The Garden Gate

Just busy. ;o\

House is getting cleaner... started an apprenticeship in addition to working full time and serving on 2 non-profit boards... free time is something I don't have much of... But I do think of y'all!!

Have a Merry and a Happy!!

GG

And you want to know the absolutely fucked up thing about having car drama???
I got rid of the old POS that was giving me all the drama took my sorry credit rating, sucked it up and went to DriveTime.
I bought a newer model with the assertion that it would be a quality used vehicle so I could avoid car drama altogether...

Right.

Enter the faint smell of oil when I turn on the AC, which is starting to shut off when I idle.  Hmmm... suspicious.
I take the car in for it's 3000 mile maintenance and oil change... being a responsible car owner and all that jazz.

**Que the dramatic music crescendo**

My 2007 PT Cruiser is leaking oil from the head gasket. That is a MAJOR repair.
Luckily, the car is still covered under the limited warranty of the dealership. So, they pay for a new gasket and a for the head to be re-machined. Oh, and that AC problem? it's the engine cooling fan motor. It doesn't work. That's NOT covered under warranty. Yay.

So I pitched a wall-eyed fit and used terms like Lemon Law and they saw fit to cover the cost of the part, and I would cover the cost of labor.
Fair enough-ish.
I also called the Better Business Bureau and submitted a complaint. The whole premise behind DriveTime is their thourough inspections and ACE Mechanics that make sure they are selling a quality product. Then they want to give me a hard time about my warranty.

The BBB said I had grounds to submit a complaint, so I did.
I am usually the person to get my ass corn-holed by car dealerships, but I've decided to be the squeaky wheel and get the oil.
So far it seems to be working.

I'm just so PISSED OFF!!  I mean, what did I do in my past lives to incur this bad of car karma?? 
Jeezus!!

Now, I'm just waiting for the other hubcap to drop. I'm taking the car to MY mechanic and having him do a thorough inspection of the vehicle.

Keep your fingers crossed, flist.

Peace.

You Scored as Euterpe You are Euterpe, the muse of music. You are an inventor, and you constantly come up with new ideas. You are happy when everyone else is happy.

 Of picking you up and carting you off to Oz.

                                                                             ...Well, not to me, but it could happen.

I have been waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay remiss in posting anything about anything.
I should be over my funk now, but I don't have the stamina to stay up later to post more.
Life is life, hubby is still collecting unemployment, my child turned 6 and my house is still messy.

We got a dog... it just adds to the brat pack hanging around the house.

*sigh*

I am looking forward to a week-long vacation in June...

Hugs to the flist, I'm off to disappear into the nebulous ether of my dreams.

GG

( It's a Naughty Birthday for you, Sub... But I hope you like the Cake!!! )

Happy birthday, Goddess Womyn!!!

*squishes you with love*

Imbolc Chant

Night has come, but a Light is breaking
The Sun has set, but the Moon lights our Path
The Mysteries of the Dark have called us
But Dawn will light our way back home


____________________________________________________
(Ganked from sisalfish)
Now you're invited, as well, if you are reading this:

WHAT: A Bloggers (Silent) Poetry Reading

WHEN: Anytime February 2, 2009

WHERE: Your blog

WHY: To celebrate the Feast of Brigid, aka Groundhog Day

HOW: Select a poem you like - by a favorite poet or one of your own - to post February 2nd.

RSVP: If you plan to publish, feel free to leave a comment and link on this post. Last year when the call went out there was more poetry in cyberspace than I could keep track of. So, link to whoever you hear about this from and a mighty web of poetry will be spun.

Feel free to pass this invitation on to any and all bloggers.

We're marching today.  Me, dear hub, the bratfink and my MIL are all going to march. *squees*
The past two years it has been absolutely miserable weather. It's supposed to be unseasonably warm today.
The Bratfink's school marches every year, so we are marching with that group... I am so excited. This is fabulous and a momentous occasion, I'm so glad this is something my kiddo can be a part of.

I heard something really beautiful on, of all things, Good Morning America:

"Parks sat so King could walk.
King walked so Obama could run.
Obama ran so our children could fly."

Hope everyone has a great day, whether you're working or not, today.

And a Very Happy B'Day to Keladry Lupin!!

*squishes you*

(For those of you wondering about FSMas.)

*Sporfle*

Hee.

Anyway, I hope everyone had a very Merry and a wonderfully Happy whatever it is you celebrate!


Love to the flist!!

GG

So, they transferred Granny from ICU to a Hospice unit this evening (here in the States, Hospice is generally end-of-life care). An hour later she passed peacefully. I find I'm not as weepy as I thought, although I was my Da's driver so he could go see her one last time and sign her over to the funeral home. That may have something to do with it.  My Da is, in his words, going to get spectacularly drunk tonight. I say he had a head start. It's to be expected.

Thank you all for your well wishes and kind thoughts.

Granny's fighting.
They gave her some blood and her blood pressure came up and her heart rate came down.
My guess is that living with her husband, then her little brother (and especially my Da) has truly turned her into fighter. She's not giving up,yet. Go Granny, Go!
But I'm very cautiously optimistic. We'll see what today holds.
Thank you so  much to those of you who left your good thoughts. They seem to be working.

Hugs you alll,

GG

I've had a kind of nervous energy all day. I was so worried about the election and which way it would turn out.
I am overjoyed at the chance to say President Elect Obama for the next three months (and I'll be even more excited on January 20th).
I watched both speeches and was pleasantly surprised to find the John McCain I used to like take the podium and deliver a wonderful concession speech. It almost makes up for the hate and fear mongering his running mate seemed to incite at her rallies.  Almost.

Obama's speech made me tear up, but so did watching him with his family, and seeing Joe Biden's mom.

This is also the day I will remember holding my Grandmother's hand in the hospital for what will probably be the last time.  Her skin is parchment-thin and her breathing labored. She could only lift her head a bit and squeeze my hand. I think I now understand what people mean when they say 'death-rattle.'
My Granny Louise taught me to crochet when I was five, always played dominoes and pinochle on my team agains my dad and my uncle, and came to see me in the hospital when my daughter was born (although she was afraid to hold the baby). The Charge Nurse let me take my too-young daughter back into the ICU to see her Great-grandmother for what will probably be one last time (thank you Goddess for compassionate caregivers who bend the rules just a little). She got to hold her Granny's hand and tell her that she loved her before I sent her back to the waiting room with Dad.

This last year, I have taken Granny to the grocery store and visited her in the hospital more than I thought I would ever have to.  She has always been one to love me unconditionally and who has always had the most beautiful smile (she always smiled when I came to visit and it lit up her whole face).
Right now she is hooked up to so many tubes and IV drips and bags, and she has to have percussive respiratory treatments. Watching her ordeal tonight made me think I was so selfish for wishing she would stay around longer.

It took me a good 45 minutes to work up the courage to go to Granny's good ear and tell her I loved her very much, but not to stay around for us if she wanted to go.
I covered her with a blanket like I've done so many times (she's always cold in the hospital) held her hand for a little bit longer while she fell asleep, spoke to her nurse and the charge nurse (who were both wonderful) and gathered the courage to leave. I wanted to stay in case she slipped away during the night so she wouldn't be alone.

I hope she makes a turn around and starts getting better, but she's 87 with COPD and chronic heart arrythmia. 

And I am so torn up I don't know whether to pray she passes peacefully, in her sleep, or she starts making a long and difficult recovery.

Love you, Granny.

So I have a 5-year-old with a very strong personality. And by very strong, I mean VERY STRONG.
So I did a bad thing. I cut her hair. I tricked her into it, and cut her hair.

She had beautiful long hair.  I just knocked off 5 inches. I told her it was 2.  Now, she looks absolutely adorable, so I really have no remorse over cutting it (it NEEDED it). But I feel like shit that I talked her into it and ruthlessly lied to her about how much I was going to cut off. 

Why? You ask?

She has lice. We have been doing everything I know of to get rid of them. Inevitably I miss a few eggs here or there and by the middle of the next week... voila! More eggs. 
I got so tired of combing through ALL her fine, long hair that I cut it.  And twisted it around so she gave me permission.

I broke her heart. She has been sobbing and saying she doesn't want to got to school with short hair, that the boys won't like her (I actually have no problem with that one) and that she doesn't look like herself. 

*sigh*

I know I probably did the right thing.. but I feel like dried up dog shit about the whole situation.

The good news is, I got a new nit comb and it seemed to do better than I have been by hand.

Hopefully, in another 5 days after I pour yet more questionable pesticide on my daughter's head it will be the last time I have to.

In the mean time? I get the shitty Mom award today.

... there's not enough beer in the house tonight.


*sob*

So, in high school they called me Chichona de la Flores...

Your Boobies' Names Are...

Chi-chis

It means Boob Woman of the flowers... or something to that effect. Hence chi-chis. *sigh* Entirely TOO accurate.

*ganked from Subversa*

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are an Ingrid!

 

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Take the Quiz here!

Ganked from everyone... :D

You are Marianne Dashwood of Sense & Sensibility! You are impulsive, romantic, impatient, and perhaps a bit too brutally honest. You enjoy romantic poetry and novels, and play the pianoforte beautifully. To boot, your singing voice is captivating. You feel deeply, and love passionately.

How evil are you?

Hmmmm... and I was Honest! *sigh* Guess I should have gone to church today... *snerk* *snerffle* *guffaw*
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!!!!!!!

Yeah, never mind. I'm not a fan of being struck by lightning.

*big eeeebil grin*

This is for those of you who have participated in the Native American Name meme. It might have been all in good fun, and you probably didn't mean anything by it, but I think you ought to know that it just perpetuates a nasty cycle of racism.


( click for some perspective by Rev. Goat Carson )

see Sarah Palin pictures