26 May – Well – I thought that getting sick once a year was enough – and then this flu hit – it was not horrible, but it sure came at a bad time. I wanted to have all the unpacking done before this weekend – well that is not going to happen. Almost four days of being down – down – down with that bug. It is going around, and I was sure to get it – I just wanted to postpone it for a year or two.

While I was sick and “resting” (as the fur kids barked to let me know I needed to be playing with them not resting) I remembered one thing I had forgotten to tell you all – and it was the best in the house so far! Like a lot of people, I like to put stuff up on top of my cabinets – it is nice and decorative in the kitchen.

I am terrified of heights – let me repeat that – TERRIFIED! So I got up on my ladder and carefully got up on my counter to put the first item up – and as I peaked over the top of the cabinets, I almost dropped my vase. I have never seen such filth! I know cleaning the tops of cabinets is not a huge daily priority in everyone’s lives – but really! I do not think the tops of those cabinets had ever been cleaned – in the entire thirteen year life of this house. In fact there were still sunflower seed hulls – probably from the workers who built the cabinets.
Still terrified of heights – I got up on the cabinets – sometimes on my tippy toes stretching to the back of the cabinets – standing on my new stove at times – and after half a bottle of Spic & Span, most of the bottle of some sort of “goo off” stuff – that works on small spots only, two dobie scrubbers, an entire box of SOS pads, two huge, huge rolls of paper towels, and most of my fingertips and six pairs of disposable gloves, it is clean enough for my stuff. In other words, CLEAN. The entire time I was worried that I was going to step backwards off the kitchen counter - by the time I was done I was ready for rest again.

So I got a couple of two by fours, had them cut in two foot pieces, and made platforms and at least what I have unpacked is up and decorating my kitchen.

And where were my little furry helpers during all this. Yes, I mean Angel and Maxi. Well, of course, they were helping! First they tried climbing up the ladder – when I discouraged that, Angel got up on the little breakfast nook table and barked encouragement – or something – at me. Maxi just looked mournful – she wanted to play and mom was up too high to play.

I knew I had made a mistake when I put my cookbook shelves actually in the kitchen – today I found a little cookbook – once called Bubba Cooking, or something like that – Angel ate the title – scattered all over the backyard. I am not sure Maxi is totally innocent in all of this. She seemed to be laughing as I picked up little pages all over the yard.

I am going to have a sort of lattice fence built across my open space between the dining room and family room – to keep Angel from jumping on the ledge and breaking stuff. She can FLY across that room – and I would really prefer that my chairs not need to be so close that anyone sitting in them, touches the knees of anyone else sitting in them. If I am playing kneesy with someone, I want it to be by choice, not forced intimacy. I’d like my guests to have the same feeling of safety. Ok they are pretty quiet out there – I had best post this and go see what they are doing. Or maybe see what they are doing and then post this. Until later – have a blessed day and hug your fur kids – they bring happiness even when they are being ornery.