July 26, 2011 Tuesday Dinner Time

Tony got home last night from work around 5:30 PM. After we fed the dogs, gave Vito his shot, Tony got in the shower so we could drive to a car show on the south side at Hardy's so I wouldn't have to cook. Prior to making this decision I asked Tony again if the Cadillac was fixed so we would not have any problems like we have been having almost getting stranded because of it breaking down. He assured me it was all fixed and is ready to drive again with no problems. After Tony got done with his shower we drove the lakefront to the car show. Noticing the gas tank was on 1/4 I said we should stop and get gas at the gas station across the street from the car show, prior to going to the car show. Tony turned off the car, filled the tank, and then tried to start the car. The car would not start. WTF. I stayed calm. Tony let the car cool down and then fixed the broken cable on the battery. The car then started. I still am not happy this happened at all and seriously am starting to hate going for drives in the 1965 Cadillac Convertible. Went to the car show and drove home. Yes, the car started after the car show. I just wanted to get home without having to call a taxi cab. LOL. Got home and spent the night watching TV prior to going to bed around 10 PM.

This morning I was up at 6 AM. Did the usual morning routine. Tony left for work around 7:30 AM. Spent the morning dusting and cleaning the bedroom in between watching TV. Took a long nap with the dogs this afternoon. Now as I type this I am making spaghetti for dinner with a salad. It is hot again outside and we will stay home tonight and watch America's Got Talent prior to going to bed. My Mourning Doves have been returning to the nest and spending time fixing it up. It is just a matter of time until the female lays eggs again. Should be fun to watch it all happen again right before our eyes since the camera is still in place and you can see them perfectly in the nest. The two birds come to the next every morning for a while doing a little fixing of the bedding. They then sit on the neighbors roof watching their nest. No eggs yet.

July 25, 2011 Monday Dinner Time

Had a good weekend.

Saturday Tony went to work in the morning. I spent the morning back in bed. I just was so tired. Spent the afternoon watching TV and taking it easy with the dogs. After feeding the dogs dinner and giving Vito his shot we went to Italian Fest at the lakfront of Milwaukee. Spent a couple hours at the festival before our feet got tired and we came home around 10 PM. Watched a little TV before going to bed.

Sunday we were both up at 6 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Read a little of the Sunday newspaper before showering and driving to Tony's mom's house to take her out for breakfast. After breakfast we went to Big Lots to do a little shopping and spend more time with her before dropping her off at her home. Spent way to much on things we did not need. Spent the afternoon watching a Repo show marathon on Tru TV. Some of the shows were unbelievable. People are so funny, yah, thats a good word for it. Around 3 PM my parents called to say they were at the lake front with my sister, her husband and kids. We drove the mile to the lakefront and spent an hour with them having some ice cream. Was nice to see the kids for a little while. Came home and spent the night watching movies and TV. Watched the movie Between Love and Goodbye from the Logo TV channel. It was a very good movie. Went to bed around 10 PM.

This morning I was up at 6 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Spent the day doing things around the house like vacuuming and dusting. Had the windows open for a bit before it got hot again and turned on the air conditioning. Think I might not cook any dinner tonight and have Tony take us to the car show on the south side at Hardy's. I don't feel like cooking. Have no plans this week so I plan on doing a of cleaning while it is again too hot outside to do anything during the day outside. Now I just have to find the energy to do all the cleaning.

July 22, 2011 Friday Dinner Time

Spent last night watching TV. Watched Big Brother and a couple Repo shows on the DVR before going to bed around 10 PM.

This morning I was up at 6 AM. Carried Vito outside since it was cloudy and I could see he was confused and could not see well. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Spent the morning doing things around the house and writing a long email to my high school buddy. I still can not believe how the early years could have been so much different if the two of us would have just come out to each other and helped each other through that horrible time. Left the house around 11:30 AM to pick up Tony at work and go to lunch with the guys. Had a great lunch and laughed very hard. Came home and spent the afternoon on the couch with Vito listening to the Jersey Boys Soundtrack I downloaded yesterday. The sun finally came out late this afternoon and Vito seemed to be able to get around so much better. Only down fall was now it got very very hot and humid from the rain we had this morning. Is there any relief in sight to this heat? Not a lot of plans for the weekend. Hoping to maybe go to Italian Fest at the lakefront this weekend, maybe Saturday night if it cools down a bit. It is too hot to go tonight even though it is on the Lake Michigan shoreline. Not even cooler by the lake lately. Tony will come home tired and hot anyway from working in this heat again all day so staying home tonight is probably the best option. Will most likely watch a movie or two from the DVR or ones I downloaded.

July 21, 2011 Thursday Dinner Time

Saw the play Jersey Boys last night at the Milwaukee PAC. Met my parents at the show since I bought them tickets. The show was great and we all had a good time. Got home and went to bed shortly after 10:30 PM.

This morning I was up at 6 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Around 7:30 AM we took Vito to the vet to spend the day getting his sugar levels tested. I hated leaving him and gave the vet and office people orders to put Vito number one and remember he can not see a thing. Got some McDonalds breakfast and came home. Spent the morning doing things around the house since it is so damn hot outside. Around 11:30 I left and made a deposit at the bank and went to my CAB board meeting at ARCW. Had a good meeting. Picked Vito up on the way home. He was so happy to hear my voice when they brought him out to me. His blood levels are great and we should stay the course. The cost today was $179. This dog is costing me a lot of money. Thankfully he does not have to go back for more testing for three months now. His dog friends were so happy to see him when we walked in the door. Spent the afternoon with Vito on the couch watching TV. Around 4 PM I walked across the alley to give the neighbor some black berries I had picked this afternoon from the berry bushes we have in the yard. We have been eating black berries and ice cream every night before bed and I put them in my morning cereal. They are very big this year and a lot of them. Not fun to go out picking them in this heat. Making some Mac N Cheese to go with the sandwiches I grabbed at my afternoon meeting for dinner. Just don't feel like cooking. Will spend the night watching TV and enjoying the air conditioning. Tomorrow is Friday and lunch with the guys. Always a fun hour and the best therapy. No plans this weekend yet which is good because it looks hot this weekend again.

July 20, 2011 Wednesday Dinner Time

Spent last night watching America's Got Talent. Went to bed around 10:30 PM after the evening TV news. Around 2 AM a thunder storm rolled through. I was up for an hour with the dogs shaking and scared to death. All five dogs on the bed scared of the thunder storm. Reminded me of the scene from Sound Of Music.

Got up this morning at 6 AM and let the dogs out. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Tony left for work a little after 7 AM. I ended up throwing up again this morning even though I eat a few saltine crackers at 2 AM. So much fun starting the day throwing up stomach acid after your up for a half hour. I left for my dental appointment at ARCW around 7:30 AM. Of course I did have a cracked filling, which is I guess better than a cracked tooth like in the past. Got the shots and had the filling replaced. Picked up my monthly prescriptions and my food in the food pantry. It was already getting very hot outside. Today is suppose to be the hottest of all days in five years. We might even break a record. As I type this the thermometer says it is 96 degrees outside, and that is in the shade. Very hot and humid. Spent the afternoon napping in the cool bedroom with the dogs since I was up last night from the storm and had a lot on my mind. Tonight we meet my parents at the Milwaukee PAC for the play Jersey Boys. Looking forward to the show. I am sure we will know most of the songs. Tony loves that old music. I can tolerate it. Have to have Vito at the vet tomorrow at 7:30 AM for his full day of tests for his diabetes. I have a board meeting in the early afternoon and will pick him up at the vet on my way home. I hate leaving him at the vet now that he is blind. Poor boy, I will pick him up as soon as possible since he will want his daddy bad. I do trust my vet so it should be harder on me than on Vito. I hope Tony gets home soon, he should not be working in this heat. He better be doing a lot of paperwork in his air conditioned office. Tomorrow it is going to be just as hot. Did I mention I hate this heat?

July 19, 2011 Tuesday Dinner Time

Spent most of yesterday in the house in the air conditioning. Tony got home from work last night around 5:30 PM. He was hot, sweaty and exhausted from working outside in the heat all day at work. It was close to 100 degrees here in Milwaukee yesterday. I keep telling him he needs to spend more time in his air conditioned office. In fact I tell him if he doesn't, I will come to the shop and drag him home myself. After all, Tony has had open heart surgery and should not be working in this hot weather. The neighbors across the alley invited us over for dinner but the lasagna would not be ready until after 8 PM. I declined and thanked them. Made Tony a salad and a big TV dinner. He was too hungry to wait until after 8 PM to eat. After we were done eating we did go over for a quick drink and came home around 8 PM. She was just putting the lasagna in the oven at that point so I made a wise choice since it would not be ready to eat until after 9 PM or so. Spent the night watching TV on the DVR. Went to bed around 10 PM.

This morning I was up at 5 AM to let Vito out and then went back to bed for an hour or so. Got back up at 6:30 AM and fed all the dogs and gave Vito his shot. It is another hot day in Milwaukee. The next two days are suppose to be the worst of them. Went grocery shopping this morning since I am not sure how I will feel about doing the shopping after my early morning dental appointment tomorrow. I know I cracked a tooth since it hurts to eat and just throbs even sitting here. Spent the rest of the day in the house with the dogs in the air conditioning. I have no energy in this heat even in the air conditioned house. This hot humid weather just drains you of any energy. Not sure what I am going to do for dinner tonight. I still have an hour to decide. I just don't feel like cooking and am not even hungry to think about making food. Will most likely spend the night watching America's Got Talent before we go to bed. Tony will come home exhausted again tonight from the heat. Tomorrow I have an 8 AM dental appointment and then in the evening we see the play Jersey Boys with my parents.

I got a long heartfelt letter from a friend I went to high school with, and recently have reconnected with, in the mail today. I had not told him about my HIV status due to the fact I am careful who I tell. He said in the letter he had found my blog and has been reading it. (How the heck do so many people find my blog). He also told me about his confused feelings back in high school and beyond. It is so sad that we both were such good friends and yet we could not speak of the confused feelings we had for guys and girls. Back over 30 years ago there was no good word for what we were feeling or thinking. I don't even think the word gay existed back then except as a nasty word to call someone. There was no gay people on TV or anyone that had anything good to say about gay acting people. I had no one to talk to back then and neither did he. Dare we speak of what we were thinking back then without getting beat up. Very sad to think how different life might have turned out if I had had a good friend I could have told my feeling to and him to tell them to me. Such a confusing time to go through with no one to talk to. Jeez, could I have used a friend to talk to about why I am attracted to guys rather than girls. Sad to think a friend I could have talked with was right there by my side all through high school. We took different routes in life. I gave into my feelings and lived the gay life. He got married and had kids. The letter was nicely written and very sincere. My head is spinning at the thought of how different life could have been with someone to talk to about this stuff back in high school or college. You know who you are, we will talk about this more in the future. Just know how much I appreciated your letter and I feel we can even get closer since this big secret is out of the bag.

July 18, 2011 Monday Morning

Baby it's hot outside.

Friday night Tony did not get home from work until close to 7 PM. He was not in a good mood. He had a big fight with his brother, why works for him, as charity since he has no other job skills. Tony is already paying him more than he is worth and the brother wanted more money. He already gets $450 a week in cash. Not bad pay for a guy who is a worthless crack addict. The brother is always borrowing towards the next weeks pay to the point when Friday comes he has very little left to receive. Tony says 'the bank is closed' now until next Friday. The brother was not happy and I hear they got into a half hour screaming match. Tony telling the brother to find another job if he is not happy with his pay. Tony tells him this every week. I soon found out Tony did give him $100 towards next week. Jeez, what lesson did the brother learn but to give Tony enough grief and he will get what he wants. Poor Tony, he feels to responsible for his loser brother. After we talked and Tony showered we again went to Bastille Days for a couple hours, walking around talking with people we knew. Had a nice time but it was hot outside. Got home a little after 10:30 PM and went to bed shortly thereafter.

Saturday morning we slept in until 7 AM. I did let Vito out at 5 AM, but we went back to bed. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Went to look at a house that is for sale down the street. A friend is selling it and would give us a good price if we are interested. Sad how the housing market is in such a slump. The house is assessed at $189,000 and the owner can't even get an offer over $120,000. The house is even on the river so I find it even more unbelievable it can't sell. There are so many house for sale around here. It is a buyers market. I know our house is assessed at way over we could get for it right now also. Got home and spent the morning watching TV and laying around with the dogs. Around noon we left to go to Southshore Frolics. A big festival in Southshore. Spent a couple hours at the festival listening to the music before it got to hot and was time to get home. Spent the rest of the afternoon watching more TV in the air conditioning. Went out to eat after we fed the dogs. Ate at our favorite Italian restaurant down the street. Spent the night watching TV and went to bed around 11 PM.

Sunday the heat arrived in full force. By the afternoon the heat index, which is the feel like temperature, was 100 degrees. To damn hot. We did go to a fund raiser for lunch at a sports bar on the south side before coming home and spending the rest of the day in the house and cooler air. Watched a lot of TV on the DVR and went to bed around 10 PM.

This morning I was up at 5 AM to let Vito out and then went back to bed for an hour. Got up at 6 AM and fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Talked to my mom around 8 AM to finalize plans for meeting on Wednesday night to see the play Jersey Boys. Got them two tickets along with our two tickets so we can see the show together. I cracked another tooth over the weekend and am in pain. Made a dentist appointment this morning for Wednesday morning at 8 AM. I hate appointments that early but the pain told me to take what I could get. I have a person from another window company coming to the house this morning at 10 AM to give me an estimate on the upstairs windows. After that I will spend the rest of today in the house working on indoor projects and doing a lot of napping. This hot humid weather takes a toll on me and I just fee weak and out of energy. Haven't thrown up in about a week. It might be due to the fact that I have for the past week gotten up at 3 AM and ate two saltine crackers. I think it helps to soak up the stomach acid. Vito had a good weekend and got around fine with our help. Got to post and get ready for the window guy.

July 15, 2011 Friday Dinner Time

Tony and I went to Bastille Days last night and had a great time. We left the house around 7 PM and got home shortly after 10 PM. Watched the runners 'storm the Bastille' run. The men were all pretty sweaty after the run but still looked delicious. Coming in the door was another story when we got home since all the dogs were so happy to see me they jumped and barked, trampling all over Vito as they did it. Got everyone settled and soon went to bed. Had a little lovin from all the eye candy before we went to bed.

This morning Vito got me up at 5 AM to go to the bathroom. Took him back to bed for an hour again and then got up and fed all the dogs. Everyone ate again including Vito so I was able to give him his Insulin shot. Spent the morning doing things around the house and went to lunch at noon with the guys. Had a great lunch. At one point we were laughing so hard I had tears. My Friday lunch with the HIV guys is my best therapy for the money. Came home and spent the afternoon taking a nap with the dogs. Got up around 4 PM and let all the dogs out, watching Vito maneuver around the rocks outside even though I know he can not see a thing. Tonight Tony and I are going to Bastille Days again after 7 PM. It might be the last time I do anything outside for a week since after today it is to get into the 90s and stay there for a week. Next week will not be a good week. I hate temperatures this high and the humidity is not fun either. Hate the thought of leaving Vito for any time at all but I have to keep telling myself that my time away from all this is also important for my sanity too. I have to stay calm and the only way that is going to happen is if I take some time for me and some fun also. It is very hard though for me to do this since you all know my dogs are my babies and I love them so much. I will just stay away from home for shorter periods of time.

Been reading all your comments. Thanks you. Appreciate all your thoughts and kind words. Be assured that I would never keep Vito around for myself. When I see he is no longer happy to walk around the house in the dark I will do what needs to be done. I have done it four times now with my past dogs. I had to say goodbye to Shadow, Tiny, Betty and Buddy. It never got easier but had to be done. I know it is the hardest thing in the world to do but when that time comes I will do what is best for Vito. As long as he listens to me and I still see him play with Bo once or twice during the day I have no reason to do anything different than what I am doing now. Making whatever time he has left happy days is my main goal at this time. If he starts to hurt himself being blind, I will do what needs to be done. If I put him down now it would be because of me and that would be a hard thing to live with the rest of my life. So right now, I have to put my life aside and take care of Vito as long as he is still happy. And he is still happy. And making Vito happy makes me happy.

July 14, 2011 Thursday Morning

Vito slept soundly in his cage all night next to the bed. He got me up at 5 AM again this morning needing to go outside. I carry him outside and set him down telling him where he is. After a little bit he realizes where he is and starts to walk around using his nose and head to guide him around the rocks so he can pee. I then took him back up on the bed for an hour and got up again to feed them at 6 AM. Vito ate all his food again today since it was all beef rice and Alpo can beef cuts. Gave him his shot while he was eating. As you can imagine this is taking a toll on our relationship. Tony and I are at each others throats. You can cut the tension with a knife around our house. Would not be a good time for anyone to visit our 'happy' home. If Tony would just pick up on clues or help more it would soften the burden on me. He figures he works all day so he doesn't need to help out so much or at all. I understand he works, but I wish he understood more how hard this is for me to be around and see all day. How would you like it if every time you walked out of the room your baby looked up at the ceiling listening for you trying to find any noise so he knows he is not alone and you are near? All with a very frightened look on his face. It is not easy. Tony took my car today to work to hopefully wash it and run it through emission testing. So I am stuck at home without a car and tending to a blind dog. Will spend the day watching TV or listening to music since I can do little else without Vito wondering where I am and trying to get to me. Tonight we plan on going to a festival downtown called Bastille Days. I will need a break. Unfortunately I will be thinking of Vito the entire time I am at the festival knowing nights / darkness are his worst times and most frightening for him. Tonight is the big run at the festival so there are always plenty of good looking athletic guys at the event. Plenty of eye candy. I have always said this festival is the 'pretty people' festival. We will most likely go again tomorrow night.

I thought I would shed a little more light into what the house looks like and all I have done to protect Vito. Here are four pictures. One is a very unflattering picture of myself with all five of the dogs around me watching TV at night. This is what life looks like in my world. All five dogs have to be next to me or at my feet. The other pictures are of the cage next to the bed where Vito sleeps safely at night, the chair and steps in the bathroom so he can be near me when I am in the bathroom, and the long step I made and put in front of the spare bedroom couch so Vito doesn't fall off the couch thinking a smaller step is in front of him. The last picture is of the ramp outside to the side yard where they do their business. You can see the rails and rope lights around the sides. Vito is standing at the top of the ramp. You can't say I don't love my dogs.

July 13, 2011 Wednesday Dinner Time

Had a good morning, not so good late afternoon.

This morning I was up at 5 AM to let Vito out. The minute I hear him stirring in his cage I wake up. In fact I was up more times than not during the night just watching him. Took him back to bed for an hour and got back up at 6 AM. All the dogs actually ate their breakfast, including Vito. Gave Vito his shot with his food. I threw up again shortly after feeding the dogs. Just bile and spit but this is still a problem twice a week. We did have taco's for dinner last night so maybe I need to keep track of what I eat the night before this happens. Vito was doing so well I decided to shower and headed out the door by 9 AM to go to McDonalds to get some food and then Home Depot to buy some rope lights for the dog ramp outside. The vet said it might help on the ramp if he can see any light at all. Bought the 18 foot rope light and a mat for the dining room. Came home and installed the rope light on the ramp for Vito and connected the electric to it with a long extension cord. I then ordered a new water filter for the refrigerator since the light is red and it needs a new filter. I have a hard time with having to buy filters and stuff for the new appliances. You would think they would need less money spent on them rather than more. Did a little cleaning around the house and spent the afternoon on the couch listening to music with Vito by my side. The day had been going so well. I then decided to vacuum so I picked up Vito and set him in a chair that has narrow doggie stairs up to it. As I turned my back I watched him nose dive right off the chair to the floor missing the dog steps completely. I rushed to his side and he seemed fine. It was quite a fall on his neck and back and I was surprised he was OK. Jeez, almost had a heart attack. I then thought to put him in the master bedroom and close the gate while I vacuumed but he was not happy with that idea and when I opened the gate he jumped up the two steps that go down to the bedroom thinking there were three steps. He belly flopped onto the floor. Rushed to his side again. Guess trying to help by picking him up and moving him is not a good idea because then he doesn't know where he is even with me talking to him the entire time telling him where he is. I guess the lesson is to let him get around on his own and guide him to areas and help in any way with my voice. After seeing the last two falls Vito made I decided to take the dog steps from the spare bedroom that is up against the couch for him to get up on it, and connect it to the steps in the bathroom to go up to the chair, to make it a wider step as wide as the chair itself. I hope you all got that. I then got some wood and made a long long one step for in front of the couch so if he goes up on the couch finding the old narrow stairs he won't take the chance of missing them when he jumps down from the couch. I tried several times to show him the change but he just could not understand the difference. I hope he learns without falling off it. At least now when I leave I will know the two pieces of furniture he has access to have steps across the entire front of the furniture. I guess that means a shorter fall? As you can tell this is really taking a toll on me. He is sitting on the floor now about 5 feet from me looking around. I know he is just focusing on sounds with the windows open. I also keep finding out more and more just how blind he is and how hard this is going to be on me. How the hell can I watch my baby go through this? How can I do this day after day? I feel now I can never leave the house. The neighbors must think I am crazy if they can hear me with the windows open constantly telling Vito where I am and talking to him. He is lost without me. Tony is very little help with this and just looks the other way because then the problem does not exist. He has never been good in this area but comes through when seriously needed. I am making boneless ribs for dinner with cream corn and a salad. Will spend the night on the couch with Vito watching TV. Has anyone every gone through this with a dog, cat or parent? How many times can I watch him bang into things and fall off things? Feel like I need a strong drink.

July 12, 2011 Tuesday Dinner Time

Last night was not a good night. Tony got home around 5:30 PM from work. After he showered we decided to drive to the south side for a car show in the Cadillac since Tony supposedly fixed the gas / hesitation problem. About half way to the show the car started acting up again. Ate dinner at Hardy's where the car show was and headed home. On the way home the car got worse. At times Tony had his foot all the way on the gas peddle and the car would just jerk slowly forward. We tried to get up the on ramp for the Home Street Bridge and the car would not make it up the hill. We backed down the on ramp and took side streets home with the car shaking and hesitating the whole way home. I was a wreck thinking we would break down. We did get home eventually. The problems did not end there. Vito was not a happy guy last night after it got dark. It seems at dusk he gets very confused from not being able to see. We went to bed around 10 PM after watching a couple episodes of True Blood. I cried myself to sleep as Vito slept in his cage next to the bed.

This morning I was up at 6 AM and fed all the dogs but Vito. Vito would not eat. Had no interest in his food. I did give him his shot when I saw him starting to eat so I spent the rest of the morning trying to get him to eat the rest of his food. I even made some beef rice around 10 AM and put it in his food with no luck. He did eat a handful of dry food around noon. This is all not good because the food and shot must be at the same time. So this morning feeding and shot is just not working. Spent the day watching Vito and having him by my side. Tony came home around 2:45 PM to take us to the 3 PM vet appointment. The vet did a good job of looking at his eyes and says he is getting very little light and is most likely almost blind. The vet also tested for glaucoma and the test came back on the high side of normal. We will have to monitor this and maybe take him to a specialist in time. I guess glaucoma can be painful and we would not want to do anything nothing about it. For now we are fine but it could flair up at any time with his diabetes and blindness. I cried like a baby at the vet as I told them all that was happening to my little baby. Tony dropped us off at home and he went back to work. This is really taking a toll on me. I have to step away at times and just break down and get it out of my system before I return to tend to Vito. It is heartbreaking to see him not be able to find a door and banging into the other dogs when he walks around the room. He still has some play in him and a couple times during the day wrestles with Bo. So he does have quality of life at this point in time. So today is not the day to say goodbye, but it could be sooner rather than later. It will break my heart to say goodbye to him when that day comes. I think when Tony comes home we will walk up the street for dollar taco's. I need to get out of the house for a while and away from all this. Vito will be fine for an hour as we go out to eat tonight. I will gate the dogs in a small part of the house while we are gone. So, that is my life right now. I take care of my dog Vito and try to make the most of the time he has left. Being a care taker is not a fun job and very taxing on the mind and body. Much less, my face has bags under my eyes from all the crying.

July 11, 2011 Monday Dinner Time

Had a great weekend!

Saturday we were up at 7 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. We spent the morning cleaning the yard up for the garden tour on Sunday. Had some weeds to pull and some minor clean up around the yard. Around noon we left to go to Tony's family pool party in Hartford. Had a great afternoon at the house eating and swimming in the pool. Stayed until close to 5 PM and came home. Spent the night across the alley with the neighbors enjoying the nice weather and night. Went to bed around 10 PM.

Sunday we were up again at 7 AM and did the normal feeding routine. Around 10 AM I drove to Open Pantry to get the weekly lottery tickets and some breakfast at McDonalds to bring home. At noon the garden tour started and people showed up right away. Everyone wanted to see the yard of the house with the cars in the front yard. Since we are a very known home we were the top of most people list to visit. It cost $3 for tickets for the tour and they sold out the 150 tickets in the first hour. There was about 20 homes on the tour around Riverwest. Had a steady flow of people up till 4 PM when the tour ended. We met a lot of nice people and they had nice things to say about our yard and home. It was close to 90 degrees outside all day and was very hot. Thankfully it was cloudy and there was a breeze. Somehow I made it through the day in the heat. After the tour was over we went across the alley to our friends house because they were having a family get together and invited us over for dinner. Had a great dinner and stayed at their house until close to 6 PM. Came home and fed the dogs dinner and gave Vito his shot. Vito is getting around pretty good. I communicate to him all day as I walk around the house so he knows where I am. Tomorrow he goes to the vet to make sure there is nothing we can do about him going blind. We keep noticing more and more the more we watch him. I think he can see very little. If I stand and talk to him and then bend down to his level he is still looking for me up high before he realizes my voice is closer to him and at his head level. I think he just sees shadows. Spent the night watching TV on the DVR before going to bed around 10 PM.

This morning I was up at 6 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Around 8 AM a thunder storm rolled in and it got a bit cooler. I turned off the air conditioning only to turn it on an hour later when it got very humid after the rain. I feel sorry for Tony working in this heat. Had someone come and give me and estimate to replace a couple of the windows in the upper apartment. WOW. Don't think I will be using this company since the price is way to high. Called another company for an estimate and they come next week Monday. Our house was built in 1909 and the windows upstairs do not track well and fall easily. Two are now broke and need to be fixed so I figure I might as well check into replacing the entire old windows rather than the glass again and again. Worst case we will just go buy some windows and replace them ourselves before winter comes. We should have replaced them long ago and would have if I lived upstairs rather than downstairs in our apartment. We have already replaced most windows in our unit throughout the years of owning the house. Not sure if I am making dinner. I took a short nap this afternoon and do not feel like cooking. Will depend how Tony feels when he gets home. Hopefully he will want to go the Monday car show at Hardy's and we can eat there. Suppose to cool off again tomorrow and the rest of the week until another heat wave hits this weekend. It is either to damn hot or too cold here in Milwaukee. I like 70s.

July 8, 2011 Friday Dinner Time

This morning we were up at 5 AM when Bo jumped onto the bed from the couch and started crying and whining loudly. Not sure what happened but he wouldn't even let us touch him. It was very scary. We soon got him outside and when he came back in he threw up. He was fine after that but it was quite a scare when he was crying like he did. Spent the morning on the Internet looking up and then buying a pet water fountain so Vito will hear where his water is once he is totally blind. Around 11:30 AM I called Tony to see if he was picking me up or I was picking him up at work to go to lunch. He said he is so hot and sweaty that it was best he didn't come to lunch. So I went to lunch without him. Had a great lunch with the guys. One guy has been missing for some time and I have to call him to find out if he is OK. Stopped off at my favorite store, Walmart, to see if I could find some bells to put on the other dogs so Vito will hear them coming since he can not see them so well. Bought some freezer pops for Tony and the guys at the auto body shop to eat in this heat. Put the bells on the dogs collars. I am in the process of trying to do all I can to make it as easy as possible around the house on Vito once he goes totally blind. Everything I read tells me it happens very fast, usually in a month or so. So he doesn't have long until he won't be able to see at all. Not sure what his future holds. Spent the rest of the afternoon listening to music on the couch with Vito sleeping by my side. Poor little boy, all he thinks is that it keeps getting darker and darker and doesn't understand why. I am sure Tony will come home exhausted and sweaty. I will get him in the shower shortly after he gets home. Will most likely spend the night watching TV on the DVR before going to bed. Tomorrow we have a pool party to go to for Tony's family. It is suppose to get very hot this weekend so outside activities do not thrill me. Sunday we are part of a garden tour, we are one of the stops on the tour. We will have to be outside all afternoon to talk with the people on the tour. It is suppose to be 90 degrees on Sunday. I am not looking forward to this and wish I had never signed up for the tour.

July 7, 2011 Thursday Afternoon

Yesterday I was up at 6 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Tony left for work around 7 AM. Went grocery shopping at the Shorewood Pick N Save rather than the one two blocks from our house. As you all know I have too many problems with the low life's at the close Pick N Save. Got home around noon and took a nap for about 2 hours. At about 4 PM I cut open the watermelon I bought to make a fruit salad only to find the watermelon rotten inside. Damn! Called the store and was told to throw it out and use her name with my next visit to get my money back. Went out for $1 hamburgers and $1 french fries for dinner. Spent the night watching Nancy Grace, Dr Drew and the ABC special on Casey Anthony before going to bed. I still am in shock over the verdict.

This morning again I was up at 6 AM doing the usual morning routine. About 10 AM, after the sentencing of Casey Anthony I went to Walmart to buy more Insulin and needles for Vito. They had the Insulin but not the needles. Bought the Insulin and a couple other items and got the hell out of Walmart. Drove across the street to Walgreen's to buy needles. The pharmacist was such and asshole and gave me a hard time buying them. She acted like I was a drug user or something. I finally had to call the manager and tell him I never have these problems at the Walmart near my house. He got the needles and I soon left with them. What is happening with the world and people? I lately just feel I don't understand. The big news here in Milwaukee is that on Sunday night after the 3rd of July Fireworks over 100 black people decided to cause problems all the way up North Avenue from the lakefront to the ghetto. They beat people up and ransacked a BP gas station, all on camera. The video is disturbing. Over 11 separate incidents of white people being beaten in the park near our house from this gang of black people. The 100 or so black people started beating people in the park where we took our nephew for fireworks a week ago. So scary. They kicked and beat people and went through their pockets when they were down. A couple even are in the hospital. Beating people while they laughed. What the hell is wrong with black people? Yes, it was all black people. Thankfully the video shows all their faces and the police have said they will get every one of them. There was a big meeting at the park last night with the police and mayor, funny how there were over 200 white people at the meeting and only a handful of black people. Funny how the blacks cause the problems and don't even care enough about the neighborhood to come to a meeting about what they did or how to make it stop. Since Sunday the police are everywhere around the neighborhood. A couple parents who have seen the videos have turned in their kids. So I guess some of them know right from wrong, too bad they didn't teach their kids this growing up. All this happened just 4 blocks from our house. Time to put the for sale sign out soon.

On a side note we have come to the conclusion that Vito is not only diabetic, but is going blind. We have noticed little things for a while but it has become more noticeable in the past week. Today I tried to feed him a piece of ham and he could not even see it in front of his face. Yesterday I watched him walk to a closed french door and scratch on it to get through the door even though the door next to it was open. He also has fallen off the bed in the middle of the night twice in the past two weeks. There are more things that I have noticed also. So I guess Vito is going to be my problem for a while. Not sure how to deal with a blind dog or one going blind. I thought dealing with the diabetes was going to be enough. I will have to do some research on the Internet. Anyone with any experience in dealing with a blind pet, your input would be helpful.

July 5, 2011 Tuesday Afternoon - Casey Anthony Not Guilty?

What an injustice. Casey Anthony not guilty? WTF?
I have been practically speachless for the past two hours and my mouth just hanging open.
Now the jury members won't talk to the public? WTF?
Casey Anthony might be out of jail by this weekend because of time served?
Did we all forget a two year old child is dead!
I have been watching this trial for over a month and feel so cheated of a fair verdict.
What was this jury thinking?
I hope someone duct tapes Casey Anthony's face some day very soon just like she did to her daughter!

July 5, 2011 Tuesday Morning

Saturday we were up at 7 AM and fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. It was already very hot outside so we decided not to leave the house all day. We spent most of the day napping and just watching the Casey Anthony trial on TV. Around 6 PM we decided to drive to a car show on the south side of town. On the way to the car show the Cadillac started acting up. Tony thinks the car might have a clog in the gas line. On the way home the car started to shake as we drove. I told Tony we need to get home now before the car tire falls off or something. We drove straight home with the car shaking. As we got closer to home it got worse. As we turned onto the road we live on a couple blocks from home the back tire on the drivers side blew. It was so loud I crushed my soda and spilled my soda all over Tony. Thankfully we were two blocks from home and we pulled the car over right away. We walked home and then Tony went to his auto body shop to get the tools needed to change the tire. He then put the spare tire on the car and came home with my car. I drove him back to the Cadillac and we put it in the garage for the night. We then went across the alley because the neighbors were having a party. Stayed at the party until close to midnight.

Sunday morning it was still hot and the air conditioning stayed on all day. Spent the morning and afternoon watching the awesome closing arguments for the Casey Anthony trial. The lawyers were awesome in their closing arguments. To damn hot outside here in Milwaukee. Anything over 80 degrees is just to hot for me. Spent Sunday night watching the movies Conrad Boys and You Belong To Me. Both were good movies. Went to bed around 10 PM.

Yesterday we were up at 7 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Spent the morning watching the last closing arguments for the Casey Anthony trial. The lady lawyer was just awesome in her closing arguments. She even had me in tears at the end it was so powerful. Around 10:30 AM we drove to another car show in the Lexus. It was so damn hot walking around on the hot black top parking lot. Half way through the huge car show I told Tony I was ready to leave and it was just to damn hot. Went to Menard's to buy a couple items on sale. Stopped off at George Webb's for some lunch before heading home. Spent the rest of the afternoon napping and watching TV. Last night we watched the fireworks from out back deck. Went to bed around 10:30 PM.

This morning I was up at 6 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot after I was done throwing up again this morning. Jeez, I hate starting my day like this. Nothing seems to help. Not watching what I eat or taking an antacid before bed. Tony then told me two of the front path lights were pulled out of the ground when he got the newspaper this morning. I watched our DVR security camera and watched two girls walk up the sidewalk a little after midnight and rip them out of the ground. Why do people do this? I wish it was a clear picture so we could get these assholes. What fun is it destroying others hard work? Spent the early morning working on the pond before it gets to hot outside to do any more work on it. When I am done with this post I plan on taking the living room throw carpets up to the second floor deck and hosing them down to clean them. With all the windows closed the house smells like dogs. I notice it so others would also. Will stay close to home so when the trial verdict comes in I can see Casey Anthony's face as she hears the words guilty.

July 1, 2011 Friday Dinner Time

The nephew left around 1 PM yesterday. Spent the afternoon cleaning and watching TV. Tony came home from work around 5:15 PM. Made a pork roast, corn and a salad for dinner. Spent the night watching programs on TV I had DVR'd. Watched an episode of America's Got Talent and then last Sunday's HBO's True Blood. I do love the show True Blood. Went to bed around 10 PM.

This morning I was up at 6 AM. Fed the dogs, gave Vito his shot, and Tony left for work around 7 AM. Did a little cleaning around the house and then left for Walgreen's around 10 AM to pick up a prescription. I then went to Pick N Save and the TCF bank to make a deposit. What a mistake. I once again got into an argument with a black female who was trying to skip into the long line at the bank. She went ballistic on me when I told her the line was back here and she would not be getting to the bank window before us. She used every word in the book at me. She even called me a God Damn Fuckin Nigger. I honestly wanted to look her in the eye and ask her how she would like it if I called HER a nigger. Why is it OK for a black person to us the N word but if a white person was to use it they could get killed? She then start threatening to follow me outside and kill me in the parking lot. I then yelled for security again and they came and stood around her as she acted like a total fool. I saw her trying to skip into the line again as I was leaving the store. Jeez. What the fuck is wrong with black people and following the same rules everyone else has to follow? I drove home shaking from the experience. It is just a shame no one else in 20 people line had the fuckin balls to say anything to this crack whore. Came home and soon Tony picked me up for lunch with the guys. Was only four of us today since many are out of town for the holiday weekend. We have no plans tonight or for much of the weekend. We do have plans to meets some lunch friends at a car show on Monday. It will be a very laid back nap filled weekend. It is in the 90s today in Milwaukee and very hot. Tomorrow it will be back in the low 80s so the air conditioning will only have to be on for today.

Have a great 4th of July weekend!

June 30, 2011 Thursday Morning

Tuesday morning Tony went to work and was to return home early in the morning so we could go to the zoo. By the time he got home I had talked to my sister and the nephew and I decided we would rather go to my sister's house and swim in her pool for the afternoon. Tony came home and around noon we left and went swimming all afternoon. Got home around 4 PM and that night we went down the street for dollar tacos. After we got home we watched the movie Super 8 and went to bed around 10 PM.

Wednesday we went to the Milwaukee Zoo. Tony, the nephew and I had a great time at the zoo. Spent about 3 hours there before our feet got tired and it was time to come home. Went out for pizza for dinner and then watched the movie Mary Poppins. About 9 PM we drove down the road and then walked to the park to watch the fireworks at the Milwaukee lakefront that we can see from high up on the hill. Lasted about a half hour and we came home and went right to bed. We all were very tired.

This morning I was up at 6 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Tony left for work shortly after 7:30 AM. Been spending the morning watching the Casey Anthony trial. Tony's brother is coming over around 1 PM to get the nephew and drive him down to Chicago where he lives. Tony's brother is picking up some car parts down there so he is transporting the kid back home. So the long 5 days is almost over. The nephew has been an angel. Not once did I ever have to yell at him or did he give me any reason to be mad at him. Such a good kid with his uncles. After the kid leaves I plan on taking a long afternoon nap. Here is a picture of us at the zoo yesterday.

Monday June 27, 2011 Monday Dinner Time

Can't type much with the nephew here since he needs so much attention.

Saturday afternoon we took a long drive in the Cadillac along the lakefront. Stopped off at a couple hardware stores looking for replacement blades for the grass trimmer. Finally found some at an Ace Hardware. Spent the night watching the movies Drive Angry and An Englishman In New York. Both were good movies. Had pizza delivered and had a nice quiet night at home. Went to bed around 10:30 PM.

Sunday we went to a car show around noon. Came home and spent the afternoon across the alley with the neighbors. Anthony, our nephew, got dropped off at around 4 PM and the fun began. LOL Spent the night putting together a Lego toy and watching Toy Story 3. Went to bed around 10 PM.

This morning I was up at 6 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Tony left for work around 7:30 AM. Since it looked like rain today I decided to take the nephew to the dollar stores looking for toys. Bought a few toys and stopped at McDonald's for lunch. Around 1:30 PM we got in the car and went to see the movie Mr Poppers Penguins. It was an enjoyable movie. The kid liked it too. Now we are home waiting for Tony to come home from work. Will most likely take the kid to a car show taking a long drive in the Cadillac. Will pick up some dinner at the car show. Had a great day with the nephew and a great weekend with Tony and the dogs.

June 24, 2011 Friday Dinner Time

Lets hope the third time this will work. Really is frustrating to type a whole post only to have it go nowhere and have to start again. This is my third try now.

Last night we watched Nancy Grace and then the movie A Four Letter Word on Logo TV. It was a good gay movie. Went to bed around 10 PM after having a little lovin.

This morning I slept in until about 7 AM. Fed all the dogs but Vito. Vito would not eat. Tony left for work around 7:30 AM. Got Vito to eat around 9 AM. Spent the morning watching the Casey Anthony trial. Left around 11:30 AM to pick Tony up at work and go have lunch with the guys. Had a great lunch as usual. Dropped Tony back off at work and came home. Spent the afternoon doing a little cleaning while I watched more of the trial. Also cleaned two of the pond pumps since they were clogged and needed cleaning. Worked a little on the waterfall also. Not sure what to make for dinner tonight since I am not hungry. Tony will need something so I will probably make some ham sandwiches with the lunch meat in the frig. No plans this weekend which is fine with me. Hope to cut the grass and clean the north side rain gutter tomorrow morning. Hope to spend the rest of the weekend at home enjoying the house and dogs. Also need to rest up for next week when we have Tony's nephew for the week. Have a good weekend everyone.

June 23, 2011 Thursday Morning

Tuesday night we went to what we thought would be a car show at the Milwaukee Harley Davidson. Last year there was always a Tuesday night car show. Not this year I guess. Ended up going out for dinner and coming home. Spent the night watching TV and went to bed around 10 PM.

Yesterday I was up by 6:30 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Took until about 9 AM for Vito to finish his food. Before Tony left for work I had him pull out a tree that had grown in the front yard about 4 feet tall. We let it grow from a sprout and now think it is not such a good idea to have it in the front yard being such a messy tree like the others we have in the yard. Rather than just cut it down, Tony pulled it out, roots and all, and put it in the back yard to pick up later with his truck. Tony came home around 9:30 AM to get the tree, and in the rain, planted it in the field in back of his shop. It is things like this that make me love him so much. Taking the time to keep a tree alive says a lot about someones personality and make up. Most would have just cut the damn tree down and not given it a second thought. Since we let the tree grow as tall in the last 3 years as it did, we felt responsible for keeping it alive. Went grocery shopping about 10 AM and spent over $150 on food. I swear we are stocked with food for a month. LOL. Spent the afternoon working on building a fountain on the one side of the pond. My back is still hurting but I just can not lay around in pain all day. The fountain ended up turning out OK and I took a picture of it today to post on this blog. I still have some finishing work to do around it.


Got up this morning at 6 AM and was throwing up by 6:30 AM. Here goes my back again. Got the dogs fed, Vito his shot, and Tony left for work a little after 7 AM. It is raining again today. Rained off and on all day yesterday and today looks the same. Have a board meeting this afternoon at ARCW. Starting to look like Tony and I will be taking care of one of Tony's nephews next week for a few days. Not sure if I have the strength. Told Tony if we have him as planned from Sunday to Thursday he will have to take a few of those days off work to help and go places with me and the kid. Tony needs some days off anyway from work. Going to get into the shower and get going with the day. Still watching the Casey Anthony trial on TV. Can't wait until the defense puts the family and Casey on the stand.

June 21, 2011 Tuesday Afternoon

Last night we spent the night watching the movie Testosterone that I DVR'd from Logo TV. It was a good movie. Went to bed around 10 PM.

This morning I slept in until about 7 AM. Got up and fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Tony left for work shortly thereafter. Spent the early morning doing things around the house. Around noon I went to the post office to mail a present to a friend who has a Birthday next month. Bought some stamps and stopped at Mc Donald's for a hamburger and french fries. Spent the afternoon watching the Casey Anthony trial. Got my Foodshare interview finished via the phone this afternoon. I guess I will continue to get a whopping $16 a month from Foodshare. Yesterday I made a hole in side wood fence for the baby rabbit to get to the neighbors yard rather than it having to go around the garage and alley where the cat hides. Noticed the rabbit already found and is using the hole, and was in the neighbors yard. Very smart rabbit. Also yesterday I went to throw some bread to the rabbit and it let me get about 5 feet from him, toss him the bread, and he sat there and ate it while I walked back into the house. I talk to it also and I think it knows my voice. Maybe I am just nuts. Looks like a storm should be rolling in in less than an hour. We really do not need any more rain. Will most likely make some spaghetti and a salad for dinner tonight.

I noticed a comment on a recent post regarding my phrase 'gave Tony a little lovin'. The comment had to do with asking if Tony gives me a little lovin back. I have talked about Tony's lack of reciprocation in that area in past posts. With that said, when I say 'I gave Tony a little lovin' in my blog, I say it that way because I figure it is better than saying 'we had sex last night'. It has nothing to do with him only getting pleasure. It simply is a phrase I thought was more respectful and not uncomfortable to my readers. We both are satisfied when the 'act' is finished. I hope that answers the question.

June 20, 2011 Monday Dinner Time

Had a great weekend in spite of the back pain!

Saturday morning we woke up to rain. It cleared by 10 AM and by a little after noon we went to the North Avenue Block Party for a couple hours. The music was good and the eye candy even better. After a couple hours we came home to spend an hour with the dogs before going to a friends father's 98th Birthday party. This is the friend that came over the night I found out I was HIV+. Had a great time at the party and ate a lot of food. Also two of the guys from Friday lunch were at the party. Stayed at the party until about 6:30 PM. Came home and fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Around 7:30 we went back to the North Avenue Block Party for the evening. Stayed until about 11 PM and came home. Went to bed shortly after coming home because we both were very tired from the long day. It was in the 70s and beautiful after the rain cleared.

Sunday morning we were up by 6:30 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Took a while to get Vito to eat again. Around 10:15 AM we left to meet my mom and dad as well as one brother for a Father's Day Brunch. Had a great all you can eat brunch with the folks. Bought dad a hat and paid for the brunch as his Father's Day present. Drove the 45 minutes home and got home around 2 PM. Watched a little TV with the dogs before leaving around 3:30 PM to go to Tony's brother's house for his daughters graduation and Birthday party. Stayed at their house until about 6:30 PM. Ate a lot more food. Got home around 7 PM stuffed from all the eating all day. Spent the night watching a little of the soap opera awards before switching to TNT's Falling Skies. Went to bed a little after 10 PM exhausted.

This morning I was up by 6:30 AM. Fed the dogs and tried to give Vito his shot. He did not eat or get his shot until about 8:30 AM. The vet called around 8:30 AM to give me Vito's blood test results. They are so good the doctor wants to cut his insulin from 6 to 5 units. Of course this means another round of a full day of monitoring in a couple weeks. I swear they think we have money. LOL Around that time it started raining very very hard. I can not wait to hear the news tonight to hear how much rain we got in about 2 hours. The roads around the house 2 blocks in both directions were flooded past the car head lights. The side and back yard were a pond until mid afternoon because of all the rain. We even have streams of water in the basement. When the rain finally stopped around 10:30 AM I went outside and took down a canopy over the kitchen sliding glass doors that the rain destroyed. Had to clean the clogged rain gutter anyway and the canopy had to be removed to reach the rain gutter. What a mess. Thankfully it was only about 10 feet high or I could not clean the rain gutter. I will not go much higher on a ladder because of last summers bad fall. Learned my lesson not to do that high with no one watching to catch my fall. LOL. After the rain gutter was cleaned there was no sense putting up the old cloth canopy and I made a new one with some wood and plexy class I had in the garage. I am pretty handy making these things with all the power machines we have. Got it made and in place by about 1 PM. Took an hour nap before I got up and took down the new canopy to paint it. Put two coats of paint on the wood and re-attached the plexy glass. When it dries and Tony gets home I will have him help me put it back up above the kitchen doors. The rest of the afternoon was cloudy and damp here in Milwaukee after the big rain storm this morning. Tonight we will most likely watch some shows on the DVR before going to bed. Was mad the Casey Anthony trial was canceled today. Wonder what was going on. Guess we will find out tomorrow when court resumes. Have a Foodshare phone update call tomorrow afternoon. Not much else on my schedule until Thursday besides the weekly grocery shopping on Wednesday for double coupon day. Just heard the news. We got 2.5 inches of rain in two hours time. Here are two pictures of the rain storm this morning. This is one block north of my house.

June 17, 2011 Friday Dinner Time

Watched a couple movies last night that I DVR'd from Logo TV. Both were good but not worth remembering the titles. Went to bed around 10 PM and gave Tony a little lovin.

This morning I was up at 6:30 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Tony left for work around 7 AM. Around 8:30 AM I broke down and called my doctor and made an appointment to find out why my middle to lower back hurts so much. Was surprised they could get me in today at 11:45 AM so I took the appointment. Drove to Pick N Save to make a deposit at the bank and picked up a couple fruit items. Came home and left for my doctor appointment around 11:15 AM. The doctor took a look at my back and suggested a few xrays and a urinalysis. The doctor thinks I hurt my back throwing up on Tuesday morning. Went a floor down and had those test and xrays taken. The doctor also gave me two prescriptions, one being for nausea (Prochlorperazine 10MG) and one for muscle spasms (Carisoprodol 350MG). Stopped off at Walgreen's and filled the two prescriptions. Came home and spent the afternoon doing a little cleaning and watching the Casey Anthony trial. Very exciting afternoon on the trial. Thinking Tony and I might go out for a fish fry tonight since we did not have lunch with the guys due to my doctor appointment. Miss my Friday lunch with the guys but thought it best to take the doctor appointment when they could get me in so fast. Never that hungry on a Friday night because of lunch so we have not gone for a fish fry in some time. Will walk down the street to a bar 2 blocks away and have a fish fry tonight. The muscle spasm meds have done very little to help with the pain, I took it over an hour ago. Going to have to take a pain pill soon. Just sitting here typing I am squirming in my chair because of the pain. Have a few family events on Tony's side of the family and mine, as well as a couple block parties to go to this weekend. Hopefully the weather will be nice for all the outdoor events. After the fish fry tonight we will most likely watch a movie before going to bed.

June 16, 2011 Thursday Dinner Time

About 4 PM I was looking out the back and saw my big rabbit go running across the alley. A cat was 10 feet behind him. I tore out the door and chased the cat away. It appeared the rabbit got away this time. This damn cat has got to go. He will kill all the rabbits in no time if we don't find a way to get rid of him. Made leftover spaghetti again for Tony for dinner. I had nothing since my back hurt and was simply not hungry. Saw the play Fiddler On The Roof last night. It was long and Tony fell asleep at one point during the show. Got home around 10:30 PM and went to bed shortly after getting home. Prior to leaving for the show I looked out the side window and saw a female duck in my pond. The male was in the front yard. We never have ducks. They must of been lost because of the fog. They spent some time in the front yard eating the bird seed on the ground.

This morning I was up at 6:30 AM. Fed the dogs, Vito would not eat. Tony left for work around 7:30 AM. About 8 AM Vito finally ate his food and got his shot. Took Vito to his vet appointment where he got blood drawn and two booster shots. Also got his nails trimmed for a total of $287. After the appointment I drove down the road with Vito to where the guy who gave him to us works so he could see Vito. Vito ran around the restaurant with his tail wagging nonstop. Vito was happy to see his previous daddy 7 years ago. Funny how Vito still remembers him after 7 years of us having him. Got home around 11:30 AM and spent the rest of the day cleaning and watching the Casey Anthony trial. I did take an hour nap around 2:30 PM. My back is really hurting today. I was hoping it would be getting better and since it is not I am starting to get a little concerned that it is more than just a back ache. Obviously if this is not better by Monday I will have to call the doctor. Feels like my back is hard around the middle from side to side across the middle back. Feels like someone filled my back with cement. Very uncomfortable to sit or stand. Making a pork roast and potatoes for dinner with a salad tonight. Will watch shows on the DVR tonight since there is not much on TV that isn't a rerun. Spoke to my mom today and firmed up plans for a Sunday Father's Day brunch. Tomorrow is Friday and lunch with the guys.

June 15, 2011 Wednesday Afternoon

Had a dental appointment at ARCW yesterday morning at 10 AM. After my dental cleaning I picked up my monthly food at the food pantry and came home. Spent the afternoon napping since I just do not feel 'right'. I did throw up again this morning about 20 minutes after getting out of bed. I feel tired, no energy, and just want to sleep. Not really feeling depressed, just tired. Maybe that is part of depression? Made left over spaghetti for dinner for Tony. I only had a salad since I was not hungry. Watched America's Got Talent and then a Pawn Wars marathon on Tru TV. Went to bed around 10 PM and gave Tony a little lovin.

Got up this morning at 6 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Took a while to get Vito to have any interest in food today. Tony left for work shortly after 7 AM. After doing a little clean up and reading the newspaper I went to lie down on the bed for an hour. Went grocery shopping around 11 AM. Spent close to $150 on food items. Made myself a ham sandwich for lunch and went back to bed. My middle lower back is painful today. Not sure if I did something to it or there is more going on. It actually feels like a burning across my back. Not the usual feeling I get with a pinched nerve. Has not gotten better all day. I hope it is not something serious. Tonight we have tickets to go see the play Fiddler On The Roof at the Milwaukee PAC. It is raining right now and has most of today. Only in the 50s again today here in Milwaukee. I honestly could go right back to bed but have to get some cleaning done around here before Tony gets home from work and we go to the show tonight. Tomorrow Vito goes in again for more blood tests. Going to be an expensive one at the vet tomorrow.

June 13, 2011 Monday Afternoon

Friday night it was cold, in the high 40s, raining and foggy in Milwaukee so we did not go to Pridefest that night. Spent the night watching the movies Equality U and WTC View on Logo TV. They were both good movies. Went to bed around 10 PM.

Saturday morning it rained a bit before clearing. Spent the morning doing things around the house. Around 1 PM we headed down to the lake front for the Pridefest festivities. Stayed at Pridefest until about 4 PM and came home. Spent some time with the dogs and after feeding them headed back down to Pridefest around 7 PM. Had a great time walking around seeing friends and such. Right after the 10 PM fireworks it started raining. Didn't want to stand in the rain and watch Salt N Pepper so we went home. Watched a little of SNL before going to bed around 11:30 PM.

Sunday we got up around 7 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Spent the morning reading the newspaper and made a little breakfast. Was to be a beautiful day in Milwaukee, in the 70s and sunny. Around 11 AM we walked up the block for the beginning of Locust Street Festival's beer run. Always fun to watch the runners as they run to the beer check points for another glass of beer. Stayed at Locust Street until about 1 PM. Headed home to spend a half hour with the dogs before going downtown to watch the Pridefest Parade go down second street in the third ward. Was a long parade since they stretch it out so much. Of course there were the protesters. At least we are getting creative to fight them. At one point a business turned on their water hose and started spraying them to get them to leave the area they were in. At another point there was designated people with horns to blow when the preachers started yelling their hatred over their loud speakers. Sometimes the drama around the parade is just as exciting as the parade itself. Got home a little before 4 PM and after a little time with the dogs we walked the two blocks back to the Locust Street Block Party. Stayed there until about 6 PM until our feet started hurting from all the walking all weekend. Came home and fed the dogs. Spent the night watching two Dark Shadows movies from the 1970's before going to bed around 10 PM.

This morning I was up at 6:30 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Tony left for work around 7:30 AM. Spent the morning going from the bed to the couch since I feel exhausted from the weekend. My back hurts and I have no energy. Might just take a long nap this afternoon. Going to make baked spaghetti tonight for dinner. I am sure Tony will be exhausted when he comes home from working today and the long weekend. Three years ago today I put my Springer Spaniel Border Collie named Buddy to sleep. Still breaks my heart. I only had 7 fast years with him. Buddy you are still not forgotten.

June 10, 2011 Friday Afternoon

Yesterday I went to Walgreen's around noon to buy a few items on sale. Stopped at McDonald's for a hamburger and french fries. Spent the afternoon watching the Casey Anthony trial until it ended early due to her feeling ill. Poor thing. It was in the 50s yesterday and rained most of the day. From 90 to 50 in one day for a high. Made a beef roast, corn and salad for dinner. Spent the night watching shows on Logo TV that I DVR'd. Watched Hollow Reed and Bear Nation. Hollow Reed was very good and I recommend it. You can watch it on the Logo web sight also. Bear Nation was interesting. Went to bed around 10 PM with the heat on. The air conditioning was on less then 24 hours ago.

This morning I was up at 6 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Tony left for work around 7:30 AM. Drove to Walgreen's a little after 8 AM to return an item I bought the day prior and then went again to Mc Donald's to get two sausage burritos. Spent the morning watching the Casey Anthony trial. Tony picked me a little before noon and we went to lunch with the guys. Had a great lunch. After Tony dropped me off at home I spent the afternoon on the couch watching more of the trial. It is damp, cold and drizzling here in Milwaukee. I do not foresee us going to Pridefest at the Lakefront due to the drizzle and being so damp outside. Will most likely spend the night watching more movies I DVR'd from Logo TV. Tomorrow we will spend the afternoon and later the evening at Pridefest enjoying the shows. The headliner tomorrow night is Salt N Pepper. Sunday we will most likely switch between the block party down the street and the Pridefest parade in the afternoon. Happy Pride everyone.

June 8, 2011 Wednesday Dinner Time

This morning I was up at 6:15 AM. Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot. Tony left for work around 7 AM. About 7:30 AM Vito throw up his breakfast all over the sheet covering the leather couch. Cleaned up the mess and called the vet to see if I should give him more food in a while or leave his stomach empty with the Insulin he received at breakfast. The vet told me to try to get him to eat in about an hour. Hung up the phone and made myself a bowl of cereal. Walked into the living room to see Vito had thrown up again, this time, all over the couch and down the seams and such. Took about a half hour just to clean it all up since it went everywhere in the seams of the couch. What a mess. A little while later Tony showed up with some flower bulbs he said he got from a customer and wanted them planted in the back yard. I got the shovel and quickly buried them in the back yard since it was getting hotter outside by the minute. Fed Vito again a little food at 9 AM which stayed in him so far all day. About 9:30 AM I noticed a dump truck dumping dirt and debris in the vacant lot behind the out of business Day Care Center across the street from our house. We have had problems in the past with people dumping back there and my front window looks across the street right into all the dumping mess. When the dump truck showed up to dump a second load a half hour later I ran outside and took some pictures of the truck and told them they could not dump here. They told me to fuck off and whipped me the finger. I told them they would be cleaning this up just like the people who did it in the past. Called Neighborhood Services to make a complaint only to be told I had to call the non emergency Milwaukee Police Department. Called them and gave them all the information. About 11:00 AM the Milwaukee Police called me and said a squad was on the way to talk to me and get the pictures I took. Of course it is now after 4 PM and Milwaukee's finest have yet to show up here at all. The dump truck has dumped 7 more loads during the day. I honestly hate the Milwaukee Police Department. They are worthless. Why tell me a squad is on the way and almost 5 hours later no one has shown up. Bullshit! Spent the whole afternoon waiting for the police to come. What a waste of an entire afternoon. It is in the mid 90s today outside. Too damn hot to do anything outside. I did clean the pond pump again this afternoon, but did very little else all day but watch the Casey Anthony trial. Thinking about going out for $1 hamburgers and $1 French Fries tonight rather than cooking. Big storms are suppose to come through later tonight with a cold front. Should only be in the 60s tomorrow in Milwaukee. Quite a temperature change. So, what do you thing the odds are that Milwaukee's Finest will ever show up today? Kinda makes you wonder what the hell they get paid for. Guess all the Milwaukee Police Department cares about is the things that happen in the Ghetto. So much for my tax dollars.

June 7, 2011 Tuesday Dinner Time

Last night about 7 PM I saw the stray cat from across the street heading for our yard. I ran outside and chased him away. It ran through the neighbors yard into the alley. I ran through the house and to the alley to chase him farther. I looked into the neighbors yard and the cat must have ran right past the two Mourning Doves sitting on the ground. I hoped the cat would not return. About that same time the wind shifted and it felt like someone turned on an oven outside. It was 92 degrees and I then turned on the air conditioning. Went to bed around 10 PM.

This morning I was up by 6 AM. Fed the dogs, gave Vito his shot, and Tony left for work around 7 AM. I told him to take it easy at work since it was to be in the 90s again today and an old man like him should not be working in this heat. It was already getting hot outside. Around 9 AM the back doorbell rang. It was the neighbor telling me she got her Cocktail bird back last night. Someone in Whitefish Bay, which is a lot north of Milwaukee, found him and grabbed him on Monday. The neighbor was so happy to tell me she got her bird back. We both were in tears at the good news. Spent the day doing things around the house indoors. I can not take this heat. Did some dusting, vacuuming and installed the air conditioning unit in the upstairs apartment for the tenants. We give the tenants air conditioning units for their apartment as part of the rent. We have central air downstairs in our unit. Had a ham sandwich for lunch and took a two hour nap. Got up at 3 PM and stuck my head outside to take out the garbage. Damn, it's hot outside. Noticed the two baby Mourning Doves sitting in the garden. Making a salad and frozen pizza for dinner. Will make it in the pizza oven rather than turning on the big oven in this heat. America's Got Talent is on at 7 PM tonight and we will watch more on the DVR afterwards. Watched a movie last night called Newcastle. It was OK. Other than that it is just a matter of time, until late tomorrow, when the cold front comes through for the weekend. This weekend is Pridefest here in Milwaukee. Looks like it will be in the 60s. That is fine with me. If it was hot outside I would have to wear less clothes. With all the weight I have gained and not lost, I look forward to covering up and trying to look skinny as I suck in my stomach while we are there. LOL

June 6, 2011 Monday Dinner Time

Saturday Tony and I went to a car show in Burlington. It was a nice hour drive to the car show and back. The weather was almost perfect. I bit warm, but not too hot outside. Met the couple we have Friday lunch with at the car show. Stopped off at Culver's with them to have lunch before we drove home. Spent the afternoon around the house enjoying the dogs, yard and nice weather. After we fed the dogs dinner we walked, yes walked, up a few blocks to a little Italian restaurant and had a great spaghetti dinner. Walked home and spent the rest of the night outside in the neighbor across the alley's yard enjoying the night air. Had a couple drinks and then the mosquitoes came in force. Spent the next hour at home itching and putting itch cream on. Wow, they came out of no where and attacked.

Sunday I made a big breakfast. A little after noon we went for a drive along the lakefront and stopped at Tony's sister's house. She and her dog got in the back seat of the Cadillac and we drove to Dairy Queen and got ice cream. The dog even got his own ice cream cone. Got home around 4 PM and spent time sitting on the deck enjoying the weather. The sun was out, a nice breeze, and about 80 degrees. Made hamburgers and baked beans for dinner. Spent the night watching movies on the DVR from the TV channel Logo that I taped during the week. Both movies were OK but not worth passing on the titles, honestly I can't even remember what the name of the movies were. Went to bed around 10 PM. Perfect sleeping weather with the windows open.

This morning I was up at 6 AM and did the usual feeding of the dogs and getting Tony off to work. A storm was approaching so I went back to bed until it passed, around 10 AM. Showered and went to Walgreen's to get a pain pill prescription filled. Got home to find out they only gave me 30 rather than 60 pills. Went back to Walgreen's to get the other 30 they should have given me with the refill. Stopped off at Pick N Save and did a little grocery shopping. Even a little grocery shopping these days is expensive it seems. Took a short nap this afternoon. Tony came home for a bit and got me out of bed. I hate when he does this. I like to look busy when he comes home or arrives home. LOL. Don't want to have him thinking I nap every day. Actually he knows I nap from 1 - 3 PM each day. Most of my friends even know not to call between that time. Will spend the night watching more on the DVR since there is nothing on TV. I am running low on DVR shows as the reruns keep coming on TV.

The Mourning Doves are still in the back yard in the rock garden area. I check on them a couple times a day. Last night around 5 PM the parents took them on a flying lesson to the cars and back and then had them return to the area they have been nesting in for the past 3 days. The neighbor cut his grass today and I had to tell him to try to stay away from where they are. The mother bird was not happy when he cut the grass and stood guard in the back yard as he cut it. I honestly wish the babies would fly or grow up fast because it is just a matter of time until a stray cat wonders into the yard and finds them. They do know not to move. You can get to about 5 feet from them and they still stay still. Still have the 3 rabbits running around the yard too, so the cats must not have been around for a while now.

June 3, 2011 Friday Night

Spent the night after I posted helping a neighbor try to get her pet Cocktail down from the telephone lines. We gave up when it got dark. The bird got out of the house by accident. The owner is very upset as you can imagine. Went to bed around 10 PM.

This morning I was up at 6 AM. Fed the dogs, gave Vito his shot and was outside with the neighbor before Tony even left for work at 7:30 AM. The bird flew away about 8:30 AM, the owner in tears. I told her I would watch for it during the day. I never did see it again all day. Spent the morning working on securing the Mourning Dove nest and putting some bricks around the Batmobile to block some of the wind and such. The parents did come back to the nest early this morning but have not been back since I fixed and altered the nest. Hopefully they will return. Picked Tony up a little before noon to have lunch with the guys. Came home after dropping him off and going to the bank. Spent the afternoon doing a little painting touch up work around the side yard as I listened to the Casey Anthony trial on TV. Making a salad and ham sandwiches for dinner tonight. Only have plans to go to a car show tomorrow. Will let you know if anymore bird development come my way. Have a great weekend.

June 2, 2011 Another Mourning Dove Update

At this posting both Mourning Dove's have left the nest. Around 7:30 PM Tony got out of the shower so I gave him a little lovin. Better a clean man than a dirty man. Anyway, when I got back into the living room at 8 PM I saw the nest is now empty. I looked around a bit in the yard and could not believe my eyes. The two babies birds are on the ground snuggled under the park bench next to the netted-over pond. There is a short fence that separates that part of the yard from the rest so that the dogs don't go for a swim in the pond. So the birds are on the pond side of the fence. So cute to see them snuggling together away from the nest. Makes you wonder if they keep in touch with each other as the days and months go by. They will be safe for the night. Now my next hurdle will be making sure in the morning the dogs don't get them if they moved to the other side of the short fence AND them finally getting over the 6 foot high fence and not drown in the pond before they get out of the yard. Will update early tomorrow on the birds status.

June 2, 2011 Mourning Dove Update

After I posted last I took a short nap. When I got up there was only one baby in the Mourning Dove nest. One of the birds took it's first flight. So I guess I was right about the parents flying around the yard, testing to see if it was the right time. I can not find the baby in the yard but I do see the parents both sitting on the back upstairs porch rail. I assume they are watching it. The last baby will most likely leave tomorrow. The next nest I am going to keep a day by day journal.

June 2, 2011 Thursday Afternoon

Last night Tony got home around 5:30 PM from work. I fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot while he was in the shower. We then got in the Cadillac and drove to a car show on the south side of town. Was a big show and lots of cars. They have this show every Wednesday. I think they are all the same cars. Tony has to walk around and study every single one of them. I look at the men. Ate dinner at A&W. What is it about their Root Beer? I am not a fan of Root Beer but A&W makes a great Root Beer. Drove home on the side streets since the expressway to the car show was all under construction and I did not enjoy the ride. Had a nice drive back home along the lakefront. Watched a little TV before going to bed around 10 PM.

This morning I was up at 6 AM. Fed the dogs, gave Vito his shot, and Tony left for work around 7:30 AM. I ate a bowl of Life cereal with raspberries on it. Then went outside and cut the little grass we have in the front yard. Got the gas trimmer out but could not get it to keep cutting so Tony will have to take it to work and fix it. Spent the rest of the morning drilling a hole in the dining room wall to the outside so I can move the Nature Cams into the house rather than on the sun porch where it will soon get too hot for the monitor and DVR. Had to restring all the wires and got all the cameras connected. Yesterday it was 75 degrees, today it is a high of 55 degrees and tomorrow is suppose to be 85 degrees here in Milwaukee. What a temperature change hey? The Mourning Doves have yet to leave the nest. I watched one of them venture outside the nest and look around into the world today. It flapped it's wings and sat in the sun for a while. Was able to get a good picture of it as it looked around for the first time out of the nest. The parents still come and feed them but I think they are waiting for the dogs to not be in the yard when they push them out of the nest. Once in a while both birds come and fly around the yard and land on the ground testing the dogs. I have the dogs locked in the house now so hopefully soon they will fly from the nest. Making pork chops and rice with a salad for dinner tonight. Will watch Rookie Blue and the DVR tonight. Below are two pictures. One is of the camera system where you can see the two babies in the lower part of the picture, in their nest. The other is a picture of one of the babies out in the sun today.

June 1, 2011 Wednesday Afternoon

Can you believe it is June already?

Spent last night watching America's Got Talent. The show was entertaining. Went to bed around 10 PM. Was a nice cool night to have the windows open.

Got up this morning at 6 AM. Fed the dogs, gave Vito his shot and got Tony off to work. Read the morning newspaper and took a shower. Left the house around 9:30 AM and went to McDonald's for a Bacon Egg Cheese Bagel and then Pick N Save to do some grocery shopping. Ended up spending almost $150 at the grocery store. Yesterday one of my tenants brought home a Wren house that a friend gave him. I needed a bird house for the fourth camera so I cut a hole in the top of the roof, inserted the camera, and put it on a tripod stand that was in the back yard. You can see 2 of the 12 nesting holes with the camera. Spent the rest of the day watching the Casey Anthony trial. This girl is so guilty of killing her child. Made some beef flavored rice for Vito food and now I wait for Tony to come home from work. Not cooking tonight since I think we are going to a car show and will pick up something to eat at the show. Nothing on TV tonight so no hurry getting home from the car show. It is on the south side of town so it will be a couple hour event. It is in the 70s today and quite windy. So nice with the windows open. My white Lilac tree is filled with flowers. Had to scope another baby Wren out of the side yard before the dogs eat it. The two baby Mourning Doves have still not left the nest. I honestly haven't seen the parents visit them in some time so I think it is just a matter of time until they have to leave and search for food on there own. For some reason none of my music links are working. Will have to do a little investigating.