I'm A Heartless, Cruel Wife!

A few days ago Bill got off the phone with one of his lawnmower buddies and said, "I don't want to go to Florida. It takes about 24 hours to get there, then you're racing for two days and come right back."

Now, no one was saying he HAD to go, but he had a few friends that were making it sound tempting. And after almost 20 years of being with Bill, I know that if he out of the blue says "I don't want to," it usually means we DOES want to!

So it was no surprise when I got home yesterday and his first words were, "I've decided to go to Florida!"  After teasing him a bit about his Florida "vacation" and how I deserve one so much more than he does, I told him there were just a few things he needed to do before he went. He needed to line someone up to plow the driveway and shovel the ramp for me if it snowed while he was gone, because I can't afford to be trapped here and can't plow or shovel myself. The second thing was someone needed to get the trash can out to the road Sunday night or Monday morning, because there again I'm physically unable to do it. And the third thing was,he needed to find someone to exercise his dog every day. I do the best I can, and sometimes he misses a day of walking, but there's no way I can handle him if he goes six days straight without a walk!

Tonight he told me he "can't" go because he'll never find anyone to plow the drive or walk the dog. I can't believe it, in this economy? This morning half the vehicles I saw driving through Harrison were trucks with plows on the front! I'm sure at least ONE would be willing to pick up an extra customer for one weekend! The same with Jerry - - he is fun to play with, for someone who is familiar with big dogs.

So I guess I better be ready to hear him say over and over again that the reason why he's not going is because "my wife won't let me go."  This is so unfair, because I don't care if he goes or not! I'm so used to him being gone, I rarely miss him anymore! But I think it's unfair of him to keep gallivanting off having fun with his friends and leaving me in dire straights like this. He NEEDS to start taking my safety into consideration! How can anyone with any kind of brain at all think that this behavior is in any way okay???? I just don't understand him at all, how he can be so thoughtless and so resentful when I point out the obvious to him!

Rescued! Is My Favorite Breed!

I've always wanted to do work with pet adoptions; work with a rescue group or shelter in some way. But with my physical gimpiness and my immune deficiency, it wasn't very feasible. If I put myself in a position to be knocked down, bitten, generally be in contact with an infected or diseased animal or its feces, I was just asking for trouble.

But last summer I joined a Facebook group called Rescued! Is My Favorite Breed. Basically they had some cute designs and slogans for tee shirts and bumper stickers, and if a particular rescue group wanted to use their products as fundraisers it was a match made in heaven. If you bought a certain minimum number of shirts, they could even design one specifically for your rescue group.

I thought the designs were pretty cool, so I ordered shirts for my kidney walk team, to set us apart from the other walkers. Also I helped them update their national directory in December, and spread the word to California rescue groups about their latest sweepstakes, yay me.

Today the group started making new pages for each state and signing on admins, so naturally I volunteered for the Michigan page! So I've found a way to promote animal adoption and be involved in pet rescue without putting myself at risk! Feeling pretty good about myself today!

Volunteer Success!

Over the past week, I did some volunteer social networking for "Rescued! Is My Favorite Breed" regarding a sweepstakes sponsored by Woofsticks. The winner was to receive a Woofstick dog toy package and the rescue group of their choice was given $200. The winning group was one that I contacted and heard back from a few nights ago, yay me! If I thought Cooper or Jerry would play with a Woofstick, I'd order them one in celebration!

Boots

I am so mad at Jerry today I could spit! This morning he ran out the doggie door with one of my boots, and I had to go out in my robe and slippers to retrieve it. Later while I was busy doing laundry, he stole the OTHER boot, and dropped it in the deep snow near the fence. Cooper went out and sniffed it but did not bring it in to me. There is nothing in the house I can put on my feet to wade through the snow to fetch it, so there it sits, being snowed upon, waiting for Wild Bill to get home from work tonight. I gave him so much attention yesterday and today, and this is how he repays me! Meanwhile, the first boot is in my bathroom, door closed, laying on its side next to the heat vent. Maybe some day it will dry.

Notice: I'm Not The One Burned

In my dream this morning, I discovered that Mom and Dad had bought a cottage in Sugar Springs and never got a chance to live in it, or tell us about it. I drove over to check it out and found Michael Westin (of Burn Notice) and Fiona there, but not Sam. I knew who they were because I follow their exploits on TV, but they didn't know me; alas, they'd never read my blog or followed me on Facebook! About the time I discovered the two "intruders" in my vacant cottage, they were realizing Michael's secret hiding place (the cottage) had been "compromised" and the terrorist villains were on their way! I look in a file cabinet drawer, the cabinet being the only piece of furniture in the whole house, and luckily there's my dad's handgun. I am free to carry this gun with me because I am now familiar with Michigan's Open Carry Law. (Nevermind that the gun is not registered to me, it's a dream, remember?)

Michael and Fi left in a hurry in their Plymouth Fury (go ahead, say that out loud, it's fun!), leaving me behind to deal with the bad guys. When they surrounded the cottage and pounded on my door, I decided to mistake them for potential buyers of the cottage, and that the Michael Westin they were talking about must be a realtor, but no realtor had contacted me. "I only just now arrived, you see, and until about a day or so ago, I didn't even know about this house...are you interested in buying? It's been empty for a long time, so I'll make you a good deal on it...."

Later, I'm in a bigger city, and I come across Michael and Fi again, still running from the bad guys. I invite them to come with me into a nearby highrise building, where I'm about to look up a new dentist. After all, who would look for Michael Westin in a dentist's office, with his big white perfect teeth? 

I must have started waking up then because that's all I can recall about the dream's events. But I had my "old" body back, the young, lean, fit body I had all through my 20's, plus a self-confidence I have NEVER had at any time in my life. I was confident in my looks, in my shooting ability, in my running speed and endurance, and my ability to out-think a bad guy. This dream was almost as good as the dreams I used to have about my ability to fly!

Pet Peeves

Gimps on the beach!

I heard some really great news for northern Michigan beach lovers this morning. The Disability Network of Northern Michigan (I'll have to look into this group) has made it possible for Clinch Park to add mats to their beach to allow wheelchairs and walkers to go right to the water's edge! The network is also providing wheelchairs that go into the water and float. I'm sure I'll never make it to Clinch Park, since it's in Traverse City. It's too far away for me to go on my own, Bill would never "waste" his precious time off from work to do anything I might enjoy (more on that some other time), and I don't have anyone emotionally close enough to be that would be willing and able to make the trip either.

But still, maybe this will catch on in other places! I can still remember when most of the scenic beauty of the Huron National Forest was lost on everyone but the most athletic.