September has arrived, and Mother Nature has finally gotten over her extended hot flash. What a relief! Apparently Stormy Lee didn’t think that Hurricane Irene did her job last weekend and has decided that heading straight up our way is his way of making up the difference.
We’ve been inundated with tons of rain already, and are looking at lots and lots more rain the rest of this week. The kick-start to that was wild and crazy thunder and lightning storms over the weekend. We were lucky and didn’t lose power with Irene, this time we weren’t so lucky. At least it was only three hours, but to a three year old and an eight year old, it was terminal.
We went to Princess Nagger’s ‘Welcome Back to School Night’ last week – we were a little worried on how Little Dude would behave, since that boy is constantly on the move and doesn’t seem to have an ‘off’ button. We had to shush him a few times, and at one point when we did, he whispered “I being quiet! I being quiet!” in a whisper that was so loud it carried across the entire room of other parents. It did get some giggles going, and I had to try hard not to giggle myself.
Little Dude loves Thomas the Train – something Princess Nagger never got into (in spite of her love of trains and dinosaurs – and Dinosaur Train), so it’s a new chapter for me. I picked up a Thomas toy for Little Dude while we were out grocery shopping last week – he takes it everywhere he goes:
He brought it to the Back to School Night, and then accidentally left it sitting on Princess Nagger’s desk when we left. He realized about halfway home that he left it there, and started wailing “Go back!! You have to get it! I need Thomas!” You’d have thought the whole world was coming to an end.
We couldn’t go back because the school was closed, and since it was his bedtime I tried to weave a tale of how Thomas was going to have so much fun with the other toys, books and various school supplies that night, and would be happily riding on the bus home with Princess Nagger the next day. He seemed enamored of the story I was creating, but the minute it was time for lights out, the waterworks started again. And lasted for a full hour before he finally cried himself to sleep. Poor guy. Needless to say he was very happy at Thomas’ return the next day – though Princess Nagger apparently got some ribbing from her friends about her carrying a ‘baby’ toy.
Speaking of crying, Princess Nagger had her own hour-long sob-session on Friday night. Her beloved pet Nigel died on Friday:

No idea how or why, he didn’t show any signs of being sick or lethargic, and seemed normal when she was playing with him earlier in the day. She was completely heartbroken, and thought she had done something wrong because she was having him ‘play dead’. She thought somehow teaching him the ‘play dead’ trick really made him dead.
Hubby buried him out by the flower bed where the cherry trees were (that he cut down), and we’ll be making a trip to the craft store to pick up one of those headstone kits to make him a special little headstone. It broke my heart having her cry herself to sleep Friday night, I was wishing so much I could take away her pain.
Hubby felt so bad for her, and since she had been doing such a great job taking care of her bird, he took her to a different (and much better) pet store to get a new one. Meet Nigel 2.0:
He’s got some crest on him, doesn’t he?
Princess Nagger has already gotten over her grief from Nigel 1.0, and thinks this new one is much better – it’s much feistier, so she hasn’t been able to hold it yet, but that day will come. And hopefully Nigel 2.0 has a much sturdier constitution than Nigel 1.0 had.
That’s going to wrap it up for this week’s Randomness – I’m sorry I’ve been such a sucky hostess the past few weeks with not having had time to hop around and visit your blogs and enjoy your randomness, thanks so much for hanging in there with me in spite of my suckitude. My 3rd Blogiversary is in a couple of days – where has the time gone?! I’m planning on doing some sort of wino/non-wino giveaway again, since it’s become a tradition. Stay Tuned!
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We’re still rebelling while Keely is still hiatus-ing (and maybe, just maybe she might be making an illustrious return soon), if you have a smorgasbord in your brain and want to let it out, c’mon and join in the fun! Rebel On!
(Note: Right-click still isn’t working on my page, so after you highlight the code, simply CTRL-C to copy, CTRL-V to paste. Email me if you’re having trouble)
Once again I’m hopping aboard this fun friendly train – if you’re traveling on the train, be sure to leave your link so I can follow you back!
And here’s another fun one, Tiggerific Tuesday! Blog Hop…or Bounce!
Sorry to hear about the heartaches you had to go through this week. Great to see that Princess Nagger is building up a new relationship with Nigel 2. I’ve yet to let the kids keep any pets.. so far only soft toys are allowed.
Glad to know that Princess Nagger has gotten over her grief and is bonding well with Nigel 2.0 🙂 Have a good week ahead..
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Sorry to hear about the loss of Princess Nagger’s pet. So cool she was able to get a new one. Fingers crossed, the weather hasn’t been to bad here lately. Feeling grateful for that one.
I am so sorry about Nigel 1.0 Poor princess… But, I am glad she snapped back quickly. Kids are great!
You know we used to have a bird just like that – that ended up dying out of the blue too! We haven’t had a bird since.
At first, when I saw Nigel 2.0 and then the Thomas train, I thought you meant one of those toys, because isn’t there a Nigel? But it was the bird! Pet deaths can really mess up a kid. I was devastated when my hermit crab died. Happy Tuesday!
Oh how I know the trouble of leaving a beloved object behind. At least it was left somewhere you could get it back.
Sorry about the demise of Nigel 1.0. Hope that Nigel 2.0 will fill the void and be a wonderful pet for PN.
So sorry to read about Nigel the 1st! We had a very similar thing happen to us! Glad it all worked out though:)
2 heartbreaks in 1 week is tough. And so sad about PN’s being an actual heartbreak. Hopefully Nigel 2.0 will last longer. And I understand about little boys being constantly on the move.
We had a hot humid summer … I must say it was nice to wake up to chilliness this morning 🙂
The minute I saw the title to this post, I thought “Oh, NO – Nigel died!! Poor Princess Nagger!” Well, that’s part of why pets can be so important for children, I think – they not only teach them responsibility, but about the cycle of life. But I do hope that Nigel 2.0 sticks around a little longer.
Oh, BTW – do you cook with Teflon, or have Teflon drip pans on your stove? It can give off fumes that are toxic to birds when heated.
So sorry about Nigel. Hope Nigel 2.0 is a more hearty bird! And brilliant story about Thomas having fun at school, even if it didn’t fix everything.
Poor Nigel. That must have been traumatizing for poor PN. I hope Nigel 2 is stronger and healthier.
Glad Thomas made it home okay. I can just imagine LD’s reaction if he had somehow gotten lost on the way.
Poor Nagger. He wasn’t that old, was he? But he was well loved, at least.
Ahhh, this is why we have different kinds of toys. Toys we are not allowed to leave the house with. Toys that can go in the car with. Toys that can go into a place with (restaurant, church). No toy ever is allowed into a store. Once a toy becomes too beloved, it is relegated to the “not to leave the house” status. I only had to have that one hour meltdown once to get this into my thick skull…
Oh wow! So sorry to hear about the death of Nigel! But at least PN is happy with the new pet! I love Thomas. All of my kids have been big Thomas fans! Thanks for carrying on with the Random!
That is a lot of tears for one week. I cannot believe Nigel 1.0 had the nerve to leave! Perhaps you should pick up a few emergency Thomas duplicates to keep oh, in the glove compartment, your purse, the linen closet! I knwo there is a lesson to be learned that things get misplaced, but a little sanity goes a long way!
Oh, noes!
My condolences to PN! 🙁 🙁 🙁
Oh, so sorry for PN’s loss of Nigel, but this new one looks to be a force to be reckoned with..
Awww it sounds like a rough week in your family. Nigel 2.0 does look like he’s going to be a lot of fun though – here’s hoping he lives a long and happy life too.
So sorry to hear about Nigel’s passing. Nigel v.2.0 looks like he’ll be boss in no time. LOL
Aww, poor kiddo. It’s hard to lose a pet.
It’s also hard to lose a Thomas! We had some waterworks in similar situations yeeeeears ago.
Love the bird shots. Hope you’re joining the I Spy photo hop with us too.
Thanks for joining the Train ride!
Leaving your favorite toy and losing a pet friend all in a one week period must have been awful. Good luck with Nigel 2.
AWWWW R.I.P. Nigel 1.0. I too, am happy about Mother Nature being done with her hot flashes. Love RTT!!!
Darn it, I missed RTT. Sadness. Sorry about Nigel 1.0. I hope Nigel 2.0 lives a long and happy life.
Indy was so into Thomas the Tank Engine it wasn’t funny. He has the wooden trains, which cost a fortune. When we counted them a few years back, he had 180 train cars. At $10-20 each, that’s a LOAD of money. He also has many, many, many pieces like the roundhouse, ice cream factory, etc. Blah, blah, blah. He’s probably got at least $3000 in Thomas stuff (most of it courtesy of my parents). The wooden trains hold up really well so we didn’t get rid of them. Now that Han Solo is here, I’m really glad we kept them.
Oh, I’m so sorry to hear about Nigel 1.0. My sister and I both had cockatiels when we were growing up, and when hers passed away, I brought mine to live with me (he stayed with his sister when I moved away). When he finally passed away, he was something like 17 years old, and my 3 cats cried for a week. My 3 cats. They would put their front paws on the foot of the cage (it was free-standing) and look for the bird and cry. Am I the only one that thinks this is totally bizarre? Especially when one considers that if I took the bird out of the cage and he flew towards any of those dang silly cats they would freak and run for cover? Anyway, didn’t mean to get off on a tangent, but I hope neither of your kids has a reason to cry themselves to sleep for at least a very long time if not never again. Oh, and you may want to invest in some Thomas the Tank Engine stock because those suckers are expensive, and once they get into Thomas, Thomas sticks around for many years. Mine has loved him since he learned to talk, and he’s still asking for them at almost 6yo. I understand my nephew finally outgrew Thomas around 7 years old.