Dias 12.2000

Disclaimer: Since this is meant to be a personal journal of our days, some information may crop up from time to time about certain persons outside of the immediate family. I will only post information that I deem to be public knowledge...stuff that's "out there". I am also very likely to post opinions...maybe this is a little inflamatory to some. Count yourself forewarned. Don't email me all ticked off, OK?

Thursday, 14 December 2000~
Well, I have not seen any roaches in a few days, but we apparently have a bit of a problem. Last I saw one, it was hanging valiantly out of the attic fan. All that we have seen have been stunted & slow moving. The gentleman who sold us the house had roach motels up everywhere. So in case you're wondering, no, we did not bring them with us. They set up house before we did. I've been shaking catnip in the kitchen drawers, and reading up on how to get rid of them in the least toxic manner. I have become the roach expert. I now know the difference between a German, American, Oriental & Brown-banded. You learn something everyday.

Yesterday, I had the day off and spent three hours going postal on the ivy. I have it ALL off the house now, down to the roots. And any green that pops up, I can see it immediately because I also viciously raked the ground bare all around the house. I found a dead wren, several assorted bricks, some snack wrappers and an old metal bottle top. Interesting, huh? My compost heap is now waist high. I'm so proud. I made a wreath out of some of the ivy and hung it on our front door. It's real purdy.

To top off yesterday's fun activities, I spent the afternoon with mom, sans Loch for once. We ate lunch, then did some shopping and mercifully stayed clear of the mall. I know what you're saying - "what about that anti-consumerist bunk you were spewing last time???" Well, I bought only the things on my list, such as a new closure for Loch's broken overalls, a strainer, some thread, diapers. Same ol'.

Currently, I am sitting at work, trying to get over the fact that I just burnt a hole in my chair with the space heater. I ~thought~ I smelled something burning. I wasn't actually sitting in the chair at the time. I can just imagine flames leaping up the back of my chair while I sit taptaping away on the keyboard. I am trying to control my giggling. My chair now has puffy cottonball spot where there is no fabric. *Sigh.* Mama always said you cain't have nothin.

Thursday, 07 December 2000~
Every afternoon, I shuffle homeward after picking up the Troll, and am immediately bombarded with "MRAUW MRAUW" as soon as I enter the house. Seems Chibba is driven nearly insane sitting there all day in front of the glass door watching the squirrels go back and forth, taunting her mercilessly. She begs to get outside. Yesterday, I let her out, and she absolutely bolted. The Mighty Lioness. I have never seen that cat move so fast. She tore across the yard after a squirrel and stopped at the base of a tree, uncertain that she could actually climb it. The squirrel just raced up the tree and barked at her. Poor Chibba, her first chance to stalk anything bigger than a cockroach, and she doesn't know what to do about it.

Loch's operation went well. Better than the last one, I'll say because I didn't get thrown up on (twice) this time. Of course, he did pitch an unholy fit when we tried to get him dressed to take him home. The cutest thing was when they gave him the "goof syrup". Meant to relax a child before the operation, it makes one downright drunk. My child was a boozer. He was giggling and watching things that just weren't there. The nurse was even laughing at him. I was wondering if we might get some of this stuff to go? It would surely be nice on those days when the Troll is in a particularly foul mood. Just joking folks. The Troll just says no.

The Troll says donkey, duckie and doggie now. Which may really all be the same word to him. He also says tree (twee), cup and car. But you could show him a picture of a car and he would say "doggie, oofoof" just as easily as he would say "car". He oofs at the squirrels. He know where his eyes and nose are. And of course, the obiquitous OUCHIE.

We have also found a new Troll Panacea, in the form of Radiskull and Devildoll. It's a show I discovered on Shockwave.com... sort of Goth/Industrial/Rap. Basically a big scary skull and a cute demon "doll" who dance and sing. Loch loves it... the music, the movement, and Radiskull in particular. He dances to it and talks back to it. It calms him down when he is fussy. Yesterday he was lying on the floor in the living room having a hissy. I just walked to the computer and put on Radiskull. Loch heard the music and immediately quit crying. He came tearing into the office and was just as chipper as he could be. Loch's not the only one who loves RS&DD. I told Barry about it, who told his lab cohorts. They all watch it at work now. I guess I could be accused of "spreading the dark word".

The funniest thing lately with Loch is The Sniff. I don't know what else to call it. If you have a tissue or napkin and want to wipe his nose, he scrunches his face up and BLOWS! then SNIFFS! back in. He bares his teeth while doing all this, and so he looks like a rabid dog. Like Cujo or something. And when you ask him where his nose is, he does The Sniff. We have tried to get some pictures of this phenomenon, but I don't know yet how they have turned out. I got him to do it one day for mom (at Chick-fil-A of course) and I thought she was going to pee herself she laughed so hard. People were looking.

Mom is accusing me of being a Scrooge because I refuse to get a tree. I told her the Troll would just tear it down. "But next year..." she said. I told her I didn't believe in cutting a tree down for my holiday decoration purposes. Nor do I believe in a big, expensive fete. Maybe next year I'll get one with a root ball and plant it in the yard... then I could decorate for the birds and squirrels and DEER. Last night we hung up stockings that I sewed on the machine. Mine is with sunflowers. Barry's is green. I let Loch pick out his, and he chose one with angels (which is a laugh). I think that he thought it was dogs on the print. Chibba's is red with flowers. We are practicing the anti-holiday in true anti-consumerist spirit... Yes, I bought a house, but NO, I do not need to fill it up with a bunch of junque. Join my mother in calling me Scrooge, if you will. All my gifts will be low-cost or hand made with care by your loving Trollmommy. If you don't get anything, it's because I'm so tired from hand-making everything. So there.

On a final thought, I'd like to express a moment of cyberspace silence for John Lennon, who died 20 years ago tomorrow, and who I feel really DID love Julian as much as Sean, but just ran out of time to say so...

Til next time my friends, love each other and Scrooge Away!!!!

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