Sandpipers and burglars

Lately, life has been so busy that I've barely had a moment to update my blog. But I do think of it now & then...... in the fondest sort of manner. So, at least it's not completely forgotten......

I'm currently doing a house-sitting job for one of my neighbors. And, get this....not just 1 house, but 2. They've bought the empty house across the street from them, and are attempting to renovate it. I guess they didn't want just anyone buying it. They decided to rescue it from whoever might buy it. Yeah....the previous owners were making meth there, and they pretty much trashed the place before they moved out.. Actually....all sorts of dubious activities were going on while they lived in that house, not just the making of meth. 8-{

Just recently it was burglarized, so they wanted us to stay in it, as well as their current house. So, between mom & I we take turns spending the nights in each house. It's weird ( and creepy) to spend the night in a barely furnished house. Not to mention scary, not knowing if someone might be planning on breaking in while you're happily sleeping! They have an alarm system which I always set at night, which brings me great comfort. But, the first few nights I was exceedlingly nervous.....alarm or no alarm!!

It's a neat house, though. My neighbor said it used to be a hotel from the early 1900's. I will try to post some pictures of the turret, and also of the view from the deck. It's so beautiful! It's a view of the lagoon, where you see a lot of different birds. We've see osprey, eagles, warblers, sandpipers, warblers, cedar waxwings, finches ( of course tons of sparrows) geese, kingfishers and other birds that are still mysteries as to what they are.

Note to self: Never wear a wrap-around skirt on a windy day. I'm sure the people at the Taco Bell drive-thru were blessed by the sight of pale legs as I blithely hopped out of my car at the bank today.........

Well, this is all for now. Hopefully I can write more soon. I can hardly wait until 2 weeks from today!! Our super fun road trip to Oregon & CA will begin. :o)

I can't think of a title!

I finally decided it was time to update my blog, before all 3 of my followers forget who I am.

Not a whole lot going on in my world. Though, I guess almost having a computer crash is pretty high up on a the list of monumental happenings. The computer was doing crazy things last Wednesday, but I just figured it was being tempermental. But, it was more than that because it refused to do nothing more than stubbornly show a black screen constantly, with the exception of a feeble, white line halfway right down the middle. Very weird & VERY frustrating!!! I really thought the computer was toast. My uncle came to the rescue, being the computer savvy person that he is and kindly took a look at it. He finally figured out that it was probably a Windows update gone wrong. Sometimes they do that, and the trouble did happen right after the May 26th update. But, thanks to him & also a well-timed idea from my sister, the computer came back from the dead!! So, now I'm a happy camper. :o)

I'm finally beginning to get better from the car accident. It has been a long, slow healing process with setbacks & hours of pain. Seems like my life the past 2 months has existed mainly of doctors visits, Aspercreme, icepacks and long, hot baths!

By the way, I do NOT recommend cupping!! My doctor did it only once to me, and that was one times too many. Not only did it hurt, but it left bright, purple dots all over my back for days that made me look like a polka-dotted butterfly. I can laugh at it now!

In a way, I feel like life has been passing me by lately, and I've been left behind. Or at least been put on hold for awhile. There are so many things I haven't been able to do the last couple of months that I hardly feel like my normal self. But, in between the doctor visits & bouts of pain, I have enjoyed relaxing in the sun, and had many wonderful hours of solitude. I also feel much closer to God now, and have spent many wonderful moments of prayer with Him. This pause in the journey of my life has given me a chance to contemplate...to be still before God.

My doctor said I could go back to my job(s) and I have mixed feelings about that. In once sense, I am more than ready to resume my normal, albeit rather hectic life....... because it gives me a sense of purpose. I don't mind too much the house-cleaning jobs. But, on the other hand it is going to be hard to get back in the swing of things as a caregiver. With this current caregiving company, sometimes you never know where or when you'll be sent to work. And I find that rather hard sometimes, not knowing what to expect. I have encountered some pretty tough clients & situations!! 8-[I'm coming to the conclusion, that I like and crave, as I grow older.......stability. I really dislike being on call.
So, I'm having mixed emotions here & praying that God will give me guidance on what to do next with my life. Because I sure do need it!

Christe Eleison

I recently discovered this song, and I really love it. One of those songs you could listen to endlessly.....

Human Pincushion

It's just so gorgeous today! I was just outside sitting in the sunshine, soaking up the warmth in a lawn chair. I was listening to the New Moon soundtrack CD, which has some very lovely, and very haunting sounding songs on it. I just love beautiful music! I think relaxing in the sun while listening to good music is very enjoyable. Today, it would have been nearly perfect if the traffic hadn't been so noisy & constant. I think the the ratio of noisy, old clunker cars/trucks is much higher than the quiet ones. It makes me feel very grumpy......

Today I had acupuncture for the first time! I was rather nervous about it before I went, but really.......it was very unpainful. The needles get poked into your skin so quickly, you hardly feel anything. I had it done on my neck & back today. The whole session only took about 20 minutes, and I felt very relaxed....almost to the point of falling asleep. My doctor is Chinese, and let me tell you there was definitely a language barrier thing going on there. I probably only understood about 60% of what she was saying, and had to guess the rest! But, she's very nice, and does her work well. Next week, she wants to do cupping on me, which to my limited knowledge of Chinese medicine, is simply getting the blood to congest at the site of an injury, so the acupuncture will be more effective. I guess it's supposed to really be beneficial. So, time will tell. It sounds weird.

The deep tissue neck massage afterwards wasn't too pleasant. I could only hope that she knew what she was doing, because it was hurting me like crazy!! It's amazing how deeply my muscles were injured from the accident, and how it takes them so long to heal properly.

I'm still rather apprehensive about driving. For awhile I didn't even want to drive, and couldn't have cared less if I ever did again. It sounds wimpy, but the accident really did a number on me, and the way I view driving now. I no longer trust other drivers. Not that I did entirely before...... but, now I'm more watchful. I get very nervous & my stomach tightens up, when a car comes up fast behind me at a stoplight. Slowly, but surely...I'm getting back my confidence, though. I'm determined not to let fear get the upper hand. As it says in 2 Timothy 1:7, " God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind". So, I'm claiming that Bible verse as mine!! I've always loved driving, and I'm hopeful that I'll get that love back again some day.

A new look at cabbage.

You know, purple cabbage is quite intriguing.......once you cut it open. The photographer in me simply had to take a picture, even during the midst of soup making.....