In the garden

 My Mom loved to garden.  She grew beautiful balanced flowerbeds with plants lined up in rows like soldiers and, like class photos, tallest kids in the back.  Plants were something we had in common that we could talk about.  She always wanted to know what was growing and flowering in my yard and she'd tell me what she was growing and what her next project was going to be.  And, I wasn't the only one.  Several people came up to me at the funeral to tell me how much my Mom loved to garden and how they had beautiful plants in their gardens that she had shared.  And, I could not go there without bringing back a half dozen pots of things.  Even after her death, I brought home an iris, some clematis, some rose cuttings to try to root, and a flowering almond.  

Over Easter weekend, when she could still talk easily, she went on and on about me getting a flowering almond from hers.  I didn't take one that weekend, but I did the next week.  It came from my Aunt Lucille's house.  I don't remember it as a child, but she did and wanted me to have a bit of it to carry on in my garden.   It's just a twig in a pot right now, but I think it's going to make it.  

This is the iris

And, this is the rose

You can see why I was so eager to take bits of them.  

In my garden, things are also starting to bloom.  It's Iris season here.  

And, the oakleaf hydrangea is getting started.  

Cinco de Mayo rose

And, my first daylily of the year is this little Stella D'Oro, but there are scapes all over the yard and we are going to have a very good daylily season.  

It was very important to keep something like gardening in common with my Mom.  We didn't have much else in common.  We believed different things and we lived our lives very differently.  And, by golly, she just could not help but bring those things up.  Sometimes, all she'd want to do is run down my politics or my parenting.  I always thought it was just me, but it seemed like everyone from the preacher to my cousins shared a variation of 'your mother was hard to get along with, but she did it with love."  If I could go back and say one thing to her, I think it would be that maybe love is about swallowing your own thoughts and making others feel good about themselves.  Of course, that's easier to say than to do.  

I find myself saying thank you a lot.  I've really noticed it these last few weeks.  I try to thank Rob for the things he does.  I'm constantly thanking people at work.  And, now I thank my family a lot.  I've realized I have a lot to be grateful for and maybe saying thank you isn't just about being grateful to the other person.  It's also a lot about me acknowledging how I feel.  It took a long time for me to accept that I couldn't do it all and rely on others and that I needed to recognize them for that.  

I'm sure I'll share lots of other stories about my Mom now that she's not there to read them.  They're not all happy tales.  After she passed, one of my Aunts turned out to not be who everyone thought she was.  There was a long story that one of her sons shared with me, just trashing her.  It made me realize that I don't want to do that.  I don't want to put the unhappy stories out there.  I've dealt with them and don't have regrets.  But, the happy stories aren't really ready to come out yet either.  I guess I'm in the angry stage of grieving.  But, like all things...this too shall pass.

Everybody have a great week!  Last week was crazy as I tried to get caught up at work, and in the garden and in the house.  So many things had to be done after I was away for three consecutive weekends.  But, I also needed rest, so I had to prioritize what I accomplished and take some time for me to just sit and watch TV.  I don't usually sit still well, but I did pretty good on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.  

Lane

MIA

Sorry about being MIA for so long.  My Mom got sick before Easter and I went to see her that weekend and drove back on Monday.  It seemed that shew as getting better, but over the week, she continued to decline and they decided to go with comfort care only.  I drove back that weekend and stayed until after the funeral, driving home yesterday.  She hung in a lot longer than the doctors thought she would.  

Everyone in my Dad's church group (Sunday school Class) got covid and they all brought it home to their wives.  Everyone got better except my Mom.  She had several other health issues going on and was not able to survive the cumulative effect of them all.  

It was great to all come together in the effort of caring for her.  My sisters and their husbands and daughters and my Mom's sister who is a retired nurse all pulled together, some of us providing direct care and others providing support.  I stayed at my parent's house and was able to take over with my Dad, making sure he didn't spend all day every day at the hospital and that he ate at regular intervals and drank plenty of water.  Our favorite doctor talked to him about caring for himself through this and he reached over and put his hand on my shoulder and said 'I got my boy helping me with that.'  It felt really good.  

When she passed, my Dad, sisters, me, and my Dad's only brother were in the room.  One of my sisters commented that her breathing had gotten quiet and the nurse came in to administer the next pain med and she passed quietly during that.  A couple hours later and we were out of the hospital for the last time.  

For days, we ate hospital food.  Hospitals are where you go to get better, but this hospital seemed to only sell the things the doctors tell us not to eat.  I had some really lovely pancakes tho.  Every morning, my Dad and I would go down and several times, he asked for two strips of bacon.  He'd get two slices of bacon.  I'd ask for two strips of bacon and I also got two...but each one was three slices stuck together.  I tried to have a salad on one of my first days, but the chiller they kept them in was too cold and the salad had frozen.  I checked several times after and the same was true every time.  So I ate things like fried chicken and scrambled eggs and biscuits and pizza and on Wednesday, my body revolted and I started actively pushing for steamed vegetables at every meal I could control.  

The funeral was beautiful.  The preacher told stories about my Mom and I saw friends and family I had not seen in 40 years.  They played the hymns Blessed Assurance and In the Garden.  It was funny how all four of us agreed so quickly on the hymns.  I suggested both without realizing my sisters and Dad had already talked about them both.  She was buried in the family cemetery in Louisiana near my Grandparents and many uncles, aunts and cousins.  

I'm sure I'll have more to say later, but didn't want to wait until next Monday to give an update on why I was missing.  

Everybody have a great week and hug someone you love.  And, when you fuss and argue, make up quick as you can, just in case you don't get another chance.  

Lane

Puppy time

The puppy (she who remains nameless) is growing and becoming more independent.  Last week, I worked out a schedule of playing with her for a while, then letting her curl up in my lap for a nap while I worked.  This week, we will be working on that nap being in her crate, near me, but not on me.  And, we're working on her chewing things that are not our fingers and toes.  Goodness but those little teeth are sharp.  This is her enjoying time in the chair next to my desk, but that's Bella's chair, so the puppy didn't get to stay there long.  

She stiI've enjoyed making up names for her, like Wilhelmina's handbag and pink and purple people eater and Rufus.  When Rob took her to the vet on Friday, they entered the name "new puppy" so Rob didn't have to make a snap decision.  Right now, Bailey is a top contender.  I like Ruby too.  And, I really like Spot, but I don't think many people name their dogs like that anymore.  

Spring is really taking off in the garden.  I forget what it's like every spring when everything is coming up and starting to bloom.  This Broom is really going to be spectacular this year.  It's in a tall narrow pot, so is like a huge flower arrangement in a vase.  As long as it doesn't get top heavy and start falling over in the wind, I think it's in the perfect pot.  

And, the first Gerber Daisy has bloomed.  This plant has tried to bloom every time it warmed up over the winter, and each time, the flower got bit back by the cold.  But, now it's getting a chance to shine.  I moved all my Gerber's this year to be nearer this one.  They were in the wrong spots and struggling in the summer heat, so I've moved them to a place where they'll get some really good sun, but in the late afternoon, when it's really baking out there, they'll be in some shade.  

And, the little ground covers are going nuts.  Lots of little purple violets and ajuga blooms.  

The Mock Orange is winding up for it's show.  I really wish this bloomed longer than a couple weeks.  

My 12 year old car is having an engine problem for the first time.  It's bad timing, but honestly, I can't complain about it.  It's been a great car and has only been in the shop a couple of times.  I feel very lucky.  And, I'm lucky that I have a job where I can take time off to sit in the dealer's auto shop lobby for a day with a good book.  It will be nice to get away from it all and just waste some time.  

Potty training.  That really describes it all right now.  She's too young to expect her to really learn it, but she seems to be getting the message and we're letting her out so often that she's doing it in the right place most of the time, and being praised like she just invented air.  But, I will be glad when I can walk across the house in sock feet again.  

Everybody have a great week!  And may all the poop in your life be where it's supposed to be, and if it's not, then easy to clean up.

Lane

That episode where Rob got a puppy

 Good Lord what have we done?  Now we're saying things like "please don't do that in the house" and "how did you even get that in your mouth?"  

She's 2 months old and weighs 3 lbs.  And, she's all energy and the sound of a herd of cattle when she runs across the house.  And, everything goes in her mouth.  

She's never been alone.  

The first night, she cried about 20 minutes and then another 20 when we got up in the middle of the night.  And, I thought 'piece of cake'.  Last night, she cried and yowled and howled and barked and whined for 3 1/2 hours.  At 11, Rob asked what I thought we should do and I suggested we sleep on the couches.  So, we did.  Yes, a 3# puppy ran us out of our bed.  We should be ashamed, but at least we got a half night's sleep.  Tonight, I'm going to be sure to be prepared for a more pleasant night if I"m on the couch again.  

Bella is doing pretty well with it.  She's establishing boundaries and perimeters (probably better than we are).  She's never had a dog to play with  She was growing up in Syd's room when we brought Mable in.  This is a new experience for my 14 year old, stuck in her routines, "I vant to be alone" drama-chiweenie.  When she wants to play, they play.  When she wants to be left alone, she ain't playin.  

Rob seems to be pretty happy about it all.  He's very patient, except when it came to not being able to sleep in his own bed.  This is how I caught them napping yesterday.  I nearly died of adorable.

Okay, that's enough about me.  There was no yard work, no sewing, no knitting, no nothing except playing with a puppy and cleaning up after a puppy and buying things for a puppy.  And, she's lost interest in her chew toy, so now I'm back on babysitting duty.  Because I can't take my eyes off her or she'll be pulling Rob's scarf off the chair and running across the house with it.  Or chewing through an electrical cord.  Or worse.  

Be well.  Have a great week.  Don't chew that wire!!  

Lane

Growth and taxes

Weeks seem like they pass so quickly now and some weeks, it feels like nothing really happens although it really did...it just wasn't interesting.  I filed our taxes.  We had to pay this year for the first time in either of our lives due to a small error at Rob's company.   Not much.  Just enough to break our record of never having to pay at the end of the year.   My doctor is leaving the company and I had to find a new one.  I've been putting it off but then I saw that one of my prescriptions was about to expire, so had to get that done.  Telemed is nice, but I need a relationship with a doctor I can shake hands with and look in the eye.  I also scheduled an appt with a dermatologist.  Living in TX, it's way past time that I saw one.  And I had to go to the office one day.  Other than adding a restaurant to the list of places Rob and I would enjoy, it was a very nothing day.  

I spent as much time as I could in the garden.  The fertilizer last week really did the trick.  Everything is popping out of the ground and trying to get to the sun.  It's white season right now.  I don't grow a lot of white flowers.  Most plants with white flowers don't do well in the heat, so all my white flowers are at the beginning of the season.  It starts with the white iris.  

And, the white spirea.  This spirea was trimmed into an almost perfect sphere and then it bloomed and the weight of the flowers changed the shape.  Oh, well.  It should go back to a sphere when this is done.  

The white mock oranges are getting ready to explode next.  

I even got this one early yellow iris.  This iris bloomed in the fall when it shouldn't and now it's at it again.  Odd.

And, I worked on Rob's shirt.  Mary, I'm not sure how many shirts I"ve made.  I've been making shirts since before I decided to learn how.  These are the first two shirts I remember making.  I was very excited to give it a try.  They're made out of quilting cotton so were very heavy.   If you've been quilting since the 90's, you probably recognize the prints.  They were newly released when I got them.  The shirts were not good enough to wear out, but they were good enough to wear around the house and in the garden.  They're showing their years now and I doubt I could get them to button around me anymore, but I still have every shirt I made, except the ones I made for friends and the ones I really didn't like and cut into quilt scraps.  

I made progress on Rob's shirt.  I just need to hem the sleeves and do buttons and buttonholes.  I got a new button foot for the Bernina so am not dreading that they way I do so often.  I've tried a variety of feet to sew on a button with varying levels of success.  I'm looking forward to trying the real thing.  

Everybody have a great week.  In the midst of doing the things that have to be done, be sure to find time to do something just for fun.  

Lane

Spring chores

Spring is early this year.  I'm afraid that's a harbinger of a hot summer.  It's also meant that there's a lot to do in the garden and not a lot of time to get it done because all the perennials are off to a leaping start.  Yesterday I fed and watered, so no telling what will be happening out there next weekend.  

This is a French Broom.  I saw one at a neighbor's house and it was beautiful!  They had it in a large barrel at the end of their driveway.  I picked up a small one and stuck it in a tall pot and it did really well.  The neighbors left theirs out over winter and I'm not sure it's coming back.  I put mine in the greenhouse where it doubled in size over the winter and now it's started to bloom.  Not a lot.  It likes it HOT!  But, it's an early start.  It should bloom for a good part of summer.  While it doesn't look like there's a lot happening in the background, there is.  

I have a few early violets.  These will be in full bloom in a few weeks and they'll last all spring.  My Mom gave me a few many years ago and I've let them grow as a ground cover.  They do very well and don't mind a little sun.  But, they'd also like to take over the place and I've learned not to let them take hold in a flower pot because once they take hold, they're hard to get rid of.  

And, the grape hyacinths are getting started.  Just a few stalks now, but the rest look ready to go.  And, they've multiplied into many more plants than the little bag of bulbs I bought.  This is another plant that I don't think would like the heat, but they do fine during summer and stay green all year round.  

The white iris are getting started.  These are usually the first blooms of the year, but even they're confused by the early spring.  This is the only stand that has flowers open.  I have these all over the garden.  They're not very tall, so they shrink into the background during summer, but I enjoy having the early flowers all around.  

This orchid is putting on a really good show, so wanted to share it.  I love the green flower with the brown center.  I saw this one and loved it.  I don't know if they're particularly fragile or not, but I've killed a couplel.  Hopefully, this one will be the one that lasts.  

I don't think I give my orchids enough light.  They bloom in winter when the trees have lost their leaves.  I'm thinking of taking a couple out to the greenhouse for spring.  I don't think they'd like it out there during summer, but spring outside should be nice for them.  

I started a shirt for Rob.  I got it cut out and the front and back together on Saturday.  I've made the collar and am ready to attach it and the collar stand.  This one has extra size in the arm and I"m interested to see how Rob likes it.  

I needed to go to the new office last week.  The day was built up as a building tour and getting to know the new facility.  There are no assigned desks, so it's a free for all.  They offer monitors but no keyboards or mice or any other office supply.  Fortunately, I have a "desk in a bag" that I carry.  It has everything I need to get the job done and I bought a small keyboard yesterday so I don't have to keep the laptop open (I like having two monitors, but the laptop makes three and that's too much to keep up with.). I had been to a meeting where they showed us the floor plan.  I knew more about the facility than the manager that was leading the tour and when the managers would start to dilly-dally around, I'd move the tour forward to the next fascinating destination.  And, as is traditional in my team, the 5 guys who all have private offices kept having impromptu meetings in the cubicle farm where the rest of us work.  It's like they can't possibly meet in one of those large offices with extra chairs and a window view, so they have to meet in the middle of people that are trying to get something done.  I guess that will never change.  I still don't plan to spend any more time in office than they make me.  And, if they try to make me too much, I'll mention maybe moving my retirement date up a little.  That should bring a stop to that.  

You know I love to share the thoughts of others that are pithier than me.  I loved this one.  

And this one.

Everybody have a great week!  If your state votes on Super Tuesday, I hope you voted early and don't have to stand in line or that you make it out to vote.  It may not feel important because we've been cornered into making an awful choice because of an ancient man's fragile ego, but it's still important because there are other races down ballot from there where we need to make our voices heard before the false-christian nationalists try to take us all out unless we bend a knee to their racism, homophobia and bigotry.  

Lane

Spring

It's spring in Texas and I'm taking full advantage of it because it won't last long.  We worked in the yard both mornings until we couldn't anymore.  I got almost all the dead stuff out of the garden and it's bagged up and on the street.  I also started the composter again with leaves and food scraps and started moving plants out of the greenhouses and gave everything a really good watering.  I've trimmed off any growth that died over winter and it's all looking great!  So far, the only thing I've lost is a little cactus that was too close to the roof in the greenhouse and froze.  At least that's what I think happened to it...  Either way, it didn't make it and everybody else did, so I must have done something right.

I got a little overambitious on Saturday, cutting things back, raking out dead leaves, and yesterday, it was time to bundle and get it ready for the street.  I'm all about making a mess and worrying about the cleanup later.  I did the same thing in the kitchen yesterday, too.

Yesterday afternoon, I baked bread and made a cake.  We enjoy our fresh baked goods.  The recipe made two loaves of bread, so I'll freeze one for next week.  We love home baked bread with our dinner and I'll slice off a couple slices, wrap them in foil and put them in the oven with whatever I'm cooking and it's like it just came out of the oven.  The cake is orange flavored and I found the recipe in a vintage cookbook.  It was supposed to be baked in a 9" tube, but that's too much cake for us, so I put it in a 6" tube and two 6" layers and still had enough for a 6" bundt pan.  I kept the bundt out and we will eat it first, then I'll pull out one of the others and frost it with a different frosting or a drizzle and it will be like a different cake.  

The bread is French bread.  I didn't realize that the first couple of times I made it, but last Sunday, I baked Julia Child's recipe for French bread and realized that the new recipe is just a much (MUCH!) easier version of that.  The kitchenaid does most of the work and you don't build a firm gluten cloak for the crust so it isn't as tough, but that's fine.  Julia's recipe ended up making a great crust, but there was a large air bubble in both loaves, just under the crust and the easy version doesn't end up that way.  And, Julia's recipe took all day. and had multiple long rises.  The new recipe took 3 hours with two shorter rises.  

Saturday, I left the lights on in the greenhouse and looked out after dark.  It looked so nice that I had to take a picture.

I've been inspired to make a shirt for Rob.  He asked for more room in the shoulder and sleeve for this one, more like the cut of a Hawaiian shirt than a fitted shirt.  I needed to muslin that and it took a couple tries, but I think I've got it.  He tried on several shirts that he likes the fit of, and I noticed where he pulled at them and I gave him extra size in all those spots.  I've started taking it apart so I can trace the new pattern pieces and get started.  The muslin will go in the bag with his pattern so the next time I need to make an adjustment, I'll have a muslin already started.  

I saw this and it really spoke to me.  Thought I'd share it.  

Everybody have a great week!  My office has moved to a new location and I need to go in this morning to take a tour.  They want it to be an all day event, with lunch and a walk around the walking trails, but who got time for that?  I'll be there long enough for teacher to take roll call, then I'm headed back home to the peace and quiet where I can actually get some work done.  

Be well!  Lane

A busy couple of weeks

Being without glasses is weird.  I've worn glasses since the 80s.  I need a pair of readers for really small print, but otherwise, I'm getting used to seeing myself in the mirror without glasses.  I had a birthday last week and I can see all those years laid out around my eyes.  At least my creases and wrinkles are from smiling and laughing and not from brooding.  I'll need glasses again at some point, but I'm going to enjoy this time of clear sight as long as it lasts.  

Over the two weeks, I spent a lot of time knitting and cooking.  I made this scarf out of a really chunky yarn and huge needles.  It was easy to see, even during that week when my eyes were out of sync and I couldn't see much.  

I made beef bourguignon.  About the most I ever try to do is feed Rob leftovers once, but when he saw the leftovers after that, he asked for it again.  I made half a recipe that was supposed to feed 4-6 and we ate 6 meals from it with some boiled potatoes.  I needed the potatoes to cut down on the richness.  If the potatoes had been cooked in the wine with the meat and carrots, I think it would have been too much.  This way, it was perfect!

I also made myself a delicious birthday cake; strawberry with 7 minute frosting.  Does anybody else ever make 7 minute frosting anymore?  It's the perfect accompaniment to a flavorful cake.  It's like frosting it with marshmallow or something.

It wasn't all good stuff tho.  We lost our old cat.  Sugarfoot was almost 20 and it was his time.  

Here he is, torturing Mable with a bath.  Don't let this pic fool you.  They were big time rivals for Rob's attention.

Work is good, but I wish I'd taken more time off.  I have the time and I had an excuse and I should have used it.  Instead, I rushed back to work and gave myself a couple of headaches the week between the surgeries and I should have given myself more time.  But, I guess that's more time I can take off in the spring, when I really want to be outside.  

Everybody have a great week!  Couple of gifs that I thought were fun.

Lane

As seen in real life

Both  cataract surgeries are over.  All went well and I"m in that stage where I'm doing drops all day.  First surprise was color.  Blue is sooooo blue and white is very, very bright.  As a quilter, that's going to help!  

Working last week was as challenging as I expected.  Sometimes I had one eye closed or covered and sometimes, I had the other.  I probably wasn't very productive, but I was able to get some stuff done.  

Today, my eyes are working in tandem again and I can see/read everything but small print on computer and phone screens and I have a pair of readers that I'll use until I'm fully healed for the that.  After that, I'm supposed to be slightly nearsighted.  We will see.  

Everybody said cataract surgery was no big deal.  And, they were right.  It's not how I'd choose to spend a Sunday afternoon, but as medical procedures go, it wasn't bad.  Oh, and I've finally learned to put in eye drops, which I've always been terrible at.

Everybody have a great week!  

Lane

Dinner bell

Lately, it's been all about the food.  We already ate good, but I've been trying to up my game a little.  I'm a cook that can go in the kitchen, pull out a bunch of ingredients and make something that will be delicious about 90% of the time.  I know how things taste and I can imagine how they'll taste together.  I am less efficient at following recipes.  

I've been trying to learn to follow recipes in Julia Child's cookbooks with results that are...meh.  I've thrown out two genoise cakes and while we've eaten most of the rest, it's just been kind of struggling through it.  And, for some reason, I burn my hand about half the time because I'm paying too much attention to the recipe and not enough to the equipment.  So, I'm stepping back a bit and trying other cookbooks.  

Cooking is a distraction, and I'm throwing my whole self into it, so I spent yesterday in the kitchen.  I made the cake that ended up being the texture of cornbread.  But, I also made a delicious chicken stew that I served over mashed potatoes.  

And, I braised a leek.  We didn't grow up with leeks, but I've been experimenting, putting them in different things like potato soup and sautéing them with a sliced mushroom to fill an omelette.  Yesterday, I found this braised leek recipe with a pancetta dressing.  Who knew that's what a cooked leek tasted like.  It was just a one off thing to see if we'd like it, not part of a meal, but I ate the whole thing as an afternoon snack.

And, I made a pot of sauce with chicken sausage.  Not sure how that's going to be.  It was very greasy when I tasted it, so am hoping I can scoop some of that off now that it's been in the fridge.  The sausage has been delicious on pizza, so this is just an experiment to see how it goes.  

Last week, Rob's 2006 F150 hit it's first repair that exceeded the value of the vehicle, so he'd been shopping diligently for a new truck.  Saturday morning, he stumbled up on an ad for one that was almost too good to be true.  We went and looked at it as soon as the dealership opened and brought it home with us.  I can tell he's very excited and has been playing with it like a kid with a Christmas toy.  Every so often, I realize I don't know where he is and he comes in to tell me some new thing he's discovered about it.  

I'm going to be out for a couple weeks.  I'm having my eyes done...not for beauty, but for utility.  I'm having cataract surgery next Monday and the Monday after.  The one thing that no one has been able to tell me is how I'm supposed to work between visits when my eyeglass prescription doesn't work anymore. That's going to be an adventure.  Everyone says this is going to be a big nothing, and I am trusting in that and am not really even nervous about it.  I can hardly see now, so anything is going to be an improvement.  Unfortunately, due to a secondary eye condition, I can't get the Cadillac of lenses that would keep me from needing glasses.

Everybody have a great couple of weeks!  I wanted to leave you with this thought from Adam Rippon.  

Lane

Turn up the heat!

I'll be right up front, nothing happened last week except trying to stay warm.  I was "under the weather" (not quite sick, but not quite feeling up to par).  Fortunately, I'd spent last Sunday making soup and chili and other delicious warm foods, so I didn't need to get much done except clean up after us and Rob helped with that.  Fortunately, there wasn't any precipitation with this hard freeze, so we weren't shut in.  

Monday was a holiday.  It's new for my company to offer MLK day and I forgot and worked half a day.  At noon, I was like why am I not getting any emails?  Then I checked and no one appeared to be logged in, so I double checked my connection to make sure I was logged in...and then I went to check and sure enough, holiday.  So, I got the afternoon off and spent it knitting on a sweater I'm making.  Tuesday, I worked, but it was 15 degrees that morning with a high in the mid 20's and I convinced Rob to take some of that paid time off he's been hoarding.  By Wednesday afternoon, it was all over and we had sun Weds afternoon, all day Thursday and Friday morning.  Then it was cloudy and while it was cold, it stayed above freezing.  

Both greenhouses did great!  I had bluetooth thermometers in both, so didn't have to open them to make sure it was warm inside.  After the first night, I added some weight around the perimeter of the portable greenhouse to keep the wind from blowing under the flaps that sit on the ground and that kept it several degrees higher the next night.  When I opened it on Thursday for some sun, everyone was happy.  So happy that a tomato was ripening.  

Through the whole thing, Bella stayed warm and curled up in her bed.  She's been having a little trouble with her mobility.  She's not as quick to get up after being still for a few hours and she doesn't run much and jumping up on the furniture was getting harder.  The vet suggested Librela.  It's a monthly injection, which will be a pain, but the night of the first injection, she started doing things she hadn't done in 6 months, like jump off the sofa, run across the room and take a flying leap onto the chair and another leap to her favorite perch to observe me from...it's so nice to be someone's everything.  She doesn't want me to touch or cuddle her, but she doesn't want me out of her line of sight either.  Weird little dog.

While it was so cold, I really didn't waste...I mean wisely spend much time cleaning house, so Saturday morning, I made up for it.  While I was doing that, Rob pulled out his lego to do some maintenance and to add a new piece he'd assembled during his extra time off.  I got to see them and he has some very detailed pieces.  This is the Simpson's house.

And, the RV.

And, some of the other pieces.  The light blue truck and horse trailer in the back are the new pieces.

And, the cabin he says we'll live in one day.

The lego from my childhood has grown up to be a very expensive and complicated adult amusement.  Rob can spend hours working on a piece.  

Sydney asked me for a secret recipe the other day, one that's not written down.  I gave it to her, but secrets have a price.  

Everybody have a great week!  The weather says everyone in the US is going to have warmer weather this week.  I hope it's nice and safe and warm wherever you are.  

Lane