Thank you Honey/September 5, 2011

September 5. 2011.

Everyone can tell you where they were when Kennedy got shot, or where they were when the 9/11 attacks occurred. A deeply shocking event will do that to anyone.

It certainly did it to me.

I had a regular check up with my doc. Included in that visit were the results of the annual blood work.

I was a pre-diabetic, I was ONE POINT off of being diabetic. My doc sat there with a pad in her hand, about to write me an rx. For metformin.

I froze.

Diabetes runs like a freight train thru my family, on both sides. It is what is listed on my Mothers death certificate as the cause of her death. There were many contributing factors to her death, but diabetes was the gorilla in the room. I became her primary caregiver. I watched her go thru renal dialysis 3x/week because her kidneys shut down. I became her dietician, learning [according to knowledge at that time] what she should and should not eat.

But she died. And here *I* am, sitting there, getting the same diagnosis. THIS CAN'T BE. I said WAIT! Isn't there anything I can do, on my own, without the need for a pill? I believe that is the start of a slippery slope, from which there is often no return. She said "Well, you could lose weight. And exercize. You are borderline. I can't make you any promises, but I believe if you do those things, you might be able to turn this around."

And so *I* remember exactly where I was on September 5th.

Walking out of the docs office, feeling panic, a cold sweat, shock. Yeah, it was shock. WHAT the HELL do I DO? WHERE do I start?

I came home and researched all that I could and made a list of things that I could change. And, one at a time, started doing them.

Blood sugar Sept 5 2011=125

Blood sugar Dec 2011= 105

Blood sugar April 2012= 101

I lost the weight, am no longer even pre diabetic, and made changes that I could [mostly] live with ! If you are struggling with weight loss or prediabetes, I am a walking advertizement for hard, hard, ball busting work.

I'm working so fucking hard, but it looks like I am doing it. If this blog entry doesn't sound like me, it's because every time I think about that day, I feel that sick sense of shock and horror. Mama WAS NOT HAPPY.

I believe I mentioned that at one point I thought about not blogging anymore. I posted one of the reasons back then. The other is....when I am not telling you about this life altering gorilla-in-the-room thing that happened to me, I'm hiding it. I am no good at hiding things, just ask Steve or the kids. So as I continue to blog, I will be mentioning that part of my life as well. I could NOT have done any of this without Steve. My rock and my best friend. The one who looked me straight in the eye and told me he believed in me, that he KNEW I could do this. Who made sure I had a dreadmill....you will never see me refer to a "treadmill" because to me that fucker was, is, and always will be a Dreadmill. Who held me when I would cry that it was just too hard, I couldn't do it. And he kept saying, I know you can do it.

Thanks Honey.

July 1st:
~International Chicken Wing Day
~Second Half of the Year Day

-Work will win when wishing won't-

Ahoy !

I'm sitting here going thru the morning mail. I hear a "scritch scritch scritch" noise to my left. I look up, and see a squirrel on the ledge outside the bow window in the livingroom. As I get up he leaves. I sit down and continue to read, scritch scritch scritch. The little bastard is back. I can see the birdbath is the modus operandi, he climbs up on it, and leaps to the windowsill. There are 5 windows within the bow window, and I had that window open just yesterday. If Steve left that window open overnight, the squirrel would have been thru the screen in NO time.
I call Steve and tell him, that lil fucker is staring at me. Every time I sit down, he returns. Squirrels are not as big as you think. They are googly-eyed and nervous twitchy little creatures to boot.
Steve doesn't care.
I tell him, if you left that window open last night, the squirrel would have been IN the living room, the screen wouldn't have stopped him.
Steve doesn't care.
If there is a squirrel in the living room, you can rest assured that I *won't* be there. This may seriously impact the making of dinner. I won't walk thru a squirrel zone to get to the kitchen. [Kinda like honoring a picket line]
Steve doesn't care.
I said, you wait and see, if he gets in, he WILL get into your cereal stash. We will come downstairs one morning, and the squirrel will be laying on his back, his paws feebly waving in the air, unable to roll over. His little belly will be distended, and all around him, will be scattered YOUR Capt'n Crunch!
NOW Steve gets excited!
"That Bastard! Glad I closed the window!"
Glad I know where I stand.
Right behind the Capt'n. ;o)

A Philosophy of Life

Slippers

Slippers.
I had to buy mens slippers.
FOR MYSELF.
Because womens slipper makers are cheap ass bastards.
I HATE them. AND their cheap ass slippers.
Have you ever seen the funny videos, of dogs having sno-booties put on them for the first time? How they lift their legs way up in the air?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WjwZSIDIrw

That's how mens, ill-sized for women slippers feel on my feet. I feel like I'm prancing around like a clydesdale.
Dear Ladies slipper[s] makers:
Women, believe it or not, are NOT pansies. There are times when we need slippers with the same attributes that mens have,...a grippy type of sole, and an upper that actually stays on our feet. NOT an upper that makes your damn feet slide to the inside curve of the sole.
Resulting in multiple thuds as you fall down the stairs, and a son yelling "MOM! DO YOU NEED ME TO CALL 911 ??"

Now I am a girlie girl, I admit it. Hello, my name is Gail. I'm addicted to lip gloss and purses. And slippers. Cutie-patootie pink slippers, leopard print slippers, lacy slippers, I've bought them all.
And was afraid to walk around in EVERY fucking pair.
Why?
Because you people who design these things seem to think that the only activities women participate in while wearing "womens" slippers are smoking opium or getting a mani-pedi. There is NO FUCKING WAY you can run, or even walk fast, in womens slippers.
This is WAY NOT FUCKING GOOD.
I am bruised and pissed. This is NOT a combination you want all the fuck up in YOUR grille, slipper-makers.
No, it is not.
I would like you to make womens slippers for REAL, not this fake shit that costs 3 times what the mens slippers cost.
Take a mans leather slipper, change the leather to pink or green or blue. Not yellow, too many dog owners would be traumatized trying to guess if poochie made wees on their slippers.
Size those fuckers for WOMEN. That's right, SHOE size them. There is NO FUCKING SHOE that will fit a size 8 AND size 9 woman. So WHY do you do that shit on slippers? I'll TELL your asses why. Because YOU ARE CHEAP SHITS, you slipper makers. So FIX that size shit already.
Now change the leather tie on the top to a bow, or something sparkly or glittery. NO mirrors, men would walk into walls trying to look at those mirrors and you would get sued. I may not like you, slipper-makers, but I don't want your asses sued. At least until I get what I want.
Good Slippers.
I'm waiting.

Dear Mr Shed:
Hi! Steve and Gail here. We came to you 5 weeks ago, and plunked down some Big ass change for a shed. [read: mini-house, that thing is so damn cute!] Here is what we had built with the specs we were given, it's the white one with blue shutters:



You told us, 4 weeks until delivery. GREAT. 5 weeks later, you are arriving the next morning! You arrive, with the gravel you need for the base.....and THEN tell us, whoopsie! This area needs to be shored up a bit and leveled. YO, Mr Shed, wasn't that your job? At the very least to TELL us this? Before the day of delivery? So yall just LEFT.
We were not amused.
You would think, at ANY time, let alone in this economy, business would be PRAYing for cash customers like us, and TRYING to retain them. Oh, so sorry Mr Shed. Diane was as nice as could be, she treated us well, and we liked her. But we won't be back, nor can we recommend you to anyone else.In light of this, I must give you my



We are actively working on the "rockeries" in the back yard,

[mostly on the rock wall at the rear of our property. I have a funny story [pics too!] to tell you about THAT, but that will come later in the week.We're still dealing with a TON of Poison Ivy]

and the one right by the garage door. We busted ass for an hour out there...just by the garage door..and it appears that the roots of those "weeds" I thought were so lovely go SO deep that they are wrecking the retaining wall.

This blog isn't only about Team Gail. I feel very strongly about consumer protections and consumer rights. I'm preparing a bloggie right now about AAA and Time Warner Cable. Trust me, I'm annoyed enough to guarantee that I'll be back with the rest of the story :O)
Also...Im not going anywhere. If you are a FRIEND [sorry, I do not make this offer for strangers] who is blogging, please shoot me a link. I will be more than happy to include you on my list of places I enjoy visiting

Blogger.com claims that it has spanked spammers and scammers. Let's see if they mean what they say.

The Christmas Cock

Steve had today off. He and Tone agreed to do some grocery and holiday shopping for me so I could work at home. Sounds very good in theory, doesn't it?

I asked these 2 adult men to get a seasonal, Christmas-y mat for OUTside the FRONT door. I currently have a fall themed one. While they were at the store, I called them. Explained that my kitchen mat, on the floor in front of the sink, is falling apart, while they are in there can they get me another kitchen mat? I also need 2white tablecloths, for the extra tables I will use from Christmas service, and I requested that they get all these items in Kohls.
They came home.

You know the 2 tablecloths I asked Steve to buy? [he was WITH me when I bought the first one, he knew exactly what to get] Oh, no they didn't have them. Did you go ASK, honey? No. So he bought 2 at walmart. They closely resemble burlap, I am having sensory issues just TOUCHING them.

But the mats. Oh my. They bought two, OK. Both for the kitchen, nothing for outside. One is a Christmas/ Winter theme, and it's mostly white and light blue. Lets take bets on how long THAT one lasts on the floor in a busy kitchen. I gave him the LOOK. The second mat? It's a frickin' ROOSTER. Yes, a ROOSTER, you take one LOOK at a rooster and it is supposed to dredge up holiday cheer unimaginable. I asked him, WTH Hon? Really, WTH?? A ROOSTER for Christmas cheer? And He said..... It's not Christmas without a Cock. My stomach still hurts from laughing at that. You gotta love the guy for the things he comes up with to cover his tail. So if any of you are interested, you can come to my house and see my Christmas cock laying on the kitchen floor. And he *did* get points for making me laugh.

"Natives who beat drums to drive off evil spirits are objects of scorn to smart Americans who blow horns to break up traffic jams."
Mary Ellen Kelly

Decisions, Decisions

I had some thinking to do, and decisions to make. I enjoy blogging, and the feedback I get suggests that I'm not talking to myself. I would blog anyway, as I enjoy it. But it is nice to know I am read. Even Steve asked me this morning, why are you not blogging, he has been checking too.
And so, I will continue to blog.I'm happy to be back :o)