Christmas Day

It was a great day, I talked to both of my kids and the cats love their bottle caps and straws. It is funny to watch them play with them, they won't play with any of their toys even the catnip ones but love what they shouldn't have. Love ya all, and hope your Christmas was beautiful and full of love.

More Fremont Street

Well it is the Eve of Christmas Eve so here are a few more pics from Fremont Street Light Show. Merry Christmas to everyone and I love ya all.

Downtown

I was a bit disappointed that the Fremont Street Light Show didn't have a holiday theme, but the tree was beautiful, the vendors were interesting to watch and the air was so crisp and Christmasy. Ok it was a bit chilly but hey its almost Christmas so thats to be expected.

Christmas tree

Well it is almost Christmas and I've done my decorating, of course my snoopy Bandit had to investigate the tree. I'm not sure if this is proof that I have a super big cat or a super small tree. Merry Christmas to everyone, I really miss all my family and friends. Love ya all.

Happy Thanksgiving to all

Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, seems the year is flying by, stay safe and be happy. Love ya all

Resigning

Well, as of Wednesday afternoon I will no longer be an employee of the Luxor, they refused to extend my leave of absence and Doc refuses to allow me to return to work even if I thought I could.
So looks like I'm retired far earlier then I'd hoped for but I am keeping the faith that things will work out somehow. I'm getting cabin fever bad from having to stay in bed 23 out of 24 hours a day, good thing I have a laptop to keep me sane, ok maybe not. The pulse rate is dropping though for the last 14 hours it has been down to 105 so it is dropping fairly well, hopefully by Wednesday it will be down and stay that way.
Miss everyone and love ya all.

Synchronization

Sometimes I think Smokey and Bandit are merely shadows of each other, it seems they do all things alike at the same time. They are fun to watch and they sure keep me laughing at times.

October already

Well, another month is gone and this one is almost a third gone. Health wise not much good news so far, I did get rid of 2 kidney stones so after horror the relief is great. My cats are not sure why I am always around to make them behave and I'm not sure they like the fact lol.

Bandit has found a new way to torment Smokey that is they go in and sleep in the cabinet under the bathroom sink together, after a bit Bandit gets out and makes sure he makes enough noise to wake up Smokey on his way out. Once he is on the outside he leans against the door and meows, Smokey pushes on the door and Bandit just leans against it. It doesn't take long till Smokey is pushing and crying for help and Bandit innocently looks up at the ceiling till I go rescue Smokey,

I've done the paperwork for SSDI but that will still be at least a few more months till they even consider it since you have to be out of work 5 months to be eligible for it. The goal had been to work till at least January then retire well I think that would have been the best solution but it was not possible. I am getting accustomed to my limp and kind of slumped back most of the time now, but I'm hanging in there waiting and hoping for a return to normal.

Fall has definitely hit Vegas we had a 22 degree drop in high temps in 24 hours we stayed below normal for about 4 days and now are back to normal for a few days then we drop again for a week with chances of rain, The rain will be nice if we get it, the air is so full of dust and smoke from the california fires this year.

I get my enjoyment these days watching Lori and Jans blog and playing with the creative trouble making cats lol. It is so nice to have the babies here, they sure keep me on my toes just trying to keep one step ahead of them, and now they have become my body guards they never leave my side at least one of them is always right there with me . They sure keep my mind busy just trying to figure out what they have in mind when they give me that look, you all know the look its like "boy will you ever be surprised when we pull this off on ya".

One last note here "Congratulations Mr President on the Nobel Peace Prize".

Still no work

The doctor declared me totally disabled yesterday so I am off work at least another 30 days I guess. Being out of work would be great if I felt good lol. Seems without going out of my place much there isn't much to write about but at least all my tests came back good except the liver which is operating at 87% and my thyrhoid is over active.
I really love reading loris blog and seeing the pics she posts, it is really looking like they are working hard but the effort is sure looking good.
I sure miss everyone. Love ya all

Medical leave in effect

Well officially today I'm on a 30 day leave of absence from work. I have blood tests scheduled for Monday then have to have the right shoulder and arm xrayed. Then have more xrays and bone density tests to have done, seems my doctors think I enjoy running all over town being prodded and poked.
Sure hope they figure out something soon this not being able to stand or sit for very long is really rough.

Disability for a bit

Well I've been out of work for 4 days now and see a specialist tomorrow to see about going on a medical leave of absence. Things aren't improving and I am unable to stand or sit very long without having to lie down with my heat pad and ice pack, sure hope it improves I want to make it till retirement at work if possible.
The weather here is still hot hot hot, but since I am unable to get out much it doesn't really matter lol.

Counting down

Well there are only from 171 to 202 days left till I can retire, I'm hoping for January 4th but may work till February 1 if the economy doesn't pick up a bit. Work has been slow but hectic because we are working with half the staff and they aren't fixing the machines that break down very fast.

Sure seems like a long time ago since the reunion but it has only been a month, I can't even say how great it was to see everyone.

Lori gave me a camera and I am taking lots of pictures mainly of the cats but hopefully I'll get out and get some pictures of more interesting (to others) things soon.

We are expected to hit the 110 mark most of this week so it should be a bit warm here.

Love ya all. Here is a close up of Bandits extra toes, he is so cute

Allergies make me feel allergic

This weather is terrible my allergies are acting up badly, the winds we have been having are blowing all kinds of junk around and it all lands in my nose. I feel like Rudolph my nose is so red from blowing it all the time.
It is good to see the fish Lori is catching and I just want her to know she best leave some of them in the lake for when I go visit, I'd like to catch one or two also.
Love ya all and hope your dad is doing a bit better tonight.

Glad Lori is home

It is a relief to know Lori is home and I love the bonding that was taking place between Jan and Arien, she sure has grown since I held her on the way to her home. It is definitely summer here in Vegas but so nice to be able to sit outside and soak up the heat while in the shade.
Hope Lori's dad does ok being at Kens and I am certain Ken will have what it takes to handle the situation. I definitely have two kids to be proud of and believe me I am.

A little excitement

Well as is typical when I have a fibromyalgia attack it seems work is super busy and all the machines break down so everything is done by hand. That is what happened Sunday and it about killed my back but I made it through that night, Monday night was a bit different. By mid shift my right leg and back gave out on me, I stuck it out another hour then couldn't move at all, couldn't put weight on my right leg or walk, they sent for security and escorted me out to my car in a wheelchair. I had to assure them I could drive before they let me go. Hopefully by Thursday when I go back to work it will have let up and be back to normal (tolerable) so I can get in what little time they give me.

Sad news about Miss S

Miss S my sisters cat had to be put to sleep yesterday. I remember her when she was just a little tiny kitten, sis had her I'm guessing at least 11 years and it seems longer then that. I have a pic of her tonight after work I'll go through my pictures and post one. It turns out she had a cancerous tumor and in the end would have suffered greatly so it was best to put her down, though she will be missed she will be thought of with love from all of us. This pic was taken at the reunion so she was already sick but she was always a petite little thing.

Beautiful summer

It is another clear summer day and summer in Vegas means Hot, hot, hot and did I mention it gets hot here too. This is a pic of what I see when I look out my window or door, I spend a lot of time in the hot tub there and since it is so close to my apartment it is convenient.

Not much new here

Things are pretty boring here today, I go in to work in a couple hours then have 3 days off. Sure miss everyone and look forward to seeing you all again. If things don't improve with my hours at work I may have to wait till March to retire boy I don't know if physically I can do that, but I'll keep on keeping on as long as I can.

I was so relieved to hear Lori made it to Kearney and am glad to hear her dad is doing well, I'm sure it takes a load of her mind to be there and see for herself how he is doing. Here is a picture of Kenny and Lori boy them kids are getting old good thing their mom isn't aging.

A bit under the weather

I'm a bit sick today, a fibromyalgia attack hit during the night so won't be doing much on here. I'm glad to hear Lori is close to finishing her journey and is safe right now. It is good to know she will get to see her dad and will be there for fathers day.

My babies

Well I've taken about a hundred pics of these little guys and finally got Bandit to put his feet up so you could see his extra toes. Smokey is the one with the most white, they are brothers and 2 years old now.

Vacation is over

Well time to return to work, in about 6 or 7 months I plan to retire so will be on a permanent vacation. I sure do miss the family no matter what topic I try to talk about with the cats all they say is "Meow" I truly don't think they listen to me. Picture on the left is of Donnie and Mary Jo, the flowers on the table are some she got "Uncle" to pick for her. The right side picture is Christine and Cindy taking a well deserved break in between cooking bouts.

Fish fry

Just a pic Cindy sent the fish is real and so is Eddy.

More

I'm posting a couple of new pictures. One of Christine and Larry the other of Lori, Donnie, Cindy and Christine. I really miss everyone and miss that "last cigarette" at night.

Cats are mad at me

Bandit met me once I spoke Smokey wouldn't come out from under the bed for about 3 hours but he is calmer now, they look great and to my amazement the house is still standing. These aren't good pictures but the cats are still fearful of the camera so I will try to get better ones later.

Sorry its over

I'm home, took almost as long to get a cab home as it did to fly to Vegas. I had a fantastic time, it was so wonderful to see everyone and so sad to leave them. Cindy and Donnie and Kristy made me feel so at home and so welcomed, they worked so hard to make it a great time for 31 people. Donnie did a crab boil, I'd never had it before and it was fantastic made me wish I were a bigger eater. Kristy was super about coming to the airport with Barb to get me and even though it was hot and miserable she did take care of her auntie Cheryl. Cindy cooked so much and had such a great variety including french toast, colaches (probably can't spell it but i sure could eat them), english saugage rolls, omg I can't even remember all the great food.
I thought it was wonderful that all of Christines kids and her and Larry could be there, man it has been 25 years since i've seen some of them, do you believe they are taller then me now (ok Erin isn't) but they are all fine adults and great people. Chris, Cindy and I spent a lot of time reminicing it was fabulous made me feel young again till i had to get up and walk then the age came back to mind.
Lori and Jan traveled so far to get there and I truly didn't think they would make it because of Lori's dads illness. Jan toughed it out even though she hates Texas ( I don't think she really hates it cause she did a lot of smiling and stuff).
I choked up so bad when it was time to leave I truly don't believe I expressed my appreciation and love for all of them, but I hope they know I do love them all. Donnie thanks again for the crab boil, the hospitality, all your hard work and facing the Houston traffic to get me to the airport I truly appreciate it.
I love you all and I certainly do have a big family to be very proud of, you are all great people.

Well the countdown is now at 28 hours till I get on the big bird to Texas. I'm so excited to see everyone, it will be great getting a chance to hug ya all. The cats are acting funny already so they must realize things are different, they do use the extra litter box and are still only eating the normal amount of food, but won't go near the water dispenser so i'll put out several large dishes of water for them.
Security is going to keep an eye on the car and the apartment for me and so i'm all set and ready to head out in about 25 hours for the airport.

Woohoo its almost time

One week from now and i'll be nearing Houston at this time of day. I'm already so excited it is nervewracking, the cats know something is going on they keep real close tabs on me. The dang fools won't drink out of the new water dish so guess i will have to resort to the old method if they don't give in before i do.
I only have 4 more nights of work then 2 days to relax and do the last minute chores before leaving. Larry wants me to be sure to tell everyone hello so i'm hoping i don't forget.
The weather here is changing, cloudy today and very windy and they say it is supposed to cool down tonight for a few days. We might get rain this week we sure need it. It is so terribly dry here that the air is almost always filled with dust, it usually looks hazy.

A week and a half left

Ok, time is passing just like it should, I am about ready for the trip. The cats have learned to use the second litter box and to find water if they run out. I talked to my sister Thursday and she seems to be ready for the invasion of relatives, it turns out my brother will be there also for sure.
The weather here is crazy guess it really is monsoon season, windy and hot then windier and hotter with heavy dark clouds but so far no rain out of them. I think we are supposed to get rain over the weekend but that is only what the weatherman says and he is almost never right.
Work is going on as usual, slow still but they keep telling us it will pick up anyday. I just hope the job holds out till at least the first of next year then I plan to retire and later find just a part time job if need be.
Well time to get in gear and get this work day over with and I can't do that till I get to work.

Complications of decisions

Well so far I've packed and unpacked at least a dozen times, seems I can't make a decision on what to wear, what to take and what not to take. One thing about it I have plenty of time yet to make the final decision which will probably be made just as I run out the door to get to the airport. The only thing that has stayed packed this whole time is the gift I got for my brats last birthday which was only 10 months ago, my time flies.
The cats are starting to catch on that something is going on, when I get the suitcase out Bandit sits in it and Smokey kind of wraps his little arms around my ankle so I can't go to far. I can't believe they are 2 years old already, then somedays it seems I've had them forever. I fixed them a special birthday cake yesterday a can of food (they only get dry food normally) and I put some kitty treats on top of it instead of candles. They took the treats off, Bandit took the one he had and carried it into the litter box and buried it, guess that says what he thinks treats are, Smokey just put his in the middle of the floor and turned his back on it. While vacumning today I found 32 bottle caps, 18 bread ties, 4 pens, and 6 of my barettes hidden under the bed, behind the couch and in every corner. Goodness kids sure can make a mess.
Seems like summer is really here although they have said monsoon season is coming in early this year so I'm really hoping it doesn't storm the day I leave here on the trip, that could be a real mindblower rain and lightening while on a plane. Ok so I worry to much but if I had nothing to worry about I'd worry about not having anything to worry about. Well now it is time to give the cats a bit of attention and play with them. More to come.

Countdown starts

Only 3 weeks till I fly off to Texas and get to see my family, I'm not sure who all will be there but will be so glad to see them anyway. My older sister and her family I haven't seen since my mom died so this visit will be much less stressful and more relaxing. I will get to see Lori and Jan again and that will be fabulous, still not sure if they will ride the trike or drive the car down, I am sure it will be hot so I'd opt for the car. The only concern I have is that means my cats Smokey and Bandit will be alone for 5 days, someone will look in on them daily but they hide from people and stay hidden till the person leaves. One of these days I need to get a camera to get some pics of the cats, this starting over again sure is showing me how much I lost when I left town 2 years ago. Oh well life is about adventures and restarts so I'm on the road to recovery again. Looks like a hot summer ahead of us here in Vegas, but tonight we are having lightening storms, no rain just lightening and thunder. Kind of look forward to a nice rain but they say that isn't likely for a while anyway. Well time for me to turn into a pumpkin and get some rest so off I go.

Spring is here and gone

Spring has sprung and went right to summer we hit a new high today and it was great after the unusually cool winter we had.