February 12, 2018 ~ A New Week



Still not much sunshine, but I got up and got moving early today. I had a mission of grocery shopping to complete, and just didn't want to be out among the crowds and risk the chance of more exposure to germs! I arrived at the store just after breakfast and was so happy to be one of very few others who were shopping as well. I always like when I can move through the aisles efficiently and quickly without much hassle!

Interestingly, while out filling my bird feeders and suet log this afternoon, I heard, then saw, a pair of geese flying over, heading northeastward. That sure is odd for our area, and especially at this time of year, though I know we do have some geese that winter over in our parts a bit more than in years past. 

Joanna, our black lab, and I decided to get a bit of exercise and took a walk way to the back property line that overlooks a ravine. Imagine our surprise when we came upon 2 does foraging for anything they could find to make at least a bit of a meal for themselves. Despite our crunching footsteps through the hardened, dense snow, the deer did not even scurry away! The bigger of the two raised her head, pointed her ears straight upward and looked at us all while she was gently stomping her front hoof into the snow. Deciding not to disturb them any further, I led Joanna away, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw them still standing where we left them, content to eventually resume their foraging. A short time later, Dean spied one of them up in our yard digging for apples underneath the apple trees. 

With such severe cold and snow, I feel sorry for the critters outdoors. For several evenings we had a mystery on our hands of just WHO was getting into our bird feeders that are normally left untouched over night. Well, we finally found out over the weekend. Mama deer and her now grown twins, both of which are does! I must say, they sure do look much bigger when you're up close and nearly nose to nose through the glass with a deer! Not wanting to scare them into the road, we let them be, but from now on I have been bringing in the feeders at night time. I'd much rather put apples and carrots out for them to nibble somewhere in the safety of our backyard. And away from where, if left to keep coming, in warmer weather they will make a nuisance of themselves not only at the feeders, but in my flowerbeds as well! Not to mention deer ticks.... Of which I have already had 3, and thankfully tested negative for Lyme Disease. Now THAT'S some scary business....

As evening falls, I'm thinking of all the good "grub" (as Dean calls it) I brought home, and pondering on what to prepare for dinner. I think a bit of golden baked fish, gently steamed asparagus, and some deliciously sweet, canned peaches sounds good for dinner tonight. I guess I should scoot and get busy in the kitchen, my friends! 


Have a wonderfully relaxing and cozy evening!
~ ♥ ~

February 8, 2018 ~ Getting Back On My Feet

Right about now, the belief that we're anywhere remotely close to Spring, feels about like wishing for a miracle! We've had so many frigid, gray, snow-filled days it almost seems impossible, but it certainly is true. And news of the groundhog having seen his shadow.... well.....shush! We don't talk about things like that here in our house ~ Lol!!
Besides, it wasn't even sunny when Mr. Groundhog poked his head out. Now I ask you, how could he have possibly seen his shadow? According to my calendar, Spring is approximately 6 weeks away, and that's the hope I'm clinging to these days. Yes, I'm believing in miracles! ☺ How about you? If you're lucky enough to live in an area that's already experiencing some beginnings of Spring, oh, I'm so very happy for you!! Soak up some of that gorgeous sunshine for me, would you? 
 Fortunately, with such inclement weather outdoors, I've been making the most of my time indoors. Shortly after the New Year, I began going through just about every cupboard, closet and drawer in the house, to bring some semblance of order that has been much needed, but neglected while enjoying the previously beautiful days of seasons gone by.
Have you been lucky enough to escape a cold or the flu this year so far? I think I've had a mix of both in whatever has been ailing me this last week and half. Suffice it to say, after a good few days in bed getting plenty of rest, taking long, hot showers, eating comforting meals and soaking in the deep warmth of our wonderful wood stove, I'm on the mend and ready to tackle things around here. Now, it's my turn to nurture Dean back to health.... Yup, he got it, too. :/
My thoughts on the whole matter are this: you just don't want to get sick in the first place. Because once you do, there's really very little you can do to prevent it from taking hold and doing what it's going to do. That's just my take from our own experiences in dealing with this stuff. From the very tiniest, slightest symptom I felt right at the start, I took a very proactive stance with fighting this thing off. I really wasn't too worried as we've been eating super healthy and taking great care of ourselves for these last nearly 6 months with a new whole foods approach that has left us feeling absolutely, amazingly better in so many ways! (From weight loss, to more energy, to less bloating, to beautiful skin, to lower blood sugar levels.... the list goes on!) But, alas, aside from the days spent in bed getting every bit of rest that my body needed, none of the cold medicines, extra vitamin C, or even the hot showers making me "sweat it out" seem to have helped. However, something very basic and rudimentary did - drinking lots and lots of fluids! Now isn't that something we always hear when we're sick? "Drink lots of fluids, Dear!" Not only did it help my body flush out the toxins of this illness, it kept the chest and head congestion to such a minimum that I was truly pleasantly surprised. And that's my advice, should you, unfortunately, find yourself sick.... 
In the future, I think I'm going to be looking into foods and herbal supplements that boost the immune system to be specifically super strong in order that I may not even get sick in the first place! 
In the meantime friends, here's to hopes of sunnier days, warmer weather and beautiful hints of Spring as each day passes by. ☺ 
~ ♥ ~