2-25-2019 Monday--10:45am

Good morning!

Hard to believe this is the same cat who arrived skittish and, shall we say, not too social--LOL!  I can reach over and rub her belly.  Not that she's the least bit more social with anyone else, but she has learned to trust me.  I think Karma would approve.  ;)

Been snowing every other day it seems. 

They barely get the sidewalks cleared and they get covered up again. 

I love all the critter tracks. 

The snowbanks are so tall. 

Somebody woke up disoriented--LOL! 

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Tuesday was the perfect day for Leah to drive down to Minneapolis to pick up the new car.  It was above zero and sunny.  She stopped to pick up her sister, Ariel, and they headed for IKEA.

 

Leah was able to pack this new vehicle quite full for the trip back to Fargo--LOL!

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Caroline came to clean on Tuesday.  She told me about some Thomas The Train movies on Hulu for Ian.  (We all got the one year for 99 cents a month Hulu deal after Thanksgiving.)  Caroline's boy, Parker, loves Thomas The Train.

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Wednesday it snowed all day and night--but quite gently...for here.  ;)  I had put out some seed that was quickly covered with a layer of fresh, fluffy snow.

Everyone was perfectly willing to dig for it--LOL!

The cotton tail was so funny.  Dug a hole down so far once that nothing but that white tail showed! 

Snowy face. 

Rare to see two jackrabbits and the cottontail eating together. 

But one jackrabbit caught the eye of the other and munched a little too close.

I caught the face off before they both stood up and scratched the air at each other and then pounded the ground...and one retreated a few yards.  Note the cotton tail ignored them both and kept right on eating.  

That little cottontail is brave as can be.  I have seen it get up on its hind legs, hold it's ground and scratch back!  Even if she retreats she comes right back.  Feisty little thing.

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Thursday I made some potato and veggie soup.  I had tried these (fake) beef tips by Gardein before and didn't care for the texture.  So I thought I'd thaw them out and cut them down to smaller chunks to throw them in some soup.  Still not a fan.  But I will eat them...this time.  

Love everything else by Gardein I've tried so far.  And am always using their (fake) ground hamburger.  Regardless, hot soup is so darn good in this kind of weather.  :)

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I was so tired of my humidifiers being on their last legs...of bloody noses...electric hair and clothes...that I finally ordered a couple new ones from Bed, Bath and Beyond.  Half the price of Amazon, free shipping, and 20% off coupon on one of them.  I can hardly wait till they arrive.  Dry skin is a problem in the winter with the heat going all the time.

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While I was making soup I went to run the garbage disposal and it just spun and backed up.  I tried letting it sit a couple of times, but same thing.  So I called and left a message for the office.  First the toilet and now the disposal.  

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On Friday while I was working on the memoir questions from the book the maintenance man came to fix the disposal.  It was fine--just plugged up.  He informed me it was the potato peelings!  ??

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All my life I have put down potato peelings, carrot peelings, egg shells, and never had a problem.  I had no idea you aren't supposed to put any of those things down the disposal.  Am I the only one?  I knew not to put down bones or rinds or anything hard...but I have always put down peelings and egg shells.   I went online and you aren't even supposed to put pasta down the disposal (not that I ever remember wasting pasta--LOL!).  There's a long list of what not to put down a disposal.  I think I need a list of what you CAN put down one--LOL!  Did you know about this?

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So this time it was my fault something needed fixing.  Not that I had a clue.  Lesson learned.

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Saturday was Gramma Day!  

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I had to laugh.  After Leah had dropped Ian off she was helping me online with something before she left while Ian got settled in for lunch...and then we heard a slightly sorrowful..."I thought this was going to be Gramma Day."  Ian thought maybe Mama was staying again like she did for the valentine making--LOL!  I guess he likes our time together.  ;)

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I do, too!  :)

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Ian seemed pretty tired.  He wanted to just chair-cuddle and watch shows after lunch.  Didn't even want to do puzzles or any artsy stuff--just wanted to watch Maru, Mr. Rogers, Sesame Street, Katy and The Big Snow (thanks Joyce F.), and one of the Thomas The Train Movies.  He was fighting sleep for a while there, but stayed awake until Mama came to get him for dinner.

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The rabbits are much braver than the birds about seeing us inside the apartment.

Ian got to get some real close up views. 

Was a fun, lazy, hanging out day with Ian.

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Then yesterday we had a ground blizzard.  No snow, just the high winds to blow it all around.  For those of you who don't get snow or don't get this kind of wind I took a couple short videos.

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Annie was really wound up over the snow swirling on our patio.  She'd stare, race around the apartment, and beat up her toys.  Was so funny!

This one was a couple of hours later, but pretty much the same view outside--LOL!

Today...things have calmed down.  Everyone has eaten their fill twice over and one covey of grouse have settled in for a snooze over on one of the growing snow piles.

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My memoir questions for this past week were about the time period from when I had Dagan until we didn't live with his dad anymore (1974-1978).  Also a turbulent time.  Dagan's diagnosis.  Jerry and I were married, separated, divorced, moved in together once more, and finally split up.  

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Dagan was born with a rare series of heart defects (only one girl was still alive at five in France at the time--rest had died before two years old--most in the first few months and days).  The only thing I have written about that time is Soft Breaths.  We had split up when Dagan was about nine months old.  Dagan and I were living in an older apartment building in Fridley.  

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College (2001) creative writing class assignment.  Supposed to write memoir piece.  Well, I was at a loss as to what to write because I had too many choices--LOL!  My professor suggested--have you ever had an epiphany moment?  

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Several!

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I picked this one because it was a core issue for me and had longer reaching effects than I would have ever guessed.  

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Soft Breaths.

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When I made this decision I fully expected to be shortening Dagan's life, but I wanted it to be a good life--however long.  Always was more concerned with who he was while he was here than how long he lived.  Sometimes you just can't possibly know what results you might get from following your gut feelings about what is right.

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Confession: 

That story has been published four times in literary magazines and my professor asked if he could use the story in future classes as an example of something or other.  Was the first story I ever got money for--won a first prize at the college for $60.00.  Whoohoo!  (Lit magazines pay you in copies.)  First time I ever felt like an "author".  :)

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Speaking of writing...I have a couple of people I have owed letters to since Christmas--sorry.  Been a real snail snail-mailer this year.  You will hear from me--eventually!  

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Anyways, that's it for this week. 

Thanks so much to any of you who have been reading the stories.  Even if you haven't, thanks for stopping by and/or commenting.  Means a lot to me. 

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Here's to epiphanies!!  :) :)

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"The trick, it seems, is to be able to hold both things very close--the gratitude and the misery--and then, with a semblance of faith, to let them fly."

Elizabeth Aquino