December 21, 2025 Sunday

Greetings!

The boys play in my window well sometimes.  I am notorious for never remembering to take pictures when people are around.  Comes from living alone for over two decades--lol!  I took a few pics of Liam when he was playing without Ian out there earlier in the week.

I told him not to knock down the snow sculpture drifted over the edge there...

...so he was careful not to knock it down.

He's got a big stick to dig and poke in the snow.  I think it is from the thunderstorm that ripped down a huge hunk of their willow tree quite a while back, but I'm not sure.  A boy and a stick can be occupied for hours--lol!

When he left.

But then we had two warm days in a row where the snow was melting like crazy so the sculpted snow was gone anyways.

Miss Allie asleep on her chair one evening.  She has had no desire to go up by the window when the shade is down.

Has she learned to use the cat tree?  Not really.  Up is quite the challenge for her.  I help her by lifting and guiding her.  I think she will eventually get to going down by herself, though.  That's easier for her and takes less guidance now.  For a cat who didn't even know what steps were in her eleven years she's doing pretty well, I think.  

Oh, and Leah noticed they have senior food in the brand she eats...so we tried a small bag.  Picky-picky ate it with no hesitation!  Shock!  Probably looks and smells much the same, so we've switched her over to the old lady cat food.

After our two warm 40 degree days it went right back to the deep freeze.  We had a blizzard Wednesday night.  A more wind than snow blizzard, but the schools were closed on Thursday and my dentist cancelled my appointment.  :(

Now I have an appointment at 10:45am Monday.  Thank goodness I could get in before Christmas.

Very strange things are happening.

First my molar sent pain jolts to hot or cold, my jaw was really sore, and it swelled up (lower left side).  Then my appointment got cancelled.  Since a couple days before the cancelled appointment the hot and cold pain jolts had mostly eased, the swelling went down some, and the pain subsided some.  Meanwhile, my left ear hurts almost like I could have an earache (which I never get) and my right eye hurts on the outside, is a bit red, and a bit swollen under my eye. ???  WTH!  

I have no clue what is going on.  

Years ago, some of you may remember, I had what I thought was a bad cavity.  Now with fibro I have pain all over all the time, so it is hard for me to notice something new until it's really vying loudly for the forefront of my attention, you know?  Apparently, my jaw had become infected.  I had to have surgery to have two back molars removed and my jaw shaved down.  Yup--same lower left.  On the other hand, when I was having cancer treatment my entire jaw hurt so badly that I would have gladly had all my teeth pulled out!  No lie!  Went in and didn't even have one cavity.  Then I also remembered my dad had a bad tooth near the front and his cheek swelled up so much it closed his eye shut.  (He hated going to a dentist.)  So, your guess is as good as mine.  But at least I will get my teeth x-rayed and find out what's going on with them.  

I also just heard about a lady with an autoimmune disease who went gluten-free and it has helped her pain and exhaustion level tremendously.  I have never tried that.  Do any of you know of people who have gone gluten-free?  Is there a test of some kind to know if you have trouble with gluten?  

Dealing with health issues is exhausting.  

Anyways, I'll let you know what I find out at the dentist, of course.  At least I am no longer getting electric jolts from my coffee or water--lol!  ;)

Leah was sick the week before since Wednesday.  Went to the walk-in clinic last Monday.  Was afraid she had pneumonia again, but she didn't thankfully.  They gave her steroids and she was feeling better to go to work on Tuesday, I think it was--maybe it was Wednesday.  She has had more trouble with her asthma since the fires from Canada in the summers, she's noticed.  Doesn't bounce back like she used to and gets sicker for longer than she used to.  I'm glad they'll have some time off for the holidays.  Leah should just sleep!  Though I doubt she will--lol!  We all need a long break!

We aren't expected to be above freezing until maybe in January.  No more snow expected, either.

I am soooo glad we do have some snow for Christmas.  

I put a blanket and a cushion in the cubbies in the cat tree.  Allie has gone in to curl up in the bottom one a couple of times the past week.  So she's getting less scared of it.  Got to give us old ladies time to adjust to big changes--lol! 

I spent the weekend addressing envelopes for the 2026 birthday cards.  An assortment of leftover cards from different years will be going out in the coming year.  One more task off my to-do list.  

One funny silver lining--with my jaw, ear, and eye taking up all the attention I haven't notice my back or foot pain as much at all--ROFL!  Everything is relative.  Giggling to myself I jiggled Allie who was trying to sleep in my chair with me.  Annoyed, she went over to sleep in her chair in peace--lol!  

Well, my next task is to set up my 2026 bullet journal for the year.  Christmas is just around the corner and then New Year's Eve will be here in a flash...angel cards and burning bowl have been unpacked!!  I hope you all have a wonderful, joyous, fulfilling, peaceful, heartwarming week.  (Don't expect much, do I? LOL!)  Till next time when it is almost 2026!  Merry Christmas!  Happy Holidays!