Week

 Well, this week didn't go quite how I wanted it to either. Sigh. 

Mum is in the hospital. She got admitted on Wednesday which just so happened to be sister's birthday. Sister has not been able to talk to her yet but has been in touch with the doctors and such. Mum has an infection. She will probably be in the hospital until at least Tuesday. Sister has managed to get an appointment to see her for an hour on Sunday. Sister will have to take a Covid test before she goes. 

I didn't say anything in my last post but sister had made the very difficult (and necessary for sister's own mental health) decision to put Mum in respite care for a couple of weeks to begin with and see how things went from there. It was from there that she was taken to the hospital. It's just been a difficult couple of weeks with lots of tears. 

As for me I'm not sure quite what to do next. I keep waiting to see whether the US will be on the green list as some point, but I have also been asking a Facebook group I'm in for tips about going back and quarantining. I found a lovely small group on Facebook of people who are from Ipswich (where I'm from) who now live in the states. It's nice for support as we're all sort of in the same boat. On the plus side I have had both vaccinations. I'm really not quite sure what to do. I am keeping all options open at this point. 

On the plus side, even though I feel a little guilty about it (with all that's going on in family) but we're going away camping for the holiday weekend. I hope to get out in nature, do lots of walking, relaxing and maybe even a camp fire!

Photo today - a bunny. I have seen so many of them lately. This one was one of the ones I saw on a walk the other day. There have been several in my garden too around the bird feeder. They are so cute. Very jumpy though. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend. May the weather be sunny! Thanks for all the comments and support. I really do appreciate them. 

Checking In

 We're back from visit with daughter. I meant to post, but I forgot my computer and it was really difficult to write and post from my phone so, after the first post, I gave up. 

I did enjoy time with daughter, but it wasn't a good Mum week so I ended up crying an awful lot. It was nice to have a shoulder to cry on but I felt that was all I seemed to do! We did have an enjoyable time. It was my birthday last Wednesday. Daughter got up early with me and went to the Sherbourne National Wildlife Refuge with me (it's really close to her and I visited a LOT last week lol). We then went out and did some shopping. In the afternoon she had an appointment at a wedding dress shop where she picked out a beautiful dress. After that we did go out for a meal with husband, her fiance and his parents. We fit a lot in on my birthday!

Back in Michigan again and it is HOT! It was hot for most of the week in Minnesota too. I didn't take the right clothes with me. I packed a lot of jumpers and jeans and ended up buying a couple more tee shirts to get me through the week! We have window air conditioners, so those have gone in. I wasn't ready for it though lol. I hate sleeping (having trouble with that anyway) when it's hot. 

I have to play catch-up with a lot of blogs. I hope everyone is well. 

Photo today: beaver. I had such fun watching these at the wildlife refuge. We saw at least six of them in two different ponds and lots more lodges. This one we watched as it pulled branches across the pond and dump them on top of the lodge. I could have watched for hours but that day I had husband and daughter with me. 

This week

 We are off to see daughter for a week. We are all fully vaccinated and we really need to get away for a bit. I must admit to feeling a little guilty going but it will be nice to spend some time with her.          

Poor Shasta is in a cone again! She was still happy to see us!

 Thanks for all the comments. It's been an okay week. I'm not sure what else to add to that. I'm plodding along as best as I can. Mum's been having up and down days. Just not sure how much longer sister can cope. I was hoping for better news on the travel front. I was hoping that at least with the vaccine there would be maybe less quaratine, but it's not to be, so I'm not sure what my next move will be. 

It's been very cold in the mornings the last few days. We've had frost warnings. Husband has been taking my plants into the garage. It is starting to warm up a little so hopefully that will be the last of it. I'm thinking about buying a couple of tomato plants but usually the deer just eat them so I am not sure if it's worth the bother lol. 

I have been up in the craft room a little bit. It's warmer up there and when I'm cold I go up there to warm up lol. At least I'm getting some things done, right? 

A few little fun cards

Weekend

It was Mother's Day here on Sunday. The weather was terrible. Instead we went out on Saturday. Husband asked me what I wanted for Mother's Day and I said that I would love to go back to Kensington Metro Park as someone had posted on one of the bird sites that the Sandhill Cranes had babies. It's a huge place and I knew that the odds of seeing one wasn't good, but I was so happy and surprised to see a baby crane! They are called Colts (I had to Google that lol).  

There are a few cranes around the nature trail. We were walking along and saw a group of maybe four photographers standing near (giving it room) a Sandhill Crane that was sitting down. Hubby didn't stick around (there was a bench nearby that he went to sit on). I waited to see if the crane was going to get up as one of the people said there was a baby. Sure enough she got up and the little colt appeared. It couldn't have been that old! It was wobbly on legs and Mum was feeding it. Both parents were around. I was happy to see that the small group of us gave them plenty of room and they seemed unbothered by us. We all had pretty long lenses so no need to get up close. 

This is one of my photos

It was trying to catch up to parents. It did not want to be too far away!

It was a really lovely day and the weather was beautiful. We got to see some goslings too as well as lots of other birds. I really love going there. I wish it wasn't so far away!

Sunday was all change on the weather. It was kind of a horrible day, drizzly and chilly. I did manage a walk by myself in the morning. Son came over in the afternoon. So that was nice. 

Ending this post here as I am trying to type and for some reason random words are appearing. Yikes! I don't know what I'm doing wrong lol. 

Finding Joy/Coping

 They've been okay. I Skyped with Mum yesterday and as much as I love talking to her and seeing her I'm still struggling with the changes. It's really hard to let go of what was. It just seems  was not that long ago that she was fine and strong and funny and chatty. Even back in January we were talking of me coming to visit and (maybe, hopefully) of the things we could do.  She still has the same smile and I still see the love there, but she's not the same. Just so different. And I think back to the conversations we had about how she thought things would be and this just isn't it. I can't imagine how it is for my sister. I think of how strong she's being and I don't know if I would be the same. I think there are some decisions on the horizon, but I don't think any of us wants to make them. 

I went out for another walk yesterday afternoon after the Skype call. I love being outside. Just being in the sunshine and looking at all the renewal and growth certainly helped the worry and anxiety. For a time I could just forget. I came across some deer, males, with lovely new fuzzy antlers growing. They were grazing in the woods on freshly grown grass. One kept alternating between eating and looking up at me, raising his head and sniffing. I must admit to saying a few reassuring words. Afterall there was just me, the deer and the shaded woods.  He watched me for a while and I watched him and then we went our separate ways. 

Not a Bad Day

 I did make a list last night. I got a start on the sorting out winter to summer clothes. I didn't finish it all, but I've started. I think I'll have to buy another chest of drawers as the one I have is falling to pieces and is not efficient at all. I do already have a small pile to donate too. I am planning on doing more tomorrow. 

The weather certainly didn't feel too spring like today! It was pretty chilly when I was out for my walk. My walking friend hadn't checked the weather and wasn't dressed appropriately so was rather cold. I had put out the bird feeders and felt how cold it was so was well bundled up! I do bring the feeders in at night as otherwise the raccoons pull them all down and run off with them!

I sorted out two piles of books that had been sitting places where they shouldn't be. It felt good to have them put away. 

I have had this little garden kit sitting on my dining room table since I bought it. Today I read the instructions and got it started. I have a terrible green thumb so am hoping to at least get something out of it! It was rather cheap and sounded like fun. 

You have to put the little disks with some water and mix it all together until it forms a soft dirt and then sprinkle the seeds on the top and press them in. It said to cover with cling film but me and clingfilm are not friends and I don't have any so I put a food baggie over the top. You do have to keep the water damp. Hopefully the seeds will germinate. We shall see!

Hopefully I will have good news to share lol. I am planning on getting a few flowers to put in pots (that I purchased from the dollar shop).  I am hoping I will do better with potted plants. Maybe I'll even manage to keep them alive!

Beginning of Another Week

 It was rainy this morning. I almost gave up on the walk, but then the rain moved off and I texted my walking friend and we had a quick one. It was lovely and quiet and - admittedly - still a little drizzly, a light mist seeming to fill the air. We chatted about what we had done at the weekend and stopped to admire a blue heron as it flew across the lake and listened to the spring frogs and toads making their noises. I didn't take a lot of photos, but sometimes it's just nice to look and listen. 

Yesterday was a completely different date. It was sunny and quite warm. Husband and I had a lovely walk in the morning. In the afternoon I sat on the back porch and watched the birds in my garden for a little while. I've been waiting - quite impatiently I might add - for the Orioles to come back to the garden. I've had a little bit of grape jelly (sort of a smooth jam with no pips or bits in it) sitting out. The Orioles love this. I've had it out for a few days but I finally saw one! I can't believe how something so little made me so happy. 

Look at his lovely bright colour! Spring has definitely arrived!

Trying to start positively for the week I have put a notebook back on the little table by the side of my chair. If something comes to me - something I have to remember to do or lists I write them down. I have meals planned for the week and most of the food purchased (this will save on trips to the shops). I have also made a note to participate in Eileen's Photograpy Challenge and what the theme is for May. I always think about it and then forget and then I can't remember the theme. This month I shall try to do better. 

Hope everyone had a good Monday. 

A Little Crafty Project

 While I was in my craft room this week I pulled out an old paper pad that I had halfway finished and decided to use it for a project. I really like this paper. I modified a waterfall album's dimensions and used it to create a mini one. 

This is the paper pad

I think the papers are really bright and vibrant. 

I was so pleased to use up most of the bits. There were only a few small cut-outs left that I can use on daily pages. 

May

 

Happy May Day! I have such lovely childhood memories of dancing around the Maypole in primary school.  I loved doing it though I wasn't really sure why we did it. Weaving in and out. It was usually so much fun and so pretty. We had a huge hill in our playground that we weren't allowed to go up on a normal day. However when we had 'festivals' we could go up a few at a time. Later when I returned to the school as a teen I was dismayed to find that the hill wasn't really that big. I suppose it was the innocence of childhood - or perhaps the forbidden!

I am loving seeing all the blossom around. It certainly brings a smile to my face. The wind, not so much. Today, as I'm sitting in my house, I can hear the wind outside. It's really quite breezy! I sat outside for a little while watching the birds but the sun went in and it became quite chilly with that wind. 

I have decided that I'm going to write a few goals for the month. I am hoping that by having them written down I will at least accomplish something.  For starters 

1. Clear off the front porch!!! It is a screened in porch but we put up protective plastic in the winter to keep out the snow. It became a catch-all for the stuff I sorted that hasn't gone anywhere. It is time to take off the plastic and I need to get rid of the stuff. The library bookshop has shut again (as has the library) and I can't wait around forever so the books will have to go to another charity shop. Once gone I need to vacuum and pull down the plastic. We have a couple of chairs and a small table out there and it would be nice to sit out there in the evening and maybe read. 

2. Start taking vitamins! I bought some but have put off taking them as the last time I took them I felt quite sick. I need to give them a try. I am lacking something in my diet. Hormones are jumping around and I feel tired, stressed and just 'off' too much of the time. I am hoping that by at least taking vitamins it would help.  

3. Eat better! I'm doing really good at planning meals for the guys but when it comes to me I usually don't bother with much which isn't good. They are both meat-eaters and I am not. 

4. Really try to be conscious about spending - especially stress spending. I am finding myself doing more of that recently and it's not good. I don't need more stuff!

5. Sort out my closet. It's getting to the time where lighter clothes are needed and some of the jumpers can be put away. I want to make sure to clear out any items to donate or toss away older clothes. 

I know it doesn't seem like much but it's a start!