Covid Crisis

 Last week on Thursday our son Jordan stopped here after leaving work early saying he didn't feel well and wanted to just crash with us.  He had a sore throat and then stomach flu symptoms.  He doesn't get sick often and when he does it's over quick.  But he was still here and sick on Friday but didn't want to go to a clinic to get checked out.  I felt he had strep.  He went back to his house, and we didn't hear anything from him until his girlfriend called and said he was really sick and had fallen and hurt himself.  We rushed over, had her call the squad and he was rushed to the hospital.  He was so sick and septic from the strep infection and then they also said he had covid.  He was bruised and bleeding from taking a fall (actually, more than one!) and had even broken a rib and punctured a lung!  He couldn't even talk since his throat was so inflamed. Then they were concerned about his kidney function which did eventually shut down.  He's in isolation and has had 2 rounds of dialysis and will get another round tomorrow.  His blood work is still messed up and although the antibiotics are clearing the strep, the covid is the real problem now. So please send prayers if you have a minute.  His small improvements give us hope that he will get through this and back to his new home he just purchased!  You never know when life will hand you a bad day and this has really been a crisis for him.   Thanks for any prayers for Jordan.

Wild And Windy!

 The double W week of wild and windy started on Monday with a trip to my dentist to check on a tooth that had cracked.  Then back on Tuesday for him to see if a fix was possible.  Nope. I'm never that lucky! He removed the broken part, sent me to an oral surgeon to remove the rest.  That went down on Friday.  This was a new oral surgeon.  Young, good looking, and it turned out he was also super nice, quick, did a good job and fairly painless. (except for the bill..that part hurt the most!) Plus, he called a few hours later to check on me. I'll give him a good review! In the middle of the week, I painted my dining room.  It wasn't a big job because I just did the upper portion that I though needed refreshing. It's about a shade lighter than the old shade and I'm sure nobody will even notice.  The first person to notice wins a gift card from Amazon!  We'll see if that happens.  The weather was doing the up and down, sunny then rainy dance all week.   But the worst part was the wind. It was super strong and a lot of folks in Ohio lost power.  We were some of those!  My dental appointment on Friday was in the morning and then we had a few hours before the wind knocked down some trees at the end of our road and put us out of commission.  Without power we can't get water from the well to bathe, flush toilets, drink, etc. Oh, and no heat either. We quit burning wood because the temps were too warm.   Of course, on Friday they decided to dip down.  We have 2 fireplaces, but they really don't put out much heat. This isn't our first rodeo on the power front. We probably should have invested in a generator, but we haven't so we do the best we can.  Gallons of water can be used for flushing and drinking and those soapy wipes are good for cleaning ourselves. We were hoping to get the power back quickly, but the whole town of Ashland was out and us country bumpkins are usually last in line.  But the electric company and the tree guys came and worked their butts off to get us up and running and around midnight last night we were good!  The house was a cool 55de and I could have cried when the lights went on along with the furnace.   So hot showers all around and clean dishes too made me feel much better!  So on to next week.  St. Patrick's Day was celebrated in Ashland on Saturday and they dyed the creek green and will do it again on Tuesday.  They held the parade on Saturday because the weather was better.  Tuesday will be only 29de and snowy! Figures!  So have a good week and maybe some corned beef and cabbage will be on the menu!  Here's just a few pics to close me out:

The refreshed upper wall.  Plus some Easter decorations.

Cold temps don't bother these cuties.  The few days of warm helped out too!

I found this bunny at the thrift store, but it was white and pink, so I spray painted it gold. It looks like one of those chocolate bunnies in gold foil!

I found this bunny runner at Hobby Lobby. Ready for the Easter season!

Without a stove I used the grill to make Friday's dinner.  A little breakfast was good!  That's all I have! Over and out!

Aging

Sometimes I just can't believe how old my kids have gotten and even how old my Grandkiddos have gotten!  I think to myself, wasn't I just that age?  Then I look in the mirror and go, oh yeah, I guess I'm getting up there in age too!  Well, better than the alternative!  The topic of age has me thinking because yesterday was my birthday. When I was little I looked forward to the last day of February because it meant birthday parties and presents.  Now I look forward to it because it means the worst, we hope, of winter is over and now there's the hope of Spring!  So, hello and welcome March!  I did see some daffodils poking up from the ground the other day. Made me smile!  Folks were asking me what I was going to do on my birthday and I said we were heading up to a place in Willouhby.  It's a little, cute town near Cleveland.  My Granddaughter, Driana, and her hubby, Jonathan, live near there in Willowick.  We were going there with other family members to attend a baby shower for them!  Driana is due May 4th but the docs think she may go sooner.  It was well attended and it was fun to see everyone,, have good food, some games,, and see all the cute gifts!  They are having a boy!  Of course here's a few pics of the event:

Jonathan and Driana and in there is baby Roman.

This was a game to see who could finish the baby bottle first.  My son Jack in the plaid shirt won! Does that mean he's just a big baby? Ha!  If you brought diapers you were put into a raffle and I won that. I never win anything but it was a really nice gift.

A cute basket, blanket, candle, Stanley, and also Starbucks coffee and a foamer thing.  I don't drink coffee so I gave that to Driana.  She'll probably need that! I offered her the other things but she declined.  Whoever put together the shower did a great job and really put much thought as well as money into it.  

My sister sent gifts too and made this soft, pretty blanket for the baby.

We were asked to bring a favorite children's book and they received a wonderful collection for the baby library!

This is my Granddaughter, Summer, (Driana's sister) and she's expecting too! She's due in August so I know we'll be partying again this summer for Summer.  She's also having a boy. 

Here's just a small example of the food. There were Italian sandwich wraps, a pasta dish, meatballs, salad, smoked Gouda mac 'n cheese and these cupcakes for dessert.  It was a nice way to spend my birthday, celebrating the soon arrival of our first Great Grandson.  Yes, time was on my mind as I looked at all the family there and was so grateful for all the love but also super aware of how fast time has gone.  So, cheers to me for another rotation around the sun.  I usually post a young me and a current me....here goes:

First grade

No grade!  Good night, everyone!

Fake Spring

This past week was a breather from winter.  We had sunny skies off and on along with warmer temps! Ahh....very much appreciated.  It's called a fake spring.  I was able to take some nice walks with Annabelle and see our yard go from snow to green grass.

Even the birds took a hiatus from the feeder and I'm sure they are enjoying snacking on whatever the yard has to offer.  I only worked one day this week but had an early morning (6:30am) surgery meeting today. It got me up and running and Jack and I decided to do our weekly grocery shopping after I got home. The weather is supposed to change and possibly be bad tomorrow.  I was glad to get it done.  But more excited to go to a new shopping place to enjoy!  A local nursery, greenhouse opened a gift shop and Jack gave me a gift card for it at Christmas time.  I had never been there and was very surprised at how large it is and how much fun stuff they have!  Plus, the smell of plants, dirt, flowers and the sound of water fountains was so spring like! Here's a few pics of the inside:

I managed to find some goodies to spend my gift card on! I know my family will love this place when they come out to visit. We're having a family reunion at the Pines in October, and this will be a "go to" place!  But we mustn't forget some important residents that live here:

A couple of super friendly kitties! With cold weather back in the forecast the wood burning furnace is back in operation.  Jack closed it up for the week because of the warm days, but it gave him a chance to clean it up and get it ready to finish this season.  Wood season is work but the heat is so nice and having had a super cold winter, it was a blessing.  So, even though this spring like weather was a teaser, I enjoyed every day!  To end my post, I will add a little YaYa news. Two of my Granddaughters are expecting babies this year!  Our oldest granddaughter, Driana, is having a boy in May and now her sister, Summer is also expecting a baby boy in August!  Being a great YaYa is a bit crazy to think about. Weren't these girls just babies? Wasn't my son just a baby and now he's going to be a grandpa?  The circle of life and that's no fake news!

Did You Notice?

 Even though the ground rodent said spring was not eminent, I wonder if you've noticed any telltale signs that there is some change in the air?  It's been a very bitter cold and snowy winter for Ohio and many others all over the country. Even sunny Florida has felt the chill.  I must admit that today was a real gift from God.  My car said 52de today! And the sun was shining!  I even sat outside in a chair alongside Jack and let the sun hit me in the face.  It felt like heaven!  The huge ice sickles are now history:

I showed this one in a previous post, but it grew to hit the roof above the kitchen. Today it's all gone! It was pretty muddy though and we had to give Annabelle a bath after her walk.  It's hard being an all-white, short legged doggy! While we were sitting outside, I noticed Annabelle licking the cement on the driveway.  She then preceded to throw up! I'm assuming she found some salt left over from the freeze? I made some chicken and rice for her for dinner and she seems better now.  Back to the signs of change...I noticed that it was still light out at 6pm!

This was 6pm the other day. I look forward to lighter later days and lighter early mornings.  I know that's still some weeks away, but I love the first signs of the longer daylight.  Since the weather this past weekend was pretty cold and nasty, I decided to put together a puzzle I've had sitting around for over a year.  I'm really not a puzzle gal but I couldn't resist this one.  It has a westie dog like Annabelle in it and it's a summer picnic scene...a sign perhaps?

I'm going to glue it together with mod podge stuff and frame it to put up in Summer. I like to change out pictures on my walls.  I hope near you the season is showing signs of change even if it's only a little lighter at night or perhaps a lovely warm day that gives hope of brighter times ahead.  Speaking of having a brighter head:

I had my hairdresser throw a few bright highlights on this old gal's head! Ha! Have a good rest of this week! 

Hello Loveuary...I mean February!

Hallmark calls this month Loveuary but I'm just glad we made it through crazy January!  We had record cold, record snow, and Jack and I battled a virus that took a good 3 weeks to get over. We don't get sick very often, (knocking on wood here!) so it was not a fun time.  But we did have a few sunny days over the weekend, and February 1st was also sunny and by the evening the full moon had the yard as bright as day! No, I didn't get any pics unfortunately.  We also had our kids and grandkiddos over for a little rib fest yesterday and I didn't get any pics then either.  I'm really slipping on my photo moments!  I know that crazy rodent saw his shadow this morning and for some reason the calendar agrees with him and shows we have 6 more weeks until spring. So, let's get through this short month that usually feels like the longest one due to the winter weather.  July with its 31 days doesn't drag along like February! Even though I missed photo moments yesterday, I did get a few from Saturday to share.  It was the high school's winter formal on Saturday and my granddaughter, Rae, came over with her friends for some pics.  I had to razz her a bit about her dress. I asked her where the rest of it went! I was afraid she'd freeze in this weather! She loves me anyway and did laugh!

Rae and Ethan. He came with her for lunch on Sunday too and seems to be a really nice young man.

This is Rae's friend who went with them to the dance.  They all went in separate cars and just met up at the high school for the dance.  Again, brrrrrrrrr Rae Rae!  After the kids left, Jack and I went up the church for a church social that was also a food competition.  I made my Greek chicken recipe.  Guess who came home with a medal for the best overall dish?

Yep, that would be me!  So that about finished up our weekend except for having family over for ribs and potato salad, tossed salad, fruit salad, baked beans, rolls, and homemade apple pie with homemade icecream for dessert on Sunday.  Our son Jack said, "Mom, looks like a summer meal!"  Yes, I was hoping to manifest some warmer temps here!  It did get up to 21de today! Yeah!  Finally, here's some other eaters who came to visit over the weekend that I did manage to click a pic:

Mr. Cardinal.

Mrs. Cardinal.

Come and get it!  One last pic:

We have had some amazing ice cycles show up!  Watch you head when it starts to warm up...hopefully sooner than later!

Snow Apocalypse!

 We were warned all week of this storm called Fern. So all week we prepared with plenty of wood for the furnace, grocery shopping 
done early so we didn't have to fight crowds who think its necessary to have 100 rolls of TP, 3 dozen loaves of bread and plenty of frozen pizzas. The snow started early this morning and we've got about a foot of it so far. Its still showing so the snow blower will be put to use more than once! But there's no wind, the snow is light and fluffy because the temps are pretty cold. It think I shoveled paths for Annabelle to do her business at least 6 times today. Its hard to be a short legged puppers in a snow apocalypse!

Go shorty!

Bird bath is closed for the season. The bird feeder is open and busy all day!

Waiting his turn. So what do you do when everything, including church is canceled? Read? Yep. Naps? Of course. Cook and bake? Absolutely!

Potato soup hit the spot.

Chocolate cake too! So if you're in this crazy weather, please be safe, stay warm, enjoy the beauty of the snow if you can and have a snack or two! 

January In The Middle

 My last post was on January 7th and we were sick.  It's now January 18th and we're still coughing and blowing our noses! But we feel much better and I think Jack is a bit better than me right now.  Oh well, I hear this virus doesn't give up quickly but it's making January a tough cookie!  Even though I haven't felt the best I still try and get outside and take Annabelle for walks.  Breathing in fresh air helps and we've had a few sunny times too.  What do you do when the sun shines in Ohio in the winter?  Take photos of course.

Annabelle likes to sit in the sun and soak it up.  She's by the firepit but no fires in here for a while.

A few drops of vitamin D please!

Sometimes Annabelle needs a little coat on those super cold days. Well, I think she needs it but most of the time she's just fine running coatless!  Saturday, we had snow in the morning and when we pulled into the garage after grocery shopping it was really coming down.

Can you see it?  It was more impressive in person.  But then just a few hours later it was sunny!

Blue skies and fluffy clouds bring a smile to the face!  After a nice time outdoors, I was ready to do some baking and soup making.  I made chicken noodle soup and vegetable soup and because I can't just make a little for the 2 of us, I decided to can the rest.  So I dug out the canner and viola'!

Chicken soup for the soul and then veggie soup to add to the stash for another cold day.  I also made some bread,

Makes good toast! I'm taking soup and bread to my BFF Donna tomorrow.  But why stop there? I also made my favorite Greek pastry: not baklava.  I made galaktoboureko.  It's a custard pastry that also has phyllo dough.

I packed up some for Donna and took some to church for a couple of friends there.  This brings back memories of growing up when mom would make it and my sister and I both agree that it's a favorite to warmup and have for breakfast.  I put the leftovers in the garage fridge so I wasn't tempted to feast more than I should!  We were blessed with clear sunny skies again today and I took Annabelle for a nice walk into the woods and around the Pines. 

Hello Mr. Sun. 

Super blue skies.

I noticed the sparkle in the snow.  Many tines we only complain about winter without enjoying the beauty that's there to enjoy.  I'm grateful for a pretty day!  Now if this virus would melt away, that would be fabulous!