Oh October....

Hi...

A very exciting migraine update, I have not had a migraine since the August disasters!!!  This is soooo huge for me.

The Utah Football team has stopped giving me ulcers and started giving me reasons to cheer-the last three games we have won and have scored at least 40 points.  Go UTES!

It wouldn't be a monthly update without a Red Butte Garden mention, so here it is, I volunteered a couple of times at Garden after Dark this month.  It had such a cute and informational theme this year, visitors attended Oak Lore Academy (it was a twist on Harry Potter, but without all of the licensing issues).  They attended classes such as Wand Theory (where they got a wand), Potions, Magical Creatures (where in the Herb and Fragrance gardens, the staff had made creatures and as a really cool addition, HawkWatch was there with birds.  I saw a really cute small owl and a Merlin) and finally (and how could there not be at a Conservation garden) Botany.  Our villain for the evening was Myrtle Spurge, a noxious witch and ever so conveniently an invasive weed that is attacking the Wasatch front.  This is such a popular event and every year it just seems to get better.

Now it's time for you to have your eye roll or face palm moment and say Oh, Melissa......during October, I went on a massive cooking and planning binge.  The result 16 freezer crockpot meals are hanging out in my freezer ready to go, along with 6 mini lasagnas, taquitos, and breakfast burritos.  Needless to say my freezer is full, but on days that are crazy or nights that I don't feel like cooking I have a healthy home cooked meal ready to roll.........

Next moment, thanks to Pinterest (I know, I know, I need an intervention) I taught myself a new knitting technique.  It's called Intarsia and basically it's multi colored knitting.  It is the most basic of multi colored knitting but hey I can do it now....and it wasn't as difficult as I thought it was going to be.  I wish I had done it sooner....

Speaking of knitting, I dropped off the animals, monsters and other assorted creatures that my Mom and I have been knitting throughout the year to the Utah Highway Patrol for their Teddy Bear program.  They were overrunning the place so we decided not to wait until December.

A bit of sad news....last night I only had 15-20 Trick or Treaters, but they all loved the Play Doh they got.  I was a bit nervous to switch it up, but last year I had soooooooooo much leftover candy that I wanted to do something different.  Enter the Play Doh and this year my leftovers will be going to Toys for Tots in a couple of weeks instead of my hips.  :)  Win Win....

A few random items before I go.... CenterPointe Theater knocked it out of the park with their production of Ragtime!  Bacall continues to amaze and spread joy.  Meeko is actually visiting people who stop by and not hiding.  If you are looking for a book to read, try "The House on Mango Street' by Sandra Cisneros.  It's a short, about 100 pages, coming of age novel of little vignettes.  I have no idea how I have missed it until now.    One last plea, Now that it's November, please vote......

I hope all is well...
Melissa

latest page in my art journal....

See ya, September!

Another month has come and gone in a blink of an eye......

The weather has finally started to feel like fall, WAHOOOOOOO!!  It was a hot, DRY, DRY summer!

The Red Butte Concert season came to a close on the 17th with Billy Idol, but before him, Trombone Shorty (if you know nothing about him, google him immediately!!!) and O.A.R with Matt Nathanson (my new musical crush, he's adorable on stage and I love his music).  I'm always conflicted about the end of the season, I am happy for the crazy busy part to be over but at the same time, I always miss the music!

A migraine update, I got botox and a new medication for when one hits, and I have not had one since the changes!!!!  It feels like a minor miracle after all of the ones I had in a row.  I was slightly disappointed and teased my doctor that my botox would make me look younger, but the dosage and locations of my migraine botox does nothing for the cosmetic side.  ;)

I also had an eye exam and am officially blind as a bat and without the sonar capabilities.  I am getting used to my new prescription.  Let's just say, if they ever change that big E on the eye chart, I am in big trouble.  The good news, my vision is completely fixable with glasses or contacts to the point of 20/15.

If you went to Pioneer Memorial Theatre during the run of 'Oslo', you will know why I am about to rave about this play, and if you didn't, or don't live in the area, if you see it being performed in your area, GO!!!!!!!  Do not be discourage by its running length-almost 3 hours-the time flies and the subject matter is engrossing.  I don't want to give too much away but 'Oslo' is a Tony winning drama play and based on a real life event......

The Broadway Across America, SLC schedule, kicked in on the 30th for me with 'Waitress'.  There was a musical number that may of been one of the funniest scenes I have ever witnessed on stage.  I was crying I was laughing so hard.  People ask me all the time why I put the money into my season tickets and this show summed it up completely, I would of seen it advertised and maybe purchased tickets, but probably would of forgotten and I would of ended up missing it.  My season tickets get me to shows that I would probably miss and some that I would of never purchased tickets for, and do you want to hear something really interesting, some of my favorite shows are the ones that I would of never gotten tickets for without my season tickets.....

Bacall is massively cheering the cooler temps!  She still goes on walks, very, very slow walks, but walks nonetheless.  She is such a happy soul.....  Meeko has been in a very sociable mood lately, so if you stop by, you might actually see her....

The UofU football team is going to give me an ulcer this year.  The game against Washington State about drove me over the edge....  I'm still a fan, I will always be a fan, but good grief.

I hope September was a good month for you!
Melissa

my art for the month, a koala I knitted...

August......

I feel like there needs to be a ......... at the end of every paragraph for the month of August to demonstrate the ugh and slightly frustrating theme of the month......

The heat........
Bacall's health and scaring me to death........
Migraines popping up with a frustrating occurrence with no known cause........
Cancelled plans, moved plans and plans just not coming together.........
The blah or doldrums of the Dog Days of Summer.......

The funny thing, I didn't think August was all that bad, I just felt like I was spinning my wheels, which on the one hand makes you realize what you really want, but on the other ...........

Now for the explanations...

Miss Bacall scared me to no end this month...  I actually made an appointment thinking she was not going to come home with me.  Not fun.  The vet knew I was conflicted about it and asked a bunch of questions and determined that all hope was not lost and put her on some stomach meds for about a week and she is soooooo much better. Still old and elderly but better.

I have had multiple migraines this month with all of them not having my known triggers.  It has been VERY VERY frustrating.  My doctor has seen an massive uptake this month and they are wondering if the air quality, which sucks due to all of the fires in the west,  is contributing.  If that is the case, I'm in trouble, because the fires seem to be worse every year.

Work has been good but some things keep getting moved around and messing with my schedule.  I guess that means I need to be more flexible, but sometimes I just like having a plan.......

Red Butte concerts continue to cruise along with a performance from the Utah Symphony, Death Cab for Cutie, Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite, Greensky Bluegrass, and a Lost 80's Night.  I have 3 more shows to work in September and then the season is done........

Maybe the grumpy cat I put on the July update influenced my month ;) so for this month I thought I would pick something a little more cheery....

I hope August went a bit smoother for you...
Melissa

March on into April, Move on into May...

Remember how I said in January, I would do a monthly, at least, blog to let you know what was up?  BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA, the universe said....

During the past 3 months, I have had technical issues that can only be described as Murphy's law.  My old phone decided to take time off, not send texts, not receive texts and basically mess with my entire network.  Oh, and it wasn't all the time, so I would notice, it was completely random.  AARGH!

Here is my plea for understanding, if you sent me texts, emails or even called during that time and I did not respond, please forgive me.  I was not ignoring you!  I just didn't get them.....

I now have a new phone and a new cell phone network, and here is my lovely tip and money saving advice, KNOW YOUR SERVICE DATES WHEN SWITCHING PROVIDERS!  I looked at my bill and thought I had it correct, but I was off by 3 days and ended up being charged for an ENTIRE month, they do no prorate after you end your service.  I am so annoyed....but at the same time, I LOVE my new provider!

Anyhow, life went on, even with the technical issues.  I took a drawing class from an AMAZING friend and instructor and it turns out I was lying to myself when I said I couldn't draw.  The actuality was that I had never been taught how to draw.  It was definitely a process and most of it mental to get rid of the block that said I can't do this.  I know I said about a billion years ago I had an art post coming and it really is and now there might be two....

Now for a Bacall update, in early May, I thought I was going to lose her so I made an appointment with the vet for the next day but when it was time for the appointment, she was so much better, so we had an honest talk about signs to look for when it was going to be time---how many days without food, agility, neurological control.  It wasn't a fun talk, but we all agreed that she is nearing the end and we don't want to have her in pain or just miserable.  She still wags her tail ALL the time.  She still wants to go on walks, even if they are just one block and take about 45 minutes.  She still loves to go to her doggy day care once a week to be treated like the Queen she is.  And I will take and enjoy this one day at a time until she says no more......

My other big news is that I am officially back rowing on the Great Salt Lake!!!!!!  I can not even tell you how happy I was my first day back on the water.  This is the info that will make you laugh, if you know me well, I even happily get up before 9 am on a weekend to do this.

Life rolls along...
Work is good.  The summer concert season at Red Butte Gardens has already started with an amazing show with The Wood Brothers and Devil Makes Three (check them out, I love their music), so my summer evenings are filling up with volunteer shifts.  While Hamilton was in town, my mom and I had the amazing opportunity to see it (here's to season tickets, because WOW did it sell out fast).  I had been listening to the original cast recording for a month or two before the show, so I was a little concerned about it living up to the hype, but it definitely did.  I'm still knitting animals for the Cops for Kids program.  I just finished a litter of kittens, :)

two of the six kittens I knitted....

I hope all is well with you!

and I promise to be better......

Finally technologically sound again,

Melissa

Thanks Dr. Google...

My cat, Meeko, is getting on up there in years.  As best as I can figure, due to her being a feral rescue and the number of years I have been her slave, she is 16 to 17 years old.  She is slowing down, can't jump as high as she used to, and has some areas that are tender and achy.

The hard fact is that she is getting old..and health concerns are starting to appear..

This afternoon, I was hanging in the front room with Bacall when Meeko came in and wanted some affection, but when she jumped up on my lap, her back haunches were decidedly wet and slightly sticky.  As this is an area where she is tender, I was immediately afraid a cyst or something had ruptured, but it was not the case.  Next, I was concerned that she had 'wet her pants' and then had just laid in her own urine, not realizing it.

Needless to say, I was CONCERNED!!!  I immediately started googling loss of bladder control in cats, because my normal vet was closed and I wanted to get an idea of what I was dealing with before I called the emergency vet.  Worst case scenarios started popping up on my screen....

However, Meeko was not acting sick or in pain, in fact, she cruised into the kitchen to try and get some food out of the situation.

Meanwhile, I'm sniffing her wet blanket making sure it wasn't urine.  (Isn't the life of a cat owner glamorous?)  No urine smell....

I take the damp blanket to the washer to throw it in and realize something....

and then burst into laughter, which made Meeko infuriated and annoyed.

A bit of a side story, that is vital for your understanding...

I, for the past number of years, have made my own laundry detergent (non toxic, environmentally friendly and WAY cheaper) and keep it in a 5 gallon bucket near the washer on the floor in the laundry room.  

The lid on my 5 gallon bucket isn't always attached as it could be.  Meeko likes to hang out in the laundry room as an exploring base.

Do you see where this is going?

She jumped on the lid, which flipped off, and in she went.  Fortunately, it was only about a third full, but her bum definitely dunked.  I would of paid big money to witness this event.  The lid flipping, her going in and immediately coming out, then the sauntering off like nothing happened.

Soapy...aka Meeko

I made sure I wiped her off as best as I could, and now that she is dry, her fur on her bum is soft, fluffy and shiny....plus she is static free (hahahahahahahahahaha!)

So Thanks Dr. Google, but it turns out it was just an embarrassing situation for my cat.....

Sleeping with one eye open, cause I laughed....

Melissa

How I ended up cleaning the kitchen at Midnight.......

As I was going to bed, the other night,  I glanced down at my toes, which just a few weeks earlier had been pampered with a pedicure, were now looking a bit scruffy and needing to have the polish removed.

No big deal, right?
Simple, right?
In theory, yes...  Reality proved much more complicated.

Here's how it went down....
I got out the cotton balls, swabs and the remover.

It started easy enough with the cotton balls.  I got the majority of the polish off and then realized I needed the cotton swabs to clean them the rest of the way.  I dipped the first swab in the bottle of remover and lost my grip and in it went........

So now I have a cotton swab floating in my nail polish remover.  Problem #1

I tried angling the bottle to get it out and no go.
The liquid was going to have to leave the bottle to get the swab out.  A new plan was quickly devised..

Since nail polish remover isn't the most edible liquid ever, I decided to triple up 2 plastic cups and pour it in to them.  I then went to the kitchen sink and proceeded to shake out the cotton swab.  Success!  And then I heard a muffled pop...

The nail polish remover had eaten thru one of the plastic cups and now the remover was going all over the counter and onto the floor.  I immediately run over to the other one and in not one of my smarter moments pick up the 2nd cup and the bottom falls out and remover splashes all over the place.

Here's a fun fact for you....nail polish remover upon running into plastic, say a bread bag, immediately starts to destroy it.

Food had to be rescued and put in new containers, nail polish remover wiped up and then counters, floor and cabinets had to be sanitized.

And that is how I ended up cleaning the kitchen at Midnight the other night...

Facepalm....
Melissa

The Funniest Feud...

As you may have figured out by reading the blog, Bacall, my Basset Hound, is a pretty laid back character......

A walk in the afternoon instead of early evening, ok...
A neighborhood cat roams by the house while she is sitting on the porch, not a peep....
A dog walks by on a leash, she may saunter off the porch to go say hi, but nothing too obnoxious...
Bacall just rolls with life and accepts it as it is, she may give you a typical sad Basset look, but a few minutes later, she is back to her happy self...

There is, however, one MAJOR exception to her bliss.

Pete, the cat.

Pete is a beautiful white cat with blue eyes who lives one street north of us..
Friendly by all accounts...

But Pete does something a little differently than other cats,
he walks on a leash.

Yep, Pete the cat is a leashing walking cat.

AN ABOMINATION!!!  A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY!!!  ARROOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
Bacall is mortally offended by this fact...

The first time we saw Pete, it was pretty late at night and they were walking him in the street, apparently this gives them a little extra warning to get Pete to safety if a dog comes near.  Bacall saw them first and didn't leave the porch, but started barking up a storm.  It wasn't her intruder/danger bark, but something new.  I have learned that it is her 'I am offended bark'.  I was even a bit shocked to see a cat on a leash on a walk, so I talked to the owners and found out all about Pete and his love of going on walks...

After Pete and his crew continued on their way, Bacall didn't settle back down immediately, she grumbled for a good ten minutes.  If you have ever been around or owned a Basset, you know about the grumbling....  She was muttering her discontent with Pete...  I can just imagine the translation of it.  'Cats don't go on walks, it's a dog thing!!!'  'Meeko says cats don't do these things!'  'This is just wrong!'

Pete goes for his walks pretty late at night to avoid dogs, so we don't see him a lot, but every single time, Bacall lets them know she thinks it is soooooooo wrong.  A couple of nights ago, Pete and his peeps strolled on by.  They now know they can walk on our sidewalk and Bacall will not hurt them and I'll come out and talk.  This time they had a friend from out of town and her first comment to me was, "Why do I feel like I am being lectured by a Basset Hound?".  My response, "Cause you are...."  She knew immediately that it was not a dangerous bark but an indignant one.  She then went over and petted Bacall and just laughed at the whole situation.  I, however, did something that I had never done before.... I petted Pete, who by the way is a very, very soft cuddly cat.....

Let's just say, the indignant barks turned to a new subject...
Me.....

I am in the doghouse for petting Pete, the leash walking cat.

The joys of living with a Basset Hound.
(Any ideas of how to get out of the doghouse?_
Melissa

10 Random Things...

My writing binge of June has faded away, and ideas have come in but not enough for a whole blog, so I decided to revive a 10 random things entry, so July doesn't fly by without at least one.

#1.  Holy Cats has it been a HOT HOT and DRY summer!  It rained for about 5 minutes the other day and I was excited as a kid at Christmas!

#2.  Ice Blocks are back in stores...  I searched and searched last summer when family was in town last summer to no avail, this year, as they were visiting again, I FOUND them!!  We were able to revive a summer time tradition of tempting fate and injury and ice blocking down the hill at Sugarhouse Park.

#3.  Did you know that at the Winter Olympic Park in Park City you can do extreme tubing?  You cruise down the ski jumping hills and can reach speeds of 50 mph...  Here's a little video.. and I did it!

#4.  Sometimes you need visitors to come to town to become a tourist in your own area again.  It's fun  to do the things that on the surface seem touristy...  My tip, don't wait until someone comes to town, get out and explore your area so you know the really fun stuff.

#5.  I've started knitting stuffed animals to giveaway.  I'm leaning towards donating them to 'The Teddy Bear Cops Program' which gives them to cops for them to give to kids in accidents and other stressful incidents.  I've got to check to see if SLC has a program set up, if not I may start one up....

#6.  My tv viewing has plummeted this summer and I haven't even missed it....  It's going to be interesting to see what happens in the fall.

#7.  I have joined the ranks of Red Butte Garden Volunteers...  I am a second generation volunteer as my Mom is a volunteer as well.  I have done one shift and had a wonderful time.  I can't wait to have more opportunities to get involved.

#8.  Miss Bacall's favorite summertime activity is hanging out on the porch, so it has been a lot of fun to talk to all my neighbors and dogs as they stroll past....

#9.  My health journey is an adventure....  I am recovering, not as fast as I would like, but I am recovering.  There have been a few hiccups, but no major setbacks.  The main thing that has come out of this whole thing, I LOVE my medical team.  They are a mixture of traditional and for lack of a better word non traditional approaches and they work together!

#10.  Don't go into shock, but I am still rolling forward on my New Year's Resolutions!!!  My pushups are almost there!  My bad habit just got another reason to stay away.  My book challenge is going nicely, and for the most part, I have enjoyed the books.  I've seen movies in theaters!  My food challenge is keeping me on my toes in the kitchen.  My daily walk has had some misses, but has started a wonderful routine that connects me to my neighborhood.  The Weird Holidays have been SO MUCH FUN!!!!  and I now have others giving me suggestions now!

I hope your summer is going well!

Melissa

Here We Go Again...

Hi.

New Year's Resolutions get such a bad rap and a significant number of eye rolls, but I like them, so I am sticking with them and I ask that you don't throw anything at the computer/phone as you read what is coming up in this post....

Here we go for 2016!  (ok, I guess my first one should be to type 2016 within 4 tries....)

#1.  See a movie in a theater once a month.

        I managed to see 3 movies in the theater this year.  THREE!!!  It's not like I didn't have opportunities because I did, I just never seem to make it.  This also seems like a fun resolution to do.

Update:  I saw 15!!!!!!!  It was such a fun thing to do and I found out that I like going to the movies on my own.  I never thought I would say that...

#2.  Daily walk.

       As I went outside today and froze, I was questioning this a bit, but here is the thing, being outside is so dang good for me and an added little boost of exercise is never a bad thing either.  I'm not setting any conditions on this but, trusting that each day, I will make the right choice for me.

Update:  I missed on average 3 days a month but this was a sanity saver this year!

#3.  Celebrate a Weird/non traditional  Holiday a Month

        Why you ask?  Why not?  I found a great website that I made my selections from and have a plan.  I plan on writing about most of the adventures, so it will help keep me writing on here as well.
The link for the website is Here

Update:  I had so much fun with this!  I tried new things, ate new foods, and realized that there is an opportunity to celebrate everyday!

#4.  Validate the People in my life more.

        How often do you tell the people in your life they are loved? doing a good job? or that you appreciate how much they do for you?  I realized I could do a lot better in this.  I'm going to take different forms on how I do this, but I believe this is a good focus for the year.

Update: I did well with texts and phone calls, and I definitely told people what they meant to me, but I realized something this year that I really value the written word.  Sometimes you just need to put it on paper, so I will be incorporating that into my 2017 resolutions...

#5.  Classic Book Challenge

       Yep, the reading challenge is back.....  I LOVED doing this in 2015 and as I was finding my books, I realized one thing, I had not read a ton of the 'Top Books to Read' and in noticing this, I found that there are A LOT of Top 50, Top 100 book lists out there, and was wondering what list to do and then I found it.  This WEBSITE solved my conundrum, due to the fact, the person behind the website crunched all of the data from all of the booklists they could find and statistically ranked the books.  I am going to read the top 50 this year, which seems like a lot, but as you'll see due to last year and a little rule I put in, it's really quite doable.

Update:  I am not going to lie, this was rough....although I found some books that I loved, I also read some books that I never want to read again.

#6.  Don't Relapse on Things I have been Working on

       There is nothing more frustrating that having to start over once again.  My intention in setting this resolution is that I keep moving forward and not stall or slide back on any of the things that I have worked through or have found that keep me in the present.

Update:  I maintained in some areas and considering what I dealt with this year, I am a-ok with this.  Other areas, I moved WAY forward....

#7.  Break a Bad Habit

       I have a couple of bad habits that I want to break, but I am going to focus on one and then see where I'm at.  I may or may not keep you updated on here depending on which one I chose, but know that I am working on improving my life.  :)

Update:  Made progress on one, and completely eliminated one.  WAHOOOOOO!

#8.  Do a Food Challenge

      I found a Food Challenge from the same group that did my Reading Challenge last year and I decided to tackle it.   Here is a LINK to it.  I'm going to tweak it a bit, so there will be more information to come....

Update:  I have 6 items left to do, but this was a fun thing to attempt.

#9.  A Perfect Form Push Up

      Are you ready for a confession?  I struggle (and by struggle, I mean I am unable to do them correctly) with push ups, even the so-called and somewhat insulting (yet, appropriate for me) girl push ups.  It affects my yoga practice; it puts me at risk for injury due to weakness; and at the end of the day just ticks me off!!!  I have been doing research for a bit and have found a program that starts at a very beginner level and builds from there....  Wish me luck, I'm gonna need it.

Update:  I can do 1 really well!!  This was rough, especially with the health adventure I went on this year..

#10.  Bucket List stuff

       Were you getting worried that the item that has been on my Resolution list for the past 4 years wasn't going to make it?  Never fear, here it is....

Update:  Once again, I did ones I did not expect and didn't do ones I thought I would, but I still love this being a resolution, because it keeps it on my radar.

My list seems to get longer each year, but this one has a number of light hearted items, and I went with what felt right.

Here's to another year!
Melissa

Finish Strong....

I have been on a rampage lately...
but don't worry, it's a good one.

Unfinished projects and other projects are the only things that need to be worried, because I am getting them DONE!

This has been precipitated by a couple of things,
#1 New Year's Resolution Number 2 which had to do with finishing projects.
and
#2 I have been cleaning and finding things I thought were done and out of the house or in their proper place.

The irony of it all, it has been my love of football that has gotten this accomplished.  Every Saturday and Sunday, if there is nothing planned, I park myself on the couch and watch A LOT of football.  As long as the game is good, I will watch!

However, I start to feel guilty that I'm being a slug, so I look for things to do while watching the game.

The results......

7 quilts delivered to Primary Children's Hospital.
 I found them in my 'storage room' partially completed.  All I had to do was attach the batting, flip them right side out, and then tie them.

2 Christmas Stockings completed!
This project was the reason I came up with the resolution.  I have a tendency to go overboard with projects in the beginning and then burnout. :( The Stockings were a case in point.  I started with plenty of time last year to finish before Christmas, but I would work in fits and starts, then I went on a  binge to finish (which of course, I didn't)..... You can not really tell, but they are cross-stitched.  I have been dealing with this problem in a couple of ways and hope to work in a more reasonable timeline from here on out.

My stocking...

My Mom's stocking...

A bunch of blog posts..

Remember all of the posts about my recent trip to Colorado?  I wrote them all on the weekend, while I had time, then posted one a day throughout the week.

And finally, I have been doing yoga poses to help my hips release (it's an ongoing struggle) and guess what?  They actually feel better.....

I've been wanting to start couple of new projects (knitting items that are actually on my Bucket Lists), but until I have cleared out my unfinished pile, I have to wait...

Finishing a Bunch of Stuff....

Melissa

I got in a fight with a mouse....

Yes, you read that correctly....

I got in a fight with a mouse, and I lost.

Let me set the scene for you and maybe it will help stop the laughter.

3 am.

My bedroom.

I needed to go to the bathroom, so I left bed and headed to the bathroom.  I know the path so well that I did not turn on the lights.  

BIG MISTAKE.  HUGE.  (bonus points, name the movie)

I reached the end of my bed when I stepped on something furry and mushy.  The furry and mushy item did not react well to my foot and tried to squirm its way out from under my foot.  Needless to say, my reaction was to yelp and go vertical.

This is where the real fun began.

I went vertical and a little to the left and landed on my bed.

Upon landing on my bed, due to the velocity in which I hit the bed, I bounced.

I bounced up and right off the bed to the floor.

With a thud.

Scraping my left elbow, bruising my entire torso, and knocking the breath out of me.

I now hurt.

A lot.

And even worse, I think my cat played a role in this, because when I made it back to my room with the lights on...Meeko was there with her whiskers in play mode and meowed at me like I had ruined her fun.

It's ok,

you can laugh at the fact I got in a fight with a mouse

and lost.

Setting traps....

Melissa