A funny thing happened on the way to my whinge (now with added bling!)

Its funny, I can get all down and gloomy and then little lyrics (generally from a memory instilled by my father's recital) pop in to my head. This one is always good put away a whinge:

Life Gets Tee-Jus Don't It - Carson J Robinson 1948

The sun comes up and the sun goes down
The hands on the clock go round and round
I just wake up and it's time to lay down,
Life gets tee-jus, don't it?

My shoe's untied, but shucks, I don't care
Cuz I reckon I ain't a-goin' nowhere,
I'd brush my teeth and comb my hair
Just too much wasted effort.

The water in the well gets lower and lower,
Ain't had a bath in a month or more
I've heard it said and I'm sure it's true
That too much bathin'll weaken you.

Danged ol' mule, he must be sick.
I jabbed him in the rump with a pin on a stick
He hunched his back, but he wouldn't kick
Something cock-eyed somewhere.

Hound dog's howlin' so forlorn
Laziest dawg that ever was born
He's howlin' 'cause he's sittin' on a thorn
Just too tired to move over.

Well, the cow's gone dry and the hens won't lay
And my well dried up last Saturday
My troubles keep pilin' up day by day
And now I'm gettin' dandruff.

Roof's a-leakin' and the chimney leans,
An' there's a hole in the seat of my old blue jeans
Now I've eat the last of the pork an' beans,
Just can't depend on nuthin'

Mouse is gnawin' at the pantry door
He's been at it now for a month or more
When he gets through he'll sure be sore
'Cause there ain't a dang thing in there.

Well, it's debts and taxes and pains and woes
Aches and miseries and that's how it goes
And now I'm getting a cold in my nose,
Life gets tasteless, don't it?

See, I was all set to cry about:

• How my car is not yet fixed and getting more expensive by the day. (The mechanic made noises about extra costs last time I disturbed him, and hasn't yet called me back with a time or how much of my left kidney he really wants.)
  
• How not having a car can affect my work. (I still could have done some extra work at the beginning of this week - however, it meant that someone would have had to drive 400km to return me OR I could have got a lift back tomorrow - as much as 'Salina and V are getting on much better now, but I am not prepared yet to let them rely on each others company for that long, nor put someone else out that much.)
  
• How the lack of communication from my daughter's school is driving me balmy - especially as I had a spirited spit to the principal before it started this year about how it got up my nose. I obviously wasn't spirited enough as it didn't rule out finding out about the P&C AGM to be held tonight - by pure chance on Friday. They wonder why parents won't give and get involved - I was going to go and tell them, but tonight is the only night I am going out - for work purposes - in the whole month.
  
• How I have nothing, nothing, NOTHING to wear for aforementioned function this evening.

I could go on and on, but you get the picture. Really, I could whinge for Australia.

However I also read blogs.

Some of them make me realise that I am so lucky and have nothing to whinge about:

• Kyla's story of health insurance at Mom-o-crats
• Mia's story on the same problem facing parents and carers (disclaimer - I have known (and loved) Mia since pre-blogging days)

Some of them lift me up and give me joyous tears of delight:

• Dream Mom: When the Glass is Half Full makes you realise that there is great joy to be found if you are looking for it.

Many have just had babies:

• Kate at Being Me Just for Them
• Akeeyu and Sam at Herveryown
• Beth from So the Fish Said and Chris from Rude Cactus welcomed Owen - this was the line that got me (from Chris): "I loved him immediately, right there, standing in the OR. It hit me like the bullet from a gun and forced tears to my eyes. I can't really put into words the difference between being a father of one and of two. But it's not what I thought - the dad stuff inside me wasn't split into two. Instead, it doubled. And frankly I never knew I had quite this much space inside." - all together now - Awwww.

What I love about baby news (and no, not fully in cluck mode) is they are so sweet when you can hand them back!

And some of them make me feel very loved indeed:

cRaZy tRacE gave me this! Apparently she thinks I am excellent, which is really sweet of her.

I would love to pass this along to

Megan at Imaginif child protection became serious business because she does such an excellent job giving voice to an issue that needs to be at the core of our society;

A at Three Times Kewl - again, I know her elsewhere, which only adds to my awe of the things she makes me contemplate - as well as her moments to amuse.






Three Ring Circus gave me a friend's award - so nice to find new friends, always!

This should definitely go to some of my favourite commenters!

Debby - Life's Funny Like That
BrissieMum2 - These Days of a Busy Mum
Bushbabe - Bushbabe (at Granite Glen)
Cathy - Arkie Mama
Elizabeth - Probably, but not likely
Jay - Kill the Goat
Janice - Twist and Skewer
Jen - Semantically Driven
Julie - Using My Words
Just-me-Jen - What's with the Handbasket?
Kate - Being Me Just for Them
Lin - Hold on Tired
Mama Zen - The Zen of Motherhood
Melody - biglittlesister
Tee - Its all about T
strauss - The Brave
Tracey - Crazy Trace
baby amore' - My Little Drummer Boys

There are many more, but I really have to move forward with the list - if you have ever commented, you are my friend! If you feel like commenting, I am quite friendly (although not always on top of my correspondence "to-do"s).

Anyhow - I am going to make a new cup of coffee and start working, because - well, because I have a car bill coming up, and I have a business to expand.