Rain, Rain Go Away - Long Post - Life

It has rained all day today and it looks to continue on into tomorrow. I didn't go for a walk at all. I did get a few things done around here that needed to be done. It's been pretty chilly and I'm about ready to give in and turn on the main heat. I haven't done it so far. This evening I'm snuggled under a blanket and have a little heater on that I use to heat up the living room. 

We had a large tree come down in the garden today. Well, I'm not sure when it started to come home, but I went out to go do a food shop and when I got back one tree was at a funny angle. A little later I heard a crack, and it went down a bit more.  Later I looked again and it was down most of the way. We were really lucky as it didn't hit the neighbour's garage (they are at the bottom of our garden) and it didn't hit the other neighbour's fence (backed up along the side). It fell in a spot where there are only other trees. It will have to be sawed up and taken care of, but it hasn't done any damage to anyone's property (phew). The falling down of the tree caused me a little stress. Husband could do nothing as he was out of town. I think he's said he's added it to the list of things he needs to do! I think, because of the way it's fallen and the size, he might have to actually ring someone to come take care of it!

As husband was late back from work, he didn't visit MIL today. Son and I went together. She was quite tired, so we didn't stay long. We chatted for a while and, although she struggled to stay away, we could tell she was tired so told her to go to sleep if she wanted and we would leave if she fell asleep. So that's what we did. 

I'm supposed to go to visit daughter and Baby A on Friday. It's a planned trip. I booked it before MIL had the stroke. I planned on flying down and then on Halloween husband and oldest son would be driving down to stay the weekend and then we'd all drive back. Not sure what's happening now. I feel a little guilty about going, but I'm not sure I'm really helping by staying here. MIL is sort of in a stable situation, and I really do want to go visit. I was hoping she was going to be on the road to recovery and sending her videos and being able to chat would give her motivation, but she's not in that place right now. Son is definitely not coming with husband if we do stick to other plans. He wants to make sure somebody is still around to keep us updated. 

My FIL is not reliable to keep in touch. He had told us he was keeping both his other son (husband's brother) and his half-sister (husband's aunt) updated, but they have both contacted us telling us they can't get hold of him and he isn't telling them anything. I really don't think he can hear anything of what's being said to him and talking to him is really a struggle. I tried to have a conversation with him, and he said he couldn't understand me at all! He blamed it on my accent. My poor husband had to repeat everything I said. I told my MIL and that did make her laugh as usually (before the stroke) he was always saying that he couldn't hear her because it was the way she was talking. 

I did actually get up into the craft room today. I'm putting together a photo presentation for a public meeting my Asylum Lake group is having. I volunteered to put together a couple of photo boards. I wasn't about to volunteer to do any public speaking lol. So, I was up there working on them. Hopefully, I'll have some photos to share (if I get them done in time for tomorrow's meeting lol). 

Photo for today - it's a quote I downloaded that I liked, something I might add to a commonplace book. 

Tuesday Already - a bit of this and that and mostly babbling

I just realised that I hadn't replied to any comments for at least a couple of posts. Sorry. My brain seems to be mush lately. I am blaming that on totally getting the wrong day for my dentist appointment. I was working my way up to (and dreading) going tomorrow and I missed it as it was today. I feel so stupid! Now I have to reschedule, and I can't get in until December though I am on the call list. Something else to have to worry/think about. Sigh. I have NEVER missed an appointment before but for some reason I had it in my head that it was tomorrow, even the date and everything. Sigh. Shaking my head. 

It feels really funny writing about MIL. She usually reads my blog, so I don't write much about her. She isn't reading it right now. Sigh. I really don't know how she's going to get on. It's a worry. I still don't know what to say when we go to visit so I usually babble. A lot. 

I'm still itching. Thankfully the blisters are all healed up so I'm not scratching myself raw anymore. Maybe it will ease up soon. 

It did rain all day Sunday, so I didn't get out for a walk. It's supposed to rain all day tomorrow too! It might mean I'm a little more productive around here. Let's hope so as not a lot is getting done! I had a good walk yesterday and today so at least I've got out for a couple of walks. 

Random thought - I've been looking at, and thinking about, Commonplace Books. Has anyone kept one? I'm thinking about doing a nature one or maybe a seasonal one. 

This is what Wikipedia says about them

Commonplace books (or commonplaces) are personal notebooks used to compile any information the owner finds interesting or useful. They can variously contain notes, proverbs, adages, aphorisms, maxims, recipes, quotes, letters, poems, tables of weights and measures, prayers, legal formulas, and other professional references. They have been kept from antiquity, and were kept particularly during the Renaissance and in the nineteenth century.

Photo for the day 

It's beginning to look like Autumn at the Beavers' Lodge

A Saturday Walk

 

We managed to get out for a walk between showers. It was quite pretty and unseasonably warm. It was nice to go somewhere different for a little while. I can't say I did much the rest of the day. We visited MIL and I spent the rest of the afternoon just moving things around from one place to another. It was good to have that sort of day though. 

It is supposed to rain all day tomorrow so I'm not planning a walk. I do have to go to the shops in the morning so I'm hoping to have my food shopping list/menu ready so I can combine the trip. We are, at some point going to visit MIL and I have an Asylum Lake meeting in the afternoon. Hoping to be productive tomorrow so that I can have a good walk on Monday!

Hope everyone is having a nice weekend. 

Friday

Today I felt quite productive. Thank goodness. There were a few of those pesky problem areas that 'stuff' had started to accumulate in, so I tackled them today and got them sorted. It felt good! I was going to take before and after photos but completely forget. You probably didn't need to see that mess anyway lol.

MIL update - husband not pleased again. The social worker called and said that she wasn't sure how long the insurance would pay for rehab (she's been there 2 days at this point!) and perhaps she should think about assisted living. Not oversharing, but it's not something they can afford. I feel as though they aren't even giving her a chance! It doesn't help that she is worrying about how this is all going to be paid for. Today she sounded as though she was having trouble breathing so we called in the nurse who checked her oxygen levels, and it was very low. They were giving her an oxygen treatment as we left. Apparently, they had taken another x-ray of her lungs in the morning, but no results yet. I don't think they have the pneumonia taken care of. It's all very frustrating. She should only have to be thinking of getting back on her feet not worried about whether she can pay for treatment. On the plus side, her speech is sounding a bit better. 

I'm still itching. The blisters on my arms have healed, but for some reason I'm itching like crazy. Still. I thought it was because my skin was dry, but I put on some cream (which stung!) but made me itch even worse. I ended up wiping it off! 

The highlight of my day was my morning walk. It's so dark, so late that I don't like that, but I go out just before the sun rises (it's at 8am so I'm not that early lol) and sit and watch the sun rise. There aren't many people around. The geese, gathered on the lake for the night, start making noise just as the sun rises and a chorus of honking sounds as they get ready to take off. This morning, a Blue Heron flew across the lake followed by another, a Cooper's Hawk was making noise up in the tree opposite me and the Sandhill Crane family sounded their takeoff to find breakfast. There wasn't another soul in sight. 

These are my phone photos, bright pink sky. 

And some signs of Autumn. Walking and nature is certainly something that keeps me sane and makes me smile!

Not sure what the weekend will bring. The weather isn't supposed to be great, but the weathermen might be wrong. Hopefully wrong! Hope everyone has a good weekend.

Bit of a Break

I missed a few days blogging again. Just needed a little break. On Sunday MIL had a stomach feeding tube put in. I knew the hospital was sort of pushing for it. My thought was that they wanted to have that done so they could move her out of the hospital and, yes, they did move her on Tuesday to a rehab facility. Sadly, it is the same one Jane was in, so it was a little upsetting for MIL. She is now worrying about how to pay for things and of limited time allowed (by her insurance) in the facility. She wasn't in very good spirits today. It was quite upsetting. I don't know what to say to try to make her feel better or to try to keep her fighting. She says she is tired. I don't know the point to say it's okay to let go or to keep fighting. There has to be a balance somewhere, right? I'm hoping that moving her just took a lot out of her and she needs a couple of days to adjust. 

It's sort of knocking me off balance so not too much is getting done around the house. I really need to make lists to keep myself on track. It would keep me busy and make me get things done! There was no walk today - which usually starts the day off right - as it was raining. I am going to make sure I have a nice long one tomorrow as the weekend isn't looking great either. I suppose it's that time of year. I am certainly not enjoying the darker mornings or the long nights. I would be able to get up later - if I could sleep! I'm still itching, though (fingers crossed) I THINK it might be getting better. I hope so. I am still itching and scratching but a bit less than before! It's been almost three weeks so surely soon it has to get better!

Hopefully, the next post will be a little bit happier

Something that did make me smile was seeing three chipmunks altogether! They are usually quite solitary animals, unless they are chasing one another around so seeing three sitting together was quite fun!

Different Post - Seals from Horsey Gap

A bit of a lighter post.

While I was in England visiting sister, she booked us a long weekend away in Norfolk. We had a lovely time and while we were there, I mentioned hearing about seals being seen on the beaches. We went along to Happisburgh which (although my sister preferred to call it Happys-burgh as it made her feel that way) is pronounced Hazebrur. We only learned that as the car park ticket machine wasn't working and we were talking to a local lady and her husband. We ended up talking to them later about seals and such and she directed us to Horsey Gap which was on our way back to the camp at Hemsby. 

We decided to stop there at the way back to our camp and were delighted when the parking attendant told us there were about a hundred of them out on the beach! It was lovely to see them in their natural habitat. I was really pleased to see people giving them space and just sitting and watching them. It was really lovely. 

Here are a few photos

If anyone is close, I'd definitely recommend it! I would love to visit when they have their pups in winter. There were several swimming in the water, which was lovely to see!

Updates - Wednesday

Thanks for all the tips on the itching. Things help for a little bit but I'm still really itchy! I looked it up and it can apparently last weeks!!!! My poor arms look horrible. Thank goodness it's cooled down a little and I have an excuse for long sleeves. I won't forget this lesson and next time will wear long sleeves. This is the itchiest I have ever been. 

Update on MIL - she is out of the Neuro Intensive Care and is in a 'normal' room. She has pneumonia now too, so they have her on some antibiotics. She can talk a little bit, but I think she has a long road to go. I never know what to say when I go visit her. I won't stop going as just chatting about daily life seems better than leaving her on her own! It's frustrating for her as we can't always understand what she is saying and her words aren't coming out as quickly as her thoughts are forming. She is slowly improving though, so that's good! 

Not a lot has been going on with decluttering and such. I've been knocked a little off-kilter, and I need to get back on track. We did get the gutters replaced on the house today, so they are all sorted out for a winter - a big project done! Yah! I'm hoping it will help with the problem areas where, in winter, water dripped from the gutters and ended up as ice that we could slip on!

Photo - some lovely skies from Monday's walk

Sunday

 Husband and I managed to get out for a beach walk today. The weather was unseasonably warm, but there was a slight breeze at the lakeshore which made things feel a little better. It wasn't a long walk, just getting out for a bit. It's been a while since we've been to the lakeshore - since early August! I can't believe it's been that long. There are certainly signs that the summer season is over. There are already barriers in place on the beaches to stop the sand from drifting too much. 

It certainly seems much to early to see them, but it is October already!

We were pleased to see that work is going to be done on one of the lighthouses at Muskegon. For years it has been in need of repairing. It looks as though it is going to happen!

A sign on the walkway

Hard to see, but the rest of the walkway up to the lighthouse is blocked off and a protective cover has been put over scaffolding at the bottom of the lighthouse. I'm not sure how long it is going to take, but it's about time!

A Little Moan - it's my own fault but last Saturday when I volunteered, I did not wear a long sleeve shirt. Apparently, I must have got into something as a couple of days after that my arms started itching, blistering up and I've been itching on my arms and around my neck ever since. Sigh. I think it was Poison Ivy, Poison Oak or Poison Sumac. Not sure which. It just itches like crazy despite anti itch cream. My arms look a mess. I'm not sure how long it will last. I know it's not an illness as the rash is only on my arms. I just itch like crazy  - GRRRRR! 

Moan over. There are worse things. 

I did start a little cross stitch this afternoon, to keep my hands busy and to stop me itching. It's only a little kit I picked up while in England. 

I got a bit more than this done, but the light was fading, and I wanted tot to take a photo of at least a little bit lol. Hopefully I'll do a bit a day. 

Tomorrow, after work, we're going to visit MIL. Daughter sent me some new Baby A photos and a video to share. I'm hoping it will keep her spirits up. Thanks for all the prayers and good thoughts. 

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

If you have any tips to stop me itching, I'd appreciate it! I'm hoping it doesn't last long but from all I've read it could be up to three weeks!!!!

Weekend

Not a good start to the weekend. FIL rang last night to say that he had to call an ambulance for MIL. She is currently in the Neuro Intensive Care Unit at a local hospital. I'm not going to say too much about her condition, but please keep her in your thoughts. We did go to visit her today and she was able to talk to us for a little bit which is encouraging. I played a video of Baby A to try to keep her spirits up. I think I might print off some photos to take to her. 

I had a walk this morning, not a long one. I thought I had turned on my alarm, but apparently, I hadn't and I almost overslept! I suppose I needed the sleep. I didn't sleep that well last night, a couple of nightmares, probably because of the worry and when I woke up husband was snoring quite loudly. I could hear him through the earplugs, and it took me a while to get back to sleep. Hopefully tonight's sleep will be better. 

I had plans for the afternoon, but after the visit with MIL I was sort of knocked off-balance and I really didn't get a lot accomplished. I procrastinated more than anything.

Tomorrow husband and I are going to the lakeshore for a walk. It's been unseasonably warm the last few days so hopefully it's not too hot for a walk. Thankfully, the nights have been cooler though. As the days are shorter it takes longer for it to heat up and it cools down more quickly. The weather hasn't felt a lot like Autumn. I'm not complaining too much lol, change is on the way - from a high of 83F/28C we will drop to 66F/18C on Tuesday. 

Photo for today - one of the beavers from last week

It certainly makes me smile to watch them!

October Mutterings and Plans

I'm not quite sure where September went. I am putting a line under it and starting anew this month with things around the house and being productive. I did absolutely no decluttering last month. I'm not going to beat myself up about it as I wasn't home a lot. October is a new month and a new start. We do have a couple of trips planned this month. Next weekend we are going away from Friday to Monday to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to go and see the Autumn colours. There are a lot of trees up there and the views are fantastic. Even though I've been away quite a bit, poor husband hasn't been, so he is looking forward to having a weekend away too! Later in the month is a planned visit to see Baby A and family. I'm going to fly there for a week and then husband is driving down for a long weekend, and I will go back with him. We are planning to be with them for Halloween. It should be fun!

The plans for October are to:

* Get back into the habit of meal planning each week - also goes with the next one.

* Watch my spending! This is a constant thing. I need to get into the habit of going out to shop as few times as possible and to write lists. Apart from food there is nothing I need, and I should try to remember that and not be tempted!

* Declutter - get back onto the wagon. I was in a really good groove before I went away! 

* Get back into the craft room. Even though it is still warm, it should be cooling down soon. I really want to get up there and create. 

* Start a new cross stitch project. I had a lot of fun stitching the piece for my sister before I went to visit her (and she really liked it!). I would like to start another and keep stitching it!

*Tidy up the problem areas again. I feel as though this should be a constant. The sooner I tidy these 'problem' areas up, things start to pile up again!

The decluttering is what I really want to work on! 

Do you have October goals? 

Photo for today - a Cedar Waxwing eating berries. I took this photo in Minnesota. There was one tree these birds really liked. There were quite a few of them stopping to eat berries

Monday

Another bright morning this morning, though a little hazy too. It's been so warm the last few days and it was quite warm again today. I wasn't complaining about the sunshine though. After the dull days of last week, it was good to see some sunshine. 

There was some lovely light around this morning as I walked through the woods. It was definitely the kind of morning that makes me smile. The light beamed through the trees to illuminate the woodland floor beneath. It looked quite magical

After the walk I had a couple of places to go - the post office to drop off a couple of packages and (groan) the shops to do a bit of a food shop. I groan every time I go as food is so expensive especially vegetables. I try to think about how many meals I can use an item for rather than the singular cost. There are definitely some things I don't buy any more as the prices have increased far beyond what I will pay for them. I have made my meal plan and just picked up the things I needed to complete the plan. Unless there is something I've forgotten, I'm going to really try not to go back to the shops again. 

This afternoon I had quite a few more packages to get ready to send out and, thankfully, they are all done! I even managed to find up the cheque book! I rarely use cheques, and I honestly can't remember the last time I ordered any, but I have a partial book hanging around. The place we are getting the gutters done want half up front and half on completion. They charge extra if using a credit card. They are reputable and I have no qualms about writing a cheque, it's just a pain. I have now put the cheque book where I know I can find it lol (though I did think that last time too). 

Tomorrow will start the same, hopefully some housework will be done. It's the last day of September, so hopefully decluttering will start again on the 1st. 

Hope everyone has had a good start to the week!

Weekend - Saturday

Today dawned brighter than it has all week! The beavers were out and about quite a bit this morning. Of course they were as I was under a time limit. I did a little beaver watching, a tiny walk and then back home to drop off my camera and change my trousers and then back to Asylum Lake for the volunteer morning. I wasn't really looking forward to it. There was to be some tree wrapping (to protect young native trees from the deer), some rubbish pick-up and clearing some areas so that new Oak trees could be planted. It's a little too social for me, but I haven't been to many volunteer mornings this year as they have coincided with time away. 

I'm actually glad I went. I ended up with another woman clearing an area for a tree to be planted. It seemed we got one right in the middle of a field that was in an area that was covered in some sort of prickly berry bushes and burrs. We got a little scratched up and the sticky burrs all over us (took me forever to pick them off my clothes!) but it was actually quite fun. We managed to get the area cleared in the time allotted, so it's all ready for a lovely little Oak Tree in the near future. I think I'll be taking photos of it as it grows! 

This afternoon I've been rather lazy. I've done a little telly watching, a little computer playing about and I actually built a little Halloween Lego that I picked up while with daughter the other week. 

It was, all-in-all, quite an enjoyable Saturday. 

Have You Started...

 ...Christmas shopping yet? 

Ugh. I hate thinking about it, but I must admit that I have actually got a couple of items already. I'm usually such a procrastinator. Well, usually I have good intentions, get off to a good start and then stall. This year I'm determined I will be more prepared. My sister did quite a bit of Christmas shopping when we did go to the shops while I was there. She found some really good toy bargains. She is well prepared with ages and keeps a list of what she's got. I am not organised at all. I usually just buy bits until I think they are about even. 

NOT THIS YEAR. This year I will do better. I am also going to make a strict budget and stick to it. 

I did find a couple of really cute reusable bags while in England. The Bluey one is for Baby A's gifts and the Stich one is for my daughter. 

The last couple of years I have been trying to use these instead of the paper gift bags I had been using. I think these are a lot more handy as they can be reused and last a lot longer! 

When do you start your Christmas shopping? Are you a planner or a procrastinator? 

A little side note - I was surprised when my sister was doing her bargain shopping, she added things together at the price she'd paid when working out gift costs rather than what the original price was. 

Thursday

This morning wasn't any brighter than the last three mornings. Sigh. It was foggy and a little bit drizzly, but I did go out and have a walk. Supposedly tomorrow is going to be better, but I'm not holding my breath! 

I did get a few things done today, not as much as I'd hoped though. After this week I will knuckle down and get back on the decluttering wagon. I can't believe it's coming up to the end of the month already. I am so behind on the decluttering. I really need to get a jumpstart again. I was good when I was in England though and didn't bring home many books - I think maybe 3. That's good for me lol. I'm really pleased I didn't give in and buy more of them. I really enjoyed looking in the charity shops and had to talk myself out of several things lol. Luckily, we didn't do lots of shopping, more walking than anything. 

Today went by so quickly. Husband ended up coming home early (he normally gets home early about 2.45 which is why I don't get a lot done lol) as he FINALLY got hold of someone to come out and give us a quote to have the gutters on the house replaced. I really want them done before winter. They were pretty reasonable, so it sounds like we'll be having them do the work and - hopefully - soon! Husband says he's getting off work again early tomorrow as he's almost worked his forty hours. That means he'll probably be home before I get back from my walk and the Post Office run. Sigh.

Another foggy, dull morning. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have some sort of sunrise, or just a little blue sky to share!

Trying to Get Back into the Swing of Things

I'm trying to get back into the swing of things again. Seems a little strange to be home. All of the washing is caught up again and suitcases/bags put away - at least for a little while. It seems like forever since I've been doing just daily stuff, I'm having a little trouble getting back into the swing of things. I need to start writing lists again, doing menus and starting on the decluttering again. I gave myself a couple of days, but now I really have to get started again. 

I'm still trying to sort through all the photos I took, not just the ones from England, but the ones I took at daughter's house too. I managed to get out to the National Wildlife Refuge again and had a wonderful time. It was nice to get away from such a busy household and take a little time out. I think it will be a while before I sort through them all!

My son had a nice birthday yesterday. They stayed for a while and ate. I had brought a cake and his girlfriend ended up getting one too, so we had a lot of cake. Thankfully, they took some home with them. We certainly don't need all that cake in the house!

The weather here the last few days has been lousy. Such a shame after the nice weather I had in England and the good weather in Minnesota. Now it's been all cloudy/drizzly/foggy/rainy. It makes the days so dark. The mornings seem to take forever to get light and the evenings are drawing in far too quickly. I want a little cooler weather, but I'm not quite ready for the short days.  I have been walking but, in all honesty, it hasn't been a lot of fun. Tomorrow morning doesn't look any better, thick fog with a chance of drizzle. I am sorely tempted to give it a miss and try to get some things done around the house! We shall see. 

Photo for Today

I took this one on my walk today. It's beginning to look a lot like Autumn!

Hopefully Back to Normal

Well, I'm back from my time in Minnesota. Baby A is doing fine. She was a little grumpy for a few days and unable to eat much (which definitely wasn't fun for her!) as her mouth was hurting. We got to have some great times together though. She is growing in leaps and bounds and saying some words now. It was lovely to see her. I did get a bit tired though. I had a bit of a cold which didn't help. I was glad to go and I think I helped a bit! 

She loves to colour - got to love those Crayola Mess-free markers - and to play with stickers which she sticks in a book. 

I've got a lot to catch up on at home. It is my middle son's birthday today and he and his girlfriend are coming over to eat so I won't be catching up today! 

I'm Back...Sort Of

I arrived back in Kalamazoo just after midnight on Sunday night/Monday morning. It's a long old flight back. I was well tired, but I couldn't sleep for long. My legs were cramping really badly and with the jetlag I was just up early. I've been easing into coming back. I was looking forward to a slow week, but daughter rang last night and said Aurora has hand foot and mouth disease AGAIN and they need a babysitter. I am off first thing tomorrow morning (waaaayyy too early) to go babysit. It means another flight. 

I had a GREAT time in England visiting my sister. The time went by far too quickly. We had lots of fun, walking, chatting, drinking, eating. I can't wait until next year! Of course, I have a gazillion photos to sort through. 

Here are a few phone ones. 

These are just from the first couple of days, around Ipswich and Felixstowe and a visit to Mum's bench to take some flowers. So good to be there again. 

I am taking my computer to daughter's house so hopefully posts will be regular-ish depending on how tired out I am from Baby A lol