Thursday-7am

Okay--I'm alive and doing okay.  Thanks for all the birthday wishes yesterday.  Sixty-Seven years have flown by.  Life is definitely too short to bemoan the fact that I was sick for two months and then slid right into a bad fibro/CFS flare.  You know things aren't right when I had only blogged three times this whole year and been away the longest in the over 11 years I've been blogging.  But I am okay--just extra tired and sore.  Waiting out the flare.  Able to function enough to get done what I have to most days and that's fine and good.  Annie and I have watched a lot of really good shows.  She seems to like me being laid up and basically still as much as Karma did--LOL!  Means a lot of chair time...and Annie has gotten cuddlier.  :)

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Lots of photos for you--but the following are just a smattering I assure you.  :)  First I have some of Leah's and then I have some of mine.  (Too tired to do any real sorting.)  Leah's go all the way back to December.  Mine go back to February 9th--the last time I posted.

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We'll start with Leah's.  :) :)

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This was around Christmas outside the front of their house.  Leah and the boys.  You can see the Christmas lights on the house behind them.

The boys playing together. 

Tired Liam.

 Tired Ian (who doesn't think he needs naps anymore--but it occasionally catches up with him).  :)

Liam learning to sit up by himself.

Liam and Blink just hanging out. 

We've had yo-yo weather.  Snow, rain, melting till little snow left at all, snow, rain, melting, snow, rain...and mother nature even threw in some hail!

Not too often we get hail in the winter.  Kinda cool!

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Liam has wanted to stand before he was even crawling.  Now he can stand alone for some time and wants to pull himself up on everything. 

I love this shot of the boys...and Blink is on the couch, too, behind Ian.  :) 

Leah's also sent me some short videos, but I have not gotten anything ready so that I could post them.  Maybe next time.

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Then we have my pictures.

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Of course I had a lot of the visiting critters at the seed banquets.  Relax--not going so show them all to you--LOL!

We've had some snowstorms--as you can see by the snowbanks from the plowed driveways. 

The grouse dig into the snow and huddle together during a storm. 

My patio is popular.  This was one day after one snowstorm. 

The smooth white blanket... 

...becomes a trampled, textured terrain--lol!

The girls love having some snow to dig into to help block the wind and stay warm. 

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In the almost seven weeks since we last spoke: Dagan has popped in several times to do a dumpster and bird seed run for me; I've been over to visit McFamily twice; Leah and I had one craft night (then she got sick again--but is better now so we might be able to do one next week); Caroline's been here a couple times to clean and once for  groceries; I've had three Gramma Days with Ian and Dagan (one I went over to visit afterwards to their house).  Having a visitor is physically easier than being a visitor--but each and every visit is soooo worth it!  Food for the soul!!  :) 

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On one of my visits over to McFamily's I did remember to take pictures.  I know--shock!  I've become so bad at remembering to get the camera out.

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Daddy and Liam. 

Liam checking out Daddy's zipper on his shirt. 

Ian playing with magnetic squares. 

Daddy holding Blink for her close-up. 

Liam climbing up to stand by me. 

Mama and Ian figuring something out (can't remember now). 

Liam chewing on one of his baby books.  (He has gotten some teeth, but I forgot to ask how many.) 

My hail photo. 

Can't forget Annie. 

That is her favorite way to relax--pushing her feet against something.  When she sleeps with me nine times out of ten she doesn't curl up with her back next to you--she pushes her feet against you instead--LOL! 

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For about a week we were on the edge of freezing temps and had snow, rain, snow, rain... 

...and then finally a good snowstorm.  So funny--I heard there were at least three snowmen built here.  I saw one near the front door when I went to get mail--so  cute!  It even had a Fargo-hat and plaid scarf on.  The seniors know when there is good, heavy, wet, snowman-building snow on the ground...and I guess they couldn't resist--LOL! 

There was a lot of ice under that snow, though.  

Can you see it on the bird feeder? 

When the weather is bad the critters seem to get along better as far as all eating together. 

But it was a shock to see a  pair of geese in very early March walking down the plowed sidewalk. 

Honestly--I stood aggressively in the doorway and told them to buzz off. 

I did not want any of those poop-machines to know there was food over here.  They're not actually crazy about seed but they will eat it if there's nothing else...and with all the snow there wasn't a lot else.  Luckily I haven't seen any others.  Well, only honking and flying past overhead.  ;)

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 Most of that snow has melted again--but we're due for another snowstorm tomorrow through Saturday, they say.

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A few days ago I noticed there were no birds here all afternoon??  Look who I found parked under my bedroom window watching my patio! 

I couldn't get a good shot through the screen but it's some kind of small sparrow-type hawk.  There are so few trees here that he doesn't have a good place to perch nearby.  Smart, though.  He was very still.  But the sparrows must be smarter because they all stayed away until he got bored and left--LOL!

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 Yesterday McFamily actually came over with dinner from Ruby Tuesdays and a homemade birthday cake!!  (Ian was demonstrating how a washing machine works for some reason when I took the picture and I don't think Dagan realized I was taking one--but I did remember to take one--LOL!) 

This morning--Annie will soak up the sun for as long as she can.  

I barely slept (just the usual after-loving-up-grandsons aches and pains) but don't mind a bit.  :)  And since I've been up since 3am and am already hurtin' anyways--I thought what the heck, why not start a way overdue blog.  ;)  You just might finish it.  And I believe I will.

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It is hard to explain the chronic fatigue.  I don't always suffer as badly from that as the pain--and, honestly, the pain is a little easier to deal with than a flare of the CFS side of the fibro.  If you're interested or maybe know anyone else with fibro/M.E./CFS here's a TEDtalk:

If you want to know what it is like to lose your former life, to be so tired and weak you can't get dressed or take a shower, and to know there are people who have it much worse than I do--this lady now has a documentary streaming on Netflix called Unrest.  (Thanks for letting me know, Serena.)  
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Anyways, due to being sick so long and then this bad flare I have not yet been able to reschedule my dentist or eye doctor checkups, haven't been writing letters or been online like I usually am able to, and have been saving my very few spoons every day for showers, dressing, laundry, cooking--and visits with McFamily!!  I'll be back when I can.  Thanks to everyone who emailed or wrote to ask how I was doing and to those of you who even remembered this absentee's birthday--LOL!  You're all such a blessing in my life.  Even those of you who just visit and never chat.  Thank you!!  :) :)
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When we do the best we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or in the life of another. Helen Keller