around here

Hello friends ~ sorry it's been awhile since I last posted. Life has been busy

and I haven't been online as much as usual - which can be a good thing.

I recently read Jen of the Cottage Nest's post on "stopping to smell the flowers".

What she said in her last paragraph about not being so frantic about your to-do

list and being easier on yourself really hit me. I am a doer. A list-maker. A 

perfectionist firstborn. I like to get everything on my list done in one day and if

I don't, I sometimes feel like a failure. Nevermind that I'm away from the house almost

 every day because of physical therapy twice/week, doctor appointments, yoga class,

 and errands. I also do a lot of physical therapy exercises every day at home.

And then I have the battle with spending too much time online. I'm really working on 

that one, especially with the weather being nicer now. I have a lot of yard work to do. 

And walks to take. Exercise is important!

Anyway, here's some of what I've been up to lately:

Clearing out all the dead leaves, twigs, and other winter "yuckies" from the

butterfly garden and cutting back the perennials...

It's a start!

 

Bought starts of buttercrunch lettuce, a mesculan mix and spinach...

and today will plant in this pot that hubby kindly filled up with a mixture of potting

soil and our own compost.

 

Hostas are starting to come up on the south side of the house. We will need

to re-mulch, as we do every spring. So much outdoor work to do!

 

Indoors, I made a huge pan of mostacolli and a pan of blondies for friends

who lost their 27-year old son/grandson last week.

In the downstairs family room, I moved the black IKEA cube from under the

Chicago print and put the sofa table there instead.

 

I put an unused coffee table in back of the sofa to use as sort of a sofa table.

 

 The black IKEA cube moved upstairs into Tim's room. We're still working on this

room and got some things done recently, but still have a lot more to go. We also

made an IKEA run and got this chair. And I found gray and white pinstripe curtain

panels that will have to be hemmed and put up.

We moved the TV and TV stand from my office into Tim's room

Still need to put the closet doors back on.

 

This is just temporary bedding. I'm looking for a masculine bed cover or comforter

using the colors of black, gray, and white. I will then fold this red and white checked

quilt at the end of the bed. The white nightstand (turned around since the drawers

aren't in it - I still have to paint them) is not staying and neither is the lamp or the

teddy bear. Clementine definitely is a keeper! I think she's waiting for her boy to

come home. He'll be done with finals today and will be coming home for awhile on 

Friday.  I'm not even going to start hanging things on the walls until everything else

is done in this room.

 

 Speaking of cats, this boy is 15 years old today! He and his two brothers, whom

a friend adopted, showed up on our property when they were about three months

old. We think someone dumped them, as they were healthy and friendly. Zippo is my

faithful fur companion ~ one of those overly-sweet, cuddly cats who is always by

my side and sleeps with me every night. For being an elderly cat, he still has lots

of energy and can jump up on the bed and even the kitchen counter. He's starting

to lose his muscle mass though, so looks a lot thinner through the hind quarters.

As with humans, I believe in feeding my pets a healthy diet too, and I believe that's 

what keeps him in such good health. Sure, the food costs more, but I feel my pet's

health is worth it - and it saves on vet bills!

I went to a meeting the other night to join the planning committee for 

Overdose Awareness Day. Some of you who've been with my blog for a long

time know that my oldest son, Philip passed away 4-1/2 years ago at the age

of 21 from a heroin OD. I have always felt like I wanted to do something to spread

awareness and information about this epidemic that is sweeping our nation and

killing so many of our young people. Did you know there are 100 overdose deaths

in the US every single day?  I mentioned the death of my friend's son/grandson (the

mom and the grandmother are both friends of mine) above. He also passed away

of a heroin OD. Seems everyone I talk to knows someone who is either an addict

or that has passed away from drugs. I don't have any answers - but I can at least

work on education and awareness. If something like this can happen to me and

my family, it can happen to anyone. No one is immune. And I have met many parents

who have said the same thing. "We would have never dreamed this could happen

to us." So, with that all said, the meeting was emotionally draining, but this group

is planning a week-long awareness campaign here in the suburbs of Chicago in

August. The actually OD Awareness Day will be August 31st.

 

 Thanks for visiting and for listening to some of the things that have been going

on around here. Please leave a comment and let me know what you've been up

to as well ~ and if you feel some of the same struggles as me with getting everything

done. Do you feel like you're merely spinning your wheels most days?