Oh, Poe

Tonight Nathaniel asked me about Edgar Allen Poe and what made him so famous. I told him about how he was a creepy psychological writer and he wanted to know if I had ever read him.
I told him I had as recently as this last semester and he wanted to know what I read.
It was "Tell Tale Heart." A story about a namless man who wants to kill an old man who lives with him because he is disturbed by the old man's cloudy blue "vulture" eye. Long story short--he kills him after a long and very strange week of haunting the man in his sleep. He then chops the old man's body into pieces and then buries it under the floorboards. When the police come he is completely calm and they suspect he is innocent. The crazy man begins to hear a sound that he is convinced is the beating heart of the dead man, can no longer stand it, and confesses.
Nathaniel said I could have just told him he didn't want to know.
Whatever.
I thought it might be fun to get up around 3am tonight and play the sound of a beating heart on our Halloween CD through his bedroom door.
Nathaniel said he is already sick and doesn't need to die of fright.
He also said before I do something like that to him I should remember that he is the one picking out my retirement home. He said he'll pick a leaky one where instead of bringing you food you have to hunt for it-- and you know--survival of the fittest and all that.
I laughed myself silly.

More weird facts about my son

John is completely germaphobic. Kind of funny, but sometimes just weird.
When he wants seconds he has to have a new bowl or plate and utensils, because he says the other ones have "germs" on them now.
If we drink out of his straw when we are out somewhere John yells at us and then flips the straw over to use the other end (I know--it doesn't really make sense.)
You are dead meat if he catches you double dipping--which he totally will by the way.
Today at Costco we had pizza. He hardly ate any of his so I took my empty plate and covered his with it--apparently a big no-no for John.
Later I sneezed in the direction of his sweatshirt I was holding and he refused to wear it in the 30 degree weather outside because it was now contaminated for life.
This from a kid who mixes food in with his drinks for experimentation, wipes his poo on my towels instead of replacing the empty toilet paper, and pees in his trash if he is mad.
What the heck?

My new skill

Our cat Caramel has had an ongoing hair problem.
More like matted up, dreadlocks or something.
Except it got worse and really gross.
After considerable delay I realized I had to do something about the situation.

First, I tried to cut them out myself with scissors. But the huge balls were too close to her skin and I was afraid to cut her . . . so . . .

I finally called the vet to find out if they would shave her. They said they would, but first they have to put her out. As in put her under anaesthesia. Well, that costs like a hundred bucks. So moving on . . .

I called all around the area and the only groomer that will shave a cat is in American Fork and wants to charge me $60. Plus tax. (TO SHAVE MY CAT??!!) I went ahead and set up the appointment knowing I did not want to pay $60 to drive out to American Fork to drop off my matted cat and then turn around in a few hours and pick her up. . . . so

I got this idea.

This is what she used to look like, remember?

Then I bought some of these at Wal Mart . . .

Then I did this . . .

And now she looks like this.

She still loves me.

Guess she'll be spending a lot more time indoors.
Rebecca said we should buy her a sweater. I don't think Caramel is going to go for a sweater.
Let's hope her hair grows faster than mine.

Morning hair

So every day Rebecca comes down with a new hair-do. We call it "hunga bunga" hair.
Wherever did she get this fine, unmanageable, slow-growing, rat's nest?

Ahh, yes.

Quilting

Nathaniel's Christmas present from mom

love those Vegas signboards

Snapped this picture while going through Vegas--
Peter and I thought it was quite a catchy slogan(: