Mama Always ~ L.A. Brown, Author

It has definitely been a banner year for me, well, me, Chris and Andrea. We came off of 2011 with the loss of our beloved Aussie, Draco in November to foster a soldier's dog in January. Angel was not allowed to go home to Korea (where she was born) with her family who was being relocated there because she lacked a blood titer. We fostered her for two and a half months, getting her the necessary titer and shots; getting the proper sized kennel and finally getting the necessary passage and escort to get home. We could not have done it without the help of many friends and their friends and of course, United Airlines who waived the normal fees to get her home to her soldier and family. My many thanks to Sandra, Janet, Christopher, the Air Race family, James Bear Branch Animal Hospital and Home Again for getting her back to her family. I am sure that there were so many, many more who were in the background that helped with this endeavor, God knows who you are and I'm sure that He ...

...and since it's still not quite over, I don't doubt that there are still a few surprises waiting around the corner. I must admit, when we came into this year, all I was really expecting was my new baby granddaughter who was due in March, right around her sister's first birthday. Soooo, little Cutie Patootie made us wait an entire week for her arrival, which pretty much means that we have been suckered into being at her whim probably for the rest of our lives. All she has to do is bat those baby browns, turn up the side of her mouth ever so slightly and I'm giving away the farm. Sis has that ability, too, but she doesn't have it quite down pat as the Little One. I'm doomed to be a pauper. Of course, the first statement is just a bit misleading, because as some of you may know, we were also fostering a soldier's dog until we could get her home to Korea. With a lot of help from friends and United Airlines, Angel got home to her family in February. That wa...

Like tonight. My mood has been iffy for days, almost like I'm willing someone to challenge me or give me a good reason to lose my composure and break down in tears. Since I've been on the fibromyalgia medicine the instances have been few and far between, but there are still days that totally over-ride it. Today was one of them. It started pretty early...about five hours after I went to bed and six hours after I took my night-time bp meds. I figured that I was pretty safe with the six hours between doses and took my second dose after I brushed my teeth. Yeah, not a really good idea. I felt the drop as I started to lose focus and get dizzy. When I went to take my blood pressure I found that my bp monitor had died. No problem, new batteries, still dead. Peachy. So I decided that one of the things that I needed to do soon is to get a new monitor. Now that I think of it some fourteen hours later, I absolutely forgot. Such is my memory lately. After breakfast with my buddy, Mouse...

I have come to grips with the fact that the infamous "Murphy" of Murphy's Law must somehow be related to me. I say this because his "law" sure has a strangle hold in my life. When you look up Murphy's Law in the dictionary, you can bet that it will cross-reference with me, just saying. I have to say, first off, that I love my life...I love my husband, my children, grandchildren, parents, brother....all of them and my relatives and friends. This is above all the most wonderful blessings that God has given me. I am constantly amazed at the other blessings in my life, the Beast being one of them, my dorky cats and all of the other blessings, material and financial that God has seen fit to allow me. That said...I really think that I must be mishandling stuff somehow. Case in point. When I got the Beast, I question the legitimacy of God's provision...only for a moment or two, mind you, but question it I did. He was faithful to hear my prayers of getting u...

Ever since I got off of the plane in Okinawa I have had allergies like crazy. Zyrtec has become my best friend lately, sorry Sandy and Christopher, but you guys seriously cannot clear my sinuses no matter how hard you try. As it is, Zyrtec is having its issues clearing this up. The allergies when I got to Japan took a wickedly weird turn for me....they made me look like a wino. Peachy. I first noticed that my nose was being attacked when it felt as if my nose was going to explode right off of my face, literally. I could physically feel my nose getting bigger. I could finally say that I knew how Pinocchio felt when he told a lie, except all I was doing was feeding my granddaughter powdered donuts. I took a look in the mirror and behold, Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer stared back at me....well, at least his nose did. Praise God there was Zyrtec in my purse. Thirty minutes later, again I could physically feel my nose changing and low and behold! my nose was its normal shade and shape aga...

Its amazing. People love this ugly thing I call the Beast. When one looks up and sees nothing but grill in their mirror, I've seen more than one person either get wide-eyed at the monstrosity staring at them in their rear-view, or they get this look of abject appreciation. The first reaction I get, the second, well, not so much. The Beast has been all over my neck of the woods since it came home to Houston. It's seen a mechanic, but only for a safety inspection....well, actually, its seen like three mechanics. Two of them are friends who have come to take a gander at it and wow and speak in almost reverent tones. They run their hands along the side of the bed, check out the dual exhaust and take a peek under the hood at its 302 V8 engine. They are, in effect, amazed. Parts dealers like the salesmen at Auto Zone and O'Reilly's have come out to gawk at the Beast that came from  a farm in Arizona. Hmm, actually, its seen four mechanics. It saw a glass guy today at Pl...