Laid It All Out For Him....

So this morning at Scott & I were getting ready to head out for Tay's end-of-season party, he commented on going to GameStop & getting Tay a new DS game for Easter. I said that if it wouldn't be a problem, I'd like to get over to Joanne's (Fabrics & Crafts) for a couple of patterns that were on sale. He kinda gave me this grumpy look as if to say "MORE craft stuff?!?!" So, rather than trying to gloss over WHY I wanted it, I told him. I flat out told him.

I said that even the most cautious of economists is now admitting that we're in a recession, and a LOT of folks think it's going to hit depression-stage, even if our infamous president himself thinks everything is just peachy-keen.

I told Scott that the last time our country went through a depression, one of the hardest things, according to personal accounts in books I've ready (and he knows I've read them!) was parents having to watch their kids go without decent clothes & food. I told him that I'm not buying all this fabric just for the hell of it. I'm CERTAINLY not trying to break our bank account, but that if it comes down to Tay needing clothes, I'd like to have some fabric on hand to be able to make her some. I even said that if I KNEW what size pants & tops she'd be in next, I'd stock some away, but it's hard to tell that. However, fabric can be cut into whatever size you need, so long as you have enough. And, that's why I wanted the patterns as well..... I may not be an excellent seamstress (in fact, some of my straight lines are decidedly NOT straight) but at least I can sew up some skirts or PJ-style pants, or simple tunic-tops.

I also told him that I KNOW it seems like I'm buying a lot more canned & dried goods than we usually use, but as prices are going up and our dollars are worth less & less, I figure that we should stock up while we can still afford to. And I told him that I KNOW he doesn't like hearing about the possibility of such happening in our town or our country, but that I was raised to plan for the worst & hope for the best, and that's just what I'm doing.

He really didn't say much, but when we got to the craft store, he simply commented "I'll leave you to it, Tay and I are going to walk down to the sporting-goods store." And when I got back into the car after buying my 2 patterns (bought with all the cash I had on me, and I really didn't want to spend any more $$ from the checking account) he didn't even ask how much I'd spent. Though, stinker that I can be, I made a point of telling him that I DIDN'T go taking any more money off the debit card.

Maybe, just maybe I'm getting through to him. He can certainly see with his own eyes that prices are going up a lot faster than normal. (Though, at Walmart I was looking at 5-gal buckets and he asked why I'd want them. I commented "for food storage" and he just gaped & asked how much food I was hoping to store, anyway?!?!)

**********

In the past week or so, Puck has taken to occupying Jenny's kennel (dog-cage) when she's not in it. He seems to have developed a like for that enclosed area, even though it's her bed he was sleeping in. (Which left Jenny very disgruntled about not being able to sleep in her own bed, with her blanky.) So, today at Walmart we went ahead & bought Puck his own kennel. And, here they are, side by side, with Tay's goalie bag stashed on top.

That's Puck inside his, giving me glares for DARING to look at him as he guards his weekly raw-hide treat. He gets rather freakish about it. He'll hid away with the damned thing, grumbling & growling at anybody who dares look at him or talk to him, until such point as he's decided that it's ok to eat it. Then he devours the thing in a matter of minutes. But, right now he's still in the "guarding" stage.

It's very funny because even when he wants attention, he'll growl & snarl & hover over the thing, while wagging his tale & begging for attention. It's like he just can't stand to think that we won't actually take it away for good. He even takes it outside with him when he needs to go potty, until he's done with the "guarding" stage. (It's funny, as I'm writing this Puck is in his kennel asleep, hugging his bone like it's a stuffed animal.)

Anyway, Puck now has his own little den INSIDE the house, and he seems happier. Though Jenny couldn't figure out why we bought her a new bed, when we first brought it in the house & set it up. She kept going from hers, to his, to hers, to his..... And Puck was doing the same thing. But his blanket is in his kennel now, and Jenny's quilt is in her kennel, and they seem happy with the new arrangement.

We'll see how he likes it when he realizes that I'm going to lock him in there when I leave, if I don't put him outside. This will keep him from tearing into things he shouldn't while we're gone, while allowing US to leave him inside on cold days. (And yes, these two kennels together take up only slightly less room than a twin-size bed. Wow..... Between the shrank, the computer desk, gun cabinet, TV & stand, and 2 dog kennels, there's barely any room in here, again.)

**********

Let's see.... Easter plans. Well, the MIL called all in a snit because we hadn't RSVP'd to come over to her house tomorrow for dinner. Never mind that they'll be eatting at 2 pm, and I have to work till 5:15 pm. (And, if she'd bothered to mention it to ME a week ago, I'd have been able to take the time off, but not when the soonest I hear about it is the Friday afternoon before Easter.) Anyway, she's said that if I can't make it, well, that's my problem but she won't have her dinner held up on account of MY work schedual, and her darling, pregnant daughter shouldn't have to wait for dinner. *sigh*

Oh freaking well. Scott is actually really peeved about her attitude and told her that if her darling daughter is having such a hard time with this pregnancy, maybe she shouldn't have GOTTEN pregnant again!!!!! (Her past 2 pregnancies were hell as well, she knows what to expect!) MIL didn't care for that too much, but it's the truth. Anyway, my FIL was nicer about it when I ran into him (no, not literally!) at the grocery store yesterday. Turns out that MIL had only told HIM her plans the night before as well, so he was in picking up all the goods, including ANOTHER ham because the two he had in the freezer weren't going to thaw in time. He's also somewhat annoyed by the fact that MIL goes right on ahead & makes plans & bosses everybody else around and doesn't ever take into account what might be going on for the rest of us.

I just couldn't really care less what the MIL thinks of me or my work schedual any more. I like it, and I don't give a rat's butt if it makes things harder for her. She's made it clear that she doesn't care for her son, myself, or our daughter except on major holidays. The rest of the year it's ALL about SIL and SIL's kids and the rest of us could cease to exist as far as MIL is concerned. (In fact, it seems that there are definite times she'd prefer if she could turn us all off like a DVD and come back to us when she's got a moment to spare. The feeling I get from her, the past couple of years, is that FIL, Scott, Tay and myself are all inconveniences to her life & her fixation on the SIL's life.) *shrug* Whatever. I'm rather sick of her myself.

**********
Oh, so I had an Awwwww!!!! moment at the grocery store yesterday. As I'm finishing up my trip through the store, I always take a moment to stop at the floral dept. and talk to a past coworker of mine who now works there (we worked at Ben Franklin's Crafts together). This also means I get to smell & gaze at the lovely flowers. The hyacinths have been esp. lovely this year, and I spend a couple of minutes just burying my nose in them & breathing deeply, but as I told K. last week.... Flowers, no matter how pretty, are kinda low on the list of things to buy as compared to food, and she completely agreed & said that this is one of the definite perks of working in the floral dept.: she doesn't feel quite so bereft about not having the $$ to take some home with her regularly.

Well, yesterday I was later in getting to the store than usual, as I had some bills to pay & errands to run before shopping, so by the time I got there, K. had already left for the day, according to the floral-dept. manager & her new assistant. I said thank you & asked them to tell her that the woman who always smells the flowers said Hi when they next saw her, and they said they would.

As I was down getting my lunch from the salad bar, the new floral dept. assistant came up to me and asked me to come back when I had a moment. So, I got my lunch together & went back down to see if I'd dropped something. No.... Actually K. had come BACK in and told her manager that I was always there smelling the flowers & chatting & so neighbourly. So, the manager had 1 hyacinth plant that she was going to distress (I'm assuming this means she was going to make it un-salvagable and discard it) and she decided to give it to me instead. Awwwww... So now I've got a free (if slightly battered) pretty purple hyacinth on my kitchen table making my kitchen smell lovely.

Once the foliage dies back, I'm going to plant it out in my flower bed toward the end of the house (where not-so-many flowers grew last year) and maybe next year it'll come back for me! And, if I get a chance, I'll buy another hyacinth next week to show my appreciation for their lovely gesture. (They're not expensive, just $5 per flowered bulb. But that's been $5 that I haven't allotted for "extras" along the lines of flowers. Next week, though, I'm going to do so.)

Anyway, I just wanted to share the loveliness that shows up sometimes in a small town where folks know each other & see each other regularly. THAT is what living in a small town is about!!! (And, that's why I've come to love this town that I used to be so desperate to get away from!)

**********

It's cooled down again. And it's actually snowing this evening. Unfortunately it's blowing so hard that the snow is blowing side-ways. *sigh* NOT pleasant! BUT, the sunlight is getting stronger, the days are getting longer, and it's almost April!!! Not long now before summer is really & truly here!

Hope y'all have a Blessed Easter tomorrow!