Too much death circa 2016

*239*<----losing what I gained in mourning feasting

  People have told me this past week that when they heard Prince died, they thought of me. I am not an outward Prince fanatic by any means. If you didn't know me really, you didn't know that I loved this man from the moment I saw him. I guess when I was younger, I left a PrinceLove impression. He was beautiful. He was talented. He was shy. He was Prince. I had this picture as a huge poster on my bedroom wall above my bed. I had all his albums. I saw his movies, even the bad ones. I was fortunate to go to one of his concerts in the late 80s. Loved him and I am very sad. You can mock me all you want but I will be sad about his death for awhile. Taken too young. 

  I haven't been around this month because we had a death in our own family. My father in law passed away suddenly from a heart attack. He had just turned 64 the week before. We are all devastated. He was a wonderful man. He was funny, real, naughty, loving...everything you can think is what he was. He was given a military burial and a wonderful send off. He would have been tickled by all the love he was receiving at his home going. Hub's Mother is surrounded by her daughters right now so she is being taken care of Upstate. 

  This is why I have been a bit quiet this month. 

Today I am in bed. My stomach had been doing really well. I mean I still have to watch what I eat but for the most part, it had been good. I think I have been complacent with it all though. Funerals and mourning make you eat. I was baking all kinds of things for his repass and it was there for eating. I gained like 7lbs. I started back to healthier eating and then I *injured* my colon again. Growling, pain, nausea, feeling green, head is cloudy...the whole kit and kaboodle. Thank goodness my kefir is non dairy and doesn't have an expiration date. I had that this morning. I see the gastro in June and I will have to have an upper endoscopy to see how my gut is doing. If this doesn't settle down, it might have to be sooner. Ugh..

   I am trying to throw some positives in today. I bought a really nice 36" square heavy glass coffee table for $40. Love it! I finally found my coffee table. I got all the beds at the community garden ready for planting. It just needs to stop having frost and freeze warnings at night. I haven't even put my house plants out yet.

I made this cake for the repass. It was really really good. I also did a strawberry lemon cream cheese pound cake. Let me see if I can find the recipe.... http://noblepig.com/2016/04/strawberry-lemon-cream-cheese-pound-cake/

I am on my iPad so I cannot do the linky links like I do on the computer.  Isn't she pretty?

That cake was lightly sweet cake but the icing made it. If you make that cake, dry your berries well and let them be room temperature. It will help with the baking. I will make that cake again. I might do blueberries as the fruit. My friend helped bake. We made a shit ton of brownies. There was a lot of food to be had and I enjoyed it all. 

I have also gotten drunk off margaritas at Chilis twice. Once cause I was sad over FIL. Second cause my bestie had to put her mom in a nursing home and she wanted a partner in numbing. That was not good for my liver at all. I know it and I am a dummy.

I painted some of the pots already. These are all krylon spray paints. I have to pick up three more colors for the rest of the pots. I also have to get soil, herbs, and cherry tomatoes. That is what is going into all the pots. Thyme, rosemary, basil, lemon balm, and I don't know. Chives most definitely. They brighten up the back patio. Much nicer then what they used to look like. One can covers one large pot and one small pot with a little bit left over. I did not paint the entire insides. Just around the lip.

  

  I almost finished sorting all my clothes for keeping and charity. I have to go through my summer stuff. Unfortunately that isn't gonna happen today. The fam is getting irritated with the full garbage bags by the front door. I want to do all the donating at one time. One fell swoop! But I am going to stay in bed with my iPad and wait for death...hahaha. No really...it will be a long while till my gut starts to feel better again. I hate feeling *green*. Like at any moment I could heave. I don't have to but I always just feel sick. I guess I will lose that 7lbs. 

  On a happy note, I am waiting for the delivery of a new phone. I am getting an iPhone. Not the newest but that is okay. I think it is a 5s 16gig, from virgin mobile. My phone is bipolar and getting ready to die. It was time. They have a deal on the phone plus you get $100 credit on your account to pay for your monthly service which is $35 a month.  So yeah. I am getting a new phone. Woot! Hubs is salty about it. He wants one too. I will surprise him with one on Fathers Day. This is kind of like my Mother's Day gift to myself. Cause you all know how that holiday pans out for me. :p

  So yeah. I am trying to decide if I call the gastro or just lay here in my jammies to wait for it to go away. 

I hope all is well with all of you. Have a great week!

Another friend lost....

10/24/68-4/12/12

I just got a call from my pseudo Mom who I have not talked to in quite awhile. She called to tell me that her daughter Rhonda had passed away in her sleep. She was found this morning by her daughter. I am so heartbroken for Serena and her brother Ryan. I lost my father when I was 13 and that devastated me. That was really the only parent they had and she is now gone.
 I cant stop crying and part of me does not understand why. We had not talked in quite a long time, at least a year and before that it was at least 3 years. She thought I was not any fun. She was single, she wanted to go out and do things, and she couldn't understand that I could not do that anymore. Not being mean about her at all. We had a clean break as friends and were still very civil. No hatred at all. We were just on two different paths in life.
 I met Rhonda when  we were both 17 and having issues with ourselves. She moved into a friend`s house two door down from where I lived with my Mom. It was a brief encounter because she was gone before we all knew it. She just needed a waystation until she moved onto the next place she went. I got to know her again when we bought the house 14 years ago. Her Mom owned a house down the street. I got back in touch with her and loved her, her kids and her Mom. I lost my Mom around this time so Rhonda`s Mom, Carmen, filled a void. I feel guilty now that we had lost touch. I will make sure that never happens again. Rhonda had a tough life and she had been ill for the past decade. Even through all of that she loved her kids and her family.
I hope that she is free of pain and whatever else was plaguing her.

R.I.P my Friend. I will see you on the other side some day. You owe me a drink!