Grandma Judi

I saw Coryn again to day. She is sooooooo beautiful! I went with Denise to her ultrasound appointment today. Coryn is a BIG girl; Denise said she looked like a sumo wrestler. I thin she looked like an angle. She is so big they cannot get her whole body on the screen anymore. The estimated weight today is 9 pounds 1 ounce. Coryn is taking up the whole womb now. She was sucking on her arm and looked very content for a while, then she decided she didn’t like her space being invaded and she gave us a dirty look. Denise said she looked like Jeff when he scowls.

Poor Denise is miserable. She is not a complainer but today she was grunting and moaning with every move. If she doesn’t go into labor on her own they will schedule a caesarian next week. My heart goes out to her and I’m hoping that during her doctors appointment tomorrow he tells her she can deliver this weekend.

SSDD, (Same Stuff Different Day), Denise is still uncomfortably pregnant, the mole in my yard is going for the gold in tunnel excavations and Brittany peed on the carpet again this morning. As I said SSDD.

My sister, Pat, called yesterday; she suggested a subject for a story. She told me one of their employees is peeing in bottles then leaving the bottles in the company trucks. Why on earth would someone do that? My brother Ed said he thinks he’s heard of certain religious groups that drink urine as part of a ritual. My nephew Ryan thinks the construction worker doesn’t want to pee on a customer’s fence and is to shy to ask to use the restroom. Pat remembers a friend of a friend that always washed her face with the first expelled urine of the day, (this woman had a beautiful complexion). I’m not sure weather it was a Law and Order or CSI episode that showed women drinking their own urine to loose weight or something else wonderfully cosmetic. None of these ideas appeals to my internal storyteller so I guess I’ll have to wing it.

Hiatus From Hygiene


Everybody liked Manny. He was thoughtful, polite and always wore a smile on his round dark face. When Manny left for work in the morning he high-fived the teens waiting for the school bus, gave treats to the little kids and handed the homeless guy on the corner a warm burrito.

Manny had one idiosyncrasy however. He liked to pee in empty bottles. He didn’t care what kind of bottle. Glass or plastic; soda, water or juice it didn’t matter all were acceptable receptacles. For most people; taking a leak, having a piddle, making water, going wee-wee or doing number one is a call of nature answered by using a toilet or finding a suitable place behind a tree but not so for Manny. For as long as he could remember he always preferred to aim his steaming stream into a bottle.

If he weren’t such a likable guy I’m sure he would have been shunned for such odd urinary practices. But to know Manny was to love Manny so his family and friends tolerated this peculiar trait. Of course when people first met Manny and started finding bottles full of pee they were understandably put off; but all in all his infectious smile, kindness and generosity caused most people to overlook this hiatus from hygiene.

Baby, Moles and Books

I have a plethora of subjects to write about. To name just a few:
The escalating mole problem in my yard.
The wonderful books I’ve read recently.
The upcoming birth of my grandchild.

Of course they are not listed in order of importance. Society and political correctness would dictate that the birth of my first and probably only grandchild would be my main concern. However the constant visual reminders erupting in my front and back lawns are a thorn in my side that I can’t dislodge.

I have resorted to a new and gross means of ridding my yard of the destructive little devils. I spray the mound until the tunnel is open then I put small nails or stick pins in the hole followed by what ever dog poop I can find in the yard. The idea behind this is: the moles will get puncture wounds then the wounds will get infected with e-coli bacteria and the moles will die. It has only been marginally successful. I’ve found (with my cat, Patty’s help) two dead baby moles. However the mole mounds and tunnels have gotten worse.

For the last month, when I wasn’t torturing moles, I was getting ready for my step daughter – Denise’s baby shower and then driving up to her home in Everett several times a week to help out while she was on bed rest due to loosing her mucus plug and going into premature labor six days after the shower. How exciting!

My first experience was observing a NST (a fetal non stress test). Denise reclines and a nurse straps some monitors on her belly and wal-laa, you can hear the baby’s heartbeat, see an squiggly line that shows the baby is moving and another squiggly line that shows Denise’s contractions. Oh my.

The next day was an ultrasound, not just the grainy black and white picture but also a beautiful 3-d picture of Coryn’s face. Oh my God! The technician said the data collected indicates the babies weight is 7 lbs 11 ounces. This would be great if Denise was full term but she is only at 34 weeks, (six weeks shy of full term). Yikes!

The next day is the doctor appointment. Denise is hoping he’ll say she can have the baby NOW. She feels awful, she’s afraid the baby will be to big for her to have naturally if she waits any longer, she can’t stand being on bed rest and she doesn’t want to use up her maternity leave sitting around the house. Denise’s hopes of having the baby now aren’t only dashed but she’s dealt a double whammy. The baby is not ready, it’s lungs are not mature, the belly is almost full term but the head is only at 34 weeks and the worst news of all for Denise is that in all likelihood she will have to have a caesarian section because the baby is large and there is a substantial risk the baby will injure her shoulder going through the birth canal. The injury could cause paralysis. Not a stellar day for Denise. She’s told she has to stay on modified bed rest for two more weeks so the baby’s can finish developing. The doctor said her contractions are probably due to the fact she has extra amniotic fluid in the womb and the baby is big. He explained that when the baby was physically ready it would send out hormones that would start labor contractions and get Denise’s body ready to deliver. Wow, is that amazing or what?

Since then I have accompanied Denise to four more fetal NTS’s two-doctor appointments and had the opportunity to see Coryn via an ultrasound in the doctors office. Denise has made it to 36 weeks, Coryn is now mature enough to be born, her estimated weight is a little over 8 pounds and Denise doesn’t have to be on bed rest any longer. (Not that she was following doctors orders anyway – but now she can go back to work and not use up her limited amount of maternity leave.) If she goes into labor now he won’t stop it and there is a chance she may be able to deliver Coryn naturally, although caution dictates a c-section. If Denise doesn’t go into labor by week 38, she will make an appointment to deliver on the 21st or 22nd of August. Ohhhhh, we can’t wait.

Last but not least, I had the opportunity to see one of my favorite authors: J.A. Jance. She happened to be at the Everett library on a day Denise had an appointment. She entertained a packed hall of her fans for an hour then signed her new book, Damage Control. I loved the book, I would rank it her best so far.

Review of Merle's Door

“Merle’s Door – Lessons from a Freethinking Dog,” if I could only use one word to describe this book it would “yawn.” There was too much of the origins, history, ancestry of domestic dogs, behaviors, training options, etc. etc. for my taste.

It seemed to take me forever to finish the book. The actual story of Merle is heartwarming, an amazing dog with an awesome owner. The only reason I finished the book was because of the few and far between descriptions of Merle and his escapades. I am a sucker for a good dog story. One of my favorite dog books is “Marley and Me.” I loved that book and I hoped to find this book just as enjoyable. It fell far short of my expectations. I would loose interest as the author spent page after page quoting from the experts on all topics dog. More often than not he would debunk the study findings if they did not coincide with the way he decided to raise Merle. The best aspects of the book are the thoughtful similes describing Merle and the great outdoors he and Ted shared, the words and thoughts Ted attributed to Merle and the obvious love and admiration shared by Ted and Merle.

The Kite Runner

If I could only use one word to describe The Kite Runner, it would be mesmerizing. I rarely read a book twice but I will probably do so with this book. In my usual fashion I plowed through the book at break-neck speed. I started it Monday afternoon and finished it Tuesday evening. The intensity of the story, characters and locations swept me up in a storm of emotion. All the while, I was aware of Khaled Hosseini’s exceptional pros, but I was unable to slow my pace enough to enjoy and savor them, as they well deserve to be.

Volunteer commitments, good gardening weather etc. have kept me from devouring another book this week. I have started Merle's Door, Lessons from a Freethinking Dog. I like it so far, in fact I feel it pulling on my leash right now, saying please, please take me for a read.

Odd Hours by Dean Koontz

I finished Odd Hours by Dean Koontz Friday evening. I am not one to pace myself and enjoy a book over a long period of time. Living in Puget Sound allows me to luxuriate with a good book for hours on end because I don’t have to feel guilty about staying inside on a gorgeous day. Don’t get me wrong if it’s even a marginally gorgeous day I’m out there.

I suppose, without fail, that I run out and buy Dean Koontz’s books as soon as they hit the bookstore because he usually has a very smart and unique dog in it and of course I can see many of that supernatural pups traits in my own four-legged companion. I also look forward to Trixie, his beloved Golden Retrievers picture on the book jacket. I actually cried when I bought his last book, The Darkest Evening Of The Year, I new the second I looked at the shining, smiling Trixie that she had passed on. The book was dedicated to her and the plot involved a Golden Retriever Rescue group. Of course the book compelled me to donate to a local such group.

Odd Hours protagonist Odd Thomas sees dead people. He has a wonderful ghost dog companion. Not surprisingly a living Golden Retriever, who can sense Boo, the ghost dog helps Odd at one point and then Boo helps Raphael, the Golden, find Odds other friends so he can ride off into the sunset with Boo, Odd and Annamaria, an ethereal pregnant twenty year old with psycic ties to the dead love of Odds life, Stormy Llewellyn.

The mix of mystery, fantasy and way to many adjectives is a good versus evil story with good having to do some evil to overcome evil. I think as in most of his books Koontz is making a social statement. The people "society" should be able to trust, ie law enforcement, clergy, elected officials are often times greedy, power hungry and will do anything including bombing 4 cities to complete their agenda.

Yesterday was a sunny work in the yard day, not a good curl up with a book day. I consoled myself by perusing the new, The New Yorker maganzine.

Just another day

I feel like a cat that just had my litter box cleaned. I can't wait to jump in and get going on one of the new books I bought today. After an action packed morning of snaking the drain pipe behind the washer, cleaning Patty's litter box, feeding, scooping and playing with Annabell and Audrey (under Patty's supervision), visiting my hospice patient and stopping by Barnes & Noble I'm ready curl up with a good book.

My choices are The Kite Runner by Khled Hosseini, Merle's Door - Lessons from a Freethinking Dog by Ted Kerasote, Odd Hours by Dean Koontz, Crime Beat by Michael Connelly.

Mole Mania

The sun is gone and so is my sunny disposition. I awoke to a dull primer paint grey morning. I pulled the covers up fell asleep, awoke again to the rain assaulting my window assisted by a south westerly breeze. Groaning and moaning I stumble out of bed and make my way to the window in hope of seeing a small sun break some where in the distance. No such luck. Instead I am enthralled by the magnificent black and white image of the rough wind stirred waters of Puget Sound and Vashon Island in the distance. Ahhh, it is beautiful. I lower my gaze to my lusciously landscaped yard, I gasp, I spit, I cuss..that f-ing mole has been at it again.
To date I have been unsuccessful in controlling much less eliminating the mole clan residing in my yard. (As you read this next paragraph you must be humming the tune “I’ve Been Everywhere” by Johnny Cash.) I’ve tried everything man I’ve tried everything – I’ve tried flooding tunnels, dawn detergent, cayenne pepper, caster oil. I’ve tried every thing man I’ve tried juicy fruit gum, dog dung, ex-lax and broken glass. I’ve tried everything man I’ve tried everything; I’ve tried mole traps front and back, vibrating stakes and poison bait. I’ve tried every thing man I’ve tried everything.
I am seized by mole mania, I grab my rain coat, coax Brittany my sleepy mutt to join me and stomp down the stairs. I grab the hose set the nozzle on jet stream, roughly turn the water spigot as far as it will go and I start spraying the 12 inch plus diameter - 8 inch high mole mound. The soft dirt turns to mud and spreads like molten lava until, ah ha, the 3 inch wide tunnel is exposed. "Take that you motley mole, (not my real words, although it did start with an m), eat dirt and die!"
Of course none of this will have any affect on the health of my mole and even if it did another mole would take up residence in the complex labyrinth of tunnels under my beautifully landscaped yard. It is just a way for me to relieve the pressure of mole mania. I sometime go through this exercise two or three times a day. Still the mounds abound

It's blogging weather again

Three days of sunshine and warm weather in Puget Sound. Like most Western Washingtonians I spent most of it out doors. It's funny everywhere you go, everyone you meet comments on the beautiful weather and either asks you what you are going to do on such a fantastic day or tells you, invited or not ,about what their plans are.

It was great! I was able to break in the shorts and sandals I bought last year and was only able to wear once. Hey if this keeps up I may even take the tags off.

Early Saturday morning I went next door to feed the vacationing neighbors cats. After I fed and scooped I was sitting on the floor petting and playing with Audrey and Annabell. They were squirming, rolling, rubbing and purring all over and around me when all of a sudden Audrey stands at attention stares at the window and starts swishing her tail. Curiosity got the better of me so I glanced up and low and behold, Patty my cat was sitting on the fence, well not really sitting but crouched in a mean cat sort of way, staring at me. If looks could kill I wouldn't be writing this right now. I would be discarded on the back door mat along with the rats, mice and birds she deposits there after she's tormented them to death.

Day 2 as a blogger

It's almost 2:00 in the afternoon, the promised sun and warm air has yet to arrive. Thus my motto: Another gloomy grey day, yeah, a perfect day to curl up with a good book. I probably average 4 or 5 books a week during the 10 months out of the year that the sun comes in breaks in stead of days.

To much wine

It took much wine to get me started blogging. I am so excited to start blogging because I am an avid reader and writer and of course opinionated. I want to share stories and opinions.