Subversive Thought of the Day

I would like it very much if the Canadians won the Gold Medal hockey game.

On Fighting

We are in a bit of financial trouble. That is perhaps a huge understatement, but I don't want to go into great detail. For two very intelligent people, we have made some horrendous mistakes and have been negligent in a way that is horrifying. So, we're in a very dark and scary place.

However, we have been given some gifts from places that we never expected. We have gotten a tremendous amount of support (and not just financial) from family. We are taking Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University classes. We are working harder and thinking smarter about what we are doing. We will be fine in the long run.

It's going to be an incredibly tough slog. Harder than either one of us ever thought was possible. But, we WILL do this. We WILL NOT lose each other. We WILL NOT lose our house. We WILL be so much stronger and smarter as a result of this. And we WILL move on.

The Itch

Ever since I had the setons installed in November, I have become well-acquainted with The Itch. I was very accustomed to dealing with all kinds of pain, but The Itch is all-consuming, as nothing takes care of it other than a warm shower.

I'm not sure what causes The Itch. No, that's not true. I have a theory that I will discuss with Dr. L on Tuesday. It's really gross, so you don't want to hear it. But, we need a better plan for dealing with it. Obviously, I can't spend the rest of my life in the shower, regardless of how appealing that would be.

Calmoseptine ointment has been my lifesaver. It has menthol in it, and is a moisture barrier, so that helps tremendously. However, it doesn't take care of all of the itching and certainly doesn't stop it once The Itch really starts. Only a shower does that.

I completely understand how itching can be used as an extreme form of torture. I have made H promise that if I am ever in a coma, the nurses will keep me loaded up with Calmoseptine so that I don't feel any itching. I am sure that it would drive me insane even if I was unconscious.

A Really Big Stack of Stuff

My Mom drove down today for a spur-of-the moment visit. She brought with her a bag filled to the brim with Boxtops and Campbell's Soup labels and Betty Crocker points. My Grandmother had been saving them since time immemorial. Betty Crocker points? Apparently, you used to be able to redeem the proofs of purchase from Betty Crocker products for Things. I think that green stamps used to work the same way. K's school collects the Boxtops, and Mom and I save them for her. The elementary school near us collects the Campbell's labels as well. But Betty Crocker?

Mom asked Grandma for whom she was saving all of it and Grandma didn't know. But, by golly, she had a lot of them! So, Mom spent some time this afternoon drinking hot chocolate (with peppermint schnapps, of course!) and sorting them out. Boxtops go to K. Campbell's labels stay here. Betty Crocker points are useless.

Unfortunately, Betty Crocker discontinued their program in 2006, according to the website. That's really unfortunate, because we could have gone on a European cruise with all of these points.

At least I know where both Mom and I get our penchant for saving things from. We come by it VERY honestly. And, for the record, Mom also brought a baggie of pop tops for our Girl Scouts. My baggie is bigger.

Heartbreaking

I can never get over how little creatures can touch our lives so immeasurably. My heart is breaking for Rusty and his parents. And, I hope that Cheshire is well soon. H and I were devastated when Annie was sick this last time, and we can't imagine what it would be like to have a little one that is leaving us.