House of Cards

Yesterday I said I might be drunk.  Today (last evening) there was no "might". 

I'm in bed, well after hours, barely drafting this as everyone says "goodnight".  We had an incredible dinner and drank and played Cards Against Humanity to hilarious results. 

I did not come close to winning, except for the fact that I have the best husband in the world, along with the best friends. 

This could be a longer post, but you know..........alcohol. 

Song by: Mary Chapin Carpenter

Invincible

This is what 60 looks like.........I guess. 

I should have put on my aviator glasses and gone full '70's porn guy. 

While I used portrait mode and the 'high key light mono' setting, I used no filter per se.  What you see, is what you get. 

The image you see in my blog (upper right corner) is from 2007?,  Or 2006? Am I duping people into think that's who I am, or that's what I look like? 

I'm not a big fan of most of my pictures, which is why that one remains. I like it. And honestly, I don't have a better one with which to replace. 

I'd say I buried the lead, but it's on the top line. 

60. 

I turned 60 on Sunday. I took that picture on Sunday. Somewhat memorializing the aging of a blogger. 

However my head is angled, I'm guessing an endocrinologist would say I have a thyroid issue going on with my neck......or where my neck should be. Hopefully it's just an angle.......and / or lighting.  And you know, NOT a tumour. 

I took the goatee down to a stache. I do that once or twice a year and usually immediately regret it. Not yet, but I'm not feeling it either. I'm a hairy dude (save the head) so if I want to grow a beard and goatee, I just have wait four days. 

Anyway.  60. 

I don't really feel that different. I'm sore, but I'm an old man who runs a lot Things are bound to ache. I probably have to pee a little more in the middle of the night than I used to. My metabolism has slowed. But that might be where it ends? 

I say this now and again - I never expected to live this long. Honestly. 

I think the same can be said for my friends and my doctors too. When cancer and / or a toe nail fungus can't take you down, you're kind of invincible.  Ironically, it took a lot longer to get rid of the guy that Lamasil tries to murder than it did to cut out most of my femur. 

60 should bring about some huge perspective or epiphany, but so far I got nothing. Maybe FedEx hasn't delivered it yet. I have no words of wisdom for those about to enter this phase of life. I'm not even sure which phase it might be. 

The future is unknown, of course. But for more than half of my life, I have been surrounded by great friends and my husband. Yeah, some family too - but most of it is chosen family. So that part I can confidently say I have, and will. Listen, if I haven't alienated them by now, I think I'm good. 

Through this blog, I've made some good friends as well. Some in person. Some virtually. Some just via email. Some of the bloggers, and friends, have come and gone. And some are gone-gone. Those help you take stock of who remains. And why. 

Like my 50th, I refuse to take my friends for granted. Instead, I manipulate them to come on a trip and hang for a week. More are attending than did a decade ago.  This is great. Maybe we can repeat in another 10, but.......well............it'd have to be a single story residence somewhere with wheelchair accessibility and n the vicinity of a major medical center. 

The good thing is - half of us are in our 60's, and the other half are fast approaching. The first time half of us met, it was at an after hours party. This time we'll all be in bed before 21:30. 

If six decades allows us to get together for these kinds of things, then the age is just a number - and I'm appreciative for it. And to it. 

Of course, I'm hoping there will be cake.  That alone is worth turning 60. 

Song by: Pat Benatar

7

It's hard to believe, but Shep turns seven today.

He is such an integral part of the family it's ridiculous. As you already know, he and his sister hogs 1/7th of each week's blog posts. 

Between the pandemic and us being only semi-social anyway, this guy takes front and center on how we craft our non-work lives. We tell him weekly that he'd never have found a better home. 

And I'm not sure he would have. 

The word 'spoiled' comes to mine. 

He loves car rides so much that he literally meets me in the drive when I get home, gets in, and then we pull into the garage. He bolts from the car to see 710 - whom he saw only 47 seconds earlier - as if Shep has been on a big long trip. 

And we do. Every weekend, it's a trip - somewhere........for him. While I've known that I've needed to lose weight, I'd hate to see how much more would have needed ot come off had we not hiked both weekend days for the last seven years - rain or shine, snow, wind.....you name it. 

I love that he and 710 are so connected. They really are made for each other. That either of them let me play in their reindeer games is enough for me. Actually, we have similar, but different, relationships with Shep. He plays us both like fiddles. 

While we love the "new" house, we really love it for him. We have a fraction of land that we did at the other place, but it's fenced in and the grass is much nicer  He loves spending time out there doing nothing - though will chase the squirrel that runs along the fence, or will join in neighborhood canine conversations over that fence. We are thrilled we can give it to him. 

He is his dad's boy. He's not thrilled with other adult males who aren't my brother-in-law.  I'd say we'd work on it, but we still aren't really socializing with people at home. 

Anyway, it doesn't seem like seven years - well, almost six since we got him. 

Happy Birthday to him. I'd say he'll get a special treat, but that is kind of every day. 

Song by: Prince & the New Power Generation

You're Sixteen

My friend, Jon, has commented on how inappropriate this Ringo Starr song is / was......even back in 1973. I suppose it is, unless he might be singing about his cat, and not the teenager he's trying to bang. 

See, I can say "singing about his cat" because yesterday, Sophie had her Sweet 16. 

It's amazing we got her back in 2006, months after Kylie passed. But Tovah was so lonely - until this monster came into the house. How a 2.2 lb kitten could be alpha to a full grown cat amazed me. 

But Soph is a good girl, who, overall, is in pretty good health, though I am experienced enough to know this time is a critical age area for cats.  

She plays, she jumps on things when she shouldn't. She purrs. But she HOWLS.  Something g-d awful, a sound you haven't heard before. 

We are guessing some kitty kat dementia maybe?  I know she knows where we are, but she will just HOWL.   .....and at times you'd really rather she didn't. 

Since just past kittenhood, she's always been Rubenesque. But in the last 18 months, she is down to what a cat should weigh - about 9lbs. It's hard to see her and think she isn't thriving because she isn't chunky, but I have to tell myself it's a new phase. 

We monitor her food intake and box output, just to ensure all systems are semi-normal. 

Most importantly - and for the most part - she gets along with her brother. He rarely sees her as prey anymore, which is good. 

Still............16. I'm amazed and we are lucky she is still bringing us love all these years later. 

Song by: Ringo Starr

Hounds of Love

Yeah Yeah Yeah - Earth Day..........blah blah blah. 

More importantly, today would have been Petey's birthday. His 20th. 

I still think of him often. It's hard not to. His low-key attitude and his cuteness opened 710 up to having a dog, as he'd never had that experience. 

And it was a good number of years we had with him and when we no longer had him, 710 wanted another dog. 

Some point in our Petey-dom, I swore we'd never get another hound. Stubborn. Food driven. Stubborn. Slow when they want. Rebels. Flight risks. And of course, stubborn! And cute as fuck. 

As it turns out, we are hound guys. I'm not sure we'd get another breed, but who knows. 

The day we "lost" Petey, we ventured to a park we'd never been before. Now, we go to that park several times per month with Shep. The squirrels are not happy about this, but Shep loves it. 

I do love Shep to death, but Petey will always hold a special place in my heart. He wasn't as affectionate or interactive as Shep, but he was my heart. 

Earth Day indeed. Petey made Earth much better. 

Song by: Kate Bush

Birthday

Time passes too fast. In theory, I know it's the same increments, but perhaps I'm just feeling the sand slipping to the bottom half of the hour glass. 

How is it that Shep is already six years old?  well..........yesterday he was. 

Oh, I know we haven't had him for six. It still a few weeks away that we've had him for five years. Still, it hasn't seemed this long, but the days are ticking away. 

He's no longer a puppy - obvi. He no longer wakes at 04:30 to go out and sometimes I have to pry him to get him to go out on our a.m. walk.  Anymore these are not as necessary.  He can hold whatever he has to - and due to not being able (currently) to leave him at home a few days a week, he goes to daycare Monday through Friday.  He can poop there, should he need 

I'm not thrilled with five days of daycare. But now that 710 has been called back to the office, Shep hasn't been alone in 18 months. Almost never left alone in this house more than an hour or two. 

And we love our dog walker, and she loves Shep, and Shep LOVES her. I want to keep her employed. But she gets his separation anxiety. In the old house, it was somewhat manageable, with an apartment above the garage. He could get into little trouble there - though he did pull up the vinyl flooring in a fit of rage (?) one day. That doesn't fly in this house. 

His walks have slowed down too. It's not longer go-go-go-go-go-go-go.  I mean, as much as hounds do that between sniffs.  Now, he tires more and stops to rest on his own. To the untrained eye, he's still very active - and he is. But we notice subtle differences. 

Still - he was THRILLED to see me at pick-up yesterday. He got hugs, kisses and an extra dentastick after dinner. He doesn't know it's his birthday, because he's treated like a king every day. 

Song by: Kim Wilde

15

Sophie turns 15 today. 

Hard to believe. She's been with us more than half the time we've been in Cleveland. 

Soph has been a mean girl to her big sister and "accommodating" of her two brothers over that decade and a half. But he's been a full time love to her two dads. 

There is no aloofness with her, as she is very much a pack animal in this house - and we wouldn't have it any other way. 

She is 15, so she has slowed down. There are no longer leaps from place to place and we have Kitty Kat Staircases® in a few rooms, which she uses expertly.  The ottoman's magically move if she wants to from chair to sofa - as long as one of us are in the room with her. 

And she is a talker - always has been. We call her Yellie. 

I'd say she'll get extra love from us today, but I'm not sure that is humanly possible. 

Song by: Rilo Kiley

Song for a Good Son

Even I, Blobby the socially inept, know that one is not supposed to play favourites with your kids. But I suspect everyone does it. 

I have adored every single pet I've ever had, or had the pleasure of knowing - except for one of Meredity's cats. Horrid creature, she. The cat, not Dith. 

Today would have been Petey's 19th birthday. 

I fell in love with Petey when he was eight weeks old and belonged to my sister.  I loved all the dog she had, but Petey had a special place in my heart. I can't tell you why exactly - he just did.  

9+ years later, we would take him in. Love him. Care for him. Nurse him. And love him some more. 

710 says he was the perfect starter dog. And he was. Especially for 710 who never had one before. Don't get me wrong, for years, it was a lot of work tending to his conditions, but we wouldn't have had it any other way, as we knew no one would have cared for him more. I dare say, even my sister and her family. 

Sure, I could have put 3-4 kids through college on what we spent on him, and it was still worth it. 

Pete was as low key as could be, but ever adorable. He made us hound folks. I do love most dogs, but it is doubtful we'd own anything but a hound. 

I believe Petey made us better people. While I don't really care for children all that much, I get that you put your kids first and make them the priority. We did that with Petey............and now Shep. 

Yeah yeah - we love and loved the cats, and treat them with the same reverence, but........it's different and you know it. 

So, I've been thinking about him lately, as we lost him around this time five years ago, followed closely by his birthday. 

A few more parting shots. 

Cuteness abounds on his stacked beds. 

Partners in crime. 

Sophie would loathe to admit it, but she loved Petey. If it weren't for his constant / violent sneezing and such, I think she would have slept next to him more than she did. But he was an old man, with old man attributes......and she has her limits of what she'll put up with. 

Anyway, happy birthday to my boy. 

Song by: the Bangles

Century

Had my father lived, he'd have been 100 years old - as of yesterday. 

Today would have been my mother's 92nd.   ....you know, had she lived. 

I don't have any words of wisdom about this. Oddly, I'm more surprised that in one form or another, I think about each of them daily. 

Maybe only for nanoseconds, but it comes up. I don't think it helps that on a daily basis I walk the dog past a house where my father lived when he was five-ish. 

If I wanted to annoy my mother, I'd tell her I was a probable mistake. If I wanted to piss her off, I'd mention my little sister was a definite one. 

710 and I mention longevity often. I've mentioned it here too. Both sides of my family live into their 90s - and above. This does not bode well for me. I have zero desire to live to that age. 

There was an interesting article a few weeks back about a man who wanted to live only around to 75. He stopped doing colonoscopies, prostate screenings, flu shots, pneumonia vaccines et al, and let nature take its inevitable course. 

All-in-all, it's not bad planning. It's controlled (to a degree) expiration. And it would certainly beat being 94 and all alone.

That all said, I came across a bunch of pics my grandfather took in 1920-21. 

My father was their first born. True to his nature, the picture mentions the hospital, the room, the date. Not a word about his newborn son or even his wife.  My grandfather, by most accounts, was kind of a dick. Even as a nine year old, I knew it. However, I've had corroboration. 

In the past, this is the evening we'd get together - for my parent's birthdays. Last year, we did it with one of my sisters. This year, again, it will just be 710 and myself. Perhaps we will go stand on my sister's driveway, as it has been months and months since we've seen each other. But before that, I'll drive over to the cemetery just to check in on both my parents. 

Song by: Feist

Four

Just a little post to wish Happy Birthday to my Bestie!

It's hard to believe our little guy isn't as little anymore. We haven't had him three years yet, and here he is turning 4.  There are days I swear we've only had him a month or two, and then times when it seems like he's always been with us.

While I loved Petey (and you know I did), Shep is a little more high maintenance. He gets us out - every single weekend - come rain, shine, snow, sleet.  We have never seen so many parks and dog parks. There have been days where we hit three.

Shep is good for us and I have to say, he's got quite the life.

So, I'll let doggie daycare know it's his b-day.  Maybe they'll do something special for him. I'm sure we will.



Song by: Lit

So Far

My mom turned 90 yesterday.

I'd say it's a big feat - and it is - but with a brother who was 97 and another who made it to 100, I guess in her family 90 is under achieving. Though she has passed both her mother and father's stay here by almost 20 years....so far.

As always, we gathered for her birthday.

I wasn't so sure it would happen. This has always been at my parent's house (my dad's birthday was the day before my mother's).  Clearly, this year would be new.

I reserved a room at her independent living facility. We went back and forth of having it there or at my sister's, who lives nearby.  As she should, my mom made the decision:  my sister's it was. Deep down I worried about that, but said next to nothing - I was trying to appease my mother's limited independence

The evening was nice, but nothing over the top. It takes a lot of energy to get my mom out and about - and then back to her new place again. I know she wants to do these things, but she and us and still gauging her limits - and we don't have it down yet. I fear she overdid it. 

We assumed she'd tire out after an hour and we'd be home in two. While my brother-in-law picked her up, 710 and I took her back. With travel time and dinner, it was a five hour outing - something we didn't really plan on Shep being at home alone*.

If I'm being honest, a few times this last year, I wasn't sure she'd make it to 90. I'm pretty sure she felt the same. Of course we were hopeful, as we will for the upcoming year.

90.  Ugh.  I am here for the long haul as well, I fear.



*he wasn't alone alone. Sophie was there too. 



Song by: Matthew Sweet

Birthday

Today is Shep's 3rd birthday.  I'd say we'd celebrate today, but we celebrate every day.  He lives a pretty charmed life, If I say so myself.              .....and I do.

710 took this amazing pic of him this last Sunday while I was out and texted it to me.  He didn't even use Portrait mode.

....and yes, Shep is wet, having just come from the brook.

So happy birthday to my little man!




Song by: Kings of Leon

One Hundred Years

I've "joked" that I am not getting out this life anytime soon.  Both sides of my family have longevity.  Too much so - it could be argued.

This last weekend my uncle celebrated his 100th birthday!

That's pretty incredible.

Clete is my mother's oldest brother. His kids - my first cousins - are semi-considerably older than I. Tim, the youngest, is 16 years my senior. The oldest is maybe 25 years older than I.  Their kids are closer to my age.

His children - the three remaining - were present.  11 of the 18 (?) grandchildren (my second cousins) were there. And an unknown number of great grandchildren were in attendance as well.

I was the only one from my side of the family to attend.  I RSVP'd since I assumed I'd be taking my mother - but she wasn't feeling 100% and it was 95F out. You cannot take an almost 90 year old out who weighs about 80 lbs out into that kind of heat. So I went as her representative. .....and I do like my cousins who I do not see all that often.

I'm not 100% sure Clete knew who I was. He does have dementia, and even if he wasn't aware, he played along with things like he knew who I was. He certainly seemed to know why everyone was there.

(Yikes that shirt needed to be readjusted!)

Still I had some good conversations with my second cousins - and some more adult ones with my first cousins, though most of them revolved around them asking about my mother, which was fine.

I took a number of pictures for my mother. 

Clete was funny.  He told me he was going to make another lap of 100 years.  g-d love him, because I'm not even willing to do the full century.


Song by: the Cure

12

Birthday Girl.

My iPhone had to pop up the reminder, but Sophie turns 12 today!!!

....at least that's what Rescue Village told us her birthdate was. It's probably totally made up, but it's made us feel good and provided a connection.

Sophie - formerly known as Fabiano (not even Fabiana) - came to us all of 2.2 lbs.  She was somewhat of a talker, but we encouraged it. Actually, we probably over-encouraged it. She talks all. the. time.

While we loved Kylie and Tovah - Sophie is a very very very affectionate cate. There is zero aloofness about her. She must be around at all times and attention must be paid.

.....and it is.

When we took Petey in, the entire thing was contingent upon Sophie being ok with it.  True story.

I'd love it if she were one of those cats on the internet that snuggled with the dogs, but she is not that cat.

If Sophie liked tuna or wet food, she'd get a special treat today, but she is not your typical cat, so it will just have to be extra pets.

So Happy Birthday to HRH Sophie.




Song by: the 1975

One of Two

Two.

Shep turned two yesterday!

He's now a dog, no longer a puppy.  ....though going by his wilding two nights ago, you'd never know it.

I wanted to do it up for him. Go to Pet People and get a doggie cake for him, and put a candle in it.  Oh, and a new toy.

But folks, that takes planning. Leaving work at 18:15 doesn't really lend it self to running a few miles out of the way.

We will make sure he's treated right though.

Shep religiously gets dinner after his late afternoon / evening walk.  In my book.

In 710's version, he gets dinner exactly at 18:00. Or so I just found out.

So after our walk, Shep goes to his bowl, as one might imagine. But since it's a big day, he got some wet food. He wasn't chomping at the bit for it, but that's when I found he had already gotten dinner.

Some hound!

Petey wouldn't have scarfed it all down if it were his 33rd dinner of the night.  

That's him up there getting his 2nd dinner.


So this weekend, we will make sure he gets extra attention, which to him means extra extra extra extra extra attention.

...and maybe a new toy.    As if he needs another.



Song by: the Bangles

Brother's Keeper

So yesterday was 710's birthday. Save for work, it was a grand time, though nothing super special was done - per his request.

A few years back, I've spent more birthdays with him than I have not. That means, per his lifetime, the majority of them he's celebrated (or not, as the case may be) with me than without. Not a bad maker.

Apres work, we went out to dinner. A nice place, but not a new one. It is what 710 wanted, and that's my job. He wouldn't let me get him anything, so just a nice dinner was on deck. That's ok with me.

Dinner was great. But the best part was the two people you can't see clearly in the picture. They intrigued me to no end. Both had the exact same hair 'do.  ...and not a flattering one.

Whomever their SuperCuts "guy" was, they styled them just the same: ala Flock of Seagulls minus the mousse.

Poor 710. I could barely keep his gaze and I made him turn around - several times - to look.

And then the woman next to us. I just wanted to lean over and say, "have you ever consider having your adenoids taken out?".  Instead I just killed the bottle of wine we had ordered.

Oh yes, It was a Tuesday and it was the third day in a row of drunk. I'd say Rebecca and Morty weren't even there, but 710 was emailing Becky while I Sammy Jo'd* it.

Afterwards, we stopped at the grocery store for a few provisions: i.e. cake. There is this cute-ish kind of cashier there. As 710 was paying, he eye'd us up and down and goes....."so..........are you two brothers?"

While the line was amusing, his delivery made me laugh, not just on the way out of the store, but in the car and on the entire drive home.

...and it wasn't just the wine making me do the laughing.


.......I think.



*to toss back the rest of your drink, they way Heather Locklear's Poor White Trash character on Dynasty (Sammy Jo) would consume alcohol. 



Song by: Aimee Mann

Two of Us

I know, deep down, that I have to start stopping Petey posts. I get it.

But yesterday was Earth Day - like that's anything!  It would have been Petey's 14th.  That is way way more important, in my books.

So with just a quick glimpse of him, here are Petey pix.

Lounging in my sister's kitchen. 

Stacking beds. He would never allow Boomer to have his own bed, so he took them both. 

 The ever-present tongue. The softest in all the land. 

My Man

Song by:  the Beatles

Little Sister

Sunday I attended a birthday party for my uncle. He turned 95.

95 !!!!!

Normally, I'd say, "isn't that something?", except for the fact that his 97 year old brother was in attendance. That is something.

My almost 87 year old mother - their sister - hosted the shindig.

For the record, neither the 95 or 97 year olds drove to the party.

My father died when he was just shy of 94. His mother when she was 94.

For long time readers, you might have remembered all of this. So these two brothers comprise my mother's side of the family, and you just saw my father's side.

So, as I've said in many previous posts, I'm not getting out of this life early - at least unless I'm visiting Paris, Mali or Belgium.

My remaining three cousins were there - all of them with some of their kids.....and then some of their kids. Yes, my first cousins on both sides of my family are considerably older than I am. Their children are my age.....hence the reason they have their own kids.

The morning and afternoon were ok. Like any large event, I probably spent a few minutes with most guests, though I did seek out my second cousin, Louise, to sit and talk with her and her husband.

Some of these second cousins are in their 50s, though most in their 40s. And still they have at least two grandparents alive. How is this possible? Granted - I might have been, as Morty's mother called him, "a pleasant surprise" (and my little sister a downright accident), but most of my grandparents were dead by the time I was 13.

Overall, most of those cousins are a nice bunch, though if the conversation turns to politics - and it usually does - I find another group of people to gravitate towards.  Or worse - at least three in attendance are police officers. Good men, for sure, but talks of "right or wrong" in policing that come up just could go south fast. I will say - one of them had a little talked about perspective on policing and the current climate, but more for that at another time.

And g-d love 710 for putting up with all of them, I must say.

Still it was an amiable afternoon - and I made it through without one drink. And I think that was the holiday miracle!

And here is a picture of my mother and her brothers.




Song by: Dwight Yoakam

Head for the Hills

We are in the woods.

This weekend we are in Hocking Hills to celebrate Becky's birthday.

It was supposed to be a surprise, but we will see if that happened.

Yes, I'm drafting this days ahead of time. We will have gotten here Friday afternoon, so the 'surprise', if there is one, will happen then.

I fear the 'surprise' is that her husband is taking her to the wood for her birthday. I'm not saying all surprises and pleasant.

My sister, who kind of hates everything, loves Hocking Hills, so I feel pretty good about going. But Morty and George will be there all weekend - in the same 'cabin' as us, so all is right with the world.

Worse case scenario, we can hole-up with beer, wine, popcorn and cookies. Alas, there is no wifi, so.......

And can you believe they don't allow dogs on site?  At a state park?  It would have been so much fun to have Petey and Georty's dogs in the same place.

I'm sure details - potentially photos and / or video - are to come sometime this week. Assuming we haven't all killed each other. But we've made it this long as a group, so I think we can manage a weekend - even if it is fueled by alcohol and no wifi.



Song by: Herzog

Card Cheat

It's no biggie - but yesterday was the birthday.

Normally, I don't even care to write about it much, but it's nearing midnight and I don't have anything planned or drafted - so you get what you get.

It is a day I don't really care that much about one way or the other. I'm happy 12 of 12 lands on the 13th, as it saves me from it to a degree. Yes, I'm getting older, but really, what is the alternative?

While it's not a 'milestone' birthday, I mean, after 50, aren't they all? I'm vertical, so that's something.

I'm 52.  Fifty-fucking-two.  I've said it before and probably will again - no one expected me to live this long, let alone me. But now I'm in it for the long haul.

Or as a friend put it to me yesterday - you're now a "full deck".  I had never heard that phrase before, let alone related to age.

Well, I suppose it is true, but that leaves out the Joker - and isn't that the irony!

For me, the day was nothing special and I was glad 710 did little to make it that way. We did go out to dinner and we invited my mother, who was very excited for the invite and accepted very quickly - which makes me glad we asked her to go with.

She was quite talkie, which was good. It was a nice night out for her, which it made it good for us. While I invited one of my sisters, I'm kind of glad she had other plans - though I didn't know I'd be glad about it at the time.

Another year come and gone, and I'm ok with it.

The bonus of the day is talking to people I might only chat with a few times a year. A text from David G (who now only remembers the day thanks to FB, though I will give him credit, as on August 1 he texted me to wish me a happy birthday knowing he finally got the month correct). A call from my friend Doug in Chicago - as we are separated only by three days in birth. A card from Jon - who is always scarily reliable about that.

In the big picture though - nothing to see here, except for another round and another shuffle.


Song by: the Clash