Happy Leap Day!

Nothing really to say today, I just wanted to post on Leap Day! 

I made a neat find the other night - no pics, tho.  Hubby & I were at the Salvation Army & found an old magazine rack that will convert nicely into a crib for my zombie babies!  Now I have a place to put them!  Yay!  The funnest part of that evening was the Salvation Army wanted you to "dance for your discount"!  So the ladies at the counter had a CD player up there & would play music for you.  So imagine 6 of us standing up there doing the YMCA in front of the main doors to the store - LOL!!!  Hey - I'll dance without music for 25% off!

Anyhooo, I keep hearing about Google Friend Connect going away tomorrow, but I haven't been able to find anything about it on Google so I have absolutely no idea how it is going to affect my blog & followers / followees.  I did add the option to get email updates for any who choose to go that route.

What the heck are RSS feeds?  I haven't found a good idiot-friendly definition for it.  I like to think I'm somewhat intelligent, but when I start trying to read about computer stuff, my heart starts racing & palms get sweaty, and I get all anxious.  Guess I should leave that for the hubster.

So I leave you with Chester being adorable.....

 and the girl...being a dork at WalMart!

Checking in....

Hi!  It's been a while since I've posted.  I haven't run away, I promise!  Just not a whole lot of excitement going on at the Love Shaque lately.  It's mid-winter break so the girl was sold for child labor sent off to be a "worker bee"  at my sister's little farm for a few days but its work as usual for me & the hubby.

I did make a great find yesterday!  I stopped in the Salvation Army to wander around and found this for $2.50!!  It doesn't say on the box, but there's an 8 oz bag of CelluClay in there, too!  So I'm going to have to start making something. 

I made the mistake getting the girl a copy of the Breaking Dawn part 1 DVD (she's gotten them all as soon as they were released) and now I've been engrossed in reading the books.  I like the books better, since they go into more detail.  I'm almost to the part where that DVD ends - the baby is out, but she's not a vampire yet.  I need to hurry up and finish this so I can go read!!

Later!

RIP, little Miss Maggie

Yes, we had another tragedy in the family last night. All I have to say is that I'm extremely thankful that we were home - and it was quick.

It was a regular day. I was trying to make dinner and because I was in the kitchen, both Maggie & Chester were underfoot, wanting to be fed. I used my foot to push Mag out of the way so I didn't kick her, and she yelped when I touched her back end. I stopped to pick her up, and realized she was constipated again. Last time I used a baggie & olive oil to "help" the stoppage come out. Yeah - the things I do!! But since I was making dinner, I thought she could wait a few minutes.

I petted & talked to her a minute, then put her back down. As I was reaching for something in the cabinet, I felt her fall against my leg. I assumed she was doing a dramatic "woe-is-me, I'm starving" flop that her & Chester are so well known for. As I looked down, it took me a second for it to sink in that she was having a seizure. Then she threw her head back and let out the loudest meow I'd ever heard from her. Usually she'd open her mouth and barely a peep would be heard. I yelled for Angel to go get Randy from the garage. He came right in and laid on the floor next to her - patting her side & talking to her. I'd moved her out from the corner and she was like a limp rag. She just flopped. Randy stayed there & pressed on her side for a good 15 minutes, but her bladder let go & her tongue was turning blue. She was gone.

We probably wouldn't have even been able to get her to the Animal Emergency Hospital, it happened so fast. And Chester & Jack both got a chance to say goodbye to her. They never did with Skeeter, since he was at the vet when it happened.

So we laid her to rest out next to Skeeter, wrapped in one of Randy's shirts like Skeeter is wrapped in one of mine. Morbid for a second - I was amazed at how fast she cooled off. I'm not sure how much time elapsed between Skeet's passing & us burying him, but he was still warm and soft when I put him in his place. But he also had 20 lbs of insulation on him - where Maggie didn't. She'd been losing weight for the past couple months and it really showed on her tiny little frame.

Maggie's story

 

I took this one last Saturday - We'd gone out to lunch & dropped Angel off at dance and when we came home - Jack was pacing around & looking concerned. She'd taken over his crate!

We are definitely going to miss her. Randy was attached to her as much as I was with Skeeter. so he took it especially hard. But she's got good company up there!

Mystery solved!!

Back in October, I posted  THIS and  THIS  about my neighbors.  I ~finally~ found out what happened!

Yeah.  They got evicted.  I was talking to the next door neighbor (the one between me & the mystery people) this afternoon and she told me about their loud fights & the language & the man's indecent exposure - guess he really liked to be flapping in the breeze, if you catch my drift!  I had no idea!  We never heard anything unusual & sure didn't see any naughty bits, either!

So anyway, the house is rented again - the new tenant hasn't moved in yet.  Apparently the owner actually ran a background check this time!

Cemeteries x 6

Recently on a Saturday I will wake up & feel the need to do something or go someplace.  Today I woke up thinking about this tiny little cemetery north of town.  So once I dropped Angel off at dance, I made the rounds of several small ones in the area, camera in hand.

Sterling Grove - a whole bunch of German names and epitaphs.

Mother / Father

Ada, daughter of R&A Bahlmann

Right next to Sterling Grove was this little Russian Orthodox cemetery.  It was locked so I couldn't get any closer than this.  It's weird that all the stones were facing away from the road.  6 very neat, tidy rows of stones.

Next was a 2 for 1 visit!  

Prestonville is considered a "lost village" of Shelby.  2 families settled here in 1826 and the land was eventually absorbed into Shelby Township.

source

There was no division inside the cemetery itself - but there were the 2 signs & different fences across the front!  I was pretty entertained.  I didn't realize this until I noticed this sign from behind and went to look at it.

 I didn't know at the time this was original settler!

 Love the unusual shape & coloring on this!

 I'd never seen a special plaque like this for police before.  Very cool!

 I may have nightmares!

 These 2 were way off by themselves. 

 I love the quote!

 The carving at the top reminded me of a cow with its tongue out.  

Probably not what its supposed to be!

This is the one I was thinking about when I woke up.  I still don't know why.  Other than a lot of vandalism - it really wasn't extraordinary.

According to the same link as the Prestonville Cemetery, it says there are veterans from the Mexican and Civil Wars buried here.

 The colors of the marble are beautiful!

btw - that is my car in the background.
If you can't see it, I have to assume you're one of the idiots who has cut me off before.
Everyone else - Hi!

I still had some time to kill before getting the girl from dance, so I stopped in the Utica Cemetery again.  There's more HERE that I did for the Countdown to Halloween.  Somehow I missed a couple that stand out now.

 This is just one person's grave.  The wife apparently is still alive.  

My theory is that A). she is now a crazy cat lady or 

B). he hated clutter & she did this because he can't do a darn thing about it.

 This is different set from above - but in the same row! 

Utica Cemetery apparently has no restrictions on the amount of flotsam you can put around a stone. 

There really is a stone in there!

 I love that 3 branches are listed!

 Those colors caught my attention as I was driving in.

 If the one I commented on above doesn't bring nightmares - this one will!

Mother Julia / Mother Pearl

Father Zigmond / Father Frank

I guess they were all close!