I just spent about half an hour reading Kat's blog about her son's initial brain injury after he nearly drowned during a pool party, her subsequent difficulties with his violent outbursts and current problems with bureaucracies trying to brand her a horrible mother and "adopt him out" to someone who will take "better care of him." The poor woman is a single mother, has other children and has fought fiercely for her son for nine years since his accident.

Today she wrote a heartbreaking blog begging us for help. She has asked politicians, lawyers, doctors, God himself for help, all to no avail. The institution currently caring for her son costs $8,000 per month, and they want Kat to help pay for it. From what? From where? She doesn't have anything left to give them? In another heartbreaking chapter of her blog, I read about her husband coldly selling off their farm animals, all of whom Kat loved dearly.

Where does a desperate mother turn when there's no where left to turn?

If any of you out there have any answers for Kat, who sounds like a saint as far as I'm concerned, please help.

Love, Robin

It snowed an inch or so last night, leaving icy patches on the street and sidewalks, but it mostly affected me when I walked the dogs. Snaps, who never took to "heel," tends to drag me and Bugsy along, and I was trying hard not to slip and fall on any ice along the way. The streets weren't bad, but you had to watch for black ice. I left early, just in case, but got to work without mishap, fortunately.

It was an uneventful weekend. Dinners out at the diner and Giovanni's, a three and a half hour nap Saturday while Dan was working overtime, gym and breakfast buffet yesterday, yada yada yada. Dan and I are both growing annoyed with Brad. It's like he's a boarder, you know? He sleeps at home, eats our food, allows us to wash his clothing, but doesn't even want to do the one task we've asked of him--take out the garbage. We understand that, as a hard-working teacher, he has a lot on his plate, but he also is making a lot of money and COULD spring for dinner now and then. He always manages to be home when he knows we're going out to dinner so he can tag along and get a free meal. He never even picks up the tip, which sure would be nice once in a while!

I guess it's a matter of attitude--we don't much like Brad's. We've been very generous with him, but now we feel he's taking advantage of our generosity. I'm ALWAYS expected to have dinner waiting for him, no matter what. If I don't, I feel guilty. Why should I, though? He's 23, soon to be 24. Can't he sometimes make his own meal, or since he never showed interest in learning any of the culinary arts, purchase dinner for himself? I mean, when does my obligation end, exactly?

I guess I've begun to feel there's a time birds need a little push out of the nest. Brad thinks he's so overwhelmed with expenses, but now that his car is paid off, what, precisely, ARE his expenses? What if he had to pay for an apartment, or a mortgage? Why is he being so cheap? Is he saving for an engagement ring for Ali? I sure wish he'd talk to us more. Because last night, Dan raised the "R" word with him--rent! We'd stopped asking him for rent once we were done paying his health and car insurance. Since he's being such a cheap little SOB, perhaps we should reinstate the rent again, hmmmm?

I don't know! I feel like such a bitch, but our son is making more money than either his father or me, so is it asking too much for him to spend a little on us once in a while? Pick up a dinner tab, or at least the tip? Dan believes Brad couldn't live on his own, and that scares me. At 20, I went away to college. I lived in a dorm the first year, so my meals were taken care of in dining halls, but in my last year, I lived in a house and had to cook my own food. Of course, I'm a girl, and Mom taught me to cook a few things, but this is 2007, and boys should be able to read a box of mac and cheese, cook it, then eat it, right? Well, I have my doubts Brad can. He never has, to my knowledge. Perhaps that's my fault, but then again, he never asked me, either. He never seemed interested because MOM has always done it for him. I guess I've done him something of a disservice, haven't I?

Any comments out there?

Love, Robin

It was very cold this morning when I walked the dogs, who persisted in sniffing and dawdling despite the frigidity. How cold was it? The snot running from my nose froze there! Despite the gloves on my hands, they were hurting like hell by the time I got home! It was a balmy nine degrees at 6 AM and didn't rise much above 20, with wind chills way below that.

Someone I spoke to in California told me it was 80 there, and I told her to split the difference and send us 40 degrees. Share, damn it!
I really do miss those unseasonably WARM temps we had a few weeks ago. Come back, please, come back! Our oil burner is working so hard, yet it's still so cold in the house. At these temps, it doesn't seem to matter what the thermostat is set on, does it?

I got my blood test results yesterday. They were good--no, great! My cholesterol panel was sterling, overall, 163. I guess the daily oatmeal breakfast helped, and the Lipitor is doing its job, too. I make it with skim milk and throw in some unsalted nuts. It tastes really great that way, nice and chewy, and richer even with just skim milk rather than water.

Get this--Dan's friend, who works at Wal-Mart and shall remain nameless, told him that a shipment of Nintendo Wii's is coming in Sunday morning. He suggested Dan come at 4 AM Sunday to wait on line! Dan, in turn, asked me to come wait with him! Now, I ask you, does this fall under the WORSE in the "for better, for worse" portion of the wedding vows? What if this rumor turns out not to be true, and we wait for the store's opening and the Wii's are not to be? Do I then have the right to murder my husband and get away with it under the right of the Wife's Rightly Insanity Clause?

I'm thinking perhaps I should opt to remain in bed, warm and asleep, while Dan takes a blanket and a body pillow to wait with him at Wal-Mart. Then again, there are some nuts who have shot people to steal their Wii's. Why? Because people are insane, that's why. Dan might need me to beat off a would-be thief. Stupid Nintendo manufacturers, not making enough of these things for everyone who wants one fast enough!

I worry about animals people leave out on these frigid nights. How do they keep warm--or do they?

I wish my husband didn't have to work overtime again tomorrow. If his company is that busy, they should hire more people. I want him to stay home and play with me!

I wish I had a better idea of what's happening with Brad and his girlfriend. Are they getting engaged? If so, when?

I wish Bugsy would comprehend how much we love him and trust us completely. I wish he'd stop biting us and let us be affectionate without fearing he'll turn on us.

I wish my body would show my gym efforts more. Here I'm going every other day, diligently, and my weight is staying the same, and, to me, my body still looks fat in the mirror, especially when I'm naked.

I wish I wouldn't crave bad food so much. Ice cream, candy, cake, cookies, CHOCOLATE! I love them too much. Even bread is a downfall for me--garlic, cinnamon, bagels, rolls, slathered with butter, jelly, cream cheese. I love to eat, and tamping down on my appetite, trying to avoid food I love is a tough sacrifice. Sure, I like tomatoes, green peppers, carrots, a big salad loaded with the works, but give me a choice between that and a sundae loaded with my favorite ice cream flavors, hot fudge, nuts and a cherry, what do you think I'm going to choose?

The salad. I'm diabetic, remember? My doctor would kill me, and my latest blood test numbers show my diabetes is in good control. I want to live a long time, so while I WANT the sundae, crave the sundae, I'll eat the salad and treat myself to the sundae once in a great while to reward myself for being good most of the rest of the time.

I wish I wasn't diabetic and overweight. Life REALLY isn't fair, is it?

Hey, have a FABULOUS weekend, Merry Blogsters! Meet me at the gym!

Love, Robin

Snow squalls. We used to have them when I went to college upstate in Brockport, NY--spates of snow for brief periods of time, followed by nothing, or even sunshine, then it clouded up again and squalled some more. Sometimes these squalls left two, three four inches of snow on the ground in short periods of time.

We've been having snow squalls today, interspersed with periods of snowless sun and/or clouds--weird! We're expecting bitterly cold temps tonight and tomorrow, single digits and teens, the lowest we've seen in years. So we've broken records for high temps and now we're going to break records for low ones. What is going on? Is this still because of El Nino, or is that strictly a warm-weather phenomenon? I don't know, but I much preferred the warmer weather we were having a few weeks ago!

Dan's thrilled that AMERICAN IDOL is back on TV. At this point, when they mostly make fun of the weirdos or Simon insults the assholes, it's tantamount to what I imagine it was like watching lions gobble Christians back in the day--it ceases being entertaining. I want HOUSE back! Last night, I was so tired, I fell asleep during the endless two hours of IDOL. I enjoy watching when they're down to the final 12 contestants and everyone actually has talent!

I am such a bubblehead this week--I neglected to DVR LAW & ORDER: SVU and forgot all about DIRT. I can catch the latter in a rerun tomorrow, but I have no way of knowing when the former will be rerun. Weird thing is, I could have sworn I'd set up the DVR box for SVU, but I guess not. I don't like when I mess up that way.

Last night Dan and I went to Giovanni's for their $7.95 pasta special, but the line was nearly out the door by the time we got there. When Brad called from home to find out what was doing with dinner, Dan and I decided to go home; I could broil the defrosted London broil in the fridge. We stopped for two-fer sundaes at Carvel on the way home. Yum!

I'm very tired, but will stop at the gym on the way home anyway. I want to get in half an hour of exercise before heading home to the pooches.

Snow. . .sun. . .snow. . .sun. . .

What a strange, strange day it's been!

Love, Robin

Our friend Mike made a remark to me about my slouching the other night. "I've noticed it before but never said anything," he remarked. "You never stand up straight."

He's right. I've been a slumper for as long as I can remember. I know it's unhealthy, but it's hard when you begin developing breasts at age eight and you're so embarrassed by them, all you can do is round your shoulders forward and try as hard as you can to hide them.

I come from a short line of enormously endowed women who were also slumpers: Mom had rounded shoulders; so did Nana, her mom, and if I recall correctly, so did Aunt Ruby, Nana's sister. The reason? Giant hooters. So, whether you're a teeny-titted girl wishing for bigger jugs or a lusting man yearning for hands overflowing with breast tissue, remember, everything is a matter of viewpoint. If my breasts had been smaller, I probably wouldn't have developed back problems or needed surgery to correct slipped discs at age 20. Everything in life has a domino effect, sometimes not so pleasant.

So when Mike asks me to stand up straight, I valiantly try, but honestly, I think my bones have more or less grown into the slumped position. Both Mom and Nana looked as if they had osteoporosis, and even though I'm taking calcium every day, doctor's orders, I'm pretty certain I'll suffer the same fate.

I had taped a movie titled CANDLES ON BAY STREET, a holiday weeper, and weep I did when I watched the ending it yesterday. It was really sad, yet uplifting, too. Plus, it had cute puppies, icing on the cake!

We took Brad and Ali out for dinner at Corner Galley the other night. Mike joined us. We had a great time, but I always grind my teeth a bit when Ali orders shrimp, one of the more expensive items on the menu. I really have to suggest Brad treat US to a meal one of these days. We've been awfully generous to him, dinners-out-wise, and it sure would be nice if HE footed the bill for a meal for us once in a while, given the nice salary he's making!

It's been really cold, with even a few snow showers here and there, not enough yet to break out the snow blower. I wish the temperatures would moderate back into the 50's again. I know, I'm being unrealistic, but I did love not hearing the heat coming up constantly, and our house never, ever feels really warm when it's bitterly cold outside. That damn forced hot air heating just plain sucks!

Hope YOU are keeping warm, my dear blogster friends!

Love, Robin