it's so hard to say goodbye...

I finished A Breath of Snow and Ashes last night.
Goodbye Jamie, goodbye Claire.
I'll see (read) you again in September.
I'll miss you.

5...4...6?

Disappointed in the cat-killer news, Mark decided to stop by the farm supply store and bring home...
2 more Buff Orpington chicks.
I think I'm in chick-overload right now. I can't take it.
He also brought home smaller chicken wire and is changing the coop to be more chick-friendly and less cat-accessible.
Now, I have 2 more names to come up with. I suppose I will revive Mo, but the other one... I guess I'll have to think about it.

and then there were 4

Mai-mai is so busted. He killed himself a baby chick. Shhhh... the kids don't know because they weren't here when I got them, or when the death occurred.
And some of the names are changed.
Sprout kept his name the same. Buffy. It is after all a buff orpington.
Panda changed hers from Betsy to Tacy. (next thing you know it's name'll be Tib.)
LuLu kept her name the same. Lemon.
Now, which one was murdered in cold-blood? It was either Penny or Mo. I can't tell them apart. I guess it was Mo. I want to have a chicken named Penny, as in Henny Penny.

Proud Mother of 5

I have 5 new babies.

Their names are: Penny, Betsy, Lemon, M.O. (mademoiselle l'oef), Buffy.

They are all Buff Orpington Hens. According to my research, Buff Orpingtons are gentle, docile, and make the best pets. They are also dual purpose chickens, which means they are good eggers and they are good meat (although I will not be cooking up my pets for Sunday dinner.)


I hope they survive their first night on The Ridge.

Oliver might have other plans.

the never-ending cough

Yup. I still got it. This interminable cough that won't go away. I've taken everything under the sun, including antibiotics, and nothing is working. I think I am going to lose my mind.
Right now as I sit here looking up home remedies for coughing (nothing sounds viable yet) I am listening to the sounds of a lazy Sunday afternoon.
Cartoons are on in the Living Room, with minimal chatter and a bit of laughter from the children. I hear the cats meowing to go outside, but they are denied this today. (Mai-mai got in to rare wee fight with another cat and has the marks to prove it, and Max, well, he just needs some time inside after carousing all night.)
Mark has woken from a nap, after having overdosed on allergy medication. Oliver having been woken, is irritated that his own nap with Mark has been disturbed. It's just another, typical quiet Sunday. My family is all safely gathered in, and I am fairly content.
Now, answer me this, do you want to drink apple cider vinegar, drink boiled onion water and honey, gargle white pepper,or drink milk with 3 cloves of garlic? Eww, eww, eww, eww, and eww. I guess I'll be back to the doctor on Tuesday. (Can you hear the heavy sigh?)

depression, depression, depression

Another bad day over here at depression central. Lack of motivation, desire for extra carbohydrates, need for excessive sleep, hmm... reads like a "do you have depression" quiz if you ask me.
I don't really want to do anything about it, other than wallow in my depression, I found a website that I think has some good advice. Really, really, really good advice. (You see, it's easier to look for advice than to actually follow said advice.)

Dealing with Depression: Self help and coping tips

My favorite sentence on this website sums up dealing with depression quite succinctly: "It’s the Catch-22 of depression recovery. The things that help the most are the things that are most difficult to do."

What I am going to do with this advice, is start easy for me. I'm going to increase my B vitamins and start taking a chromium supplement. Also, I'm thinking about taking the dog for a walk. The research does say that a 10 minute walk can improve your mood for up to 2 hours. Now I have to decide if the plantar fasciitis can handle a warm afternoon walk, or if I should wait until the sun goes down to take the walk. Can my mood wait that long? Dilemma, dilemma.

What do you think Oliver?

Yea, that's what I thought. You'll be ready to go whenever I want. Smoochie, smoochie, poochie, poochie.

Folk Alley

My newest obsession: American Folk Music
Try listening to my new favorite online radio station, Folk Alley.
Folk Alley

Although I enjoy it quite a bit, at times it's too contemporary for my tastes. That's when I turn to this site:The Contemplator
I sing at the top of my lungs, and I can kill hours of time doing this.

And just when I've had my fill of American folk music, I turn to this online radio station: Highland Radio

Just a little proof that I am odd. As if you needed any.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day. My children worked so hard to make this day special.
Sprout made chocolate covered strawberries for me at school.
Panda made a "coupon book" at activity days.
LuLu made me 3 cards at home.
My husband gave me a gift certificate for a massage. mmmm. I can't wait.
I manage to hold in the tears through this part. Then we go to church.
Sawyer cries. (argument with dad.)
Grace cries. (argument with dad.)
Only LuLu gets up to sing the primary song. (Why do they always try to get the kids to sing a song they don't know???)
The words of a poem read at church last week fill my mind.

You are the trip I did not take;
You are the pearls I cannot buy;
You are my blue Italian lake;
You are my piece of foreign sky.

That's it. We're outta here. We went home to collect ourselves, wipe our tear-stained faces (and then head back to church.)

Was it a good day?

Certainly. After my man grilled me up some steaks (yum!) and we headed to my friend Erika's for dessert and games. I would sum it up as an almost perfect day.

oh where, oh where has my little camera gone?

I wondered where my camera disappeared to, and now that it's found, I discovered some interesting snapshots taken by my children.





I love this one of Mad Max

What? I can't hear you over the screaming!

Do you know what I hate?
Screaming children.
me:"What is your problem, stop the screaming already!" (I say, screaming.)
Sprout: "Her ear hurts."
me: "Who's ear hurts? Why does it hurt?"
Panda: "Lulu. She's screaming that her ear hurts."
Ugh. Drama Queen, I think to myself. I grab the eardrops and put a few in. She goes to sleep on the sofa.
Thank God, I think, I don't know how much more of that screaming I can take! Can't she just deal with it like a normal person. [duh, mom, she's 6!]

20 minutes later: Blood curdling scream from the Living Room
me: "What is it now?!?"
Lulu: "My ear!"
Mark: (while walking in)"what is all the screaming about?"
...you get the idea.
After 2 1/2 hours of screaming, I say, I'm taking her to the Instacare to make sure it's not an ear infection. I can't take all this screaming!

1 hour wait at instacare. Diagnosis: middle ear infection. Her ear is hugely swollen and very painful. They give her analgesic drops in her ear, give me a prescription for antibiotics and send me on my way. Poor kid didn't sleep a wink last night.

You know what I hate?
When you're in a lot of pain and no one believes you. Despite your screaming. No one seems to care. ::heavy sigh:: Sometimes I feel like a jerk.

Sept 22- so close and yet so far away

I am so very excited (jumping up and down!) that the next book in the Outlander series is coming out Sept 22, 2009! (jumping up and down!) Just to make sure that I am ready for it...I have started the series all over again. I get so happy just thinking about it that I start jumping up and down.
Thanks, Erika, for introducing me to these books. I just don't know what Mark and I would talk about without them...
Which reminds me. I missed the feast of beltane this year. It was yesterday. What was I thinking????

You can check it all out for yourself:
Diana Gabladon