What To Talk About . . .

“I'm soooo bored this morning. What can we talk about? Anybody got something really interesting or funny to discuss? I hate Wed. and Thurs. alot more than Mon. It is really hard to get through these two days. I leave for my little X-mas break tomorrow, so it is even worse than usual. The only things to do around the office are the sucky things, like filing. Help me. Please.”

“discuss?.. world peace not interest ya?.. hehe.. fighting global hunger?.. maybe internation affairs?.. seriously.. how about a typical day in the grand state of Montana?”

“What'd you get newer girl for Xmas?

Abby got: A big ol' pink pig overstuffed chair. It's like a stuffed animal who's lap she can sit in. An Elmo bath towel. A talking telephone pull toy, a Maisy board book and a box of banana cookies and an ornament for her stocking. Not alot but enough for a ten month old who plays with everything but her toys!”

“get your filing done, then we'll talk.”

“Where exactly do you have to travel to this weekend? I know you DON'T live in Billings, but you do live close. Or don't you want to say?

I am staying in Cody. Hopefully hunt AND kill an elk Saturday. Sit on my butt Sunday, or have a party, go to mass in Meeteetsee on Monday morning, then to a friends party in the afternoon, then get up on Christmas too early to two girls wanting to open presents. Then a prime rib and lobster dinner christmas afternoon.”

“How about working for IRATE people that should not own a toaster let alone a computer that think they are the most cpu savvy people in the world.
I spend my day fixin' stuff that they break and they act like it was my fault.
I just love to smile at them when we are done and say" yor welcome and have a Merry Christmas" I figure that I will kill them with kindness and if that don't work I can fall back on my military training.
MooooooHAAAAAAhAAAAA!!!!!!”

“hey hippiehiker66!! say hi to humanpackmule, he lives in jacksonville also!”

“New Girl, whatcha wearing?”

“New Girl, whatcha not wearing?”

“Towndawg, it isn't that I'm not interested in those other subjects, it's just that they are beginning to get thin. Not much more to say on those particular issues. Now let's see here . . . a typical day in MT . . . My day starts at 6 or 6:30, I get up and give Newergirl the AM bottle (trying to wean from this one). Then we watch Sesame St. on PBS while I change her diaper and get her dressed. Then we watch Jay-Jay the Jet Plane, while I get dressed and slam a cup of coffee. Then we watch Teletubbies while I yell at Belowzero to get out of freakin' bed and get ready for work. Then I pack Newergirl's diaper bag and take her around the corner to my mom's daycare. It is about 8:05, I pull back up in front of the house and honk the horn for Belowzero. We live a little outside of town so we haul a$$ to work (supposed to be there at 8). I spend 8 to 5 posting on TT, answering the phone, selling lumber, and doing basic clerical crap (I have to eat lunch, which my sis brings me, at the office). Then at 5 I get Belowzero, we pick up Newergirl, and we head home. I make dinner, while Belowzero surfs les. chats (I'm kidding) and plays w/ Newergirl. Then we eat, do the dishes, give Newergirl her bath, read to her, and put her to bed at 8. Shortly after that I pass out from exhaustion and Belowzero watches the tube. If this was a school night, I would leave work and drive for an hr. to school, attend class, and drive for an hr. back home. Then I would pass out from exhaustion at about 9. If this was one of the days on my wk. off I would clean house and hang w/ Newergirl and pass out from exhaustion at about 10. You asked!”

“Sass, Newergirl got two learning dolls (you can velcro their shoes and zip up their coats, etc.), Fisher-Price Little People Dollhouse, fat crayons and a coloring pad, a CD of kid songs (I may regret this), an ornament for her stocking, new big girl towels, two board books, some big girl eating utensils, and some chewy fruit snacks. I think I got pretty creative, there isn't alot she could want. She's more into the wrapping anyway. Is Abby getting ready to walk yet? You are in for it if she is.”

“Rad, got the filing done and corrected some credit memo mistakes made by the other sec. She can barely turn the computer on, let alone use Quickbooks. Hippie, I feel your pain.”

“Chief, I live north of Billings. We have to drive to Butte tonight, come back on Sun. and head to Billings on Christmas day. Both sides of the fam. wanted the baby for X-mas, so we are celebrating early w/ Belowzero's family. Sounds like you have a nice holiday planned. Where do you go elk huntin' around Cody?”

“Limpy and Rad, I am wearing a lavendar long sleeve fleece shirt w/ a Patagonia fleece over that w/ a pair of ratty Lucky jeans and brown hiking boots. I am not wearing matching socks today or earrings. Exciting, I know. HeHeHe!”

“It was good to hear from you. I have to admit, I don't think you have ever actually responded to anything I asked you before. I smiled when I read about your day. It brings back memories. (Mine are 15 and 22.) Obviously, I am not your dad, but if I were, I would be BEAMING. You are without a doubt a girl with a lot of character and spirit. May your days be filled with joy as you raise newergirl. (I am not sure who belowzero is?). I posted one of my typical days awhile back if you want to read it for comparison.

"Start your day off right. Do it doing a job that really sucks. Get that one over with. For me, it was dragging a couple of hoses over to where the pool is, and siphoning water from the pool cover. Two nights of rains, and it was nearly half-full of rain water.

Finish it with something fun. Drag about ten gallons of water to the back of your property, and sweeten up a deer scrape some with it. Since your headlamp is in your orange UT jacket, which is in the school library, go ahead and light up a Coleman lantern. Might as well.

Get a good healthy dose of reality while you are at it. Wash a load of clothes, or maybe a good double load of towels. If you were so inclined, it would not hurt to run the vacuum some on the upstairs rugs. Making up the bed is always a good choice, but do not neglect the kitchen. That is always the first place they look, guys.

Find time to walk, even if it is just around a long block with plenty of ups and downs with some decent running if that’s what you like. Make sure you take one look at the lawn decorations, the wind tends to blow them down. A quick run to Debbie Ridings place to look for a Christmas gift, but not before you pick up a couple new stakes to replace what got snapped off the night before."

Have to work today and tomorrow, and then off until 2002. I spent yesterday down in Arkansas. (I have written about that place before). Got a good haircut for only six dollars at the only barbershop in town while I was there. (heh.. had it cut in about 10 minutes, using one of those electric cutters tandemed up with a vacuum.)

I wish you would post more. I have always found your opinions to be thought-provoking, and I am sincere about that.

Sounds like you are going to have a really good Christmas at your home. :)”

“TownDawg, she's over 17.”

“skully - you are awful. I cannot belive you posted that.

:)”

“LMAO!”

“Hey rad ---

I read through the clothing inventory and I don't think she's wearing any UNDERWEAR today!!”

“Thanks for the compliments TD. Just been really busy lately, haven't had time to burn on TT. Today, however, is a totally different story. I am doing absolutely nothing, winter at a sawmill in rural MT . . . not what you'd call fast paced.”

“You guys are deplorable!

Newgirl, She's walking! Still hasn't decided she likes it better than crawling but is real close. The Xmas tree is taking a serious beating; all the ornaments and lights are on the top half but she's still yanking stuff off left and right.

I am sooooo glad I don't have to pack a diaper bag every morning anymore! :o)”

“my father in law ran a sawmill for several yrs when deb and I just got married.. it was hard work.. but fun.. I went out there several times in the afternoons.. and helped 'turn logs'..

it was his 'extra' money..”

“Sauron pulled the whole tree down once, you may want to watch out for that! Hmmm...I did too when I was bitty, maybe it's just a family trait?

Best presents for the under 3 crowd; bows, boxes, wrapping paper and tape. You just can't go wrong with those!”

“no bra, either!”

“family trait?.. what are you trying to do, set me up so I can slam YOU, skully?.. since you slammed me?

yeah.. must be genetic.. ya.. that's it.. genetic.. broken chromozones somewhere.”

“You meant chromasomes, right? Surely you can do better than that!”

“newgirl, we hunt up the Southfork River, Boulder Basin Trailhead area.

A couple weeks ago I was walking through the timber and there were mountan lion and grizzly tracks everywhere. No elk though.”

“Sass, we decided against a tree entirely. Newergirl has been walking since 9 months and at 14 months she's taller and getting more creative about getting into things. I was having visions of her biting into glassy x-mas bulbs or unscrewing light bulbs and sticking her tiny finger in there. It's not as Christmasy, but at least I have some peace of mind. It is hard enough keeping her out of everything else. Her newest enjoyment . . . flushing or trying to flush various objects down the toilet. We really have to make sure the bathrm. door is kept shut at all times.”

“newgirl - when my girls were toddlers, we put our tree on a table!! It sort of worked ...”

“That is a good idea MDS, but she knows how to move her little step stool over to the dining chairs and then climb up and get into whatever. We discovered her doing this to get at a plate of pancakes one morning. I just didn't want to be on Christmas Tree Patrol for 2 wks. straight. Belowzero thinks I'm a total Scrooge.”

“We used one of those panel-gates that have six panels and can be put up in any shape. Put the tree in a corner and used the gate to make a quarter-circle around it.”

“skully: you suck.”

“You could tape Christmas cards on the wall in the shape of a tree and put the presents under them. You don't have to worry about anything but paper cuts that way.”

“*turns around to everyone else*

oh Hi everyone!.. :)”

“Yes TownDawg, on candy canes! LOL!”

“gRrrrrrr.”

“Scroogegirl,
Sounds like that kid needs some discipline. (and maybe you do too, hee,hee.)”

“Newgirl, I always had more trouble with the cats taking the tree down, than the kids. But I didn't leave the kids alone when they were that age. There were too many other dangerous things that they wanted to do, like leap off of the furniture. The younger one finally broke her elbow, while I was fixing dinner and her father was in the room watching TV with her. Rather than emptying the house of possible dangers, sometimes it is better to arrange to do your chores while she is with you, in sight, or in the crib. She will learn what not to touch, which will make things easier when you take her to visit in someone else's house.”

“Limpy, of course she gets some basic discipline, but keep in mind that she is just over a yr. old. It isn't like I can ground her and then talk about why something is dangerous. She is curious, I understand that she must be taught not to touch certain things, but a big twinkling tree is a pretty awful temptation if you are 1 and new to this Christmas thing.

Splash, I don't leave her completely unattended (that is ridiculous). A realistic parent has to admit that you can't monitor every second of her life, though. As you pointed out, your daughter broke her elbow right in front of your husband. She is told not to and appropriately punished if she gets into things at other's homes. I want to feed not dampen her curiosity, but sometimes curiosity kills the cat (and frays mom's nerves), so this yr. the tree is out. It isn't the end of the world and I feel more at ease.”

“She's one-what difference does it make! Newgirl your doing a great job. Is BZ doing his fair share?
I have to tell you a secret, I got my first kiss at a lumber yard,now everytime I get that first wiff when I walk into one of those barn/loft type of yards I gotta smile.”

“Since you prob. won't read this till Fri. morning(with all the flopping from exhaustion and all)-good morning and have a nice tgif day! Smiles and prayers to you.”