Feel Like Complaining

I've had something happen to me recently for the first time; not once, not twice, but 3 times in the last month. I've been bitten by black flies. Obviously not the worst thing that's ever happened to anyone, but it was dang unpleasant.  The first time was at Romeo's and I was just sitting outside with him. Didn't feel the bite but later the pain set in. Five -7 days of pain, swelling, and bruising. I made an ice pack out of a clean sponge frozen inside a zip lock bag. The second one while I was at home doing yard work, with the same reaction. Less than a week later I was cleaning out the car in the garage. This one wasn't bad, he had maybe just barely made contact but my entire scalp hurt that night, even if I raised my eyebrows.  I did go to the doctor just to confirm it was a black flies, but wanted to know if my reaction was normal. She said it was not a normal reaction; because you know I always have to be a little extra. She said to mostly look for allergic...

Since I got home from Romeo's, things have just been non-stop. That little turd tried to bite me though, when he was trying to lick the inside of the dirty dishwasher, and I touched his chest and said no. It was just a warning shot but I did tell his mom this time. He can be a stubborn little thing sometimes. Last Tuesday I picked up my sleep study equipment and when I got off the freeway on my way home, I noticed my car was a little chuggy, and then the check engine light came on. Tony called our mobile mechanic and made an appointment for Wednesday. That morning I thought I'd give it a try again to see if it would be road worthy to take my equipment back, but nope. It's a 26 mile round trip and I didn't trust that I would make it. So Uber to the rescue, at the tune to 90 bucks. He was a great driver though and waited for me so he could take me home. For some reason, one of the sensors for the equipment didn't work (probably user error), so I had to take it back ho...

Spring is springing and I'm here for it! Our baby Forsythia is done blooming but it looked great this year after just planting it last fall. And look at these trees! We didn't trim them last year so they look great. The one in the middle is the sucker I just let go; almost as big as Ma and Pa. Out front, the Golden Current actually bloomed this year so we should get a few berries. Mr. Firebush is growing like gangbusters and the Smoke Tree is a bit slower growing but looks good.  The Mock Orange should start blooming soon.  It's hard to believe we planted all of these 5 1/2 years ago. I know they probably all look alike to you but I would recognize my babies anywhere. We pulled up all of the stupid soaker hoses I just HAD to have. There weren't as efficient as I thought they would be, got in the way of weeding, and we tripped over them constantly. Sometimes I just make things too hard. I also scattered a bunch of Moss Rose seeds to hopefully fill in the abundant bare sp...

It seems I've been too busy to have anything to talk about. After 2 weeks at Steve's, there was just so much to do before this 2 week stay with Romeo.  I had a Dr. appointment with standard labs and they were not great. My blood pressure is up...again. She also wants me to do a home sleep study because I was telling her I'm tired all the time and often need a nap in the afternoon. I've made the appointment, but it will just depend on how much I'll have to pay out of pocket.  Because of my crappy lab work, I've decided to change from Keto (because it's obviously not working for me) to the DASH diet. And when I say 'I've decided', that means that the family is joining me. It's just too hard to do otherwise and it won't hurt anyone; except maybe Faith whose idea of grain is white rice or mac n cheese, ha.  I found a good recipe book online and Faith and I have been studying different meals. Thursday we went to Winco to stock up on grains and...

I've been at Steve's for a week, but it feels like a month for some reason. I still have a week to go!  Oli and Max are still good boys but sometimes Oli is super annoying and gets pretty mischievous. Here though he looks particularly cute in my art bag. A friend gave me this beautiful bag and I use it to put all my watercolor supplies in for traveling. Max loves to still sleep on my computer bag so I leave it on the counter for him. Faith and I split an Etsy order for these pins. I've found quite a few artists on Threads and I try to order a few small things when I can. I ordered a hand crafted comfort bird earlier this year; I just love it. I've painted a bit while here. The 3 first ones I turned into cards. The frog is a card for Margie, who will have foot surgery soon. She doesn't like frogs, so I'm hoping that Phineas the Frog will convince her otherwise.

Just to be clear; Tony is NOT a Trump sympathizer. This is just post surgery on his skin cancer. That area has no extra skin to work with, so the doctor had to pull some from his cheek to close it. I left Friday for Steve's, so I won't get to see what it looks like for a few more days. He has to go back this week to look at some other spots that have been getting the freezing treatment. He might end up with a full face lift by the time he's done! I started a thing a few months ago. I got a call from a therapist who said I qualified for Collaborative Care program for mental health. It's a 6 month program that involves a therapist, doctor, and psychiatrist if needed. It's all done by video, so there is no charge. I was kind of hesitant, but started anyway. Our topics are all over the place and I told her I really don't even know how this works. She's been very patient with me and last session I talked about my mom's death. She said she would refer me to a ...

The Tesla protest was OK. I estimate about 150 were there, but it very low key. There's hardly any traffic on that street, but the majority that went by were in support. Now that this is a recurring thing, the Magas are showing up too. There were 4-5 guys that pulled up in a van and they each had their big flag parading in the middle of the street. They weren't harassing anyone, but rather had very weird smiles, like they were trying to convince people they were the good guys.  The protest on April 5th (Hands Off) will be better I'm sure and we did plan to go, but the day before Tony's having surgery on his face to remove a cancer spot. He's supposed to lay low after, so it would be best if he didn't go. If I weren't staying at Steve's I would, but to drive 20 miles round trip doesn't make much sense to me. There will be plenty more I'm sure! I've been trying to think of things to sell to make some money. I have one of my mom's rings that...