Tomorrow is my sister's birthday. I won"t tell you her age. Suffice it to say that she is younger than I am. I miss her, you know. Life has gotten in the way and we haven't seen each other since Stephen and Hannia's wedding. She lives out of state, so its just not easy. Every time we plan something, something else comes up. Like trying to see her when we were in Asheville over New Years....she had the flu. I think her whole family had the flu over Christmas vacation. And it makes me sad, but I am not going to give up yet.

We used to talk on the phone once a week or so, but since she has gone back to work, that has become texts and emails. I want it to be better....I think she wants it to be better. Its not like we don't want to see each other. We aren't angry or trying to avoid each other. Its just that schedules never seem to mesh, or family obligations creep up, or this thing or that thing happens unavoidably.

Its a rare thing, to have someone who knows what your life was like before....before grown up stuff got in the way. I think about that a lot. Like how nobody else really knows what it was like to live in our house, with our parents. How my Mother, whom I loved dearly, had a harsher, judgemental side that few ever got to see. But my sister and I were quite familiar with it. How when Mom was angry you got the silent treatment. And how that was worse than any punishment. She is the only other person on the planet who understands things like that, and how it forms your personality and colors the rest of your life.

I miss her. And we WILL figure out a way to be more in contact. Until then, though, I hope she is having a very fabulous birthday celebration with her family.

I was thinking about all of this just last night when my husband found a song online from way back in his childhood. "Bring the country to the city" He was delighted, and said that as kids they would play it whenever they wanted to make it snow. LOL. And I am sure his sister, Jeanne would absolutely remember that song even if nobody else in the whole world knows it (not sure about his brothers). Actually, now I know it too, and having heard it, I kind of have it stuck in my head. Funny stuff, those childhood memories.

* After a full week of the flu, I am finally feeling human again. I am going back to work tomorrow.

* Bruce came home from work on Friday with the tell tale signs of the flu bug. He is sick, but seems to have a slightly milder case of it.
Lucky him.

* The kids leave for the UK on Wednesday. They will be in Barcelona, Spain the following week. I am jealous!!

* It was a crazy, stormy, extremely windy past few days!!! 75 degrees on Friday, followed by a night that sounded like a hurricane. Yesterday was blustery as well.

* I feel out of touch with the rest of the world after a week in seclusion.
I didn't talk to anyone, barely watched any news or anything. I am ready to rejoin life again....LOL.

* Our lovely feline children are going to have to adjust to NOT having me home all day, every day to attend to their every whim. Mainly Bitty will miss my status as "doorman" to let her in and out 8 dozen times a day.

* I have become addicted to Pinterest!!! I spent a good part of the week setting up my boards...pinning anything and everything that caught my eye. But after playing around with it for a few days, I have discovered how practical it can be. My next home project is tackling our dark, outdated dining room. And now I have a board that lets me pin products and ideas, directly linked to the websites. Very cool. It is so much easier to keep track of bookmarks that way, with a picture of what you liked. You have to be invited to join, so if you are interested, let me know and I will be happy to send you an invite.

* Bruce is trying out a new family Dr. tomorrow. Our usual place does not take appointments. And while we like both of the docs there, and have been there for years, sometimes (MOST of the time) you end up waiting an eternity. We have shopped around for a family GP, and found it alarming that a) there really aren't that many as our town is chocked full of specialists. And b) many of the GPs are NOT taking on new patients. Anyway, this doc is a woman, and the office is conveniently nearby. IF he likes her, we are both switching our files over......so here's hoping....

Have a good week ahead, stay well, and be happy!

Devastation: Thats what it looks like after the tree service got through with our trees. They did it like Bruce wanted it though, and I am sure it will look better when spring leaves start reappearing. It looks rather stark at the moment.

All those branches around the bottom are ours to clean up. The same thing was done in the front yard, only not quite as much was cut, and Bruce has gotten that almost entirely picked up by now. I haven't been any help at all with this flu. Bur I hope to be able to pitch in some this weekend. I asked him to keep some of the larger branches stacked over by the barn for our next big family bonfire. I don't know if he has saved any or not. Thats how much I haven't been outside, or even looked outside much this week. I hope he did, or will....cuz seriously, bacon on a stick anyone? Our new bonfire favorite! LOL.

I did NOT go to work again today. I am way better. No fever. Less congestion. But I just feel so weak and tired. I didn't go to the doc, either, although I said I would. I figured I was getting better and that was good enough. I really am paranoid about the overuse of antibiotics. But I'm a good bit better, so I figured I would take today to recouperate, run some errands that were imperative...that kind of thing. I woke up and felt halfway decent. I got dressed without feeling like I might pass out, so that was good. I made it to the library (books needed returning), and got completely winded walking inside. But I recovered. I ran by Target and although I was struggling by then, I was still doing OK. But the grocery store was my downfall.

I HAD to go. We were almost out of anything edible. And while my husband is fabulous, grocery shopping and cooking are NOT things on his radar. Oh, if I say specifically "we need milk"...or bread or whatever, he will do it. He doesn't mind running to the store every now and then for a few items. But when it comes to a major haul, he just doesn't do it often enough to really know what we need. So, there I was. I made it about halfway through, not really being able to concentrate. Not sure what we needed (almost everything), or what I was buying (I was just putting stuff in my cart because I could not THINK straight). But anyway, at about the halfway point I realized I was in trouble. I had a spell of weakness that made me see spots in front of my eyes. I was afraid I was going to faint in the aisle. And I was so angry and frustrated at myself for not being able to complete such a menial, normal, every day task.....I managed, barely. Somehow. But I called Stephen who ran over to unload the car. I was embarrassed by having to do that, but I didn't know how I was going to get all of those bags inside. Bruce was at work....and I was just not capable. Thank you son. I would still be out there, taking in one thing at a time, I guess, if you hadn't been able to help me. It made me feel really old and terribly decrepit. I had a small crying jag on the way home thinking how awful and unfair this all was. I know....its fine. I'm fine, and it's not the end of the world. I guess I just needed a good cry.

Anyway, after that, I called and talked to one of my supervisors at work. I explained it to her, that this was more than a cold, and although I was much better....I was far from 100%. I told her that if she was in a real bind, I could attempt coming to work tomorrow. But she said that she could make arrangements to give me another day. Which means through the weekend, and surely by then I will be back up to speed. I hope. I had NO intentions of wasting days off with something this stupid. But looking back, even though I didn't go to the Dr., I am thinking this was the flu.
It has been way more terrible than any cold I have ever had. So, I have another few days to get myself together....and hopefully I can put this week behind me.

I don't remember when I was this sick...it must have been ages ago. This cold or flu or whatever it is has knocked me to my knees. I haven't been to the Dr yet, but if it's not better by tomorrow I may have to. I don't believe in uselessly taking antibiotics, and that is probably what will be prescribed. We will see. It is a little better today though. I spent the past 2 days in a haze, with a low grade fever (I think...I never actually took my temp, but it sure felt like a fever). And that part seems to be gone today. I feel exhausted and congested, and it seems to be moving into my chest with more coughing, but I don't feel feverish. I take that to be a sign of improvement.

Ana came this morning to clean the house. I stumbled into the kitchen to say hi, so that she would know I was home. We are usually at work when she comes. I must have looked frightful. She shooed me away, back to bed. I think she didn't want to catch anything...LOL. I don't blame her. I have slept in Erica's room for the past 2 nights to try and spare Bruce not only the germs, but my restlessness too. I just holed up in there and took a nap until Ana was done. Nobody seems to want my company at the moment.

Anyway, obviously I didn't make it to work today. I couldn't. Like absolutely could not. I am hoping to get a shower and some fresh PJ's, and if I can do that it will feel like a great accomplishment. I will try again tomorrow, but that remains to be seen. The only way I would call in is if I need to see the Dr.

I am sick again. Seriously. This is the third time since New Years. Another cold, this time a bad one. The kind where the congestion feels like molten lava behind my eyes and cheekbones. It ain't pretty....and with my chapped lips, and red nose, neither am I. As soon as I get over this a little and start to feel halfway human, I need to make a Dr. appointment for thyroid blood tests again. The first sign that my levels are off is not having much of an immune system. So....yeah....either that is acting up, or I have just been really unlucky this winter. I wash my hands constantly, I take vitamins....any other suggestions? Other than living in a bubble?

Anyway, I was already scheduled off work today, and yesterday was Presidents Day. Not sure if I will make it tomorrow, but we will see how I feel. In the meantime, I am just taking it easy. Hopefully this will go away quickly.

On another note, we are waiting for a tree service company to get here this morning. We are having this large pecan tree by the kitchen topped out, to minimize any risks during hurricane season. If this thing fell, it would either take out the kitchen, or fall the opposite way and the huge root system would tear out the kitchen wall. So, Bruce is trying to make sure it stays put even during the storms.
He might get him to touch up the one in the front too. The utility company keeps the front side cut back off of the power lines, but that makes it a little heavy on the house side. I don't think it is close enough to hit the house though.....Its hard to judge the height and distance.

Edited to add: The tree guys are here with their humongous lift/bucket truck. Bruce is outside with them. He looks like a kid with a new toy. Men and large equipment....I don't understand it. You know, he wanted to do the tree himself with a ladder and chain saw. He actually DID do as much as he could reach that way, and believe me, it scared the daylights out of me. He doesn't seem to think its risky, why would I be afraid??? When he agreed to call the tree service in, I was so relieved. I am getting way too old for that kind of stress.

So my husband is fabulous. I think I mention that in the "about me" section. I don't have time or space to list all of the ways of his fabulosity. He is NOT perfect...but the fabulous outweighs the not-so-fab and that makes him a keeper, and me a lucky woman for having him as my better half.

His latest fabulous thing was to fix my netbook. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my iPad. Love with passionate pink puffy hearts. Its fast, its portable, its a fantastic e-reader. But it has its limitations. The blogger app, for instance, will not let me post photos on my blog. And the Pinterest app only lets me repin, (I think...I have not totally figured out the app, but am finding Pinterest on the netbook quite addictive). Actually, both of those limitations could be remedied if somebody would just come out with an updated app, and they probably will....in time.

But anyway, my netbook was struggling along until it finally just died. The screen stopped working. Fab. hubby figured out the problem (a faulty cable), ordered the part, and now has me up and going again. I am thrilled. And I also hope my netbook will hold out until all the iPad apps are fully functional.

And now....because I can post pictures again due to hubby's aforementioned fabulousness...here are a few from Hannia's Birthday dinner last night:

-The Tres Leches Cake (pay attention to the Happy Birthday candles):



-Hannia with her cake (note that my son, the eternal trickster, rearranged the letters unbeknownst to me...and sung the birthday song as "Hay-P-P Birthday" and nobody could figure out why until later when he told us):



-After dinner, cake and presents, things dissolved into madness. I don't know why, but its just the way with our family:



-Bitty came out to see what all the commotion was about. And to beg for cake:



As a parting gift for my hospitality, Stephen created some "Lime Art" for us:



And there are the highlights of our evening. Let me say Thank You to Hubby one more time for fixing this netbook to make posting pictures possible again. I Love You!

Yesterday was my daughter-in-law's birthday. She was driving home from Charlotte (her Dad had some surgery and she was there all week), so I didn't know if she would be up to doing anything last night. Funny enough, though, one of her presents Stephen had ordered came yesterday morning so they came over anyway. Their mail still comes here, you know. They had enough problems with the change of address from Indiana....and with not knowing how long they may stay here in Gville, changing it all again was just too much. But tonight we celebrate properly. It's raining, and I had hoped we might cook steaks on the grill, but whatever. I can do them inside on either the griddle or the broiler.

But the thing I am most excited about is the cake...I did it entirely from scratch. Even the frosting. It's a tres leches cake (3 milks) only with strawberries too. We had this for dessert (well one that I HOPE will be like this) that was so delicious when we all went to Loquillo, Puerto Rico. IF I get lucky and it tastes as good as I want it to, I will share the recipe. The cake soaked overnight in a mixture of regular milk, evaporated milk, and sweetened condensed milk, (hence, the Tres Leches part). It's definitely not a diet cake. It has strawberry jam filling, and homemade whipped cream frosting (heavy cream....yikes. LOL), and fresh strawberries on top. Oh please, dont disappoint me cake. I want you to be rich, and sweet and creamy for the birthday celebration.

Anyway, it's been a cold, rainy, dreary day but I have been too busy with celebration preparations to notice. That's a good thing. The only thing driving me nuts is our youngest cat, Bitty. She loves to be outside, in the cat-safe enclosure. But it's raining, so she has begged to go out, begged to come back in all the while looking at us with disdain as if we put the rain there on purpose to make her life miserable. I just hope she will go take a nap soon. Whoever said cats sleep 18 hours a day did NOT send Bitty that memo........

Welcome to my new blog. I needed something new, something fresh. Something that will allow me to change templates with my mood. I have been meaning to do this for a while now, although I admit, I spent the past few months trying to update/fix my old blog enough to make me happy. It just wasn't working, so out with the old, and in with the new.

But anyway, I am keeping my old blog intact for a while, too, because its more of a journal. I might miss it if I delete it. But this is where I will be now. In the new space. I think I am going to like it here.