February 29, 2012 Wednesday Afternoon

Spent last night watching the guys on American Idol and then Body of Proof before going to bed around 10 PM.

This morning I was up at 6:30 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Spent the early morning reading the newspaper and watching TV. Around 10 AM I left the house to go to McDonald's for a Bacon Egg and Cheese Bagel and then to the pet store. Bought Barkley the big bag of food for $54. Also bought some spray to stop him from licking and a small muzzle for Vito. Came home and tried to cut some of Vito's hair with the new muzzle. He was not having any of it and I soon just gave up. The muzzle fits much better than the one we have and he can not get out of it. But he moves and stuff and tries to bite me and get away. Definitely a two person job even with a muzzle. Put some of the spray on Barkley and the little bastard just licked it all off like it was food. Waste of money on the spray. Got my UVerse bill today and it went up $10. Called to find out why, guess all three services went up last month. We now pay $150 for phone, Internet and TV. We have the smallest TV package and the smallest of the other two also. The person on the phone said they could not give me a better rate. Told her my next call would be to Warner Cable or Dish Network. She didn't budge. Will have to look into it because the price with ATT just keeps going up. Took a two hour nap with the dogs. Let Barkley sleep on the bed on a sheet. He was happy to sleep with his daddy, but I am sure this will not be good when I try tonight to get him to sleep in his enclosure. Tony called and woke me to see if I was still alive since he just heard on the news Davy Jones died. Reassured him I was still alive and it was not me. LOL. I always thought Davey Jones from the Monkeys was so cute. So sad. Guess he died of a heart attack even though he was in great shape at 66 years of age. Tonight we go to the PAC to see the play Mary Poppins. Should be a good show. Seen the movie many times and know the songs. Not sure if I will make anything for dinner or we will just buy something at the theater. I don't feel like cooking but I have an hour or so before Tony gets home to change my mind. Was in the 40s today but cloudy and drizzled most of the day. Not a pretty day. The snow we got over the weekend is almost gone except for the piles by the garage that I shoveled. Thankfully we did not get the foot or more of snow they got up north. Got an email yesterday from my file sharing sight telling me they removed my DJ Dave 2012 Summer mix because of copyright law. Damn, it was my best mix. The others seem to be fine for now. Wrote them an email asking them to tell me more as to why it was removed. No response from them yet. Keep forgetting to tell you my chipmunk I fed all last summer came out of hibernation and we started putting peanuts out for him when Tony feeds the birds each morning. So cute to see him stuffing the peanuts and run to his den. He knows me and when I put peanuts out for him he just stands there looking at me and does not run. I think he knows we are the ones feeding him the peanuts. He is so cute, I named him Chippy.

February 28, 2012 Tuesday Dinner Time

Spent last night watching the movie A Very Harold And Kumar Christmas. It was not as good as the first Harold and Kumar movie. It did have it's funny parts though. Went to bed around 10 PM after a little lovin.

This morning I was up at 6:30 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Actually this morning I made up the shot and set it on the stove. Started doing dishes as the dogs were eating and forgot to give Vito the shot as he was eating. After I washed the dogs food bowls I turned around to see the shot still sitting on the stove. Vito was nice enough to stand still and I gave him the shot. All is well again. Spent the morning tearing up four tiles in the kitchen floor and re cementing them to the flooring. Was a little messy, but all went well and the tiles are now dry and do not move when you step on them. I will grout them tomorrow, giving the tiles a day to dry and seal. I can do small projects like this without a problem and it will be done, finished. Since it was sunny and in the 40s I went for a walk around the neighborhood. Stopped off at the neighbors house on the way home to talk about the new cast of Dancing With The Stars that was announced today. I like the cast and look forward to this next season. Was feeling hungry so I got in my car and went to Little Caesar's Pizza and got a $5 peperoni pizza. Ate half the pizza. Took a two hour nap with the dogs. By the time I got up the sun was behind the clouds and as I type this it is raining outside. Suppose to get a lot of rain tonight and possibly a thunder storm. Better than the foot of snow that is falling in the northern parts of Wisconsin. I will take the rain. It will clean the side yard from all the dogs using it. Would be nice to have a good thunder storm, though Vito will not be happy and will bark and cry at the noise. Tony was suppose to see his doctor this afternoon, but it was rescheduled due to the doctor having a family emergency. Guess we are going to have the other half of the pizza I got for lunch with a salad for supper tonight. Will most likely watch the guys on American Idol tonight since we are still watching the show. Was so pissed today when I put the dog food in one of the two containers I bought at Walmart yesterday. Bought the wrong cover for one of the containers. Don't want to drive all the way to the southside Walmart to exchange it. Guess I wasted the money on the container. Will most likely go tomorrow and buy Barkley more of his special grain free food tomorrow since the big bag I bought last Monday is 3/4 gone already. Jeez, at $34 a bag you would think it would last more than 2 weeks. Guess I will buy the huge bag tomorrow to save the money since it will get ate. Anyone want a dog? LOL

February 27, 2012 Monday Afternoon

We did not even leave the house on Saturday. Spent the day watching TV and doing absolutely nothing all day. It was cold outside in Milwaukee so it felt good to stay inside all day. We did watch two movies. Watched Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 1 and Footloose. I thought Twilight was boring and the original Footloose was better than the remake. Went to bed around 10:30 PM after a little lovin.

Sunday we were up by 7 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Tony spent the morning putting the last of the caulking around the tub. I think it is almost finished. Tried to cut some of Vito's hair. Jeez, is he a beast. Even with Tony holding him with a muzzle on he was able to get loose and bite my finger. He did a lot of damage. Got my thumb nail and split if from the bottom to the top. Blood every where. Got myself cleaned up and a bandage to stop the bleeding. Hardly got any hair cut off Vito, but though it best to leave him as he was and my finger in a bandage. Left the house around noon to go to Tony's mom's house for spaghetti. Had a nice spaghetti lunch at her house. Stopped off for gas and lottery tickets on the way home, as well we stopped at Stein's Garden for some bird food. Premium gas is $3.79 a gallon in Milwaukee. Tony spent the afternoon napping on the couch as I did a couple loads of laundry. Made some tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for supper since we were not very hungry from the big spaghetti lunch. Spent the night watching TV on the DVR. Got about half the shows on the DVR watched. Did not watch the awards show since I figure I will hear all about it for days on the news and entertainment shows. Went to bed around 10 PM.

This morning I was up at 6:30 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Spent the morning watching TV and washing the bedding laundry. Took a shower around 10:30 AM and got ready to go to Walmart and then my doctor. Left for Walmart around noon. Figured I would get Vito two more months of Insulin as well as a lot of other items we needed in bulk since Walmart is right next to my doctor's office. Got to the doctor's office for my 2:30 PM appointment. Was a little scared to look at the numbers this time around since I was so sick when the blood was drawn. Even so, I went to this appointment with the least anxiety I have had in the past visiting the doctor. OK, now for the numbers. Kinda a mixed bag of good news. My percentage went down by 1% to 25%, but my TCell count went from 350 to 504. WOW! It has always been a personal goal to get over 400. I never imagined such a high number considering how sick I was when I had the blood drawn. Normal is between 410 and 1590. So my TCell count is now on the low side of normal. Good news. The percentage should be between 31% and 60%. So I have a little ways to go. My percent was increasing each time except for this one. My PSA test came back normal also which is good because of my family history. So all in all I am very happy with my numbers. Got to the appointment early which turned out to be a good thing because the appointment prior to mine canceled. Was in an out in no time at all. Spent more time at Walmart than at the doctor's office. Spent $250 at Walmart though, way too much, but mostly things we needed like two months of Insulin and needles. Will spend the night watching a movie or TV. Making a meat loaf and rice with a salad for dinner. Was in the 30s today in Milwaukee with the sun out. Actually not a bad day if it were not for the wind.

February 24, 2012 Friday Dinner Time

Got up this morning at 6:30 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito a shot. Made myself a bowl of Peanut Butter Captain Crunch for breakfast. Is that better than McDonald's? LOL. I do have my favorites at McDonald's that I do get during the week. Maybe we make our hamburgers and fries out of real food here in the USA Peter. Just kidding of course. I keep wishing. Spent the morning reading the first few months of my blog from my hard covered book I make of each year. I have not revisited those first few months for a while and was shocked by what a mess I was back then. I guess I have come a long way. Made me also realize how patient Tony was with me as I basically went from the bed to the couch crying for months. Got showered and met Tony and the guys for lunch. Had a great lunch as always. Always a few big belly laughs at lunch with these guys. Someone always has a funny story or event that happened in their life. Stopped at Pick N Save to deposit my tax refund and buy a couple items on coupon. Spent the rest of the afternoon listening to a couple of my music mixes on the couch with the dogs. Making some salads and pizza for dinner tonight. Of course Tony forgot to make the doctor appointment yesterday but did today after I called him this morning to remind him. He says the lump is getting smaller. His appointment is on Tuesday. If it is gone before then we will cancel the appointment, but best to see the doctor if it has not just to be safe. He does pay and have health insurance, might as well use it. It snowed all night last night and this morning in Milwaukee. We got close to 6 inches of wet heavy snow. Was not fun shoveling it this morning. The trees did look so pretty covered in snow all day today. No plans this weekend. Will most likely take Tony's mom out for breakfast on Sunday since we have not for a while. Hopefully Tony will finish the bathroom tomorrow. I chuckle as I even type that. Monday I get my latest blood test results so Monday's post will include my new numbers. Not that hopeful I will get above 400, but it has always been a goal of mine and I am close. Have a good weekend everyone.

February 23, 2012 Thursday Dinner Time

Spent last night watching American Idol. Not sure if we are going to continue watching because there is no one on the show I even care about. Half way through watching the show Tony tells me to feel this bump under his arm. Jeez, I feel this bump bigger than a marble. Told him he needs to make an appointment tomorrow with our doctor and get the ball rolling on what it is. My mind says it could be anything from an in grown hair to cancer. Hopefully just an in grown hair, but I don't think it feels or looks like that. Just trying to stay positive. I will make sure Tony finds out what it is. Better to find out sooner rather than later. Went to bed around 10 PM after watching Law and Order SVU. Also did the lovin thing.

This morning I was up at 6:30 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Spent the morning doing things around the house. I did call Tony around 10 AM to remind him to call his doctor and make an appointment. Will see when he gets home if he did or not. Left the house around 11:30 AM to go to a board meeting with ARCW. Had a great meeting and ate a lot of pizza. Got home a little after 2:30 PM. Making some salads and left over spaghetti from last night for supper. I am not hungry from all the pizza I had for lunch. Will most likely watch some shows on the DVR and then top off the night with Grey's Anatomy and The Mentalist before going to bed.

February 22, 2012 Wednesday Afternoon

Spent last night watching the last two episodes of Smash. I do like the series. Went to bed around 10 PM.

This morning I was up at 6:30 AM. Would have stayed in bed longer but I had to pee so bad. Don't you just hate that? It's not like I didn't get up twice during the night already. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Went grocery shopping in the morning. First stopped off at McDonald's for a buy one get one free breakfast sandwich. Ordered the bacon egg and cheese bagel and paid for it. Drove to Pick N Save to eat it before going shopping to find two burritos in the bag, not bagels. My receipt showed bagels. Now I do like the sausage burritos but there was no sauce. So I drove back to McDonald's and went in to the restaurant and showed them what I got for what I paid for. They gave me my two bagels and when they went to take the burritos back I said 'I will take these for my inconvenience'. Figured I can grind them up in the dogs food tonight. Drove back to Pick N Save and ate one of the bagel sandwiches before going in and getting the week's grocery shopping done. Came home around 11 AM and did a little around the house before taking a nap. Was watching one of the judge shows and they had a blond Pomeranian on the show. Always makes me cry and think of my Tiny. It got me thinking what I would like heaven to be like. If there is a heaven that is. I would like it to start something like this:

As the bright light starts to fade and my vision starts to come into focus I would see Tiny and Shadow come running up to me. They would both have a full body of hair, thick like when they were young. I would pet them as they climbed on me kissing my face. Shadow would look at me and I would then know all will be OK. I will see all the torment I put myself through thinking I put her down too soon should not have been. As I bend down to pet them, Buddy comes running up to me, full of life. No heart problem and puppy like, like when we found him. I then turn around and see Betty with no more ear infections and she looks at me to thank me for all I did for her, as she licks my face. I pet her and hug her as all the other dogs try to get my attention. My face would be covered in tears as I am on my knees petting all my little kids. I then would feel a comforting tap on my shoulder and look up and see my grand parents all standing there. As I look beyond them, and the haze starts to clear, I would see all the people that I knew that died before me, in order of how important they were to me. A sinking feeling in my chest would come as I think of the dogs and Tony I left behind. I soft voice would tell me 'they will be fine, you can watch them from here'. My fears of death would be for nothing and I would smile knowing I am where I should be. Finally happy!

February 21, 2012 Tuesday Afternoon

This morning I was up at 6:30 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Spent the morning watching TV and writing some emails. Cut Kali's nails this morning. She is such a good dog and lets me cut her nails. She understands that if she just lays there, there is a better chance of me not cutting too far. She was so good and I did not cut to far. I look at it as just saving $21, rather than if I had had to take her to the vet to have them cut. On that note, I then took Bo to the vet at 11 AM to get two booster puppy shots and his toe nails clipped. Used up the rest of the credit my sister gave me for Christmas and then some. Bo cried half way to the vet. Thankfully the vet is just a mile away. When they took him in the back room to clip his nails I could hear him crying in the back room. When they brought him back to me he clung to me like I was there to save him. Buried his head in my neck and just whimpered. It was so cute. He is such a baby. I trust the nail cutter and they were not hurting him in any way. He is just a big baby. Rewarded Bo with a stop at McDonald's for some french fries and a hamburger for me. Took a short nap this afternoon. I am finally feeling better but still tired. Barkley is starting to sleep soundly in this enclosure at night. So nice to have one less dog on the bed. Making some steaks, mashed potato and corn with a salad for dinner tonight. Will most likely spend the night watching TV. Spent last night catching up on the last two episodes of The Walking Dead. Tony last night was snoring on the couch by 8 PM. Had to wake him to go to bed and sleep. It was snowing this morning, but most is gone since the sun and 40s today melted it away.

February 20, 2012 Monday Afternoon

Spent Friday night watching TV. Took a break in between some shows for a little lovin. Watched a 'movie' during. I guess after 23 years together you need to spice it up a bit. Always felt threatened in the past watching videos during sex. Always feel Tony was comparing me or something. Guess as I get older I am a little more secure in myself and our relationship. Went to bed around 10 PM.

Saturday morning we were up at 7 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. After making some breakfast I got Tony going on the bathroom. It took a little work getting him started. Pretty much had to tell him if he didn't finish the caulking today, I would, my way. That was enough to get him going. Funny how I can do most things around the house but in the past 23 years together I have learned if I want Tony to do a project or finish it, I just have to mess it up royally and he will then step in to finish it. Guess it is my way of putting a fire under him. Tony did work all day on the bathroom. Spent the first half of the day fixing my mess and then moving forward. He got about half way done and it looks good. Better than what I would have done. Still not finished and hopefully next weekend it will be. I went to Kohl's in the morning to buy some new towels on sale. Took me forever to make a decision on what towels to buy. Sometimes I can not make a decision if my life depended on it. After we fed the dogs dinner we went to the Classic Car Show at State Fair Park. Spent and hour or more at the show before getting home around 9 PM. Watched a little TV and went to bed around 10:30 PM.

Sunday we were up at 7 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Spent the morning doing things around the house and around noon we left for my parents house to spend the afternoon with the folks and family. Brought Bo along with us. He cried half way there. Last time we took him he cried the entire drive, so I guess he is learning. The other dogs were not happy they had to stay home but I can not take five dogs to my parents house. Had a great afternoon with the folks and family. Got home around 5 PM to feed the dogs and give Vito his shot. Spent Sunday night watching TV. Went to bed around 10 PM.

This morning I was up at 6 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Around 10 AM I left the house to go to the pet store and buy some Grain Free Dog Food for Barkley that my sister recommended to help him with his itching and stuff. At $35 a bag it better do something. Jeez, the other dogs don't get $35 bags of food. I guess I am being a good daddy. Went back to Kohl's after the pet store to return 4 of the six towels I bought on Saturday. The towels were just to big and heavy. They dragged on the shower floor when you were drying yourself. Figured since I got such a great deal on them I would keep at least two for pool parties or something. Took me forever to decide again which towels to buy. Finally settled on some cheaper ones because of the smaller size. Came home and washed all the towels and doing more laundry now as I type this blog. Making a frozen Lasagna for dinner with a salad. It was in the 40s again in Milwaukee today. So nice, the sun was even out most of the day.

February 17, 2012 Friday Dinner Time

Spent last night watching American Idol. Went to bed around 10 PM. Barkley finally, after an hour, slept the night in his cage. There is going to have to be a different solution. I am not dealing with a crying dog for an hour every night.

This morning I was up at 6:30 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Spent the morning doing things around the house. Honestly, I have no idea where the morning went. Got showered and met Tony and the guys for lunch. Had a great lunch. Came home and moved the cage for Barkley out of the closet next to the bed and simply put up a fenced area for him to sleep in next to the bed. Put his favorite pillow in the enclosed area and took a two hour needed nap. Barkley was fine sleeping on his pillow next to the bed and never cried. I think I found a solution we can all live with? Made some salads and will most likely make a frozen pizza for supper tonight since I am not hungry in the least right now. Will watch a few movies tonight before going to bed. Tony hinted at lunch he was looking forward to a little lovin tonight so I will have to break down and do the loving thing before we go to bed. Hoping to have Tony work on the bathroom all day tomorrow and reward him by going to a car show at State Fair Park Saturday night. Old classic cars. I always figure a Saturday night is the best time to go to the show since at least some of the guys shower for a date night. Not like a Sunday, when all the guys look like they just climbed out of bed, and probably did. Sunday we will go to my parents house to see them and my sister and kids, that came into town for the weekend. Feeling a little better today, little being the word. At least I don't feel worse today than yesterday. Hoping a good night's sleep tonight will get me back on the path or recovery. Maybe the antibiotic I started taking today will help.

February 16, 2012 Thursday Afternoon

Just get the gun and shoot me!
Thought I might be getting better, then I woke up today. Got up at 6 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Left the house by 7:15 AM to get my blood drawn for this round of test results. Stopped off at McDonald's for 2 sausage burritos. Came home, ate the food, and in a half hour I threw it all up. Went back to bed shortly thereafter until around noon. I just am so tired. Tried to do some caulking in the bathroom and realized I am not a caulker. Tony will not like what I have done, the little I did, but hopefully it will put a spark under him to finish it himself. Otherwise the rest is going to look as bad as what I have done looks like. Hell, it won't leak, but doesn't look pretty. A caulker I am not. Took a shower and have just laid around all afternoon with no energy. I would go back to bed but then I will not be able to sleep tonight. I am sure my blood results will reflect how crappy I feel, should be interesting. Making a salad and spaghetti for supper tonight. Will spend the night much like last night watching American Idol and then the Mentalist. Barkley only took a half hour to stop crying last night and settle down in his cage. Had to lay there with a spray bottle in hand so he would not begin crying once he stopped. I swear this dog is going to be the death of me. I really want to feel better. It was in the 40s again and sunny in Milwaukee and I did not even feel like going out and enjoying it. The weekend is filling up with plans and I don't want to miss Friday lunch like we did last week. I just want to be better and not feel so crappy. There are a lot of people in the same boat and have this horrible cold going around. Back to the couch.

February 15, 2012 Wednesday Afternoon

Last night we went to Butch's Steak House here in Milwaukee for a great Valentine's steak dinner. Had a 12 oz Fillet steak. It was so good. Came home and exchanged cards. Tony then looked at me and said 'after spending all that money, don't I get some dessert'. I told him, maybe later. Watched a little TV and went to bed around 10 PM. Tony then reminded me it was now later, and we did the lovin thing.

Got up this morning at 6 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Went grocery shopping in the morning and then took a long nap with the dogs, trying to get rid of this head cold. Had a good nap with the dogs. Took a walk to the hardware store a few blocks away for a tool for caulking the tub. Felt good to get out and helped my head cold. It was 40 degrees today in Milwaukee and the sun was out most of the day. I love this winter in Milwaukee. Tonight I am making hamburger helper and a salad for dinner. Will spend the night watching TV. Tony says he now has the head cold also and is taking Advil Cold and Sinus every four hours. Sounds like a lot of my friends have this cold also, so I am not alone. Hoping to get up tomorrow and get my blood drawn and tested. Have to remember not to eat or drink any coffee tomorrow morning. I go to my doctor in a week and a half then to find out my latest blood test results. Sure would be nice to get above 400 this time with my TCells, but since I am in the middle of a cold, I don't think the numbers will be that high.

February 14, 2012 Tuesday Afternoon

Spent last night watching TV. Went to bed around 10 PM. Barkley was not happy sleeping in the cage and I think tonight he might be up on the bed again so WE can get some sleep.

Got up this morning at 6:30 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Spent the morning reading the newspapers and watching some TV. Still not feeling great today so I spent most of the day working on the bathroom a little and then laying back down in bed. Took a two hour nap with the dogs this afternoon. Made a reservation tonight at Butch's Steak House for Valentine's Day. It is one of the most expensive steak restaurants in Milwaukee, but also one of the best. Figure we will have a good dinner tonight and celebrate Valentine's Day. Tony called a little while ago to see if I made the reservation. Hopefully now that he knows he will get home from work in time and we will get to the restaurant on time. I am feeling very tired today. I feel much better than I did last week and over the weekend, but still just do not feel 100% yet. Feel like I could just sleep sleep sleep.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

February 13, 2012 Monday Afternoon

Saturday morning I woke up feeling much the way I did the past two days, sick as a dog. Why do we use that phrase? Neither of us left the house all day. Spent the day laying around watching TV and just trying to survive the day. Saturday night I thought maybe a nice bath in the jacuzzi tub would be a good thing. Of course there is a story coming. As most know Tony has been working on his bathroom with the jacuzzi tub going on three years now. It goes two steps forward and one step back each time he starts working on the continuing remodel. Remember, I am not allowed to work on this project, it has been told to me many times: It is his bathroom and he will finish it. So, I filled the tub with nice warm water and bath bubbles. Tony came into the bathroom just as I was getting into the tub. I laid back and pushed the button to start the jets and .................... nothing. No jets. Jeez, the one time I really need a massage jet tub is now and of course it doesn't work. Tony then kept pushing on the button and of course looked at me and said 'what did you do to it'? Took a bath without the jets. Some more back ground info. Tony just, in the last few weeks, tiled the under part of the tub where you get to the controls to fix such a problem like we now are having. We have fought loud about this and I from day one wanted and bought the supplies I needed for a removable wall under the tub so we can get to the controls, reset button and heater. Do I need to say it again? I WAS RIGHT! Why do some men just not listen. Finished my bath, which really felt good. Would have been better with jets and a massage, but? Spent the rest of the night wrapped in a blanket on the couch with the dogs. Just before Saturday Night Live was to start the news broke in with the report of Whitney Houston's death. So sad. More on this later. Went to bed about half way through SNL.

Sunday morning we were both up by 7 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Felt so much better since I sweated all night as I slept. Wrapped myself up real good and it worked. I at least feel I hit a turning point now and I am in recovering mode. Made eggs, bacon and toast for breakfast. Around 10 AM I asked Tony what he thought was the problem with the tub. Like it had some how gone away during the night. It was on my radar, not his. After watching Tony for an hour do absolutely nothing but try to look under the tub, I took the matter into my own hands. Yes, it took some shouting. I ended up grabbing a hammer and tearing down and apart the wall he built under the tub and told him it was going to be redone MY WAY. Of course this did not go over well and he put his hands in the air and said 'fine, its all yours'. Finally! After I worked on the tub area for an hour I took a shower, got Tony into the shower and told him we were going to the hardware store and lottery tickets. Corner hardware store did not have the wood 2 x 2s I needed and we ended up going to Home Depot. I just needed 2 of the boards and a molding. I already had the panel I was going to use to cover the under tub. Got what we needed, stopped at the corner gas station and got the lottery tickets, and came home. Tony helped carry the wood into the house and when I asked him if he wanted to know my plan or help he said 'this is your project now'. OK, I can do this. Spent two hours working on the wall panel. Turned out great. Cut all the wood myself in the basement and even got a coat of paint on the moldings as Tony napped in the bedroom. By the time he got up I had the panel in place under the tub so he could see what it will look like. Of course I knew I was not going to get the response I wanted. He looked at it and said 'great'. I do still need to put a second coat of paint on the moldings to cover the small nails. Bottom line is I did it my way, the way I had planned all the time, from day one, and it is just how I imagined, DONE. I get so mad because with projects like this I have thought out the project, how I will do it, and how it will look. So if I voice my idea, it is a well thought out idea. And lets just face it, it will most likely in the end be done my way, and should have been from the beginning. LOL Ordered a pizza and garlic bread for supper. Spent the night watching the award shows. Went to bed around 10 PM.

This morning I was up at 6:30 AM. Bo and Barkley had us up last night over and over again. Barkley crying in his cage, and Bo just not being able to lay down and go to bed. Got the dogs fed and Tony off to work. Feeling a little better today. My face and cheeks just hurt, no headache. So I think I am slowly getting better. Guess my body still has some fight in it. Read the morning newspapers, watched Live With Kelly and then popped on some Whitney Houston as I worked on the bathroom, putting the second coat of paint on the moldings. Had Tony come home to turn off the water and disconnect the water faucets so I could work on the base in this area. He was home in a flash and I soon was cutting the parts I needed with hole for the faucets. Turned out pretty much how I wanted. The rest will have to wait for another day since I am ready to hit the couch in exhaustion. There still is so much grout work and such to do, it is not near complete. In fact I can not believe all the work still needed to get this bathroom finished. Hey, it's only been three years. But thankfully, now in my hands, it will move forward.

Such a shame about Whitney Houston's passing. My first thought when I heard the news was 'not another'. I say that referring to Michael Jackson, Elvis, and so many that hit their peak at a young age and then could not live with the lows and the fact they will never reach 'that' peak again. Why can't people be happy with the success they had in the past and move forward with the memory and hope for more happiness in the future. I say this thinking of my life. I honestly think the best years of my life are behind me. I say that knowing I will have many happy events and times in my future, but my carefree days and fun times are mostly behind me. Does this make me sad? Yes, but it also is comforting to know I had those happy high times and I will have more. They just will be different. I am not going to do drugs and destroy my life because the best years might be behind me, I am going to try to create more happy times and remember the times I did already have. I always have said, as I get older, if I was to loose my memories of my family, dogs, and life and my mind goes, there will be no reason to go on. The memories of the happy times I had in life are what keep me going daily and give me hope more will come. Hell, three years ago I thought I was going to die and was ready to accept that. In the past three years I can think of many many things I would truly have missed. Here is a short list:
Getting closer and keeping close with my sisters kids, my nephews.
Meeting the cast of OLTL in Chicago on the last day of the show.
Getting Bo.
Helping Vito go through his diabetes and blindness.
Internet friends surprising me on my Birthday and flying into Milwaukee to see me.
Meeting all the new friends I have met since my diagnosis.
Getting closer to my mom and dad.
Having an even stronger relationship with Tony than I had before.
And so many other happy times, those are just off the top of my head. Wow, it would have been sad to miss all those things above.

February 10, 2012 Friday Afternoon

Still sick here in Milwaukee. Spent all day going from the bed to the couch. Called the guys to tell them Tony and I would not be at lunch today. Didn't want to spread this horrible cold. Made a bowl of soup for lunch. Tony called this afternoon to see how I was doing and to tell me his nose is running and his chest hurts. Guess he is getting it also. Should be a fun weekend around here. Both being sick and all. Funny how when I am sick I still have to do all my jobs around the house. When Tony is sick the world can come to a stop, his world anyway. Got a couple inches of snow today. It is so windy outside the snow is drifting. Went out and shoveled this afternoon, now I feel like I need the bed again. Plus, my nose is running so much it is sore.
Have a good weekend everyone. I will be trying to get through each day.

February 9, 2012 Thursday Night

Spent last night watching TV. I did attempt to clean out Barkley's anal glands, something I have always taken him to the vet for. I did get some nasty stuff out of him but was not sure what I was doing and didn't want to hurt him. Hoped I cleaned him out. He had been leaving marks where he lays and I had to put all the blankets and sheets in the laundry again. Another reason we have had him sleeping in a cage next to the bed the last few nights. Went to bed around 10 PM with a cough. Took some cold pills prior to going to bed and they did not help me sleep. Barkley slept
in his cage and was quite after about an hour and yelling at him to lay down about 10 times.

Woke up this morning at 6 AM feeling like crap. Sinus clogged and running, chest hurting and coughing up stuff. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Went back to bed putting Barkley on an old sheet so not to leave a stain. Around 9 AM I rolled over and noticed a stain and grabbed the cell phone and called the vet. Made a 11:30 AM appointment to take him in and have his anal glands cleaned. Rolled back over in bed until about 10:30 AM, feeling like I was dieing. Got out of bed around 10:45 AM, put all the beding in the laundry, washed my face, put on a baseball cap and eventually drove Barkley to the vet. Had the vet do the extracting as I watched and she told me what she was doing. I can not afford to keep taking him to the vet for this monthly like we have been. God this dog is a pain in my ass and I wish I had not adopted him three years ago at the age of 8. A lot came out of him and if anyone has done this, they know the smell is horrible. Got Barkley cleaned up and to the car. Since the vet is right next to McDonald's we stopped for a hamburger and medium french fries. If I don't buy the medium french fries I will have to give them all away to the dogs and there will be none for me. So a small is not good enough if I want some french fries. After lunch we all spent the afternoon in bed again with the TV on in the back ground. Got back out of bed around 3:30 PM and started to get things done around the house. Still feeling like crap. Made some salads for supper and a can of spaghetti O's for Tony. I will just eat some toast since I do not feel good or hungry in any way. Tony came home around 5:30 PM from work. Fed him and now I type this waiting for American Idol to start in about 10 minutes. Better spell check and get back to the couch. I sure hope I feel better tomorrow or I will have to miss lunch with the guys. I would hate for anyone else, besides Tony, LOL, get this cold.

February 8, 2012 Wednesday Afternoon

Spent last night watching The River on ABC. It was OK and we will continue to watch the series. Went to bed around 10 PM after a little lovin. Barkley actually walked into his cage on command, which was surprising. Only had to yell at him a couple of times to stop wining and crying before he settled down in his cage and slept for the night. Was so nice to have one less dog on the bed.

This morning I was up at 6:30 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Went grocery shopping in the morning, stopping at McDonald's for a couple sausage burritos before the shopping. Got home before noon and spent the rest of the day on the Internet and took a short nap with the dogs. Yes, I let Barkley lay on a blanket on the bed for the short nap. Much easier than trying to get him to nap in his cage. Making a pre made meat loaf and rice for supper tonight with a salad. Will spend the night watching American Idol and then TV shows on the DVR. The sun was out all day today in Milwaukee but it is below freezing and never got out of the 20s today. Nice in the sun, but cold in the shade. Thanks for the comments on my poem in yesterday's post.

February 7, 2012 Tuesday Afternoon

Barkley was not happy sleeping in the cage last night. Tony came home from work around 6 PM. Ate dinner and after his shower we did the lovin thing, otherwise he falls asleep on the couch. Figured I better gets some while he was awake. Spent the rest of the night watching TV on the DVR before going to bed at 9 PM to watch Castle in bed. Barkley was up until about midnight crying in his cage. He then spent the night quietly when he realized crying was not going to get him out of the cage. Jeez, the cage is right next to the bed.

This morning I was up at 6:30 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Read a little of the morning newspaper before showering and getting on with the day. Tony came home around 9 AM to do something, saw him rummaging through his safe here at the house, probably for a title to a car. After he left I left the house also to go to Walgreen's to pick up a prescription and then to ARCW to pick up my other HIV prescriptions. Picked up my monthly food at the pantry while I was there and got a bunch of bread for the rabbit I feed daily outside. Got home a little after 11 AM and spent the rest of the day doing things around the house while I listened to the Madonna Collection. Guess her Super Bowl Concert got me in the mood to hear more. Making a canned ham, mashed potato, corn and a salad for dinner tonight. Will spend the night watching more TV on the DRV as the DVR records tonights shows. It is hovering just around freezing here in Milwaukee today and cloudy. Could be much worse this time of year in Milwaukee.

Sometimes when I lay in bed I make up words to songs or poems. The other night I got out of bed a bunch of times as this poem came to me. Not sure if it means anything, but it is what I wrote the other day:

Sometimes I Feel
Like A Grape On A Vine
Just Withering Away
Biding My Time

I Thought Just Per Chance
When You Gave Me A Glance
You'd Pick Me In Time
And We'd Make A Fine Wine

My Vine Now Is Bent
For The Days Came And Went
I Keep Getting Older
Soon It Will Be Colder

If I Don't Get Picked Soon
I'll Shrivel Up Like A Prune
A Raisin I'll Now Be
But I'll Still Just Be Me.

February 6, 2012 Monday Dinner Time

Friday night we watched the movie 50/50. It was a very good movie and I recommend it. Went to bed around 10 PM.

Saturday morning we slept in until 7:30 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Spent the morning doing things around the house. Around 11 AM we drove to Mequon to look at a massage chair for sale on Craigslist. We have one now and I use it daily. Unfortunately it is going on over 10 years old and not looking the best shape with 5 dogs around the house. Decided not to buy it although it was very nice. Just couldn't see spending the money when the old one still does the trick and cracks my back. Came home and soon left again to go to the Dog Show at State Fair Park. Got a lot of food samples and bought Stella a sweater. Only spent about an hour at the show because I could see Tony was not having fun. Came home and after feeding the dogs we went out for dinner at Pitches Ribs here on the Eastside. Had a great steak and rib combo dinner. Spent the night watching the movie The Mechanic. It was OK. Went to bed around 10 PM.

Sunday we were up at 6 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Read a small amount of the newspaper before showering so we could go to a Baptism at 9:30 AM at a church north of here. Was not far from the house. After the Baptism we went to their home for some food and family. Had a great time and got home around 2 PM. Spent the rest of the afternoon taking a nap with the dogs. Made a salad and left overs from the night before for supper. Spent the night watching the movie Shelter, which was also pretty good. Went to bed around 10 PM.

This morning I was up at 6:30 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Tony took my car to work to fix a headlight. Spent the day cleaning and doing laundry. Moved the big dog cage into the bedroom closet so starting tonight Barkley can sleep in the cage and not on the bed. He licks his sores all night and then there are stains on the bed in the morning. Enough of doing the bedding laundry daily. He will not like having to sleep in a cage, but it is going to be that, or the pound. Will let you know how it goes. I am sure the first night he will cry and want to come on the bed with the other dogs. Hopefully in time he will just fall asleep and maybe even like his cage. Don't think so, but I am hopeful. Making chicken and pasta for dinner with a salad. Will spend the night watching TV on the DVR. Tomorrow I have to pick up prescriptions at ARCW and Walgreen's that I called in today. Hopefully I will have a car tomorrow.

February 3, 2012 Friday Afternoon

Tony called me yesterday around 4:15 PM to tell me he went to the Department Of Motor Vehicles to renew his driver's license and could not pass the eye test. He said he tried three different reading glasses and still could not read what was on the screen. They sent him on his way and told him to return when he gets a stronger pair of glasses. LOL. He came home from work in a very lousy mood. Tony then told me he already made an appointment with an eye doctor for Friday and hopefully he will get a pair of glasses so he can pass the test at the DMV. I looked at him and told him 'it is bad enough I can not move the furniture around the house because of Vito, you mean to tell me by the time he is gone I still won't be able to move the furniture because you will be blind also'. I then continued 'you better be nice to me or the furniture will be moved around daily'. LOL. Spent last night watching some shows we DVR'd during the week. Went to bed around 10 PM. I did not sleep well and got up to pee 4 times during the night. I think I need to stop drinking anything earlier in the night.

Got up this morning at 6 AM. Fed the dogs an gave Vito his shot. Tony left for work a little after 7 AM. Spent the morning doing things on the Internet. Showered and met the guys for lunch. Tony did not make lunch today due to an eye doctor appointment. Had a great lunch. Stopped off at Big Lot to buy a token present for a Baptism we have to go to Sunday. Came home and spent some time listening to David Guetta and LMFAO. They are my favorite CD's these days. I like almost every song on both CDs. Making a salad for supper tonight. Will not be hungry for much more because of the lunch today. Tony will need more than a salad so I will make him some left overs or something else. Will most likely watch a movie tonight. This weekend we have plans on Sunday to go to a Baptism and hopefully tomorrow I can talk Tony into going to the Dog Show at State Fair Park. We go every year. I love seeing all the dogs and stopping at all the vendor booths. In the 40s again today in Milwaukee. Starting to sound like a broken record when it comes to the weather here in Milwaukee, mind you I am not complaining. Cloudy today which has made it hard to get my mind going or have much energy. Hopefully the sun will come out this weekend. Have a great weekend everyone.

February 2, 2012 Thursday Afternoon

Got through yesteray afternoon, only having to hit the toilet three times. Will never buy a deli sandwich at Pick N Save again. Spent last night watching American Idol and then the movie Stolen. It was a good movie. Went to bed around 10 PM for some lovin before we went to sleep.

This morning I was up at 6 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Spent the morning giving Bo a haircut which is a slow process. Doing it little by little and letting him run around inbetween cuttings. Bo looks so cute with his hair cut. I can't wait until Tony gets home to see him. He looks like a little baby black lamb now. Then took a shower with Stella since she needed a cleaning. She was starting to smell like a dog. LOL. Laid on the couch for a couple hours listening to music. Now I sit here writing this post. Making hamburger helper and a salad for supper tonight. Will most likely watch American Idol and then another movie, much like last night, before going to bed. It is in the 40s today in Milwaukee. Still much warmer than it ever is this time of year. Actually last year on this day we got hit with one of the biggest snow storms in Milwaukee history. What a difference a year can make.

February 1, 2012 Wednesday Afternoon

Last night we watched the movie The Tree Of Life. WTF? Has anyone else seen this movie? Did you understand it? What the hell was it about? Who's kid died in the movie and what the heck was Sean Penn doing in the movie? It was a waste of 2 1/2 hours if you ask me. Someone please help me with this movie if you saw it. Went to bed around 10 PM.

This morning I was up at 6:30 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Read a little of the morning newspaper before showering and headed out the door to go grocery shopping. Stopped at McDonald's first for 2 sausage buritos. Bought another deli sandwich like the one I got the other day that was so good, I did buy it at a different Pick N Save. This will make sense in a bit. Did a little around the house before going to the bedroom to take a nap with the dogs. Took a good 2 hour nap. Woke up with a stomach ache and just as I was about to write this post I knew something was not feeling right. Ran to the bathroom an crapped water. Sorry, to be so graphic. I guess there must have been something wrong with the sandwich because I have a feeling I am going to be back on the toilet again soon. Having cold chills now also. Great! Not in the mood to make any supper tonight but will have to anyway to feed Tony. Making a salad, steak and green beans. Will spend the night watching another movie before going to bed. Hopefully it will be a better movie than last nights The Tree Of Life. What a god awful movie that was.