Sunday, June 24, 2018

Weekend Roundup

Friday was MommaT's birthday.  We had to run around and finish up buying little things for her grands birthday presents.  One is turning 15, the other 7.  All three birthdays, hers and theirs are within about two weeks of each other.  So for the first time, we celebrated all 3 together.  Mostly because Papa was home this weekend. He never gets to celebrate the grands birthdays being on the road three weeks at a time.

Yesterday was the big day of festivities.  Barbque and pool time.  I don't do pools, so I watched or visited with the goats.  Three different cakes, but I only had the one layered cherry cake with ganache and covered in chocolate. Sister #1 made it herself and OMG was it good. RICH but oh so good!!!

Today, well it's pretty much just getting started. I'm sipping my morning coffee as I right this.  But it has been a great start.  I can check seeing baby Magpies off my list!

Nothing like being half way through your first cup of Joe, when Mom comes and asks if you want to see some baby Magpies.  We soon realized that there were four of them and Momma Magpie was trying to teach them to fly.  They all ended up in the duck pen.  Momma Magpie was going a little bonkers with us humans so close to her littles. But Mom was able to round them up and has them in a safer section of the pen where they can wander about and hopefully learn to fly.  Two were almost there, the other two were still too stunned I think.  Just got to keep the outside cats away. 

We have tons of Magpies around here.  I always wondered if I would ever see a baby one.  Today that happened and I couldn't be more excited.  Of course I ran in and grabbed my camera and my tablet to take photos.  After I did that, I walked down the drive to see if I could get some more photos of the most beautiful beetle I have ever seen.  Even prettier than the Japanese beetles I used to have eating my roses in Georgia.  These are on the milkweed plants in the field.  They are an iridescent blue.  Absolutely gorgeous!

It's supposed to be a warm one today.  So I don't think I'll get much more outside time until later if I'm up to it.  I can't believe how sensitive I have gotten to heat.

Thursday, June 21, 2018

Blessed Litha, Happy Summer, and We Have A Roof

First day of Summer and it's a beautiful day.  Some clouds, a breeze, and sunshine.  My cousin in Queens is enjoying a rainy Litha it seems.  I walked around the house a bit, enjoying some of our flowers. 

Last night we had an unexpected storm come through.  I felt like it was washing away the last bit of spring.  Wind, lightening, thunder, rain.  But as fast is it came up, that's how fast it went save the wind.  That left me with a view of the half moon and a planet shining bright in the distance while the sky continued to flash as the storm moved away.  It was quite the sight really.

This morning, as I was gazing out the window I saw a small white feather drift down but then it disappeared without a trace.  It should have landed on the hay bale, but it was no where.  For some reason, I felt like it might be Trish passing through.  Then later I saw one of those giant "wish" balls floating through the air.  I haven't seen one in YEARS!  When I was little I'd sometimes catch one and my mother would tell me to make a wish and then blow it away.  But I was in the car and didn't have the means to catch it while moving LOL.

Most exciting, WE HAVE A ROOF!  All the shingles are now on, new vent caps too.  Now we have to wait on an electrician to move some wires inside so they can finish drywalling then on to the rest.  Mud, texture, paint, etc.

The company we hired to do the work, doesn't actually do the work.  They sub everything out.  The guy they sent us to do the work has been great.  The guy from the hired company wants to cut notches in the brand new truss (That by the way was cut to the wrong size after two measurements!!! Worker guy and his team made it work.  He said this is common for the truss company they used and he hates them. But the alternative was wait for a new one and Goddess knows when that might have happened)  Worker guy wasn't comfortable with that idea, neither are we.  So this morning MommaT said hell no to notching the truss.  We might be looking at 2 weeks for said electrician to come out.  BUT HEY....We have a roof!!!!!!!!!

Hope you all enjoy the first day of Summer or Winter, depending on where you live.

Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Rest In Peace Trish

Yesterday was a sad day. 

A dear friend from across the pond that I have only known via the
internet and Facebook passed away.  None of us expected it, all of us
are shocked, saddened, heart broken.  Most gutted of all of are her new
wife and their fur baby.  They recently wed, just about a month ago.
Everyone was so happy for them.  And now this happens!

I have no words.  Her wife and I are the same age.  I think Trish herself
was in her 40s.  Too soon.  TOO FUCKING SOON!  I can't even......
The words won't come.  I don't know what to say. 

Trish was such an inspiration to so many.  She won't be forgotten. 

Rest well my friend.  You can breathe easy now and are free of pain.
Ride with the dragons, Sail with the Pirates.  We will all be thinking
of you when the final season of GoT airs.


Wednesday, June 13, 2018

FINALLY

After two months of living with an unplanned nature made skylight, the trusses finally arrived this afternoon. 

To say I was  excited to see that truck is an understatement.

The plan is they will begin first thing in the early morning by coming in and tearing down the ceiling. Removing the insulation from the "attic" area.  I'm assuming bringing in the dumpster too.

Not sure how much will get done by the weekend.  But we are just so happy that things are finally moving in good direction. 

So grateful to the insurance agent, the claim adjuster, and the on site adjuster for getting involved and helping to get things moving.

The upside was knowing the trusses were here before the contractor knew because they were scheduled for delivery tomorrow and not today.

Once this is done, we can finally get back to living and doing instead of sitting in limbo twiddling our thumbs.

NOW.....Please let's have good dry weather, no wind, and everything go smoothly so we can have our house back in one piece.

Friday, June 8, 2018

RIP Chef Bourdain


There are no words to express how deeply sadden I am to hear that
Chef Anthony Bourdain died to day at the young age of 61.
He was probably the first chef that I watched that didn't do the "normal"
type of cooking shows.  I loved his manner and the way he spoke. Maybe 
 because listening to him reminded me of home. The Big Apple.

My heart breaks for his family, for his young daughter.

May he find peace.





Thursday, June 7, 2018

Seven Years

It doesn't seem possible that it is seven years today that I left/escaped.  I'm sure there are those out there that see it differently. That don't believe me.  That don't think I was a victim or that I am a survivor.  But that shouldn't be my problem.  If I had stayed, I don't know how much longer things would have stayed verbal, emotional, and psychological.  Something inside me said it was only a matter of time before it became physical.

Even though I am out of the situation, I deal daily with the aftermath of it all.  Not just from HIM but from the abuse I suffered by others.  But at least I can breathe and not be afraid.



Yesterday was a sad day.  It was the 34th anniversary of the passing of a girl I went to high school with. We lived in the same neighborhood, but I didn't know her until high school.  Much of the school year she picked on me and teased me along with a bunch of other bullies.  I was an easy target.  Towards the end of the year, for some reason I will never know she started to be nice to me.  Gave me tips on how to "train" my hair to feather back as was the style back then.  Then Memorial Day weekend, she was in a motorcycle accident.  It was just supposed to be a quick ride over the bridge.

She died a week later, succumbing to her injuries.  I had lost people in my life before, grandmother, great grandparents. But this...this was too close to home. We were the same age. 

I feel like no one remembers her.  A few of the people that we both knew and went to school with are now Facebook friends.  None of them ever mention her.  We all went to her funeral.  It's sad.  Maybe they do remember, I really can't say.  But to me, it just feels like she was forgotten.



Today also marks two months that the tree fell on the house.  We are STILL waiting for the repairs.  The trusses haven't been completed yet.  The engineer came out yesterday to do some additional or final measurements.  He said they should be done this week. Then depending on the contractor's work schedule, they should get started hopefully next week.

The waiting is awful!!  There are areas that are sagging due to water damage over the last several weeks.  Cracks and such too.  We will all be glad when it's all done.

Because we have to keep waiting, life has basically been on pause.  It will be nice for things to get back to "normal"