Many people who know us know that we have had trouble with our neighbor for quite a while. We have also been dealing with a less than stellar landlord and the possibility of losing our home because of the irresponsibility of that same landlord. We were tired. We were frustrated. We didnt know what to do. And it was making me very sad. I so desperately wanted to improve our living situation and get us into a home that was just ours. I wanted so badly for the kids to have a place that they could be comfortable in and feel safe. A place that would feel permanent.
I am very happy to say that we have found that place! In just over a week we will be moving into our new home- barely a 1/2 mile away and right next door to the very first home we lived in in Raymond. It has 4 bedrooms, a finished basement (for the daycare!), and 10 acres of land complete with skating pond and 2 stall barn- something for everyone. I cannot wait to just open the door and watch the kids take off into the backyard. I can't wait for winter and skating whenever we want on the frozen pond. I can't wait for any of it!!
But now the challenging part starts. We have to pack up and move 6 people, a dog, a sugarglider, lovebird, a lizard, and an entire flock of chickens complete with their chicken coop. We are a little crazy to begin with, but throw in a bunch of moving boxes and the added excitement of a family VERY ready to start the new phase of their lives and it is full blown insanity at our house right now. For some reason, this energy all seems to explode out the girls are dinner in a blast of silliness. I can't explain what it is that causes it, all I know is that dinner is an all out comedy show. It may have started with our 10 year old demonstrating how she could lick her armpit. Or maybe it was when our 2 year old decided to crawl across the top of the table to help herself to the food on her sisters plate. Or it could have been when one of the girls wanted to know what testicles were while were in the middle of dinner (I can't even begin to describe the reactions of the rest of us at the table or how we were able to explain to her what they were. Lets just leave it with the girls don't look at a fruit salad the same way anymore). Whatever started the dinnert time craziness, it is turning into a tradition and I am secretly hopeful that it will continue when we move because it really is fun!
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Friday, August 24, 2012
Goodbye to Gala
Two weeks ago tomorrow we had to say goodbye to our beloved german shepherd, Gala. It was something we knew was coming, she was 12 years old and had started to deteriorate the weeks prior. But still, nothing could prepare me for the terrible feeling of loss that came with saying goodbye to her. I have been very blessed in my 32 years to never have had to go through the death of someone close to me. I was in no way prepared for what this would feel like and I think I don't quite realized what she had meant to me.
I got Gala when she was just over a year old from a "horse ranch" in Texas. She was a scared, shy, skin and bones little lady that was kept outside all the time away from the people she so desperately wanted to be with. They would get mad at her because, being a shepherd, she would try to herd the horses in from the fields when they went too far out. She slunk around with her tail between her legs, always moving along the perimeter, never getting too close. But there was something about this timid creature that I connected with and I had to bring her home. A couple of days later, I wrote her "family" a check for $50 and brought her home. For the first couple of days she wouldnt eat anything, and only hung out close to the door or under the table. When she would venture into her kennel, 2 year old Natalie would crawl in with her and close the door behind them. Gala would let her snuggle in next to her, pet her, play with her- whatever Natalie wanted.
Slowly this beautiful girl began to trust me and the girls. She ate everything and loved everyone. For the first 6 months, maybe even more, I never heard her bark. Then one night I was lying in my bed, with the girls already tucked in for the night, when Gala was suddenly standing directly over me, teeth barred, hair raised, and growling. For a second I ws terrified, but I quickly realized she wasnt growling at ME, but at something else. I wiggled around and could see the outline of someone looking into my bedroom window. I reached for my phone, wrapped a blanket around me, and rolled out of bed dialing 911 as I went. Gala followed me out of the room and when I opened the back door she tore out barking like a vicious killer. A couple of minutes later I got a phone call from the police asking me to please call my dog back into the house because they couldnt get near it. When they checked the property they found someone had cut the deadbolt on my fence and gone around to my bedroom window. I will never know what might have happened that night, but I do know that that night Gala took very good care of her family.
Not long after that, when it was just me and my daughters and my dog, Leah learned how to unlock the deadbolt on the door. Apparently while I was in the bathroom, she decided she was hungry and wanted french fries, so she let herself out. Gala dutifully went with her. The lady that brought my daughter and my dog back explained that they would have had her back quicker, but Gala would not let anyone get near my Leah. Again Gala had protected her family excellently.
Then there were the countless drives to Maine from Texas, just Natalie, Leah, myself and Gala. As long as we had our big black german shepherd with us, nobody ever thought twice about giving us trouble. I cant tell you how many times we came out of a rest area bathroom to find people looking at our car as Gala sat in the drivers seat, one paw on the wheel, as though she was waiting to drive us to our next stop.
When I was 25 my world was turned upside down. I was in a marriage that was definitely not right, but that I desperately tried to hold together. Looking back, I can say everything about that marriage was wrong, but at the time I would have walked to the ends of the world and back to make it work. But it didnt and at age 25 I found myself a divorced single mother of 2 young girls without a lot of direction. I was scared and alone and the world outside my circle of my best friend, Suzzie, and my amazing daughters was a very dark and scary place. There were many, many nights when I really thought I wasnt going to make it. I was alone, lonely, lost...and the whole world felt like it was caving in on me. And in the middle of those darkest nights, my big, black shepherd would hop onto my bed and lay there with me while I cried myself to sleep. And she would stay right there until I woke up the next morning.
It was Gala met Justin and gave the sign of approval. It was Gala that rode in the passenger seat of my car as we packed up and made the cross country drive to our new home in Maine. It was Gala that helped Leah, McKenzie and eventually Alyvia learn how to walk. It was Gala, that up until the very end, would still sleep on the floor on my side of the bed and be there every morning just in case I needed her. She touched all of us in ways that I never, ever thought a dog could.
Because of all these things and so much more that when Justin and I saw Gala start to wither, the glow disappear from her eyes, the spring leave her step, we knew there was only one last thing we could do for her. So, 2 weeks ago, we sat with that beautiful dog in the grass behind the veterinarians office, and we held her and patted her told told her we loved her as she fell asleep and passed away. It was a beautiful and peaceful moment and I couldnt have scripted it better. It was just what I had always hoped I would be able to give her when the time came.
Now our family is left with a very big empty spot. We cry and feel sad and we notice the empty spot quite often. It does get better each day, but I dont know that any of us will ever be over the loss of such an amazing creature. And I do know we were all truly blessed to have such a wonderful animal in our family.
I got Gala when she was just over a year old from a "horse ranch" in Texas. She was a scared, shy, skin and bones little lady that was kept outside all the time away from the people she so desperately wanted to be with. They would get mad at her because, being a shepherd, she would try to herd the horses in from the fields when they went too far out. She slunk around with her tail between her legs, always moving along the perimeter, never getting too close. But there was something about this timid creature that I connected with and I had to bring her home. A couple of days later, I wrote her "family" a check for $50 and brought her home. For the first couple of days she wouldnt eat anything, and only hung out close to the door or under the table. When she would venture into her kennel, 2 year old Natalie would crawl in with her and close the door behind them. Gala would let her snuggle in next to her, pet her, play with her- whatever Natalie wanted.
Slowly this beautiful girl began to trust me and the girls. She ate everything and loved everyone. For the first 6 months, maybe even more, I never heard her bark. Then one night I was lying in my bed, with the girls already tucked in for the night, when Gala was suddenly standing directly over me, teeth barred, hair raised, and growling. For a second I ws terrified, but I quickly realized she wasnt growling at ME, but at something else. I wiggled around and could see the outline of someone looking into my bedroom window. I reached for my phone, wrapped a blanket around me, and rolled out of bed dialing 911 as I went. Gala followed me out of the room and when I opened the back door she tore out barking like a vicious killer. A couple of minutes later I got a phone call from the police asking me to please call my dog back into the house because they couldnt get near it. When they checked the property they found someone had cut the deadbolt on my fence and gone around to my bedroom window. I will never know what might have happened that night, but I do know that that night Gala took very good care of her family.
Not long after that, when it was just me and my daughters and my dog, Leah learned how to unlock the deadbolt on the door. Apparently while I was in the bathroom, she decided she was hungry and wanted french fries, so she let herself out. Gala dutifully went with her. The lady that brought my daughter and my dog back explained that they would have had her back quicker, but Gala would not let anyone get near my Leah. Again Gala had protected her family excellently.
Then there were the countless drives to Maine from Texas, just Natalie, Leah, myself and Gala. As long as we had our big black german shepherd with us, nobody ever thought twice about giving us trouble. I cant tell you how many times we came out of a rest area bathroom to find people looking at our car as Gala sat in the drivers seat, one paw on the wheel, as though she was waiting to drive us to our next stop.
When I was 25 my world was turned upside down. I was in a marriage that was definitely not right, but that I desperately tried to hold together. Looking back, I can say everything about that marriage was wrong, but at the time I would have walked to the ends of the world and back to make it work. But it didnt and at age 25 I found myself a divorced single mother of 2 young girls without a lot of direction. I was scared and alone and the world outside my circle of my best friend, Suzzie, and my amazing daughters was a very dark and scary place. There were many, many nights when I really thought I wasnt going to make it. I was alone, lonely, lost...and the whole world felt like it was caving in on me. And in the middle of those darkest nights, my big, black shepherd would hop onto my bed and lay there with me while I cried myself to sleep. And she would stay right there until I woke up the next morning.
It was Gala met Justin and gave the sign of approval. It was Gala that rode in the passenger seat of my car as we packed up and made the cross country drive to our new home in Maine. It was Gala that helped Leah, McKenzie and eventually Alyvia learn how to walk. It was Gala, that up until the very end, would still sleep on the floor on my side of the bed and be there every morning just in case I needed her. She touched all of us in ways that I never, ever thought a dog could.
Because of all these things and so much more that when Justin and I saw Gala start to wither, the glow disappear from her eyes, the spring leave her step, we knew there was only one last thing we could do for her. So, 2 weeks ago, we sat with that beautiful dog in the grass behind the veterinarians office, and we held her and patted her told told her we loved her as she fell asleep and passed away. It was a beautiful and peaceful moment and I couldnt have scripted it better. It was just what I had always hoped I would be able to give her when the time came.
Now our family is left with a very big empty spot. We cry and feel sad and we notice the empty spot quite often. It does get better each day, but I dont know that any of us will ever be over the loss of such an amazing creature. And I do know we were all truly blessed to have such a wonderful animal in our family.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Grizzly Bears
As my family will verify, I am not a very pleasant person if you wake me up in the middle of the night. I tend to be closer to a large, rabid grizzly than a soft cuddly teddy bear, personality wise. Last night my oldest daughter had a friend overnight, add our Fresh Air Fund kiddo and there we 6 young girls in our house last night. I put the youngest to bed a little after 9 and headed to sleep in the amazing luxury that is a/c myself. The rest of the girls were all playing in the basement and I left them with instructions to stay quiet because the littlest one was already asleep and make sure they turned off all the lights when they went to bed.
Somewhere after midnight they awoke the bear. I am not really sure how it happened, but I do remember my oldest daughter being the brave one in the bunch and coming to tell me that the littlest one was awake. I stumbled out of bed, fumbling for pants and muttering a slew of what I am now sure were probably some very colorful phrases and emerged into the livingroom a couple of minutes later.
What I found in the livingroom was enough to raise my hackles and unleash the rabid bear's wrath. EVERY light was on, the TV was on and pretty loud for post-midnight viewing, there were things everywhere (I swear I cleaned the livingroom before I went to bed!), there were 4 girls chattering and playing like it was 2 in the afternoon, a 5 year old following me around doing her best Stewie Griffin impression (you know the one..."Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom....Mumma...Mom, Mom, Momma..." etc etc etc) and one small 2 year old holding her blanket and crying. I am not really sure what I said at that point. I would like to thing that it was something nice and calm along the lines of "girls, lets remember that it is after midnight and Justin and I have to work early tomorrow. Lets keep it quiet and turn off some of these light so Alyvia can get back to sleep, ok?" But I have a feeling that it came out more like a series of growls and gutteral grunts accompanied by some severe stomping around. Whatever it was, I do clearly remember the girls suddenly moving very rapidly to get everything turned off and head upstairs. I got the little one back into bed and dragged myself to my bed (grumbling the entire way). I fell back asleep, cranky and whiney.
This morning I woke up early to take Justin to work so that we would be able to go on our fieldtrip. I found a little 5 year old curled up in bed next to me, sound asleep. I went upstairs to let my oldest know that I was leaving and there, snuggled up in the cutest, most heartwarming, rabid grizzly melting, warm little knot of bodies, I found my oldest daughter with my youngest. I guess they are keepers after all.
Somewhere after midnight they awoke the bear. I am not really sure how it happened, but I do remember my oldest daughter being the brave one in the bunch and coming to tell me that the littlest one was awake. I stumbled out of bed, fumbling for pants and muttering a slew of what I am now sure were probably some very colorful phrases and emerged into the livingroom a couple of minutes later.
What I found in the livingroom was enough to raise my hackles and unleash the rabid bear's wrath. EVERY light was on, the TV was on and pretty loud for post-midnight viewing, there were things everywhere (I swear I cleaned the livingroom before I went to bed!), there were 4 girls chattering and playing like it was 2 in the afternoon, a 5 year old following me around doing her best Stewie Griffin impression (you know the one..."Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom....Mumma...Mom, Mom, Momma..." etc etc etc) and one small 2 year old holding her blanket and crying. I am not really sure what I said at that point. I would like to thing that it was something nice and calm along the lines of "girls, lets remember that it is after midnight and Justin and I have to work early tomorrow. Lets keep it quiet and turn off some of these light so Alyvia can get back to sleep, ok?" But I have a feeling that it came out more like a series of growls and gutteral grunts accompanied by some severe stomping around. Whatever it was, I do clearly remember the girls suddenly moving very rapidly to get everything turned off and head upstairs. I got the little one back into bed and dragged myself to my bed (grumbling the entire way). I fell back asleep, cranky and whiney.
This morning I woke up early to take Justin to work so that we would be able to go on our fieldtrip. I found a little 5 year old curled up in bed next to me, sound asleep. I went upstairs to let my oldest know that I was leaving and there, snuggled up in the cutest, most heartwarming, rabid grizzly melting, warm little knot of bodies, I found my oldest daughter with my youngest. I guess they are keepers after all.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Its been a while!
I didnt realize how long it had been since my last rambling. It seems like there is always so much going on around here, that I dont really have time to sit down and write it all out.
A few weeks ago, my husband decided that I had worn myself out enough and it was time for a break. He planned a great trip for just the 2 of us to the greatest place on Earth- Hershey PA. For those of you who don't know me, let's just say I take the love of chocolate to a whole new level. For example, right now I can tell you that there are 263 days until the next Chocolate Lover's Fling at the Holiday Inn By The Bay in Portland. I could also, if I lost my mind and decided to give away all my secrets, tell you of atleast 3 places in my house where I have hidden chocolate so that I have easy access to a fix at a moments notice. So a trip to Hershey for me is better than Disney, its bigger than the superbowl or even (gasp!) game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals. Its almost a religious pilgrimage.
Back to the story, Justin took the wonderful step to plan the whole trip- from where we would stay to care for the kids and everything in between. As the weeks ticked by and we got closer to the trip, my stress levels were through the roof. I had not been away from my kids for that long since...well since I had my oldest daughter 12 years ago! I also started to think about all the fantastic things we would do while we were away. There would be dinners at nice restaurants, nights staying out late doing whatever we felt like, so many tours and activities to do just for us without watching out for little ones or counting heads to make sure everyone was there and SLEEP!! Real, true sleep with no little ones standing at the top of the stairs yelling for Mommy in the middle of the night or sneaking into my bed and using my entire body as their own personal pillow. It was going to be an epic weekend of pure, adulthood awesomeness the likes of which I myself had never seen before!
We dropped the kids off with Justins parents and I didnt even start crying until we got in the car (that's a big deal for me, so give me a little credit!). I don't think I slept much at all that night. I tossed and turned and worried about my babies most of the night, but on the plus side I was ready to go for the 6am depart time I had scheduled for us to make sure that we got to Hershey in time to do everything that I had scheduled for us (yes, I did have our schedule broken down hourly.) We made it right on time and began to do all of our chocolate related activities. I found myself relaxing more and more as the day went on. It was amazing how relaxing it was! As I started to let go and relax a bit more, I noticed that I stopped worrying about my kids as much- their grandparents really would call if they needed anything. I stopped worrying about other peoples kids around me- they all were with their own parents. I even stopped worrying about Justin- he really can take care of himself. As all of this happened, I started to come to the realization that the world really would go on just fine even if i did relax and refuse to take responsibility for everyone else for a little bit. I EVEN learned that I end up being a much happier, relaxed, well-balanced, person to be around if i let other people take the reins once in while.
Overall it was a wonderful, relaxing, chocolate-filled weekend that I am so thankful we got to have. I learned a lot- from the delicate differences in tastes in cacao beans from various regions to the fact that I am much better equiped to be a good wife, mother, friend, and person in general if I allow myself a little down time now and then. And as added bonus- I caught up on A LOT of sleep!
A few weeks ago, my husband decided that I had worn myself out enough and it was time for a break. He planned a great trip for just the 2 of us to the greatest place on Earth- Hershey PA. For those of you who don't know me, let's just say I take the love of chocolate to a whole new level. For example, right now I can tell you that there are 263 days until the next Chocolate Lover's Fling at the Holiday Inn By The Bay in Portland. I could also, if I lost my mind and decided to give away all my secrets, tell you of atleast 3 places in my house where I have hidden chocolate so that I have easy access to a fix at a moments notice. So a trip to Hershey for me is better than Disney, its bigger than the superbowl or even (gasp!) game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals. Its almost a religious pilgrimage.
Back to the story, Justin took the wonderful step to plan the whole trip- from where we would stay to care for the kids and everything in between. As the weeks ticked by and we got closer to the trip, my stress levels were through the roof. I had not been away from my kids for that long since...well since I had my oldest daughter 12 years ago! I also started to think about all the fantastic things we would do while we were away. There would be dinners at nice restaurants, nights staying out late doing whatever we felt like, so many tours and activities to do just for us without watching out for little ones or counting heads to make sure everyone was there and SLEEP!! Real, true sleep with no little ones standing at the top of the stairs yelling for Mommy in the middle of the night or sneaking into my bed and using my entire body as their own personal pillow. It was going to be an epic weekend of pure, adulthood awesomeness the likes of which I myself had never seen before!
We dropped the kids off with Justins parents and I didnt even start crying until we got in the car (that's a big deal for me, so give me a little credit!). I don't think I slept much at all that night. I tossed and turned and worried about my babies most of the night, but on the plus side I was ready to go for the 6am depart time I had scheduled for us to make sure that we got to Hershey in time to do everything that I had scheduled for us (yes, I did have our schedule broken down hourly.) We made it right on time and began to do all of our chocolate related activities. I found myself relaxing more and more as the day went on. It was amazing how relaxing it was! As I started to let go and relax a bit more, I noticed that I stopped worrying about my kids as much- their grandparents really would call if they needed anything. I stopped worrying about other peoples kids around me- they all were with their own parents. I even stopped worrying about Justin- he really can take care of himself. As all of this happened, I started to come to the realization that the world really would go on just fine even if i did relax and refuse to take responsibility for everyone else for a little bit. I EVEN learned that I end up being a much happier, relaxed, well-balanced, person to be around if i let other people take the reins once in while.
Overall it was a wonderful, relaxing, chocolate-filled weekend that I am so thankful we got to have. I learned a lot- from the delicate differences in tastes in cacao beans from various regions to the fact that I am much better equiped to be a good wife, mother, friend, and person in general if I allow myself a little down time now and then. And as added bonus- I caught up on A LOT of sleep!
Monday, April 23, 2012
Just another day
Yesterday I had Tastefully Simple party at my friend Jess' house, which meant Justin was home and in charge of the kids here. As wonderful as he is at so many things, sometime being "in charge" slips his mind, especially if there is hockey on or he decides hes going to play WoW. After I left Jess' party I stopped at the grocery store with my mom to pick up some stuff for dinner. I called Justin to see how things were going at home and he informed me that the kitchen ceiling was leaking. Ok, not a big surprise as it has happened before and it WAS raining, so it made sense. Then he told me it was because Alyvia had gone up to the upstairs bathroom, plugged the sink and played in the water as it overflowed. That also wasnt very surprising beccause I know Alyvia. I did get a little full of myself for a few minutes lamenting about how he always forgets how closely she needs to be watched because she is such a sneaky little thing. But life goes on.
That night my mom stayed for dinner and got to witness (again) the spectical that is dinner with the Keeneys. Everything started out relatively normal. We actually all sat down at the same table at the same time (a rare feat for our family it seems). But it didnt take long for things to get weird. First, Natalie said "I think one of the dogs pooped. I can smell it" and Nana agreed she smelled somethign too. We all started looking around and I found it. Somehow, without any of us noticing, my german shepherd had crept under the table with 7 people sitting around it and pooped right under it. In the middle of dinner. How lovely. The shrieks of "cover your nose!" and "ewww momm!" (like I had anything to do with it!) began ringing out as I started the cleanup process. Got it cleaned up, and I sat down to continue the meal, but by now the Keeney Chaos was in full swing. There were girls giggling, butts were no longer in chairs- they had been replaced by the feet of the children standing in them and there were some very odd jokes being told. Kids started getting down from the table, clearing plates and began spinning, flipping, dancing and the general wiggle associated with all the Keeney girls. Somewhere in the middle of all of it Alyvia decided to head into the bathroom to go potty. I looked up in time to see her grabbing at her poop floating in the toilet (dont worry, I yelled loud enough and fast enough to keep her from doing it). Then it really got silly. There was more shrieking and giggling and spinning and dancing than I thought possible. I slumped in my chair and looked down the table. And there at the other end of the table sat my mother, calmly smiling and cutting her steak and finishing her dinner like there was nothing abnormal going on at all.
Oh, and just to put me in my place and make me realize that it can happen to anyone. This morning in the time it took me to pour my cup of coffee, Alyvia let herself into the downstairs bathroom. I walked by and found her sitting, naked, in the sink full of water smiling away like it was the greatest day ever. Oh well, atleast it gave me the chance to wash her up a bit.
That night my mom stayed for dinner and got to witness (again) the spectical that is dinner with the Keeneys. Everything started out relatively normal. We actually all sat down at the same table at the same time (a rare feat for our family it seems). But it didnt take long for things to get weird. First, Natalie said "I think one of the dogs pooped. I can smell it" and Nana agreed she smelled somethign too. We all started looking around and I found it. Somehow, without any of us noticing, my german shepherd had crept under the table with 7 people sitting around it and pooped right under it. In the middle of dinner. How lovely. The shrieks of "cover your nose!" and "ewww momm!" (like I had anything to do with it!) began ringing out as I started the cleanup process. Got it cleaned up, and I sat down to continue the meal, but by now the Keeney Chaos was in full swing. There were girls giggling, butts were no longer in chairs- they had been replaced by the feet of the children standing in them and there were some very odd jokes being told. Kids started getting down from the table, clearing plates and began spinning, flipping, dancing and the general wiggle associated with all the Keeney girls. Somewhere in the middle of all of it Alyvia decided to head into the bathroom to go potty. I looked up in time to see her grabbing at her poop floating in the toilet (dont worry, I yelled loud enough and fast enough to keep her from doing it). Then it really got silly. There was more shrieking and giggling and spinning and dancing than I thought possible. I slumped in my chair and looked down the table. And there at the other end of the table sat my mother, calmly smiling and cutting her steak and finishing her dinner like there was nothing abnormal going on at all.
Oh, and just to put me in my place and make me realize that it can happen to anyone. This morning in the time it took me to pour my cup of coffee, Alyvia let herself into the downstairs bathroom. I walked by and found her sitting, naked, in the sink full of water smiling away like it was the greatest day ever. Oh well, atleast it gave me the chance to wash her up a bit.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
The neighbor that just wont stop
Back in February I wrote a blurb about our neighbor and her frequent calls to my licensing worker etc etc etc (see blog post from feb 29th). We went above and beyond what we were asked to do by the state-we built a pen for the chickens, our dogs have a separate tie out in a separate yard from where we play, we are working on modifying the fencing that we installed to further isolate our yard from hers. We contacted the sheriff to make sure we werent doing anything wrong, and were told we werent. We contacted the town office to make sure we werent doing anything wrong, and were told we werent. Finally, we thought everything was settling and that life would finally resume the peace and quiet we had hoped for living out in "the country".
Now, it seems, we still have to deal with my neighbor and her continued harassment of both my business and our family. I had another visit from my licensing worker today, after she received another complaint from my neighbor. My licensing worker knew that we had made the changed we had been asked to, she knew that we werent doing anything wrong AND she knew it was the same problematic neighbor making the complaint yet again. Knowing all this, she STILL had to come out and check things out because that is the "policy" when they receive a complaint. So there you have your tax dollars hard at work: a state worker being sent to check a home that has already passed inspection, has already made changes as asked and is known to be following the rules and policies. Your tax dollars were well at work as she was sent out here to waste her time, over an hour of it I am sure since her office is in Portland (though, I will admit it from the start, she was here for only a few minutes) and we are a 40 minute drive from there.
Aside from that issue there is the fact that this woman is being allowed to continuously harass myself and my family. Despite being told by several branches of government that we are not in fact doing anything wrong, the word of this woman is still being taken as a reliable source of information. We are STILL being told that we have to change the tings that we do, just to keep her quiet and make her happy. I have to watch to make sure she is gone before I will let the kids out to play in the yard. We wait in the house before leaving if she is outside until she is gone. I cant even put the trash out without making sure she is not there. This is not how my family deserves to live. My children should be able to play outside whenever they want. My husband should be able to leave for work when he needs to without checking to see if she is out there first to make sure she isnt bothered. He deserves to be able to relax on the weekends after a long work week without having a million projects to work on to "fortify" our section of the property and make sure she is happy.We should be able to plant a garden, ride bikes, keep chickens, and even take out the trash without constantly looking over our shoulders to make sure we arent being watched, harrassed or worrying about doing something that this neighbor might not like that will then cause her to take up her harrassment again. I do not deserve to live like this. Like me or not, I am a good person. I put my kids first before all else, and usually put other peoples kids first as well. I served in the Air Force for a year and a half, which is not much I absolutely admit, but got out to make sure that my children would have someone there to raise them and love them no matter what. I volunteer to run the Odyssey of the Mind program at the schools here. This year that meant stepping up and coaching 2 teams when I couldnt find other people to coach them. I recycle. I cook dinner for my family ALMOST every night. I like to help people when asked, and sometimes even when I am not asked. I have a perfectly clean record because I try my best to follow the rules and be a good person. I deserve to not have to worry about being harrassed by an angry woman with a misplaced vendetta.
I am still interested in finding a home to rent here in Raymond that will allow us to continue to live our life the way we do now, minus the harrassment from the neighbor. However, I DO NOT think that it is right that we are being driven from our home by an angry neighbor with no cause or right. We love our house, we love our yard, we love our location. We DO NOT love the constant, unprovoked harrassment. I have consistently turned the other cheek with this woman and tried to appease her and IT HASNT WORKED. I am hoping that someone reading this will be able to offer some sort of advice as to what our options are when dealing with this woman and protect our family from further harrasment. Or maybe someone reading this will know of a property available for a long term rental in Raymond that can accomodate our family and pets and business. Maybe you have some advice on speeding up the credit repair process so that we can qualify for a home loan faster. If you do, you can email me at: ItsOurHome294@yahoo.com
Thank you for bearing with me through that long rant, and I am sure this is a long shot. But maybe someone SOMEWHERE has the key advice we need to hear to help deal with this lady.
Now, it seems, we still have to deal with my neighbor and her continued harassment of both my business and our family. I had another visit from my licensing worker today, after she received another complaint from my neighbor. My licensing worker knew that we had made the changed we had been asked to, she knew that we werent doing anything wrong AND she knew it was the same problematic neighbor making the complaint yet again. Knowing all this, she STILL had to come out and check things out because that is the "policy" when they receive a complaint. So there you have your tax dollars hard at work: a state worker being sent to check a home that has already passed inspection, has already made changes as asked and is known to be following the rules and policies. Your tax dollars were well at work as she was sent out here to waste her time, over an hour of it I am sure since her office is in Portland (though, I will admit it from the start, she was here for only a few minutes) and we are a 40 minute drive from there.
Aside from that issue there is the fact that this woman is being allowed to continuously harass myself and my family. Despite being told by several branches of government that we are not in fact doing anything wrong, the word of this woman is still being taken as a reliable source of information. We are STILL being told that we have to change the tings that we do, just to keep her quiet and make her happy. I have to watch to make sure she is gone before I will let the kids out to play in the yard. We wait in the house before leaving if she is outside until she is gone. I cant even put the trash out without making sure she is not there. This is not how my family deserves to live. My children should be able to play outside whenever they want. My husband should be able to leave for work when he needs to without checking to see if she is out there first to make sure she isnt bothered. He deserves to be able to relax on the weekends after a long work week without having a million projects to work on to "fortify" our section of the property and make sure she is happy.We should be able to plant a garden, ride bikes, keep chickens, and even take out the trash without constantly looking over our shoulders to make sure we arent being watched, harrassed or worrying about doing something that this neighbor might not like that will then cause her to take up her harrassment again. I do not deserve to live like this. Like me or not, I am a good person. I put my kids first before all else, and usually put other peoples kids first as well. I served in the Air Force for a year and a half, which is not much I absolutely admit, but got out to make sure that my children would have someone there to raise them and love them no matter what. I volunteer to run the Odyssey of the Mind program at the schools here. This year that meant stepping up and coaching 2 teams when I couldnt find other people to coach them. I recycle. I cook dinner for my family ALMOST every night. I like to help people when asked, and sometimes even when I am not asked. I have a perfectly clean record because I try my best to follow the rules and be a good person. I deserve to not have to worry about being harrassed by an angry woman with a misplaced vendetta.
I am still interested in finding a home to rent here in Raymond that will allow us to continue to live our life the way we do now, minus the harrassment from the neighbor. However, I DO NOT think that it is right that we are being driven from our home by an angry neighbor with no cause or right. We love our house, we love our yard, we love our location. We DO NOT love the constant, unprovoked harrassment. I have consistently turned the other cheek with this woman and tried to appease her and IT HASNT WORKED. I am hoping that someone reading this will be able to offer some sort of advice as to what our options are when dealing with this woman and protect our family from further harrasment. Or maybe someone reading this will know of a property available for a long term rental in Raymond that can accomodate our family and pets and business. Maybe you have some advice on speeding up the credit repair process so that we can qualify for a home loan faster. If you do, you can email me at: ItsOurHome294@yahoo.com
Thank you for bearing with me through that long rant, and I am sure this is a long shot. But maybe someone SOMEWHERE has the key advice we need to hear to help deal with this lady.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Random Tidbits
I realize that it has been quite a while since I wrote last. As those of you who have read my previous blogs can see, we are just busy all the time and it can be hard to find the time. But I have had a few thoughts swimming around my head lately that I just want to get out. Here they are, in no particular order:
I turned 32 last month. That alone was enough to make me not want to get out of bed that day. Right about the same time, my 9 year old daughter came home from school and told me she had to get a costume together for a part she was playing at school. She was going to be a 12 year old girl in the" olden times". This next part I will quote for you just exactly as she said it: "You know, like the 1980's or 1990's". Ouch.
My husband bought me an incubator and I began trying to find some fertile chicken eggs to put in to hatch out. I spent some money (he will tell you too much money) on 6 cochin eggs (http://tropicalchickies.webs.com/cochins.htm this is the lady I bought them from. They are chickens that look like they are wearing pants, and that my friends, is fantastic.) and a local lady was kind enough to give us a dozen from her chickens. Add the one that I tossed in from our own hens as an experiment, and I set a total of 19 eggs in the incubator. I have another 26 to put in the incubator next and will hopefully have a batch of a breed known as Breda Fowl after that. And that leads me to believe that I may have a hatching addiction. Its a fabulously fun thing to do, the girls get to learn several life lessons (birth, death, etc etc etc) and I get a bunch of feathery fluff balls at the end to cuddle and play with. Now before you get all panicky and call the show Animal Hoarders and try to set up some sort of an intervention, there is a plan for all of these chickens (and no it doesnt involve them getting their own room in the house). We will be keeping a few hens to add to our laying flock and the rest will be going to the local farm days to find new homes.
I am searching for an NHL team. I think that after several years as an AHL fan, with a team whos affiliation has changed several times, it is time for me to pick an NHL team*. I have ruled out Vancouver cause they just annoy me, and Philly cause Philly fans of any sport are really scary. Besides that I am open to suggestions, but please support your argument. This is a big decision that will affect every aspect of my life- changing the color scheme of several rooms in the house, naming any future pets/children/vehicles, vacation planning, budgeting to allow for jerseys to be purchased etc etc. As most who know me know, I don't halfway do anything. If I am going to do something, I go all in. So when I pick a team, it will be life altering.
Speaking of hockey. I am pretty sure we have made a die-hard fan out of miss McKenzie...only not of the entire sport. She has chosen to put her support behind a specific player (I would like to take credit for her undying loyalty, she totally gets that from me!). She has been a fan of one particular player for 2 seasons now- Igor Gongalsky (known in our family as Migor). He played for the Pirates last year and for the first part of this season. After he was released by the Pirates this year McKenzie lost interest in hockey. I didnt really connect the 2, shes 4 and has the attention span of your regular 4 year old, so I just chalked it up to that. When the season ticket holder party came along, which all of the girls usually get really excited for, she didnt even want to go. I finally asked her why she didnt feel like doing any of the hockey stuff anymore. She said "Well, Migor isnt even going to be there, so why should I go!" and gave me the typical McKenzie attitude to accompany her exclamation. But wow, that is some love from a 4 year old!
Natalie just recently had her school play in which she played Snotty Sneech from Dr Seuss' Sneetches (and other roles in their variety-style show). When the curtain went up and my baby girl was up there looking stunning and all grown up I about lost my mind. I was ready to storm the stage and demand that the make up come off and she immediately put her hair in pigtails. But instead I took a deep breath, wiped off the stray tears (pretty sure I had something in my eye, yeah...thats what caused it!), and sat back and watched as my little girl suddenly found her niche. She had such presence and poise and expression and she was FUNNY! I was so proud of her. And as today is the day after her 12th birthday, I would also like to take a moment to say I am just proud of the person she is becoming. Smart, funny, a good heart and a good head on her shoulders. She is comfortable with herself and wont let anyone dictate how she should be and I love her for all of it (even the parts that result in eyerolls and arguments here at home).
Leah is a girl constantly on the go. Her regular hockey season just ended and now she is starting both Lacrosse and a hockey clinic. So what is normally a pretty calm part of the year for us (relatively speaking of course) is turning into a regular whirlwind again! But it makes her happy and she is good at it all, so we keep going. She is not afraid to try anything and jumps right in with a smile on her face. I love how brave and happy that girl is!
No blog entry would be complete without mentioning the littlest Keeney- Miss Alyvia Jayne. She is growing like a weed, dishing out the Keeney girls typical attitude way earlier than any of the others have, and goes out of her way several times a day to ensure that we dont even consider having another baby. She pushes me right to the very edge of sanity and then melts my heart. She loves to say "i love you", she gives the BEST hugs I have ever received from such a little girl and she has a killer sense of humor already. And it really helps that she has the cutest little baby butt and thighs when shes running away from me.
What on Earth were we thinking selling the 2nd car last year?! Seriously, we must have been temporarily insane!! We have 4 kids, multiple activities and we thought 1 vehicle would be enough to get us all everywhere we need to be??? UGH!! Between Lacrosse, Hockey Clinics, Tastefully Simple, and summer break coming up (which hopefully means a couple of daycare fieldtrips), we definitely need to look into a 2nd vehicle!
I think that might be all for now, but maybe this will be the inspiration to be back in the blogosphere on a more regular basis.
*please note that this does not mean I will be abandoning my beloved Portland Pirates. That wont happen any time soon!
I turned 32 last month. That alone was enough to make me not want to get out of bed that day. Right about the same time, my 9 year old daughter came home from school and told me she had to get a costume together for a part she was playing at school. She was going to be a 12 year old girl in the" olden times". This next part I will quote for you just exactly as she said it: "You know, like the 1980's or 1990's". Ouch.
My husband bought me an incubator and I began trying to find some fertile chicken eggs to put in to hatch out. I spent some money (he will tell you too much money) on 6 cochin eggs (http://tropicalchickies.webs.com/cochins.htm this is the lady I bought them from. They are chickens that look like they are wearing pants, and that my friends, is fantastic.) and a local lady was kind enough to give us a dozen from her chickens. Add the one that I tossed in from our own hens as an experiment, and I set a total of 19 eggs in the incubator. I have another 26 to put in the incubator next and will hopefully have a batch of a breed known as Breda Fowl after that. And that leads me to believe that I may have a hatching addiction. Its a fabulously fun thing to do, the girls get to learn several life lessons (birth, death, etc etc etc) and I get a bunch of feathery fluff balls at the end to cuddle and play with. Now before you get all panicky and call the show Animal Hoarders and try to set up some sort of an intervention, there is a plan for all of these chickens (and no it doesnt involve them getting their own room in the house). We will be keeping a few hens to add to our laying flock and the rest will be going to the local farm days to find new homes.
I am searching for an NHL team. I think that after several years as an AHL fan, with a team whos affiliation has changed several times, it is time for me to pick an NHL team*. I have ruled out Vancouver cause they just annoy me, and Philly cause Philly fans of any sport are really scary. Besides that I am open to suggestions, but please support your argument. This is a big decision that will affect every aspect of my life- changing the color scheme of several rooms in the house, naming any future pets/children/vehicles, vacation planning, budgeting to allow for jerseys to be purchased etc etc. As most who know me know, I don't halfway do anything. If I am going to do something, I go all in. So when I pick a team, it will be life altering.
Speaking of hockey. I am pretty sure we have made a die-hard fan out of miss McKenzie...only not of the entire sport. She has chosen to put her support behind a specific player (I would like to take credit for her undying loyalty, she totally gets that from me!). She has been a fan of one particular player for 2 seasons now- Igor Gongalsky (known in our family as Migor). He played for the Pirates last year and for the first part of this season. After he was released by the Pirates this year McKenzie lost interest in hockey. I didnt really connect the 2, shes 4 and has the attention span of your regular 4 year old, so I just chalked it up to that. When the season ticket holder party came along, which all of the girls usually get really excited for, she didnt even want to go. I finally asked her why she didnt feel like doing any of the hockey stuff anymore. She said "Well, Migor isnt even going to be there, so why should I go!" and gave me the typical McKenzie attitude to accompany her exclamation. But wow, that is some love from a 4 year old!
Natalie just recently had her school play in which she played Snotty Sneech from Dr Seuss' Sneetches (and other roles in their variety-style show). When the curtain went up and my baby girl was up there looking stunning and all grown up I about lost my mind. I was ready to storm the stage and demand that the make up come off and she immediately put her hair in pigtails. But instead I took a deep breath, wiped off the stray tears (pretty sure I had something in my eye, yeah...thats what caused it!), and sat back and watched as my little girl suddenly found her niche. She had such presence and poise and expression and she was FUNNY! I was so proud of her. And as today is the day after her 12th birthday, I would also like to take a moment to say I am just proud of the person she is becoming. Smart, funny, a good heart and a good head on her shoulders. She is comfortable with herself and wont let anyone dictate how she should be and I love her for all of it (even the parts that result in eyerolls and arguments here at home).
Leah is a girl constantly on the go. Her regular hockey season just ended and now she is starting both Lacrosse and a hockey clinic. So what is normally a pretty calm part of the year for us (relatively speaking of course) is turning into a regular whirlwind again! But it makes her happy and she is good at it all, so we keep going. She is not afraid to try anything and jumps right in with a smile on her face. I love how brave and happy that girl is!
No blog entry would be complete without mentioning the littlest Keeney- Miss Alyvia Jayne. She is growing like a weed, dishing out the Keeney girls typical attitude way earlier than any of the others have, and goes out of her way several times a day to ensure that we dont even consider having another baby. She pushes me right to the very edge of sanity and then melts my heart. She loves to say "i love you", she gives the BEST hugs I have ever received from such a little girl and she has a killer sense of humor already. And it really helps that she has the cutest little baby butt and thighs when shes running away from me.
What on Earth were we thinking selling the 2nd car last year?! Seriously, we must have been temporarily insane!! We have 4 kids, multiple activities and we thought 1 vehicle would be enough to get us all everywhere we need to be??? UGH!! Between Lacrosse, Hockey Clinics, Tastefully Simple, and summer break coming up (which hopefully means a couple of daycare fieldtrips), we definitely need to look into a 2nd vehicle!
I think that might be all for now, but maybe this will be the inspiration to be back in the blogosphere on a more regular basis.
*please note that this does not mean I will be abandoning my beloved Portland Pirates. That wont happen any time soon!
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Crazy neighbors and the search for the impossible.
Some people would say that our life is pretty crazy- 4 kids, 2 dogs, several chickens, enough extracurricular activites to keep us busy for months at a time, etc etc. But that is just us and how our life is. Generally we like it pretty peaceful- do our activities and come home to our home where we can feel safe, and secure and comfortable.
That, however, has become increasingly harder to do as our neighbor over the garage goes further and further off the deep end. She has always been a bit out there. But my philosophy was to stay on friendly terms and avoid lots of headaches. It was working well, if you ignored the fact that she constantly bombarded me with her increasingly strange stories. For example, one day she came over in a panic because she truly believed that someone broke into her home and stole 2 pork chops. Another time she was sure someone had been in her house while she was gone because they had left a small white feather in the middle of the livingroom floor. She frequently told me that "they" (I have no idea who "they" are) would stand outside her windows and record her conversations and then play them back so she could hear them. She also was convinced on many occassions that these same people would sneak into her house and move her things around. It all sounded so sad to me, and I tried my best to stay on friendly terms with her because she didnt really seem to have anyone.
But then her behaviors got stranger. She would tell me about fights that she had gotten into with people when she was younger- actual violent fights. She came over one night and was angry that the town was refusing to pay her rent, and she threatened to go up to the offices and attack someone there. She started hitch hiking and showed me the knife she carried with her while doing it. She was starting to worry me. Then, for reasons known only to her, she decided we were on her blacklist too and it became her personal mission to get my daycare shut down. She called in an "annonymous" complaint stating that I let children play in/with dog and chicken feces. My worker came to visit, found nothing wrong, and I filled her in on the background a little bit. Little did we know that that was the start of almost weekly calls to my worker. She actually identifies herself now and proceeds to berate my worker and make threats against us. The last call was apparently a good one, as I was surprised with a couple of sheriffs at my door letting me know that she had threatened to take and axe to our chickens. She had also admitted to periodically leaving cat poop at the bottom of our steps. I learned after that, that she has also been calling the town offices and complaining about us. When I told the landlord what was going on he insisted that she is "harmless" and he has a history with her and doesnt see the need to do anything.
Do I really think she will do any harm to any of us or our chickens? No, I don't. But she has gone too far this time. For too long living in this house I have tried to make things better for her. I keep the kids quiet, we stay out of her side of the yard, keep her parking spaces open for her, and generally try to leave her alone and give her her space. She, in return, has made it impossible for us to feel safe and secure and comfortable in our own home. She is making it difficult for me to run my business, which supports my family. She has taken the security and comfort out of our home. My children deserve better than that. My husband deserves better than that. My kids should be able to go out and play in their own backyard without worrying about watching for "the scary lady". I should be able to have daycare clients drop their children off without worrying what she might say to them. I should be able to go to sleep at night without worrying what she is doing or who she is telling her crazy stories to. And I certainly should be able to live my life without having the state police and sheriffs department know my name and address with familiarity.
So with all the new twists in the crazy neighbor story, Justin and I have decided it is time to start looking for a new place to call home. That is a task that is easier said than done of course. Where do you move 4 kids, 2 dogs and a daycare? Especially when you add into the equation that we are not in the position to buy a house just yet, so we are looking for a rental. Its going to be a long and very daunting task, but I just dont think we have been given other options. She has clearly made her position: she wants us out. And our landlord has made it very clear that, despite being backed by the sheriffs dept, the town office and my state licensing worker, he is not going to do anything about it. We just want someplace that we can really be at home in. Someplace that we can settle and STAY in. We want to find our HOME.
That, however, has become increasingly harder to do as our neighbor over the garage goes further and further off the deep end. She has always been a bit out there. But my philosophy was to stay on friendly terms and avoid lots of headaches. It was working well, if you ignored the fact that she constantly bombarded me with her increasingly strange stories. For example, one day she came over in a panic because she truly believed that someone broke into her home and stole 2 pork chops. Another time she was sure someone had been in her house while she was gone because they had left a small white feather in the middle of the livingroom floor. She frequently told me that "they" (I have no idea who "they" are) would stand outside her windows and record her conversations and then play them back so she could hear them. She also was convinced on many occassions that these same people would sneak into her house and move her things around. It all sounded so sad to me, and I tried my best to stay on friendly terms with her because she didnt really seem to have anyone.
But then her behaviors got stranger. She would tell me about fights that she had gotten into with people when she was younger- actual violent fights. She came over one night and was angry that the town was refusing to pay her rent, and she threatened to go up to the offices and attack someone there. She started hitch hiking and showed me the knife she carried with her while doing it. She was starting to worry me. Then, for reasons known only to her, she decided we were on her blacklist too and it became her personal mission to get my daycare shut down. She called in an "annonymous" complaint stating that I let children play in/with dog and chicken feces. My worker came to visit, found nothing wrong, and I filled her in on the background a little bit. Little did we know that that was the start of almost weekly calls to my worker. She actually identifies herself now and proceeds to berate my worker and make threats against us. The last call was apparently a good one, as I was surprised with a couple of sheriffs at my door letting me know that she had threatened to take and axe to our chickens. She had also admitted to periodically leaving cat poop at the bottom of our steps. I learned after that, that she has also been calling the town offices and complaining about us. When I told the landlord what was going on he insisted that she is "harmless" and he has a history with her and doesnt see the need to do anything.
Do I really think she will do any harm to any of us or our chickens? No, I don't. But she has gone too far this time. For too long living in this house I have tried to make things better for her. I keep the kids quiet, we stay out of her side of the yard, keep her parking spaces open for her, and generally try to leave her alone and give her her space. She, in return, has made it impossible for us to feel safe and secure and comfortable in our own home. She is making it difficult for me to run my business, which supports my family. She has taken the security and comfort out of our home. My children deserve better than that. My husband deserves better than that. My kids should be able to go out and play in their own backyard without worrying about watching for "the scary lady". I should be able to have daycare clients drop their children off without worrying what she might say to them. I should be able to go to sleep at night without worrying what she is doing or who she is telling her crazy stories to. And I certainly should be able to live my life without having the state police and sheriffs department know my name and address with familiarity.
So with all the new twists in the crazy neighbor story, Justin and I have decided it is time to start looking for a new place to call home. That is a task that is easier said than done of course. Where do you move 4 kids, 2 dogs and a daycare? Especially when you add into the equation that we are not in the position to buy a house just yet, so we are looking for a rental. Its going to be a long and very daunting task, but I just dont think we have been given other options. She has clearly made her position: she wants us out. And our landlord has made it very clear that, despite being backed by the sheriffs dept, the town office and my state licensing worker, he is not going to do anything about it. We just want someplace that we can really be at home in. Someplace that we can settle and STAY in. We want to find our HOME.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Whirlwind
The end of a very busy weekend is here for our family. It has really felt like nonstop movement since....well, since Christmas really. This past week was my first week with a truly full daycare, which is something I have been working towards since I was first licensed. I am truly very thankful to be blessed enough to have a full daycare, but please believe me when I tell you it is very hard work, and i am busy all day every day. You see, unlike any other work place, it is just me here all day every day. There is no lunch break, no 15 minute break, not even a nice peaceful few minutes in the car on my way into work. Its just me. And when all the kids have been picked up, there is also no quiet drive home either. Because I'm already here, getting dinner, getting the kids moving for the next activity, trying to remind myself to check in with each one and find out how their day went etc. There isnt an end to the day, it just keeps going! So I am busy with daycare kids, then the evenings are full of activities for our own children. This weekend we found ourselves in Bridgton Saturday morning for a hockey game, then dropped the kids off at home and headed right into Windham for an appointment. Then a quick trip to walmart to grab something to throw together for dinner and Justin and Natalie were heading into the Pirates game. I stayed home with the younger kids, cleaning up the house which appeared to have been hit by a tornado and getting everything ready for another Hockey game the next morning. We had to be in Auburn for a 7:30am start, which means the alarm went off at 5:30. Immediately following the game, we headed into Hebron for a birthday party for one of Leahs teammates (where we all got to skate! Such a rare occurance, and so much fun when we get to!) and from there, right home to drop off the family and head into Portland for my big grocery run at BJ's. I was home around 5. Which of course is just in time to cook dinner and get ready to start the week. Now I am sitting trying to remind myself to take a breath and relax....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)