Surprise, Surprise

So last night, Huck returned the favor and cooked dinner for me.

From scratch.

It was Chicken Fajita Salad and it was awesome!

A girl could get used to this.

JB Approved!

Huck came to my house for the first time last night. 

I was nervous because I feel like the house is never clean enough. I warned him several times as he drove over that the house was a wreck and I do not have the Neat Freak Ninja Cleaning Skills that he possesses.

"I just want to meet this cat I keep hearing about"  In that he meant JB.  When I am on the phone J thinks that I am talking to him and "answers" me in a series of weak mews. Sometimes he will get right in my face, like he is trying to talk too.

"I doubt you will ever see him. He is really skittish. He hid from my mom when I went to North Carolina and he hid from Cyn the whole time I was in Florida.  Really, he doesn't do new people well at all"

When Huck gets to the house,  JB slinks along the wall to make his usual dive for the "The Chair" the moment he walks in the door.  "See, I told you"  that's as much as you will ever see of him"

Huck calls to him and JB sits up to see who is calling his name. I could not believe it. Slowly, and with little hesitation,  he creeps back to us. Amazing! Huck crouches and offers his hand for inspection. J stretches his neck out to smell the tips of his fingers, front paw poised in midair. Then he relaxed, presenting the top of his head to be petted. I could not believe my eyes!

J runs from the kids when they visit and he grew up with them! And here he was letting a stranger touch him!

He purred loudly as Huck stroked his back several times. Then what actually happened next was nothing short of miraculous.  J turned in a little circle then flopped over, presenting his vulnerable belly to be petted as well.

Huck grinned and looked over at me, all the while stroking the soft white fur of J's belly.

"I think I'm approved" he chuckled.

Really......You have no idea.

Too Busy To Write

Sorry. I have been too busy to write, but I will catch up soon. I have to write about my trip to North Carolina for the Divine Miss M's wedding and the family trip to Florida.

Tonite I made creole stew for Huck. He LOVED it! He ate three bowls!!

I promise I will write more soon

~EnJOY!

Happy Belated Birthday Little Brother

Yesterday was my little brother's birthday.
He turned 44.

This picture is from 40 years ago.

Happy Belated Birthday Partner!

How Sweet.....

Huck is so sweet I just can't stand it.

He told me yesterday that he had missed me while I was gone. HE MISSED ME!

Not because he had no gas money while I was away, or because he needed me to buy something, or bail him out of something, or for me to pay for something.

He also said that he was looking forward to seeing me tonight.  He had said that, while I could pick where ever I wanted to go, he didn't care if it was just a burger joint, as long as he could see me.

Really, I have never been treated so good by anyone, besides LG.

Yeah, you will be hearing about this one again.

Thank You Random Walmart Stranger

This has been a rough week. I spent the past week in North Carolina preparing for the Devine Miss M's wedding. But I will get to that story later. While I was away, Dooder called to inform me that yet another old school chum had died. His funeral was today and that fact was on my mind as we rolled back into town at 2:00 a.m. this morning.

This particular friend had been a been our high school drum major, a leader in my circle of friends. I had many memories of him. He was just a year older than me. Best friend of my high school boyfriend, he had ridden shotgun on many an adventure. We ate breakfast at his house before school nearly everyday my sophomore and junior year.  He was tall, handsome, and very smart. He was one of the first people that I knew who had a home computer. He was very musically talented as well, playing trumpet, mellophone, and French horn. I am told his descent into mental illness and prescription abuse led to his eventual death. Despite only having had only a few hours of sleep after the nine hour drive in from Durham, I had to attend the funeral.

On a related note, my favorite "most expensive shoes ever" made an unexpected detour to Georgia with one of the bridesmaids. That changed what I had planned to wear to the funeral home. Going with my my tried and true black sheath dress, pearls and the "second most expensive shoes ever" that are not as comfortable as the MESE. My hair was still pretty decent from the wedding yesterday (thank you for a great curly cut), all I had to do was jump in the shower and head out.

There were several former band members.

After attending the service. I had to run to into Wallyworld to stock back up after my week away.
 I usually start at the back and work my way toward the front. Then all I have left to do is check out.
Standing in the produce aisle for a bag of kale, a man. mid-to-late walked up to me.

'Excuse me," he said. " but I need to tell you that I think you are just stunning"

I stood there, bag of kale in hand. poised over my cart. Mouth agape, I looked behind me to see who he was addressing.  He continued.

"It is nice to see a woman who knows how to dress herself. Women don't know how to dress properly anymore."

I could feel my face flush, but I did remember to say thank you. A woman wearing a ratty tee-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops passed between me and the produce case. His eyes followed her.

"Its nice to see a woman dressed like a lady. I just thought that you should know."

With that said. he walked away. 

I had needed that little ego boost and I know that I stood up a little straighter as I made my way to the check out.

Thank you random Walmart stranger.
You definitely made my day!

A Little Meloncholy

Today would have been my sixteenth wedding anniversary and I am a little melancholy. Not because D/H is gone, but because his absence is a glairing reminder of my failure.

The last few days helping with preparations for the Devine Miss M's wedding have taken me back to making preparations for my own wedding.

 Looking through my wedding album this morning, (the only day I have allowed myself to do that) I am misty-eyed. I had worked so hard to make sure everything was perfect. But did I focus on the wedding so much that I missed making sure that my marriage was fireproof as well?

I am a bystander for this event and happy to do whatever I am asked.  My own wedding was much different. Doing nearly everything by myself, getting sick and loosing my voice the day before the event, the kindergarten graduation delaying rehearsal, decorating the church and finding that a dear church lady had showed up to add little touches just for us.

There were little things that went wrong that I had to shrug off.  Little things that no one realized went wrong but me. The church taking down the modesty rail and changing the look of the stage the week of my wedding , how my shoes were suddenly too big, how the pianist booked two wedding for the same day so we had to move the time up, and most notably the sudden rain storm.  Little annoyances.

Probably the most stinging was D/H's biological mother calling to say that she was not coming to the wedding. But her absence lifted and invisible weight from everyone's shoulders, because no one had to deal with her selfish, self-centered antics. (gee I wonder where he learned that) I learned later that it was because she did not like me. Then D/H did the most selfless thing that he ever would do the entire time we were married. He chose me. That decision would lead to a rift between mother and son that last the duration of our marriage.  I am told that she hates the Homewrecker  as well, but is reluctant to say anything about it. "Look what happened last time I said something" she was quoted as saying.

As I think back, I ask myself, was it that I didn't love him enough? But the truth is that he didn't love me enough. He didn't love me enough to stay committed and faithful. There is nothing like finding out that your "fairytale" romance is over and that your Prince Charming was shagging the troll from under the bridge.

But I have come out the other side of this past year in a much better place. Scores of friends have told me how much happier I am now and that they are glad  they no longer have to entertain the boorish, insufferable lout that was D/H. They all sat by, powerless to save  me, mostly from the near constant stress of keeping them all from killing him. Needless to say, they are all glad that he is gone.

I do have moment where I miss him, but they quickly pass now. Moments when I see someone celebrating double digit anniversaries, or see those family pictures at the beach. and the "oh my spouse is so wonderful, look what they did for me."

 D/H was never interested in doing anything, or going anywhere, aside from drinking, sponging off our friends, and making an ass of himself, usually at my expense. But I have already done things in this year that I would never have been done if  I was still married  The ability to pick up at a moments notice and head anywhere, has been very exhilarating. "Why Not' has become my new motto. Friends have come back into my life now,. Friends that had enough of D/H's self -centered antics and just removed themselves from the situation. One can only be manipulated for so long.  I had missed them.

I am certain that I miss my son Tigger most of all.  Looking through my wedding album I look at his little face, so wide-eyed  and fresh with promise. I wonder what this experience has taught him about truly allowing himself to love someone, versus just using them to get what they want. How selfish and shallow, but I have learned over the years that this was the only thing D/H was good at. Using people. I know that Tigger is more compassionate than that.  I hope this hasn't taught him that people are only as good as what they do for you, and then they are disposable.

I had a dream earlier this week. I dreamed that I was actually home on the day that D/H left. I watched, helpless, as he packed his belonging in his truck. I had pleaded with him to talk to me about this rash decision, about throwing away the life we were building together. I stood on the porch, begging him to stay.

Then the most heart stopping part of the whole thing, turning my dream into a horrible nightmare:

He stayed