Do you have a dollar...?

Every morning, I run into people who either are homeless, crazy or sick asking/begging for money.  

On my way to work, I always run into a little old lady who’s always asking everyone in a shrilly voice, “Do you have a dollar?”  

Is spare change no longer enough?    

She goes around to each person asking for a dollar.   Even if you do give her a buck, she will continue on asking the next person.  Only on a few occasions, has she asked for money “to get something to eat” or “a cup of coffee”.  

One morning, I saw the little old lady standing there.  I looked at her and immediately knew something was up.  Maybe she didn’t take her medication or something but she had the crazed look in her eyes.  When we got on the train, she seemed pretty quiet.  Maybe a little too quiet…that’s when you have to be on alert!  

Surprisingly, she didn’t ask anyone for money.  She stood quietly in front of two ladies that were seated.  Suddenly she tried snatching away the book that one woman was reading.   The woman managed to take her book back and got up and left to go to the other end of the train.  The second lady figured she was not going to stick around to see what this crazy old lady was going to do next so she got up and left too.  There were two empty seats and the little old lady did not sit on either seat.  She just stood there, not saying a word.  When the train stopped to pick up passengers, another lady walks in and sees the empty seats and she goes to sit down.  Just as she is about to sit, the little old lady screams, “Don’t sit there!”  “You can’t sit there!”  “Get out!”  The lady was about to get up and move and took a good look at the little old lady and decided she was not going to let the lady bully her.  So she just ignored her and continued sitting.  

I kept trying to keep my eye on the little old lady as she was behind me and I could tell she wanted to start trouble.  I was afraid she was going to come up to me from behind and try something.  She kept looking around at people and actually went over to a guy that was sitting across from me and got on his face.  She continued moving on.  She then decided she wanted to pick a fight.  There was a young girl sitting further down from me and the little old lady grabbed her by the blouse and tried to hit her.  The girl yelled out “Stop it!”  “Stop it!”  And she soon called for the conductor.  The little old lady finally released her from her grip and left her alone.  She walked back to where she was previously standing.  I didn’t see what happened next.  But when I turned to look back, I saw the top of a coffee cup fall to the floor.  I believe the little old lady tried either knocking out or taking away someone’s cup of coffee…and that someone was a BIG guy.  She soon began to apologize, “I’m sorry… I only wanted a cup of coffee.”  The guy must have felt sorry for her and gave her his cup.  My fear was that, as crazy as she was acting, she could have easily thrown the cup of hot coffee at someone.  She continued to apologize and then out of the blue she began cussing to no one in particular.  

Riding the train every day, you come across some strange people.  And yet at the same time, you run across the same people and never know who they really are.

I don’t know where this little old lady goes every morning.  Does she go to work?  Or is she really homeless?  But every day you can expect her to ask you, “Do you have a dollar?”

No!  Do you?

I still can't believe...

February 5, 1992 to January 28, 2006


I still can’t believe my Beau is gone.

Beau has been with this family for many years. In a week, he would have been 14 years old.

He was doing well and then one day, I don’t know what happened.

About two weeks ago, my little sister called me and said, “Is Beau doing o.k.?” I said “Yes, why?” She said, “I’ve been having dreams that Beau died”. I said to her, “No, don’t say that. He’s doing fine.”

Little did I know… a week later, out of the blue, so it seemed, Beau had trouble getting up. I knew he was very old, but it happened so suddenly. My gosh! Within a matter of days, he lost the use of his hind legs. But with a little help, he would manage to get up and walk a little. I called my sister back and told her, “I think your dream may be coming true. Beau is not doing well.”

I also had a dream that Beau was dying…I woke up and I could feel it in my heart that this was going to be it.

Friday night, I noticed he was not looking too well. He looked very sad and did not want to eat and drank very little water. I could not make him take his medication.

Saturday morning, he did not look any better and when I moved him, I could tell it was painful for him. I looked into his eyes and I knew it was time…

My husband came home from work around noon. I told him I had spoken to the vet and he had recommended that we take him in. I could tell my husband did not want to do it. We even had a fight over it. I think he was having a harder time coming to terms with this than I was. I told him that Beau was in pain now and he needed to be put to sleep.

I had to take charge and reluctantly, my husband managed to get Beau in the back of his truck and drove him to the vet. Surprisingly, Beau lifted his head (breathing in the air) and he almost looked normal again. I think he needed that.

When we got him to the vet, he explained the procedure and told us it was going to be painless. “He is an aging dog. There’s nothing more you can do for him. Don’t try to prolong this any longer, as it will only get worse and he will suffer.” I kept trying to be strong for the kids, but the tears starting pouring out. This was it….this was really it!. We were actually going to do it…

We said our goodbyes and cried. But in the end, we knew it was necessary for Beau’s sake. I didn’t think we would be able to handle being there but the kids insisted they wanted to be with Beau until the end. So we did…

I kept talking and rubbing Beau…until it was over. Even though it was painful to watch, my heart felt lighter… I knew it was the right thing to do.

Beau gave us some wonderful years.

Goodbye my Beau… We will miss you! You will be forever in our hearts. :(

Goodbye Beau...

Sad day…

My beloved Beau has passed on…

Sniff…. :(

What's for dinner?

I haven’t been myself lately.  I guess I have too much going on right now.  

The kids were hungry.  “What’s for dinner?”  

Friday nights are usually family night, which consists of pizza and movies.  But these past few weeks have changed.  My hubby has been too busy with work and meetings.  So we broke our routine.  

Tonight, I didn’t feel like having pizza.  In fact, I’m sick of pizza!

Checked the freezer… pork chops!  Ugh!  Not again…!     My dad had bought us a box of pork chops and I have been making them in different ways but still…I’m getting tired of them!  

O.k.  I have beans… so I put beans on…but they won’t be ready for a while.    

I’m pretty much out of everything else and I haven’t gone grocery shopping.  I really need to make the time to do it this weekend.  

Well, it was either pork chops or fish sticks.  Hey, fish sticks… not a bad idea…!   So I put the fish sticks in the oven.  I found a few potatoes, which I peeled and put to boil to make mashed potatoes, found a can of corn… good that will be our vegetable.  There… that’s our dinner…!  Right?

Wrong!   I don’t know what happened, or what I was thinking.  But it happened within a matter of a few minutes.  I went downstairs to put a load of laundry and to check on the fish sticks.  When I came back upstairs, I realized that I had covered the potatoes with a glass cover (which I have done before, especially when I want the water to boil quicker) and what do I see?  The freakin’ cover shattered!   There were chunks of glass inside the boiling pot of potatoes and all over the stove.  I didn’t want to risk having some of it falling inside the boiling pot of beans too.  So I had to throw away both pots!  

There went our dinner!  Fish sticks anyone?

Update on Beau... still hanging on...

I got home from work tired and depressed.  Had a hard and busy day at work as usual.  

I’ve been trying to deal with my Beau’s condition.  I have also been trying to keep him as comfortable and clean as possible.  Didn’t realize, how much work this was going to be.    

Yesterday, my sister came by the house.  I had told her about Beau and she wanted to see him for herself.  She got so upset when she saw Beau.  She couldn’t believe that Beau was not able to move on his own anymore.  

When she went to pet Beau, he seemed happy to see her.  It was almost as if he came alive again.  My sister loved Beau and she spent a lot of time with him when she used to babysit the kids for me.  “What happened to him?”  “The week before last, I had seen him and he was fine.”  “I just can’t believe this!”

It’s been 8 days since he started having problems.  My poor Beau… he’s still hanging on…!

e-mail...

 
My hubby received an e-mail which he thought was hilarious.  It’s called “his & her diary”.  So he forwarded it on to his best friend.  See below.

This is the response he got back from his friend…


“Get serious.  When were you ever that sensitive?”

 

his & her diary...

1. HER DIARY: 
"Tonight I thought he was acting weird. We had  made plans to meet at a bar to have a drink. I  was shopping with my friends all day long, so I  thought he was upset at the fact that I was a bit  late, but he made no comment.  Conversation wasn't flowing so I suggested that we  go somewhere quiet so we could talk. He agreed  but he kept quiet and absent.  I asked him what was wrong; he said nothing. I  asked him if it was my fault that he was upset.
  He said it had nothing to do with me and not to  worry.  On the way home I told  him that I loved him, he  simply smiled and kept  driving. I can't explain his behavior;
  I don't know why he didn't say I  love you too.  When we got home I felt as if I had lost him, as  if he wanted nothing to do with me anymore. H
  He just sat there and watched TV.
  He seemed distant and absent.  Finally, I decided to go to bed. About 10 minutes  later he came to bed, and to my surprise he
  responded to my caress and we made love,
  but I still felt that he was distracted and his
  thoughts were somewhere else.  He fell asleep - I cried. I don't know what to do.  I'm almost sure that his thoughts are with
  someone else. My life is a disaster."
  2. HIS DIARY:
  "Today the Bears lost, but at least I got laid."

Beau...

This morning, Beau wasn’t looking good. He appeared to be sad and did not want to eat. I was beginning to get concerned and wondered if this was it. But with a little coaxing, I finally managed to get him to take his medication.

I know he has not been feeling well. And it must be hard for him, especially because he used to be such an active dog. He loved going outside and playing in the snow. Now, he can’t even do that. In the last few weeks, I noticed that when we would let him out in the backyard, he would cry for us to let him back inside. He can’t handle the cold weather anymore.

When I got home later this afternoon, I tried to feed him his regular canned dog food and he kept pushing it away. He reminded me of a pouting child. He looked more alert and yet, he looked upset. I almost got the impression that he was mad at me for leaving him for a few hours. He kept looking the other way as if to tell me that he wanted to be left alone.

I put some soft music and began to rub him. I can tell he was starting to feel much better and he finally began to eat. He even managed to sit up on his own.

Is he getting depressed when we are not around him? Is that what he’s trying to tell me? Or is it that the medication finally kicked in?

update on Beau...

Yesterday, my hubby picked us up from school. On the way home, he was telling us how he had “a little talk” with Beau and said to him, “Beau, I don’t want to have to do this to you, but if it is time to let you go, let me know.”

He had already made up his mind about taking him to the vet to put Beau to sleep. Even though Beau hasn’t shown it, we know he’s at that age and might be suffering. We did not want that for him.

The kids and I were heartbroken. I told my hubby, “Are you sure we are not rushing it?” “I had a dream that Beau got up and walked.” “What if we are not giving him enough time?” “My heart tells me it’s not time and yet when I see him struggling to get up and not being able to, just gets to be too much for all of us.”

When we arrived home, I was trying hard to suck in the tears that threatened to run down my cheeks. I did not want to upset the children by seeing me cry.

As we walked in the door, Beau somehow managed to get up and slowly walked around all the way to the kitchen and went to lie down by the door.

We were in shock. He did it!!! He managed to get up and move on his own.

We were all so excited to see him move.

Today, he seems to be doing so much better…although having wood floors doesn’t help. I had to buy a matt to help him when he tries to get up so he has a better grip with his feet. To bad it’s still too damn cold outside and his hind legs are too weak to be going up and down the stairs to let him go for a walk.

Realistically, I don’t know how much longer Beau will be able to hang on. But when I look at his face, he seems content to be around us and he’s eating and drinking lots of water.

There is still some hope for Beau. I just pray when he’s ready to go, he’ll go on his own.

Last night, Beau seemed pretty depressed. He did not want to eat. He hasn't cried out or anything, but I know he's desperate to get up and move around but he just can't.

My poor Beau!

These past few days, have been very emotional for us. Just 7 months ago, our puppy passed away and he was only 5 months old. That was very painful for my kids. And now this...

I have been talking to my kids about what may happen to Beau in the next couple of days. Our Beau is very old and doesn't have much energy left.

Since he can't get up anymore, he has been losing his bowels and urinating on himself. I've been taking care of him and trying to keep him clean.

Last night I spoke to the vet, he seems to think it's that time...!

My kids and I sat around Beau and we cried for him. I don't want this to be too painful for the kids but I feel that it is better for them to know and to prepare them for it.

We began telling little stories of things Beau used to do. By the end of the night the kids felt better. Hopefully when the time does come, it will ease their pain a little.

This morning, Beau woke up and he seemed to be in good spirits. He ate and looked alot happier. But am I really kidding myself?

Beau has been such a good pet, guard dog and most of all a best friend to this family.

This is scary for me... Is it really time? Or is it cruel for us to keep hanging on to the hope that he might get better even though he no longer can move on his own anymore?

My beautiful Beau...

Last Thursday, I noticed my dog Beau walking like a very old man. (Next month he will turn 14 years old). I could tell with the cold weather it was getting harder for him to get up and walk around. Yesterday, he was just lying around not moving at all. I called the vet to let him know about his condition. He wanted me to bring Beau in to see him.

But my husband insisted that we not take him to the vet anymore. “If it’s time for him to go, I want Beau to pass away at home.” My poor Beau is too heavy to be picked up and carried to the truck so it’s even harder for us to move him around.

I picked up some arthritis medication for him, and it’s helping a little. He’s eating and seems to enjoy the extra attention given to him. But he can’t pick himself up and he’s having a hard time with that. I think now, he pretty much lost the use of his hind legs.

My beautiful pet Beau. If he’s not better within a few days, the vet recommended we put him down.

Oh, how my heart is aching! :(

open 7 days...!

Sunday, January 8, 2006, we had a late start heading back home from our little mini-vacation. But before starting our road trip back, we decided to stop at Metropolis, Illinois since it was just a few minutes away from where we were staying. Although we were in a bit of hurry to get home as the kids had to get back to school and we had to get back to work the next day. When we arrived, the kids quickly jumped out of the car and I began to take a few pictures.

I was a little disappointed because I wanted to get some souvenirs and go see the museum but the whole place looked deserted. It was actually kind of eerie. After all it was late Sunday afternoon and no one seemed to be around. It was as if we were the only ones there. Soon after I finished taking pictures of the kids with Superman, we got in the car and left.

When I finally got the pictures developed, and as I was looking at them, I realized that the museum and the gift shop were open 7 days from 9 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. We were there around 4:30 p.m.) That meant we could have gone to check it out! I was so busy taking pictures that I never focused on the BIG sign that clearly indicates the days and time. (How did I possibly miss that?!) And it never occurred to any of us to go inside. Duh!!!!

Truth--Justice--The American Way!

Super kids!

a vision of beauty...

This morning I woke up to warm sunrays flowing through our bedroom window.  Yay!  The sun is out!   It’s going to be a gorgeous day!

My hubby and I got up and went downstairs to the kitchen to drink a cup of coffee.  As we sat there enjoying our coffee, my hubby begins to look at me.  I’m feeling happy because the sun is out.  I look back at him with a smile.  He continues to look at me with loving eyes.  

Oh, I’m feeling good.  I asked him sheepishly, “Why are you looking at me like that?”  He says to me, “I’m looking at a vision of beauty.”    

Ay, que lindo!  What a sweet man!  He’s saying that about me!   Even though I just got up, my hair is a mess and I have no makeup on.  

“Me…a vision of beauty?”  I asked thinking how romantic he’s being so early in the morning.

And he replies with a twinkle in his eyes, “No, not you!  My reflection in the microwave oven behind you!”

Road trip...

Every year we try to go to New Mexico to spend Christmas with my hubby's family. My kids love going to NM because they get to spend time with their cousins who they hardly ever see. But, unfortunately, things did not work out for us this year. And we didn't go. The kids were very disappointed!

My sister had mentioned to me that she was going with her boyfriend to visit her boyfriend's family over the weekend. They live near the border of Illinois and Kentucky. She had asked us if we wanted to go with them. At first, I wasn't sure if I wanted to travel 5-1/2 hours by car. But after seeing the kids getting excited about it, I decided to go. My mom and my little niece also joined us. You know how that goes...where one goes, all follow! And it became our first road trip of the year!

At first, we all became a little restless, after all it was a long drive. Secondly, my sister took her bulldog Wrigley. And, as you may know, bulldogs tend to drool at lot. We were in the back seat and for whatever reason, Wrigley would get right behind me and sneeze or whatever it was and spits all over the back of my head! Ewww! It was so gross! And he would only do that to me! Yuck!!!

When we arrived, we began to look for hotels with an indoor pool. We had to go to four different hotels to eventually find one that had a swimming pool. The kids kept yelling out "Swimming pool! Swimming pool!" We found two hotels with an indoor pool. "Sorry no no rooms available, they are all booked!" O.k., we kept looking. Another one had an outdoor pool (too cold for that). And yet another one had an indoor pool but it was under construction. "Are we ever going to find a hotel with a pool?"

And then...finally we saw the sign... "Indoor Pool!" The kids yell out "Yay! We get to go swim in the swimming pool!" The kids were ecstatic. They wanted to go to the pool right away and were disappointed to find out it was closed! "What? Why is it closed? You mean we will not be able to swim? This sucks!" Hello! It was only 12:30 a.m.!

My mom, kids and I stayed at the hotel while my sister and her boyfriend stayed with his family.

By 7 a.m. the kids were up and ready to go to the pool. They didn’t even want to waste time eating breakfast. I told them they should eat something before so that they can spend the day at the pool and not miss our free breakfast. They went reluctantly.

Finally, they hit the pool! And they LOVED it! They were in the pool the whole morning and part of the early afternoon. My mom and I had a hard time getting them out of that pool!

Snow drops are falling on my head...!

When I woke up this morning, I thought it was 4:00 in the morning because it was so dark outside. My hubby checked the time on the clock and it was already 7:00 a.m. Again, we will be running late if we didn't jump out of bed! I hate it when it's cloudy and raining. I just don't want to get up!

Just yesterday as I got off the elevator at work to go home, I ran into a co-worker who was coming back from lunch and she said, "You don't need a hat, it's warm out there!" I had my hat, gloves and a thick scarf. When I walked outside, it felt like it was the begining of Spring. The sun was out and it was a beautiful day! It's been awhile since we've seen the sun and you could tell that everyone appreciated the sun and the warmth!

And now it's been raining all day and when I was getting ready to go home from work, another co-worker said to me "Have you seen how it looks outside?" "It's snowing!" And sure enough, I walked outside and it was definitely snowing. The kind of snow that it's so heavy they feel like rain drops. When the snow hits the ground, it becomes liquid!

By the time I got to school to pick up my kids, it was snowing even harder and you could feel the drop in temperature. It became very cold and windy. I had to keep moving my umbrella towards the wind or else I would have lost it!

When the kids and I got home, we were sopping wet, cold and hungry! Brrrrr!

Thank God I had taken out chicken from the freezer which was already defrosted! So I decided to make a nice homemade chicken soup!

Ahhh! It really hit the spot! It was... Mmmmm good!

KC's recital...

I had been talking to my brother over the phone and I could hear my nephew saying, “Let me talk to her, let me talk to her!” in the background. My brother said, “O.k.! o.k! Here, KC wants to tell you something.” KC got on the phone and said excitedly, “I’m having a recital.” “I’m going to sing!” He sounded so happy and proud that he was going do it.

I haven’t been able to attend any recitals for my niece and nephew due to me being at work, so I was happy that I was off the day of the recital. I called my sister who was also off of work and asked her to go with me.

My two sisters, mom, my brother, his wife and I got together to go to the recital and we arrived at the same time. When my nephew saw us come in the door, his face lit up with surprise and yet joy that we were all there. I don’t think he was expecting us to show. He was so happy!

The recital was a success! The children did a wonderful job singing their X-mas songs and performing for us. I was proud of little KC for being such a big boy (he’s so shy!)

THANK YOU!

THANK YOU KRISTY FOR CREATING A NEW LOOK FOR MY BLOG!

:)

stop...!

http://www.chicagosuntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-stop10.html


When they say stop, it means STOP!!!

happy new year...!

Why does it take having a party to clean out the house? It took me almost three whole days cleaning and clearing out the basement alone. And it took my husband a whole day to clear out the junk room.

While cleaning, I kept finding more and more junk that I had to get rid of! And well, I finally did! I feel so much better. I wanted to start the New Year with a different attitude and set of mind… NO MORE CLUTTER!

There are a couple of rooms I still need to spend more time clearing out. It will take me some time to do it but at least we’re getting started.

Since we didn’t go anywhere while on vacation, we decided to have a New Year’s Eve party. We invited a few of our friends and family. It turned out to be a great party. My sisters helped me decorate the basement. Everyone brought a covered dish and drinks. We had different kinds of food and lots of booze! My sister’s boyfriend was the DJ and we even had karaoke. It was nice to listen to the ones with good voices but others… (including me) OMG…can somebody take that microphone away…please!!!

And boy did I dance! I can’t believe I’m still sore from all that dancing. That’s what I need to do to get my exercise… dance! It’s something I enjoy… so why not practice it, right?

Everyone had a good time. But the next morning…. ugh! No, I wasn’t hung over (I didn’t want to start my new years with a hangover). I was tired because two nights in a row we’ve been going to bed really late. And our New Year’s Eve party lasted until 5:30 a.m.! It was 9:30 a.m. when I woke up so I only got four hours of sleep.

When I went downstairs to see how things looked… Yikes! All I can say is that we worked so hard in cleaning and clearing out the place and now I have to do it all over AGAIN! It was a mess! (Even though I had cleaned the tables and got rid of the beer cans and bottles before I went to bed.) It was more a mess because of all the confetti! It was everywhere! I swept and swept and I’m still finding it. I need to give it another sweep and mop but not anytime soon. I’ve had it with cleaning!!!!

Today, we got up late and ate breakfast about two hours ago. Since the day has been yucky (it’s been dark, cloudy and raining all day) it’s a good time to snuggle up on the couch with the fireplace going and watch movies.

This year, I didn’t make any resolutions to keep or to break.

I’m just hoping and looking forward to better year!