Grrrr!

Luke always seems to get the worst of the sicknesses that go around our house. Joe has been fighting a cold for a few days, but last night, Luke work up hollering, “Oh, No!” When we went in to see him, he was all stuffed up and coughing. The “oh no” was referring to how he felt. Poor little thing. Joe’s an old pro at sleeping with mom and dad, but neither of the twins ever have. Because he was in such bad shape, Scott suggested moving him into our bed. I thought Luke would be too distracted to sleep. When we put him in between us, the previously miserable and crying little boy got the biggest smile on his face and reached for the pillow. He laid down as best as he could and was quiet and content most of the night. It was so sweet to snuggle with him.

Why I hate living in Wisconsin: The number one reason, of course, is that it’s so far away from our family and friends. A close second is the stupid government here. Our property taxes are twice what they would be in KC and they’re on the rise again – among other out of control taxes. Also, we have to have our cars emissions checked all of the time. I let our neighbors use our van to jump their car, (never do this, by the way. My dad warned me!) and our “Check Engine” light has been on ever since. Most folks know that this light is pretty touchy and mostly worthless as far as your car actually performing. More than one mechanic has suggested “fixing” the light with a little electrical tape – right over the light itself. Well, here in good old WI, a Check Engine light being illuminated is an automatic failure on your emissions check. This prevents you from renewing your license plates. You can “reset” your computer, but this only lasts for a little while and doesn’t guarantee passing your test. The annoying part is that my barely-running old ’89 Mazda passed this test with flying colors. It had no complicated computer. Certainly the van is not spewing hazardous, harmful emissions, but you can’t tell anyone on the state payroll that as long as the light is on. Grrr! So, then, the number three reason I hate living in Wisconsin is the obviously crummy weather from November to May – Winter season here. Maybe some day I will talk about why I love living in Wisconsin, but I can’t think of any reasons right now.