Grow Your Blog - Part 2

For the first part of the Grow Your Blog post, go HERE.

I've blogged off and on over the last 8 years or so. I enjoy it but I'm not consistent with it. Maybe that will change with being a part of Vicki's Grow Your Blog event from 2 Bags Full.

It snowed again last night here in West Virginia. There is about 7" still on the ground. The temperature today has shot up to 48 degrees! That's so exciting. The sun is melting the snow from my car. Two friends stopped by yesterday to shovel my porch and a path to my car. I've a few appointments this week that I hope to fulfill. One is on Tuesday, when the daytime high is predicted to be 9 degrees. Doubt I'll make that one. We, as so many in the country, have been on a weather roller coaster this year of 2014.

I love to watch the birds. Especially in winter. I feed them daily and try to keep water available but in these frigid temps, it's difficult. I looked out the back door last evening and counted 14 deer eating my hemlocks. Eating what they could reach anyway. The trees are about 60 feet high. The deer stand on their hind legs to get to the tips of the branches. I really wanted to feed the deer but I researched it on the internet and it is not recommended. It throws their natural instinct off or some such scientific reason. I certainly don't want to upset the balance of nature so until I have proof otherwise, I'll follow that recommendation. I have seen them feast on the dry cat and dog foods I put out for the occasional stray passersby. They get into the sunflower seeds if they can reach the feeder.

I "craft" just about anything that can be. I cross stitch, crewel, embroider, knit, crochet, spindle spin, redo furniture, macrame, flower arranging and wreaths, took a class in stained glass (and hope to take more!). I've done weaving but don't have my own loom. I post photos of much of what I make. I have not yet posted my Christmas gifts. They'll show up later. Here is a hat I made for my aunt for Christmas a couple years ago. It's crocheted in wool and felted in the washing machine. It was my first time doing this and I was pleased.

I hope you're enjoying the trail of the Grow Your Blog party. It seems like 25 January arrived before I realized. I didn't have time to make one post for everything. I hope you will stop by again. Follow me. If I don't offer your preference, please leave me a comment and I will make that change. I'm going to add Google Friend Connect, as requested by one commenter, as soon as I figure it out.

Thank you again for visiting. I will visit you in the next few days if I know you've stopped by.

Grow Your Blog Party

I'm participating in the Grow Your Blog Party hosted by Vicki at 2 Bags Full.

My name is LesleyAnn. I've lived in southwestern West Virginia for 51 years ... all my life.  I live with a dog, Samson (10-1/2 years); two cats, Miss Cleo (11 years) and Mister (10 years); and a Quaker parrot (14 years) named Baby. We're all AARP-eligible in this house.

While riding a motorcycle in 1981, I was hit by a drunk driver. I have a traumatic hemipelvectomy amputation. I was comatose and semi-comatose for almost three months in ICU and total hospital stay for ten months. Plus four months in rehab. All before I ever saw 19 years of age. My mother had been killed in an automobile accident in August 1980, buried on her 48th birthday. It's been a stressful life but I've honestly done the best I can. My maternal Granny dedicated the last years of her life to make sure I healed and lead as normal a life as possible. She always said I could do anything anyone else could. I did for the most part. Whitewater rafting. Hiking. I loved the outdoors activities. Still do. I'm just a spectator now for most of it. I use a wheelchair 100% now.

I worked as a cartographic technician for the US Army Corps of Engineers before I took disability retirement in 2001. I loved my job. It was difficult, emotionally, to leave. I was the only person I knew who never wanted to retire. My plan was to work until I died.

I own my home on the property I grew up on in Plum Hollow. I moved back here in 2004. I live independently for the most part. I do have a friend stop by every now and again to replace a ceiling lightbulb or the batteries in the smoke detectors. I like where I live but it's lonely. I rarely see people and in this age of electronics, I only hear the voices of the people on television or radio. Texting is as close as I get to people. Unless, of course, I take a trip to the local Walmart or vets office. It's difficult during winter months when I get snowed in ... like now. But, when the weather is warm ... I'm going to the local lake or friends' houses or just sitting on my porch admiring my flower and vegetable gardens.

Thank you for stopping by. I'll be having a giveaway posted in the next few days. I do hope you stop by again.

Random 5 Friday

1. Miss Cleo did not like being disturbed for a photo. I have the camera on silent mode. I can move around and do whatever in the room and no pet moves. I point a camera at any of them and get the stink-eye! I don't understand how they know. ha

2. It's still bitter cold here. I've left the water dripping for the past two nights and will probably do so the next few. Many around me have gone without power due to automobile wrecks.

3. There is about 7 inches of snow on the ground. Supposed to snow tonight with an additional 1 to 3 inches by morning.

4.  As cold as it is, the sun is as bright as if I were on an exotic island. It's simply beautiful. I actually laid on the floor in a sun puddle with Miss Cleo, Samson and Mister. I had a nice nap.

5.  FIFTY-FIVE days until Spring. I keep saying, "I think I can. I think I can."

I'm joining Nancy at A Rural Journal for Random 5 Friday.

Snow

It began to snow about 6:30 this morning. Hasn't let up since ...

 

The snow is too deep for me to get out in it so I took some shots from the windows.

The snowflakes have been beautiful. Big. Light. Fluffy. Lazy.

 

  

The poor birds are having a hard time getting to the food. I put some out that isn't snowbound.

Mister loves watching the birds feed. Sometimes, he tries to jump through the glass to get one.

Random 5 Friday

 I'm joining Nancy at A Rural Journal for Random 5 Friday ...

1. This is about all we've done for a while. That lump under the comforter is Samson. Miss Cleo and Mister like the heat he emits. I like it too on these cold nights. No electric blanket necessary.

2. I've had an aggravating time trying to post for a few weeks. So I haven't posted. My IE11 seems to be the problem. Google likes IE9 and IE10 but not IE11. I downloaded Firefox browser; had to do a few adjustments and finally it works. I don't like Google Chrome and don't want to use it if I don't have to.

3. I spoke too soon with Samson being in the clear for surgeries. About two weeks ago, I noticed the right side of his groin area swollen quite a bit. I got him an appointment to see the vet yesterday. Seems he has a palm-sized tumor that suddenly popped up. He has had four tumors removed in the last three years. This Thursday, he will have four (possibly five) more removed. I hate that he has to go through this. Poor baby. He's almost as scarred up as I am.

4. The SERVICE ENGINE SOON light illuminated on my Blazer dashboard. I stopped by the mechanic's shop on the way home. He checked it out for me. He says to have the spark plugs and wires changed at the next oil change. I hope that is the answer. I get very nervous at the thought of breaking down.

 Frozen windows ... ICE on INSIDE

5. Mother Nature is riding the roller coaster in West Virginia. We had bitter, bitter cold the first week of January. Down to -13 degrees. The second week was quite mild and even reached 64 degrees one day. This week has been up and down. Rain. Snow. Beautiful sunshine. Today it's snowing. It actually hailed little snowballs.