No guts, no glory. (eh, FNB?)
I had such a great bunch of rounds, today. SO GLAD I MADE IT!

2 cups of Starbuck's @ Deb's, catching up and cracking up. We notice that at our present age, we don't maind making a scene when store clerks, wise guys, witchy girls. We think we're pretty spunky these days. After spending our lifetimes being docile and soft spoken, we just refuse to eat crappola anymore. I like that about us. All things in moderation...we are still prone to sweet talk the sweeties.

Sis Kath was crashed...trying to sleep off the strain of her husband's uncle's dementia in another town...Kath & Bob had returned the day before from a 6 hr trip to visit a sweet old man who had no idea who they were, but was kind of pleased to visit with them. Kath cried herself into exhaustion & was spending this day in bed. Bob came into the bedroom & turned on THE Daytona 500 & I took my cue & exited.

Mom was watching the same race, very excited for Robby Gordon. I don't get into racing, as the engines roaring gets on my nerves. Mom hit me up for a cigarette right away, and I told her "No, not today, it's too cold." She persisted & I told her."Look, Mom, somebody has to be the adult in this relationship, and it's gonna have to be me, cuz today it is too cold to go out & smoke." That cracked her up & settled her down, warm & cozy to watch the cars circle the track, and keep an eye open for that "Nice Gordon Boy." I knew I was distracting her-she always makes that clear, & again, I took the hint & Rex & I hit the road. We pretty much have to wade through the crowded hallways, everyone wants to pat his white/blond head, and he is so friendly to all- he is a dog with a purpose...

Called in & picked up the pizza & hightailed it to Dad & Ren's nursing home miraculously arriving while it was still lukewarm. Thee local FM station, WTTS that I am hooked on, is doing one of those bits where they are going through the alphabet A-Z by song title & I got to hear both electric and acoustic "Layla", and "Light My Fire," and a few other "L's" to keep the trip intresting, and quite the rush, literally.

I just didn't give Dad & Rene any option. I came bearing Pizza and Diet Coke, & everybody has to sit up and feed thenselves as best they can, using their white terrycloth lil towels as bibs, with me going back & forth helping who I can, where I can, & Rex constantly cleaning the floor as they decorated it with sausage, peperonni, bell peppers and onions unawares. Once more Rex was a dog with a mission, and he was just the dog to do it. He always jumps up into bed with folks(he IS a shameless hussy) & he was quite cozy cuddled up to Dad for almost 1/2 hr. I'm not sure Rex even wanted to leave, as he was full, warm, and content cuddled up to Daddy. Positioned Rene's wheelchair so they could hold hands after pizza clean-up was completed & left them watching a James Bond flick. They wanted me to find "The Golden Girls" or "The Nanny", but Lifetime was only running movies about evil men and damsels in distress. I thought Dad might enjoy the explosions.
gagetry, and music of the Bond movie. He was content. Rene was asleep.
Dad went to WWII the day after he turned 18, in the year that Pearl Harbor was bombed. He relives those war stories, over & over & over & over again. I'm hoping that when I get to that age, I'll be living my Rock 'n Roll Hootchie Coo years over & over & over & over again. And believe you, me, I am already @ work embellishing them. I had a youngster ask me once if I had been to "Woodstock", and I honestly answered him "No, but I was At Watkin's Glenn with The Dead, The Allman Bros., and someone else whom I have forgotten, It was billed as the second Woodstock.". The kid was really disappointed. He said, "Awww, you could have told me that you did go to Woodstock, and I'd have never have known the difference..." I thought that that was indeed true, and a good point, and as I age, I will discover that "Yes, I was indeed at Woodstock, and I danced with Carlos Santana"- who's gonna know?

Sis Jan & spouse Rick awaited me with open arms and more food, glorious food. They too, had the Daytonna thing hapening on their big screen with speakers. Kicked back, chowed down, and once more was on the road again with a really full belly for both Rex and I, blasting the radio full of more L tunes all the way home.
I took command of my day, and had a really good one.So glad I made it. Lots of Genisus, and great music blasting all the way home to my warm home, sweet, home, my Bubba, my other 2 K-9 kids, for a happy, happy, joy, joy reunion. A lil chocolate, a lil "Cold Case", and look-it is way past my bedtime, and tomorrow, 'tis Monday, Monday again. Monday's are tough. If ever I need to early to bed in order to early to rise it is best done for a Monday, so here's another graceful exit, and the adventure continues.
Later Daze

Hitting the road, going on rounds, gonna do my best to put on a happy face & make this a good day for others. Like Rex, King of big golden-eyed guilt trips. Like Deb, who already called & said she misses me. Like Dad, Rene, Mom & all the folks Rex brings a smile to where ever he goes. For my sisters who always welcome me & I never get to see enough of. Doing the right thing. My shower alleviated most of my headache. Drying my hair, hitting the road, gonna blast de Rock on de radio, & enjoy Old Yeller's heater. This is a snap. I gotta go.

Hey, did anyone see CBS Sunday Morning today? They uncovered Bill Graham's lost treasure-trove of rock memoribilia...films,recordings, tickets, tee-shirts, millions of rock long lost stuff. I knew Bill, but we weren't really friends, and that's another story. The stuff they are selling is @ wolfgang.com & I can't wait to find time to browse the unaffordable...gotta go. Sorry for earlier whinning post. It was tempting to habg out, but the right thing to do is to hit the road & get back home ASAP.

10 degrees, wind chill-2 degress below. Moderate headache. Moderate old lady body aches & pains. Rex knows it is Sunday & wants to go. Any ice I encounter on the roads would be minimal except for the short cut from Mom's nursing home to Dad's & I can always take the long way betwixt them making it a 4o min instead of 30 min drive...of course, with 30 minutes to town & back...I get home after sunset,7:30pm-ish...if I incude both sisters & Deb visits...I can do it, will be overcome with good ol guilt if I don't. Mom won't miss me, and if I do show she will more than likely insist on going outside for a cigarette and I will have to deny her. Will pick up pizza for Dad & Rene that will inevitably be cold by the time I get it there regardless of the route I take.

Would you go? Love my folks despite rampant dementia & the usual nursing home drama, but this day will be extremely difficult to pull off. TAKE THE PATH OF LEAST RESITANCE, advises Scratchola. JUST STAY HOME, says sister Kath(often), & Old Feller (giver of Old Yeller) Bubba is cracking up at my self-inflicted drama, giving advice to stay home & warm, then laughingly guilt tripping saying that it is only cold & people are counting on me...would you go? Or say home, watch movies & surf, like I love to do & stay warm like I treasure to do? and why do I always seek approval from others before taking action? another definite character flaw among oh-so-many...

The sky is falling...68 degrees Thurs,28 this AM with snow, falling into the low teens all day into the nite. LET ME SUFFER BEAUTIFULLY...blankies, ice, movies, soft music, maybe a couple of naps...I can do this w/o pharmacutical assistance. Imagine if I was a chick in Iraq...migraine headaches in a Burrkha in all that heat, no rock 'n roll, no sense of humor, fleas, flies, mosquitos, sand, men dis-ing me out of habit, no good memories of Rock Med....like now...I put on "Sahara" & Dr John singing "I Been in he Right Place" and I remembered seeing Dr John walking the halls and backstage(this was in the 80's before all God's chillin' had a cell phones, mostly) arguing on an old desk phone, not hooked up to anything,screaming and hollering, making a scene, like he actually had somebody on the line,wearing his white hat & suit before he opened for the Dead. Cracked everybody up, everywhere he went. My then- boyfriend Sean, gave me a red desk phone(used somehow in computers, with a lil Steal-Your-Face sticker over the circular center of the rotary dial. I was cocky & young...I used to sit in my 1970 white VW bug, stuck in Bay Area gridlock, hold the phone to my ear just like someone was on the other end, and sing along with my tunes. Most folks thought it was funny. Others were too busy being pissed off @ the world cuz we were stuck in gridlock. I stole the idea from Dr John, but if you weren't backstage @ The Dead that night, you wouln't know it...unless you read here.

I wish I had pharmacudical assistance, but I will get by, and i will survive, and continue to suffer beautifully..."Beautiful Loser".

1) A 33 degree drop in temperature with a storm coming in,& then leaving, garauntees a monster headache all the live long day. The sky is falling...right on my head...again.

2)I am turning out the lights, off the tube, putting ice on my head & cuddling Mom's dog, Rex, and regretfully getting off line to try & deep breathe & go to Jamaica in my mind all for pain management.

3)I MUST improve the way I feel in order to salvage my day for me, tomorrow, my precious Saturday.

4) My endorphens are not functioning properly-I am very sad.

5)I am tougher than I act, though I'm not going to try to prove anything to anyone tonight.

I hope I feel better , so I can surf again soon, & maybe write something profound or funny or kind or semi-intresting, not mentioning pain &/or sadness A.S.A.P.