Yup, blogging from the iPhone store...

Monday is, as usual, followed by Tuesday. This Tuesday finds me parked in the Apple store. Yep, parked here long enough to read my fave blog intake and to start one of my own.

Technology is a wonderful thing, but, on-the-whole I'm feeling right now like everything including the toaster belongs in the deep end of the swimming pool. Computers to toasters....take it all. You can even have the pump that keeps our 85 gallon reservoir pumped full from the well we get our water from. YOU CAN HAVE IT ALL!!! I'm ready for a mud hut, good company and the absence of that clickety-clack sound that seems to always be the background music for my life these days.

All I want is an iPhone, well, three to be exact... and I wish every one could be as accommodating as the iPhone man at the Apple store...AT&T is giving him the runaround and he's doing his darnedest to at least give me the one that we've owed Attrition for over a month now...YES, I have been trying to add at the bare minimum one line so that Attrition can do our diagnostics via iPhone. And living in Radiator Springs means you have to travel to Timbuktu if you actually want to go into a cell phone store. So, we order over the phone or Internet.

Only to find out after THREE WEEKS that the order had been cancelled.

So, as usual, Thor died his third or fourth death yesterday and I had to carry him part and parcel with myself to Attrition and Mystery's for a laying on of hands. Disgustingly enough, he booted right up. There were some problems but none reproducible. Crazy.

With the phone store right there and all, we decided to kill as many birds as possible with one stone (or maybe half a stone). Anyway, we hit the AT&T kiosk in the Mall....they directed us to the Apple store in the mall. The Apple store could help us with the addition of the extra phone, but they referred us to the AT&T store a little further south on the feeder (where Ninfa's used to be--I was hungry). After Chris (very nice and quick) salesperson got us set up a third of the way at the Apple store, we shuffled off to torture Rene at the Ninfa's location of AT&T.

Just so happened they were out of the iPhone we wanted....

I was ready to hurl.

I mean that.

And I don't hurl easily or often.

It takes us a minimum of an hour to get to an AT&T store and they're not gonna have what they advertise?! EEEK (again with the scrunchy stress face and unintelligible noises).

It's at times like these that I think, "Julia Roberts would not be having this problem."

Of course, she probably didn't go to buy her own phone..

Poor Rene got the brunt of Buddy's wrath over the cancellation of the order (that we had already corrected at the Apple store). We were there to upgrade our own phones...totally different story, so I sent him to the car to commune with his Kleenex box (bad sinus probs. = major grouch) while I spent at least an hour-and-a-half getting things square on our account.

And kudos to Rene at the 303 Sawdust, The Woodlands, TX 77380 store and his manager for accommodating us b/c you guys made my life SO much easier (Sort of. You also make it look like I have magical powers, so Buddy now makes me do all the dealing around here). Also to the FedEx man who, for whatever reason, came early! I walked out with EXACTLY what I needed and wanted!

Nevertheless, the grouch awaited.

Fortunately, we finally made it back to Radiation Springs by way of Squib's dad's house, Attrition and Mystery's (to drop off phone #1), a Citgo station (to peel the sheetrock off the underside of the car that we "had" to run over, the Jack-in-the-Box in Willis (cause I had consumed a Route 44 DP earlier), and the church for sheet music.

All-in-all.....seven hour round trip......geesh.
Scat

Typical Monday...Still Itchy

First of all, right off the bat, the bionic earphone alarm clock did go off...I think I remember that...and then there was pounding on my door at 9 a.m. Drat!

So, I pack up all my techno-gear and head for the office to finish the never-ending project whose deadline is now no longer looming over us, but chasing after us with large, hairy, razor-sharp claws extended and sharp scissor-like jaws gnashing.

Only I found that said president of said company thought mowing a higher priority. That and cleaning the kiddie pool (my job). Thus endeth the rational part of the day.

Did I mention I'm itchy?

Yeah, well, run around in the heat and sweat your keester off and the itchies come back with a vengeance and they come up in areas that weren't even itchy before. Ever. I didn't know I had those parts and I'm a scientist.

So, now I'm itchiER. So, I jump in the shower with my itchy-wash and have at it......and it works sorta.

THEN I go to the office and fire up the primary workstation....and it won't boot up!! This is becoming a regular occurance. So, off to Attrition's I go and here I am. I want you to know that this stupid, ingrate of a workstation booted straight up in spite of everything, so here I sit now enjoying a movie and biting my toungue because I want to curse this machine to you-know-where.

Instead, 24 hours to R&R I guess... R&R are just NOT in my vocab!!!!!

Broken computers definitely are....

Erg...

Totally Itchified

This all started with an armoire.

Or maybe it started with all the books I have that I want to put in the armoire. Egg, chicken, you decide.

Nevertheless, last Monday, Buddy and I decided to go get the armoire out of storage, clean it up, and put it back into circulation. But the house (being designed by a certain member of the Scat family who shall remain NAMELESS) is a logistical nightmare when it comes to maneuvering furniture through it. So, we decided it was best to take it in the "back way" which entailed getting through this twist of vines, brambles (seriously, not just because that's my name), nettles, and what-have-you. Then, past the sand box (and across the Sahara my kids have made) and through the back entrance to the West Wing as I jokingly call it. Easy, right? Just need to trim back the vegetation. No problem.

I didn't think it mattered what color my thumb was or anything like that. I had shears and I was on a decorative mission! So, in the interest of interior design, I grabbed some garden shears and went postal on the foliage blockade. I chopped a nice armoire-sized passage and went about my way. I had a few scratches, but that was nothing compared to what I'd done to those plants, ha-ha-ha!!!!

So, Dad and I hopped in the truck and sped off to the storage building only to find one of those "ha ha you didn't pay your bill" locks on it. Sped home only to hear from NAMELESS that "Oh, yeah, I haven't paid that in months!"

I think I made some scrunched up face with a little eeked out noise, but I can't be sure. It just sounded like waterfalls pounding in my ears and I lost contact with the real world (it had been a VERY long two weeks) for a second or two and came to very quickly when it was suggested that I call the storage owner and "try to work something out." Me??! No-no. I organize, type, count, balance, and general provide a good target for poop-flinging. I don't bargain with the local flora and fauna. NAMELESS pull the deaf card on me. *ooooy*

So I tried. And the whole time, my right arm was a little itchy at the elbow. Found out two things: 1) We were, in fact, several months late on our rent, and 2) The owner was out of town and his 2nd "in charge" would go ahead and unlock the locker when he could get around to it. Translation: Pay me my money and I'll let you in on my own sweet time. In his shoes, I'd probably have said that very thing, but he was, to his credit, in fact, very accommodating, polite, and helpful.

Nevertheless, I was and am and probably will be without armoire until.....well....until I am no longer capable of making these decisions. But I was getting itchier by the minute.

Tuesday and Wednesday passed in a minimally itchy state, but I was goin' nuts...by Thursday, all the scratches from all the work I did outside and under the house had (and STILL have) raised, clear blisters with pink around the base and this stuff gets anywhere that arm touches. It's not like poisons ivy, oak, or sumac and I found nothing in the remaining vegetation that resembled either of the three. Thus exhausteth my knowledge of poisonous or irritating Texas plant life.

I barely made it through the Leadership Summit on Thursday and Friday...this speaks to T's awesome plant oils that she hauls around and the excellence of the summit. But now? Now I'm considering amputation and chuggin' Benedryl like it's sugar pills...got an oatmeal wash that helps for about 20-30 min after a wash (and I think it's helpful in preventing the spread), topical Benedryl, and hydrocortisone....thinking of crawling my little itchy self over to T's for a Claraderm spray (whatever the heck that is). AAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!

I WANT TO SCRATCH AND I WANT TO SCRATCH NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (and I want my armoire)

You can look, but you can't touch,

Scat

Meet the Scats

 

This is Squash Blossom as a newborn. He was just shy of four months old when his ticker needed fixing. Two days later, he was the happiest kid on earth. Just like he had been from day one.One thing both my boys have in spades is 100% committment to whatever they are doing. They get excited! In his early days, he and Mystery (my SIL) spent a lot of time together...that pseudo-maniacal face would come over him every time he saw her! I picked the next photo for the half-crazed look.

And then it EX-PLO-DED!!!!!

It describes the air of wildness, creativity, wonder, awe, gung-ho-ness, and excited experimentation that permeates every Scat household and has done so for over a century. We're way past do-it-yourself here. We're into do it yourself in the most unique, but complicated way you can. Why? Because if you possess the knowledge to, oh let's say calculate the equal spacing of each and every christmas light mathematically, then you should do it!!!! Sneezing can be made complicated! I don't necessarily subscribe to the familial theory of complication, but I do adhere to the experimentation part. And wildness, and my two favorites: wonder and awe. Now that crazed look comes over him when he thinks we're gonna eat as a "westauwant?!!" or if we drive by a "scoop!" or a "lofty!" There are other occasions, but those are just a few.

For those of you who don't know or haven't realized by now what Squib went through in his early life, just look at the size of his head v. her finger (below)! That's a skinny, 5'4" woman with thin fingers...and a three-month-old head. He was a tiny little bugger. Maybe 10-11 pounds at three months when he had one whopper of an open-heart surgery. This is post-surgical, 'cause he actually looks plump and meaty to me and noticeably pink instead of and alien-like grey. To Michelle Grenier and David Morales we are indebted for using their God-given talents to save my kiddo's life. And what a life it is, too!!

After an early bath (not the first, I assure you, but early enough in his days) my young Padawan Learner (below) emerged into his Yoda-style bath robe and I am sure he believes this is a once in a life-time experience every time is happens---to this day!. He always emerges with this same shocked disbelief that anyone would ever shower voluntarily! There's more to come, boy!! Squib learned much on the day of this picture....

Below, Beanstalk and Auntie Scat read a book so Beanstalk doesn't feel so alone while his brother is around. She's one awesome, beautiful woman!!! Beanstalk has a short list of favorite people. A VERY short list. I'm on it. His poppa and Oma and Opa are on it. A selected few others are on it and this wonderful friend of mine, S, is on it as well. She has unabashedly spoiled this child (in all the right ways) since his birth. She's a registered massage therapist and has done wonders to relax him when there was nothing else to do. She kept us company on many, many sleepless nights when we were battling Beanstalk's health problems. And most of all, her prayers and her gentle hands have been with us through thick and thin. What I DON'T understand is why Mr. Wonderful is not knocking down her door!!!! It's something she dreams of and let me tell you, guys, S is AWESOME!!!!! You goobers are SO missing out. Thus endeth my rant :).

P.S. World, with the exception of one, of course, you turkeys just lost out. I warned you. Don't ever say any different. I warned you ALL on 8/5/2009. Guess there is one smart man left on the planet.

Beanstalk also likes to take pics from interesting angles. This is one of many!!!!!! We were introducing a new dog to the apartment and Squash Blossom was still and idea in my belly that made me puke and Beanstalk was King of the Pond and here came Ranger...the dog. Ranger was no dummy. He took one look at the room, settled in on my floor cushion (what a dog) and Beanstalk proceeded to ham it up for the camera. Hanging upside down like this is one of many ways he chooses to view the world from his own perspective.

And below, we have Sprite head! You would or would not like to know that of all the 12-paks, Sprite works best as a hat. Yes, this is a theory that has been put to the test. It makes no sense that Sprite surpasses Dr. P, Coke, or Pepsi in the hat contest, but it does. Be careful, though, because this sort of hat will engulf an entire 10 lb infant, so if you must try the hat on one, please be careful and whatever you do, don't say you heard the idea here!

Here are various an sundry odds 'n' ends photos. Good times!

 

Wiggin' Out at the Scats Old House

 

Scat, Beanstalk, and Mimi

We love dress up and Mystery (Attrition's wife) found her wigs. Yeah Mystery! Squib was a little Ringo Star for me, but definitely we were rockin!!!

Here's Attrition Filming the 60th wedding Anniversary of Baba and Papa.

 

One cool day with a ball....more soccer!!!!!!

After a stint in the E.R. Poor baby SqB sacked out the minute I put him in the seat!
For a while, Squib decided it was fashionable to wear t-shirts around the waist. Just like a long skirt.
It was his own little Hawaiian look....or...something. Like most children he could not be persuaded otherwise.

 

Beanstalk is my own personal shredder. CD's are his faves! One boring morning waiting for school to start, he layed into my CD collection in the backseat before I realized where the silence was coming from.

What my car will look like after the kids are in college!

And, yes, if they want to go to college, I'll probably be living in it, too.

At 4.5 weeks, this "little" girl came to live with us along with her twin bro and older bro. They were 4 and 5 lbs, respectively, but no longer! I was 15 at the time. They've all grown, gotten fabulous jobs, married well.....eveythiing I've wanted for the Scribble family!! But a teeny bit disturbing that the little 4.5 week preemie was there for Alex's birth. Fabulous, but WOW! Mind-blowing!

The t-shirt as skirt concept works only as long as you have another t-shirt to keep your top half warm. I tried to convince him. Tried and lost.

Beanstalk and the ever-present sucker!!!!

Sweet, sweet, sweet green-eyed boy.

And here are both these little monkies today!

2013



Scat