It's been absolutely nuts around here. Hubby got a promotion which now has him putting in 80+ hours per week (yeehaw), so I've had to play groundskeeper to this "English garden"/jungle, for one thing...I had NO idea how much work it was until it became all mine to deal with. I've been cheating--hiring son #2 (Nate) to do most of the heavy work. 'Hiring' probably isn't the right word, as he won't take payment--enlisting, lol? Anyway, it's getting done. Weather has been unlike anything we've ever seen here--twenty degrees above average temps the whole summer. We're looking at 105+ for the coming week. SO grateful we have central AC.
We have a new kitty--new to the universe, as well as us. Hubby's company is an agriculture heavy equipment dealership (you know, the giant combines, etc) and once in awhile machinery comes in for repair with barn cats or owls hidden in them, and they usually rescue and return them either to the farm they came from or to wildlife agencies. This time, 'though, it was a litter of kittens in the tracks of a machine, and when they moved the machine, well...carnage ensued. Terry (hubby) brought the lone survivor home. He was about three weeks old, eyes barely opening and of course not weaned, so I began a two-hour around the clock bottle schedule. After three weeks we weaned him onto canned kitten food, and he's been nothing but pure joy ever since. He's orange, with yellow eyes, and he purrs nonstop, so we named him Purrcy. The vet weighed him last week, and verified that he is indeed about six weeks old (seven, now) and he weighed in at one pound, five ounces, and perfectly healthy. He's growing daily, and I just somehow can't find time to do anything other than play with him. Daughter-out-law got some pics of him yesterday; I'll make her cough a couple up so y'all can see him.
Also, I found my long lost sister, and we've been making up for all the years in between. And, I'm in the throes of planning our annual roadtrip--it's how I like to spend my birthday. This year we're headed down to Crater Lake, which neither of us have ever visited (it's quite remote) and then swinging down into the California redwoods before travelling the entire coast of Oregon north, with our final night in Seaside. Hubby got a very substantial pay raise with the promotion, so I've thrown the budget to the wind and booked us the best I could find along the way...a first for us. After decades of scrimping, it's nice to finally be a bit more than just 'comfortable'.
Finally having some health stability; AND--the best part--I've lost a bit over thirty pounds, so I look better, too. I'm on the last leg of the Facial Nightmare---had my final jaw surgery in July, and will be going into surgery on the 20th of September to have eight metal implants put into my jaw so they can finally give me a full set of teeth. Hubby is laboring under the delusion that I'll be more willing to go out among people once it's over, and I'm not going to disillusion him yet; just because I'll look/feel better doesn't mean I'll like the people around here any more than I do. At least the rubes seem to have gotten over their Trump delusions...not a single Trump sign to be seen anywhere in town, now. FINALLY. I do wonder exactly what the tipping point was...but not enough to ask one of them!
Last, but by no means least, Valentine insists on saying hello before I go:
We have a new kitty--new to the universe, as well as us. Hubby's company is an agriculture heavy equipment dealership (you know, the giant combines, etc) and once in awhile machinery comes in for repair with barn cats or owls hidden in them, and they usually rescue and return them either to the farm they came from or to wildlife agencies. This time, 'though, it was a litter of kittens in the tracks of a machine, and when they moved the machine, well...carnage ensued. Terry (hubby) brought the lone survivor home. He was about three weeks old, eyes barely opening and of course not weaned, so I began a two-hour around the clock bottle schedule. After three weeks we weaned him onto canned kitten food, and he's been nothing but pure joy ever since. He's orange, with yellow eyes, and he purrs nonstop, so we named him Purrcy. The vet weighed him last week, and verified that he is indeed about six weeks old (seven, now) and he weighed in at one pound, five ounces, and perfectly healthy. He's growing daily, and I just somehow can't find time to do anything other than play with him. Daughter-out-law got some pics of him yesterday; I'll make her cough a couple up so y'all can see him.
Also, I found my long lost sister, and we've been making up for all the years in between. And, I'm in the throes of planning our annual roadtrip--it's how I like to spend my birthday. This year we're headed down to Crater Lake, which neither of us have ever visited (it's quite remote) and then swinging down into the California redwoods before travelling the entire coast of Oregon north, with our final night in Seaside. Hubby got a very substantial pay raise with the promotion, so I've thrown the budget to the wind and booked us the best I could find along the way...a first for us. After decades of scrimping, it's nice to finally be a bit more than just 'comfortable'.
Finally having some health stability; AND--the best part--I've lost a bit over thirty pounds, so I look better, too. I'm on the last leg of the Facial Nightmare---had my final jaw surgery in July, and will be going into surgery on the 20th of September to have eight metal implants put into my jaw so they can finally give me a full set of teeth. Hubby is laboring under the delusion that I'll be more willing to go out among people once it's over, and I'm not going to disillusion him yet; just because I'll look/feel better doesn't mean I'll like the people around here any more than I do. At least the rubes seem to have gotten over their Trump delusions...not a single Trump sign to be seen anywhere in town, now. FINALLY. I do wonder exactly what the tipping point was...but not enough to ask one of them!
Last, but by no means least, Valentine insists on saying hello before I go: