And yet another pressie! :-)

Sunrise!

I love my mornings.....  Some of it is the absence of people.  Some of it is the time spent meditating and having conversations with The Big Guy.  And some of it is just about the glory of a new day.
I snuck out on crutches.  Now, that's kinda been the norm for....oh....10 months?  But when you're only allowed to use one leg cuz you're non-weight bearing AND you have a mush brain--whole different story. I'm not real practiced for distance and stamina on these things right now I tire easily AND there are steps.  LOL  But I made it without any supervision.....which only means I'll try it again.  ROFL  He-who-has-palpitations at the thought of leaving me unsupervised to run to the post office will be happy! Or.....mortified.  LOL  Probably the latter.

Oh....but....The whole world turned pink.  The crescent moon was white under those pink clouds--and the front tree, doused in yellow......WOW!!  Perfect autumn sunrise.  Crisp air.....quiet except for the birdies and the occasional passing car.  (people go to work and it is a school day)  I had to balance myself there for a bit and just sorta work myself in circles to capture it all.  The Big Guy makes awesome displays and it truly was awesome. AND I had crunchy leaves.....

And I'm feeling a bit more centered, I must admit.

Which means I need to come back and read this tomorrow morning so I can do that one again!

Maybe I won't tell the palpitating one........  LOLOL

Fairy Reminder

You simply will not be the same person two months from now after consciously giving thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life. And you will have set in motion an ancient spiritual law: the more you have and are grateful for, the more will be given you.

Breathing Room

Fairy Dust

The way to reliably experience joy is not to seek it. 

The way to reliably experience joy is to give it.

All Rolled Up......

Today's Reading

It isn't important that we know why one flower is blue and one white. We don't have to understand how a rose becomes a rose to appreciate the arrangement. We just accept it for what it is. Acceptance of others does not mean agreement or approval. How boring if we only accepted those who reflected our own ideas and opinions! How dull to look upon a bouquet of exactly the same flowers.

I will accept the differences between us as part of our beauty together.

Yup--prezzies on a messy table

This is a very bad photo of a very nice thing.  I got a surprise from France in the mail yesterday.  It's minus a bit that came--he-who-was-thrilled-to-be-recognized snatched up a lovely keyring and said "Mine?  How lovely.  Oh, and it's perfect."  Yes, "Keep calm and carry on" is the name of the gig for him.

I might forget stuff, but boy HOWDY does he remember it all.

*sigh*  Including my snarky attitude and defiant little ways.

Perfect!  I have HAPPY wee bookmarks for the book that I can't seem to get far in (yeahyeah.....it's a matter of having to re-read again and again and again SO much that I've stepped away from the book--but I WILL return to it! It's "Cloud Atlas" and it comes with a good recommendation).  AND I have a sudoku with magnets which is perfect for a short term focus for my brain as I try to work on the EASY puzzles.  (Himself is happy to do the hard and brilliant ones.  :-/  He's such a smartie pants.)

More than the contents of the package it was the idea that I was thought of and fussed over.  Isn't that just too sweet?  Made my day, frankly!
So.....bad photo or not-- Thank you to both Barb and 'D' for simply being who you are.....phenomenal, caring folks.  We need to clone youse guys!   The world can use more phenomenal, caring people.

Fairy Thought

Be the kind of person you would truly enjoy being with. Do the kinds of things you’d love to see in others.

The way to experience good and valuable things in this world is to first cultivate those good and valuable things within yourself. What you encounter in life depends on the way you are.

Genuinely friendly and helpful people meet a lot of other friendly, helpful people. Loving, caring, creative and generous people encounter many other loving, caring, creative and generous people.

When you’re the one to start the ball rolling, you can roll it in any direction you choose. Live your highest values, consistently and without compromise, and by your very example you’ll spread those good values far and wide.

Afternoon Snack

Scramblings....

No more steri-strips!

Okayokay....so the instructions were to NOT tear them off.  I'm pretty sure that he meant to not tear them off the rather lengthy wound.    I didn't.  They were free from the wound and sticking to the rest of me.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it....or rather not being stuck to anymore.  Whichever.
I'm taking that as progress.  Not much else is feeling like progress.
Kinda like the visitor I had that looked at me and laughed and reminded me she'd been to visit 2 other times.  Seriously?!  Uh huh......he-who-DOES-remember-things validated that she was, indeed, visiting for the third time.  Right.  Gonna keep a calendar.  That's just plain embarrassing.
Oh yeah.....AND I'm going to put the letters and cards on the calendar, too.  Cuz I couldn't, for the life of me, figure out where the Halloween cards that turned out right side up went to.  (yes, I seriously made some upside down.....they'll go to very forgiving people.....LOLOL)  Apparently I mailed some out last week.  OH please let them be forgiving as well.....*laughing*
And yesterday one of the gals from work called to check in on me......and apparently has rung more than yesterday (which himself informed me of after the call) which means once again....I can apologize and blame the circumstances.  Doesn't stop me from feeling dumb....*sigh*
I give up. Really.  I have a mush brain and I just need to accept it and stop getting so wound up over it.

The doc told me losing days/weeks was normal.
Apparently that'll happen.
I'd prefer it happen to someone else, tyvm.  So I'm keeping a calendar--FOUR WEEKS after surgery--cuz I'm still a bit of a mess.  And I'm snarky--which comes as no surprise....I do NOT like being out of control and not remembering stuff leaves me feeling very out of control.

Ah, but Studley is in the yard and the steri-strips are no more!
So there's progress in places.

And I lugged in a couple of wreaths this morning.
Which sorta explains "How did these wreaths end up in the middle of the kitchen floor?"
My answer?

The witch did it.

The booger chuckled........

:-/
(seriously...he needs to bring up my witchy hat and broom......tis the season dontchaknow!)

TFTD

Hard times, stressful times, are not all there is to life, but they are part of life, growth, and moving forward.

What we do with hard times, or hard energy, is our choice.

We can use the energy of hard times to work out, and work through, our issues. We can use it to fine-tune our skills and our spirituality. Or we can go through these situations suffering, storing up bitterness, and refusing to grow or change.

Hard times can motivate and mold us to bring out our best. We can use these times to move forward and upward to higher levels of living, loving, and growth.

The choice is ours. Will we let ourselves feel? Will we take a spiritual approach, including gratitude, toward the event? Will we question life and our Higher Power by asking what we're supposed to be learning and doing? Or will we use the incident to prove old, negative beliefs and say "Nothing good ever happens to me... I'm just a victim... People can't be trusted..."

Hellooooooo Studley!!

I SUPERVISED! (it soooo counts....)

Yes...... Things that make me happy....

....photos on the phone of the Bug decorating Halloween cookies.

.....leaves crunching under my crutches.

....discovering I really still DO fit into my fall skirts--that 'death by food' hasn't changed that...yet...LOL

....getting stuffed into the Jeep for a drive and a look at the trees that are JUST thinking about changing.

....the wee little tin can I'll decorate since I can't find the elusive basket!

....the glow in the dark spider web thingies that I can put in the livingroom windows.  *snickering*

....keeping tabs on the things that make me happy.  ;-)

Reading from the Fairies

The degree to which I can create relationships, which facilitate the growth of others as separate persons, is a measure of the growth I have achieved in myself.

--Carl R. Rogers

As children we clung to and modeled ourselves after friends and siblings and sometimes parents. We imitated with ease how a friend walked and gestured. At times we identified too closely, and lost the self that ached to be known. And just as often, we encouraged someone else to follow our lead. The struggle to be whole and separate and happy was consuming. It consumes us even now.

We often neglect individual development, opting instead for a closeness with others that defies real love and stifles our growth. Unless we explore our individuality, we'll neither discover nor be able to nurture the talents that are our gifts. And the truest demonstration of our love is to nurture that exploration in another.

The paradox is that finally we can only sustain meaning in our moments and hours of togetherness if we've tapped the source of our creative strength in our times apart.

Nearing Harvest

Dusting

Today, help me remember that not everything is about me.

Quilt Barn (k.....barn wannabe!) #62

TFTD

 Others treat us the way we invite them to treat us. --Barb H.  

Coping with stress is a lot more difficult than preventing it in the first place. 

If we think prevention, we can avoid a surprising number of stressful situations by thinking ahead and sidestepping. 

We don't have to have lunch with difficult or complaining co-workers, for example. We can take a walk at lunchtime or catch up on some reading.  We can limit our availability to other family members by telling them we're off duty after 8:00 P.M. 

If we stick to it, the others will learn not to ask for late night help with homework or for a shirt to be ironed.

 We deserve quiet time to build up our reserves and to fend off stress. 

Giving all our time away is foolish, not virtuous. We can only expect others to respect our limitations if we are clear about our boundaries.  To stay healthy, we need to avoid, or at least limit, involvement in all unnecessary aggravations. 

Helpful Decorator

UPAT

I suck at this.  I really do.  The doc knows it, his team knows it.  PRETTY sure he put it on the chart in bold letters.  I've read it multiple times in his summary of visits......I manage pain well.  I pretty well 'suck it up' and 'keep moving'.  I know that's not a bad thing.  It just makes it difficult for me to converse about pain levels--which makes it difficult for them to treat it.  LOL  "That's NOT nice" is my answer.  (that's until some police officer offers to move me off of the ice with a broken leg--then it's accompanied with colourful language and a well placed slug).
I required two nerve blocks in recovery.  They asked for a number or a word......I couldn't answer either time they asked. I was a bit tearful and a bit busy trying not to breathe.  Yup--they guessed me at a 10.  I'm thinkin' they were probably right.
I still haven't recovered the full range of feeling in that left leg.....(*note to self:  tell the doc next visit)

They did a number on that leg--this I know for certain.  I didn't know the scale of what that meant and I've been chasing that reality ever since I woke up from the surgery.  It wasn't the run of the mill surgery. This is why two other hospitals refused to touch me when I first broke the darn thing.  It's also a part of why we chased trying to avoid the darn surgery, tacking on 9 months of a failed attempt in the whole stupid process.

I still have issues with how I'm seeing this--I think "broken leg.......whoopie ding. Cast it, get up and go."
When I think major surgery, I think what the sister went through. This is/was NOT the same magnitude.  It's a stupid broken leg.  It's a stupid broken leg that we've been working to 'fix' for 10 months now.
Oy.......  I'm cranky.

I do suck at the pain deal.  Part of the 'why we're here' is because I sucked it up and kept moving when there was a significant amount of pain that I couldn't articulate....or wouldn't....  The bone shifted early in the gig and I believe when it did that, I lost some of that window of opportunity for healing to happen.

I don't DO pain very well.
Wait....I DO do pain very well. I don't articulate that it's happening--I suck it up and keep moving.
I don't wanna NOT own the pain if it's present--but I don't wanna make it bigger than it is cuz I really DO have a good threshold for pain.  I'll let you know when I hit the wall.  But like other times in my life--they don't WANT me to hit the wall.....they want me to keep ahead of it so I DON'T hit the wall.

This is the part that I struggle with.  And I have the history of struggling with it.....I suck at it.
I don't wanna take pain medications--they make me fuzzy, they make me forget stuff--they're a narcotic for crying out loud. I didn't abuse this stuff when I was out using!  I didn't wanna 'slow down and go nite nite'....I wanted to gogogo forever!  Yeah.....notsomuch fond of the 'downers' end of the spectrum.  *sigh*  But I DO have the potential for abuse regardless, I know this.  The doc knows this...pretty sure THAT'S in bold letters on the chart, too.  I toss that card on the top of the pile from the word get-go.

I haven't quite figured this deal out......  I can go all day without pain medications--and then 5pm comes. (Oy....something about the evening...)
I can have 2 every 4 hours.  I've been trying to take nothing--and then 5pm happens and I take one.  10pm happens and I'm taking another one and hoping I can just go nite-nite and wake up feeling better.
Repeat!
It's the "repeat" deal that I'm not pleased about.  It's three weeks post surgery.  Himself says "It's only three weeks."
I keep looking at him like he's nutz....it's three weeks--there's no 'only' to it!  It's working up to a month here, buckaroo!  I should NOT still be taking pain medications and having the level of pain that requires that I DO take pain medications....and is it really pain or am I simply taking it because it's discomfort and I don't want it to explode INto pain.
I love second guessing my decisions.
He-who-pushes-me-to-take-the-medications is quick to point out the physician had no issue giving me a refill script for use during the next six weeks.  I haven't finished the first script.
I don't know what's 'normal' for this procedure--and I don't know when I oughta be concerned about the pain.....'cept he did tell me if the meds don't make the pain go bye-bye....call the doctor on call and don't wait.
I figure I've gone all day without pain medication--small wonder at 5pm it's not feeling so 'nice'.  Taking the second at 10pm and going nite-nite, waking up and feeling better.....sounds normal to me!  But what the heck do I know.  I sucked it up when the bone shifted in the first cast.
Yup--I'm nervous.  That's the deal.
Took me all this typing to get to that truth.

*sigh*
I know.....I'm gonna HAFFTA ring the doc and sound like an idiot........again.....
Oh boy!!!!
One of my favoritest things to do!!!

NOT!!!!!!!

Fairy Reading

A real blessing of growing old is the freedom it gives us to be who we really are. 

Of course, we could have been our real selves our whole lives. 

No doubt some of us were. 

However, far too many of us struggled to impress others with the person we thought we ought to be, and in the process, we lost a lot of real living. 

Fortunately, it's never too late to project the real us.  

Do we know for certain who we really are? 

Age is no guarantee that we do. 

Living through others is not so uncommon, unfortunately, and if that describes us, then we still have the task of discovering who we really are. 

But let's think of it as an adventure rather than a task. 

It's a journey, one that promises to be full of surprises.  

We have earned the right to speak our minds. 

We have earned the right to whatever beliefs appeal to us.

 Most particularly, we have earned the right to spend our days fulfilling whatever dreams we want. 

We're lucky.  

Being as silly as I want to be today feels good. 

I have it coming!

Ready, steady......go.....

The sky is a brilliant blue.
I can see the trees over there ---------->
Sonofagun they're changing colour--yellowish.  *sigh*
Silly brokeness....

I think my mission is two fold today:  Get out of the house, if even for a short turn. I know I'm still healing and I know it's limited activities--but DEARLORDINHEAVEN I've been doing limited activities in some degree for TEN MONTHS now.

*sigh*  There's my rationalization for getting in a bouncy jeep and going to someplace where I  can see the turning trees.
Yep--that's a couple hours in the car cuz that's where we like to go for a fall drive.  No, 'a couple hours in the car' isn't allowed.
*$*%^#*%^!!!!!

Soooo......I'll settle for a short trip closer?
And I'll drop myself in front of the decoration box and see what I can get started from the inside.
He-who-will-do-it-all is pretty tired.........scaling down will be helpful.  I'll need to do the deciding on that--he'll feel a high need to get it all out.  And I wanna keep it smaller, more doable for him....

*laughing*
How do you scaled down Studley the 8 foot spider?!
No way is HE not going out--
And there's ghosties....and the punkin gang......and the graveyard.....

Right.  :-/
Scale it DOWN Mel.......

Early morning trek

Daily Reminder

As we think, so we become.

We can enrich our interior monologue. We can seek the company of people who inspire us with a loving approach to life. We can absorb the written thoughts of writers who encourage our positive emotions. We can decide to be cheerful and optimistic, just for today.

Whom would you rather be around - someone who chronically complains and talks about what a mess everything is, or someone who finds joy and delight in watching the antics of two squirrels in a tree? You are your constant companion. Your own company can be a pleasure or a drag, depending on the thoughts and feelings you permit to linger in your consciousness.  You choose.

Straggler

Fairy Reminder

Sometimes it seems that all the news is bad. Sometimes it seems that the world around you is tumbling hopelessly downhill and there’s nothing anyone can do to stop it.

Yet that is never the case. For the more difficult life becomes, the more motivated everyone becomes to make real, substantial, positive changes.

Nothing is ever as bad as it seems. Because when situations become difficult, people become determined.

And when enough people become determined enough, good and positive and valuable things begin to happen. Hope, which may have previously been nearly impossible to see, begins to spring into action.

When the darkness becomes unbearable, someone will step forward and shine a light. And that light will inspire others, and others, and others.

Hope is always there. The more it is needed, the more powerful and effective it grows.

Midwest windchasers

Today's Thought

Would you purposely sit around and set hundred dollar bills on fire? 

Of course not. So don’t make the mistake of needlessly burning through your life, which is vastly more valuable than money. 

Choose instead to live every day with joy, love and meaningful purpose.

There’s no law that says you have to react negatively to negative situations. 

Ultimately, the way you live is the way you choose to live.

So choose to live in harmony with your highest values. 

Instead of letting mere circumstances determine how you are, let the beauty and value of your life determine the way you act.

Prezzies!!!

Yes...another cruddy picture but who cares!!  I got prezzies from the sister!!  There's Mickey's for the Jeep and car(that I won't be driving anytime soon. BUT I can still appreciate Mickey parked in the garage, tyvm!!)  

And I got a wee spider with stripey legs, a windup butterfly toy, some gluten free snack thingies, puzzle thingies provided my brain ever decides to work again AND a Halloween Mickey pin to decorate my brace with!!!

Is she the coolest sister on the planet or what!?!

Harvest Moon AND TLAPD........who could ask for more! :-)

http://www.talklikeapirate.com/piratehome.html

And the point of TLAPD?

None, really....it's all about having fun!  And THAT--is worth celebrating!

Arrrr.....avast me matey--gimme a fill of grog and then be on yer way.!
Arrrrrrr....


*laughing*  Lemme see if that actually GETS me a cuppa java.....LOLOLOL

Punkin Patch Treasures

43 days and counting......

So I'm sitting here with my coffee thinking 'what can I whine about this morning'.  *laughing*
That's a true statement!
I am such a whiner--and the whole world knows it.

I have to admit that I'm short lived in the whining department, I get three turns at it and then I have to get off the dime and outta the desert.  *sigh*  Well, that's 'the rule' anyway.  I've grown enough that I spend my three times at it very quickly and efficiently.  Whine, whine, whine--get over it and go have fun in spite of the circumstances. It works for me quite well.

It got me out of the house for an adventure!  Whine x3--and "Let's take you to the park, shall we?"
And on the way--we stopped at the punkin patch to see if the punkins were turning and SURE ENOUGH!!!!!!
O.H.M.Y.G.O.S.H.
And the gal is so loving--invited us to drive into the yard and down to the barnyard so I could see the baby alpaca that happened just this June.  LOL  "Goober"...what a cute little thing he is!
AND she told us to call when I was ready for punkins and gourds and STUFF (I pulled out the cell and started dialing..LOL)...  She laughed and told me she'd take me around on the 'gator' so I could pick out what I wanted--she'd even retrieve it for me.  ROFL--she'd be running all over the place cuz I'm a picky gourd picker-outter.
Bless her heart. I know she means it.......which is why our punkin patch is the bestest punkin patch ever!

Can't zackly whine about the punkins turning orange and people being so kindly, huh?
Can't whine about seeing deer and eagles and ground hoggy guys and squirrels at the park.
Can't whine about the bucket being filled with Halloween candy we picked up after the park adventure.

CAN tell ya "Buy Halloween candy" is on the calendar for this Friday.
And next Friday...and the Friday after and the Friday after THAT.

I only have 43 days!
And we have tubs upstairs, lights up inside--and......nuffin' outside as of yet....
Even the punkins are getting ready for crying out loud!

Yeahyeahyeah.....we'll do LESS cuz I'm broken and mending and it's just he-who-would-rather-pluck-his-eyelashes-out  that'll be putting up the outside stuff.  He's squirmy about me being nonweight bearing on crutches--as am I.

But we're 43 days away!
AND we have candy!!!!  (and toys....and bags.....OH!!  And bubbles!!!)
Oh!  And I made four cards in four hours time.

*laughing*  I need to put a bit more speed into the tasks at hand......but it's a start!

Today's Reading

We are often so busy trying to control the outcome of the happenings in our daily lives, so intent on projecting our tomorrows that we let life slip by. Life is today. This is all we have for sure - the moments in our lives we cannot hold. Sometimes it feels as if those moments are beyond time and place, gifts from God to receive and give up at the same time. And like a dragonfly that lights on our hand, it will either be crushed or it will fly away if we try to close our fingers over it.

Four hours later...

I know this is a cruddy photo....and I don't care.  *laughing*

Seriously.  I don't know what time I actually pulled stuff out and actually began the process.  I only know it was 10am when I heard "It's not the best of times...is it, really."  That came from me staring at a piece of card stock that I cut for the third time.  Mind you, I was having an issue with subtracting fractions.  And apparently a quarter of an inch matters in smaller scale projects.  * laughing!! *  I shoulda stuck the stuff away and moved on.  I did not. ( I soldiered on til 2pm...)

Kinda like the other day when I was trying to be helpful and get my own fruit since he-who-does-it-all was tired....which is how the watermelon exploded on the kitchen floor.  Ohhhh...it was an explosion like no other....

And it meant he-who-does-it-all had more to do, bless my helpful little self!!

STOP trying to do "activities as normal" cuz the whole freaking world knows you're NOT NORMAL.  Sheeessshhh!!!!

It's okay....someone took my scissors away cuz I was sitting on the little pair and had noooooo clue.

HEY....I can't help that here's NO FEELING in some of that side. 

*sigh*  I'm gonna be banned to safety scissors....I can soooooo see that one comin'!

TFTD

If we are being pelted by pain, there is a lesson. Trust that idea. Something is being worked out in us. The answer will not come from compulsive behaviors; we will receive the answer when we feel our feelings.

It takes courage to be willing to stand still and feel what we must feel. Sometimes, we have what seems like endless layers of pain inside us. Pain hurts. Grief hurts. Sadness hurts. It does not feel good. But neither does denying what is already there; neither does living a lifetime with old and new pockets of pain packed, stored, and stacked within.

It will only hurt for a while, no longer than necessary, to heal us. We can trust that if we must feel pain, it is part of healing, and it is good. We can go with the flow, even when the flow takes us through uncomfortable feelings. Release, freedom, healing, and good feelings are on the other side.

Quilt Barn #61

Card Carrying Member

This is not a crow bar.
This is sortakinda what was screwed to my 'nonunion distal femur condyle fx periarticular'.

ROFLMAO!!!!

I bet that's not even used correctly....but it DOES sound medical.

The picture they handed he-who-wanted-to-see is NOT attractive....and it shows just how messed up the entire femur is, even with the handiwork and the new stress fracture from screwing things in place.  I'm not sure what we'll do if this doesn't heal.  And I seem to recall being told that a brace of some sort may be required even if this does heal.....  Needless to say, I think it's fair to say the days of shorter skirts are done....which is fine really.  I prefer the longer skirt.

And I believe I really will be getting a card that identifies me as being a member of the fixed femur club!!  I shall take great delight in looking horribly guilty and announcing "Yesiree Bob....That's a crowbar strapped to my thigh!  Curses, foiled again!!"

Hmmmm....I can come up with some really good responses....and it will make for interesting moments, indeed.

HA!!!!

Kinda like the moment in the jewlery store when the gal asked how I broke my leg and I replied "He shoved down the stairs....that's how you get expensive jewelry dontchaknow...."

Now THAT was a priceless moment!
ROFLMAO!!

Daily Reading

Probably every day of our lives, a plan goes awry. Often we have counted heavily on a particular outcome. We generally assume we have all things under control and know exactly what's best for us, and everyone else as well. But such is not the case. There is a bigger picture than the one we see. The outcome of that picture is out of our hands.

Our vision is limited, and again divinely so. However, we are able to see all that we need to see, today. And more important, if we can trust our inner guidance regarding the events of today, we'll begin to see how each day fills in a shade more of the bigger picture of our lives. In retrospect we can see how all events have contributed, in important ways, to the women we are becoming. Where today's events are leading we can't know, for certain, but we can trust the divine plan.

Grazin' Day

Fairy Reminder

Darkness deserves gratitude.

 It is the alleluia point at which we learn to understand that all growth does not take place in the sunlight.

Touch of Class

Messiness

Right........the buddleia's are mostly dead.  Apparently getting them watered while I was three days in the hospital was an issue--as was getting them tended to when I was returned home (himself is a bit protective dontchaknow). The daisies are having their last hurrah as are the other annuals I bothered to plant this spring.
Needless to say, the patio is a sad looking place.....made sadder still by the things that he-who-was-trying-so-hard shoved around so I and the wheelchair could be in the sunshine a couple times a day for short periods......cuz it's just good for me to get that change of scenery.  And the patio is one of my favorite spots--even when it's a disaster area.
'Cept now I'm starting to fuss.  LOL  Which is an improvement in and of itself, I'm told.
Seriously---I'm gonna drag out the leaf blower.  I'll charge admission to that one.  LOL

In the meantime, it's busy on the patio.
The hummers are at it--there are five of them out maneuvering each other for a place at the feeder.  Toss in a confused sphinx moth and it's rather comical.  I'm out there in my wheelchair shouting at all of 'em to "play nice" and "be good, dangit!"
I don't think the mothy guy stands a chance with the hummers beak being what it is.
I was tickled pink to discover all my shouting paid off, cuz there he was, sharing a place at the feeder with Phoebe hummer the other morning.
Thankfully, two mornings in a row--cuz himself said "you made that up" when I told him and accused me of being loopy on the medications (which I am.....but still.......)
NOW I have photographic evidence!

I'm sure he'll accuse me of photoshopping the photo.
*laughing*

Right.
I can't remember passwords, I can't hang on to anything that I read--and I can't hold a thought for longer than six seconds without my brain wandering in a new and different direction....I'm basically a mess on the mend.  Uh huh.......Of course I photoshopped it.  *laughing*  Do I even have a photo editing program?
.........seriously NO clue..........

Daily Reading

Be who you are, loving who you love, admiring what you admire, and valuing what you value. Instead of worrying about what other people might think, focus on what will bring you authentic fulfillment.

Be kind and helpful and loving toward others, but don’t be a slave to their opinions. Live with richness, with originality, and with no apologies.

Make your own way through each day, taking responsibility for your actions and for your life. Be true to your highest, authentic values, doing what you know is right and good, creative and valuable.

Today's Fairy Reminder

It’s just as realistic to envision success as it is to worry about failure. 

The difference is in the choice you make.

It’s just as possible for you to make the effort as it is for you to make up an excuse. 

The choice is up to you.

You always have the power to make a difference. 

Choose to use that power in positive, purposeful and life-enriching ways.

The confused moth

Another day...

.....I wondered how many others flew their flags at half mast yesterday.  None on our block...which mystified and saddened me.  I don't forget.  The skyline change is enough to start that rush of emotions.  I don't have to watch the accounts of that day to get what a horror it was to live through or die in it.
We had a moment of rushing emotions as he put the flag out.  I think it serves me/us well NOT to forget.

Today is a new day. The pirate wind socks are now out.
AND we have hoisted The Jolly Roger.  (I won't wonder how many folks are flying that one...LOL...I'll just celebrate that we are.

Aarrhhh.
Aaarrrrrhhhhh!!!! 

 :-/
(practicing for Talk Like A Pirate Day dontchaknow!!)

And now--

Me.
Wheelchair.
Patio.
Seems short bursts of patio time are 'allowed'.
I'm ALL about that!!

Daily Reading

Perpendicular lines make right angles; they make possible extensions of both height and breadth. Right angles are weight bearing. We speak of asserting something "squarely," making perpendiculars.

People who speak their minds freely and assert their individuality feel perpendicular; the corners they create, by their points of view, are sturdy and open. Others can use them to build structures on.

It's important to claim the perpendicular, even though we may feel pressured into curved or parallel positions. If we're centered in ourselves, others won't throw us off balance. Each of us needs to find our own center so that we can occupy our own place. Others will recognize us. Together we'll build high and wide.

Today's Reading

Negative thoughts can rule our lives as compulsively as an addiction. The feelings of power we get from holding a dismal and gloomy outlook deprive us of the positive and pleasant parts of life. Some of us have said, "If I expect the worst, I won't be disappointed. If I think the worst about myself, no one else can cut me down." It is like taking a driving trip and looking only for trash and garbage in the ditches, ignoring the beauty beyond. Indeed, what we see may be real, but it is a very limited piece of the picture.

When we have relied on negative thinking, it feels risky to give it up. We cannot do it in one day. We can begin by imagining ourselves with a more open attitude toward ourselves and the world. Then we can try it out as an experiment in little ways, with no commitment. Finally we reach the point where we can take a risk and I

...wow....

Good news?  I'm apparently 'looking good'.
The incision is healing well.
And losing last week is sort of 'okay and to be expected'.

"It's only been two weeks."
"We shaved and chipped away at that bone, pulled the muscles around and introduced it to a plate with six screws....of course it's not happy."
"No weight, no bending, no marathons."
"This was not a routine operation."
"Relax....let yourself heal."
I had 55 staples yanked out today.....okay...."removed"…I had 55 staples removed today.  And I have steri-strips now, with permission to remove that fancy brace to shower in 3 days time.  THAT'S party worthy!!  And no...they don't endorse use of lacquer thinners to remove yellow gunk.....

And my next appointment ... set for late October.
No weight.
No bending.
No marathons.
And yup...still anemic.  The body needs time to recover from the "trauma".
Oh...and I shouldn't be surprised if I "lose more than a week."

*laughing*  I'm good with that as long as I get to pick which week(s) I lose.  Trust me, there's plenty of weeks I'd like dropped from my memory!

Six weeks of nothingness....

Right.
Doc told me it'd be six to ten weeks of the non-weight bearing deal.
I have books and things....I just can't remember squat or make things make sense.....yet.

I DO have a pile by the couch waitin' for me....Halloween STUFF!!
:-)
The spidery lights are up in the livingroom.....and it the coffee nook.  And tomorrow I'm thinking I'll research web making for the windows.....cuz I CAN.  HA!!!

Daily Diddy

Often fear is seen as bad, but it can be good, if we listen to it. It can be a great mover. When you're afraid, your spirit is trying to tell you something.

I'll list five ways that my fear has taught me important lessons. I'll see that my fear can help me as long as I listen to it and not live in it.

Happy Hummer!!

inches and seconds.....

I have my first follow up appointment tomorrow.
He-who-is-helpful will put me AND the wheelchair into the Jeep and I'll have my first "outing" since they released me after surgery.
He-who-refuses-to-leave-me-alone is quite happy with where things are at:  The incision is continuing to heal with no apparent issue, I've completed one regiment of medications to combat blood clots and I've averaged about one third of what was scripted for pain management.  I look better and make more sense than I did 10 days ago when they released me....so I'm told....
I'm not sure I agree about the 'making more sense' deal...but I'll take it and be pleased that he's pleased.
I figure there's progress cuz it's feeling like it was only ONE Mac truck...as opposed to the whole fleet.  Things make sense to me...at least The information going IN does....notsomuch my responses TO the information...but I'll take any inch of progress!  OH...And I actually have clean hair....still have the furry, yellow leg deal goin' on.  And I've decided that yellow crap isn't to sterilize your bit for surgery.  It's what they varnish ya with so none of your potentially germy gunk flies into their workspace....
Seriously....10 days and still yellow!!  I did discover that nail polish remover WILL take the yellow crud off...which I happily shared with he-who-cares-about-me.
..."as will lacquer thinners and white spirits, no doubt---but we will not be using them on your body."
I smiled.
He noted they were in a cabinet in the basement.


Damn.
There's an indication of how NONfunctioning my brain has been....neither of those (...nor  the can of furniture stripper) even popped into my messed up brain for consideration.


.....until now.......

Fairy Reminder

It is unreasonable to expect anyone to be able or willing to meet our every request. We are responsible for asking for what we want and need. It's the other person's responsibility to freely choose whether or not to respond to our request. If we try to coerce or force another to be there for us, that's controlling. There's a difference between asking and demanding. We want love that is freely given. It is reasonable to have certain and well defined expectations of our spouse, children, and friends.

It is reasonable to sprinkle our wants and needs around and to be realistic about how much we ask or expect of any particular person. We can trust ourselves to know what's reasonable.

His and Hers

Parents and children--  The sister sent on several 'family photos' she's acquired from her 'godmother'.
Mostly, I have no clue who's who and who belongs to whom--but that's the nature of the family tree with all the twists and turns the branches can take, eh?
*I* thought this was a blended family, by the features on the children--It's not.
And apparently this is only 10 of the 12 children. The guy in the back looks older than the dad who's sitting down....as does the gal on the left.  Apparently they're the eldest siblings--charged with tending to the children while the dude sitting down wandered in and out of the marriage and had a host of affairs.

*laughing*  Small wonder no one was smiling, huh.

TFTD

Let's not forget that all experiences, even the dreaded ones, are meant for our good. We are never given more than we can handle, and we will be given a balanced set of circumstances. A measure of joy will follow a period of sadness. As experience has shown, quick on the heels of the fear of loss is the realization that in the spiritual realm we're secure and all is well.

Today's Reading

Sooner or later, we will come to realize that if behavior doesn't match a person's words, we are allowing ourselves to be controlled, manipulated, and deceived. Sooner or later, we will come to realize that talk is cheap, unless the person's behavior matches it.

We can come to demand congruency in the behavior and the words of those around us. We can learn to not be manipulated, or swayed, by cheap talk.

We cannot control what others do, but we can choose our own behaviors and our own course of action. We do not have to let cheap, well-timed talk control us - even if the words we hear are exactly what we want to hear to stop our pain.

Today, I will let go of my vulnerability to words. God, help me trust myself to know the truth, even when I am being deceived. Help me cherish those relationships where there is congruity. Help me believe I deserve congruity and truth in the behavior and the words of those I care about.