Good-bye February!

our new Family Dollar store...

they are not stocked yet...

and still running wires to the register area...

but I heard last night...

that it will open....

(drum roll inserted here)

MARCH 15TH!

will I be the first one in the door?

probably not...

but I won't be the last one, either...

This is a very big deal for our little town...

we are only 900 strong and have to drive out of town for most things...

if you need one little thing...

and the grocery store or the hard ware don't have it...

you wait until the next trip out of town...

enjoy this last day of February...

March looks like its coming in like a lion...

which is ok with me...

it feels like spring...

lows are above freezing...

and today's high?

60!

I think I can do this!

going to putter today...

many things need done...

will get to what I can...

that's the way it goes...

there might even be some butt sitting on the steps...

in the sunshine...

:)

we have got a lot to clean up out there...

so many little limbs down in the side yard...

but we have plenty of time...

hoping we have a warm weekend and get out there for at least a few hours...

having 2 days of sunny skies does the heart good...

the critters are riled up, too...

just enough to grab the sun spots!

LOL

have good days!

I found spring!

DH and I got a little country ride in yesterday afternoon...

I looked high and low...

for any sign of spring...

I looked here...

and there...

but not a shred of anything springy was there...

but, when we got home...

I discovered it was right here all along...

can I get a YIPPEE out of anyone?

I consider this officially spring...

and, NO, I am not jumping the gun...

just plain fed up with winter...

:)

UPDATE:

if you have been following along...

my pooher has been broken...

:(

I ended up in the ER again Friday night...

xrays, CT scan, blood work...

GOOD NEWS:

NO BLOCKAGE...

FINAL REPORT:

IBS with constipation sucks...

mega doses of laxatives produced a very gross funny this week, though...

:) :) :)

make sure you lock the dog up before you poop your pants, the floor, etc...

Craig was home with me when the mother lode exited...

we cleaned and I stepped into the shower...

handed out my night gown...

he was throwing anything and everything in the washer to start a load...

night gown, towels, rug, house slippers...

came back in and cleaned up the last bit on the floor...

or so he thought...

I got out, got another night gown on...

sat down at the kitchen table...

Craig had finally stopped gagging...

when Chumley came up and put his paws on my leg...

without looking, I start petting him...

that's when I discovered he had rolled in it...

my hand was covered...

yelled at Craig and announced the dog needed a bath...

that's when the gagging started again...

threw his harness in the washer, too...

Craig chastised us both as he bathed the dog...

I laughed, he gagged, warned me not to laugh too hard and poop my pants again...

but hang on, it gets better...

guess what happens with you pick on old ladies and little funky doggies?

KARMA!

guess who pooped 5 times the next morning?

you know it!

and the very best part!

one was in his pants!

Chumley and I just smiled...

because we got to watch KARMA smack him good!

and that's why you don't mess with little old ladies and little funky doggies...

:)

have a wonderful day!

waiting for **** to hit the fan...

I did this over the weekend...

just before things went bad here...

its removable contact paper...

so no harm to the wood cabinet...

and put it all back together...

I took my time...

but the funky chicken wire looking background makes all the things in cabinet visible...

but then. the pinched nerve in my lower back...

and the constipation part of IBS with constipation...

both at the same time...

which isn't fun...

suffered through Sunday and Monday...

nothing I took would break it lose...

so popped a muscle relaxer and took off for the hospital...

xrays showed the mass of pooh was in the colon and heading out...

I haven't gotten a bit here and there, but still waiting for it all to pass...

but the pinched nerve is doing much better this morning...

and no muscle relaxer is needed...

so far, today...

DH has been home with me...

helping and feeding me...

Doc said it should all pass by Tuesday afternoon, but that didn't happen...

going, but very little at a time...

and with all the laxatives in me...

I do believe its going to be a horror show when it does happen...

I am not sick to my stomach and there is no pain in my tummy, so that's a good sign...

but we ruled out no perfed bowel or obstruction...

the joy of having all this stuff is never ending...

LOL

I sure hope your week has gone better!

If dad had to face today's chaos...

When I was in first grade, my dad was president of the PTA. Our biggest threat was men who offered candy to kids to get them in the car with them. My dad came up with a plan called Helping Hands. People who lived in our district could sign up to be a Helping Hand. They were checked out and given a sign to put in their window. One that my parents made at out kitchen table. I was an neon orange hand pasted on white paper. We were taught that these were safe homes. That if anyone tried to grab us, we could go straight in screaming for help and that help would be there.

There were also parent patrols who watched kids coming and going from school and reported anyone who looked suspicious to the school and police- license plate numbers.

If the threat of someone coming into my school and shooting like what is going on now, I know my dad would have been sitting on the front steps armed. And he would have gotten other fathers involved and veterans. No one with a weapon intending on shooting children and teachers in our school would have made it through the door. He would have gotten a hold of the paper and had it published so everyone would know that the parents of my school were ready and waiting for anyone to try and get past them. That's the way he would have done it. That's the way he was made.

Prayers for all of those who have suffered in the shootings that are happening in our country.

Taking our guns away will not stop it.

Raising kids today like dad was raised and like I was will.

And I am sorry, but kids are going to fight...

teach them to fight with words, with their fists...

we had scrapes and fought back...

we were taught together, you can kick a bully's butt...

and we did...

we took care of the bully ourselves most of the time...

we stood up for each other...

unity...

it kept us safe then...

we were told to travel in numbers...

There is a lot to fix...

a society that thinks its ok to do what you have to...

to get what you want...

and kids who get what they want...

and all they have to do is throw a fit...

and the parents give in...

because its easier...

well, raising responsible kids isn't easy...

it takes work...

and time...

its going to get worse before it gets better...

pray...

look who I shot...

I am pretty sure this is a Sparrow hawk...

just out the kitchen windows on a limb in the red maple...

right above the bird feeder...

its a female...

could be a Cooper, too...

I will try to get a better shot of it...

she does not nest in the yard, but we are in her hunting territory...

up doing laundry this morning...

DH went in early...

:)

going to be a warm day today but rainy....

should start greening things up a bit...

:)

have a great day!

XOXOXOXOXO

may your day be filled with love...

and chocolate...

joy...

and laughter...

you never cease to warm my heart...

I so hope your day if full of big old bear hugs and the sloppiest of kisses!

:)

you are all dearly loved...

XOXOXOXOXO

a mini drive...

we got out just before the sun went down yesterday afternoon...

caught the light just right...

love the country feel to things around here...

we have a warming trend starting today...

could it be spring coming early?

we shall see!

I'm not protesting if it does...

I am so ready to bust out of here!

got Craig here today...

so going to get some work out of him soon...

wish him luck!

:)

Happy Monday!

so...

how was your weekend?

we did ok here...

my wanna be spring tree...

got an update...

almost missed the chance to do a Valentine tree this year...

kept putting it off because there were other things to do...

but there she is now...

and next weekend, we can take it apart again...

I also did this...

see that uglier than ugly cheap paneling on the back of the cabinet?

well, you can't see it anymore...

:)

I have had this cabinet for over 20 years now...

pick it up in Kansas (Illinois) from a dealer who was going out of business...

it was marked real cheap because of that ugly paneling...

and I thought that is an easy fix...

I'll just rip that off and put bead board on the back of it...

well...

you know how it goes...

just never took the time to do anything about it...

:)

until last week...

that's just removable contact paper...

Duck brand...

Walmart special...

inspired me so much...

that I ordered 2 more rolls of the stuff...

love the pattern...

and my MIL's old, old china cabinet that is so dark inside, nothing shows up in it hardly...

is getting the same treatment soon...

and I ordered a pretty pale pink with mini pink roses shelf liner to go with it...

so next weekend...

another project...

the hardest part will be unloading it...

(it is kind of full)

we got sleet here early Sunday morning...

and it was slick until noon or so, but the sun came out...

even if it still was below freezing...

and it just went away...

we did not get what they thought we might...

which is ok with me...

and Thursday...

its going to be 58...

gotta find the sun block!

have good days!

yesterday's playtime...

have these clear, boring file folders...

and some scrap paper...

and I thought they needed to be pretty...

do you save these?

going to use them for seeds this year...

it took time and some elbow grease to get those old labels off, though...

but worth it...

scrap pieces...

and there you go...

amazing what you can do with a glue stick...

number 1...

number 2...

and number 3...

making things to organize other things here in the playroom...

and there you go...

all ready to hide things in...

organizing...

the ongoing project to take up those moments when you don't know what to do...

it does make life easier if you have things organized...

and it looks better...

so there are pluses there, too...

have you made something pretty today?

had 2 inches of snow last night and more coming later this afternoon and tonight...

how much more?

they don't know...

men...