inside and outside

I'm not feeling well today. Not truly sick, but feeling crappy. Little bit of everything ~

stuffiness, sore throat, headache, tired. I'm just doing some quiet things around the

 house today, but I don't have enough energy to go to yoga tonight.

 Have you heard of this book? It's a must-read. I was sucked in when the prologue 

had already  brought tears to my eyes. You can read the book description

 here, on amazon.

 I'm making bone broth in the slow cooker. Sure wish I had've started this yesterday

so that I'd have some for today when I'm not feeling my best. I'm letting it simmer in the
slow cooker for 24 hours. It has so many health benefits - boosts your immune system

and improves digestion. I've been reading a lot about it online and have heard first-hand

testimonials on how wonderful it is. I have a young friend with Cystic Fibrosis. She

finally had a double lung transplant last September. Before her transplant, she was

gravely ill. She couldn't keep any food down except for the bone broth that my mother
made for her. She literally lived off this stuff.

Made a little "love" vignette.

I'm finally working on a mini scrapbook for a neighbor-friend. This proves what

a procrastinator I am...her birthday was last August and this was supposed to

be her birthday present. I feel so guilty! I told her last fall, "Maybe it'll be done

in time for Christmas!" Geez, not even that. Valentine's Day, perhaps? Our kids

all grew up together from when they were babies and toddlers. Her oldest is now

 married and a nurse; my oldest is deceased due to addiction.

Later update: I received an email from one of my readers saying that she didn't 
realize that my son had passed away from addiction. She had always assumed that 
he had passed away from an illness or accident. If you're interested, here's a couple 
of links from last year's posts where I talk about Phil and his life and struggles:

what would've been 
honesty about a delicate subject 

  My friend's youngest works at the same place she does and is a body builder, and
my  youngest is an  artist, photographer, drummer, and college student. You look at
 all  these beautiful, young, innocent faces and wonder what is to come...

This precious kitty - my Zippo - is worrying me. He'll be 15 in April and just seems to be

rapidly showing signs of aging. He's lost so much muscle mass and his fur isn't as shiny

as it used to be. He sees an excellent veterinarian who is also a holistic vet. A couple

of months ago when Zippo saw the vet, he put Zippo on some homeopathic drops

to help strengthen his stomach and other internal organs. But I noticed yesterday

that Zippo is even losing his voice! He loves to stand by the door and meow at me

to tell me he wants to go out (which is not happening), but is meow is gravely and

hoarse. Brian told me that early this morning, Zippo opened his mouth to meow and

no sound came out. I think I'd better call the vet. We call Zippo our "Million Dollar Kitty",

but he's worth every penny.

  

This is where Zippo wants to be...frolicking in the snow under the bright, blue sky.

Look at that color today! Isn't it beautiful? Too bad it's so darn cold. It was -6F when

we got up this morning and now it's "warmed up" to 18F.

And there's no end in sight for the snow. We had another 4" this weekend and more

to come tomorrow into Wednesday. The Chicago area has had over 52" of snow
 already this season! I have to admit that when the sun is shining and the snow is

pristine in my back yard, the view is beautiful. Though I'd much rather see the grass.

Happy Monday, everyone. Stay well, be happy, be peaceful.