October 8, 2012 Monday Afternoon

We did indeed spend all day Saturday watching TV and spending time with the dogs.  Cleared most of the DVR watching The Neighbors, The Middle, The New Normal and The Big Bang Theory to name a few shows.  Finished off the night watching the movies Voodoo Academy (a boys in briefs movie) and Prometheus.  I was hoping Prometheus would be better than VA and it was not much better.  Went to bed around 10:30 PM after a little lovin.

Sunday morning we were up at 7 AM.  Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot.  Made breakfast and spend the morning reading the newspaper and doing things around the house.  Around noon my parents showed up and we all went to the annual dog costume walk on Brady Street.  We have done this for over 5 years now and we all enjoy it.  They then took Tony and I out for lunch at Harry's Bar and Grill.  Had a great lunch and conversation.  One thing nice about getting older, you seem to have more in common with your parents and I have a much stronger relationship.  Got home a little after 3 PM and in a little while we were in the bedroom doing the lovin thing.  Spent the rest of the day and night clearing the DVR and then watching the movie God Bless America.  It was a very good movie but very politically incorrect at that.  This guy looses his job and goes around shooting people that do him wrong.  In one scene people were talking in a movie theater and he told them to quiet down.  When they didn't he pulled out a gun and shot them all.  Must have been what it was like at the Batman movie months ago in Colorado.  Like I said, the movie was very politically incorrect but had an interesting premise.  Not sure how this movie even got made because of the plot and scenes.  Went to bed around 10 PM.

This morning I was up at 7 AM.  Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot.  Spent the morning doing 4 loads of laundry and dusting and cleaning the house.  Around noon I went for a nice hour and a half walk around the river trails.  Saw another stray cat hiding and tried to get it, it ran away soon enough.  Feel sorry for the stray animals with it getting colder outside at night.  Took a nice hour nap with the dogs and now I am posting.  Just making some salads for supper tonight since we are going to a movie for the Milwaukee Film Festival called How To Survive a Plague.  It is about the AIDS crisis back in the early days and will sure to be a tear jerker reflecting on how different my life would be then and not now with AIDS.  Will let you know how it is tomorrow.  Was 55 degrees and sunny today, felt great walking with ear muffs and mittens.

October 6, 2012 Saturday Afternoon

Tony got home from work yesterday around 2:15 PM.   Got him in the shower and we were out the door by 3:15 PM in our suit and ties lookin good.  Ran into rush hour traffic, which I anticipated and got to the Wedding in at the New Berlin Country Club about 15 minutes before the  wedding ceremony.  The groom is in his late 20s and was an employee of Tony's years ago when he was in high school or college, needing a part time job.  Worked for Tony full time between jobs.  The best man was Tony's nephew's son, and the rest of the wedding party worked for Tony or came to visit when the others were working for him.  Tony has always highers a 'grunt' around the shop.  Usually charity because he doesn't need the person, and usually family or a close friend who needs a job and money.  So Tony has made a lot of friends giving them jobs when they needed it.  So we knew the whole wedding party from work or parties at their homes throughout the years.  We seem to be able to party and fit in with people our age and much younger with no problem.  Got to tell you, this is the strangest group of guys you will every meet.  Each one is a great guy, but I could tell you stories about their drunken escapades that would have you falling down laughing.  The wedding was outside and it was cold.  They guys in the wedding party were shivering in their tuxes waiting for the bride and girls to come out and line up.  Thankfully I brought my gloves and ear muffs and the ceremony was only 20 minutes in the 48 degree and windy weather.  After the wedding ceremony was open bar until about 6:30 PM when we were served a great meal.  The groom was scared to death and it showed.  He would not even want to kiss when we chimed the glasses.  You would have thought it was a 'shot gun wedding' the way he was acting.  After the ceremony I asked him how he was feeling because he looked like he was going to pass out.  He looked at me straight on and said 'dude, you just saw what happened, I fricken got married, this is a nightmare'.  I laughed so hard I almost peed a little.  It was like he entered the Twilight Zone and could not believe what just took place, his wedding.  The wedding party guys all look up to Tony, and me as his partner, so they all treat us like we are there favorite big brother or someone they look up to in life.  It felt good to hear throughout the night one after one tell me how Tony changed their lives because of giving them a job when they needed it most and how much he taught them about life.  We even were at the tables right up front with the family and ushers of the ceremony, which we knew.  After the bride and groom dance and the father and bride dance the floor cleared and the DJ asked couples to come up and dance.  A slow song was playing.  No one got up so I grabbed Tony, to the applause of everyone and we danced gazing into each others eyes knowing everyone was watching us.  The DJ then said over the mic 'it is so nice to see a couple look into each other's eyes as they dance'.  We were and it was magical.  It was like it was our day.  Soon other couples joined us and the dance floor was filled.  Soon after that the music turned to dance and it was getting close to 8 PM.  I felt it time to go since Vito needs to eat and get his Insulin shot which he should have gotten at his regular time of 5 PM.  Tony was not happy to leave but agreed since one of the couple's at the table is diabetic and confirmed in conversation to Tony that keeping Vito on a schedule is very important and confirmed why I do what I do and give up what I do for Vito.  I honestly think Tony learned something since hearing it all from me does not mean as much as hearing about adherence and being diabetic is all about and the care needed to stay healthy and not have a diabetic reaction.  We left around 8 PM.  Got home a little after 8:30 PM.  The dogs got fed right away and Vito got his shot.  We watched a little TV from the DVR and went to bed around 10:30 PM.

This morning we were up at 7 AM.  Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot.  I had promised Tony that today would be a 'do nothing day' and we have pretty much kept to it.  Tony is napping right now on the bed as I type this.  I did some leaf blowing and work outside this morning and he went to the bank and checked on the shop.  Been just laying around all day now watching TV before the nap.  I tried to nap and laid there for a while before I grabbed Vito and we left the bedroom.  I can't leave Vito on the bed since he is blind and will most likely want to be by me and fall off the bed to get to me in the living room.  Will make some salads and a pizza for supper tonight, spending the night clearing the DVR of all the shows from TV last week I record, keeping to my 'do nothing' promise.  I record a lot of TV.  Sunday is a dog walk on Brady street and my parents for the past 5 years have come down and spent the day at it with Tony and I.  We then go out for a late lunch after the dog costume walk.  So that is what is planned for tomorrow, an afternoon with the folks.  Cloudy and about 45 degrees right now.  Suppose to get down in the 20s tonight.  Thankfully our furnace works.  We turned it on today.

October 5, 2012 Friday Afternoon

Spent last night watching Law and Order SVU on the DVR, then X Factor and Grey's Anatomy before going to bed around 10:15 PM.

This morning I was up at 7 AM.  Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot.  Read a little of the morning newspaper and then went back to bed for an hour.  Got up, showered and met the guys for lunch.  Tony did not come to lunch because he needed to be home a little after 2 PM to get ready for the wedding we are going to in a little while.  Had a great lunch and came home and started to get my suit and tie on for the wedding.  Tony is in the shower and soon I will need to dress him.  LOL.  I have his suit all laid out.  Will most likely go to the wedding, eat at the dinner and leave shortly after that to get home and feed the dogs and give Vito his shot, hopefully all by 9 PM.  All this is up in the air depending on how much time there is between the wedding and the dinner.  Will have to just go without the reception to get home to the dogs.  The things I give up for them, but it is better than Vito going into a diabetic coma or something.  In the 50s today and suppose to be much the same all weekend.  Have to get going and get Tony dressed and out the door.  Have a great weekend everyone.

October 4, 2012 Thursday Afternoon

Spent last night watching the Presidential Debate.  Man was I disappointed in Obama.  Found myself screaming at the TV 'just spit it out', 'just say it' as he stuttered and paused during every sentence.  He could not make a sentence without pausing to think about his next word or words.  At times I looked at Tony and and said 'did he drink before this debate'.  Romney did so much better.  I will still have to stand behind Obama since the Republicans would roll back any advances we have made in gay rights, but I was very disappointed in him and thought he could do so much better.  Even called my Republican father after the debate and told him what I thought and that his guy won the debate.  Went to bed around 10 PM as the raccoon was high up in the back yard tree.

This morning I was up at 6:30 AM.  Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot.  Figured I had the morning and early afternoon to enjoy the 70s that were coming before the big cold front hits later this afternoon.  Made the most of the good weather.  Took the pond plant out of the pond and brought it into the house for the Winter since it is suppose to be in the 30s and maybe the 20s this weekend.  Tomorrow a high of 50 degrees and it was 75 degrees today.  Used the leaf blower around the yad to blow the leaves into the garden.  As I post this it doesn't even look like I did it this morning the leaves are falling so fast from the wind.  Went to Walgreen's around 11 AM to buy some tomato soup on sale and with an extra coupon I had.  They were out of the soup earlier in the week when I was there.  I do love tomato soup and think of my mom's mother, my grandma, when I make it.  She added a ton of sugar and remember it being so sweet and good as a kid.  I add sweet and low and it tastes like she made it.  Picked up a chicken sandwich at Cousins and came home and ate it in front of the dogs.  They were not happy since I did not share, only being a 6 inch sub.  Went for a long 2 hour walk along the river, stopping and reflecting in spots watching the water flow and the leaves falling fast and furious.  Sat and talked with a guy fishing for a half hour as we watched the Salmon swimming up stream.  Some were over 2 feet long.  I feel so peaceful and relaxed when I walk or sit by the water and paths along the river.   I could sit there for hours just watching nature, feeling so at ease and at peace.  Will spend the rest of the day watching TV as I do things around the house.  Making left over Taco's for supper tonight since we only ate half what I made last night and I don't want it to go to waste.  Tomorrow night we have a Wedding to go to and I will have to wait and feed the dogs after we get home later at night.  I can't feed them prior to 3 PM when we will have to leave for the Wedding.  Will most likely come back home and feed them in between the Wedding and dinner or just call it a night by 8 PM and get home and feed them then.  They will not be happy since we have never done this before.  I figure they will be hungry but will be fine.  Better I figure than feeding them so early and then walking out the door not knowing if Vito's Insulin is working right and them needing to relieve themselves after eating.  Tonight we will most likely watch X Factor, Greys Anatomy and TV off the DVR before we go to bed.  The clouds have moved in and now the temperature is dropping.  Suppose to be in the 40s tonight.  I am not ready for the cold air coming our way for the weekend.  Suppose to be high of 50 all weekend.  That will be a shock from the nice 70s we have been having.

October 3, 2012 Wednesday Afternoon

Spent last night watching a couple NCIS and CSI shows from the DVR along with the Dancing With The Stars Results.  I was so mad at the end of the show I honestly don't feel like watching it any more.  Bristol Palin should be off the show.  She had the lowest score and sucks.  Those damn Republicans will always vote for 'their' person rather than 'the best person'.   I can't wait until next month when this election is over and hopefully we can laugh at all the money the Republicans spent to try to lie and win this election.  Went to bed around 10 PM after a little lovin.

This morning I was up at 6 AM.  Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot.  Cleaned the pond pump early in the morning.  Went grocery shopping around 10 AM, stopping at McDonald's first for a bacon egg and cheese bagel.   Got home a little after 11 AM and did some things around the house.  Around 1 PM just as I was going to go for a walk it started drizzling outside.  Instead drove to ARCW (AIDS Resource Center Wisconsin) and picked up my monthly food from the pantry and my monthly prescriptions.  I still can not believe how cheap my part of the copay is on Medicare.  When I had private insurance I paid over $100 a month for prescriptions, so don't tell me Obama's Health Care Plan is not working.  It is.  Plus most people don't realize now, your monthly premiums INCLUDE blood tests and such that they did not cover in the past.  Nice to get something for your monthly premiums rather than the Insurance companies making money off us sick people.  Drove home in the drizzle and spent the rest of the afternoon watching TV.  My knees are bothering me today, started yesterday.  I up until about a year ago had to wear knee straps on both my knees to keep the knee cap in place due to bad knee surgeries over 10 years ago.  For the last year I haven't had to wear the straps, now I am back on them.  I weighed myself today just to see if maybe I was gaining weight, which usually doesn't help with the knees.  I have not gained any weight and actually feel good about where I am right now.  Of course I could loose another 5 or 10 pounds, but most of us could.   Making Taco's tonight for supper with a can of re fried beans.  Haven't made Taco's in a long time so it will be a nice change of pace.  I am running out of ideas and things to make for supper.   Will most likely watch X Factor and then the President debates tonight.  God I hope Romney puts his foot in his mouth like he does almost every time he opens it.  I hope Obama does well and shows America what the Republicans plan is, which they still have not said.  I am so sick of all the commercials since we are in a 'battle state' too close to call.  All the Republican commercials say 'my plan' will do this or that, yet they still have not told us what their plan is other than give more tax breaks to the rich and throw is little people to the wolves to fend for ourselves.  Just can't wait until it is over.  If Obama gets elected I might be able to see my dream of some day marrying Tony legally.  If the Republicans get in office it will be up to the Supreme Court and could take years or more. 

October 2, 2012 Tuesday Afternoon

Spent last night watching Dancing With The Stars and then Hawaii Five O before going to bed.  Didn't sleep well due the nap.  I did see both rabbits, the raccoon and the possum in the back yard prior to sleeping.  Had to chase the raccoon out of the side yard again around 8 PM.  It is not welcome in the side yard. 

This morning I was up at 7 AM.  Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot.  Spent the early morning doing projects around the house off my 'to do list'.   Fixed a board on the deck and cleaned out the rain gutter on the first floor off the side of the house.  I can only get to the lower rain gutters.  Went to the copy store to make some copies of my taxes for HIRSP.  Mailed the paperwork and the copies when I got home.  Went for a nice walk along the river this afternoon since I was not going to take a nap and be up all night like last night.  Saw a fox running through the field, and a snake in the sidewalk coming back home.  Never saw a fox before back there in the woods.  It was a big fox and ran very fast chasing something in the field.  Watched it until I lost track of it.  Will make some salads and sweet and sour chicken for supper tonight.  Made an Oncore dinner last night and ended up throwing my part of it away it was so horrible tasting.  Won't buy one of those again.  Tony was so hungry he ate his all anyway.  Will most likely watch the Dancing Results and then TV from the DVR the rest of the night tonight.  Was in the low 60s today in Milwaukee with the sun out.  I love this weather but I better enjoy it while it lasts.  Tomorrow is suppose to be in the 70s and then in the 50s for a few days and not looking to good sun wise.

October 1, 2012 Monday Afternoon

Saturday afternoon we tried again to have lunch at the Italian Community Center and use our gift certificate.  Walked in the place and was told they are now closed on all Saturdays.  Went I asked him why he didn't tell us this last Saturday and that we had come again because the website still says they are open.  He had no answer so I asked him if there was a manager to talk to.  She was in the next office and she was nice enough to begin with, but then started making excuses.  I then said 'this really doesn't make us want to come back again', and the worker looked at me and said 'with an attitude like that we don't want you coming back'.  I freaked.  I stopped dead in my tracks out the door and looked at them both and said 'what, are you kidding me, I came here with an empty stomach for lunch, not here for attitude'.   The manager quickly apologized and worked hard to get the worker who made the comment out of the room.  The manager then said 'we will not be open on Saturday's anymore due to lack of business'.   I looked at her and said 'if you treat all your customers like this I can see why', and walked out the door with Tony.  We then had a great lunch a Bar Louie on Water Street.  Came home and since the garage door was giving us trouble we decided to go to Sears and look at them and maybe buy a part that is needed to fix it.  Well, this is Tony's project, fixing the garage door, and I could not believe that when we talked with someone Tony didn't even know what brand of opener we had much less the model number.  How the hell did he think he would get parts not knowing any of this.  Ended up going home and deciding to see what the Sunday newspaper ads have on sale since we might as well just buy a new one than try to figure out why this one won't work.  It is two years or more old.  Got Tony to go for a bike ride along the river around 4 PM and about half way through the bike ride he stopped and said 'don't ever ask me to go for a bike ride again.  I don't like riding bikes and it hurts my body'.   Wow, we are having fun now.  Rode home without another word.  Spent the rest of the day watching TV on the DVR and the movie After Dusk They Come.  Typical horror movie.  We did watch the last two episodes of All The Right Moves along with a few sitcoms from the week.  Went to bed around 10 PM after a little lovin.

Sunday we were up by 7 AM.  Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot.  I did not see the raccoon Saturday night.  Left the house by 10 AM and had breakfast at IHop prior to going to Menard's.  Bought a new garage door opener and a few other items.  At this point Tony is not in a very good mood because he knows what he has in store for him the rest of the day.  I look at projects like this as fun.  He looks at them as a pain in the ass since he works all week and just wants to spend the weekends watching TV or napping.  I do understand, but things happen and need to be fixed around the house and I can not do it all.  I know my limits.  Now if I was single and had to get it installed, I would find a way to do it or pay someone I guess.  Tony worked on the garage door from noon until close to 5 PM.  I tried to help but each time, in time, he would just start swearing and telling me to just go in the house, 'I don't need your help'.  Funny, each time I came out he did need my help because I would see something he didn't do or did wrong and had to change.  He can be such an asshole sometimes, but he is mine.  Made some steaks on the grill and spent the night watching Amazing Race, Good Wife and Mentalist.  Around 8 PM the raccoon showed up and I watched him in the backyard for a while.  I then lost track of him and when I checked our side yard with the pond, where the poison pellets were, there it was looking for more.  So I know now the raccoon did indeed eat the poison but must have thrown it up or it hasn't killed it.  My neighbor did say she found this pile of something she has never seen before in her yard, so that might be what the raccoon threw up.  Hopefully it will still survive, but since it was back in that spot last night, in the side yard near the pond, I know he indeed ate the poison.  Chased him out of the side yard since I do not want him in here with my dogs.  Went to bed around 10 PM.

This morning I was up at 6:30 AM.  Spent the morning doing things around the house inside and outside.  Pan fried some left over pizza from Saturday night for lunch, and took a nice long two hour nap with the dogs.  Will most likely spend the night watching Dancing With The Stars and DVR the CBS TV line up.  It was in the 60s today in Milwaukee and cloudy.  Warm enough, but it gets cool at night in the 40s.  Suppose to be nice half the week, towards the end of the week it is to get much colder and feel more like Fall.  Feeling very tired today and feel like I could go right back to sleep.

September 29, 2012 Saturday Morning

I usually don't post on the weekends, but since Tony went to work for an hour or so and something really strange weird happened last night, I thought I would post about it.  I am not very religious and have my doubts about God, but I do watch all the medium shows that talk to the dead and stuff so I guess I believe in something.  I believe more in a 'spirit guide' than anything else.  Well, with that said, last night after I posted about seeing the raccoon I sat back and started thinking what made me look in the back yard when I did.  See, I had given up hope of seeing the raccoon and pretty much stopped looking for it.  When it comes to eat it is here and gone in no time at all.  Much less it usually shows up closer to 10 PM.  Around 7:30 PM last night I stood on the side deck and was talking out loud to the sky.  I have an accent light in my side yard that has not worked for a long time and no matter how I try to fix it, I have no luck.  As I was talking to the sky, and then looked down at the accent light, the accent light went on.  I honest to God then looked up into the sky and said 'is someone sending me a signal?  Should I look in the back yard?'    I then went into the house and looked into the back yard and saw the raccoon.  Now I even the night before sat and looked for him from 8:30 on so never would I think it would be in the yard this early.  But like I said, this accent light going on right in front of my eyes, honestly, I was looking right at it when it went on for no reason.  After I posted last night and talked to my mom I looked outside again in the side yard and the accent light was off again.  It stayed off all night.  Could this really have been a signal from someone or something beyond?  The mediums say 'they' send signals but we don't usually pick up on them.  Did I pick up on a signal from my spirit guide or an angel, possibly God?  I know this all sounds crazy to most, but it really did happen just as I wrote.  I would not have looked in the back yard at that time if it were not for that message (the light going on and me asking if it was a signal) and would have spent the rest of the night still feeling like crap because I poisoned a raccoon.  Any thoughts on this? 

September 28, 2012 7:45 PM The Raccoon Is Alive

7:45 PM I go into the kitchen to get something to eat and look at the cameras on the back yard and what do I see, the raccoon.  I ran to the living room, put the movie on pause and told Tony to come with me to the bedroom window.  I am so happy I feel like I won the lottery.  Called my mom to tell her the good news.  Now the mystery is who did eat the two bags of rat poison?  Thank you all for being there for me through this.  To some or most it might have seemed crazy to be so upset about poisoning a raccoon.  I love animals and the thought that I would cause it's death had me in tears the past 24 or more hours.  I am going to sleep like a baby tonight.   Wow, I am so happy and had to post and let you guys know, the raccoon is alive.

September 28, 2012 Friday Afternoon

Spent last night watching X Factor, Grey's Anatomy and then NCIS LA on the DVR.  I could not tell you what any of them were about since my mind was on the raccoon.  Went into the bedroom to watch TV from 8:30 PM on so I could look out the window and hopefully see the raccoon.  Was up until 11:30 PM looking out the window.  I did see my possum that comes daily to eat what bread the bunny has not eaten.  The rest of the night I swear every half hour or so I woke up and looked out the window hoping to see the raccoon.  Around 3:30 AM I saw something big, brown and black come into the back yard and for a second thought it was the raccoon until I realized it was a huge cat.  Ran outside at 3:30 AM in my underwear to scare it away so it didn't eat my baby bunny living in the back yard.  Why do people think it is OK to let their cats run free and terrorize the neighborhood.   I don't let me dogs run around like that.  Kept checking out the window until I got up.

Got up this morning at 6:30 AM.  Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot.  Read a little of the morning newspaper and started my usual Friday movie downloads, then went back to bed.  Half hour later my mom called to see if I had good news.  Told her I did not and after we talked for a while I got out of bed and took a shower.  After my shower I called the Wisconsin Humane Society and made a $50 donation to the wildlife rescue area in the raccoons name.  Figured I have to give something to help out a future animal in need.  Damn don't I see the raccoon in my mind every time I look out at the pond and where the poison was.  Have to get that vision out of my head.  Saw the rent check on the stairs out the back door and went to the bank to cash it.  Came home and around 11:30 I left the house to go to Walgreen's to buy the tea on sale Tony drinks.  Then went to have lunch with the guys.  Got very little sympathy from them about the raccoon.  All I heard from them was how mean and the damage they do.   Came home and decided to do one last thing to honor the raccoon.  I grabbed a tall kitchen garbage bag and went for my usual walk along the river, picking up garbage.  The leaves are starting to change and it is getting very pretty along the river.  Here is a picture from under the Locust Street bridge.

Walked the trail picking up garbage.  Almost filled the whole bag just under the Locust Street bridge alone.  By the time I reached the North Avenue bridge my bag was full, and heavy.  Here is a picture of my full bag of garbage I picked up along the river today in memory of the raccoon.  My way of doing something to make up for it's death.

Will spend the rest of the afternoon, after I post, listening to some music, relaxing on the couch with the dogs.  Making a couple salads and left overs for supper tonight.  Will most likely spend the night watching the TV shows that piled up on the DVR this week, or a movie I downloaded.  It was close to 70 degrees today and very nice outside.  This weekend is to be much the same and looks like we will be in the 70s for most of next week.  I love this time of year.  Thank you to those who left me a comment.  I appreciate them more than you can imagine and look forward to them.  Have a great weekend.

September 27, 2012 Thursday Afternoon

I feel horrible.  I might have killed a raccoon.  More on this later.

Last night we went out to eat at Tracks and had a shrimp and cod fish fry with Tony's sister in law.  Had a great supper and conversation.  Came home and spent the night watching X Factor and then CSI.  As we watched CSI in bed I looked out the bedroom window and saw this huge raccoon in the back yard.  It was eating all the bread I put out for the rabbit.  We watched it for about 45 minutes move around the back yard and climb the tree.  The last I saw of it, it was high up in the tree in the back yard.  Went to bed around 11 PM.

This morning I was up at 6:30 AM, fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot.  Spent the morning reading the newspaper and doing things around the house.  Got out the Halloween decorations and put some of them around the back yard.  Came back in the house and as I was sitting on the side deck I noticed the rocks around the pond were all turned over so I went to check it out.  Damn, both rat poison packs were open and empty.  I had put these rat poison packs behind the pond rocks because we had a rat problem a while back and I saw one go in through the rocks a week or so ago.  The packs have been there untouched up until today.  My only deduction is that the raccoon climbed the 6 foot high fence and got into the side yard, moved the rocks, and ate the rat poison packs.  I am so torn up over this I have been in tears all day.  I watched three rats die the first round and ended up drowning one of them because I just couldn't watch it die in pain.  I have this horrible vision of the cute huge raccoon now dieing in pain somewhere, and it is all my fault.  I know I didn't put the rat poison out to intentionally kill the raccoon, but because of me, it is most likely dieing.  I called the Humane Society wildlife center to ask information and see if they could comfort me and just tell me the raccoon will have a bad stomach ache.  Not the information I got and was told that if the raccoon did eat the two poisons it will die.  I feel horrible.  Just horrible.  I removed the other two packs I had under the deck immediately and will never put rat poison outside again.  Around noon I went for a long walk along the river, in tears.  Was hoping the walk would make me feel better, it did not.  I will look for the raccoon tonight because if he is still alive, he will be back tonight for more rabbit bread.  It would make my week to see him tonight, but I don't hold much hope.  Something ate the two poison packs.  I decided that if I don't see the raccoon tonight, the only way to clear my mind of this and make things right would be to make a large donation to the wildlife area of the Humane Society.  What else can I do?  This is going to be a hard one to get over.  God do I feel horrible.  Will most likely spend the rest of the afternoon watching TV because I feel like doing very little else.  Making some hamburger helper and salads for supper tonight.  Will most likely watch X Factor, Grey Anatomy and watch something on the DVR the rest of the night before going to bed.  Would appreciate any kind words to make me somehow feel better about the raccoon I most likely killed and right now is dieing in pain.  Damn, I feel just horrible about this.  It was so cute and doesn't deserve the pain it will go through now because of me.

September 26, 2012 Wednesday Afternoon

Tony got home last night a little before 5 PM, just in time to help feed the dogs.  I then started the DVR and last nights DWTS two hour show we missed.  Got though the show prior to the regular night's show starting and spent the rest of the night watching DWTS and who got kicked off.  Was happy to see Pam Anderson go, she sucked.  But I feel sorry for her dance partner since he always gets bed dancers.  Not his fault he gets kicked off and he is so handsome.  Finished off the night with a little lovin before going to bed.

This morning I was up at 6:30 AM.  Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot.  Spent the early morning reading the newspapers I get.  Went grocery shopping around 10:30 AM and was home in 45 minutes.  Around 12:30 I laid down on the bed and the next thing I knew it was close to 3 PM.  Man, I could have slept all afternoon, more than I did.  Could go right back to bed, this cup off coffee should kick in soon, hopefully.  The plan tonight is to meet Tony's sister in law at a bar two blocks away and have supper tonight with her.  Tony's brother died years ago but we still keep in touch with his wife and family.  Will most likely then just watch X Factor and some shows on the DVR before going to bed.  Honestly I don't know where today went.  Guess sleeping the afternoon away didn't help, but it went so fast and I feel I got very little done today.  I did fix a molding on the garage that Tony must have hit on his way out to work this morning.  Will have to get some paint out one day and touch up a bit where he broke off the molding.  Wonder what the car looks like.  It was in the 60s today in Milwaukee.  Sun is out and feels good but there is a cool breeze off the lake.  The leaves are falling fast and furious.  Can't wait until they are all down so I can get rid of them.

September 25, 2012 Tuesday Afternoon

After I posted yesterday I looked at the time and it was a little before 3 PM, so I decided to go for my usual 2 mile walk to Gordon Park, down the path to the river at the Locust Street bridge and follow the trail all the way to North Avenue and then up the bike path back home.  Takes me about an hour.  Got home and started making supper.  Put together a couple salads, put some french style beans on the stove and pulled out two steaks.  Tony got home around 5 PM and after we fed the dogs we spend the night watching TV from the DVR and computer.  Finished off the last three episodes of season six of Weeds.  Was happy how it ended, Nancy back pretty much where she started 6 seasons ago selling weed in California.  Watched Sunday's two episodes of Long Island Medium.  Then started to watch, or check out the show Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.  I had seen so much of this show on clips on the talk shows and though we would check it out.  Well, after 20 minutes of this show we looked at each other and turned the channel.  What a bunch of low life redneck white trash.  Will not watch this show again.  Watched the nights showing of Partners (which was just OK) and then ended the night with Hawaii Five O before going to bed around 10 PM.

This morning I was up at 6:30 AM.  Fed the dogs and gave Vito his Insulin shot.  Read a little of the newspaper before I took the dogs back to bed for an hour.  Got up again around 9:30 AM and got showered and Bo ready for his 11:30 vet appointment to have his nails trimmed.  Bo needs to get out more often because he is a baby when he leaves the house and doesn't have Stella or his puppy friends around.  Cried all the way as we drove to the vet.  I could hear him crying in the back room as they cut his nails.  Not crying from pain, just because he is a big baby.  Stopped off at McDonald's for a hamburger and medium french fry.  If I buy a small fry I get very little with four dogs wanting some as I eat them.  Brought Bo and the food home and shared the french fries with Bo, Stella, Kali and Vito.  Was feeling a little down so I decided to go for my usual walk again.  It is 71 degrees and perfect outside for a walk.  I think of my grandma and animals or people who have pasted while I walk.  It is my quiet time to just think and reflect about how fortunate I am and all the people or pets that have made a difference in my life.  I sometimes stop and sit watching the water go by and talk to them.  Yah, sounds nuts hey?  I grew up in the country, wooded lot and lots of woods, so I love walking in the woods.  This time of year is my favorite.  The animals are busy getting ready for the Winter and the trees are loosing their leaves and so pretty.  When I walk it is MY time.  My time to reflect and think, and sometimes cry.  I sometimes even pretend my grandma, who I miss so much some days, is with me walking.  My grandma walked the nursing home complex she lived in daily up until one week before she died at the age of 98 years old.  So I figure it did her good, it must be good for me too, and it is.  Funny how all the time I talk to the dead, they never seem to talk back, how rude, hey?  Making spaghetti for supper tonight with some salads.  Will spend the night watching last night's Dancing With The Stars prior to tonight's showing.  The show was not on last night in our area due to a Packers football game.  DVR'd the show at 1:30 AM last night when it was broad casted here in Milwaukee.  Will start it when Tony gets home from work so he doesn't miss the show, which he loves also.  So tonight will be a full night of Dancing With The Stars. 

September 24, 2012 Monday Afternoon

Spent Friday night watching the movie The Avengers.  It was OK.  I am sure if you like comic hero's one would enjoy the movie.  I shy away from movies like this usually.  Went to bed around 10 PM after a little lovin.

Saturday morning we were up at 7 AM.  Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot.  Spent the morning reading the newspaper and doing things around the house.  Got Tony to leave the house around noon so we could use a gift certificate at the Italian Community Center and have lunch.  We have had this gift certificate hanging on the frig for over 6 months and thought since it expires next month we might as will have lunch on it.  What are the odds the place would be closed for the one day to have the carpets cleaned.  Ended up going to another restaurant, one owned by Ryan Braun.  Had a nice lunch but was a little expensive.  I have a hard time paying $12 for a hamburger.  After lunch we went to the MSOE museum.  This weekend Milwaukee is holding it's annual Doors Open event where buildings and places you always wanted to go in and never can, are open to the public.  The roof top of the museum has all these statues you can see from the ground.  So it was somewhere I always wanted to see and we did indeed go to it.  Here are a few pictures from up on the terrace looking over the Milwaukee skyline.

As we were leaving the building the police had the road in front of us closed and we were told that President Obama was about to drive by so we decided to watch.  Here is a video of Obama's motorcade driving by us.

Once the motorcade drove by and the road opened we drove home and spent the rest of the day watching season 6 of Weeds.  Got through episodes 1 through 8.  Still have 3 episodes to watch at a later time.   Went to bed around 10:30 PM.

 

Sunday morning we were up at 6:30 AM.  Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot.  Decided to take Tony's mom out for breakfast, so we drove to the south side of town and picked her up and went to breakfast.  After we dropped her off at home we went to Hobo to look at kitchen counter tops, pricing them for a future project upstairs in the rental unit.  Ended up buying a bunch of crap we didn't go there for and came home.  Spent the rest of the day watching TV on the DVR before ending the night watching the award show on ABC.  Did the lovin thing and went to bed around 10 PM after the award show.

 

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, cleaning and some small projects.  Made some tomato soup for lunch and took a nice hour nap with the dogs on the bed.  It is in the mid 60s today in Milwaukee.  The sun is out so if your in the sun it is warm enough with a jacket.  It was in the 40s when I woke up this morning.  We did indeed end up turning on the heat this weekend. 

September 21, 2012 Friday Afternoon

Yesterday around 4 PM, as usual, I threw out some carrots for the rabbit.  A little while later I saw the big rabbit come eat the carrots so I threw out some bread.  I little while later the big rabbit called out the baby bunny from the brush and they sat there eating bread so cute, mom and baby.  A little while later I saw the big rabbit go into the back garage so I think the nest might be in there.  Glad I told Tony he couldn't store a car in there this Winter.  Spent the night watching TV from the DVR.  Watched a couple episodes of Long Island Medium, Hardcore Pawn and All The Right Moves.  Right before going to bed I notice a black and white cat out front in the bushes.  I tried to chase it away but it just hid under the Cadillac in the front yard.  Went to bed around 10 PM after a little lovin, paying the cat don't eat my baby bunny.

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.  Read the two newspapers I receive daily and downloaded a couple movies to watch later.  Left the house a little before noon to have lunch with the guys.  On the way to lunch I was at the corner of Humboldt and Capital at a stop sign ready to turn when I notice a smashed car right next to me, smashed into the bridge cement wall.  I then notice someone running towards the car so I put the car in park, put on my flashers and ran to help the guy in the car.  The accident must have happened seconds before I pulled up to the corner.  The other guy got the drivers side door open, I opened the passenger side door to help the guy.  A lady then ran up and started calling 911.  Soon more people arrived and when I saw the police car behind my car I figured it was time to move my car.  The guy in the car looked hurt but I could do very little now that the police had arrived.  Drove around the accident and fallen light pole and went to Baker's Square to have lunch with the guys.  Had a great lunch as usual.  Laughed my butt off at lunch which is why I love lunch with the guys.  Walked next door to Culvers to buy a quart of the flavor of the day.  Came home and spent the rest of the afternoon listening to music with the dogs snuggled next to me.  Will make some salads and a frozen pizza for supper tonight.  No plans this weekend and since the weather is not going to be good I think we will spend most of the weekend watching TV, hopefully watch last seasons episodes of Weeds I downloaded as the season unfolded.  Suppose to be in the 60s and rainy most of tomorrow and not much better on Sunday.  Sounds like a good weekend to snuggle with the dogs.  Will most likely have to turn on the heat tonight since it is getting cold at night here in Milwaukee.

September 20, 2012 Thursday Afternoon

Spent last night watching X Factor and then switched over and watched the Big Brother final.  I was very happy my man Ian won Big Brother and that Dan did not win.  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.  Spent a little time reading the morning newspaper before I decide to go back and lay down in bed.  Half hour later my mom called and after we talked for a half hour or so I got up and showered and started the day, again.  Went to my board meeting at ARCW around noon.  Had a good meeting and was home by 2 PM.  Spent the rest of the afternoon reading an Advocate and Out magazine that have been sitting here for a week waiting to be opened and read.  Made some salads and will make a couple TV dinners for supper tonight.  I do not feel like cooking so a TV dinner will just have to due, hopefully Tony had a big lunch.  Will most likely spend the night watching TV on the DVR while I DVR Glee to watch later.  Today started in the 30s and is in the mid 60s right now.  The sun feels good and I have no problem with temperatures in the 60s. 

I have another baby bunny.  Man has this warm Summer screwed up nature.  Rabbits should not be having a litter this late in the season.  When I was working in the back garden area the other day I looked and could not believe the little baby bunny I saw about 5 feet away.  It is no bigger than 5 inches.  My baby bunny from the spring must have had babies already.  Yesterday I threw some carrots out like usual around 4 PM and when I saw him come out of the bushes I threw him some bread.  I hope there are more and most likely there are.  I do like knowing the rabbits feel safe in my back yard garden area.  These little babies will have to grow up and bulk up fast if they are going to survive a Wisconsin Winter. 

September 19, 2012 Wednesday Afternoon

Spent last night watching the Barbara Walters TV Special.  Watched the last hour in bed snuggling under the warm covers since it got cold last night in Milwaukee.

Got up this morning at 6 AM.  Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot.  It was in the 30s when I woke up and slowly got warmer as the day went on.  Went grocery shopping in the morning.  As I arrived home Tony was here with the truck bringing a new recliner he got from a customer.  I just about lost it because we need another piece of furniture like a hole in the head.  It is a nice recliner but where the heck does he plan on me putting it.  Much less, why did we need it?  Spent the afternoon rearranging the furniture to make room.  Since I was moving things around I brought in the plants from the outside porch.  I hate doing this because they take up so much room in the house.  I wish they would just die but they keep living and they are all from funerals of Tony's dad and brother, so I have to try to keep them alive, and they keep living.  Changed out the screens and windows on the back outside doors, downstairs and the upstairs deck door.  Now I can keep the doors open to get some light and not get the cold air in the house.  Making frozen Oncore beef patties, beef rice, and a salad for supper tonight.  Will spend the night watching X Factor and then the Big Brother Final.  I am hoping Ian wins, liked him from day one.  Suppose to get to freezing again tonight and the weather going forward does not look very good, drizzle and in the 50s or 60s for the next week.  Yuck!   Been working on the back yard the past few days also.  Here is a picture of the back yard from the upstairs deck looking down on the path / sidewalk I made when we changed around the back yard gate and fence.

September 18, 2012 Tuesday Afternoon

Spent last night watching the movie Perfect Sense and then Revolution on NBC.  The movie Perfect Sense was good enough and had an interesting plot.  Revolution we though we would watch the first show and see going forward.  I was not impressed and don't think it will make it on my weekly DVR schedule.  Went to bed around 10 PM.

This morning I was up at 6:30 AM spitting in the sink.  Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot.  Spent the early morning reading the newspaper and cleaning around the house.  Cleaned all four ceiling fans which needed cleaning bad.  Went to Walgreen's around 11 AM to buy some sale items.  Walked next door to Cousins and got a cheese steak sub for lunch.  Laid on the bed for an hour listening to the new CD by Carly Rae Jepsen.  I do like it.  Gave it two listens and will listen again soon.  It is very dance oriented so it is something I would like.  Didn't sleep while I laid on the bed.  I honestly just feel safe and warm while looking around at the four dogs laying next to me, two under the blanket and two at my pillow.  I do enjoy my nap time with the dogs.   I look at them and feel I am very lucky to have them.  Made some salads to go with the ribs and mac n cheese I am making for supper tonight.  Will most likely watch the ABC Barbara Walters TV special tonight.  It was in the high 40s this morning and we made it to the middle 50s during the day.  Cloudy and windy which made the air very cold considering the nice hot weather we had all Summer.  Guess Summer is coming to an end fast.  Might even have to turn on the heat tonight since it will get in the low 40s or high 30s tonight.  I even put the flannel sheets on the bed today. 

September 17, 2012 Monday Afternoon

Friday night we spent the night watching the movie The Cabin In The Woods.  It was a very good horror movie.  I do like horror movies and this plot was different.  Went to bed around 10 PM after some lovin.

Saturday morning we were up at 7 AM.  Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot.  Left the house around 10 AM to go to Home Depot and then a dog walk at the Bayview Street Festival.  Traffic was so bad getting through Milwaukee due to a fundraiser walk that we ended up going right to the dog walk since it started at 11 AM.  Saw all the cute dogs in costume and walked around the festival for a while.  Went to Home Depot on the way home to buy more walking path blocks.  It hit me that the path I made was not going to work when we got three feet of snow and I need to shovel a path.  I would need more of a sidewalk type path.  So we spent about 60 dollars in path blocks and loaded them in the monster truck with 6 bags of sand.  Came home and spent the afternoon working on the pathway walkway.  Finished working on it around supper time and thought I had done a pretty good job until I sat back and looked at it, much less walked on it.  Figured I needed more sand and another 10 or so path blocks to do it right.   Went back to the Bayview Street Festival after we fed the dogs to we could get some food and listen to the bands.  Spent and hour or so at the festival and headed home.  Spent the night watching the movie Gown Up Movie Star.  It was OK but would have been mad if I paid movie theater prices to see it.  Went to bed around 10:30 PM after some lovin, DVR'ing Saturday Night Live to watch later.

Sunday morning we were up at 7 AM.  Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot.  Made bacon and pancakes for breakfast.  Left the house around 11 AM to go to a car show fundraiser for the Sihk Temple shooting victims.  Lots of cars at the show.  Drove home the long way and ended up back at Home Depot to buy more sand and path blocks.  Came home and I spent the rest of the afternoon working on the pathway while Tony watched me.  Pulled up everything I had done and started over.  By supper time I had it finished and was much happier with the way it looked and turned out.  Ordered some lasagna, cheese bread and salads for delivery for supper.  Spent the night watching the movie Hold Your Peace.  Another OK movie but not great.  Went to bed around 10 PM after some lovin.

Today I was up at 6:30 AM.  Fed the dog, gave Vito his shot, and got Tony off to work.  Was outside working in the back yard doing landscaping and moving things around by 8 AM.  Moved one of the car bumpers out of the rock garden and along the fence line.  It was so nice outside today and I spent very little time working in the back yard doing landscaping this Summer due to it being so very hot.  Made a bowl of tomato soup for lunch and took an hour nap with the dogs.  But the time I got up the rain was just about here so I got the leaf blower out and got rid of as many leaves as possible before the rain wets them down.  Making a meat loaf, corn and mashed potato along with a salad for supper tonight.  Will most likely spend the night watching a movie.   I am hesitant to start watching the new show called Revolution tonight, but will most likely DVR or watch it to see if it is worth investing our time.  The rain is suppose to bring much colder temperatures for tomorrow.  Suppose to be in the 50s all day tomorrow before it warms up a bit for the rest of the week.  I don't mind since I plan on spending all day tomorrow cleaning and doing laundry.

September 14, 2012 Friday Afternoon

Spent last night watching some shows on the Internet and on the DVR before watching the America's Got Talent Final.  Was glad to see Olate Dogs win the million dollars.  Before we watched AGT we watched a web series I found on the web called Husbands.  You can google it and watch the first season as well as the first three shows from season 2.  It is funny and very gay oriented.   About a famous gay baseball player that get married to his boyfriend in Vegas on a drunk weekend.  Reminded me of the Hangover in a way.  We also watched the first two episodes of The New Normal.  Now I was not thinking I was going to like this show.  I LOVE THIS SHOW!   If you haven't seen or watched it try to find the first two episodes and then watch it on Tuesday nights on NBC.  The grandma of the lady having the baby is so funny.  She reminds me of Archie Bunker from All In The Family.   Such a bigot and so politically incorrect.  It is now on my DVR to tape the series each week.  Ended up going to bed around 10 PM after watching Texas Car Wars.

This morning I was up at 6:30 AM with the runs.  Not sure why, must have caught a bug.  Fed the dogs, gave Vito his shot, and got through the morning.  Met Tony to have lunch with the guys.  Had a great lunch as always.   Came home and rode my bike up to the new bike store on Center Street.  I bought a new seat for my bike last Saturday for a dollar at the shop during the street festival and used that as an excuse to go up there and see the hot guy that runs the shop.  He was very nice and put the seat on my bike and talked for a while.  He is half my age but so handsome.  Rode home on the new bike seat which I like because it is bigger and fits my fat ass much better.  LOL.  Took a nice long walk along the river since I have not for a long time.  Stopped a couple times to just sit and watch the river flow.  Tried to catch a cat I saw but it wanted nothing to do with me.  Poor thing, won't survive long in the woods down by the river.  Pet owners can be so irresponsible.  Speaking of irresponsible, did any one else see the 40 pound over weight dog on Live With Kelly and Michael?   Poor thing.  It didn't get that fat for any other reason than a bad parent.   It could not even walk across the stage.  Thankfully it's new owner has it on a diet and plans to have it loose the weight slowly.  Will end up just making some salads for supper tonight and a side to go with it for Tony.  Will spend the night watching a movie or last night's Big Brother, Glee or X Factor that is on the DVR.    There is a dog walk at a festival tomorrow we will most likely go to to get out of the house.  Should be a nice weekend.  Today started in the 50s and warmed to the 70s by this afternoon.  Should be the same or a bit warmer all weekend according to the forecast.

September 13, 2012 Thursday Afternoon

Last night Tony got home from work around 5:30 PM.  Ate supper and got him in the shower by 6:30 PM.  When he got out of the shower he looked at me and said 'if you want some you better get it now before I fall asleep'.  So, of course we did the loving thing.  Spent the rest of the night watching Big Brother, X Factor and America's Got Talent.  I do like Britney on X Factor.  Glad she says it like it is and is hard on the contestants.  I hope Olate Dogs wins America's Got Talent.  If you haven't seen the Olate Dogs go to YouTube and search for the video of Olate Dogs on America's Got Talent.  These dogs and the trainers are amazing what they did in the act.  Got my mom to watch it this morning when I spoke with her and she called me back to tell me she was in tears watching the happy dogs.  Went to bed around 10 PM.

This morning I was up at 6 AM.  Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot.  Made a ham sandwich and packed a lunch for Tony since it is going to be a rainy day and he can just stay at the shop and not worry about what to have for lunch.  Tony and I left the house at 7:30 AM to drop Vito off at the vet for his day of glucose testing.  Of course they wanted to do so many more tests and I had to put my foot down and say no.  The bill would have been close to $400 with all the blood work they wanted to do.  Since Vito is doing fine I figure the glucose test is all he needs and that will be close to $200.  Tony dropped me off at home after we got some breakfast at McDonald's.  Ate my bagel and threw it up as I ate the last bite.  Next time someone says having HIV and taking a few pills is all there is to this disease remember me and the fact these pill fuck up my stomach so much I have to throw up a few morning a week.  Won't even go into the morning cramping which welcomes me each day.  Since it is cloudy and drizzling most of today I felt like doing very little, and did just that.  Took a nice nap with the three dogs, not having to worry if Vito was falling off the bed, due to him still being at the vet.  Took a shower around 2 PM and shortly after got a call I could pick Vito up at the vet.  He was so happy to see, or should I say, hear me.  Total vet bill $195 today.  But he does have nice short nails, LOL.  Vet said he is doing great, continue the 5 units of Insulin with food and see them in June for a regular check up.  That news I was happy to hear.  Drove Vito home in my arms.  When he got in the door he pretended he was a big dog and growled at all the dogs as they sniffed him.  Have very little energy today so I made a couple salads and will just make a frozen pizza for supper tonight.  Will spend the night watching another round of Big Brother, X Factor and the final for America's Got Talent.  I will be DVR'ing Glee also.   It is in the 50s today and raining.  It was in the high 80s yesterday so this is quite a temperature change.  I don't mind the 50s, great for sweats and a sweatshirt. 

September 12, 2012 Wednesday Afternoon

Last night we went out for $1 tacos, rice and beans, and of course a strawberry margarita.  Came home and spent the night clearing the DVR for the new TV season about to start.  Watched a couple episodes of Long Island Medium.  This lady is awesome.  If you haven't seen her do her thing you should check out the show on Sunday nights on TLC.  Watched the other night's Big Brother episode and went to bed around 9:30 PM.

This morning I jumped out of bed at 6 AM to spit and eventually throw up in the sink.  Damn, haven't had to start my day like this for a while.  Could it be the Mexican food or margarita?  Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot.  The vet called a little after 8 AM to remind me Vito goes in for the day to have his blood monitored on Thursday.  Have to drop him off tomorrow morning at 7:30 AM and pick him up later in the afternoon.  Will set me back about $160 unfortunately but it has to be done seeing he is diabetic.  Went grocery shopping at the upscale Pick N Save in Shorewood.  Came home and turned on the air conditioning because it is getting into the high 80s today.  Hopefully for the last time, tomorrow the forecast is in the 60s and rain.  Took a short nap with the dogs.  Funny story, last night when we went to bed and I opened the gate to the bedroom Stella ran into the bedroom and claimed her spot in the middle of OUR bed, not her new one.  Guess she needed a night of daddy hugs because she snuggled in between both of us all night.  Just wish she could learn to sleep long ways like a human rather than sideways kicking us all night leaving each of us a foot or so on each end of the bed to sleep on.  Stella napped on her bed this afternoon so I assume she got the lovin she needed last night.  Making a two layered cake right now.  I usually don't go to this extent and just make a pan cake but I thought I would try something different.  Yellow cake with chocolate frosting.  Now I just have to wait for the first layer to cool so I can frost it.  Making Tony some fried left over spaghetti from the other night with a salad for supper tonight.  I will most likely just have a salad and a TV dinner.  There is a lot on TV tonight so we will be busy watching Big Brother, America's Got Talent and the start of X Factor tonight. 

September 11, 2012 Tuesday Afternoon

Tony was home from work by 4:30 PM, exhausted and in pain.  Gave him a pain pill and told him to relax while I finish supper.  Ate and spent the early evening watching the movie Just Go With It.  It was a good enough movie downloaded, but would have been a little disappointed paying full price at the theater.  Dragged Tony to bed around 9 PM and he fell asleep immediately.  I was up watching TV for another hour before it was lights out and sleep time.

This morning I was up at 6:30 AM.  Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot.  Left the house around 8:30 AM for McDonald's breakfast and then Home Depot to return a couple items and buy the two bundles of shingles we need to finish the Car Port.  Had someone help me put them on the cart and rolled them into the truck when I got to the car.  They are very heavy.  Went to Walgreen's on my way home to pick up a prescription for Tony and some tea he likes that is on sale.  Came home and rolled the shingles out of the trunk and started finishing the shingling.  Got it done in about an hour.  Funny how long it took Tony to shingle.  I do appreciate his hard work but I do things so much faster without resting or breaking every few minutes.  My motto is 'get it done'.  Happy with the way it all turned out and just had to put another coat of water proof on some boards, which I did.  Ate the extra burrito I bought at McDonald's for lunch and then laid down for an hour listening to music.  When I got up I figured I still had the grass to cut and did that quickly, dragging the lawn mower around the block to get to the front grass.  Saw another rat today.  Yes, I said rat.  Been seeing them and did kill three a few weeks ago.  Guess there is one left and I saw it go behind the pond bricks.  Figure he is living under the pond so I put some rat poison in the hole he went in.  I will get this little rat if it is the last thing I do.  If I don't he might eat into the pond liner and I will wake up to an empty pond one day.  Lets not even think of the fact that babies will lead to more rats.  So I have to kill them.  Gave Kali a bath while I showered.  I am now dressed and just will relax the rest of the day waiting for Tony to get home.  My body aches from the work I have been doing lately.  I think we will walk up the block for $1 tacos since I don't feel like cooking supper today.  It is in the 80s today in Milwaukee.  Thankfully there is a nice breeze and not humid.  Here is a picture of the finished Car Port.

 

I think it turned out great.  Only took me less than a week and a total cost of about $600.
All day today the noise has scared Vito to death.  The construction across the street is at the point where they are bring huge dump trucks of dirt.  Every time they empty them the back door gate slams and the noise scared the hell out of Vito.  That and the water company digging up the street again in front of the construction.   Here is what it looks like now, the Day Care is gone and the land is being leveled for the next step.

September 10, 2012 Monday Afternoon

Didn't slow down much over the weekend, working and playing hard all weekend, add that to last weeks construction of the Car Port, and my body is tired and aches.  Here how the weekend unfolded.

Friday night we spent the night watching the two part movie Coma.  I must admit I liked the original much better.  Went to bed around 10:30 PM after a little lovin.

Saturday morning we were up at 7 AM.  Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot.  The day was reserved for the big annual Center Street Festival.  Tony donated to the car show and when I asked him if he was putting the monster car in the show he said 'no'.  I reminded him that he is a sponsor and it would be great advertising to have a car or two in the show.  I got in the shower and in no time at all Tony was telling me he was going to the shop to wash and put 3 cars in the show.  What?  From none to three and the event starts in an hour?  He went to the shop and called me a little before the push cart race (which is the best part of the festival) and asked if I could pick him up where he dropped off a car and drive him back to the shop for another car.  I did just that, but was not happy due to the Push Cart race about to start.  Tony found a way to get the other two cars over to the show and soon joined me at the Push Cart race.  It is so funny.  Hardly any rules and anyone can enter.  Here are some of the the better pictures from the race.

Here is a picture of the cars Tony entered in the car show.  More arrived after I took the picture of his three cars.

Had a great time at the festival, going up to it, eating, having fun, coming home to be with the dogs, going back to the festival, and on an on all day.  The festival ended at 7 PM.  We were tired and brought some food home from the festival and called it a day around 5:30 PM.  Spent the rest of the night watching the movies High School and 1313: Night Of The Widow.  High School was the better of the two. 1313 was the boys in briefs series and just pretty bad to be honest.  Went to bed around 10:30 PM after a little lovin.

Sunday morning we were up at 7 AM.  Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot.  Since we played all day on Saturday today was back to the Car Port and finishing off the trim, rain gutters, and shingles.  Stopped off at McDonald's for a Big Breakfast and then to Home Depot.  I had the gutters, just needed the clips and trim and shingles.  Well, that came to close to $200, so we are now up to about $550 on this car port.  I put up the trim and rain gutters, painted and water proofed some trim boards, while Tony nailed down the shingles after putting on the tar paper.  Funny story, the first row of tar paper he put down was all set and a big gust of wind came and blew it off including the roll of tar paper.  I had to stop and help at that point.  Tony spent all afternoon until about 4 PM nailing shingles, until he ran out of shingles.  We will need two more bundles at least to finish the roof.  Here is a picture of Tony working on the Car Port roof shingles.

By the time we finished working on the Car Port we both were exhausted and every bone in our bodies hurt.  Made some steaks on the grill with a salad for supper.  Spent the night watching the movies Safe and Safe House.  Half way through Safe House we got bored and tired and went to bed, exhausted and in pain.  Went to bed around 9:30 PM after a little loving, again.

This morning I was up at 7 AM.  Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot.  Spent an hour destroying the couch in the bedroom.  It was too big and we had such a hard time getting it into the room the only way it was coming out was in pieces, which it did.  Had fun destroying it.  My plan was for Tony to come home from work around 10 AM, which he did, so we could go look and most likely buy a small Love Seat I saw on Craigslist for Stella.  Yes, you read that right.  We have, or should say at this point had, a big red couch in the bedroom that had arm rests about a foot long on both sides, taking up way to much room in the bedroom, for Stella.  Since the couch is for Stella so we can have room on the bed at times, we didn't need such a big couch and I had been looking for just the right small Love Seat.  Found one and we went and got it.  Came with a matching chair which is now in my living room for the time being.  Not sure if I am keeping or have a use for the chair.  The Love Seat works and looks great in the bedroom and hopefully Stella will like it enough to sleep on it rather than the bed, sideways, like she does.  Here is a picture of the Love Seat we bought on Craigslist today.  I would not have picked the colors, but since I planed on covering it anyway it is fine.  Here is a picture of it.

Small, but functional for Stella to sleep on. 

Spent the afternoon cleaning around the house and making room and the new furniture.  Making spaghetti tonight for supper to reward Tony for all his hard work and jumping to do things when I ask.  Spaghetti is his favorite food and he could eat it 7 days a week.  Will most likely spend the night watching TV.  Tony told me already several times how much pain his body is in so I am sure he will be sleeping on the couch by 8 PM.   It is in the low 70s today and sunny.  Woke up in the 50s but it warmed up fast with the sun.  I love this weather.  Spring and Fall are my favorite Seasons.

I can honestly tell I pushed myself way to much this past week, I feel it in my body, and it is not a good feeling.  Have a feeling I will need a few days of rest.

September 7, 2012 Friday Afternoon

Spent last night watching Big Brother and then the Democratic Convention.  Went to bed around 10:30 PM.

This morning I was up at 6 AM.  Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot.  Read a little of the morning newspaper and then showered so I could start the day.  Went to McDonald's for a breakfast burrito and then to Pick N Save to get some milk and fresh produce.  Came home and since it was about 9:45 AM I called Tony to see if he could come get me and go get the 4 x 8 foot sheets for the roof on the Car Port.  Tony was here in 10 minutes and we got the wood we needed.  Was able to put up and secure 6 of the 8 sheets before I had to clean up and meet the guys for lunch.  Had a great lunch.  Tom give he a shout out to let me know how your doing.  Came home and put up the last of the 8 sheets of roofing and screwed them all down.  By this time I was exhausted.  The week has definitely caught up with me doing all this hard labor and work.  Total cost so far is about $350 and I still have to shingle the roof.  Here is a picture of what it looks like today, ready for shingles.

Looks pretty good, hey?   Put all the tools away and laid down on the bed for an hour.  Couldn't sleep so I got up and took another shower and got a load of laundry started.  Not sure what I am making for supper tonight, it will be most likely a light supper consisting of a salad.  Will spend the night watching a movie or two before going to bed.  Tomorrow is the big street festival on our cross street.  Always a fun festival and the weather should be OK.  It stared out today in the 70s with drizzle, cleared up for the later part of the morning and early afternoon, and now the cold front came through with some rain and it is 62 degrees.  Coldest it has been for a long long time.  Have a great weekend everyone, I am off to the couch to rest this tired old body.

September 6, 2012 Thursday Afternoon

Around 4 PM yesterday afternoon I was watching the continuing demolition of the Day Care building and foundation across the street when I noticed water shooting up into the air.  The work stopped as they looked to see what happened.  Guess someone forgot to turn off the water so when they were digging out the foundation they hit the main water pipe.   The water company tried for over 2 hours to get it shut off at the street without any luck.  The water sprayed out all night.  Spent the night watching Big Brother and then the movie The Lucky One.  It was a very good movie.  Sweet and loving movie you just want to watch snuggling in your husbands arms.  Well, that would have been nice but the four dogs dept us apart.  LOL.  Went to bed around 10:30 PM after watching Clinton speak at the Democratic Convention.  Wow, what a great speak from Clinton.  I even called my Republican father today and asked him if he saw Clinton's speech.  He did and was impressed also. 

This morning I was up at 6 AM.  Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot.  The water company was digging the street up by 7 AM to stop the water shooting up in the air across the street.  Took them about an hour to get it shut off.  Was outside working on the Car Port by 7:30 AM redoing some of the head boards to make way for the 13 2x4x12 foot treated wood Tony would buy and bring home this morning.  Went to McDonald's around 9:30 AM on my way to ARCW to pick up my monthly prescriptions and food from the pantry.  Came home and in an hour Tony was here with the wood I needed.  Spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon putting up the roof supports across the 20 x 10 foot Car Port.  Damn those treated boards are heavy.  Was finished with what I wanted to get done around 2 PM and then spent an hour on the couch in pain.    Here is how it looks as of today with the roof supports all screwed down and ready for the sheets of roofing. 

Hopefully after lunch with the guys tomorrow Tony and I will pick up the 8 4x8 panels we need for the roof so I can get them in place tomorrow afternoon.  I figure I wont get much done this weekend because there is the yearly Center Street block party this Saturday and we will most likely be at that all day, not working on the Car Port.  I honestly am impressed with how fast and good I can get projects like this done.  I got to tell you though, I sure am in pain from the hard work I am not used to anymore.  I also don't have the strength I had years ago.  Making a beef roast, baked potato, green beans and a salad for supper tonight.  Will most likely watch Big Brother again tonight followed by the Obama speech at the Democratic Convention.  Thankfully the pain pill I took about a half hour ago is kicking in.  The Day Care building across the street is totally gone and now they are just leveling the land for the next step.  There is still a little debris left from the building, but I am sure it will be gone by the end of today.  The noise is unbelievable from the truck sand work.  I will get a picture tomorrow after all the trucks hopefully clear out.  Today it was in the 80s.  Hotter than I would like when I work on a project, but as long as I drink a lot of water and have a towel to dry myself off here and there, the work continued. 

September 5, 2012 Wednesday Afternoon

Spent last night watching America's Got Talent and then the Democratic Convention speeches before watching a little of the news, doing the lovin thing, and then to sleep around 10:30 PM.  That was the plan until the thunder storms kept Vito barking and growling for another hour and I had to hold him so he wouldn't jump off the bed at every clap of thunder.

This morning I was up at 6 AM.  Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot.  Got up early since I had the Car Port I am making on my mind.  Tony left for work with instructions to return home after he got the guys working so we could go buy wood for the frame of the Car Port.  Moved the light on the side of the garage to make room for the roof and head board before Tony returned home around 9:30 AM.  Went to the lumber yard and bought the wood I knew I needed.  Tony helped me put of the header board on the garage and then went back to work.  I spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon making the frame.  It is a work in progress and I am no carpenter.  Here is a picture of the frame as it stands today. 

Now I just have to buy the support beams and sheets of roofing boards, and then shingle the roof.  Hopefully tomorrow I can talk Tony into taking me back to the lumber yard for the rest of the materials / wood I need to finish this.  It is for his car by the way since he has an old car in his garage space.  I am exhausted and just took a half of pain pill for my back.  I am getting to old for this kind of work and am not the man I used to be.  It does feel good to know I can still do a project like this.  Tony will have to help with the 4 x 8 sheets of wood roofing when I get to that point.  I will not be able to lift them onto the roof by myself.  At that point it will turn into a two man project.  It is sunny and in the 80s today in Milwaukee.  I bit humid but not horrible.  The Day Care building is now gone, only the clean up of the building left.  The noise is deafening and I hate to think I will have to listen to this construction noise for months to come.  Why couldn't they do this when it was so hot the windows were closed?   LOL.  Not sure what I am making for supper tonight.  Will have to throw something together since I figure we will stay home tonight.  I forgot to mention yesterday morning the plumber did come to replace the main water valve only to tell me he thought it was fine and didn't need replacing.  Saved me the major expense but still cost me $68 for coming to the house.  Also I have to vent about the 'fine' job our Governor Scott Walker is doing running our fine state.  He gave the more than 1500 Milwaukee County workers furlough days the last two years to help balance the budget.  Well, the courts ruled that was not fair and now we have to pay the workers for those days even though they didn't even work them.  The cost to us tax payers as a result:  $4.5 million, $829,299 being interest.  Wow, nice move Scott Walker.  Sounds like the workers got a few weeks more vacation that year.  Oh, did I mention that is just for the year 2010.  They still need to settle it for the year 2011.  The 1585 county workers will each receive an average payment of $2843 for the unpaid furlough days, THEY DID NOT WORK.  I swear the Republicans are wasting more than saving.  Heck, the voter ID law has cost us millions of dollars in legal bills and got overturned again.  What a waste of money.  I think I will move to another country if Republicans win in November. 

September 4, 2012 Tuesday Afternoon

Tony got home from work on Friday night around 5:30 PM.   After we ate supper we went across the street and rummaged through the half demolished Daycare building.  Got a couple sinks and some door closers, everything else was pretty much been removed.  Spent the rest of the night watching the movies Attack Of The Herbals and Some Guy Who Kills People.  Both movies were entertaining enough and we went to bed around 11 PM after a round of lovin.

Saturday morning we were up at 7 AM.  Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot.  Tony went to the shop in the morning to cut the grass while I did some cleaning around the house.  Took a long bike ride in the afternoon and ate at Culver's.  Rode all the way to Estabrook Park and back.  After we fed the dogs supper and gave Vito his shot we met Tony's sister at the St. Francis Festival.  Had a great rib dinner and listened to the bands until around 9:30 PM.  Headed home and watched a little TV before going to bed after a little lovin.  Watched the movie What Happens Next.  It was a great movie about a 50 year old guy just coming out.  Very sweet movie and I recommend it.

Sunday morning we were up at 7 AM.  Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot.  Went to George Webb's for breakfast.  Spent the day watching TV, napping and lovin.  Made some steaks on the grill for supper with a salad.  Spent the night watching the movie What Happens Next, which was pretty good.  Went to bed around 10 PM.

Monday morning we were up again at 7 AM.  Did the usual morning routine.  Decided to go to a car show we thought was on the south side of town.  There was no car show.  Ended up driving back home and going to Builders Square.  I decided I was taking down the metal car canopy for the winter and am building a car port next to the garage out of wood.  Something that can withstand the winter.  It will be a big project, but I spent the weekend planing it out and what I need to build it.  After we bought some path blocks at Builders Square we changed the pattern of the gate in the back yard, placing it in the middle so that the car port can go next to the garage.  Took all afternoon to re landscape the back yard.  Was dripping wet when I finished since it was so hot and humid outside.  Spent the night watching the movies Darling Companion and Knock Knock 2.  Darling Companion was the better of the two movies.  Went to bed around 11 PM.

This morning I was up at 7 AM.  Fed the dogs and gave Vito his shot.  Spent the morning taking down the metal car canopy and then painting new lines in the back parking area so that everyone knows the new configuration and where to park to make way for the new car port I plan on building later in the week.  Spent all day working on the back parking area coming back in the house to towel dry the sweat off me since it is in the 80s and very humid today.  The Daycare building across the street has one wall left as I type this.  It will most likely be down today and the clean up will continue tomorrow.  Making some chicken breast sandwiches and soup with a salad for supper tonight.  Will most likely spend the night watching TV since Tony will come home hot, tired and sweaty from working in the heat today.