Showtime (‘cuz I’d hafta buy Showtime ... and it’s just too gory with the nearly X-rated dialog). Oh, and I really do need to watch an entire season of “Cold Case” in a maxi-marathon ... I’ll watch all of the episodes in one night and stay up ‘til four.

Salad
Name one person, place, or thing you think of as brilliant.

My high school English teacher is brilliant ... and my dad’s not too shabby either. Oh, and some 3-M brand green velcro tape strips that I use to keep boxes shut or whatever else. That stuff is BRILLIANT.

Main Course
Would you be willing to work 4 10-hour days instead of 5 8-hour days in order to save gas?

Definitely. But it’ll never happen in a suburban high school. I’d like to work Monday/Tuesday and Thursday/Friday (‘cuz sometimes Mondays and/or Fridays are holidays anyway).

Dessert
If you were a superhero, what would you call yourself?

Hmmm ... Catwoman is taken. Drat. How about “Honor Society Chick” ‘cuz I sponsor my school’s chapter of the honor society? Or maybe the “Purple Reader” since I like purple and I’m a reading teacher or maybe even “The Six-footer”? Either of those would be excellent compared to what one of my kids dubbed me: Miss Homework.

Thursday Thirteen ... Why's Mom so cranky?!?

Gosh ... It's that time of year again an' Mom is seriously cranky ...

1. There's still one week of school left before graduation.

2. Friends are retiring ... and Mom still has nineteen more teaching years left.

3. Mom hasn't started proctoring finals ... yet. Oh, and then she has to grade 'em.

4. Her kids are being pains in the rump (yeah, more than usual).

5. The Jostens guy STILL hasn't delivered all of the white caps/gowns for the honors grads.

6. Digestive difficulties are makin' it difficult for goin' potty regularly (yeah, eeewwww ...).

7. Administrators are being transferred, but NOT Mom's principal (buy WHHYYYYY???).

8. The senior awards have been moved from after 6:00 PM on a Tuesday to 8:30 AM on a Saturday.

9. Did I mention that the Jostens guy screwed up ... for the fourteenth year in a row and he still has a district contract???

10. Airline fares are rising.

11. It's sprinkling outside, but not enough to get the fresh bird turds off of Mom's newly washed black masheen.

12. Ugh ... five more school days.

And the one that caps this cranky column?

13. Tonight Mom has to host her honor society's senior banquet at Tom Ham's Lighthouse Restaurant.

IS IT FRIDAY ... YET?

Dona Nobis Pacem: June 4, 2008