Pirate Girl

Your Pirate Name Is...

Cannibal Hook-Handed Helen

What's Your Pirate Name?

Sportin' Life

You Are Badminton

You are quite talented but not very appreciated. You are detail oriented, very focused, and agile. You are happy to forsake glory for success in something you truly love.

What Olympic Sport Are You?

Bus Don't Stop Here No More

School has begun, and the Shrieky Sons are settling in for the year. This year Shrieky Son #2 is going to be a latch-key kid (at least we are going to try it). Monday on the first day of school he was ready with keys, phone numbers, etc. He had ridden the bus home before with a neighborhood friend, but this was going to be the big time. He was a little nervous because it didn't know where exactly to get off, etc.

Well ... it was the bus driver's first day too. This bus driver didn't know where she was going. She didn't know where to stop. So she just kept going around and around the neighborhood. She eventually had a total meltdown and started crying. (Hell maybe she should have driven the route by herself before she had to drive a bus full of kids.)

Finally, Shrieky Son #2 got off with his friend, and they went to the friend's house. The friend's Mom said that Son #2 seemed calm; it was her son who was freaked out. Later that night, I asked him if the situation had bothered him. He said a little because he kept seeing his stop go by. LOL.

Fortunately, meltdown bus driver quit, and subsequent days have progressed smoothly.

Underneath It All

The big excitement this weekend happened on Saturday. We were cleaning the guinea pig cage. In good weather that means that we can take them out on our back deck for some fresh air, green leaves, and, yes, even dried dead leaves.

The Shrieky Sons were also on the deck while they were performing the cleaning duties. Shrieky Son #1 was supposed to be watching the guinea pigs. However, he was busy giving Shrieky Son #2 a hard time because Son #2 was moving slow.

Suddenly we realized that we couldn't find Joey. I was afraid he gotten too close to the edge of the deck and was laying down there dead. Didn't find him. Finally, we realized that he had run under the gas grill. We couldn't get to him because the grill was bolted down, and Mr. theshriek was afraid that he would roll over his paws if he unbolted it and tried to roll it.

Mr. theshriek mentioned that we could get Brownie out there (we had taken him on inside), and Joey would come running. Well Joey did all right, but they were both in a position behind the grill that we couldn't reach without scaring them. Brownie got fed up with Joey following him, and he went under the grill. Joey, of course, followed.

Now what to do? We tried pushing them out with a flat board. But, they found a corner where the board wouldn't go. We tried to lure them out with food. Nope. We left them alone for a while hoping they would get thirsty and come out. Nope. Finally, Mr. theshriek decided to take their plastic igloo huts out there. They sleep in these and feel safe in there. That worked. Rescued. They were probably out there for about 45 minutes.

We had just gotten Joey were he wouldn't run from us every time we approached the cage. For the rest of the day, he was darting into his igloo whenever we got anywhere near him. Things were better today though.

Imagine how nervous he would have been had he realized what a grill is.

Virtual Insanity

Last week was almost the week that wasn't. Shrieky Son #2 and I were sick. It wasn't one those too sick to get out of bed illnesses, but we were both dragging around. I think mine went directly (do not pass go) to a sinus infection. Finally on Thursday, both of us went to the doctor where we got the necessary antibiotics.

Out of that week, I only worked 1-1/2 days. It feels like it was a dream, and it feels weird to be back at work now.