Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Tyler's first day of kindertarten
August 2006
As usual the bottom of the layout was cut off of the scan but you can use your imagination to see the whole thing!



The Saga of the Skunk

We had quite an ordeal with a skunk in our yard yesterday (Tuesday the 26th). Wayne left for work and called me right away on his cell phone. He said ..."Come out on the front porch...quick!". I got out there as quick as I can move early in the morning and there was a skunk in our neighbor's yard. I asked Wayne if he felt like he would be safe from being sprayed if he drove next door and took a picture. He was a little leary but went down and took this picture. The skunk ended up in our yard and just kind of stayed there all morning. Around noon I was at the computer and heard this loud bang...like a gun shot. I looked out the window and there were two police cars parked in front of our house and they had just shot the skunk. I was hoping that they called the street department to take the skunk away but...no....there it was in our front yard. I ran to the other side of the house to tell Wayne what had happened. He hadn't even heard the gunshot. He looked out the window and the skunk was walking around. I knew he had to be injured after being shot by the police officer so I called the city police and told them I lived in the house where the officers just shot a skunk in my yard. I told the lady the skunk was walking around and they had to have left it injured and not dead. She said..."That's impossible...the officers told me they left the skunk in 2 pieces." I said if that is so then both pieces got back together and are walking around my yard. I told her I didn't appreciate them shooting the skunk and leaving it for dead...it had to be in pain and (I didn't tell her this part) I empathize with anyone/anything that is in pain with the amount of pain that I have ona daily basis. Not long after that the policeman drove up again and Wayne went out to talk to him. He put on his protective ear wear and walked around the skunk a few times and was ready to shoot when another neighbor walked over with a shovel. By this time the skunk was in the street and the officer was worried about the bullet ricocheting and hitting one of them. The neighbor walked up with his shovel, picked up the skunk and put him in the woods across the street. After walking around the skunk a few more times the officer finally shot him again.

My whole point to this story is this...How safe are we when our police department sends 2 officers to investigate an obviously all ready injured or sick skunk and can't even shoot the little animal and kill it? I just have to chuckle at what reminds me of a Barney Fife episode:)

As far as my pain goes yesterday and the days since I wrote before...I am beginning to get all the joint pain again since the rheumatologist told me to go off my methotrexate...the chemotherapy drug used to treat cancer patients. It was really helping the joint pain but my liver enzymes were elevated the 2nd time in 2 months of testing. I don't see her till January 9th and all ready all this pain is coming back..plus the swelling is back too. Last night the pain was so bad that I was actually getting scared of the pain. Sounds kind of funny, doesn't it? I just didn't know if I had the fortitude to handle this again. I had to get on the computer and play a couple of games to get my mind off the pain and it did help to refocus my mind. Before playing the games I took 4 motrin and 2 vicodin and those really helped me also. I will have to keep the motrin in my system the next couple of weeks. What frustrates me is the rheumatologist was hesitant to put me on another drug of choice because of the cost to the insurance company. I told my general practitioner what she said he said to tell her to stop worrying about the insurance company and give me what I need to get me out of pain. If it is appropriate I will tell her what he said. I don't want to make her mad so I'll just see if it can work into the conversation. I was doing so well trying to diet again and when the pain came back I got out some low-fat potato chips and had a couple handfulls. I don't know what there is about eating and pain but I guess eating has been a comfort since I was born and when the pain level is high it is one of the things my brain thinks of to comfort me physically and psychologically.

Katie called me yesterday to tell me a cute Caden story. Caden is Steve and Katie's 2 year old. He saw a picture of Steve, Katie and his older brother, Tyler but Caden wasn't in the picture. Katie was very obviously pregnant for Caden in the picture. Caden said..."Where me?" Katie said see Mommy's big tummy? You are in my tummy. Caden asked Katie..."You chewed me and ate me?" Katie said she had to keep from laughing and explain to him that she didn't eat him. I just love what these little people come up with. It usually makes my day to hear stories like this.

I look forward to American Idol every year that it's been on and it's 20 days from today till we start Season 6. I can't wait!!

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