Juel's Journal

Death.

We all know it's inevitable. Most of us put that thought in the 'bottom drawer' and forget about it, or try to. We have our beliefs, most I know are of the Christian faith... and believe in heaven after we pass on. We take comfort in that. We profess faith in that. Yet we keep death quiet, it's as if .. we don't speak of it, we can avoid it for as long as possible.

We don't go out and make little announcement cards for someone who's dying.. like we do for someone who's about to be born. "Helen will be dying soon, we'd sure appreciate it if you'd attend her funeral, the date and time will be announced within the week, 2 tops. A tentative RSVP is appreciated." It's just not done.

The death of a friend's relative is coinciding with the coming death of my aunt Jean this week. His death was a sudden shock to his family, while we've been expecting Jean's for a while now. We were told earlier today to expect it within a few hours. She's still with us but she's in a coma now. Both deaths are sad to us, the sudden one, and the lingering one to come. No matter how someone we love crosses over, it hurts.

No matter our faith. It hurts. Those who go on to leave us behind are going to be missed. There places in our lives are going to be empty. For always. Here. Yes, we'll meet again, and that thought brings comfort. But not right now.

I suppose Elizabeth Kubler Ross was right. We do have to go through the process of grief, all the steps before we can accept and let our loved ones go.

But thank goodness, for those of us with faith. We only have to accept it for a while. Here.

God bless and keep you, Aunt Jean. I love you.

And God Bless you too, George.

We'll all meet (again) one day. I have faith in that.

Little Maegan...

...is like Mallory was. In a big rush to be born. She tried again night before last, and Sarah had to go back to the hospital to have another one of those iv drips that stop labor.. and when everything was okay again, they sent her home. She came here to stay awhile, to rest and just lay around, just to be on the safe side. Maegan slow down child, there's plenty of time.

Sarah had printed out some worksheets for Mikyla.. her alphabet, and she's been trying to teach Mik the sounds of the letters.. and to recognize the letters on paper. She brought them with her to go over them with Mik.

I was listening and got so tickled..

Sarah: This is what letter, Mikyla?
Mik: An A...
Sarah: Very good, now tell me, what makes the "bah" sound?
Mik: Your mouth and tongue.

She cracks me up.

Sarah went on: What sound does a "B" make?
Mikyla: It goes buzzzzzzzzzz.

*laughs*

She's gonna be a straight A student!

Poor Joey da Paowet...

I had him on the porch yesterday, and while I sat there I saw that the new kitten was very interested in Joey. The parrot kept watching the kitten and it kept repeating, "what are you doing?" and the kitten just kept being interested.
I think he wants a piece of Joey da Paowet.

An Inside Joke...

New Kittens!

Sarah brought me a kitten this evening. She's been promising to bring one all week and finally today I told her to stop talkin' and start doin'! *laughs* She called me bossy jis cuz I wanted my kitten!

I've not yet named him. I just got him tonight, I'll have to see what his personality is like before I give him a name. Isn't he pretty? :)

Mikyla's kitten, she says her name is Rainbow.

Mallory's kitten's name is Dolphin, she says. :)

My kitten is gray with white paws, Mal's kitten is jet black, but we're trading, but then we're not, but then we are.. but then we're not. *laughs* She can't make up her mind yet for sure. Either way, one or the other one is mine. I sorty hope I get the gray one. He's got attitude!

Movies

There must be something wrong with me. I don't like movies like Star Wars, or Star Trek, or... Aliens, or ...well anything with to do with outer space is something I just can't watch. If it has "Star" or "Ship" or "Galactica" in the title, I just can't concentrate on them. I don't like them so much, that I can't watch a Travelocity commercial because William Shatner was/is in them. Bleah! They bore me to tears. I've tried, I have...but the best thing I can say of any of them, is that..."Independance Day" was cute... oh Gawd help me I was born without the outer space movie gene!!

As I type this, I'm trying (for the 3rd time) to watch "Darkness". Again...I'm having a difficult time getting into it, though Bonnie insists it's as good as "The Shining." Okay, I can't watch it for some reason. I'll try again later tonight.

"A Series of Unfortunate Events"... to me was like this:
...An intent wave rushed over the sand beneath the early morning sunrise..." What the hell does that mean, what did the wave mean to do? What are you on about?, you ask? Right!!

"Helter Skelter" was pretty decent. I swear the guy who played C.M. looked and acted just like Charlie Manson. Bonnie said that he'd gone to interview Manson to learn how he acted and walked and moved.. Freaky!

"White Noise" I loved it!! The disclaimer at the end, something to the effect, "1 in 12 evp's recorded are threatening." Just wild! I don't know if that stat is right, but I've heard some pretty scary evp's. I really enjoyed this movie.

Mercy for 'Would Be' Child Molesters!

I've been thinking hard about these folks. Very hard. About the molesters, the abusers, the people who just can't seem to help themselves when it comes to hurting children.

Of course, our authorities in all their wisdom here in the good old USA aren't going to let us arm our children with stun guns. So I thought perhaps an appeal instead to those who are thinking about harming a child.

I'm usually not one to encourage suicide, that would be wrong. In most cases. But you know, I've been reading, and thinking, and pondering and this quote from the Bible just jumped out at me and wow!

Jesus taught that "it would be better to tie a millstone around your neck, and be cast into the sea, than to offend one of these little ones."

Just wow!

I think He's telling us that suicide for these would be child hurters is okay! Not only okay, but beneficial for their souls! "Better to..." Okay, common sense seems like he's flat saying.. "Come on... be smart. Do you really want to hurt one of my children and be eternally punished? Tell you what. If you get to thinking about hurting them, just go ahead and tie a great big rock around your neck and jump into the ocean. You do that to protect my little ones from yourself, and I'll go easy on you."

I'd really hate to think about you poor folks burning in hell, that would be so sad. So... think about it, long and hard. Before you hurt a child, think about
what Jesus taught. Think about what a reward you might recieve, instead of the punishment you're apt to get. It wouldn't be hard to do, and there probably wouldn't even be much pain!

If this has helped even just one would be child offender out there to decide to end his or her life instead of offending a child, the I will be a truly content woman.

Shay

We found her back in April of 1993, when she was just a kitten. We'd gone for a ride on a country road and there on the side of the road was a box with a mama cat and about 5 kittens. We put them in the car and brought them home, and when they were weaned, we took the mama and 4 other kittens to the pet shop where we knew they'd get homes.. then we kept the ugliest one, and Bonnie named her Shay.

She had a really good disposition...and she was dead on at predicting a storm...she liked to stay outside, but we always knew a storm was coming because that's when she'd dart inside and curl up by the couch. Rain storm, or snow storm, she never failed to let us know when bad weather was on the way.

She was too dignified to play kitten/cat games.. a piece of string, or ball of yarn, she looked at those things with disdain. She wouldn't play with a toy of any kind...she preferred being scratched behind her ears or under her chin to any ol' playing around. She didn't much cotton to human visitors other than those of us who lived here - when we had company, she'd make herself scarce and come back on the porch after our company left.

She wouldn't allow stray dogs to come into the yard, when we would hear a yelp, we knew she'd kicked some dog booty. The only one she would let come over to visit was a big black lab whose name escapes me now...but...she had some kittens once, and while she was nursing them, we looked out on the side porch and in her bed along side her kittens, happily nursing away with her babies, was a baby opposum. If I hadn't seen that with my own eyes, I'd not have believed it. One of the kittens she had back in the winter was hit and killed by a neighbor's car in the driveway - and we gave the other one away, so we don't have any of her babies.

Shay disappeared last week and hasn't been back since. She's never done that before in the 12 years we've had her. I'm guessing she's gone someplace and just died. :( 12 years is a long time. I miss her. Now I wish we hadn't given her "kitten from hell" away.

The Itsy Bitsy Spider...

...makes my skin crawl! UGH!

A Local Kidnapping

On our noon news, the anchor gave that a female (no age given) was kidnapped from a local gas station last night. A man and woman in a white car (no model given) with Georgia plates. The circus is in town, from Georgia. Coincidence?

In any case, the witness phoned the police after seeing the female being dragged into the car, and whether or not that had anything to do with the gal gettting away, I don't know. She was taken up a road way past where Sarah lives, and either escaped or they let her out. Either way, thank God she got away from them. I can't think that anyone who would drag a gal into their car had good intentions for the gal.

I'm sick of this stuff. That old saying, "it can't happen to us..." never did sit well with me. I'm full aware it can happen to us, it can happen to anyone.

I'm tired of turning on the news to hear that a child, or two were abducted and killed by a stranger.. an acquaintance, mommy's boyfriend, or daddy or mommy, or daddy and mommy. This is rediculous. Nothing seems to be done about it. Tongues click and people shake heads, but what the hell is actually being done to put a stop to this shit?

I've taught my grand children what to do if they're scooped up by a stranger. Bite, scream, kick, under no circumstance should they go quietly with the stranger. If they're put into a car trunk, pull out the wires, tear them to shreds, yank, tug, rip them out and then if they can, kick out the plastic over the tail lights. I actually took them to my trunk and pointed to the wiring and the tail light covers to show them what I meant. In this way, we can let authorities what to look for from cars.. hopefully, the car with no tail light covers or working tail lights can be seen and stopped.

But what chance do they really have to scream, or kick, when already in the arms of a vicious adult, intent on harming them? Slim and none.

It's sickening.

I think it's past time parents take a stand and do something aside from making a law here and there. Those laws aren't heeded any more by sex offenders and nutcases out there than we pay attention to stepping on ants in the grass in the summer time. They're not doing much, if anything at all to keep our children safe.

I've wracked my brain trying to think of some way to give the kids in my life an edge.. karate.. it's just not enough when the kids are so small that big arms can just wrap around them and hold them forcibly still.

I think I'd feel better, if these kids were armed with stun guns. Teach them how to use them, and which situation would call for their use. If they accidentally use them on someone innocent, it's not gonna kill that person, but.. if they use them on a would be assailant, it would give them time to run and get help, and yes, it would give them a chance to scream.

Someone has to do something to give our kids a chance at being safe.

Enough is enough, already.

Biggest Fan

We picked Acey up from day care the other day and here's what he made for his Mommy! His little hands were measured on paper and cut out and then are the fan, how cool is that?!

I found it on the car seat today when I went to get Joel, I'll have to remember to give them to Gary tomorrow when he drops off Acey. Good job, Acey, it's a wonderful fan!

My Fountain

This is what my son-in-law, Roy Michael gave me for Mother's day. The little boy clinging to the fountain is just adorable. I thought this little guy would just look so perfect right behind the tea roses that Mikyla and Mallory gave me last year for Mother's day! Isn't this just the sweetest thing...!

Thank you, Roy Michael!

The Big Apple

Have you ever seen the beat? This is the prettiest apple I've ever seen in my life.. daylaw, what an apple! Mom gave it to me today, for Mother's day. I want to eat it so badly, but then when I try, I just can't.. it's just too pretty to eat!!

Thank you, Mom, this is too neat!

*tries to figure out how to preserve it*

I don't think it was to visit me...

...my sister came for a visit this evening, but I think she really came to see Joey. *laughs* She and Nick played with him for 2 hours tonight. I think Joey enjoyed being visited.. and I think Lisa and Nick would cop him if I turned my head for very long! *coughs* I don't think Joey would mind much either. Fickle bird!

He was just trying to get a kiss!

She wouldn't cooperate with him so he just settled for nibbling on her ear!

Oh how he wanted Nick's bubble gum!

He took her coffee away from her.

Tug o' War, anyone?

Joey's really fast and loves to steal cigarettes, I think he's trying to tell Lisa to STOP smoking!

Mallory Dusted for Me.

*scratches the tip of her nose*

She heard me say I needed to dust my furniture and so.. she 'heped' me.

*laughs*

I have to say, she did a thorough job of it. Love her heart! I'll have to get her some more powders though, so she can dust them again next week...

Dopin' Papas & Mamas...The Meth Mess.

I was reading on one of the websites about the statistics on people who are using Meth and I was pretty surprised. The biggest majority of users are young parents of young children.

It seems they can't take the stress.

Wow.

So... they stick something in their arms, or up their noses that's made with matchsticks and nyquil and stuff like starter fluid or nail polish remover...and other nasty stuff..

...I dunno, but.. the warning that just once will hook you is bad enough, I'm not interested in that crap.. but more than that.. I just.. don't think I want starter fluid running rampant in my veins.

What the hell is wrong with this picture?

The tale tale signs of a user - big ugly black sores all over them, (watch for long sleeve wearers in the heat of the summer and take a second to wonder why) the chemical smell that's washed over them like some nasty perfume gone wrong, the way they stand there scratching themselves, pupils dilated, their hair (if they still have hair) greasy and matted.. this wild look on their faces... awake for days, sleeping for days, thin as a rail, you get the feeling if you were to startle them right fast with an unexpected BOO, they'd jump spang up to the moon like the coyote does on that old cartoon..

Meth for stress management eh? Jesus. Whatever happened to a Calgon bath, or soothing music, and a cup of hot tea, or ...a long walk in the woods, or...
Hell someone slamming a hammer on my toes would be less stressful to me...

People, if you're stupid enough (yes, stupid, I said stupid and I meant stupid) to try this stuff, you need a good thwap upside the head to dislodge ever what it is that's blocking your ability to reason. Then you need help to get off of that shit.

To give up your children for it.. your homes, your jobs, your self respect, every thing you have or ever cherished for something like that is just wrong.

Please. If you're on it, get help. It's not funny, it's not cool, it's just something pushers are pushing to make money on so they can have material things and a pretext at the life that you don't have anymore. Get help.

If you're tempted to try it.. stop and reason. Why would you want to do that? Don't go there. Take the kids to Chuck E. Cheese, play some video games and enjoy these gifts God gave you. Those babies are gone so fast and what you see as stress now, will look like a piece of heaven to you in 20 years.

Imagine spending time with your kids, having them grow and leave, after you spent your time loving and nurturing them, still with regrets of things you wish you'd have done with them.. and then, imagine looking back 20 years from now, (if you live that long) knowing, you had that shot, to do just the normal things with them, and instead you stayed in a drug induced fog with no memories of anything you'd done with your kids. Ohhhh how ashamed of yourself you're going to be, if you chose to do the later.. don't do it!!!!!!

Joel's Father

Showed up out of nowhere today at Bonnie's place and tried to yank Joel out of Bonnie's arms. The big dummy.

She got into her house, and he was still trying to push his way in, when Kelly ran down the hall hearing Bonnie yelling at him to get out of her home.. baseball bat in his hand..

*laughs* it's not funny but good lord, it is in so many ways...

but that didn't scare the fool off, it took the neighbor flashing a pistol at him to finally scare him into running off. The guy.. ugh..

Well now at least Bon was able to get another EPO against him, this time not only for herself, but for Joel too.

I just.. can almost taste how good it would have felt to have that baseball bat come in contact with that fool's head. I can't figure out why Kelly missed. I .. don't get it.. it would have been SO easy! IN THEIR OWN HOME?!

Now can we say NO to rednecks?

Sheesh.

One More Year...

I broke over and paid for the hosting for this website for another year. I..justified it by saying I... I.. I...

Okay I just couldn't really justify it, but I did it anyhow!

Jim..er..Joe..uh..John O'Connor

I'm not sure what his first name is, but he's on a road trip for the Food Network on cable. I couldn't sleep so I flipped through the channels about 3 this morning, and this machine spitting out peanut butter into a bucket caught my attention so I watched for a while...and I really enjoyed it.

The host, while I've forgotten his name, was too neat. He went into a few factories where different peanut butter products are made, he participated in taste tests, chuckin' peanuts, etc, and all the while, his eyes were sparkling with good humor, he was having a blast doing these things...I can honestly say he was the most upbeat person I've seen in a long time.

He was bubbling with enthusiasm, exclaiming how GOOD this peanut butter tasted as compared to the other (which to him tasted good too, but...) He got on a tractor on a peanut farm and helped them harvest their peanuts, he got down in the dirt, plucked a nut from the hill and ate it raw, right there, and the delight on his face looked to me, truly genuine. That man was enjoying the hell out of what he was doing.

I don't know if I liked the peanut documentary best, or watching the pleasure Mr. O'Connor got from doing the documentary. In any case, if you like things like that, give it a look, it was pretty neat. :)