some days!

This post could be subtitled, My terrible, awful,  not nice day. I feel I must make a disclaimer here.  I'm not prone to going nuts when a crisis strikes.  I'm pretty laid back and can usually take things in stride.  If you'd had the day I did there probably would have been alcohol consumed and cursing in the air.
I took off to the big, big city to take care of two of my grand kids so their parents could go on a much needed break.  A friend took me part way, Nate picked me up and we arrived safely to his house.  Parents left kids got baths, stories and bed time.  That was easy, Granny's still got it.  Off to bed only to have the cats try to break into the bedroom, waking me in the process at least 10 times through the night.  I love cats, but I don't want to sleep with them.  AM comes, kids up, breakfast, dressed, lunch packed, teeth brushed, out the door. All before 7:30(pant, pant).  My hat is off to all you parents who do this every day, go to work and repeat in the evening.

Buckled in sons car ready to go, car won't start.  Call son for suggestions, call husband, talk to neighbor, call second son Rich who has just arrived at work, he heads 45 min back to brothers house.  Very nice neighbor calls second neighbor, who comes to help.  Steering wheel had locked up.  It took all the neighbors strength to get it twisted to unlock.  YEA! car starts just as Rich arrives. Crisis averted. Off into rush hour traffic to get JJ to school and little brother to day care.  Are you exhausted yet?  I am.  I get back to the house and do a couple of hours of research for a new project I'm contemplating.  Stop to take the dogs out.  I'm watching them and sons dog disappears.  She has escaped under the fence.  I go thorough the empty ,weed filled lot next door and into the woods trying to get the dog to come to me.  Stella thinks shes having a good time on the greener side of the fence and completely ignores me.  I loose sight of her several times, and am freaking out that I have lost my kids pet. AGH!!  Finally she slips back under the fence and into the yard.  11/2 hours have past, I am sweat soaked  and contemplating drinking all the beer my son has in the frig.  It's a good thing I hate beer.  Off into the traffic to pick up JJ at school in one direction, little guy and other granddaughter KT from day care in the opposite direction.  Rich and KT are staying for dinner.  Grill won't start, oven is cooking really slow.  It takes over 90 minutes to roast a tender loin that should have been done in 35.  Finally dinner, clean up, baths, stories and bed time.  I go to let the dogs out for last time potties, no Stella.  I talk to JJ and she says she let her out when they went to get in the pool.  I had been taking her out on a leash since the escape, but hadn't told the kids.  I search high and low, inside and out, every room, closet and cabinet. I do this multiple times.  Upstairs, downstairs even opened the basement door and yell down frequently.  No Stella.  Call Nate, call Rich he comes with flashlight.  We search high and low inside and out, he drives around the neighborhood and I call until I'm hoarse.  By 10PM we give up, it's too dark to see and we would have found her in the house.  Talk to Nate make a plan for doing wanted posters the next day and try to go to sleep.  Of course I feel awful that the mutt is gone and how am I going to tell the kids.  It was a long and mostly sleepless night for not only me but sons and wives, Stella however was laughing her head off at all the idiot adults, you see she was in the basement all the time and just ignored me when I called.  4:00AM found her.  Crisis averted.  All is well and did the morning thing again.  Thank goodness I didn't have to go to a job.  I came back after dropping off the kids and took a three hour nap.  Things looked much better after that.

Lesson for the day: SOME DAYS JUST STINK!  Find the good in then and keep calm, things will be better soon.  Also always look in the basement for a missing dog.



My wonderful JJ a great help and the best big sister.





AH came to pick me up.  He's always tired, he works nights and can sleep through a tornado




Stella, sorry I can't think of anything nice to say, so as my Mama taught me, I won't say anything.




Diva, very laid back she can sleep through a tornado right along with AH



It wasn't a tornado but winds strong enough to throw the gazebo into the pool.  That was Saturday morning.



Hide and seek is his favorite game and cracks him up every time.




Such a sweet, crazy boy

 There is always good in every day.  Some days you just have to look harder for it.