Snow and snow and snow ...

The blue "snowflake" in the picture is a window cling. I put them on the glass door to break the reflection so the birds won't try to fly through it.

The snow has covered the land and all it holds with a heavy blanket. I took this before it finally stopped on Friday. That tiny brownish strip on the other side of the tree is the one strip of paved roadway that is left to be seen. By the time it was all over, there was no tiny strip. The DoH had scraper trucks out with gravel and dirt spreaders. It was far too cold and coming down too quickly to use salt. There is a total of about 18" of dry, powdery, lightweight snow. As beautiful as it is, I thought I was going to die because of it. 

  

This photo below is the reason why. I begin to smother if I feel I'm "tied down". I know it's crazy. You'd think after 35 years of wheelchairs and crutches, I'd be familiar with being "tied down". But I have never really felt that way because I've always been 100% independent. That independence is very slowly diminishing in certain areas (I'm concerned with making my way up a ladder to change a light bulb now) but not in the area of getting myself "out" if I need or want. The front door was completely snowed shut. The back door was as you see below. I could get out but my wheelchair wouldn't be going with me. ha I've never had the extra money to have roofs put on the porches so the snow piles up to the doors. It's a horrible feeling. Fortunately, two very dear friends who always watch out for me came with shovels and brooms yesterday afternoon. I can now get out on my porches and feel like I can breathe. My cell phone battery died when we were out yesterday before I could get any pictures. I'll have more tomorrow. My car is out there somewhere. ha It's totally covered except for a tiny area on the front wheel.

Yep. That's a long string on the door knob. It's the only way I can close the door behind me instead of completely turning around and closing the door. I'm not patient about things like that and it was just too irritating to try to close the door, especially if I'm loaded with groceries.

While I'm snowed in for the next few days, I'm working on several projects. This crochet project is for a dear lifelong friend's first grandchild. It's a girl. The body of the blanket is Patons Astra (acrylic) white. I haven't chosen the three trim yarns yet. I know I want pink, light pink and gray. I'd like to find a yarn with a little sheen to it that will compliment the Astra. The nursery is in pink camoflouge and Jersey cows. Never have I seen or heard of such a combination but to each their own. ha This pattern, called Hugs of Love, is of intermediate skill level, but if you read the pattern carefully, and not get too involved in the television, you should be able to do it. 

 During one of my snack breaks, Miss Cleo decides she needs my Cheez-its more than I do. ha She loves Cheez-its.

I wanted some blueberry muffins for breakfast so I went to Just Cats, Deb's blog, in search of her blueberry muffin recipe.

I baked them in my Oster countertop convection oven that I really love. The only problem is I forgot to choose convection bake instead of just bake. That's partly why the tops didn't brown evenly. I baked the dozen on the right at the same time. They're blueberry with brown sugar. The three on the left I baked last because I wanted to try something different. I added a chunk of pineapple to each muffin center and put nutmeg and cinnamon on top. They don't look perfectly baked but they tasted perfectly baked. :-) I had one each and a big cup of hot tea.

Most churches and some businesses are closed today. I've been awake for several hours and haven't seen more than five cars on this main roadway. 

I hope wherever you are, you're warm and happy. And please, snow or no snow ... feed the birds and all the other little critters out there. They really do depend upon us.

First snowflakes ...

Well ... it's here. What more can I say?

I've prepared the bird feeders and bath. I have a heater in the bird bath so it doesn't freeze. Feeders are hung. I love feeding the animals but I do not like them to get under my house. I live in the country so the mice, large and small, like to get under there and make homes. I can't have that. My cats know they're under there and go crazy. I hesitate to put d-con under there but I know of no other alternative. Any suggestions? A small stream runs by the house so it's the perfect place for animals. :-)  

Winter of 2014, two racoons somehow got under my house. Chewed a large hole in the ductwork and crawled in. Samson went bonkers, as did the cats ... and I, of course. The smell was so offensive. I didn't know what it was until I heard it chattering and then, as I looked through the vent, a little black-masked face was looking back at me. What an expense that was!

I have a few outdoor chores that, as I looked around the lawn, I realize I've forgotten. Tomorrow I'll get those done and all will be buttoned up out there.

I've been spending my days housecleaning (which I've neglected and done minimally the past year) and I am knitting Christmas gifts furiously. 

The Bandit ... without Smoky

I've been quite busy for the past few weeks. So much so, that I've not been online to read even one blog post.

For the past six months or so, my smoke detector has gone off (mostly in the middle of the night) and scared a few years off my life each time. There is no smoke to cause it, so I'm assuming it's either dust in there setting it off, or it needs replaced. It is, in addition to being powered with a battery, also powered by electricity. I read online that these systems need replaced every 8-10 years. My house is just now 10 years old. Since I cannot get to the detector battery, I called upon a dear friend, who makes my life much easier. He switched the electrical breaker off and removed the batteries; purchased an individual detector and hung it in a proper place. I can again sleep without being on edge. It disturbed Samson as well which bothered me more than anything. Now, he's sleeping soundly too.

That very evening, near dusk, I heard an unusual sound that seemed to be coming from under the house. Suddenly, Samson was in defense mode and headed to the heat register and began barking wildly; cats hissing and sniffing. I'm thinking, "Good grief, all this over a mouse (I'm sure of it!)?" I decided I'd turn the furnace on and that little critter would run back out. So ... turned on the heat ... and instantly knew it was NOT a mouse! It lumbered and galloped and thundered around. I feared it would break the duct work so I turned the furnace off. I listened and gasped! I heard a familiar chatter and a dog-like panting. No way! I'm thinking I've lost my mind and NO ONE will believe this. I went to the kitchen register ... looked into it ... and there ... staring back at me through a black mask was a raccoon!!! How in this world did that happen?! I called my friend, Jamie, to come back. (Fortunately, I've been close with his wife since the day she was born so she doesn't mind to loan him out.) He came back and we waited for it to rear its little head again. Never showed. Jamie sat here with me for almost an hour but the little fellow found his outlet to a cooler spot. I'm sure he was quite warm and thirsty after the heat from the furnace blowing on him.

The next morning I went to my car and saw little muddy 'coon prints on top of the frozen snow, heading from under the back porch to the stream just a few feet away. He needed a drink. :-)

A few days later, I was preparing to crawl under the porch to find out how this chubby little varmint was entering the crawl space. A friend stopped by at that exact time and insisted she do it for me. She said someone had cut one-half of a cinder block out and left a clear opening under the vented block. (I'm assuming the fellow who built the back porch did this when I wasn't looking. Why?) She took a few cinder blocks and blocked for me. I've had no more bandit visits but I fear the bandit left a little destruction behind. I can feel a slight cool breeze at the registers when the heat is not on. I'll have to get someone under the house this summer to check the duct work out. I hate the thoughts of sending someone under there because it's very tight. But, it must be done.

The weather is beginning to feel like Spring. Still a bit nippy but the sun is shining and that makes me joyful.

Wishing you a joyful weekend!

Beauty ...

This Swallowtail butterfly just didn't want to leave the verbena. It hung around about 20 minutes when I was photographing it. I've seen it several times over the past few days. Such delicate beauty. I could watch it flit and flutter and glide for hours.

 

 

 

Mister ... Part II

My little feline friend has conquered the dreaded diagnosis! It was a frustrating and expensive road but we got through it. haha

After two months of twice daily glipizide, specially formulated diabetic food and once daily Atopica: the diabetes has reversed itself. Hallelujah! I think the worst part of the whole scenario was taking him to the vet for glucose testing. It just broke my heart. Drawing blood from his lower leg was extremely painful for him and stressful for us both.

Now, he is on Atopica every other day for the rest of his life. It's not difficult to give him that pill. I wrap it in a tiny bit of American cheese and he gobbles it right down. That's how I give meds to Samson, too. You may not find many groceries in my house but you will always find American cheese. :-)

I live alone. To be honest, I am almost always alone. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I'd be where I am today. Never. I would not be able to get through the day if it weren't for my pets. Sounds a little coo-coo? I agree. But it's the unfortunate, painful truth. If you pray, please pray for me.

Romans 11:33 (NLT)

³³ Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways.

Mister

My tabby, Mister, hasn't been feeling well. He's been trance-like, lethargic, drinking copious amounts of water ... begging for my ice cream and vanilla yogurt ...

He's taken steroid (depo) shots every three to four months for the past five years for a skin condition. Oozing, open sores develop down his spine without the shots. Unfortunately, these shots can cause diabetes.

I took him to the vet on Thursday. He had to stay there all day for various testings. When I picked him up, he was wide-eyed scared. He is a shy kitty. He doesn't like leaving the house, actually. Sugar level in animals are gauged the same way as in humans. His level should be 120. It was 430! Treatment is much as it is for humans, as well. I have to give him glipizide 5mg twice daily. Fortunately, I can crush the pill and put it in one tablespoon of vanilla yogurt to get it down him. Otherwise, he would not get his medication. He was feral and still has a little of the "wild" in him. He doesn't like to be held or have a pill shoved down his throat. :-) I also had to get him a prescription dry food. He loves it ... which is another plus.

So, each morning, I give him his medicated yogurt. After about 30 minutes, I separate the two cats. I give Miss Cleo her food and give Mister his prescription food. Miss Cleo is the dominant cat. She wants to eat whatever Mister has so that is why I separate them. I have to do this twice a day. It's not quite so time-consuming in the evening as in the morning. I have a Quaker parrot and a dog to feed and water in addition to the two cats. Then I have to feed myself as well. ha I usually get my first cup of coffee about an hour after I been up.

Because the diabetes is suspected to be caused by the depo shots, the vet thinks I'll only have to treat Mister for this disease for two to three months. That's about how long it will take for the depo to completely leave his body. I pray that is the case. There's no way I can afford the medication for more than two to three months. The specialty food is more than I can handle! But I love my little feline companion and will do what I can for him.

Queen Anne's Lace Scarf

This is my first blog post using blogger. I have another blog called From My Left Hand. I've used it for a while but I've always wanted to use blogger. It just took a bit for me to get here. :-) The title for the other blog refers to the crafts I make and I'm left-handed.


Here's a little something I'm working on right now. I got a hankerin' to crochet. A friend's 4-year-old daughter loves to wear neck scarves. I've knitted several for her and she wears them when it's 0 degrees and when it's 90 degrees. haha I found a crochet pattern called Queen Anne's Lace Scarf and a skein of lilac J&P Coats LusterSheen that I've had for many years. I'll have the recipient model it but for now Miss Cleo will model it. She doesn't mind as long as I don't wake her to get the shot.