So...How Am I doing??? Check Later!!!

I thought I would drop in here really quick, and make some kind of mention of the Blog, and how it's looking, and wondering how many have looked at it, or actually read it, besides my dear son...he emailed me and told me he liked it, and it gave him a more personal look inside the days of his mom....uhhhhh....did we not grow up together all these years??? LOL!
Believe me, I understand it, but at first reading of that email, I wondered if we were estranged over his lifetime, and it occured to me that he's 30 now...and he may NOT be as "in touch" with me & my doings.
This WAS the main reason I sent everyone the link to the Blog...so they can keep in touch with me, when they can't keep in touch with me...LOL!! This is kind of like opening my Journal everyday and then letting everyone I know read it....I don't think so!!! There are things in my HandWritten Journal that shouldn't be made public!

Anyhoo...I finally listed my FIRST item on Etsy...another website for selling Handcrafted Items. After the last changes of Ebay, a TON of Crafters have left and even entire Ebay Groups have gone "off-Ebay" and have started their own thing! I don't blame them...I don't quite understand HOW they are doing it, and I am inquiring about it thru different sellers to see what the "norm" is appearing to be these days, as far as WHERE all the Sellers are going that is the most popular? How did they come to find the time to get everyone up and going in their websites, etc.
No answers yet...
I do hope this is NOT because of competition, cuz the way I look at it, we are all crafters trying to have a "place" to sell our goods and there is a common bond out there.
Well, the ONE thing I noticed is how almost Everyone that has taken other routes have also started blogging...
Entire Ebay Groups have moved to Etsy with either the SAME NAMES or VERY SIMILAR names...Lots of sellers in these groups are even joining other Etsy groups.

So...for those of you that may ask if I have any stuff on Ebay, well, that is iffy and ya best check Etsy, too! There is also a Protest for May on Ebay and their New Policies and Fees that I found a Lot of people were going to try and participate in...I am going to check into there and just look and see what is listed and when the listings end...then Thursday should bring a different answer.
I am also looking into other markets for the selling. All kinds of information is being posted and I am finding days can leap into days and days of reading and learning.... A G A I N!!!
Just when I got REALLY good with Ebay, now we are doing the ETSY thing...LOL!

On further note...I have NOT been out gardening...not to say I didn't go around yesterday with BestestFriendSteph and take a lookie at all the stuff that has come up and stuffs that are getting ready to bloom, like my beautiful Azaleas that just so happen to have the name New Jersey....Yep! Parts of my life are all around this house, in and out...gathered around me....like a comforter!
I asked DH for the Garden Fork the other day....seems we no longer have one, or he can't find it...So guess what....WallyWorld, here we come again...we need to get a garden fork so I can dig up this stuff and move it around, divide it up, and so on!!!

Okay...I have a ton of stuff to do in this house today, so I gotta cut this short!

Till Another Time!

Change Happens Rapidly...Ever Notice this???

Well now...the LAST time I wrote, I was back in bed by Noon, feeling crappier than the crappy I had felt in the morning when I woke up...Not usual, but these days with the gardening I have been stiff, sore, and banged up, bruised, and chewed...not by the Gardening. That cute little adorable furever furball is teething, and she LOVES to teethe on ME!!! LOL!

Anyhoo...I grabbed the furball and tried to lay down, and needless to say I did fall asleep, must have started to run a fever cuz I threw back all the covers and I was drenched in sweaty clothing and my hair felt like I had been in the bathtub...Not Good....(famous Johnny Depp sentence from "Pirates"..) Anyway...I was not well, Obviously...and I wasn't sure what had a grip on me, but I determined this was not going to be a fun ride to be on, so I ended up falling back asleep, and more of the same...hotter than hell, and sweating like I was in a hothouse...exercising!
By about 4PM I was up and I was starting to get "concerned" cuz there just wasn't anything right with how I was feeling, so I called DH...
Now mind you, he is at his Mother's house...she's in the Hospital herself, with the usual bleeding and test-doing, and he's trying to get the grass cut...
I hear him answer and I ask how much longer he has over there, and he "hears" somehow, that my voice is not "right", and he says what's the matter, and I just tell him I need him here, and that I am not well....AT ALL....He asked me if it was my stomach and I said No, it's Everything in and On my entire body...and I must have jinxed myself cuz I mentioned I was in a LOT of pain and the only time I had pain like that, besides a car wreck, was the Viral Infection I had back in December. He said he'd be about an hour and I thought, I won't make it that long...LOL!
I hung up and did what I do "naturally"...I filled my "spa" tub with the hottest water while I floated in it and I ended up falling asleep...only waking up when I hear him come in the door...It is now 2 1/2 hours AFTER I talked to him, so naturally, I am like totally peeved, and he is totally worried since I have been in the water that long...
I crawled out and he helped me in bed and things just took a turn that I didn't want to take...for the worse...At times I would cry so hard and he'd come running, cuz I was "stuck" in some position that I couldn't unstuck from, or the pain was just wracking the body...he wanted to take me somewhere...I was resistant. VERY RESISTANT...plus I just couldn't move...energy wasn't there, nor the desire to get OUT of the bed. He touched me and he freaked cuz I was so cold to the touch and clammy and I was claiming I was burning up...but still no way of getting me to leave! Well, about 2AM that pretty much changed...I got up...barely! Not without a lot of crying and huffing, whining and spastic breathing. I crawled out to DH's recliner and sat down...I don't know why, but I craved a cigarette...I don't crave cigarettes when I am so ill, but I gave in to it and lit one up and I realized my arms were so stiff and sore...I got up and got some water, with much struggling! And I sat there in the chair for about 2 hours and I was miserable, getting more miserable and after a few whines, called my daughter, who was surprised with the 4AM call...told her I needed her to come right away, and that I would be waking Dad to take me to the ER in Maryland...so she said she would, and then I went to wake up DH....wasn't hard...I asked him if he could get up and he asked why and I said I wanted to go to the hospital and he took one look at the time on the clock and he was up and out in about 3.9 seconds...and came in and wanted a full assessment....
Now..I know you all have been so sick at some time in your life that when someone asks you what is wrong, you just have not an ounce of strength in you to answer with every single thing....and this was how I was feeling, so I just said Everything. Then I burst out crying and he knew at that point, just pack me up and get me somewhere...

At the hospital...they have no mercy....I should KNOW this!!! But here I am in a wheelchair, barely able to answer dumb questions like Name, Address, and the famous question - Describe your dilemma. I think they should know the answer to this one, don't you? I mean it IS the EmErGEncY RooM...I must have an Emergency, duh! LOL! Well...to top it off a nurse comes out and she needs for me to pee in a cup...Now THAT my dear peoples should make someone wonder WHERE is their BRAINS when they ask someone to pee in a tiny cup when they can't even Stand up or Walk...LOL! I can only say that it never happened...there was an ugly bedpan they used instead...same result, but without ME having to be a contortionist with a broken body!

All in all, the poking, prodding, and ohhhh....the cold cold hands!!! This place was Freezing, and Everyone had COLD HANDS!!! Not good on an ill body!!! They came up with the Viral Infection Theory...check with your doctor if not better in two days, and you can leave now....and that is all they had to say...I, on the other hand, had a few questions to ask since this is now my SECOND time down this particular road...main question??? W H Y?!?!? They don't know why...LOL! No..I'm kidding, well, kinda kidding...they don't KNOW why I got it a second time, other than that whole Anemic for long time, compromised immune system, yada, yada, yada. So...the only other words I heard was, You could do this again, several more times over the course of years, about three years, and I could possibly NEVER have it again! Bummer! I can't DO THIS again!

With all this, I am just glad to be here, again! This round was NOT like the one at Christmas...the pain was very similar, but there were other things that were not at all fun. But Christmas was ruined...and I was alive...that was all that seemed to matter!

So....guess what?! I'm backed up on ALL my plans now...never got to do the Yard Sale the other day, so I am HOPING to be ready for it this coming weekend..No Surprises!!! And from there, I just hope that all goes well. I have got to get better with an upcoming wedding in the family...gotta be there, wanna be there...but that's life for me at the moment, and according to Mr. Handsome Doctor, the "next few years"....I guess I took that well, since he was handsome, but Hey! I was doped up...he could've been 92, humped over and hair coming out of his ears...I'm not sure drugs can do that, but in MY system, anything can happen...ObVioSly!!!

Till Another Time!

Follow-up to I'm Pooped!

Here is the Redbud Tree in full bloom...I got out yesterday, several times, and took some pics of this tree...It is stunning, isn't it???

Spring Has Arrived...I'm Pooped!!!

Well, it has been quite some time these past weeks! Getting ready for Spring, clearing out the Flower Beds that I haven't been able to work on, and just enjoying some time out there amongst the Flowering Trees, Bulbs, and just the General Greening of the Season! Ahhh...the sounds of renewal and freshness! The great entertainment of the birds and squirrels! Enjoying the Buffet of seeds and grains my DH provides for them weekly, or as in these past few weeks, daily! We have such a "flock" of birds from simple blackbirds all the way up to the more colorful Goldfinches, Cardinals, Blue Jays, Chicadees, etc! Name it, I think we have it!!! And every bird in the Neighborhood brags about the Boo-fey they get to eat everyday!

I'm sick of Weeding....did I mention that yet? I turn around and they pop up again...almost comical in the fact that they are covered in about 4 inches of mulch, but they manage to struggle out of their deathbed and say, "HA! Fooled you, silly woman!" I can almost hear them snickering at me as I put the tools back in their "box"...by the way...I picked up an old brass mailbox several years ago...this is mounted to the frontside of the porch, and I store my simple tools in there, along with pantyhose for tying up tomato plants and candles for the lamps we use in the yard at night and so on...got the idea from years ago, and from where, who knows...I just know the idea sounded good, and now we have TWO of them...the old grungy brass one on the front porch and DH has a "rural" one on a post in the teeny veggie garden that he uses for his tools...btw, he "decorates" this mailbox with sleeves that are held on with magnets, and we are starting a "collection" of seasonal type ones...LOL! Not a SOUL can see the mailbox, but it sure is PURTY!!! Men...they can be strange, but fun!

So our Pixie pupper is doing great...she finally got over her cold and has developed a "new" personality...and is ever so adorable and "demanding"...She has learned that it is just Great to go outside and sniff everything, eat everything, and carry my weeds all over the yard...She LOVES Violas, Pansies and will shred them STRAIGHT from the plant whenever given a chance!!! If there is a twig or branch on the ground, I guarantee she can "move" it, chew it, and then leave it for me or DH to pick up....Oh!!! Fresh dirt....great place to POOP! Now, I can deal with her learning all about the great outdoors, but trying to teach her that the Flower Beds are Off Limit....well, it Taint Workin!!! Don't know what it is going to take to get it thru her head, but of course I am at a loss for the talents this must require...and I hope to soon learn, for both our sakes, cuz until I learn HOW to teach her this, the sooner she can learn, and I can start fertilizing the beds and using weedkiller to kill the stuff instead of me digging it out!!!

Anyhoo...we have a yard sale in the community this weekend, and I am trying to get ready for that, too...there is a chance of "showers"...of course on my side of this mountain, it won't happen when you WANT it to happen, but you just watch...because I don't WANT rain, it will rain in ALL it's Glory!!! Let's hope for a difference of opinion here, and wish me luck!!

Anyhooo.....here is a Pixie Pic...LOL!! She was so cute last nite...I couldn't resist this picture moment, and I sooooooo wanted to crawl in a box, myself...this Motherhood thing is hard on an old soul like me! But ohhhhhh! How can one resist such a cutie, such as this!?!

Well, she KNOWS I can't resist her...although the Cat, Addie, still sits and wonders, as she watches this tyrant tear thru the house, and acting like a nut, "What IS that thing?!" LOL! The cat is a big ol' Mother Hen, tho...always "checking" on the baby, especially when she is sleeping, and has to "inspect" her when she comes back inside from her trips outside...as if she may be contaminated, or worse, bring "something" in with her...LOL!

Animals are something else, Pets are even more dear, aren't they???

Well, I am soooooo pleased with how things are looking around here...I have a lot of work to do...but when I see the pics of the yard, the trees, the plants and so on...well, I am just tickled with how everything comes together!

So...take a lookie and see the new stuff!!! For now...I gotta go rest!!!

This is our Corkscrew Willow....in the front yard. I was looking up through it and thought wow, in just DAYS, this tree has put out all these leaves, and it was just interesting to be able to look up thru it, as the tree was only about 4 foot tall when we planted it....we have estimated it to be about 15 feet tall now and probably about 10-12 feet wide! Gorgeous!

Here is another cute Pixie Pic....she was being VERY attentive to the chatter of all the birds and the goings-on around the feeders...not to mention the beautiful day had brought out the children in the neighborhood and all the hub-bub of kids in their laughter, screaming, riding bikes, etc!

She just observes it all!!!

She is showing you her "pixie ears" that I got to see when I first saw her....couldn't resist them! Now I can't resist HER!!!

The front of our home has a great deal of perennials in it, and I am amazed at how quickly they are filling in this year...this was only a few days ago, and if I were to go take a pic right now, you would NOT believe the extent of how much bigger they are at this moment! Can't wait till the peonies bloom, and I sure hope that the Pink Rose Climber in the middle doesn't give me a hassle this year with it's usual problems....I have threatened to yank it's bottom out of there if it does, so it looks to be doing better, but time will tell...looks great HERE for now...but it may be a goner in a few weeks if I see it get the amount of Aphids and such that it has had for the past three years!!! It has been enough to drive me nuts...and the roses are just GORGEOUS, so I would hate to have to yank it out, but it's gonna happen if I find I am spending entirely too much time on "fixing" it!!!

I had to do that with the Azalea that was originally there...it was nothing but a Pain In ....well, you get the drift...it was HUGE and when it DID bloom, it was a mound of white, but the plant was old...never cared for properly from the git-go, so I eventually moved it to the "Pogie Bed" and then it just was even MORE of a pain, so OUT it came!

Well, I think I gotta get out there and do some more picture taking, cuz I haven't gotten one of the Redbud in all it's glory right now...absolutely stunning to look at! But here is one about a week ago...

It was JUST STARTING To put out a bloom or two, and between the rain and the warm weather...well, as I look out my window from here in the Puter/Craft room, it is a sight to behold!!! Me??? I am thrilled by it!!!

All up and down I-81, the redbuds are in bloom, and it is just a sight to see all that purple in it's neon state! Then the heart shaped leaves are also starting to come out....and that is what I like about the tree....And now there is a Purple-leaf variety out there...my Bestest Friend, Steph had gotten one, but I have not had the pleasure to see it....don't even know if it survived!!! Note...ask Steph how the Redbud is!!!

The last of the hyacinths came in with me before the rain the other day...smelled up the house pretty darn nice, and I also cut some of my new tulips and some Bleeding Hearts to bring in with the hyacinth...

Okay....that's about all I can stand to type for now....hope this catches you up on my world...

Need More Time!!!

So, I heard from someone that was disappointed that I had NOT updated my Blog, so here I am...for the time being, with scattered things on my mind, and a plate full of "to-do's" that I refer to as the DOOZE LIST, here at home!
So much has happened in the past weeks since I wrote that I would keep up...I don't know where to start!
Well, I can start with the NEW ADDITION to our family...Pixie...our new baby Chihuahua!



Isn't she the cutest thing to see? I saw her, she saw me, and although my heart still aches for our Pogie, this little booger just stole the piece of my heart that is NOT entirely broken, yet!

I went for Guppies, and look what I got! A Puppy!!! How does one GO from Guppies to Puppies? I am not sure!

In the past weeks, I have gotten a whole Menagerie of "friends" in the house to keep me company, and fill up my days with more things to do, as if I didn't have enough to do before all of these additions! I have a new Betta, named Merlin II. We call him Merlin. Look at these colors! What a sight to see!

And to add to THAT, we now own 5 Neon Tetras...Which I have yet to figure out if Merlin and the Tetra Families can co-exist in the same tank with each other, or will they just pluck each other's fins off and I'll have Weeble-Wobble fish!

Oh...can you just picture that!

Let's not for the time being...

Let us just enjoy the menagerie that I have made our poor cat, Addie, just suffer with! Just when she was getting ALL the attention, here comes the competition! She is managing to let them all live, so I am not going to put any further discussion on this one...again, for the time being!

BTW...do any of you know how hard it is to take pictures of A FISH, much less FIVE of them at once, in one spot, in one tank, for just ONE picture!!! Geez...I just deleted about 20 pics, cuz they would disappear as soon as I would click that button...Camera Shy Fish???? I should think not!

Anyhoo...here are the Tetras....they have little

"headlights" when you look at them from head-on and I think it is just so neat to watch them in the morning...they really show up great sitting in my black-painted hutch!

I would love to get this huge "shelf" style aquarium, but it has been years since I have engaged in this whole fish thing, and I would love to get back into it, but I have so many other things I am involving myself in...

Well, here is my Addie kitty....

does she not look a bit peeved as if

to say, "What are you Doing, Crazy woman????".
LOL!

What a Charmer of an expression!

Okay...enough of the updates on the pets...

We have been busy getting our yard cleaned up for Spring....I didn't get a THING done to it last year due to the Anemia thing...I was lucky to have strength to go out there and just clip a few flowers to bring inside...very little done, in two years time, and the flower beds and such proved it to us when we got out there a couple of weekends ago! We raked, pulled weeds, and tried to figure out what needed to be done in subsequent weeks. We bought 20 bags of mulch and so far have spread ALL but two of them...And things are now starting to look great! I hope that I can maintain them this year, and have already started changing things around a bit. Lots of plans, and lots of changes to come this year...not to mention lots of dividing and moving of some perennials that have needed a good thinning out!

Our Purple Leaf Plum was gorgeous for Two Days...and we were disappointed in not having more time to enjoy it...we got some heavy rain and that caused the leaves to pop on the branches, thereby eliminating most the bloom...but here it is in it's glory!

You really can't beat the smell of this tree, had it been warm enough to enjoy this year! Last year we got a heavy frost/freeze, so we didn't really get to see very many blooms on the tree at all!

I am anticipating in about a week or so, we should have a beautiful Purple leafed tree...more a deep burgundy, but hey, I love Purple and that is what it is called...what an accent to the yard...and the bed underneath has been newly planted with some pink phlox, and wonderfully scented Violas, and the existing Hyacinths & Crocus are still there....as well as a clump of CatNip that I pinch off and give to Addie...I think that is why she is just so cooooooooool. She's High on Cat Nip!!! LOL!

This guy has been laughing at me everytime I go outside to "work" the yard a bit...

I bought this little guy years ago, cuz he made me giggle when I looked at him in the garden...but now I think he is having a heck of a laugh with me moaning & groaning of pain and wracking muscle aches when I get done from one day's hard labor!

Mean guy! Or is it just me???

Anyhoo....here are some more pics to enjoy of the up and coming plants, etc....