Meeting Milly...Part 1: The Wait

So on July 11, 2009 we thought we would kill some time by standing in line in North Haven for a whopping TWO AND A HALF HOURS for a chance to see the more than 400 cats, kittens, dogs and puppies who traveled from the kill shelters of the deep south to Connecticut in hopes of finding a new forever home! It was John's big idea to attend the event, even though I was sure the two dogs we currently owned were more than plenty.
After dusting off "Linda" and heading down the highway of life on our latest adventure we arrive in North Haven rather quickly. We find a parking spot in a flash and not far from where we spotted "the tent". The tent which housed all the animals that brought us here. After exiting the vehicle we realize that we are looking at the end of a line. Quickly we realize the end of that line is where we need to be. ARE YOU F'ing KIDDING ME?
Normally I wouldn't wait in a line this long for anything....not even for food if i hadn't eat in days! It was hot out, but honestly the breeze made it comfortable so the need to complain was quickly erased and I knew John wanted to be here so I bit my tongue about my anxiety and the need to run from this ridiculous line.
It was that kind of line where everyone is in a hurry to get to their destination now so they feel the need to stand REALLY close to the person in front of them, hoping this will teleport them to the front of the line...WHICH AS WE ALL KNOW IS NOT THE CASE!
After the first hour I was still holding my composure, yet talked very little for fear of accidentally engaging any nearby people into unnecessary conversation. Knowing it was going to be a long wait seems to prompt some people to get comfy with their neighbors quickly and they feel that insatiable need to make conversation...why are you here? how old are your kids, where are you from? how long have you been waiting?! or worse than questions...they want to tell you about themselves...and quite honestly, I don't really care to hear it (please excuse my candor but I was hear to look at dogs, not hear your life story and how many, what breed, and etc dogs you have owned)~
Anyway, my husband is a much nicer candidate for small talk than I am so I let him handle the dirty work as I stare endlessly at my feet, picking at the kids, quietly shooshing them to prevent any onlookers from judging their behavior and my ability to
do my job as a mom...because at the end of the day, that's really what its about. Isn't it?
By the end of the second hour and a bottle of water later I was growing VERY tired of being in that line, looking ahead I could tell there was approximately 40 to 50 people in front of us (most of which were families and would go into the tent toghether). I approximated our wait time at no more than 40 minutes...it was at this point..however I grew more anxious than I had been over 2 hours ago! I wanted to do an about-face and get the hell out of there. Our line neighbors were closer than ever and at this point his wife and granddaughter have joined him making my current conditions more uncomfortable. The more they inched up my back the more I felt the need to inch up on the couple in front of me~ even though i knew this would only cause the ass behind us to inch in closer causing me to be boxed in more than ever... PLEASE HELP ME I COULD SCREAM RIGHT NOW!!
I'm not claustrophobic but I do have a certain criteria for my personal space, and basically if you are not my husband, a good friend or family, or one of my children
you need to be a good foot from my body! I continue to stare at my feet and (more often) ahead in line just hoping to make it through this with every bit of my sanity intact.
AT LAST! We make it to the table...the table where you hand in your application, the table where the lady lets you by, the table of joy...our destination awaits... almost. We can glimpse some kittens just beyond the table inside the tent and we marvel at their cuteness, acting as if we have never before seen a kitten.
At this point in my story, if your just wishing I would GET TO THE POINT...then I have done my job in making you feel exactly how excrutiatingly impatient I was by the time we finally reached THE TABLE...

The Bitch at the Beach...And Judgement

First of all let me say that I do not enjoy the fact that I feel like I don't have REAL control over where these pictures end up when I upload them! OK, with that being said I want to celebrate for a minute a rain free weekend in the state of Connecticut! And to make it more celebratory it was 4th of July weekend. What a great weekend to be rain free~ Can I get a little "woot woot!"? OK, maybe not...but you need to know how happy it made me. On Sunday morning we deliberated for some time until we decide we MUST go to the beach. We ended up at Lighthouse Point Park in New Haven as a "lets try it" visit. I wondered if I had been there as a child but was unable to say for sure. You might not guess it from the reputation that Connecticut has as a "rich" state....but we have our fair share of ghetto areas and to be honest New Haven can go either way. Trying a park that you are not familiar with and has not been recommended to you is somewhat of a crap shoot. You never know what you might get until you get there.

After walking across the grassy picnic area we couldn't help but notice the amount of garbage strewn around and the piles of people hanging around having bbq's and blasting their obnoxiously loud music.
In my head I was thinking UH OH, this is not going to go well. But we pushed on, all pretending that we are not bothered by what we have all just seen~because deep inside we all want to pretend we don't judge. But I know inside if its worrying me...its worrying the kids and John as well. Mason at the very least. He likes things "just so". He doesn't like hanging with a tough or questionable crowd, he doesn't settle in to unfamiliar settings and anytime he feels something is awry he is running for the hills. I was slightly shocked he hadn't already asked if we could leave and try somewhere else.


So we reach the beach and decide to go to the left...toward the condos....for no particular reason. I immediately know that I have been here as a child~as I see the old building that housed the carousel~the site of the lighthouse over the tree tops~and the various stone animals that line the edge of the beach~ but have no memories otherwise. We find a happy spot just to the side of the lifeguard tower and make ourselves a happy home.
The bitchy old lady behind us can't help but stare, more than likely fearful of the fact that we brought 3 kids with us and is assuming that we are sure to ruin her day at the beach (ironically my first attempt at spelling beach came out BITCH...freudian slip? perhaps). She was probably wondering why we sat so close to her when we had the whole beach to choose from. After ten minutes or so I ask Mason to help me move the blanket down closer to the water so we are not so close~I can feel her eyes burning into the back of my head. As we begin to move I can tell by her grimace that us moving is EVEN more annoying to her than our original position.
As I glare back at her I am reminded why people like me belong at the beaches where the garbage is strewn and the crowd is questionable. If for no reason other than being ABLE and ALLOWED to glare back at an old bitch for daring to stare me down for having brought three of the loveliest children into the world to the beach on such a fine sunny day. I make sure to stare back as I mutter loud enough for her to hear to Mason that we are moving to get away from the bitch with the staring problem.


Yes, yes, I tend to NOT bite my lip whenever the mood strikes. And you best be hoping your not on the end of my bark....because I promise my bite is just as bad. Especially where my children are concerned. My kids are incredibly well behaved, they are not rude, not disrespectful, they are not loud and I am by no means embarrassed to bring them anywhere~I wish they could say the same about me. When I am confronted by theglares of a woman on the beach whom I can tell is concerned that my 3 may want to build a castle, toss a ball around, or just be all around loud and obnoxious (as children can be) it sets me off and I like to gently remind the likes of these people that it is not always the children who will make your visit unpleasant...but sometimes it is the parents themselves who will make you wish you kept your face planted firmly on the pages of your book where it belongs!

The point of my story is this...don't judge a book by its cover because you will most likely be wrong.

After all was said and done, I should tell you that the garbage was being vacuumed up as we walked through it... and the loud people that I was so fearful would be on the beach all kept their place on the grass having barbecues and what I am sure were family reunions (who goes to the beach to sit on the grass????) and did nothing to wreck our day at the beach.

Just as we had judged the park and its visitors by walking by some garbage the bitch in her beach chair had judged us for having children. We all judge, it's human nature to judge before we have knowledge, but how we react while we are judging is a real testament to who we are. To stare rudely is something quite different than quietly wondering but giving the benefit of the doubt in an instance when you are unsure.

"A mind that doesn't question its judgements, makes the world very small and dangerous"

Rain Rain...Go Away AGAIN!!!!!

So you don't have to be from New England to know that our 'summer' weather has been anything but cooperative! In all my life I have never seen so much rain as we have seen in the last 3 months. Nerve racking really. I never wondered what detrimental effects RAIN could have on our environment. I've always considered it a necessary element and while the rain tends to get me down I accept it~especially when thunder and lightening are involved. I do love a good electrical storm! Remember the old saying "April showers bring May flowers". Well, I haven't really felt the saying has applied for the last several years and I would joke that it should be April, May showers bring June flowers...but this year I think it needs to be STOP STOP THE RAIN ALREADY.
Not to mention the town started laying these drain pipes along the sides of the roads, apparently to assist with the distribution of water onto the roads. These drains are going to drain the water underground and into the sewers.
I'm not sure they are working...at all. These photos are of my yard...which in the past has had a problem with the collection of water over top of the patio...but this water quickly dissipates when the rain stops. It took slightly longer than normal this fine day I decided to take some pictures.
So, honestly... we probably could've gotten a kayak to float on top of the water on the patio. It was ridiculous. But as I said, some water collecting there is normal. I ventured over to the side yard, and noted some VERY deep water there (that is the top picture). My feet became submerged in the mucky grass and water with each step...causing my flip flops to stick to the ground.
Should I mention the dogs use our backyard as their potty...which is perfectly acceptable. A much better alternative to using the floors in the house. But with each suctiony step I felt I was sticking my feet in POOP WATER! eeeew, how gross! Of course the dogs really can't help that and they are by no means to blame!


I feel bad mentioning the state of the chicken run. Or should I say duck pond? Its a disaster beckoning every fly in the state of Connecticut to come forth and take up residence. A chicken run should be kept dry at all times...and a nice dusty spot helps they groom. This is not even possible~at least not in this section of the state. We've attempted to dry out the coop by throwing in mulch...but I'm afraid at this point all we have done is invite more pests as I noticed the run was full of disgusting green flies and a new little white gnatty looking thing. I have no idea what these new little bugs are!
I had mentioned a week or so ago that my hosta's were infested with aphids. Hosta's are not

typically bothered by pests, this is a very hardy plant...but with so much rain EVERYTHING IS SUFFERING.

I am an absolute fan of Mother Nature. I love her and her infinite wisdom. I appreciate the fact that its one thing that humanity has not managed to control, change, or harness for his own wealth or personal greed. There are times I get frustrated due to a rain shower ruining a picnic or snow on the wrong day, but for the most part I ride out the seasons with little complaint. After all its one of the reasons I do stick it out in the Northeastern part of the states. Because, believe me when I say, nothing makes me quite as happy as sunshine that wont quit!

But please, please, please, whoever is responsible for this rain dance I am begging you please~give us back our summer before its winter again. I need the sun to flourish and apparently, the environment is suffering much more than I would have ever imagined as well.

Rain Rain Go Away...My little chickens want to play!

Had I know it was going to be this bad, I would've settled on ducks. :o(

And the seven day forecast calls for....

MORE RAIN! CAN YOU EVEN BELIEVE IT? Last night me and Abi did Relay for Life with her dance studio~Reach for the Stars. Initially, we sat sheltered by the overhang of the high school watching lightening crash down on the nearby hills. My mother called to make sure that we were safe and not walking fearlessly amongst the tornadoes...as much of the state was under tornado watch!
We were wet, we were cold, and i have to admit...I was miserable.
There was FINALLY a break in the storm and it allowed us to go back to the field, set up camp and commence the Relaying Ceremonies! We dredged lap after lap through muck and mud. By 1:00am my daughter, defeated by exhaustion and soaking wet sneakers decided it was time to call it a night! We packed our beds and headed home with the heat on high warming my thoroughly frozen toes!
Next year, we'll bring extra shoes and plenty of band-aids to ward off those blisters brought on by the dampness.
I will post pictures soon. ;o)