Troubles McSteans

I loved the 4th of July as a kid. My dad would drive us to the firework stand on the south end of town and we'd stock up on small fireworks for the backyard. Even in the relatively small community of Lawton, OK , fireworks were illegal inside city limits so we stuck to mild explosives such as snakes, chickens, tanks and sparklers. The Snake is the least amusing 'firework' ever conceived. We felt confident that most of these tame fireworks would neither attract attention nor ignite the shrubbery, although we did have a scare one year when we branched out with a product labeled 'bees'. They advertised themselves as colorful spinning lights but said nothing about 'flight' so they were determined safe enough for purchase. When we lit the first one, however, we all watched in horror as it immediately whizzed 30 feet into the air into the branches of our large Oak. Luckily we'd had enough rain that year that the tree did not catch on fire, but the remaini...

Hi peeps, McSteans here. I have decided, perhaps foolishly, to enter the blogosphere. Some of you may know me from my husband Ryan's blog, the League of Melbotis . Ryan and I currently live in Austin, TX with our two big happy dogs, Mel and Lucy, and disgruntled feline, Jeff the Cat. Once upon a time I was employed as a software engineer, but have 'retired' to focus on my health. Since I was seventeen, I have been living with kidney disease and have had two transplants. I am currently on dialysis three times a week. During pre-testing for a third transplant, I was diagnosed with severe Coronary Artery Disease and deemed too much of a risk for surgery. Years of kidney disease, transplant drugs, and other stresses have seriously damaged my heart. This all sounds overwhelming and I'm not detailing my medical history to beg for sympathy, but like it or not, it is a huge part of who I am. I'll try not to whine too much, so alert me if you hear tiny violins whil...