Random 5

1. Last week we saw a mouse ... then another one ... then more. We put out traps with peanut butter, in most closets, in the attic, in the basement, and they all got licked clean with nary a dead mouse. So then we put out poison. And it got eaten. And we stopped seeing mice. Could they be gone already or just cleverly hiding? To be on the safe side I have cleaned out drawers and cabinets and sprayed with a mixture of peppermint oil and water (mice don't like peppermint, did you know that?). I have also put out some sticky traps in safe places away from the dogs. I sure hope they are just gone, and that I don't catch any on those sticky traps. Those things are hard core. The good side is that I have a clean house that smells minty fresh!! And Dawson cleaned out the attic that has been needing it for the past three years.

2. Speaking of Dawson. He had a pretty icky end to his 2015. Well, really it started looking up before the new year, but let's just say he was ready to tell 2015 "good-bye". Recently he has changed his major to computer programming, quit his job where his bosses were a little verbally abusive and unpredictable, and started a relationship with a girl from Oklahoma who he has known since the 4th grade. They do not have a title to their relationship. But, in his words, she "makes him happy". And that makes me happy.

3. It's been a tough year for many in the health department, huh? Our family is no exception. Rick's mom just recently fought her third round of cancer and was cleared until April to take her husband, her RV, and her dog and head out to California. Last week she was having extreme dizziness and headaches and couldn't stand up. She went to the emergency room in California, and they found some tumors on her brain. My brother- and sister-in-law flew to California to help her husband drive back the RV so they could get back to Oklahoma quicker. She was so sick in Arizona that they almost took her to the hospital there, but she wanted to get back to her oncologist. She was immediately taken to the emergency room in Tulsa and admitted, and then moved to a hospital in Oklahoma City, and then, finally, moved back to a different hospital in Tulsa. This was all in the matter of two days. On Wednesday she had brain surgery to remove some of the tumors to release the swelling and fluid on her brain. As of yesterday she was recovering nicely, and even feeding herself. She has some recovery to do and then will begin radiation in the next couple of weeks. Poor lady. Geez! But, she is one of the strongest women I have ever met, so if there is anybody who can fight another round of cancer, it's her!

4. This bitter winter weather makes me just want to stay cozied up in the house watching t.v. and reading, which I have been doing. It's actually nice, to me, to have nowhere to go and to be able to cuddle up with a blanket and the dogs and a hot cup of tea at the end of the day. Actually, it's my favorite thing, so you won't catch me complaining about the frigid temps.

5. We started back to school this week. Things have gone well, no attitudes or problems. We did a partial day on Monday because of my emergency weekend away to be with Rick and his mom in Oklahoma, and I just needed to recoup and get my house back in order. And yesterday we only did a partial day because my friend had to go to the hospital due to complications from a hysterectomy she had last week. So we invited over her daughter, who is Brynne's best friend. The rest of the days we spent doing, mostly, review to get our brains back where we left off in December. But we did start a couple of new read alouds and did some fun activities. All-in-all it was a great week. I'll post all about that on my Weekly Wrap-up tomorrow.