We get to see this nugget almost every day when we are waiting for the bus kids to load. I am enamored by her ornery, silliness. I love her so much.
Mall got these photos somehow. I love that she looks like she is having fun. Evie has always been very smart, soaking up the things we tell her like a sponge. I know she will be great at school! I am also excited because tomorrow, she is getting a huge surprise. I cannot wait to see her face!
This wolf spider was in my garage tonight. I left her alone, as I like having them around. For one thing, I understand that they eat brown recluse spiders. If that isn't true, it is ok, because they definitely eat other pests. This girl was eating a wasp! She is also, I believe hugely pregnant. I love seeing them carry around their little ones! I do prefer if they are outside, and not in the house, but I will allow the garage to count as outside. She was a big momma!
Today, I saw a new doctor. He was very informative. He ran new x-rays. He told me all my options. Of course, some of the options aren't really options at all.....but he did give them to me. I opted for the surgical option (which was never really not what I was going to do) and I have a surgery date scheduled - again! I have successfully stopped all my medications, except for a couple I am taking for occasional pain, and I am ready to roll. Praying it works out, because at this point, if it doesn't, I will need to be heavily medicated to just get out of the sadness I would have! The plan is still an outpatient surgery, where he will 'reorganize' the bone, use 2 screws to hold it where it should go, and tighten up the ligaments so that hopefully, in the future, it will stay in place and not go popping out of the socket, as it is doing now. After the surgery, I will need to wear a sling, with very, very limited use for 4 weeks, followed by physical therapy. He warned that although I can start using it in 4 weeks, it will likely take 4 to 6 months to get back full use. He told me I won't be doing my weight lifting, or lifting anything over my head for quite some time. I didn't have the heart to tell him that last time I did any weight lifting, I was a freshman in high school, where I was taking the final PE class of my life. :)
(Side note here - I have 2 classes left if I wanted to get my degree in social work....which I don't, but if I wanted that piece of paper, the 2 classes I have left to take are 1. PE and 2 Psych Stats. I am equally terrified of both classes, and I feel like the paper isn't really that important considering that I currently make much more than if I changed careers and became a social worker! Sadly).
Enough of the arm saga. New stuff we are working on - the back yard 'retreat.' we have a nice patio out back. We have never really used it, or done anything with it. When Colin lived at home, he drug home a hot tub. It worked when he brought it home, and we did use it. At some point, the electrical system in it fried, and Jim wanted it hauled away. Nobody hauled it away, but then he and Andrew came up with a brilliant idea of using it as a bait fish tank. That didn't go real well, but I have been stocking it with goldfish for a couple of years now. Yesterday, Harper came home from school with a list of things she needed for her classes. (Yes, I did take her back to school shopping with a list provided by the school - -- that is a whole other irritating story). When we were in town, I stopped off to get a couple things at the pet store, and I told the fish guy I wanted a "net full of feeder goldfish." To me a net full would be 5-6 fish? Nope - it is 12. I let them go in the tank with the big boys. I tried to take a photo, but it was getting dark, the water looked dark, and I couldn't get any good photos. Besides the little fish pond, we have also hung some plants, I am on the hunt for some chairs I have in mind, and I am wondering if there are any 'goat proof' flowering plants I can put down in the area of just muddy/dirt beside the patio..... and Jim has worked his buns off clearing trees and brush in the back yard, to make it a bit bigger and also so we can see the pond from there. The pond - is not what we would like it to be either. It is a nice little pond. When we get a lot of rain, it fills up, and then it drains down again. My brother is a dirt man- doing excavation and landscaping type work. He suggested before we dig it all out and spend the money, perhaps we should try cutting the red cedar trees that surround it, as they consume all sorts of water out of the soil, and could also be the reason the water levels go right back down. Jim was willing to give that a try, and has cut so, so many trees back there. If it doesn't work, we will get Brian out here at some point when we save enough money! In the meantime, I am loving the bigger opened up space!
While I was down checking on my new fish, I also took some pictures of my worms. I am loving this project. They eat all our leftover veggies (we split them with the chickens and the bearded dragon). They absolutely love egg shells, and coffee grounds (thanks Papa Larry). They also make the blackest, nicest dirt ever! I am planning to rob some of their "worm castings" to put around my strawberries before I bed them down for the winter.
I think they are multiplying too, and have plans to start a second, split off farm. I know it is a little odd to have a trashcan full of worms in the basement, but you know what? Happiness is trying things. Projects and critters make me happy. Plus they are quiet, recycle, and contribute to Jim's fishing habits.
We are also rabbit and guinea pig sitting for the weekend. It has to do with the surprise for Evie, and I am happy to do it. Andrew's grandma is doing the rest of their chores.
One more day before we hit the holiday weekend! I am ready for it!
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