21 Days Later…

Wow, I didn’t think it’d been this long since I’d updated the blog. I’m actually a bit shocked and appalled.

Or something…

Anyhoo, the one thing I was being MUM about in the posts just before I went silent for the last three weeks was that the lawyer had called with a court date. Apparently the *DDD* had not responded to his summons (three in total, I believe – I’ve lost count) therefore he was placed in default, meaning we could proceed without him. And we did. Now, do I leave ya’ll in suspense for the next hmmm..three weeks? Ok, I won’t. I’d love to, but I won’t. Evil only extends so far, and with this news, I can’t be evil.

In 21 days, or so..the divorce will be final, and I’ll be free. The girls, for that matter, will be free. Free from constant worry and free from abuse and assault. Why? I was granted sole custody, with visitation to be agreed upon. And since I won’t allow them to be put in harm’s way again, he can only see them under supervised visitation regulations. Not that he’ll care – I mean, come on. No phone calls even, for the last 4 1/2 months – including their birthdays AND Christmas.

Like I’ve said, he made his choice, and he’d rather have a hole-to-f**k, than his children.

So, now I can say, with all seriousness and intent – we’re free. I may not be cheap, but I’m FREE!

Coffee With a Friend…

Snagged from Incunabula because it livened my day, posted here with permission:

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee. . .

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “yes.”

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

“Now,” said the professor as the laughter subsided, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things — your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions — and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else — the small stuff. “If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

“Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.

Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first — the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. “I’m glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.”

via Richmond via Doc via public domain…

Hard to Write With Pye in my Eye

The girls and I decided on an early Yule/Christmas present for our little family, and the oldest of my younger brothers helped them pay for it. Technically, the present is mine, but I share with the girls.

Pyewacket (Pye for short) is an almost four month old chocolate point Siamese kitten. He’s very cute – bright blue eyes, crossed most of the time, an extremely loud purr and naturally, being Siamese, he’s very mouthy. The only times he’s not making his presence known is when he’s sleeping, or trying to beat up our older cat, Malley. Even when he eats, there’s some kind of growly, meowly noise coming from the little furball.

He carries the fuzzy dice toy around in his mouth, growling. He’s made one of the girls’ socks into a toy too, carrying it around. The bobblehead cat Care had is now in pieces as if to say Pye will not tolerate competition. Once he’s done beating up the sock, he curls up with it, kneading and sucking on one corner. He’s passing strange, this one.

Anyway, his favorite place the last few days while the girls have been in school is on my chest, nipping and scratching at my chain and pentacle pendant. And when I say ‘No!’ firmly but not too loudly, he looks at me with those crossed eyes, and kind squints, giving him even more of a cross-eyed look. He’s even had the audacity (yes, audacity..) to put his paw on my mouth as if to tell me to shut up.

If I sit down here at the computer, he’s up on me. Thank gods for the over the counter anti-histimines – yep, I’m allergic to him. And it is very hard to type with him clinging by his teeny tiny claws dug into my neck. When he’s not after the chain, he’s after my earlobe – which he’ll suck on if I give him the chance. Even if he could get up to some nasty evil-cat plans with an opposable thumb, there have been times in the last four days when I think maybe a thumb would be a good thing ;)

Hmmm. He seems to be sleeping now – maybe I can get back to work on the novel!