sleepy puppy
October 31, 2005, 6:18 P.M.

I need a weekend to recover from my weekend.

Saturday started early. My usual morning responsibilities, then getting cleaned up and dropping off the dog at the kennel. Home for cleaning, straightening, and packing, and once Spouse was up, we headed for Rockford.

We got to our hotel around one, and checked in. Off to the pool and hot tub to relax for a while, and then we both tried to nap, but neither of us had much luck at it. At five, we got cleaned up and dressed, then headed down to the party.

Which was okay, I guess. Mom and Dad really seemed to enjoy it. The food was just okay, and the bar options were sparse. We really couldn�t see much from the dining room, and it was pretty chilly upstairs on the top deck, so nobody enjoyed the view for long.. But it was kind of cool to be on a paddle-wheeler again, and I liked that aspect of it. Especially since I�ve been listening to Huckleberry Finn!

It was really quite a short party�we got there about 6:15, the cruise was over by 9:00, and we all quickly said our goodbyes and took our leave. I was so beat when we got back up to Rockford that I just went right to bed, and since Spouse hadn�t really had a appreciable amount of sleep in the previous 30 hours, he crashed hard as well.

When we got up yesterday morning, we considered taking a steam or a swim, but decided that we would both really rather have breakfast. So we dressed and packed and checked out, then headed over to the Machine Shed for a serious feed.

After my husband had attempted to commit suicide by pork product, we hit the Logli (grocery store) to stock up on Mrs. Fisher�s Potato Chips, a local delicacy and long-time passion of his, and after realizing that we would be home in plenty of time for the trick-or-treaters, we scurried over to the new Wal-Mart and snatched up half-a-dozen bags of candy.

Since Spouse collects Harley-Davidson dealer t-shirts, and since we really wanted to avoid Lake Geneva traffic on the way home, we took the long way home. We stopped at Janesville and Spouse got a really cool shirt with
this image on it. Then we headed out across country toward home. It was a gorgeous fall day; perfect for a drive through the countryside. Unfortunately, I was still feeling so fatigued that I kept nodding off and jerking awake the whole way home.

Because of the time change, and our early start, we got home by 1:00, so Spouse tackled the yard work while I unpacked. I puttered around a while, but forgot to change the clocks when I came in, so I was a little confused later on. I couldn�t figure out where all my trick-or-treaters were�till I realized my clocks were still an hour ahead. Cripes, I can be a moron. Spouse headed in to watch football at the same time I was going out to wait for the candy-grabbers, so I took my beads out with me, and set to work first on the pink bracelet. The more I fiddled, the more I realized that this bracelet really didn�t want to be a two-strand. It wanted to be a single-strand. I finally gave in, and got it laid out, strung, and finished in about an hour. Since I still had candy, and two hours of TOT to go, I was able to complete another short project--another zipper charm. This one is really cool. Two stacked, open diamond-shaped copper beads, with 6mm peach Swarovski bicones inserted. Separated by a 4mm topaz Swarovski bicone. I�m going to keep it for myself, I think. I also started a pair of earrings to go with the pink bracelet, but by that time, it was getting kind of dark, and my hands were too cold to bead anymore.

I have really come to hate trick-or treat. We hardly have any little kids in our neighborhood anymore, and most of the business I get is straight out of the ghetto. The little bastards don�t wear costumes, say �trick or treat�, or thank you, and they try to tell you what to give them. I think this is the last year I�ll be turning on the porch light. I�ve seriously considered skipping it the last two years, but chickened out at the last minute and did it anyway. But the little thugs really put me off it this year, I think. They slashed and burned their way through six bags of candy in two hours, so I turned off the light and came in. I was feeling chilled to the bone by then, anyway. I couldn�t warm up to save my soul.

Spouse wanted his nasty old �feetza� for dinner (Chef Boyardee pizza mix, so named for the way it smells like nasty feet.) so I fended for myself. I didn�t know what I wanted, other than something HOT!
So I ended up with a Marie Callender pot pie. They are actually pretty good, and I was finally able to get warm.

I took a half-assed stab a tidying the kitchen, got my stuff ready for work this am, and struggled to stay up till 9:00pm--then I gave up and crashed at 8:45.

I had scads of time to get ready for work this morning, since Raji was still at the kennel and didn�t need to be fed, watered, walked, and cuddled. So I left a bit early and got into work about 6:30. I was the only one in for my department today, so I figured I�d get there early, then leave a bit early, to go pick up my Babygirl. She�s always so wiped out by the kennel and the nail-clipping and bathing, I figured the sooner I got her home, the better.

She's drooping now, laying sprawled over the bed and nodding off. As much as she likes the kennel, that bath really takes the mickey out of her.