Monday-2:15pm

Good afternoon!

I've been moving slowly this past week so it's no surprise to me that I am posting in the afternoon again--LOL!

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One of the things I do so love is being out watering the flowers and getting fresh water in the dish for the birds and ground squirrels.  I took this picture back last Tuesday.  

I wanted to show the planters... 

...from one side...

...to the other side. 

The blank spot in the back of this planter is where the gerber daisy died right off the bat.  Leah says she has a yellow one I could have--awesome! 

Now it may not be obvious to you the difference in the past week but the following pictures I just took a few minutes ago.  Everything has been blossoming and bushing out like crazy with the rain we've had.  

You may notice the blue planter filled with cat grass on the end table.  I haven't brought it in yet to see if Annie is interested or not.  Karma, you may recall, LOVED her cat grass.  But Annie has never had any before.  We'll see--soon!  It's getting tall already.

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A little thunder and lightning seems to have set all the flowers to blooming.  Even the gerber daisies are finally flowering! 

The red one back of the chairs is awfully puny, but I'll take it. 

The two yellow ones in the front planters are finally going to town.  

The marigolds, on the other hand, are going wild! 

They have a special place in my heart because I grew up on Marigold Terrace in Fridley and mom usually planted some. 

The coleus look like beautiful bushes! 

They tower over everything else. 

The fuchsias almost have more blossoms than leaves--LOL!  

So the plants are doing fantastic outside. 

I think the fertilizer Leah gave me has really given them all a boost this year!

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I have been extra sore, stiff, and tired this past week so it's been pretty quiet over here.  I've slowly been watching Star Trek: Enterprise and The Sniffer (subtitles) on Netflix.  I rented the Masterpiece Mystery: Unforgotten DVDs and really enjoyed that series.  Annie has been extra cuddly--like she knows I was feeling a bit poorly.  ;)

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But, in general, I am better than I was this winter and spring so I decided to do something totally unnecessary--just for fun!  This month I've ordered up a bunch of icon planner stickers to use in my bullet journal--whoohoo!

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 I know.  Kind of a dumb way to celebrate, but it works for me--hehe!  ;)  Anything I could get in rainbow colors I did, of course.

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Washing machines, trash cans, laptops (for blog days)...

...grocery bag (Caroline), present (birthdays), vacuum cleaner (also for Caroline)...

...tiny piggy banks (for when I have to have bills and bank stuff done), hydration trackers (something new for me)...

...and then I had these custom made (etsy shop).

Gramma Day and Craft Day flag stickers--whoohoo!! 

These will mostly go on my big monthly calendar.  Adds some color and easy to locate, for sure--LOL!  I haven't gotten July ready yet in the bullet--still skeletal--but I threw in a few stickers because I just couldn't wait. 

The weekly hydration tracker stickers are in for July, but I am a little disappointed that the paper on those is so thick compared to all the others.  Will cause a fattening-build-up and be more noticeable to write over on the pages fore and aft.  

BUT--I really like being able to track a whole week in one sticker, so I may have to find some thinner ones by another vendor when I run out.

These will be fun to play with for months and months!  I still have a few more coming from an etsy shop in Australia.  I can show them to you when they get here.  These just tickle me.  Doesn't take much to make me smile, as you know.  ;)

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Anyways, this is really short and sweet for me--LOL!  More next week.  Have a fantabulous week, everybody!!  :) :)  Chat again soon.

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"Do not be dismayed by the brokenness of the world.  All things break.  And all things can be mended.  Not with time, as they say, but with intention.  So go.  Love intentionally, extravagantly, unconditionally.  The broken world waits in darkness for the light that is you."

L.R. Knost

Sunday-12:45pm

Good afternoon!  

I'm posting a day early because I'm having a Gramma Day tomorrow.  :)  Took this picture last night of the sunset's golden reflection in the clouds.  

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Well, first of all--the wood pellets ended up being a big fail.  Annie would walk in, pee, turn around and leave...but there was no way she was going to poop in there because she couldn't stand to bury it. 

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I know--cat logic.  

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Annie absolutely hated to dig in those pellets.  I knew she was not fond of them.  The more I added to the old big litter box the less she buried anything...and Annie is an enthusiastic digger.  But I thought that as long as she went in the box it would be okay because I had to remove the poop (with Annie you can smell it a mile away) and the pee just made sawdust to shake and sift down.  I was so hopeful when she peed in there.

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But poop--no way.

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She left me gifts every morning. 

Annie was miserable.  

She held everything--pee and poop--as long as she could possible hold it (over 24 hours at a time--also probably not good for her).  Annie had relentless, toxic farting; was restless and jumpy; would forget, head for the pantry, stop in the doorway, stare inside, stare at me (if she could talk she would have said naughty things to me), decide she didn't have to go that badly yet and walk away; she started stress grooming...then she started to cry by the pantry door and stare at me.  

Annie was miserable.  

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By Wednesday I couldn't bear watching her distress and was tired of washing the rug.  I cleaned out the new litter box...and discovered that tiny pieces of wood pellets get stuck in the grate.  Even after I wet them and let them sit a while they were stuck hard.  Had to poke them through with an old letter opener.

 If I had a place where I could have let them soak submerged in water they would have come loose.  Anyways, I cleaned it all up and sent it over for McFamily to try the wood pellets with Blink.

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Annie has her big litter tub back and was quite relieved!  

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Wednesday Leah picked me up.  She, the boys, and I went to JoAnn's to look for green card stock.  We didn't find a green that we liked to go with our plaid paper but we did find a dark red--so we'll have a red frame instead of a green one.  Was such a good day--no sciatica issues at all walking--only the usual back stuff.  :) :)

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Then it was Ian's first time at this Wednesday Workout class Leah signed him up for. (Parks and Rec, I believe.)  We got there early.  Ian wanted to go around the walker's path up high.

I was downstairs in a folding chair. 

Leah (with Liam strapped to her) went around with Ian once and then he ran around up there about three more times by himself while Mama and Liam waited for him.

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We were the first ones there.  The two young women in charge put out a big circle of colored plastic circles for the kids to sit on... 

...and laid out an obstacle course. 

When class started they were all called to sit in the circle.  Ian is the one with his back to me to the left of the blue line. 

All the while they did their exercises and movements Ian just observed. 

Ian hasn't been involved in group activities like this but Leah signed him up for a couple of things this summer.  He's had swimming, but Mama was in the pool with him, and general group gatherings like reading at the library, but nothing this structured where you had to follow directions in a group.  Ian was more interested in watching the other kids to see what they were doing--LOL!

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  By the time they moved on to the obstacle course, though, he seemed to have gotten the hang of things and he did really well waiting his turn and going around the obstacle track in order.  Gramma didn't get any pictures of that because Liam was having a really cranky day (more teeth?) and Mama went to walk Liam about to keep him quiet so I watched Ian--and was so "in the moment", as usual, that I forgot to take any more pictures.  Ian went around the obstacle course about four times.  Then they had to all get in a line.  Ian was the last to leave the obstacle course (loved it!).  One by one they each got a coloring page with a frog on it and a couple of back-of-the-hand stamps.  Ian was all smiles!!  He is going to love these classes, I think.

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Then, since I was having a good day, I decided to go home with them for a longer visit.  Dagan had to work late.  Liam was generally having a bad day half the time so I didn't get too much time with him, but I got a little.  :)  Ian and I had a great time watching Finding Nemo cuddled together on the couch.  Leah made a yummy dinner.  She later got the boys' pajamas on and then I put Ian to bed while she put Liam to bed.  Read a story, talked a little while, hugs and kisses...and by that time Gramma was ready for bed, too--LOL!  (I have been known to sleep 9-11 hours after Gramma Days.)

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Dagan came home and we all visited for a while.  About 10pm--getting ready to leave--was soooo tired--hurtin' (back and knees from walking and uncomfortable seating)--feeling weak and noodle-y like I get--trying to bend over to strap my sandals standing up--lost my balance--and fell on my knees.  Dagan and Leah came to my rescue and helped me up.  Leah gave me a spray I could use on my knees for pain--pure magnesium oil.  I think it helped.  Hard to tell.

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Anyways, it was an absolutely marvelous day, just had a painful ending--LOL!  I got probably a total of two hours sleep Wednesday night...then ~5, 7, and last night finally 9 decent hours.  So lots better than I was.  I sure have been wracking myself up lately!  Good grief!  I have to face the fact that I can't be lifting things willy nilly like I used to and that I need to sit down to fasten shoes (especially when very tired).  I already had learned the hard way not to lift the big Britta frig water container except in the morning on a good day--LOL!  The more I do the more pain--but also the more exhausted and weaker I get.  I have to remember that, too.  Duh!  

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Anyways, Caroline came to clean on Thursday--had to switch from Tuesday because her little boy was sick.  She liked the new toilet brush for cleaning under the rim, but it is a different shape to get used to (simple human brand).  Thumbs up, though.  Funny how I put off replacing things like the toilet brush and plunger--but it is so nice to have a new set you wonder why you waited so long--LOL!  

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I even feel better about Annie being huddled up next to these new ones during thunderstorms.  Hail cracking against the glass and air conditioner woke me up at 2am Friday morning.  I made a trip to the bathroom as long as I was up--and there was Annie next to the toilet.  Thunderstorm, but no hail, when I woke up on Saturday morning, too.  There was Annie next to the new toilet brush and plunger--LOL!  Seems odd to be able to reach down and pet your cat while on the porcelain throne--LOL!  Luckily, Annie isn't trembling.  She just wants to be someplace she considers safe and leave her h-e-double hockey sticks alone.  Once the storm has passed--she waits a while so as not to be tricked out of her place of safety--then she's fine and dandy.  Annie comes out and rolls happily on the rug--relieved the danger has passed.  Humans should recover so quickly--LOL!  :)

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Okay--the reason I am posting a day early...

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Saturday was going to be Gramma Day because Leah's friend, Amber, was moving back up to Fargo then.  But that got changed to Monday, so Leah asked if I would be okay to switch to Monday for Gramma Day.  Yes.  (I am just now feeling almost recovered from Wednesday--LOL!)  So, I figured I'd blog and do laundry today.  I'll be busy tomorrow and shot on Tuesday--hehe!  

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While I've been typing I've been watching the red-winged blackbird, grouse, morning doves, sparrows, and grackles nibbling away on the seed.  A few have taken baths.  Many have sipped some water.  Baby sparrows cry and shake their wings for parents to feed them seeds...while they're standing right next to them--ROFL!  I love the cooing of the mourning doves, the contented clucking of the grouse, the trilling of the red-winged blackbird, and the happy cheeping of the sparrows.  I have put two loads of clothes away while we were chatting and made a hotdish.  That's all she wrote for today.  Feeling totally drained...but happy.  

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Oh, I have a question for you.  

Have any of you left Facebook?  It takes 90 days after you say you want to delete your account before you are off--and you can't go near it--one accidental click and you have to start over.  I'm really only on there to post the blog because I was asked by some people to do that because it was easier for them.  But I do have a "follow by email" option on the upper side of the blog so it can be delivered to your inbox.  I am thinking of leaving Facebook and have heard of several others who are doing it.  Was wondering what those of you on Facebook thought about it?  Have you already left/are waiting an exit out right now or do you plan to stay?  If you follow me on Facebook would you use the "follow by email" if I left?  (BTW--I would have no idea if you do or don't because I receive no accounting of who follows by email.)  Just curious.  I would let you know ahead of time if I decide to quit.  

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Well, till next week! 

Hope your week is absolutely marvelous...without a painful ending--LOL!  ;)

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"Gratitude is exultation awaiting between the cracks of normalcy."

Frederic Potter

Monday-1:30pm

Good afternoon!

Was 12 years yesterday since I started blogging.  Wow!  Time flies.  :)  I haven't been the best blogger so far this year, but I am trying to get back to regular posts.  Thanks to all of you who have hung in there and stuck with me.  I have met some of the best people, made new pen pal friends, and met people from all around the globe.  We really do live in the best time!  :)

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Well, I found out something this week.  Annie is afraid of thunderstorms.  Makes sense, I suppose, as she hates loud noises.  Last Tuesday night she was sleeping on my chair while I was watching the end of an episode of Poldark when suddenly lightning lit up the living room even with the blinds closed.  A crack of thunder ejected Annie from the chair like an explosion of black fur!  Out of the corner of my eye I caught a black streak darting into the pantry.

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I thought that since there had been no warning and it was like the storm had developed right over us that probably the surprise had caused the extreme reaction.  I finished the Poldark episode to flashes of light, snapping thunder, and the pelting of rain on the air conditioner.  When I was ready I went and found Annie huddled in a corner of the pantry--thinking she might want to cuddle with me on the bed for comfort.  I carried her trembly body into the bedroom but the second I set her on the bed she raced into the bathroom and hid behind the toilet.  I am no comfort to Annie when she's afraid.

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But the next morning the sun was shining and Annie was taking in the rays. 

I wonder if her fear of thunderstorms has something to do with being abandoned on the street when she was a young thing?  I imagine her being outside trying to find shelter in a bad storm...she had to have scary times.

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This morning I woke up to rain and I thought I heard some distant thunder.  While I got ready for the day Annie hid behind the toilet in the bathroom.  Apparently the thunder doesn't have to be right overhead.  Annie did manage to slink down the hallway and into the pantry so she could get her morning bit of canned food.  But then she wouldn't come out of the pantry long after it quit raining.  Finally she must have realized the danger was past (my telling her so had no effect whatsoever) and she finally made her way back out into the world...our world--LOL!

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So Annie is very afraid of thunder.  I learned something new about her this week.

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Right now she is sleeping in the chair next to me at the table here.  I think she had an exhausting night hiding in the bathroom, poor thing.

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Meanwhile, we've had critter visitors, of course.  You'd probably have to enlarge this to see the newest visitor--a red-winged blackbird.  Or orange-winged blackbird.  I grew up with them as a kid and heard them called by both names so I am not sure which is correct.

And this past week or so the ground squirrels have discovered the bird seed on my patio. 

I had Gramma Day all day on Saturday and Ian and I saw a ground squirrel out there every time we turned around.  We waited until it filled it's pouches and left before we went out to pull weeds around the patio (some of the bird seed had germinated).  Low 90s and about the same in humidity--awk! 

Turned out yesterday I saw one ground squirrel waiting for the other one to leave so it could get seed--so there are at least two of them!  I was just about thinking to stop putting out seed for the summer...and now I won't, of course.  I do love those thirteen-striped ground squirrels!!

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Ian and I were busy all day.  We watched the movie WallE, ate lunch, checked my mail, watched the ground squirrel(s), picked weeds, looked at old Bubbles laying about...

...and then, since Ian didn't want to paint, we tackled another project.  I took a picture in a text for Leah--not knowing that I could never get ahold of it to show you...and believe me I tried.  Even when I figured out how to download it to my laptop it will not let me open it.  *sigh*  Lesson learned.

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 Anyways, we misted 25 sheets of white cardstock for Christmas cards.  We used the red trays to dry them--stacked crosswise.  Ian couldn't manage the misting bottle (tried) so he was in charge of stacking the red trays crosswise.  He had to get a stool to he could reach high enough to stack them.  Did a great job!  So--one step done on the assembly-line and Ian can say he helped!  He was very pleased.

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I had Ian on Saturday because Leah's good friend, Amber, is moving back to Fargo and drove up from southern Minnesota to look for a place to rent.  She wanted Dagan and Leah with for a second opinion and Gramma was more than happy to take Ian for the day.  :)  I'll take him next Saturday, too, because they plan to clean house for Ian's birthday party the following Sunday.  (I volunteered!)

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When Dagan came to pick up Ian he helped me empty the big, old litter box.  He took out trash while I sprayed down the litter box.  Then--I decided to take the risk and have Dagan bring the old litter box out to the garage.  Annie would suddenly have no choice and we'd see how she did.

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She's doing just fine with it!!

I think it really did help adding more and more pellets to her old box so she got used to the chunky feel of the wood pellets first.  Anyways, I am delighted!  Good for Annie, the environment, and my pocketbook.  :)

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Speaking of Annie.  I went to take a picture of her sleeping on my leg last night...

 ...she gave me a look--what are you up to?

I had removed my hand to take the picture.  As soon as the hand went back on her tummy she conked out again. 

I may not be a comfort to her during a thunderstorm, but she does like my company now.  ;)  So much so that she often makes it difficult for me to write letters in my chair.  Her feelings get so hurt because she takes it as personal rejection...and I am a soft touch.  LOL!  :)

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Well, this week I am hoping I can go with Leah to a craft store (or two, if need be) on Wednesday.  We want to find 25 sheets of green card stock in a green we like.  It's been such a long time since we've been out shopping together!  I'm praying for a good day so I can go with.  :):)

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In the meantime, I have written another Monday blog and am doing laundry.  Even though it quit raining, it's a dark day--but the rain did cool it off.  Nice!   I hope you are having a positive day and it will be a really sweet week for you and yours.  Feels nice to be getting back into regular blogging again. 

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Life is good.  :) :)

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"May you embrace this day, not just as any old day, but as this day.  Your day.  Held in trust by you, in a singular place, called now."

Carrie Newcomer

Monday-11:45am

Still morning...barely--LOL!

 We've had some rain come through...

...from sprinkles to steady downpours. 

So glad!  We needed it! 

The wind did break off the existing marigolds that had been blooming when I bought them.

The new blooms will be sturdier having grown up in the wind tunnel outside my door--LOL!

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Well, I've been torturing Annie.  Not at this very moment...although she thinks I am.  She's sitting next to me meowing with some complaint or another.

My guess is that she's not happy that I just closed the place up and turned the AC on--LOL!

It was so much cooler the past couple days that I could have the place open all day and Annie was in seventh heaven.  All good things must end, isn't that what "they" say?  Back into the 80s again for the next week.  If it's cool enough at night I promised Anne I might at least crack the patio door for her for a while.  That's the guilt talking for the ongoing cat torture.

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And how am I torturing her?

I am trying to switch her over to a different system for her litter box.

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Leah found out about this online and Annie is our guinea pig.  If it works Blink will be next.  Just in case Annie refuses--no point in them buying up all this stuff because I could send it over for Blink. 

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Okay--this system uses hardwood pellets for the litter.  These are the actual pellets people use in pellet wood stoves.  Way cheaper than clay litter, better for the environment and the cat...but I have to talk an old cat into a new trick--LOL!  

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For anyone who's interested there are many videos on youtube.  Note: in researching this further I found it is not recommended to buy pine wood pellets because there is something in the pine oil that can make cats sick.  They recommend using hardwood pellets, but in a lot of the videos people are using pine.

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The litter box this lady was using looked perfect for the change.  It's made by Tidy Cat and come with plastic pellets.  Plastic--yuck!  Most cats I have ever had--well, I can't imagine them ever using plastic pellets.  But those come with the litter kit.

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Even though this lady uses the wood pellets for horse stalls (which I don't know if those are hardwood or pine), I stuck this video in because it shows this cat box with the tray and how it all works.  Easy to put a plastic bag underneath the whole thing so you can pick it all up easily and cleanly when it's time to empty the sawdust.  I liked her system.

Even in the information that came with the litter box it suggests putting the new cat box next to the old one... 

...and to put a pee ball inside to give them the idea.
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Annie's response...
"Surely you jest!"  

Their suggestion was to let the old box get so dirty that the cat would try the new cleaner box.  Well, honestly--Annie would probably keep going in the dirty box and I'm the one who can't stand a dirty litter box--LOL!
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Annie has never set one paw inside that new one.
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So, I started adding some of the hardwood pellets to her old box to get her used to the feeling of digging in the pellets.

My plan is to gradually add more pellets until there is almost all pellets in there--and then remove the old one and pray. 

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Don't worry.  I do have some of her old kitty litter and will clean and save her old bigger cat box just in case.   In fact, I might set this one inside of the old one after it's emptied and cleaned for a while just so it feels more familiar.  I really hope this 8-9 year old cat will accept the change because sawdust is so much better for the environment than the clay--there should be much less dust--and I can get a 40 pound bag of the hardwood pellets for about $4.19-4.59 here in town.  So, I say, "Annie...please, be adaptable!"  

Wish me luck!

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Ian was here from about 10:30am till 5:30pm on Friday for Gramma Day!  The time just flew by.  Caroline was delivering my groceries right when Ian arrived.  Ian helped me put groceries away.  It was a bristle block/TV day, I guess.  We watched "How It's Made" videos on YouTube--one was on how they make Nutella.  Ian said he hadn't ever had Nutella so afterwards we had a taste (he loved it) and read the ingredients on the jar.  
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We watched a show on dinosaurs where he sat with Gramma because it involved killing and eating other dinosaurs...so we talked about lions, wolves, and baby sea turtles.  We needed a break--so I counted while Ian ran 10 times around the kitchen table and then he helped me change a big round light bulb in the bathroom.  Little exciting projects for an almost four year old.  ;)  Time for some gentleness after the dinosaurs...Ian asked to watch some Mr. Rogers.  Yup--the day flew by and Daddy was here to pick him up.
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 I think I feel like Blink here after a day with Ian--LOL!

Gramma was falling asleep in her chair by 8:30! 
But it is a very happy sore and tired.  :)
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Then Leah was here for Crafts yesterday.  We are trying Sunday afternoons for Craft Days instead of Tuesday nights.  I had gotten a Kindle Fire on sale and Leah set it up for me!   I mostly wanted it for reading books (enlarging the font) and audio books.

Leah made the Birthday Party invitations for Ian's birthday later on this month.  We went over the steps for the three-tree Christmas cards, made a change in the plan, and took note that we still need green cardstock--but for now I can start working on the next assembly-line steps when I am feeling decent.  It is soooo nice to be having some better days.  Whoohoo!!
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That's about it from this week.  Saw a suggestion that if I make a comment on my own blog with a click to be notified of further comments I should get email notifications.  So I am going to try that.  (Thanks, Djan!)
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Have a fantabulous week!!  :) :)
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"Walk as if you are kissing the earth with your feet."
Thich Nhat Hanh