Ashes to Ashes

I haven't gone into detail how Lupe, my cat, died. I was up at 5 am on that Sunday morning. I was feeling like poo, so I made myself some Thera-Flu. Rick was up at about 5:30 am and went into the guest bathroom. I recall Lupe coming out into the living room when he heard my voice and he jumped onto my chair. I pet him for a bit and then I nodded off. When I woke up it was maybe 15 minutes later, Lupe wasn't there and I moved into the bedroom. At about 6:15 am Rick woke me up with, "Brenda, Lupe's gone." Lupe's dead." Rick was making coffee in the kitchen when he heard Lupe make the chirping/growling noise that he would make when he saw a bird or a mouse. Rick went to investigate and Lupe was laying by my chair. Rick stooped to pet him and Lupe stopped making the noise. He seemed fine. Rick left the room and came back 10 minutes later and Lupe was dead. Lupe showed absolutely no signs of illness. He was his usual self the previous night and that morning. Rick thinks that perhaps Lupe died when he was petting him because Lupe's position was the exact same that Rick had left him in. Katie woke up before we could get Lupe's body out of the house, but I think it was important for her to see death. It was the first time she had seen someone she knew dead. I cried all day and at the end of the day, Katie told me that she was irritated with me because all I did was cry. She informed me it was okay to cry only one hour when a cat died. Katie is usually so very compassionate. I think she was dealing with her own grief and she couldn't get it out of her mind with me bawling. Also, I think she was scared to see me cry.

Here at the missile base we have a pet cemetery. It is located on the northwest corner of our property. We actually didn't pick the area, someone else did. Let me explain. When Rick first bought the missile base, he was walking around and found a small rectangular grave marked off by stone. There was no headstone or maker of any kind. He decided it must have been the previous family's pet, so when a cat that he had died he buried it next to the unmarked grave. The area eventually became known as pet cemetery and Max and Eric, our dearly loved and departed White German Shepherds, are buried there. We have also christened the unmarked grave as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I just hope it really is a family pet and not Grandpa. However, I have veered of track to the point that I have done a 180. The reason why I brought up the pet cemetery is that when Lupe died, my first thought was to bury him in pet cemetery, but then I changed my mind. Lupe was a 100% indoor cat. He didn't like the outdoors and had no desire to go outside, so it seemed wrong to bury him outside. I also struggled with cremating him because 10 years ago he is all I saved from the fire, so it seemed ironic to have him cremated. However, I finally opted to have Lupe cremated. I should have his remains back at the end of this week.

Lupe died on a Sunday and no place was open for me to call about cremation services, so Rick wrapped Lupe up in an old towel, placed him in a white garbage bag, put him in a cardboard box and I took him down to our large freezer in the missile base. It was extremely difficult. He was there a few days before I could get him to the vet who then had to forward him to the pet crematory for a private cremation. When Rick and I brought him to Dr. Bolt in Abilene, I asked Rick to cut a piece of hair off of Lupe so I could keep it as a memento. Without hesitation, Rick said of course he would do that. I didn't really want to see Lupe frozen, so Dr. Bolt's daughter found an empty exam room for Rick to complete his task. Rick was worried how he would look too, but Rick was surprised how well Lupe looked. His fur was still soft and silky black and his eyes were closed--he died with his eyes open--and Rick said he didn't look frozen at all. So Rick came out into the waiting room and handed me a cutting of his fur and I bawled.

I still hear him in the house or see him out of the corner of my eye. I have split seconds where I think, "I have to feed Lupe." or "I have to clean Lupe's litter box." then I realize he is gone and I get all sad again. I have these witches legs that I slip the dining room table's legs into for Halloween. The feet on the witch's legs have boots that stick out into the room. More than once I have stepped on one of them and immediately thought I was stepping on Lupe. The night of the day Lupe died I had a weird dream. Actually it was more of a vision because it lasted for just second and I was teetering somewhere between being awake and falling asleep. Anyway, in my "dream" our front door was open, but it wasn’t open to our yard. It was open to a bright fog. Lupe was walking out of the front door and I remember panicking and saying, "Lupe is getting out the front door!" I don't know who I was talking to. I was hurt because Lupe won't stop or turn and look at me. In life Lupe would come when I called for him and would never ignore my voice. Then JOLT! I woke with a start. Was it an over active imagination trying to find comfort or did I see him cross over? I'll never know, but the image from the dream sticks with me because his head was held so high and his big fluffy tail was at full mast.

So that's the end of Lupe's 13 years 8 months of life. I still can't believe that he is gone.

Two Birthdays and A First Day of School

At the end of July Katie and I flew to Michigan to see my parents and sisters. My one sister drove up from Florida and my other sister moved back home to take care of my folks, so it was one of those rare times where we were all in one place at the same time. We celebrated Katie's birthday in Michigan--two weeks early--and in Texas on the actual day and Monday was the first day of school. So here are the pictures since they will save me a 1000 words each.

 My Aunt Fern and Uncle Al live on the property that my mom grew up on. The well in the above picture is the well that she used to pump water from when she was a little girl, so my mom wanted a picture of Katie and her by the well.

 My sister Linda, who drove up from Florida, brought her German Shepherd Bailey. My Aunt Fern and Uncle Al have a pond on their property, so Katie entertained herself and Bailey by throwing rocks in the pond.

 We had a birthday party for Katie in Michigan. Even Bailey had to wear a hat. She was none too happy despite my Aunt Fern telling her that she looked beautiful.

 Katie with her Michigan birthday cake. It was a My Little Pony cake as were all the decorations.

 After Katie's birthday party, Linda, Bailey, Katie and I went to our cousin Cheryl's who has a place on Lake Superior. Here's Katie testing the water. Lake Superior never really warms up, but Katie was bound and determined to go into the lake.

 Katie and Bailey. . . 

 and more Katie and Bailey frolicking in the Lake.

 Katie with my cousin Cheryl's White Pyrennes Lola. Lola is one big puffball and a sweet dog.

 Here's Katie's Texas birthday. I reused the My Little Pony decorations. Thrifty!

 Rick set up a treasure hunt for Katie. The first clue we delivered to her on her breakfast tray. She had to solve the riddle. The answer to the riddle would lead her to another location on our property. She was back and forth across this place, at the mailbox, by the water treatment shed, at the Quonset Hut. There were 10 clues in all. In the picture above, she had to scale the entrance to the missile base to find the next riddle. Yes, she is at least 20' in the air.

 The last riddle led her to Level 1 of the Launch Control Center in the missile base. There she found her big birthday present which was a Hummer bicycle.

 We also got her a matching Tour de France helmet and gloves. She will proudly tell you that her Hummer has seven speeds while Mommy's Hummer only has four. She forgets to mention that mine has four tires and engine.

 Opening presents in Texas. By the expression on her face, she likes the paintable birdhouse.

 Ah the joy of unwrapping presents. I managed to catch a little piece of pink paper in flight right in front of her face in this picture.

 She likes her present. Another Lego Friends building set. Now Rick on the other hand doesn't look so thrilled. Perhaps it is the odds that he will be stepping on Lego parts for the next few weeks.

 Making a wish and blowing out the candles on her beautiful butterfly cake.

Now jumping ahead to this past Monday, here is Katie on the first day of school and her first day in second grade. She got her hair cut about a week prior and I had curled it that morning. She's was a little nervous about the first day and really didn't have an appetite. After school and after tae kwon do, she broke down crying. Her best friends, twin girls who were in foster care, have been taken in by an biological aunt who lives elsewhere. We knew it was a possibility and it was confirmed last week, but after the first day of school and they were not there to play with at recess, it hit her pretty hard. Yesterday she started crying on the way to gymnastics. My heart just breaks. The twins' foster parents are going to get me the phone number for the aunt and I am going to call and see if Katie can talk to the twins on the phone and then we will go from there.

That's pretty much the last month. Actually more has gone on, but when you only post once in a blue moon, the little day to day funny things fall by the wayside. Ciao! 

Katie Update

I have been blogging so infrequently that I have to read the previous posts to see what I have already shared.  Bad blogger, bad blogger.

Katie tested for her 2nd degree red belt June 8 and passed. The belt presentation ceremony was June 15, so the next belt to achieve is 3rd degree red then black! But like Master Chip says, black is not the end, it is a new beginning. When you first receive your black belt you are a recommend black belt. Then you start working on your degrees of black belt. With each degree you get a gold stripe on your belt. For example, Master Chip has seven stripes, so he is a 7th degree black belt. It is a life long commitment and process. During the belt ceremonies Master Chip usually speaks for a bit and during this last one he brought up a few facts with one being that in the college application process, Harvard's for example, if you have the achievement of a Black Belt in tae kwon do or karate or another martial art listed on your application your application  automatically gets booted up to the next review board. Being a Black Belt in a martial art also works in your favor in the job market. Two people can have the exact same education and work history, but the black belt will get the job. The reason for this is that achieving a black belt is not just an indication of your physical capabilities, but also attests to your dedication, loyalty, determination,  high moral standards among other inner strengths. Martial arts strengthen the mind, the soul and the body and truly make you a better person.

It's not easy to get your black belt and it gets harder with each belt, but I have faith Katie can do it as long as we support her, encourage her and don't let her slack. She will thank us one day, maybe not tomorrow or even 10 or 15 years from now, but one day.

 The 1st and 2nd degree red belts showing their from during testing.

Belt ceremony. Removing her old belt.

Last Thursday Katie joined a very elite club in tae kwon do. It is called the "I Kick So High, I Hit Myself in the Face" Club. She was doing a front stretch kick and she smashed her knee right into her mouth. At first she looked stunned and then the tears came. She doesn't like crying in public, especially tae kwon do. A couple of instructors came over and checked her out. When she went to get a drink of water I checked her mouth out. Her two front, baby teeth have been loose forever, but the knee knocker didn't dislodge them. It only made them bleed. After that quick break, she got back on the mat and carried on. Another parent commented how Katie managed to pull it together so quickly and how she didn't lower her subsequent kicks. However, I did notice that she was tilting her head back. She's a tough cookie, that Doodlebug.

Katie loves gymnastics and is rather good at it. During the first class it was apparent that her training in tae kwon do serves her well in gymnastics. One aspect of tae kwon do that she applies to gymnastics is controlling her body. Sometimes when kids do cartwheels they look all gangly and defenseless against gravity. Katie has learned to work with gravity and doesn't have that out-of-control look. She is also fearless and willing to try anything. Today she was on the beam and she walked on it gracefully and without wobbling.

That's about it on the Katie front. Of course the weather is hot, hot, hot. And I have been busy, busy, busy, but I have not done anything earth shattering, just the day-to-day activities. Til later.

The Path to a Kindle

When the original Kindle Fire came out I quickly jumped on the wagon and purchased one. Of course when Amazon came out with the new and improved Kindle Fire HD 8.9" I had to upgrade. Katie used my old Kindle Fire and really enjoyed it. This past March we were in the Wal-Mart on I-20 and had to stop in the restroom before the ride home. We got to the Hummer and realized that Katie left the Kindle in the restroom. We turned around and went back to the ladies room, it was gone. A total of maybe ten minutes had elapsed. We immediately went to Customer Service and no one had turned it in. Katie was sobbing. The lady at the customer service desk and another lady behind us in line felt so bad for Katie. We left our name and number. I then called Amazon and had the Kindle removed from my account. The moment the Kindle was removed from my account--deregistered--the Kindle became a doorstop. Kindle's have to be registered to work. You have to have the ESN to register a Kindle. The ESN is not on the outside of the Kindle and you get it when you purchase the Kindle. Therefore, the only one who can register that Kindle is myself.  In addition to the ESN, to register my lost Kindle you also need my user name, name, address and password. I have checked several times with that Wal-Mart and no one has turned in the Kindle. I have also checked the local pawn shops and they did inform me they do not take Kindles without all of the paperwork and ESN numbers. I also check eBay and I noticed on eBay there are oodles of Kindles that are "not in working condition" going for $40. I take it "not in working condition" means no ESN. Anyway....

To encourage Katie to continue to read during the summer, I created a Summer Reading Path chart.

Katie's summer reading goal is 75 points. The easier books are worth one point/one square. The chapter books like Junie B Jones and Magical Treehouse are worth 3-4 points. By the time school starts she needs to have 75 points. Also, she needs to save $80 over the summer by doing her chores; therefore, getting her allowance. If she does both, Rick and I will pay for half of a Kindle Fire HD 7". She is pretty pumped about her challenge and has $21.57. She is reading a chapter book right now, so she should be at 10 books here shortly. At times it seems like a daunting task but I remind her that her birthday is coming up, so perhaps she will get money for her birthday and in one day she can easily read 6-7 one point books. Wish her luck!

The Years Are Short

Time to play catch-up. Katie had her spring ballet recital in the middle of May. About a week before the recital she informed me that she didn't want to do ballet next Fall. My heart broke. She is so good at it and that is not just the bias opinion of her mother but also of her ballet teachers. Katie's reasoning is that she wants to try something that will stretch her muscles and she is getting bored with ballet. I explained to her that in the Fall she will move up to a new age division, but she wants to try gymnastics and she is well aware she cannot do three activities at one time. After the recital she started wavering when she saw the dance that the 7-8 year olds did. There were leaps and spins and extra fancy footwork. Her boredom with ballet has to do with the fact that she wants to be dancing like the "big girls". She wants the dramatic, but doesn't realize that she needs to work up to that. I really want her to stick with ballet for at least one or two more years because ballet is the basis of all dance. I might have found a solution. The local gymnastic clubs offers six-week summer courses that will allow Katie to try out gymnastics. I don't want to say "no" to it just for the sake of ballet. Who knows, she may be very good at it. But enough of the ballet drama, here are a few pictures.

This picture is actually from the dress rehearsal, the night before the recital. We were in the first floor ladies lounge at the Paramount.

This is from underneath the stage the night of the recital. The dancers cannot put their costumes on until they are backstage where there are no photo-op friendly backgrounds.

 Flash photography is not allowed during the performances so we got very few photos of Katie dancing that are not blurry messes. The above is one that is only partially blurry.

 Curtain call. Katie is the tallest ballerina in the front row with the aqua blue skirt.

 With her bouquet of flowers from her Momma and Daddy.

Being silly with "Uncle" Don and "Aunt" Gerri, our neighbors and good friends, who came to watch Katie perform.

 Katie outside the Paramount. Each year I have taken this picture with the marquee in the background.

 Another traditional picture, Katie on her Daddy's knee.

Family picture.

This week is the last week of school, so it has been busy. Tuesday was Katie's Field Day at school. Field Day is comprised of different stations of games on the football field in which each class partakes. We have been in the 90s and 100s with blazing sun but the day the kids have an outdoor event, it was overcast with gray thunderheads. Figures. Since pictures show what takes hundreds of words to explain, I'll go with pictures.

 Hula hooping

 Tug-of-war. Girls against boys. The boys won two out of three. They then mixed the teams up and Katie was in the front position. She dug her feet in and won't budge. Her team won.

 Sack race. She got some serious air and was pretty fast.

 This game involved a can with holes in the side that the kids had to pass to one another, over their heads and, oh, it was filled with water. Then the last person had to race to the forward coffee can and empty the water, if any was left, and start all over.

 The final event was a race where seven kids in the same grade race against each other. I wasn't at the finish line but I thought Katie came in third. She thought she came in second. Regardless they all got the same ribbon.

Wednesday morning was the Awards Ceremony for the Elementary School. Katie made the "A" Honor Roll with an all "A" average for the entire year and was in the 15 mile club, which means she walk/ran 15 miles on Wellness Wednesdays throughout the year. We are pretty proud of her. Of course pictures are included. 

 Sitting next to one of her best friends.

 Blowing kisses to Daddy

 Receiving her awards from her teacher Mrs. Henrich.

 Examining the awards

"Wait! I'm on a stage!" Kiss, kiss, pose, pose. I wanted to crawl under my seat with embarrassment. Only Katie. If she doesn't spend her life on stage, she will surely shrivel and dry up.

Which brings us to today, the last day of first grade.

I measured Katie the other day. She is 49.5" tall. Yes, she has broken the 4' mark. She is 4' 1.5" tall, thanks to Rick. And she is all legs, thanks to Rick. She has my tone and shape (shameless bragging), which I got from my mother, so the girl has gorgeous gams.

That's the picture news for the last month or so. Since I started this post, I mailed in the check for gymnastics, so she'll be doing a gynmnastics this summer. Next Saturday she will be testing for her 2nd degree red belt in Tae Kwon Do. They had sign-up for Anson Youth Cheerleading and I was relieved that Katie didn't want to participate. It really was a bad experience and made me appreciate the outstanding coaching and instruction that she receives at Team Chip and Ballet Abilene. So as you see life moves along at Corinth West. A school year ends, new adventures begin. And all the time in the back of my mind I hear, "The days are long, but the years are short." How true, how true.

Katie's Dream House

Wednesday I met up with Katie at school to assist her in the construction of a gingerbread house. The entire first grade class was in the cafeteria and each child was encouraged to invite an adult to help them build. They gave us one hour to create and Katie continued working on hers at home. Below are pictures of her first ever gingerbread house.

Here is a view of the left side and front of her house. I had bought Lifesavers, licorice, mini candy canes, M&Ms and Starbursts. She was pretty creative with the candy.

Here is the backside and left side of the house again. The right side looks just like the left. The white frosting on the tray is supposed to be snow, but she ran out of frosting and couldn't do the snowbanks that she envisioned. She had to do Texas snow, which is just a light dusting.

I call the house Katie's Dream House because she would be in high heaven if she lived in this house made out of butter cream frosting and candy where she could eat a chunk of the wall whenever she pleased.

Movie Viewing

One thing that Katie and Rick do is watch movies together, not Barbie or Disney movies, but alien movies and war movies. This past weekend they watched Battle for L.A. and Jarhead. They are not the most age appropriate movies for a six-year old and this is evidenced by the fact that Katie's new favorite quote is from Jarhead. She'll say, "Hey Daddy" or "Hey Mommy" to get our attention. Then she'll say, "Welcome to the suck!" Then she laughs and laughs. . . . and so does Rick. During Battle for L.A. Katie asked Rick why marines are allowed to swear and Rick told her it was because they are marines, so now if you ask Katie why marines are allowed to swear or do anything naughty, she says, "Because they're marines." Maybe I should activate parental controls on the TV for Katie. . . . and Rick.

If a picture is worth a thousand words than I am off the hook.

Over a month has past since my last post, so it is time for a new one. To update you would take oodles of time and numerous keystrokes. Therefore, I'll give you the abbreviated text version and rely on pictures to give you the details.

Katie danced in The Nutcracker as a Tiny Angel; was in Abilene's and Anson's Christmas parades with her cheerleading team; visited with Santa at the Mall; received another report card of straight A's; and is growing and learning.

Rick is finally on his well-deserved and much-needed, month-long vacation. We have had snow already this year, but the dusting was gone by noon. The weather has been cold for the last few weeks--30's to 40's in the morning. It gets warmer as the day goes, but the temperature just drops once the sun drops below the horizon. I've decorated for Christmas, but have not gone all out like usual. The Christmas spirit eludes me this year. I try to fake it for Katie's sake. My dad has cancer and his treatment options would possibly buy him more time, but nothing will eradicate the cancer. He has turned down the options available and has chosen at home hospice. Right now he is holding steady and doing well.

Below are a few pictures and I hope they are worth a thousand words.

Family Christmas Picture 2012

 Katie with some of her fellow cheerleaders waiting to board their float for the Abilene Christmas parade

Katie lost her first baby tooth Dec. 15, 2012. It's the gap on the bottom front. The gap on the top front has always been there!

 Katie at Santa's Wonderland at the Mall

 Katie's 2012 Santa Picture

Katie after she visited with Santa at the Mall. She got the Elf hat from one of Santa's elves.

As the holidays approach, my prayers go out to the families and the community of Newton, Connecticut. My wish for you is that the quiet peace of the season remains with you throughout the year. Merry Christmas.