BECAUSE THEY HATE ME

Mice truly hate me.

I can't just have a mouse in my house. No, there is always something to make it more than JUST a mouse in the house.

Read here and here for some past issues with Mickey's Clan.

Now, according to the 2nd linked post, it has been since April, 2008 that we had our last rodent visit. Really, it could have been longer and I would be just fine.

A few days ago, I started to see *things* that made me think we might have another batch of vermin running rampant in our house.

I was very afraid of my little boys' bedroom. It is always messy. I clean on it, but it gets away from me. Two days ago, I decided to start working. I started in one corner, moving beds and wiping baseboards as I went. I went through toy boxes, I went through drawers, I moved furniture.... it took a decent 3 days time.

I was intentionally keeping the closet for last because the boys had pulled down a clothes bar. There were piles of clothes... on top of those, they had gone through games and puzzles. A pain in the butt, to be sure, but the thing that worried me was the possibility of a mouse due to a big hole in the closet. That background info can be found here.

I finally decided it HAD to be tackled, and soon. Today, I walked into their room and there it was..... a smell. Nothing over-powering but definitely OFF. Not "OFF" the bug spray, but off as in, not right. But, when I would stop and inhale deeply, I couldn't hone in on it... I just KNEW it had to be in that closet.

SO, here I go, finally sucking it up enough to encounter whatever remains of the latest mouse funeral has occurred. The little boys wanted to watch TV in their roomier room. No problem. I don't mind the company of having someone else in the room.

The TV, of course, wasn't working because my little one had pulled out the cord. SO, I moved the chest freezer (their room is a finished out garage and is big enough for them, toys, furniture and other things.... besides, in TX it is all sorts of crazy to keep a fridge or freezer out in a garage without air.... it gets too hot.)

SO ANYWAY, I move the chest freezer to plug in the TV. There was something that appeared melted onto the socket. GREAT! I am NO electrician, but I'm not stupid. Plastic and rubber, if touching a wire just right, will melt. I investigate before I go pluggin' in something and shorting out something.

This is what I found.

Want to see it closer? Of COURSE you do!

Well, my hubby just HAPPENS to be in Alaska and is, as history has indicated, absolutely NO help when it comes to things murine. So, what did I do? I called my daddy.

He laughed, but he knew that I was a bit distressed, so he came out for "MESS," or "Mouse Extraction ServiceS."

The kids were absolutely excited, because really, who else does this happen to?

While I was waiting for my dad, I called my friend to tell her what was going on. We had just discussed our mouse stories last night. She likes certain details. She asked if he had been chewing on the wires behind the plug. I told her that I didn't know... the only thing I saw was Mickey's furry butt sticking out of my wall.

My dad came out and laughed and joked and commented that the critter was a little "ripe."

THAT is where the smell was coming from.

Because there was a little blood.... I know, ew, right? At least, it LOOKED like blood. Daddy said it could be "innards" that just ooze after death. I know.... EW again! Anyway, because of this dried, liquid-y stuff on the base board, my sweet daddy used whatever toxic chemical I could find and cleaned it up for me.

It was.... in a word.... gross.

I did get the closet cleaned out. There WERE mouse "left-overs." That just ticked me off. Because, you remember all those clothes I told you about? Well, the poop was on them.... My laundry has increased by several loads from today. *sigh*

In the end, I am thankful to God for my home, my healthy boys, my hubby who provides a way for me to stay home and especially, for Daddy, who will drive for 1 - 1/2 hours, in rush hour traffic, just to pull a partially decomposed critter from the outlet in my wall.

TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY

Hey, y'all. I'm an on-again-off-again participant in my friend LISA'S blog called Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.

It's this groovy little blog in which many people link up to share some recipes, product reviews and questions. As I was absent from the blogging world for so long, I didn't post any recipes. BUT NOW I'M BACK! :)

There is this little Greek place that DH and I have eaten at several times now. They have a great Caprese salad with a DEEEVINE Basil vinaigrette. So.... I learned how to make it. It is super easy, as any vinaigrette.

Before I share the recipe, let me just talk a bit about salad dressings. MAKE. YOUR. OWN.

I shouldn't have to say more, but I will.

They are loaded with sugar and chemicals and overall yuck. And they are really SO easy to make.

The basics of a vinaigrette are: oil, vinegar and aromatics. Sometimes, if you want it to look a little creamier, you can add something to emulsify the oil and vinegar.

Generally, the oil to vinegar ratio is 2:1 which means 2 parts oil for 1 part vinegar.

While a basic white vinegar and vegetable oil can make an acceptable vinaigrette, you can really shake things up by using different vinegars.

I like making my vinaigrette with olive oil, but if you need a dressing with a lighter taste, use vegetable oil.

The vinegars I generally use are: apple cider, balsamic, red wine, champagne, rice and raspberry. Balsamic is my current favorite which tends to have more of a sweet taste to it.

Aromatics: garlic, herbs, and spices.

ALWAYS a pinch of salt and pepper. (I use kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper.)

Emulsifiers: you can use an egg yolk, but I prefer mustard... I love a Dijon or a whole grain... depending on the flavors I'm using.

OK.... how do you make it? You blend your seasonings/aromatics, emulsifier (if using) and vinegar. While whisking, slowly drizzle in your oil. Store it in a glass container, covered, in the refrigerator for up to a week.

NOW for the recipe:

Basil Vinaigrette:

wow... I guess I don't really have to write a whole lot as you already have the basics.

Basically, I took a bunch of basil (I don't know how much.... a good handful) and pulsed it in my processor. I added some garlic, vinegar, salt and pepper. Then, balsamic vinegar.

It has a beautiful green color and is SO so tasty.

ENJOY!

CHL and RUDOLPH

You might be wondering what CHL (concealed handgun license) and Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer have in common.

Well, frankly, nothing. But, I DID connect the 2 last night.

Let me explain.

When the power goes off in the middle of the night, there are a few things I do and think. First, I get kinda miffed as the house is going to get hot. I hate sleeping in a hot house. Then, I usually go track down a candle or 2, check on the boys, then lie down hoping the power returns soon. Sometimes, if it is stormy, I make sure that the batteries have enough juice to power my radio.

Now that I have (almost) my CHL, there were different thoughts that ran through my head. I was JUST about to turn out my light when we lost our electricity..... for 2 hours. :-(

My thought process is a bit different, now. It's not that I now know of all the bad out there. I knew it then. But, now I feel I have a bit more control over that. Aside from all the entertainment of last week's seminar, I did learn of the 4 stages of alertness. They range from not being aware at all through awareness, alertness and alarm.

I don't go through life unaware of things, but I would rather ignore a lot of the ugly.

They say (I don't know who "they" are, by the way) that you will only respond as far as your training. And, I find that is what happened to me last night. As soon as the electricity went out, I looked out the windows to verify it wasn't just my house.

I then made sure the doors were secure and that the alarm was still working. I lit some candles and placed them in the bathrooms in front of the mirrors and checked on the kids. Then I made sure the gun was accessible and magazines loaded. THEN, I got frustrated that it was going to get hot. :)

Rudolph?

Keep your knickers on..... I'm getting to that.

So, last night while I was lying on my bed, hearing all the street noise, noticing how much my boys snore, I noticed something else.

One of the candles I had lit was a pumpkin spice candle.

Can you smell it? (inhales deeply)

So can I.

SO, one thing led to another, yada yada yada, and I found myself whiling away the time thinking about.... you got it..... CHRISTMAS!!!

And, as today is July 25th, it is Rudy Day... a day that we Christmas Crazies like to set aside as a Christmas prep day. Some reserve the 25th each and every month... but they go a bit overboard.... I don't. Much. LOL! No, I start right about now.

In celebration of July's Rudy Day, let me give you a breakdown.... just to get you adequately freaked I mean EXCITED about Christmas's impending arrival.

Today marks 152 days until Christmas.

The Great State Fair of Texas starts on September 24. That, to me, is the OFFICIAL beginning to the holidays (which include Halloween, Thanksgiving AND, CHRISTMAS!!!) We have only 50 days.... 50 days left, people, before the holidays!!!!

I want our Halloween costumes taken care of by the 5th of October. I already have mine and dh's planned. I will have to piece those costumes together.

I want to make my cards again this year. Need to get crackin' on that. I like to mail mine by December 5.

I have already started buying a few Christmas decorations. I only have 104 days until I actually put up our decorations. Yes.... November 5th..... 50 days before Christmas is when I will get my stuff up.

What have I done so far? and What am I doing now?

Well, so far, I have most of my address list complete. I also have a gift list started..... who to give to and what to give. By the way, don't forget your mail carrier and trash collector.

Hubby has instructions to look at the budget. Of course, he has to wait for my "proposal." Actually, he doesn't.... here was that conversation:

Me - Honey, I need to know how much money I can have for Christmas.

Honey - The budget. Stick to the budget. It's called "miscellaneous."

Me - Oh.... do you need a proposal for what I need?

Honey - You would love to do something like that, huh? That is right up your alley. If that is what you want to do, you go ahead.

So.... I guess I will just start purchasing now and hope he doesn't slam on the brakes when I haven't finished my shopping and cooking. :)

I am also writing down baked gift ideas, as well as other winter/holiday recipes I want to try.

SO.... that is how I went from CHL to Rudolph!

HAPPY ALMOST HOLIDAYS, PEOPLE!

CONCEALED HANDGUN LICENSE

Or, CHL.

Yep, my hubby and I are qualified now and have sent in the money for the license. It should take about 3 weeks before we can officially carry a concealed handgun.

However, this post is NOT about that. Not directly.

No, this post is actually about the class we had to take. It had to be no less than 10 hours and no more that 15 hours. That is ONE. LONG. DAY!

I need to preface this with some background information.

If you (and you haven't, except for maybe 2 people who will read this) have ever sat with me during an in-service, you know that I tend to document everything I hear that is wrong, or funny. I find it funny when someone tries to train someone in something.... tries to sound official and.... well, doesn't.

So, as is my habit, I wrote down a few things of interest. Some of these things I will give more info, some things, I will just give what I heard.

Either way, I hope it is as entertaining for you as it was for me and my DH.

Before I get to the funny stuff, let me briefly tell you about the class. We, 11 students and 3 instructors, were in a hotel conference room from 7:00 a.m until about 6:00 p.m. We had about 30 minutes for lunch, but they brought in pizza... so we couldn't even leave. By far, the thing we had the most fun with was the shooting. Yes.... we had to shoot a target.

Out of 250 points, we were required to get... gosh, I don't even know. BUT, that is not what is important here. The thing I want to point out is I beat my hubby by 3 points. I got 244 points, he got 241. Below are our targets.

DH's target

My target
Good times, man. Good times.

OK... now for the funny stuff.

Though these instructors were very nice... they weren't necessarily eloquent. With some, the word "redneck" comes to mind. The way they worded some things, the way they held themselves, and the way they pronounced some things.... well, I had to work to be polite and not laugh out loud! It was SO funny.

Which brings me to my first presentation.

The female instructor said the word "proNOUNciations." Not pronunciations.

This gal was a gem. She also said "tinter tantrums" instead of temper tantrums. In fact, she said this multiple times.

The former detective kept talking about being "vunerable" and in fear OF your life.

Speaking of being in fear, you should have seen the "students." One had a record.... a record that needed to be discussed. As in, not knowing whether he would qualify as he didn't know if his record would be expunged. :-0 I mean, really? You MIGHT or might not, have committed a felony and you aren't quite sure where you stand? The former detective told him he needed to make some phone calls because there might be a warrant out for his arrest.

One student reminded me of my 5th grade science teacher. He wore sandals.... despite the instructions that said NO SANDALS! Then, he sat with his feet... ugly, gnarly things, I might add, on the table. ON THE TABLE! He also kept interjecting random examples to what the instructor was saying. At one point, when the student was asking a series of idiot questions, the instructor looked away, and addressed someone else. Talk about a brush off.

There was one woman in there that was about as sharp as a round rock. Bless her heart. The hotel brought in a plate of cookies... about 3 dozen. Well, she complained to the instructors that they didn't supply enough chocolate chip.... SHE HAD FOUR STACKED AT HER SEAT!!! She complained to one of the instructors when he was talking about having to pull the gun. (This was during the "gang tattoos and tasers" section of the day.) She said that it was stereotyping. He called it the "Duck Theory." If it walks, sounds and looks like a duck, it's a duck. I don't think she got it.

We had to watch a film in which the dude showing off how he can shoot mannequins kept saying "ash"phalt. He also talked of being "in mortal fear for our lives." He said that, should we have to use our firearm to hold someone off, that we should give clear instructions. In fact, we should (and I quote) "shout instructions while looking mean." HAHAHAHAHA!!!

Ex-cop-dude showed us a few slides and results of self-injury. Seconds before these pictures he said, "Here are some gross pictures." I know... not really funny, but tickled me.

He also used the word "avoidness." WHAT, I wonder, is "avoidness?" Even the other 2 instructors (quick as they were) were asking each other in whispers, "shouldn't that say 'avoidance?'"

Finally, there was the 3rd dude. He showed us a few cartoons and also had a few mispronunciations. Do you remember this?

Well, you guessed it, he said "statue" instead of "statute."

Then, in one of the cartoons where the subject's height was in question (and nobody laughed) the instructor pointed out that the subject was "short of statute"..... LOL!!!

'twas a sight to behold.

One of the instructional slides talked about protecting your home, your family and "other other's." This was printed on the bottom. It was the same slide presentation that used the word, "avoidness."

It was a very interesting thing. My hubby and I laughed quite a bit, though it was a very serious subject.

I would love to hear your thoughts on having a CHL.

Do you have one?

Are you going to get one? Why or why not?

CLEAN-UP

Cleaning up a mess isn't much fun..... especially if you didn't have a hand in making the mess.

Yes.... I have been involved in untangling a mess that I was thrown into. Me, and several family members. It has been like this for years. I have finally, thank God, been put into a position to where I can start undoing all the cr@p that was done years ago.

I'm not angry about these decisions.

Strike that.

I am.

It totally sucks. But, I'm not bitter about it. I understand, kind of, why it was done. I don't agree with it AT ALL, but I understand. I'm just very thankful for a recent turn of events.

I was raised an only child. RAISED an only child... I'm not an only child. I have a half-brother.

A half-brother who I saw more in high school (his senior year, my freshman year) than in all the years before and since.

Oh, I knew who he was. And he knew who I was. We saw each other on Christmas Day.... at my grandparent's.... correction - at OUR grandparent's house. I don't know how he got there. I don't know how he got home. I just knew that on Christmas Day, we would go to my grandparent's house and T would be there.

I was closer to the neighbor's dog than I was to my own brother.

Sad, huh?

Not my doing..... not my choice.

I don't know of all that went on. I know a little. Some I will share... some, I won't. I don't know who all reads and some who do, know a little bit more. For the sake of ALL involved, this will be a *nutshell* version.

My dad was married before he met my mother. He, and bride #1, had a child - T. They split. My dad got with my mother and out popped ~LL~. They (my mom and dad) are still together. Bride #1 and her family still live in the same hometown.

Basically, bad blood won out. A woman seemingly scorned didn't want to have anything to do with my dad, his family and especially *the other woman (my mother)* or their spawn.... me.

*sigh*

I basically got gipped out of a brother.

It sucks.

I have a brother, a sister-in-law, 2 nieces and a nephew.

The nephew is 25 and the nieces are 21 and 16.

Up until just a few days ago, I didn't even know if those kids knew who I was. Meaning, I didn't know if they I was their aunt.

Well, my nephew has just moved to the town I am currently in. And my older niece is dating a guy from here.

PERFECT OPPORTUNITY!

Called my niece and she agreed to go to the zoo with us. Such a sweet thing. I'm so happy to have spent time with her. She talked to her brother while we were together and he expressed interest in having dinner and meeting the boys. I'm SO SO excited. (The picture above is of my niece.... see? She even looks like me. :) )

So, now comes a time of getting to know each other. Something that should have started 39 years ago. I am no longer going through "the adults" in our lives.... I don't think they got this quite right. So, I will work through the other adults who, I hope, have clearer heads on their shoulders.

To my nieces, nephew, sister-in-law and brother, we love you and are excited to have this opportunity to get to know you better. To the others..... watch and learn.

SO, IT'S NO SECRET

My hubby is awesome. He truly is.

He loves me. He loves our kids. He does a darn good job providing for us.

Yes, he is gone.

A lot.

He is gone 18 days per month. GONE! Not "working only 18 days." He is gone.... out of the house.... out of town.... out of the state.... sometimes, out of the country.... completely absent.... flying the friendly skies.

Sometimes, we don't speak each day because he is "roughing it" in the Caribbean or Bahamas or Alaska.... someplace his phone doesn't get a signal. Lucky duck. :)

He is good to me in that whenever he hears or sees a need of mine, he will do anything he can to meet that need. It should go without saying that any hubby does this for his wife, but after talking to a few about what I'm going to tell you.... well, this is not common, not common at all.

You see, I stay home with my 4 boys. They are now ages: 11, 9, 7, 5. My 11 year old just turned 11 within the last 3 weeks. My 5 year old? Within the last 6 weeks. So, they are still young and close together in age. And, they can be a handful sometimes.

Don't get me wrong. I adore my boys. I'm thankful for my boys. And, I'm TRULY OK that I have no girls.... in fact, I'm a bit thankful for that, too. But, sometimes, the noise and busyness of our days.... days with no hubby/father around.... days with no down time.... days with no break.... well, it is sometimes difficult to be the mother I should be when I am being pulled in so many directions.

So, one day, I said to my hubby, "I just need quiet. I need quiet and time."

He asked what I needed it for.

I told him that I appreciate the times he takes the kids to the movies, puts them in bed, or lets me sleep late. But, I need time to work on projects that I don't normally allow myself to do at home. Not that it is taboo, but there is always something else.... something more pressing. Like laundry. Forever laundry.

Hearing that need, because he is awesome and quite in tune with me, he put me in a hotel for 2 nights.... TWO NIGHTS!

Yes, my hubby is wonderful. He took all 4 boys for almost 48 hours just so I could go and sleep, eat, shop, watch TV, drool in front of the window.... whatever I wanted to do. I was close to home, so I didn't have any travel time. It was wonderful. I have asked to do this again... every 3-6 months. And, I'm sure he will set that up.

What did I do? I'm SO glad you want to know.

Well, the first night, I had a double date with my hubby and friends to go see "Eclipse." After, we picked the kids up from the sitter's and he went home with the boys and I went to the hotel. And I fell asleep. I awoke at 9:30. Nobody was in bed with me. The covers were as they should be. No dog was barking. Kids weren't bickering. No video games were on. Just. Quiet. *sigh*

I got ready and, as it was lunch time, I went and got a CFAST and a wrap. Then, (and I warn you... this is quite dull, but it was awesome for me) I

• Picked out paint samples for my kitchen
• Went to Ross (first time ever) and bought something orange... and 2 other items in colors I never have worn
• Went to the library and took my time
• Went to Mardel (a Christian book and teacher store), bought a book and browsed... do you know how long it has been since I have browsed?
• Went to Hobby Lobby and bought all the ornaments for my kitchen tree... yes... ornaments.... ORNAMEEEEEENNNNNTTTTTSSSSS!!! (Sing in a high-excited pitch, opera-style) and planned some things I want to do for Christmas.
• Found, quite by accident, a gourmet shoppe.... almost had a wreck craning my neck to see in the window before decided to stop... why did I stop? BECAUSE I COULD!!! WOOT! I had to pray through, though, lest I spend WAAAAYYYY too much money.
• Went to see "Eclipse." Again. Alone. teehee.... I went to a movie/grill and ate chicken quesadillas while I swooned over Edwa I mean Jac I mean EMMETT!!!
• Stayed up until 2:00 a.m. working on my Christmas card list and writing in the boys' journals
• Slept until about 10
• Watched the boys swim. (Hubby brought them to swim, then took them to a movie)
• Got my toes and fingers beautified

*Sigh* SO great

PRAYERS APPRECIATED

I have this friend who is preggers with a beautiful baby boy.

He has a few health problems.

He is due in about 6 weeks, but she usually delivers early.... AND as this is #8.... well, she could probably pop him out at will.... so, we are looking at 2-4 weeks.

The deal is, they (the doctors) don't really know HOW serious is serious until he is here. They know what they see. They know there are issues, they know it could be bad.... or worse.

But see, I also have another friend. His name is Jesus Christ. I'm sure you have heard of him.

The really cool thing about this particular friend is that He can take care of ANYTHING!

Isaiah 53:5 ~ But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

I Peter 2:24 ~ Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

My friend, and her hubby, wereq overjoyed a few days ago to find out that their sweet son would most likely live through his birth.

They are a beautiful family. I know that a lot of you are like-minded and know of the healing power of Jesus. PLEASE agree with me in prayer.

Pray specifically for:

Catey (Mom)

Aaron (Dad)

their children

Baby Sam (#8)

the doctors

peace of mind for all involved

Also, I would love for her to feel the love we have for her in Jesus. Please go here and drop her a line. Just tell her you saw this on ~LL~'s blog and you are praying for her. Thanks!

THINGS

I have several topics that I want to blog on. A lot of stuff is going on. I do want to take a bit of time and talk about what HAS gone on.

Before yesterday, I hadn't blogged since March. A lot has filled my time. There is no way I can go through everything. I don't even remember it all. I will try to give you the highlights.

Hmmm.... how to do this? I was going to go by month, but nah....

We had another field trip in school. I subbed quite a bit. I enjoy it... unless the kids are under 9, then? Not so much. My #3 had Kindergarten Graduation.... it was TOO cute.

DS #3 at Kinder Graduation

April saw my 3rd sons 7th birthday. We had a skating party.... SO MUCH FUN!

*I don't have pics from his party on here.... Sorry

In June, we had birthday parties for my oldest, who turned 11 and my youngest, who turned 5. My oldest, we had a bowling party. My youngest? We met some friends at Hawaiian Falls.

DS #4 (on the left) at his party, sitting next to #2 and #1

DS #1 Birthday party

June - my hubby took my oldest to NYC for a father/son trip. Before then, they went on an overnight (local) trip to discuss the birds and the bees. Now a lot of folk snickered that we were so "formal" in doing this. Whatever. My kids are going to find this stuff out from us, not the other cherubs out there whose parents didn't bother to teach.

DS #1 NYC trip

After that, my hubby and I went to the Hill Country for our weekend get-away. We love to go out of state... usually choosing a city I have never been to. (Though, I need to go to Boston a few more times before I'm ready for something new.) However, my hubby's step-dad and his wife.... (DH's mom has been dead for many years and his step-dad remarried, so this is the wife I'm talking of) Anyway, neither have children of their own. They wanted all 4 boys..... for a week.

FOR A WEEK!

Can you even know my anxiety? I was equally worried for the kids AND the in-laws. So, we chose that time to take our trip.... and stayed in The Great State of Texas.... down a bit.... close to Houston, where they were. I needed to be close enough to get to them within a few hours. Everything went well and we all eagerly await their trip to Papa's and Gram's next year.

Our get-away cabin

Remember JBQ? Well, my oldest 3 were in this last season and my 4th will be this year. My oldest and 2nd competed in our District competition.

#3 and his team at District JBQ

DS #1 at District Competition

One of our church's teams made it to Nationals. My sons' teams did not. However, the coach for that team asked my oldest to sit as back-up quizzer. So, my son was on our national team. Our team placed 13th out of 2,000 total teams. Now that that is over, my oldest is working on more awards, my 2nd is working on his Master Seal and my 3rd will, hopefully, get his 10 point seal this year.

DS #1 (far right) at National JBQ

Our summer has been spent taking short trips here and there... seeing grandparents, great-grandparents, swimming, Hawaiian Falls and Six Flags. We have, from today, only 5 more weeks of summer. SO sad.... SO SO sad that they will all be in school.

Well, I should go for now. I do have more to share.... my past weekend, the uniform issue.....

I'll be back soon!

Thanks for reading!!!

UM.... HELLO? IS ANYBODY OUT THERE?

So, yes.... I'm back.

Why? Because I am.

Last night, for the first time in months, I was composing my blog while I lay in bed.

I haven't had the urge in awhile. I was saddened, because really.... I do enjoy blogging.

But, the fun was gone for some reason.

Maybe I was too busy.

Maybe I was too stressed.

Maybe I didn't want to.

No... that's not right... I wanted to.

I ran into a wall...nothing would flow. I don't want to force my writing. Not that I see myself as any type of artsy-fartsy composer of titillating prose.... LOL.... THAT IS FUNNY!

Anyway, I do write, primarily, for myself. I enjoy discussion (for the most part, if people agree with me.) I know... I'm a wuss. I don't make excuses. I will try to suck it up and be a grown-up if people disagree.

I will still moderate my comments. NOT because I fear what people will say. Mostly because I had some Asian cr@p that started showing up in my comments that were advertising something or other. I don't know how to filter that out, so I will moderate.

I hope my former followers will be my current followers. I hope to gain new followers. I hope to blog a few times a week.

I am still busy.

But, I've missed you guys.