Surprise party

Today we had the surprise party for my sister. She knew something was up when she received a birthday card declaring "Sorry I missed your party". Her birthday was last month. Though she didn't know when or where so she was surprised. My brother-in-law had my Mom visit their place a couple days and his parents came down to have dinner during my sister's lunch break from a class she is taking. Apparently it is an all day class. I can't recall what she said she was taking. There were about 40 people in attendence. Relatives and neighbors mostly. Her old college roommate was there with her family, her kids helped my niece and sister open presents. My sister commented it was a sedate party. People came later when people were leaving. Then it was time to be going. We grabbed the stuff. A niece decided to pummel my baby niece with the balloons so I jumped in and started bopping the balloons back at my niece. We even popped one hitting it at the same and freaked my baby niece. Miss Bossypants (baby niece) ordered us to stop hitting the balloons cuz we will pop more but we ignored her and kept hitting balloons at each other. My aunt commented balloons are not meant for boxing. Then we got our coats on and feet wet since it was snowing all day. My two nieces rode in my car. Someone asked if I asked permssion to take my niece home. I said I don't think my sister would mind if I kidnapped her kid for 20 minutes. I did tell their parents they would ride to my sister's with me. We all had the same destination.

Got to sister's house and my baby niece asked why were here. I think she thought we were going to my place. My sister, sister, brother-in-law, and mom made back after us. Once settled in my sister's living room and fighting over my baby niece's video game, my sister didn't feel like cooking for everybody so we went out. A Chinese buffet with pizza, garlic bread, jello, salad bar, sushi, crab legs, shrimp, noodle soups, rice, pastries, other stuff I can't identify, and soft serve ice cream for dessert. My mom went up to my sister and asked where the American food was, there were 5 buffets tables to visit. When my baby niece wanted ice cream after claiming she was full, my sister said she has to finished eating her plate before ice cream. So my baby niece grabs the food off and set it on her napkin. Then she purposely dropped jello on the floor to "empty" her plate as commanded. I blurted out I saw that and sister asked what she did. She watched her more carefully eating her fruit and vegetables, and polishing off the jello. She said finish eating her food, not drop it all on the floor. Then we opened our fortune cookies. Mine said my friends will surprise me. I asked if that was good or bad. Then went back and I finished laundry. My sister got out the Easter decorations and baby niece tossed the plastic grass all over the floor. Sister ordered her to pick it up and put it in the baksets, which she did not. No stories, no snack, no mommy lying in bed with her for her bad behavior, then ordered her to bed. Baby niece cries her eyes out and my sister tosses the pj's at us to put her to bed cuz she is tired. My other sister picked up the grass. I think she picked up the eggs and flowers to get a snack of yogurt. My laundry done, I went home. My baby niece was brushing with the other niece when left. Took Precious outside with everything all wet and cold. Now time for bed. I'm tired. Later.

News of the weird

News Item from the local free paper.

You know times are tough when thieves are robbing homeless people. A man living in a tent under a local river bridge was awoken by two or three men kicking him to swipe his backpack: containing a shaving kit, glasses, clothes, and personal papers and documents like his Social Security card. They also took his bicycle and TV. Stealing from a homeless man is bad enough, but taking a TV w/out a converter box is downright stupid.

Spring is here

Lovely day today I had to put on a t-shirt. Got my Easter things out. Even though the balcony door is open, cats insist on sleeping on my feet.

Yesterday I rushed to work and forgot my DVD player. Then the manager tossed all the magazines away and I also forgot my new Glamor magazine at home. My cell phone runs out of battery power so I figured I would bored most of the night. Even better they kept doing maintenence on the computer so it was hard to do my job. A coworker volunteered to get his DVD player out of his home while he was getting food for the car washers. He even let me borrow his new DVD of Brad Pitt's Benjamin Button movie just because he knows I love Brad Pitt. What I didn't know was that is was a pirated movie he bought from friend of a friend w/out subtitles and bad picture making me wonder if it was copied from Showtime. I work in a noisy airport and need subtitles. It was ok, not spectacular, but ok. I'm only surprised guys went to the theater to watch this, no violence or naked women. It reminded me of Forrest Gump and Merlin in King Arthur. It was a cute story.

Home at last

Spent the week with Mom taking my cats with me. It took an hour to get them in the carriers and have battle scars from the adventure. Both sisters, brother, nieces visited and stayed the week helping Mom out. Mom didn't want to go home alone. First 2 days cats were terrified from all the visitors and after everyone went to bed did they come out. They hid well we had difficulty finding their hiding places. Once they calmed down my nieces enjoyed petting them. People brought food and Mom insisted they take something with them, like 20 packets of Jello or 10 boxes of cereal. The funeral director and pastor came by for the plans. Preacher asked if she needed meals delivered and I said no because she has grocery store in the basement, Dad could not pass up a sale. In fact I tasted 6 year old Mountain Dew and poured it down the sink when Mom wasn't looking. We picked out the coffin on the computer, Mom never done that before. Mom wanted funeral, cemetery, and then dinner to be the order. The church was full as well as the funeral home visitation. We had the slide show they also showed at the funeral. My youngest niece didn't know many of the people in the slides so we gave commentery to whoever was nearby at the funeral home. At the funeral home a few thought I was my sister or knew who I was but I had no idea who they were. My second cousin offered any help we needed. I need oil changed since Dad isn't here to do it anymore. He will gladly do it, he's a mechanic. Now how am I going to pay him? Mom asked people take plants home with them, her house can only handle so many. Cats had pleasure chewing on the plants. One person asked that I tell the cats not to eat the plants. Yeah, that is like placing candy in front of a kid and saying, Don't eat it. I let the cats eat the plants, they going to die and be tossed out anyway.

After the funeral we got busy searching for important papers, like life insurance policy, then sorting and tossing. Sister called nearly 30 magazines and book clubs to cancel subscriptions. Mom was ready to toss anything to do with Dad's time on the railroad but brother-in-law insisted she not toss anything dealing with that cuz there are many collectors who would love stuff he grabbed when it sold to another company. His old coworkers have a reunion every year and would love to have those things. Sell to the right person is his motto. Sisters insisted Mom toss the expired food. Mom was insistant it was good, but relented to her daughters and they got busy. I babysat niece and opened the mail Mom didn't want to deal with. Funeral director gave us pre-printed Thank you cards so another sister wrote out the envelopes. Today one sister found a mummified mouse in a trap inside a cupboard and managed not to scream. My brother-in-law removed it. Sisters will be with Mom tonight and go home tomorrow. They will return for more sorting in the coming weeks. Mom is eager to get rid of stuff and move away, but people tell her not to be so hasty. She can move in the summer when she is not so distraught. Dad took care of Mom so well she is clueless what he did. She doesn't even know where important papers were or how he did the taxes. Gotta check those records, he was organized even if very messy. Well, home again. Cats are happy. I grabbed them when napping so they didn't see it coming. They fought to get out of the carriers as I packed the car. Now they are on my feet. Later.

Full afternoon

Got to my sister's house and nobody was there. Talked to my aunt on the phone and my sister called to say they will return when my other sister comes. My sister from Nebraska wanted to see him in the hospital. I passed on that experience, I rather remember him alive and rubbing lotion on and telling him I have cable again. I will see him in the coffin. Funeral is Wednesday and visitation Tuesday. I watched Hogan's Heroes my sister records on her DVR and did laundry.

Then the rush came in. My sister, husband, and 1 daughter from Nebraska, Mom, Aunt from Grimes, and my sister's family. We ordered pizza. I already ate fish and fries an hour before they came. Mom was still numb and devasted she wasn't there when he passed. The nurses called this morning saying he was unresponsive so she rushed over. Then she left for half hour to eat in the cafeteria and came back to find him gone. He had 2 nurses in the room monitoring him so he was not alone. I told Mom maybe he waited for her to leave so she would not panic when he left. Yesterday he lost the ability to swallow and everything went to his lungs, he choked on his saliva. They gave him 6 months to live and he dies the next day. While Mom was freaking cuz she missed it, my sister shows up and heard a nurse say that she didn't know. Mom gave sister a big hug crying how she just left and now he is gone.

Niece saw my weekly movie loan and we watched Beverly Hills Chihuahua. It is funny. Discussed funeral time, moving to retirement place, etc. I told Mom at least she gets pick the tombstone (one thing Dad procrastinated on cuz they couldn't agree). She will have big hearts and engrave a train for him (he worked on the railroad). They have plots in the same cemetery of my Dad's parents. Mom didn't want to return home tomorrow by herself to get Dad's suit and look through his pig sty desk. She is also worried about taxes she will have to pay. Mom thinks she will move into a retirement place this summer after selling 2 farms and 2 houses full of stuff. Guess I need to find a storage place for my stuff still in their house and a bed/dresser in my grandparents' house. She needs to finish her dream kitchen Dad stopped working on when he got cancer and finish the patio started on when I was in high school and practically a weed patch. Plus the privacy fence is falling apart too. Grandparents' house needs new dry walls everywhere, new basement walls, and new water heater. That part is estimated at $40,000 to fix.

After pizza everybody left and I told Mom I would be with her as she returns to the house. It was time for niece to go to bed. My brother is coming tomorrow morning and my Dad's sisters are coming up for the funeral. I said I would meet them at the house at 1:00. At least Dad only has one suit for Sundays so that's the easy part. The hard part will be agreeing on a coffin. Well, cats need attention.

Bad news

My sister called me to say our Dad passed away a half hour ago. He was unresponsive this morning and then his blood pressure severely dropped, and he passed away. He was 71. They were planning surgery Monday. Sister was with Mom at the hospital and returning to her house soon. I said I would come over to her house. Precious and Frodo are staring at me wondering what is going on and Precious keeps meowing to go outside. Better go now.

Not much to report

Not much happening here. Monday both car washers called in sick so the bossman had to get his hands dirty and shuttle cars. I think the cars were clean from the day before but the returned cars had to be cleaned. My coworker was busy shuttling cars his entire shift. Had an argument Monday night how we are sold out Tuesday. She never had this experience before. There's a first time for everything. May have been a little unprofessional to say that but at that point I was getting tired of arguing that we are out of cars no matter how much she begs for one, no she can't have a returned car (those go to people to reservations, hence why we are sold out), and she has to rent somewhere else if she needs a car on Tuesday. Tuesday was fun. Would you like a compact or a minivan? Occasionally my car washer brought over a returned car not a compact or minivan so there was an extra choice. Nobody fussed at me about the lack of choices, but we offer to exchange cars the next day when more cars are available. Took Precious out today. He lasted 25 minutes out in the 50 degree windy day. Frodo meowed being left behind but he runs from the harness so he has to deal with the balcony, and he lasts 2 minutes out there.