tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38307203229700257122024-03-19T04:48:07.153-04:00Sparrow Tree JournalJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12512800812290518552noreply@blogger.comBlogger1459125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3830720322970025712.post-50720572139460173892024-03-17T10:21:00.004-04:002024-03-17T19:14:30.704-04:00Fun day planned (updated)<p><span style="font-size: medium;">Have I mentioned that our nephew Tyler and his wife Jessica are having a baby? They're the ones who got married last summer. They're expecting a little boy at the end of May! The whole family is pretty excited.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Two weeks from now I'm headed up to Raleigh to attend the baby shower. </span><span>Since Marla is a longtime friend of the family, she's going with me. We're heading up the afternoon before and staying the night. (The hotel I've booked for us has a really cool rooftop lounge overlooking the city, so we're looking forward to checking that out!)</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Anyway, I decided to get creative for a shower gift. I wanted something fun but also practical, so after much perusing of Pinterest I decided to buy them a huge box of diapers and to build a castle out of them! Here are the two main photos that inspired me:</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOchGwt90jvTrZRrFeHdUdBT2LtbsG8vMYwLCVqAXef9Sg3YUUmGU8ldbemgy7ehijgTLN0CrFws0PtI0aYiUqQnRAuq72nxrli9e3kpvDqH5ZDNQsLjSXUj3v94qJbOWacp0itVfoiHVUtoqpSvMQsDKk3B4QL2vQMfut3IJpem9J_zcGav5behbKA78X/s1002/bbb03e111ded72df0503d44b443ce514.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1002" data-original-width="564" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOchGwt90jvTrZRrFeHdUdBT2LtbsG8vMYwLCVqAXef9Sg3YUUmGU8ldbemgy7ehijgTLN0CrFws0PtI0aYiUqQnRAuq72nxrli9e3kpvDqH5ZDNQsLjSXUj3v94qJbOWacp0itVfoiHVUtoqpSvMQsDKk3B4QL2vQMfut3IJpem9J_zcGav5behbKA78X/w360-h640/bbb03e111ded72df0503d44b443ce514.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMAxF2X9eN6oMKyjegBXHdYryfncLjWyQju95ERQvm433BcarAhCr_heqMBcFZSl-6_Exmw-S5zsqTcnHDav4itbfD-ZdYm2-NXZn-StCjC-ttHEcCtSAai4bnQ7KaqPF58b4Zgy4UR6ZvLJSHeQs7IOIYSbpvOKz9gZxMWtpic1fa2xe4VnUhTSCFm2x4/s940/53f13534ff12c60050c1a45e6c72d3ed.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="940" data-original-width="564" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMAxF2X9eN6oMKyjegBXHdYryfncLjWyQju95ERQvm433BcarAhCr_heqMBcFZSl-6_Exmw-S5zsqTcnHDav4itbfD-ZdYm2-NXZn-StCjC-ttHEcCtSAai4bnQ7KaqPF58b4Zgy4UR6ZvLJSHeQs7IOIYSbpvOKz9gZxMWtpic1fa2xe4VnUhTSCFm2x4/w384-h640/53f13534ff12c60050c1a45e6c72d3ed.jpg" width="384" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Marla and I went shopping last night for ribbon, cardstock, and notions to use for the castle, and she's coming over today to help me build it. We're going to drink wine and make an afternoon of it! :) I bought the sweetest little (infant safe) stuffed dragon to go on top. It's baby blue and silver, and it's going to look really cute perched on top of the castle! </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Of course, I'll post pictures later on and show you how it turns out. </span></p><p><b>So we're not quite done, but we're going to add some finishing touches next weekend. And this picture was a quick one before we disassembled the various parts for storage, and some of the turrets aren't straight, etc. But here's what we have so far!</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcYkW9OPSNoxuzGh5qOt2BAQdpspb9XRuJcmSX3hY2TVeNbqmX5gkd5GevS5PZDyS8n7RDsMR6ahJXbaD1-dVCcbEv-fmPVklgVXX0gBm8M4sBqFBPxx007gvJmUk6Bcq_DZniXVwLoqvJmhIJKAwvIwONKsM_iex32s1Qf288r-7CrptKZ1OWwzWU8fZL/s4032/20240317_173751.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcYkW9OPSNoxuzGh5qOt2BAQdpspb9XRuJcmSX3hY2TVeNbqmX5gkd5GevS5PZDyS8n7RDsMR6ahJXbaD1-dVCcbEv-fmPVklgVXX0gBm8M4sBqFBPxx007gvJmUk6Bcq_DZniXVwLoqvJmhIJKAwvIwONKsM_iex32s1Qf288r-7CrptKZ1OWwzWU8fZL/w480-h640/20240317_173751.heic" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12512800812290518552noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3830720322970025712.post-29397234603532259242024-03-12T15:12:00.000-04:002024-03-12T15:12:14.922-04:00Some excitement over breakfast<p><span style="font-size: medium;">My school had our annual "Doughnuts for Dads" breakfast this morning, where dads are invited to come have breakfast with their kids. You wouldn't think there would be much scope for excitement in that, but oh boy, what a morning it turned out to be! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Several of the dads in attendance today are police officers. And one of them spotted a dad who was <i>wanted for attempted murder </i>having breakfast with his child! All of a sudden our parking lot (which I have a good view of from my office window) was swarming with undercover police officers. One or two of the plain clothes officers sat in the office with our security guard, watching all the guy's movements on our school cameras. After he finished breakfast with his little girl and walked her to the kindergarten hall, he walked out the front door, and was immediately arrested. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Fortunately, they took the guy in without incident, and most of the staff (and all of the students) were blissfully unaware of what was going on. But the office staff and administration were quite nervous, waiting to see how it was going to go down. Thank goodness nothing bad happened!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">And can you believe the nerve of that dad, on the lam for attempted murder, coming up to his kid's school to have breakfast?! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">You can't make this shit up!!</span></p>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12512800812290518552noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3830720322970025712.post-34923112325282708172024-03-03T16:43:00.004-05:002024-03-03T16:44:29.236-05:00Last day (with cake!)<span style="font-size: medium;">Yesterday was Gregg's last day at the pet store. He really didn't want a lot of attention for retiring, but several of his coworkers gave him cards and small gifts. One young woman presented him with this plate she had hand painted. Wasn't that sweet?</span><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVezU1b8wlVDkI7Bl2SNutp3bzqlbTB4RNvyazGIi-zmLbPn6YrJlv7uWg9O2b86wBrmPt7-V5eQYIpdcad2Avz7_FBn-m0vcnlVO7QMDRm0MuUId3p47eAJ4IzcP_yiHC-egRG7UqylPE3Wyvtos1iZarOskeY9w0pp-kDTAr91PLZ4eoff7XSeNxbZaG/s1008/Resized_20240302_134307.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="756" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVezU1b8wlVDkI7Bl2SNutp3bzqlbTB4RNvyazGIi-zmLbPn6YrJlv7uWg9O2b86wBrmPt7-V5eQYIpdcad2Avz7_FBn-m0vcnlVO7QMDRm0MuUId3p47eAJ4IzcP_yiHC-egRG7UqylPE3Wyvtos1iZarOskeY9w0pp-kDTAr91PLZ4eoff7XSeNxbZaG/w480-h640/Resized_20240302_134307.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Lots of regular customers and friends stopped by throughout the day to say a kind word to him and to wish him well. After more than 25 years of managing that store's aquarium section, he's something of a local fixture. One rival large chain pet store here in town even offered him a job last week! (Of course, he took that as a compliment, but politely declined).</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Anyway, when he finally got home last night, I'd bought a cake to mark the occasion.</span><div><br /></div><div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD8QHBpcZUxl_ouSQHqYP3DQ_ggMMzt0dor7_l5uY1J9CVtQ1QDxBERCKpCze1kBGqbdK0Uj33vbHFoh2fgnVuDgLGs8RYMNffRo4_CcUTKVPUmutaEqPNR_90GpYnohvpJepi4AElti8u_RrpoS9iBpNDpR_JuHm7iI-nLXfhSu9ePjOfc1dywB-dOFd_/s3024/20240302_155744.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="2989" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD8QHBpcZUxl_ouSQHqYP3DQ_ggMMzt0dor7_l5uY1J9CVtQ1QDxBERCKpCze1kBGqbdK0Uj33vbHFoh2fgnVuDgLGs8RYMNffRo4_CcUTKVPUmutaEqPNR_90GpYnohvpJepi4AElti8u_RrpoS9iBpNDpR_JuHm7iI-nLXfhSu9ePjOfc1dywB-dOFd_/w632-h640/20240302_155744.jpg" width="632" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="font-size: medium;">It's a hummingbird cake, one of his favorites. I bought a separate chocolate cupcake to get that Dr. Suess fish topper for it. :) </span></div></div></div></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12512800812290518552noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3830720322970025712.post-70949015184681474392024-02-27T16:09:00.001-05:002024-02-27T16:11:31.939-05:00Friendship<p><span style="font-size: medium;">This past Saturday Marla came over and spent the afternoon with me. I hadn't seen her since the week after my dad died back in early January. I've been really busy with all the changes happening around here, and then she got sick (pneumonia) and was out of commission for a couple of weeks. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We spent hours talking, snacking, and drinking wine, and it was just exactly what I needed!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgumdozNxZqbYqMQ14cf5-loFneevmlT61x02EggsD6I6xiffn98eiCEEN7Myus0JZI-KfUsWAD6wKIunHmcEuMjRvwZAj-wG_9CJTJQO-y_3e9rqAyS5jIG5z44xe2XVfeRqKVgnLTogVAj3-E6yxpxjxXJAY8o_n9e7yHaVrZ2FCdOi4AnKpEZx8wAmHk/s1440/429652835_7787052947994952_666194908272621214_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1440" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgumdozNxZqbYqMQ14cf5-loFneevmlT61x02EggsD6I6xiffn98eiCEEN7Myus0JZI-KfUsWAD6wKIunHmcEuMjRvwZAj-wG_9CJTJQO-y_3e9rqAyS5jIG5z44xe2XVfeRqKVgnLTogVAj3-E6yxpxjxXJAY8o_n9e7yHaVrZ2FCdOi4AnKpEZx8wAmHk/w400-h334/429652835_7787052947994952_666194908272621214_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><b>One of the snacks I served: a round of Brie topped with jalapeno jam, wrapped in puff pastry, and baked. Served with crackers and apple slices (and wine, of course). It was delicious!</b></i></span><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Talking over all the stressful stuff that's been happening with a trusted friend made me feel so much lighter. She's always so supportive and encouraging, plus we laugh a lot when we get together. I'm so grateful for her and her friendship! I hope I'm a good friend to her in return--I certainly try to be. </span></p>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12512800812290518552noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3830720322970025712.post-57727531321848455882024-02-22T10:49:00.006-05:002024-02-22T10:51:16.175-05:00Thursday morning this & that<p><span style="font-size: medium;">Did I mention that I'm off work this week?</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It's February intercession and the schools in our district are closed. It's nice to have these extra breaks in February and October, not connected to any holiday. This will be the last time I have a whole week off to myself, because after next week my husband will be retired.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">He's looking forward to it and I'm really happy for him. The dogs and Marco are going to love it! Nothing makes them happier than to have one or both of us at home with them. Poppy has followed me everywhere this week, even to the bathroom. She sleeps curled up tight against me every night. George isn't nearly so clingy, but he likes it when we're around, too. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO6I1uu0MsbNKPTyHcMHZtwCQf7cUVq3mmIZoUmH-jYea5NgDLTxgzfF6qD2wvF5BZON2DVtcsCDpBUUniyjc-n_n-i4sFpfonHq_PrtkJIz6stKcbDzk2w63j586H_dHyqkij6LOJNJcTPf33UJ9mEe0enZeqIU4mUJjJn2SIfkN80CMx809U6yXW7TBN/s878/FB_IMG_1708227639914.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="878" data-original-width="853" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO6I1uu0MsbNKPTyHcMHZtwCQf7cUVq3mmIZoUmH-jYea5NgDLTxgzfF6qD2wvF5BZON2DVtcsCDpBUUniyjc-n_n-i4sFpfonHq_PrtkJIz6stKcbDzk2w63j586H_dHyqkij6LOJNJcTPf33UJ9mEe0enZeqIU4mUJjJn2SIfkN80CMx809U6yXW7TBN/w622-h640/FB_IMG_1708227639914.jpg" width="622" /></a></div><b><i>Poppy has this thing she does when we get home from work: she takes a running leap across the threshold of the back door, and lands on the sofa six feet or so away. It's her way of expressing joy and excitement at seeing us again! Pretty soon she'll only be doing it for me!</i><br /></b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />Some of my tomato seeds have sprouted! Before Gregg left for work this morning, he pulled out an 3ft aquarium light fixture that I'll set up somewhere in the house for the tiny sprouts. The peppers still haven't made their debut, but they usually take longer anyway. And if all goes well, I plan to do some work in the garden this afternoon and also sow some lettuce seed. In addition to my standard lettuce <a href="https://www.rareseeds.com/lettuce-merveille-des-quatre-saisons">Merveille des Quatre Saisons</a> I got a free pack of lettuce seed with my Baker Creek order this year that looks really interesting: <a href="https://www.rareseeds.com/lettuce-yedikule">Yedikule</a>. I'm really looking forward to fresh greens.</span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Here's a photo I wanted to share before I sign off. Miss Luella's tree next door is in full, magnificent bloom, and I got a close up of some of the flowers. They're so beautiful.</span></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO7lcFplEIVlwJsNdDLDX_IXRt3YdLnF0Or7eitEPTSllP6BerlbQD1V0Dr4gon30t7A1ExZnUuBZ7-XVWpVwakKYNvRN5EZo5e5uo34S3KTZvAoorLfDhOp-I_v-nrM8x7nyGDvKsaH7i2wDMSpmQ5kDznGoT8_9XocSmIeC4Z-KR4xjRz5mnnbpQPATe/s4608/20240217_094344.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="3456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO7lcFplEIVlwJsNdDLDX_IXRt3YdLnF0Or7eitEPTSllP6BerlbQD1V0Dr4gon30t7A1ExZnUuBZ7-XVWpVwakKYNvRN5EZo5e5uo34S3KTZvAoorLfDhOp-I_v-nrM8x7nyGDvKsaH7i2wDMSpmQ5kDznGoT8_9XocSmIeC4Z-KR4xjRz5mnnbpQPATe/w480-h640/20240217_094344.heic" width="480" /></a></div><i><br /></i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><i>I spoke to one of Luella's daughters the other day, and the family is selling the house to one of her grandsons! His name is Evan and he's a lovely young man. We're so pleased that the house (and the glorious tree) will stay in the same great family! Evan and his girlfriend Stacy plan to move in next week. They're going to be wonderful neighbors!</i></b></div></div></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12512800812290518552noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3830720322970025712.post-27097046176098155722024-02-21T16:49:00.004-05:002024-02-21T16:49:43.043-05:00Home improvement<span style="font-size: medium;">The past few days have been exciting, because we hired a guy to partially remodel our screened porch! The bottom third of it is now enclosed and painted, and there's waterproof plastic "wood" on the bottom all the way around, to solve the problem of lots of moisture and pooling water at ground level rotting the old boards. He also installed a new, sturdier door with a doggy door already built in for George and Poppy. He just finished this afternoon and is currently cleaning up and getting ready to leave. He's done a good job, and we love it! It's so much better than before! We got a really good deal on the work, too, because Gregg's known the guy for a long time. There's several more projects that need doing around this old house, so we'll definitely be calling on him again!</span><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgckPyumvFIbXrrhlFejSPSxNFs6ZuGy6mqCOLaIpslGBySTpmwXk3eE_ZzgVqq7GKEMZWfqRrEnjFzoIJM8bDmx2Ja3ylWdEqFa0qDAgcKgUshNJAYtkGN7o-_VIA15yR2RXVDavphPqTZDCasBK-sGwb1hWe2t3ETPZ0oiCpKtL5-MnUo7HEkccKByBLN/s4608/20240221_161211.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="3456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgckPyumvFIbXrrhlFejSPSxNFs6ZuGy6mqCOLaIpslGBySTpmwXk3eE_ZzgVqq7GKEMZWfqRrEnjFzoIJM8bDmx2Ja3ylWdEqFa0qDAgcKgUshNJAYtkGN7o-_VIA15yR2RXVDavphPqTZDCasBK-sGwb1hWe2t3ETPZ0oiCpKtL5-MnUo7HEkccKByBLN/w480-h640/20240221_161211.heic" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXKMhwq4oLAMG5vu5PhxIaTKJ-Se_0lfSnVz8z2ptCYIz3LSjG5pbuaC0kbDjWEdEZLF0ojRLJdd8lRnaEwPLYLFNx3nvXe90afA8TDFoczwOMvdDC08cV0eHeYZDJendx7mJLbodw6lcR6vjGiT-vPRA2GGS2w3j-Gvq3YwhtuX1BfXlTqBfrAjfaf7zP/s4188/20240221_161328.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2890" data-original-width="4188" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXKMhwq4oLAMG5vu5PhxIaTKJ-Se_0lfSnVz8z2ptCYIz3LSjG5pbuaC0kbDjWEdEZLF0ojRLJdd8lRnaEwPLYLFNx3nvXe90afA8TDFoczwOMvdDC08cV0eHeYZDJendx7mJLbodw6lcR6vjGiT-vPRA2GGS2w3j-Gvq3YwhtuX1BfXlTqBfrAjfaf7zP/w640-h442/20240221_161328.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX9l5Qm0Xq4BXZialtipOwW7iGIlLlWQ5WzOgHkTPlUySxbnszWXF0aE3QTkIGfykGQqUuFr1OLkFtlNw15di2tJyj4S-sXtBFxttBS7PC0KGrGexQEYv54mdTya6_vzwwpemdJbeG2582RvoQz9hsvxZb9YMjsi8wIDMnTjKHDu12EJtAOp3LZemdXPA8/s4608/20240221_153947.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="3456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX9l5Qm0Xq4BXZialtipOwW7iGIlLlWQ5WzOgHkTPlUySxbnszWXF0aE3QTkIGfykGQqUuFr1OLkFtlNw15di2tJyj4S-sXtBFxttBS7PC0KGrGexQEYv54mdTya6_vzwwpemdJbeG2582RvoQz9hsvxZb9YMjsi8wIDMnTjKHDu12EJtAOp3LZemdXPA8/w480-h640/20240221_153947.heic" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The dogs will have to get used to a new doggie door in a new spot. They're not too sure about these changes (and have been less than thrilled with the building sounds going on outside over the last few days).</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIAnuzVQH2Ag_FNjkAWFB3h5c-kU4QuaRsmJxjHjV40z3iK56MKZ93HV06F8YM6lLV86rqy6bH10RLLPYb0yUedThCil73UhUgRByjziifzQSvy83KNn5NBnNnoucp-jYOQ-VTWFtABMjBOeiatFPV2wHyktQsrlKoQU2222r1VQNp99kRxo1ZLYL4fCA_/s4032/20240221_163802.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIAnuzVQH2Ag_FNjkAWFB3h5c-kU4QuaRsmJxjHjV40z3iK56MKZ93HV06F8YM6lLV86rqy6bH10RLLPYb0yUedThCil73UhUgRByjziifzQSvy83KNn5NBnNnoucp-jYOQ-VTWFtABMjBOeiatFPV2wHyktQsrlKoQU2222r1VQNp99kRxo1ZLYL4fCA_/w480-h640/20240221_163802.heic" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Of course, treats held on the other side helped convince them to give it a try! :)</span></div><div><br /></div></div></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12512800812290518552noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3830720322970025712.post-78642966504666495362024-02-17T19:38:00.001-05:002024-02-17T19:38:48.773-05:00Seedy<p><span style="font-size: medium;">It was seed starting day here at Casa de Sparrow!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqtFIHDAHZruzm1lCgTmfAQ3pfTF9ycO9qoSvucwVecyqHNSZDdlaYCPcRO2KWiKHHTAUE59UAQj8gKduKF1d0-MPEfoRgNI4TGubG-w3GZPQ8RjmmgvYIRqJucSAMrkiM1EVg-aHeOBUzaAORZC6rNZzBZYf9oGBN3RF0AcmNdNULMSwJxh-XTUzhlqWZ/s4032/20240217_085455.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqtFIHDAHZruzm1lCgTmfAQ3pfTF9ycO9qoSvucwVecyqHNSZDdlaYCPcRO2KWiKHHTAUE59UAQj8gKduKF1d0-MPEfoRgNI4TGubG-w3GZPQ8RjmmgvYIRqJucSAMrkiM1EVg-aHeOBUzaAORZC6rNZzBZYf9oGBN3RF0AcmNdNULMSwJxh-XTUzhlqWZ/w480-h640/20240217_085455.heic" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6h0t7eHLPpZQlYJvbcfmOCckYjmdA-UoTXQkl2sYVL6y6sdRr63Zf-8oyy84yIIXyn380gRuVIraVpuEbhELcFVXgtPz8x3mshFaAU9NhpLhUy10w0cC4Cf7A_r4jm9RLmpIpNWxFOM6_8B3u0HNQO0wQaIuBknsBPMAkwtLN44lbwO7ySWmShqCXLlFC/s4032/20240217_085508.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6h0t7eHLPpZQlYJvbcfmOCckYjmdA-UoTXQkl2sYVL6y6sdRr63Zf-8oyy84yIIXyn380gRuVIraVpuEbhELcFVXgtPz8x3mshFaAU9NhpLhUy10w0cC4Cf7A_r4jm9RLmpIpNWxFOM6_8B3u0HNQO0wQaIuBknsBPMAkwtLN44lbwO7ySWmShqCXLlFC/w480-h640/20240217_085508.heic" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg21ISeGf-Y0jw2Ebeqzswr5hdprG0UrScRk8c9k6dncqRrpRsx4X0ZYETI1phmr2nHmFLvPvZJedgqXX78DTMjYzJEKJT8H-TPKbuszKPW1wvG3FNBe_a6zp4Pxg_P5sr-SP4OVpojCLDPFlbfCE2FgMqaa__0IytAsG1vQA2rEwtW8_y0RmwFuiNgGA9F/s4032/20240217_091700.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg21ISeGf-Y0jw2Ebeqzswr5hdprG0UrScRk8c9k6dncqRrpRsx4X0ZYETI1phmr2nHmFLvPvZJedgqXX78DTMjYzJEKJT8H-TPKbuszKPW1wvG3FNBe_a6zp4Pxg_P5sr-SP4OVpojCLDPFlbfCE2FgMqaa__0IytAsG1vQA2rEwtW8_y0RmwFuiNgGA9F/w480-h640/20240217_091700.heic" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFLOclPp_Nf1lograMGGaG1KlWCyLS4z_5hFZUplH-naVrqFEoslAY9LdRAx5KOGZBYyS2RnNyGjiYFBcntL3N2L0UN1Wv7Z1XkEF1fgeTj9KqYvePslSCDFg4BkkkdJ2WJbBfSnQ28wQ57rYaGzvZ7KCO2Pi3uY0lSyLcgalqV4uo7EaR4oE3lLV1J_Ms/s3716/20240217_192738.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3716" height="520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFLOclPp_Nf1lograMGGaG1KlWCyLS4z_5hFZUplH-naVrqFEoslAY9LdRAx5KOGZBYyS2RnNyGjiYFBcntL3N2L0UN1Wv7Z1XkEF1fgeTj9KqYvePslSCDFg4BkkkdJ2WJbBfSnQ28wQ57rYaGzvZ7KCO2Pi3uY0lSyLcgalqV4uo7EaR4oE3lLV1J_Ms/w640-h520/20240217_192738.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaAr15MfNV11uLIGIhbNndX-A43S65wTgXsFW6Fro4q-7f1wA1ESRDGvNxkAOFC5KjiySEmrDtBUVMzR7wSaNJHyFCic7TgcPQtU-P-TcGiaiiSQ3Oyw3xvgd18t99C4ave-Fm-p9fa0ftquSPrvhmFrIAXOrm1AYbMhJqH7X5rQ19I4T7kS3qkDtTK6gy/s4032/20240217_192157.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaAr15MfNV11uLIGIhbNndX-A43S65wTgXsFW6Fro4q-7f1wA1ESRDGvNxkAOFC5KjiySEmrDtBUVMzR7wSaNJHyFCic7TgcPQtU-P-TcGiaiiSQ3Oyw3xvgd18t99C4ave-Fm-p9fa0ftquSPrvhmFrIAXOrm1AYbMhJqH7X5rQ19I4T7kS3qkDtTK6gy/w640-h480/20240217_192157.heic" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I'm off work next week (yay!) for February intercession, so I'll be planting lettuce (and maybe radishes) outside. Those can handle the cold weather we still have coming. Hopefully the tomato and pepper seeds I started today will be ready to plant out in mid April or shortly thereafter, which is our usual last frost date. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Seed starting day is when I truly feel like spring is on the way. It's so exciting, waiting for the first tiny green sprouts to appear. </span><span style="font-size: medium;">The joy of planning and planting a garden never seems to get old for me.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><h1 class="quoteText" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;">“No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, no culture comparable to that of the garden...But though an old man, I am but a young gardener.”<br /></span></h1><p><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">― </span><span class="authorOrTitle" face="Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Thomas Jefferson</span></b></p>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12512800812290518552noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3830720322970025712.post-26326930321896987212024-02-13T15:56:00.006-05:002024-02-13T15:59:09.827-05:00End of an era (more changes!)<p><span style="font-size: medium;">Today my husband had a phone appointment with our local social security office. He's decided to go ahead and claim his social security retirement, effective immediately! He went off to work today prepared to give two weeks' notice, and by the end of this month he will be (mostly) retired!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">He's been managing the aquarium section of the pet store for 26 years, so this is a big moment in his life. He's not quite at full retirement age yet, but his social security check will be almost exactly the same amount he makes at the store. The plan is for him to continue to service aquariums, which is his own small business. From those jobs he earns just below the maximum he's allowed to earn while receiving retirement benefits, so his income will remain exactly the same, but he'll only be working a few hours each week (and on his own schedule). Once he reaches full retirement age there won't be a limit on how much "side" income he's allowed to earn.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I'm so happy for him! He's always been such an incredibly hard worker, and he deserves to have time off while he's still young enough and healthy enough to enjoy it. And he's grown increasingly unhappy with the pet business. He worries so much about the animals that get sold, and of course they're sold to anyone who has the money to pay for them regardless of whether they can or will take care of them. That's just part of the job. Even selling "feeder" goldfish bothers him. So now that's not going to be part of his life anymore! And he's really looking forward to learning how to do some home improvement projects he's been thinking about and having time for fun.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">So the big changes in our house continue! What a year it's turning out to be, and it's only February!</span></p>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12512800812290518552noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3830720322970025712.post-90939773318699125292024-02-07T18:02:00.002-05:002024-02-07T18:02:33.223-05:00Green, growing, blooming..<p><span style="font-size: medium;">I went on a bit of a "potting up" spree last Sunday. We had several bits of houseplants I'd clipped and put in vases of water to grow roots, as well as some older potted plants that needed more room. Then a friend of Gregg's (a bit of a plant collector) sent me the start of a new-to-me plant on Saturday, so on Sunday morning I went to Lowe's and bought potting soil and new pots. I also bought a bag of orchid mix because several of my orchids needed their medium refreshed. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Here are some of my houseplants, as well as a big bouquet of flowers I bought myself last week to celebrate the day when I paid off our mortgage. I love having cut flowers in the house.</span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOtTH8jtoSCIvV3luxbK3gPZ1-CEr-YgfGp7__ZJm_4M_kcm7-XvmJ5qnUlZ36nEgEhUK169QxDXDxeHnmIcOqC-7JjNn-nfFUc3IVifp-MvvbaEcQDJTwgoAy7Ps0Gw0uJHdTFsKsliw4PM0Fet5KQRm-i8jsde7nWTe_hGFzmW23ojvGMIvS6aruTwEv/s4032/20240130_150030.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOtTH8jtoSCIvV3luxbK3gPZ1-CEr-YgfGp7__ZJm_4M_kcm7-XvmJ5qnUlZ36nEgEhUK169QxDXDxeHnmIcOqC-7JjNn-nfFUc3IVifp-MvvbaEcQDJTwgoAy7Ps0Gw0uJHdTFsKsliw4PM0Fet5KQRm-i8jsde7nWTe_hGFzmW23ojvGMIvS6aruTwEv/w640-h480/20240130_150030.heic" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyxZb0Hnwq0RME6UNuWanOvdTUO6fUUfkF4RtzNhyl7SI5kPT6n0tBk8YOewL2QU-PKp0D94IAUwve-ni3sl8qeBh-hzPTqXhYu711PI3QMzGhD7Igp6Be3Ca4W5MoHKyDMDNX6NzXQhImFhoB8EHQ-9nKBqrFvkjxxLizXUFXYWqkicn20DhITD4Uzrs8/s4032/20240130_150204.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyxZb0Hnwq0RME6UNuWanOvdTUO6fUUfkF4RtzNhyl7SI5kPT6n0tBk8YOewL2QU-PKp0D94IAUwve-ni3sl8qeBh-hzPTqXhYu711PI3QMzGhD7Igp6Be3Ca4W5MoHKyDMDNX6NzXQhImFhoB8EHQ-9nKBqrFvkjxxLizXUFXYWqkicn20DhITD4Uzrs8/w480-h640/20240130_150204.heic" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY3MJd6r4Gt-a8yK1Kw69fD3VeM0EvhKnPAwF4XnXBKR6LUu1oD78Nt4R9fufPfepvrePaOzqHSre0VbAXTxR7S7f3mBd-4mOMNvliVFi7WeG_72vlcP-YcjHuFQZwSkJK18UVM0HtpzPcDzvQfJdexlPNjc6eJl3gHagn6naN5PU4YACe-3Ii-z6azCaq/s4032/20240130_150123.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY3MJd6r4Gt-a8yK1Kw69fD3VeM0EvhKnPAwF4XnXBKR6LUu1oD78Nt4R9fufPfepvrePaOzqHSre0VbAXTxR7S7f3mBd-4mOMNvliVFi7WeG_72vlcP-YcjHuFQZwSkJK18UVM0HtpzPcDzvQfJdexlPNjc6eJl3gHagn6naN5PU4YACe-3Ii-z6azCaq/w480-h640/20240130_150123.heic" width="480" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_IE0fOQCtsFXSAw2zRgauENgf43-Rmz_9bN3ZP7tCnYwCbQT895_VGn3TMb7LjwtOWRkpQeNYbutcXxYbNidypRWgkMcBhgbxCKiHSqgoDdyF6C9787miZr4yzQwHNq6ZtowiDWDW6rHqC9uk3-NCDGH33M4SIjXw4Z0kR8dQBzVjdnzQo6nBbgOFlHt_/s4032/20240130_150252.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_IE0fOQCtsFXSAw2zRgauENgf43-Rmz_9bN3ZP7tCnYwCbQT895_VGn3TMb7LjwtOWRkpQeNYbutcXxYbNidypRWgkMcBhgbxCKiHSqgoDdyF6C9787miZr4yzQwHNq6ZtowiDWDW6rHqC9uk3-NCDGH33M4SIjXw4Z0kR8dQBzVjdnzQo6nBbgOFlHt_/w480-h640/20240130_150252.heic" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGeOBkQtdxSjHKjJM33m69WgCPq74KydM62LArWF8qWrR-jyq8Swc-atCwuhrhmq9tjcBAFTG71XILH4_5n5cnX1XocPVe7agT3Av3IIYinuslPpAdGT_uN7_3YYlJ_BtLjZyYIV14CqEr3uDK6_RHsd_a9dgUK4EBW7LBWkkULRSC1ibFnpGa0kgWjlTP/s4032/20240130_150307.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGeOBkQtdxSjHKjJM33m69WgCPq74KydM62LArWF8qWrR-jyq8Swc-atCwuhrhmq9tjcBAFTG71XILH4_5n5cnX1XocPVe7agT3Av3IIYinuslPpAdGT_uN7_3YYlJ_BtLjZyYIV14CqEr3uDK6_RHsd_a9dgUK4EBW7LBWkkULRSC1ibFnpGa0kgWjlTP/w480-h640/20240130_150307.heic" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJl7Xrt2mzWaB_nuC8jcrq9p7n-FTO15iG9kfv1YxvnBPDVtb44C79YlqznrA9bN3yco2Nm6aE1pSXKNbbh7wGvyX1buBtf4gQr2uf9HizJuAzNHw0c-eARV62m1WQJWLV6hK47N1hjwcpoHVWOjnu3Ph5rqkClFI8KAFhrL1mrYXuaDD6Al5epcZt8m5P/s4032/20240202_170600.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJl7Xrt2mzWaB_nuC8jcrq9p7n-FTO15iG9kfv1YxvnBPDVtb44C79YlqznrA9bN3yco2Nm6aE1pSXKNbbh7wGvyX1buBtf4gQr2uf9HizJuAzNHw0c-eARV62m1WQJWLV6hK47N1hjwcpoHVWOjnu3Ph5rqkClFI8KAFhrL1mrYXuaDD6Al5epcZt8m5P/w480-h640/20240202_170600.heic" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">These last pictures are from my office at work. I have a pretty blooming orchid and the peace lily my coworkers gave me when dad died. My office window faces due east and plants really love the bright morning sun.</span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqL1LU8tOGhOmBtLoZzK8fCB90xagP47tR80Y6KluJJ2LnSQyNk-lPt15xAP0snteavQQ0EPH3EhooTmaeBypGFuY59QAW4FqjveVRX9p3yIJhEoLTN7kl3rvov5ZZ6y5Q0z0GkhYAR9-CX9aj_r8RwcvznJZwLxPLSaHM65KUVejkeYc0QCiOCRSicNb1/s4032/20240205_073916.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqL1LU8tOGhOmBtLoZzK8fCB90xagP47tR80Y6KluJJ2LnSQyNk-lPt15xAP0snteavQQ0EPH3EhooTmaeBypGFuY59QAW4FqjveVRX9p3yIJhEoLTN7kl3rvov5ZZ6y5Q0z0GkhYAR9-CX9aj_r8RwcvznJZwLxPLSaHM65KUVejkeYc0QCiOCRSicNb1/w480-h640/20240205_073916.heic" width="480" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNpAclBHnkee9pCVYQkr277LpeAEWqH5EMmYnj7FMQloaqdOdUTwD4xWt1Ujs0jryGPoS_M-EnSWuyGOFvHxlGCZYfcXvTWdTNgQKrGAr3h5mJGkT-YMtswVuTUsfQldnRwfMzHtaX-S5mSuA-X7khP0fhIHWMkAJXhyKGvbaQFFdfSmOwrpnvur7dODQw/s4032/20240206_075423.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNpAclBHnkee9pCVYQkr277LpeAEWqH5EMmYnj7FMQloaqdOdUTwD4xWt1Ujs0jryGPoS_M-EnSWuyGOFvHxlGCZYfcXvTWdTNgQKrGAr3h5mJGkT-YMtswVuTUsfQldnRwfMzHtaX-S5mSuA-X7khP0fhIHWMkAJXhyKGvbaQFFdfSmOwrpnvur7dODQw/w480-h640/20240206_075423.heic" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP5N918z5l226Ikl2LLEAYtuBMS_-vXjCYh0xOe218Ou3wk7cwTb8zQR1sXz11d1zFGzt4JVJkudxRPiLgkWBh7hwCmgh4S7RsACZIuSmtkWIS8q97CW8mf2oJ011IfkS1RiJd_bXRyMGJiPbUJbg5iUWH233msG6urMX3Zi01ihE38WEqeEqaTvQ5axXh/s4032/20240205_073923.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP5N918z5l226Ikl2LLEAYtuBMS_-vXjCYh0xOe218Ou3wk7cwTb8zQR1sXz11d1zFGzt4JVJkudxRPiLgkWBh7hwCmgh4S7RsACZIuSmtkWIS8q97CW8mf2oJ011IfkS1RiJd_bXRyMGJiPbUJbg5iUWH233msG6urMX3Zi01ihE38WEqeEqaTvQ5axXh/w480-h640/20240205_073923.heic" width="480" /></a></div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYDdiUywbUdHFvN5WJgforFU7c9LYpDxJefSCLTe4eudTD1PH-bwTLGBcGNREjbDPvFArUKnUbqOgPQbGER5wb0F_CCnijFZY2Kn6yv8zAJ4xABW7EihI5pP52nGFv5IUCOsBmgZ6VDI2v4g0x6qslAUPaPsuLCskP2Wtu8BS5z71Ci1Ey6MsF4vR2NH4J/s4032/20240206_075441.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYDdiUywbUdHFvN5WJgforFU7c9LYpDxJefSCLTe4eudTD1PH-bwTLGBcGNREjbDPvFArUKnUbqOgPQbGER5wb0F_CCnijFZY2Kn6yv8zAJ4xABW7EihI5pP52nGFv5IUCOsBmgZ6VDI2v4g0x6qslAUPaPsuLCskP2Wtu8BS5z71Ci1Ey6MsF4vR2NH4J/w480-h640/20240206_075441.heic" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I love surrounding myself with green, growing, blooming things. Especially in the winter.</span></p></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12512800812290518552noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3830720322970025712.post-26985735530023327032024-02-01T15:46:00.001-05:002024-02-01T15:46:34.660-05:00Dulce Domum<span style="font-size: medium;">Happy February! </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Last month seemed so long and dark and dreary that I was happy to switch over the calendar page this morning. I took a personal day off work today. It's going to be a date to remember...</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">...because I went to the bank and paid off our mortgage this morning!!</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Gregg and I are beyond thrilled. We love our modest home so much, and knowing that it now belongs to us completely is like a dream come true. Earlier Gregg texted me from work and said,<i> "This is one of the most exciting times in my life!" </i>and <i>"I don't want us to ever leave there. Home." </i></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXRCsTMZ9YHYLM7e8_SqHOCkkmmniJyigi4AYKBzYUXGELzHg_ggKtlTAA2ouOXxafdkyoCUh5iUvBUruZl3IUzkLBMKgYrtIO7ZDz3fsrN0mEDQPWlgfCDy13mR8UJajGAyO7KIyWMgjadrg22NrwIteXv4te9t1vada-RPW67L3wupPm2PTiLFXdW6LU/s2406/20240201_143323.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2039" data-original-width="2406" height="542" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXRCsTMZ9YHYLM7e8_SqHOCkkmmniJyigi4AYKBzYUXGELzHg_ggKtlTAA2ouOXxafdkyoCUh5iUvBUruZl3IUzkLBMKgYrtIO7ZDz3fsrN0mEDQPWlgfCDy13mR8UJajGAyO7KIyWMgjadrg22NrwIteXv4te9t1vada-RPW67L3wupPm2PTiLFXdW6LU/w640-h542/20240201_143323.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">We're both so happy and very, very grateful. Yes, this will be a day to remember.</span></div><div><br /></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12512800812290518552noreply@blogger.com54tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3830720322970025712.post-19801260649075020732024-01-24T18:03:00.005-05:002024-01-24T18:03:49.198-05:00Ups and downs<span style="font-size: medium;">It's hard to believe that Christmas Eve was only a month ago. So much stuff has happened that it feels like a much longer amount of time has passed. It was the week before Christmas when I found out my dad was going into hospice, and a couple of days after that before I found out he was "actively dying" and had less than a week left to live. </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Then, of course, he died on New Year's Day.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Immediately after his death I started having issues with my mom, and that's been almost equally as stressful as losing him. Last week I had a long overdue talk with my aunt (dad's sister) about some of the family issues that have been going on both before and since dad died. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">During that phone call with my aunt, she said she was going the next day to close out my dad's trust/inheritance account and would be sending me a check for what was left in it the next day. The check arrived two days later, and to my amazement it was exactly enough to pay off the mortgage on my house. I couldn't believe it. I still barely believe it. It's been terribly exciting.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Yesterday I went to a local branch of the bank that holds the mortgage loan and got a payoff quote for the house. I also went and deposited the inheritance check in the bank. After the seven-business day hold my bank places on large deposits, I'll be sending a wire transfer to pay off my mortgage. On February 1st we'll own our home free and clear. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Six weeks ago, I didn't have a clue <i>any</i> of this was coming. It's strange and sad and exciting and bewildering all at once.</span></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12512800812290518552noreply@blogger.com43tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3830720322970025712.post-19775918730788758792024-01-23T05:52:00.003-05:002024-01-23T05:52:23.340-05:00Poem for a cold morning<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOh_A9oum-JtM7Yj_ezpb16M5cOBGCy9HHCx-96X0-K0iJXepibY4gaXO5gGZQWwUDcGsPhl4gbRT4cUJlzSu5TL3kTRc7Lt1x83Sk1AxX4I5DQ057m8e_80TYfZz22c6ZB1K-7WJp9kEoXtWwV3UnBLL-DpDh1skO29YDEBhF3g3AtABkw4cwWpzDU75w/s637/393396192_718973333603718_1895976997402517432_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="637" data-original-width="619" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOh_A9oum-JtM7Yj_ezpb16M5cOBGCy9HHCx-96X0-K0iJXepibY4gaXO5gGZQWwUDcGsPhl4gbRT4cUJlzSu5TL3kTRc7Lt1x83Sk1AxX4I5DQ057m8e_80TYfZz22c6ZB1K-7WJp9kEoXtWwV3UnBLL-DpDh1skO29YDEBhF3g3AtABkw4cwWpzDU75w/w622-h640/393396192_718973333603718_1895976997402517432_n.jpg" width="622" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12512800812290518552noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3830720322970025712.post-81963127186464415092024-01-20T17:18:00.006-05:002024-01-20T17:25:37.759-05:00Narcissists and boundaries<p><span style="font-size: medium;">I've avoided writing about it here, but there's been some turmoil brewing in my personal life over the last few weeks. Since the day my dad died, I've had the trouble with my mother that I've known for years was coming. She's treated me very badly, worse than I'd imagined she would. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">In a nutshell, she's furious that I just inherited the last of the money from dad's family's estate. It's not a fortune, but it's a nice fat check, and for a person of my modest means it's a lot. My grandparents left it in their will to pay out to me upon my dad's death. My mother is so angry (that it wasn't left to her instead) and jealous that she's been really unkind to me. And that's putting it mildly. She hasn't shown me one ounce of sympathy over losing my dad; in fact, she started in about the money the very afternoon he died. She explicitly said, repeatedly, that she expected me to hand the money over to her. It's been really awful.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I've been so stressed out that I've been on the verge of panic attacks a couple of times. I haven't been sleeping well, and maybe worst of all the stress has caused my eczema to flare and break out all over my body, in places it's never been before. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Yesterday was a turning point, though.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I've been reading a lot about narcissists and their toxic behaviors, and my mother checks almost all of the boxes. I honestly believe she has a personality disorder. So yesterday I decided it was time to set a firm boundary with her. I sent her a private message letting her know kindly but firmly and in no uncertain terms that I'm keeping my inheritance. (If she were in dire financial straits, that would be different, but she's not. She'll be able to live comfortably, if modestly, without any help from me). </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Putting it out there, defying her, and deciding to let the chips fall where they may was scary at first. I grew up with her rages and emotional abuse. But when I hit "send" on the message (that I'd spent two days crafting) it was like a balloon popping. All of a sudden, I felt the burden of it all lift from my shoulders, and I'm much more at peace now. I can't control her reaction or her behavior, and I'm okay with that. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Unless and until she can treat me with kindness and respect, we'll just be estranged. I've probably just lost my mom as well as my dad, but any parent who treats their daughter they way she's treated me doesn't deserve to be in their daughter's life.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Does it make me sad? Sure. It really hurts. But I'm proud of standing up for myself. And that money that she's so greedy for? It's just a hair more than the amount I have left owing on my mortgage. By next month Gregg and I will own our home free and clear! How wonderful is that? </span><span>We're absolutely thrilled about it and my grandparents would be <i>so</i> pleased. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I wish my mother could be pleased for me, too, but she's just not capable of it. And I can live with that.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">One website I've found valuable in learning about setting boundaries is the wonderful advice column called <a href="https://captainawkward.com/archives/">Captain Awkward</a>. Here's a passage from one of her columns that I found particularly insightful when dealing with the fallout of setting boundaries with toxic family:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #030303; font-family: "Roboto Slab", Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 27px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><b>Let me leave you with one reminder: It’s not your job to fix every relationship or clean up every mess in your family, even if you could. (You can’t). Even when we’re armed with all the best advice, planning, strategies, counseling, support from safe friends and loved ones, safety plans, boundaries, kindness, patience, good intentions, etc. fraught family relationships can stay a total mess. Even when the worst of it stops (usually ’cause we grew up and got out), some people will never be what we need. Some people will never make us feel all the way good or relaxed. Some places will always feel haunted, and some situations will always have us double-checking under the bed or behind the shower curtain or between the lines for danger. The absence of danger is no less eerie! No monsters under the bed this time, but are the dust bunnies filled with menace? No monsters in the closet, just these wire hangers. The yellow wallpaper in the hall got paneled over long ago, observe the faded spots where the portraits of what looked like a happy family from outside used to hang. Don’t forget to jiggle the toilet handle after flushing and step over the broken stair. Oh yes, that sound you hear is definitely ghosts, The Ghost of The Childhood That Should Have Been likes to come out this time of night and wail for a while, she’s pretty friendly if you want to say hi! But come away, come away, you don’t need to repair or renovate this wreck, it’s time to hop in the rental car or catch your train back to where your small quiet room awaits. Come in, close the door behind you, nobody is going to knock on it. Hang up your coat, take your shoes off, fix yourself a beverage, sit in your comfiest chair, and open your presents:</b></i></p><ul style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #030303; font-family: "Roboto Slab", Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 18px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0px 0px 27px 27px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><b>1 dog-eared copy of <span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A Wrinkle In Time</span> with “<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/863454-meg-i-give-you-your-faults-my-faults-meg-cried" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #bd2861; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out 0s; vertical-align: baseline;">I give you your faults</a>” highlighted.</b></i></li><li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><b>1 yellow post-it note with <span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“Do less work to manage relationships with people who are unkind to you 2019”</span> scrawled in teal glitter pen</b></i></li><li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><b>1 <span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“Bless This Mess!”</span> sign, $1, slightly cracked, purchased in the foul rag and bone shop of the heart</b></i></li></ul><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #030303; font-family: "Roboto Slab", Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 27px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><b><3,</b></i></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #030303; font-family: "Roboto Slab", Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 27px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><b>Not Just A Captain, She’s Also A Member</b></i></p>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12512800812290518552noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3830720322970025712.post-48770468453003154402024-01-12T09:34:00.003-05:002024-01-12T09:36:53.865-05:00School nurse hero<p><span style="font-size: medium;">Earlier this week we had a near tragedy at my school. With no warning, an 11 year old boy collapsed in class. The teacher called the office for the nurse to come immediately, and it was obvious she was frantic. When the nurse (and the principal, assistant principal, and security guard) got there the boy had no pulse, wasn't breathing, and was already turning blue. The nurse commenced CPR and when that wasn't working she sent someone to run to her office for an AED (portable defibrillator). She had to use the defibrillator 4 times to restart his heart. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Back in the office, I called 911 although I wasn't sure what exactly was happening. The ambulance arrived and took him to the hospital, and they airlifted him to Charleston after he was stabilized. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It turned out the boy had suffered cardiac arrest. Had there not been an AED available (and someone who knew how to use it) he would have died. Our school nurse saved his life.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Here's a link to the news article about it: </span></p><p><a href="https://wpde.com/news/local/he-was-pulseless-florence-mom-praises-school-after-childs-sudden-cardiac-arrest-florence-school-district-1#">https://wpde.com/news/local/he-was-pulseless-florence-mom-praises-school-after-childs-sudden-cardiac-arrest-florence-school-district-1#</a><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Luke was actually able to FaceTime with his class from his hospital bed in Charleston yesterday! It's a miracle that he survived. Our school nurse has been very modest about what she did, but there's no doubt she saved this child's life. </span></p>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12512800812290518552noreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3830720322970025712.post-86622191884083557672024-01-09T09:51:00.002-05:002024-01-09T10:01:13.048-05:00Stormy day at home<p> <span style="font-size: medium;">Really strong storms with high winds, hail, and the chance of tornadoes will be rolling through the area starting at about lunchtime today. For this reason, the school district (along with most districts in eastern South Carolina) have called for an "e-learning" day. Everyone stays home and the students log onto Google Classroom with their school-issued laptops to do their work and get credit for attendance. With winds expected to gust over 50 mph this afternoon, it wouldn't be safe for school buses on the road. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8cmJZG20jMG-v7N8YI8Qt3vRyRccHPd4wFtuILvsxR2IxJrAMVrtcOhx2iFGbQKM6IarBk4d3Zr9bVo2pyNOgdw_GCzgp4HbjRPXSRnzL7lkzSSP_lHWk1ZtGu53rCtlXBk0PXuFBZEOxdp8TNNUj4UQkhX1euODpEqu68LFhOpxpN1RU5-b5WZI5jHpp/s1280/418181471_937593097729225_5779531291410245400_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8cmJZG20jMG-v7N8YI8Qt3vRyRccHPd4wFtuILvsxR2IxJrAMVrtcOhx2iFGbQKM6IarBk4d3Zr9bVo2pyNOgdw_GCzgp4HbjRPXSRnzL7lkzSSP_lHWk1ZtGu53rCtlXBk0PXuFBZEOxdp8TNNUj4UQkhX1euODpEqu68LFhOpxpN1RU5-b5WZI5jHpp/w640-h360/418181471_937593097729225_5779531291410245400_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjxnn5297mMljh9fFe-CBk4RQZr6UubTZfbJ8WPQ2GyphB3O4kwMpM5E_FlfRsvASbnCPiTeNLSmg_x_En4kkjjGZ4_Cdnwc4OLHfZNPQn3-Vh_cVDZIczeABw1s8f9ngdr6QkORmBOIXN9fX4GH0FbTDFF6p_tJb5F2ESuozt1m5_1_0mq5xRVj5TsJuj/s1280/417249846_937593004395901_1701612121574943445_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjxnn5297mMljh9fFe-CBk4RQZr6UubTZfbJ8WPQ2GyphB3O4kwMpM5E_FlfRsvASbnCPiTeNLSmg_x_En4kkjjGZ4_Cdnwc4OLHfZNPQn3-Vh_cVDZIczeABw1s8f9ngdr6QkORmBOIXN9fX4GH0FbTDFF6p_tJb5F2ESuozt1m5_1_0mq5xRVj5TsJuj/w640-h360/417249846_937593004395901_1701612121574943445_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">Working from home, for me, only involves a couple of hours of answering the school phones (with the Zoom app on my cell phone) and checking my email. I'm covering the phones for the first three hours of the day, and the receptionist will take over at 11:00 to finish out the afternoon. So far, I've only had one call this morning. Since the days of Covid everyone has gotten used to e-learning days and knows what to do.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It's so nice to be able to stay home when bad weather threatens. I'm very lucky. As long as I keep my phone nearby this morning, I can stay in pajamas, drink coffee, write on my blog, and hang out with the dogs and Marco. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Hopefully we won't get any tornadoes! That's my only weather-related worry today.</span></p>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12512800812290518552noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3830720322970025712.post-83553292034948131242024-01-06T12:16:00.004-05:002024-01-06T12:16:50.922-05:00Starting off the year<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span>It's a chilly, rainy day here and I'm grateful for my snug, warm house. A couple of friends asked if I wanted to hang out/go get coffee/get lunch (knowing that Gregg works an almost 12-hour day on Saturdays) but I think I'd rather spend the day at home with the dogs and Marco. I certainly appreciate everyone's kindness and concern, but all I really want to do is stay in my pajamas and read, watch old episodes of Bake Off, and putter around the house. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I went back to work yesterday. I'm glad I chose Friday as my first day back; I got the questions about dad and expressions of sympathy out of the way but was so busy catching up on work that there wasn't much time for talking. I was also able to get caught up on everything which will make Monday a lot easier.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">These past three weeks have seemed so long, what with Covid, finding out my dad was ill enough for hospice, finding out dad was actually dying, the death, and then the holidays going on during it all. So much has happened in the last month. Resuming a normal schedule is going to feel really good. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">A belated Happy New Year to you all, and thanks again for all the kindness and support. I look forward to being more present here now that things are starting to settle down.</span></p>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12512800812290518552noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3830720322970025712.post-80670272305317849592024-01-03T11:11:00.004-05:002024-01-03T11:12:52.530-05:00My dad<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgseMmS6BPNmlaedxeG7WWqtr0hsi8B5D7smp8KMk63S0En0lAqyfXn6Or9MlNi7XukjRx0fOp0j1lzds9EqWP5js8QNdrMy0G6l9r6ABJ_XKJLxSh-21oZ1KBmp_Bk4ZCKqaiUKziMQHZwnwa29_Dj2BMdkSvA7fv7q5ESdJk0QPT29NNDeVfUsmQSfnMP/s915/416108920_7571308882902694_5072046435235864445_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="915" data-original-width="902" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgseMmS6BPNmlaedxeG7WWqtr0hsi8B5D7smp8KMk63S0En0lAqyfXn6Or9MlNi7XukjRx0fOp0j1lzds9EqWP5js8QNdrMy0G6l9r6ABJ_XKJLxSh-21oZ1KBmp_Bk4ZCKqaiUKziMQHZwnwa29_Dj2BMdkSvA7fv7q5ESdJk0QPT29NNDeVfUsmQSfnMP/w394-h400/416108920_7571308882902694_5072046435235864445_n.jpg" width="394" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">My favorite picture of me and my dad, circa 1980ish</span></b></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">My dad died on New Year's Day, around 1:15 in the afternoon. I was at home when I got the call. We had been expecting it at any moment for two or three days at that point, but it still somehow felt like a shock. It still doesn't seem real sometimes. How can my dad not exist anymore? It's hard to wrap my head around. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Dad was kept comfortable those last few days and slipped away quietly and peacefully at the end. I'm so grateful for that. He had been very, very sick for a long time. As sad as it is that he's gone, it's a comfort to know that he's beyond all pain and suffering now. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">My dad was a kind, gentle, and generous man. Although he had lots of faults and made plenty of mistakes in his life, he was a good father to me. I never remember him so much as raising his voice to me, ever. For all the issues my family had when I was growing up (and we had plenty), I never once doubted his love for me. I hope he never doubted mine for him.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I was always my dad's little girl. I always will be.</span></div><div><br /></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12512800812290518552noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3830720322970025712.post-62689599596635906082023-12-31T21:58:00.005-05:002023-12-31T21:58:55.454-05:00Vigil<span style="font-size: medium;">I'll never forget how I'm spending New Year's Eve 2023. For two days now my dad's blood pressure and pulse have been so low as to be unmeasurable, but he's still (just barely) breathing. The hospice nurse that came out today was surprised that he's still holding on.</span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I told my mom that he's determined to see the new year in. My dad is tougher than I knew. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Dad's getting very small doses of morphine here and there, and he seems comfortable and peaceful. I'm grateful for that. He still responds a little to voices and touch. It surely won't be long now.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I'll try to be back soon, but in the meantime, I wish you all a Happy New Year. Thank you for another year of friendship and kindness.</span></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12512800812290518552noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3830720322970025712.post-90536078542256504062023-12-29T10:33:00.005-05:002023-12-29T10:33:54.046-05:00Hanging in there<p><span style="font-size: medium;">What a difference a good sleep makes.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I haven't been sleeping well lately; no surprise I supposed given everything that's going on. Most of last night wasn't much better. In addition to stress, I've started having some pre-menstrual sleep disturbances due to (probable) perimenopause. At this point in my cycle nowadays I wake up throughout the night drenched in sweat and then I shiver because it's cold and my nightclothes and hair are damp. I have stressful dreams, too. It was that way last night, but then at sunrise I dropped back off and slept like a stone for three more hours. Now I feel almost human again.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Thanks everyone for your support on my last couple of posts. I haven't responded to each of you individually because it's just too emotionally draining, but know that I appreciate all the kindness. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">A couple of book club friends have invited me to lunch in an hour, and I'm planning to go. I need to get out of the house for a few. I'm actually looking forward to going back to work next week because sitting at home stewing over everything isn't helping me or anybody else. Of course I'll take whatever time off my mom needs for me to be with her, but except for that I'd rather be busy and try to distract myself. Right now I'm just taking one day at a time and dealing with things as they come. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Thanks again for all the kind words, everyone.</span></p>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12512800812290518552noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3830720322970025712.post-80247580010801952592023-12-27T17:25:00.003-05:002023-12-27T17:25:25.205-05:00A hard day<p> <span style="font-size: medium;">I'm so glad this holiday season is almost over. It's not really my favorite time of year to begin with, and this one has been especially painful.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I finally went to see my mom and dad today, now that the danger of spreading Covid is over. At my mom's suggestion I picked up a pizza on the way there for our lunch, but neither of us felt like eating it. One of the hospice nurses had been out early this morning, and my mom wanted to talk to me about what she'd said.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The nurse says dad is now "actively dying". She thinks he may only have a few days left to live. I wasn't particularly shocked at the news, but it still felt like a dagger in my heart. The kind nurse had offered to stay until I got there, to explain things to me, but mom had told her that it wasn't necessary. They're stopping all his medications (he's almost unable to swallow at this point) save for morphine drops to put under his tongue as needed and something else to keep him from feeling anxious. It almost certainly won't be long now. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Mom also wanted to discuss plans for after dad dies. His wish is to be cremated, and mom doesn't think she can bear to have a funeral right away. She wanted to make sure I'd be okay with that; I'm actually more than okay with it. It's a relief. I can't stand the thought of funeral homes, and embalming, and having to see a bunch of people when we're dealing with grief. And the expensive of all that would be ridiculous, too. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The plan is to have the cremation go ahead immediately and then at some point in the future having a small gravesite service where his ashes will be interred next to my grandparents. Something very simple, with family only, and after a little time has passed. I think it's a good plan.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I went in to see dad twice today. He woke up enough to talk to me a little both times. Before I left the second time I told him I loved him. He said, "I love you too. Take care of yourself." </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">That "take care of yourself" gutted me.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> I had intended to stay with my mom for a little longer, but at that point I had to leave. I can't stand to cry in front of other people, even my mother, and I felt like I was about to choke. Of course I told mom I can come back any time she needs me, but right at that moment I had to get out of there. It was a sad ride home. I'm having a harder time with all this than I expected. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I don't know if I'll see my dad again. My mom asked me if I wanted her to call me as soon as he dies so I can dash down to see him before his body is taken away. I told her to call me if SHE needs me, and that I'll come right away, but that I don't necessarily want to see a lifeless shell. She understood. She just wanted to make sure she could honor my wishes and I respect her for that. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It's a hard thing, saying goodbye to a parent. Tonight I feel like a sad little girl on the inside. My heart aches.</span></p>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12512800812290518552noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3830720322970025712.post-35608592570143989942023-12-24T11:55:00.002-05:002023-12-24T11:56:56.516-05:00Christmas Eve <span style="font-size: medium;">Christmas Eve has dawned gloriously bright, sunny, and warm. It's supposed to get up to almost 70 degrees today, a big change from last year's frigid weather. </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">We're both feeling totally well and recovered from Covid. We're still spending the holiday quietly at home, though. Some good food and sweets (slightly pared down from a typical year), walks with the dogs, movies, wine, and small glasses of eggnog laced with spiced rum are on the agenda. We'll be seeing family and friends later in the week. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">From our home to yours, Merry Christmas!</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjK6UxO0B5ge43d-fyPQbZ4M5i5gQ9NS6hLOB-LMvah6wu42SmxxYhFIw4hV5B5RC0toThrcViz7ahDlfHQLeLFxiZ7lwVWC5iuh1CvfPSpNHTSGR7LXNEUE_8xScVaQlNPsbSUOp2637MqZSGotsFFD9CERx2GzBfulGu4ueqAl5s8RN85cLFvZJfBUAK/s3219/20231209_174230.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3219" data-original-width="2469" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjK6UxO0B5ge43d-fyPQbZ4M5i5gQ9NS6hLOB-LMvah6wu42SmxxYhFIw4hV5B5RC0toThrcViz7ahDlfHQLeLFxiZ7lwVWC5iuh1CvfPSpNHTSGR7LXNEUE_8xScVaQlNPsbSUOp2637MqZSGotsFFD9CERx2GzBfulGu4ueqAl5s8RN85cLFvZJfBUAK/s320/20231209_174230.jpg" width="245" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12512800812290518552noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3830720322970025712.post-83975733968512227602023-12-21T11:57:00.002-05:002023-12-21T11:57:36.447-05:00Hospice<p><span style="font-size: medium;">My dad was just in the hospital again. He came home last night, in very bad shape. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">His doctor has decided that there's nothing further that can be done for him. They've called in hospice and last night they delivered a hospital bed to my parents' house for him. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I spoke to dad on the phone for a minute yesterday, and the only positive thing I can say about it is that he seemed to know who I was. Dementia has set in and a conversation is pretty much impossible. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I dare not visit until Gregg and I both test negative for Covid, probably next week. He may or may not make it that long, depending on how this latest crisis plays out. He's had ups and downs regularly over the past year, but I don't know how much bounce back he's got left in him. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">At least now my mom will have the help she desperately needs to care for him. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">And at least he can die at home, which is what he wants.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>I'm not posting this looking for sympathy, but as a way to document what's happening for future reference. </i></span></p>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12512800812290518552noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3830720322970025712.post-46171840877324330252023-12-19T10:22:00.004-05:002023-12-19T10:30:28.637-05:00The C word (both of them)<p><span style="font-size: medium;">After three years of testing myself every time I so much as got a sniffle, I was shocked when that second line popped up on the Covid test Friday afternoon. I almost hadn’t bothered taking a test at all, I was so sure it would be negative. I guess I'd gotten the stupid idea that I was immune after avoiding it all this time. I'd even put off getting the latest booster, which in hindsight was a real mistake. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggaP70uZq4rNppar-vfde_8RRLQfBsq5Z42iOeOmaVUQL2tGI-FFK0Ueywv4o5JxJk8wm603FpR7SaHWrlDGkz-WUTG0MdFz8yxlkELZkr8QNIuxPdTkNUOrkOttPM4JYUwXzK6LrH91hRqqEhmptsuLdL9ZDWpcSauNHzO0t3sPQ-UyR40MW0aSt-reyb/s4032/20231215_204301.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggaP70uZq4rNppar-vfde_8RRLQfBsq5Z42iOeOmaVUQL2tGI-FFK0Ueywv4o5JxJk8wm603FpR7SaHWrlDGkz-WUTG0MdFz8yxlkELZkr8QNIuxPdTkNUOrkOttPM4JYUwXzK6LrH91hRqqEhmptsuLdL9ZDWpcSauNHzO0t3sPQ-UyR40MW0aSt-reyb/w400-h300/20231215_204301.heic" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeP8Ze8Tp6lOq7Y6FvQiDFP70wV6D9827P_AEUWDQjk-MXZzrVwZyTyESYgiOm6JqezKrIdinvYmRVOI1_yUS6zD1z3ZmkYe8UJHGX85AA0Pqo_pZj5GRReD8JO-WmVeGYgUIs85ej59CQZm7esF2i6JzewUXWxpODPi9fLbPIAX08ZfZYwF1uod2P_QzM/s4032/20231215_211955.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeP8Ze8Tp6lOq7Y6FvQiDFP70wV6D9827P_AEUWDQjk-MXZzrVwZyTyESYgiOm6JqezKrIdinvYmRVOI1_yUS6zD1z3ZmkYe8UJHGX85AA0Pqo_pZj5GRReD8JO-WmVeGYgUIs85ej59CQZm7esF2i6JzewUXWxpODPi9fLbPIAX08ZfZYwF1uod2P_QzM/w299-h400/20231215_211955.heic" width="299" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Puppies hanging out with me in the quarantine room.</i></span></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I've been incredibly lucky; I've had colds worse than this. Mostly I ran a low-grade fever for a couple of days and felt kind of tired, along with a mild headache that came and went. There have been pretty much no respiratory symptoms, and today I feel mostly back to normal. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">But......last night Gregg started to shiver, and I took his temperature, and sure enough, he had a fever. Damn it! We tried to stay apart and be careful, but chances are I was contagious before my symptoms started. So far this morning he feels okay, and after taking a couple of Tylenol his temperature is normal. To be safe, he's headed to the doctor to confirm whether or not he's positive (we don't have any more home tests) and to get an antiviral if he is. Hopefully his symptoms will be as mild as mine, but we're not taking any chances. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">As grateful as I am that we're not any sicker, I'm sad that Christmas is pretty much going to be canceled. I missed the work Christmas party, as you know. Then we had to cancel a planned visit from family on Sunday. My sister-in-law, Karen, was planning to come for the day along with our nephew Tyler and his wife Jessica. This was the second time we've had to cancel on them due to illness. Gregg was sick with some random virus over Thanksgiving when they first planned to come. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Tomorrow I'll also have to miss my book club Christmas party. I had recommended the book we read this month, so I hate that I can't go. (I also missed book club last month when Gregg had the stomach virus thing). Then this coming Saturday Martina had planned to come over for our annual holiday book exchange--obviously that's not going to happen now either. And until Gregg and I both test negative, I can't go see my parents, because my dad's health is so poor that Covid would be very dangerous for him. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I'd planned to spend a couple of days baking cookies and treats this week, but since we can't do anything or see anyone, and since we're not feeling great, I'm not going to bother. Hopefully I'll be able to mask up and go grocery shopping in another day or two, at least, because all we have to eat here at the moment are cans of soup, Saltine crackers, ginger ale, and Gatorade, all purchased hastily by Gregg over the weekend to keep us going while I was sick. Our empty fridge and pantry don't look very festive, that's for sure. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I guess there's always next year.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Hey ho. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjspZR6DSq4qZjjlQzx4B5UXvrIs-hRHW_Wq4Fish7VmF4aIIJyBT5LVFvWbZVkPYT1nppivSbYCs1E5ci5d0kF_ci9HBnvIwenMmk7KhAZ-rAoh0C6P-58XMgWDGGAu4GxT1S6sK1OQvQ9eyJC3WTXqMGxBxXky3-uLhY2cnQFk41jrfE-rMQFCbdbGHWl/s2048/412119004_734640165364483_235651274224603222_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1743" data-original-width="2048" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjspZR6DSq4qZjjlQzx4B5UXvrIs-hRHW_Wq4Fish7VmF4aIIJyBT5LVFvWbZVkPYT1nppivSbYCs1E5ci5d0kF_ci9HBnvIwenMmk7KhAZ-rAoh0C6P-58XMgWDGGAu4GxT1S6sK1OQvQ9eyJC3WTXqMGxBxXky3-uLhY2cnQFk41jrfE-rMQFCbdbGHWl/w400-h340/412119004_734640165364483_235651274224603222_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12512800812290518552noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3830720322970025712.post-59008430616010847022023-12-15T10:17:00.008-05:002023-12-15T16:21:09.377-05:00Just my damn luck! (Update)<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>4:30 pm...So it's finally happened. I have Covid. </b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Well, today was a shorter day than I expected. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Yesterday and last night I started feeling a tickle in my throat and a mild headache. Then I woke up throughout the night with body aches. When I got to work this morning the body aches got worse. Just to be on the safe side, I had the school nurse take my temperature. I really didn't think I was running a fever, plus I'd taken Motrin earlier for the aches.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">But I was running a fever, despite the Motrin.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The nurse thought I should probably head home, since fever is a sign that someone is contagious. I was so disappointed to miss the holiday party!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">And it's just my luck that I'm getting sick at the start of my break.</span></p>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12512800812290518552noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3830720322970025712.post-22305725283755075682023-12-15T06:14:00.004-05:002023-12-15T06:14:19.491-05:00Half day<p><span style="font-size: medium;">I'm heading out soon for a half day of work, followed by our staff Christmas luncheon, and then guess what...........</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>It's winter break, Baby! Woo! </b></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7lky3WBSgeGElPR-7bdxizEbRSionB3V0Y43ldEpgggfueA2qlXteFuG1Hl_fHxHwJp1FhHKMyItTFBHb01fMRb9M1ToaIqkJdjX75gPqXa1USuysaszISIZAmCvpIyjykuqIu_301aF7mIwt1nEpyPaBjc3r3A5VshmIz2TRZnAvUXP1eD015wgW5w7_/s800/winter-break-bingo-800x800.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7lky3WBSgeGElPR-7bdxizEbRSionB3V0Y43ldEpgggfueA2qlXteFuG1Hl_fHxHwJp1FhHKMyItTFBHb01fMRb9M1ToaIqkJdjX75gPqXa1USuysaszISIZAmCvpIyjykuqIu_301aF7mIwt1nEpyPaBjc3r3A5VshmIz2TRZnAvUXP1eD015wgW5w7_/w640-h640/winter-break-bingo-800x800.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12512800812290518552noreply@blogger.com14