Current Circumstances

Our hydrangeas are in bloom!

I guffawed when I saw our white people smiles in the one below.

My daughter and I drove the ten hours it takes from here to Nevada to see my brother and his family. We had a great time. This was on the way back. Traffic was great both ways given it was a holiday weekend.

I'm not very good at cutting up roasted chickens, so I tried a new-to-me online trend where they put a whole roasted chicken in a ziplock and smoosh the meat off the bone. It really worked!

Costco's chickens are big, so I pulled off the dark meat parts and did those first then did the breast last. I'm impressed how much more meat I got off the bone.

I like this perspective, how I caught just enough of the sun.

Miss Molly and Oliver Flynn before and after their spa time. They were much overdue.

...but you get the idea.

Oliver has the trots and crapped all over the house. He's not droopy and has a great appetite. So much so that we think he's been sneaking cat food, the stray's we keep an eye on. That'll do it.

I gave him a bath because he dragged his butt and smeared it everywhere. 🤢

I've been extra, I don't know, melancholy? down, weepy, no motivation, impatient, and my attention span is nil. Which means even my joy, making journals, is a struggle. I have several projects half-done with no desire to finish them.

I feel that I was doing better without it. It's supposed to help with the ADHD, but it's not. Maybe I'm just expecting too much too soon. But I've seen such changes pretty quickly in others who have been properly medicated, including my adult daughters.

A lot of them are!

According to my poking around, this is a male starling. In spring/summer, their beak turns yellow and turns blackish brown in fall/winter. It can mimic other birds and even human whistles. This one makes a longish soft eep. He looks like he's seen some shit.

He's been hanging out here for a couple of weeks calling for what I think is a mate. I know they're invasive, but I'm so sad for him being all by himself.

I made the best drippy pesto, mozzarella, tomato, and chicken sandwich on toasted sourdough!

Clean everything! Oliver was not happy he had to stay off the bed for so long. But I washed the mattress cover and had to wait for that to be done. I changed out the yellow topper for a grey one instead of waiting for it to be washed and dried.

Because the dogs sleep with me (not in the sheets), I keep it pretty simple, nothing fancy. But it IS soft and cozy. And I have so many pillows that I can't do without, it's a bit of an eclectic mish-mash of pillow cases.

But first, good news! Dawn saw her leg doctor (veins) out of concern of a possible blood clot. She had a deep ache that kept flaring up. She'd been so worried, and, of course, I secretly worried along with her. But it's fine and we're like, whew!

Look at all that artsy stuff!

Oh, yeah, We went to B&N the first.

I love the paper so much, especially the large sheets of handmade specialty paper on the left.

I got a few other things not pictured because they're put away, black glue because it just looked cool, some museum quality puddy like stuff to hold things in place like tiny objects, ceramics and other knick-knacks.

I've needed a longer T-square for forever to help me cut larger sheets of paper. I always struggle cutting things perfectly straight.

Usually, Liquitex matte medium is my brand of choice, but I've heard the Utrecht brand is also reliable and doesn't dry sticky-ish. It was about $11 cheaper that Liquitex, so we'll see.

The rest of the family either slept or worked through it. The one at work didn't feel it either! The shelves in my room wobbled and things moved, but everything stayed put. I'm always so grateful when it doesn't keep getting worse.

The other night.

And these adorable socks: