Happy belated Easter!

Hyacinths smell so good!

How was your weekend?  For the most part, ours was nice.  However, we dinked around and waited until Saturday morning to start getting ready for Easter (held at Sis1's house with dinner ON Saturday) and we had nothing for baskets or anything.  And depending on the route you take, there are not many stores between our house and her's!  Of course we went the few-store route.   At least the Spawn planned ahead so the grandkids were all set.    

Yes, our family is one that everyone gets a basket, no matter their age!  Mom even managed to sneak one in for Sis1.  

My Easter blowmolds in front of our house. 

My grandson can be the biggest turd, but he can also be the sweetest little guy ever.  

He left dandelions on my car for me. 

Some people insist on coming into work while they sound like they have the plague - so we took some precautionary measures.

And wouldn't you know?  I got food poisoning.  At least that's what I think it was.  I was literally running for the bathroom as soon as I got home last Wednesday.  It was awful so I stayed home Thursday.   

The Spouse ordered us a light dinner Thursday night, since my tummy was still iffy. 

Love the auto-suggestions my phone gives....

We jumped on the Facebook AI action figure bandwagon. 

They're pretty funny!  I got this (after several tries)

I like this one, too...

She is very fabulous - even tho she looks nothing like me! 

So, moving onto Easter. Like I said, we screwed around and couldn't find the tote in the garage (which bugs me since it's practically the only tote that is ALWAYS in the same place!!), so we didn't have any of our personal Easter baskets.  I got groceries for our dinner contributions, but didn't get candy so we didn't have Reese's eggs, jelly beans or those yummy malted robins eggs!   Which isn't a big deal since we had no lack of candy, but tradition!!!!  It was also the weekend of the Michigan QSO party on the radio and the Spouse was upset that he left the radio he wanted to use at his buddy's house in Arkansas and didn't want to dig thru all the totes he carries around in the back of his car, etc, etc.  So it started out pretty lousy.  Plus the grandkids being obnoxious (aka kids!) and it was just rough.  

  

We started having dinner on Saturday when the families started expanding and people had multiple places to go.  Dinner was just the 5 of us, Sis1, Mom, Bro1 and niece Lulu.  Then we colored eggs afterward.

The grandson's interpretation of mad/sad me.

Just imagine a 3 year old girl's squeaky little voice...

"Gramma, I'm gonna draw you with a mustache"

I was offended, yet it was too hilarious to be mad! 

I'm still going to throw them both into a dumpster.

Leroy the barn kitty had to join in the Easter Egg hunt. 

So the kids think that the bunny brings their baskets, because he leaves footprints on the floor (which the grandson figured out smelled like baby powder - darn smart kid!) but they know we hide the eggs.  Papa (the Spouse) went out after breakfast, hid them and then told us what part of the yard to look in (we've got 5 acres to play in).  Then Sis1 hid them in a different area, etc.  So we hid 3 dozen eggs a total of 4 times, just because it's fun! 

We also use real eggs in the hunt - and this was a rough year!  The grandson was running with a basketful and tripped - eggs went EVERYWHERE!  The granddaughter just dropped hers in the basket, etc.  Lots of broken ones. 

Mine & the Spouse's personalized egg.

Sis1 always likes when I spend the night at her house for family gatherings.  I'll go out & feed the horses breakfast & let them out.  

I just like to sit out there, pet the cat and listen to the horses eat.  

Peace. 

So it's supposed to be up close to 80* today!  I already got some meat to cook on the grill for dinner tonight - can't wait! 

Another cute thing the grandson did - he asked the Spawn how to spell my real name, but he was in the kitchen, and she was in the living room so she couldn't see what he was doing.  I found my cup later and couldn't imagine who would put my name on the lid!  That's what he was going, so everyone would know this was my cup (as if the skeletons didn't give it away)!   

I'm going AWOL!

I decided to skip out on the rest of the A to Z Challenge.

Sorry, peeps!

I've let myself get behind and it's been stressing me out! 

I had ideas for topics for most of the letters and I just really can't bring myself to sit down and use my brain to write! 

I feel much better now.  

A sad Friday...

Our little Maddie crossed the Rainbow Bridge on April 4. 

We adopted her - or I should say, she chose the Spawn - from the Humane Society back in July 2012.  We'd gone in to see the cats available and she kept reaching out thru the cage door at the Spawn, so we asked to visit with her, and she came home with us that day.   But once she met the Spouse - he was her hooman. 

We had no real idea of how old she actually was, but she getting to the stage where she was losing weight (she was never a big cat to begin with), it was hard to keep herself groomed and she would occasionally lose her balance while walking.  

Right after we brought her home.  

The Humane Society said she had pink eye, but after a visit to a specialist, we found she had an ulcer on her eyeball that could easily have popped with simply jumping off the couch.  They wanted to do surgery, but they also said there was a 30% chance it would heal on its own.  It did. 

She was the Work From Home Supervisor.  She also attended Zoom meetings & classes. 

With her favorite hooman. 

She definitely had resting bitch face! 

So anyway - lunchtime last Friday, she'd jumped up on the kitchen chair and then onto the table to demand attention from the Spouse.  She'd been really needy in the couple days leading up to this.  He held her for a while, then she went & napped in her little hidey hole that's near his work area. It's on the kitchen counter behind a plant stand where she could see him.  I got home from work and right after that, he carried her into the bedroom saying she couldn't stand up!  

We spent the evening snuggling her and she would have bouts where we couldn't tell if she was hurting or just mad. Probably both.  Once the grandkids went to bed, we decided to take her to a 24-hour emergency vet that is only a couple miles from our house.  She's never liked riding in the car, but she laid there in his arms and looked out the window and up out of the moonroof & was fine!

We told the ladies at the vet's office what was going on & they checked her out.  Found out it was neurological - they said it was either she'd had a blood clot go into her brain and cause her limbs to do their own thing (that's why she was mad - she knew she had legs, they just didn't work!) or she had a tumor.  But since it came on so quick, we're assuming it was a clot.  We could have paid a lot of $$ to get her tested and try to get her better, but would she suffer?  Would it even work?  How long would it last?  So, we opted for helping her to cross the Rainbow Bridge. 

The ladies at the vet were phenomenal.  Very compassionate and respectful.  They let us take all the time we needed.  Once we made the decision, I filled out all the paperwork so we wouldn't have to deal with that later, etc.  It was kind of funny that they brought in a doorbell to ring when we were ready for them to come in - but the doorbell was mounted on a metal weenie dog (I can't even get spellcheck to help me spell the actual name of it!) sculpture with big marble eyes.  

I was morbidly fascinated with the whole process, tho.  They took Maddie out and put the IV with a long tube in her leg and brought her back to us.  That & the initial checkout was the only time she was out of the Spouse's arms.  When we were ready, the vet tech came in with 3 huge syringes.  The first was sedation.  She would feel no pain, would be relaxed, but she'd still know we were there.  The next was a simple flush for the tube.  The third looked like Windex - it was anesthesia, and they basically OD'd her on it.  It was super quick.  

I love this picture.  This was before they took her to put the IV in.

The other 3 cats we've lost are buried out in the back yard, but since it was a really crappy day on Saturday, we decided to have her cremated instead and now she has a beautiful little redwood box that matches the one our dog has and is sitting on the plant stand by her little hidey hole.  

#AtoZChallenge - Furniture Restoration / Building

My theme this year is basically things that I’m interested in.  This could be things that I’m currently involved in and would maybe like to increase my knowledge… or things that I’m not involved in but still fascinate me in some degree anyway. 

This is something I'm not involved in but I get sucked into watching the videos on YouTube! 

Furniture Restoration. 

These just amaze me how they can take something ugly out of the trash heap and turn it into something so beautiful! 

These are some of my favorite channels to watch...

AT Restoration

FlippingDrawers

This guy also takes cat breaks. 

I like them!

#AtoZChallenge - Errr

My theme this year is basically things that I’m interested in.  This could be things that I’m currently involved in and would maybe like to increase my knowledge… or things that I’m not involved in but still fascinate me in some degree anyway. 

Yeah, I had a hard time coming up with something for this one! 

For some reason exercise popped into my head. 

That's not really anything I really ~want~ to learn more about.

I know I need to do it - I just need to DO it! 

Euchre?

Just take my Michigan card from me, since I don't know how to play. 

Embroidery?  

Maybe.  

I grabbed this off my IG from Easter 2019 - and I haven't gotten much further on it!

Maybe I'll drag that back out and 1) put it on the frame the correct way and 2) hopefully finish it!

#AtoZChallenge - Dance

My theme this year is basically things that I’m interested in.  This could be things that I’m currently involved in and would maybe like to increase my knowledge… or things that I’m not involved in but still fascinate me in some degree anyway. 

Let's Dance!

So I personally was never "a dancer" per se - I learned a few line dances / two step at the bar back many moons ago in my early US Navy years (I was enlisted 1992-2000) but that's about the extent of my abilities.

The Spawn (aka my daughter) was 2 1/2 years old when she and I moved home to Michigan.  When she was 4, I signed her up for dance classes thru city recreation.  That was the beginning of something I can't even describe.  She did 2 years thru the city, then I found an actual dance studio to enroll her at.  That became her second home until she was 20!  

Putting a kid in dance is like enabling an addiction.  She started out doing one jazz class a week.  Then hiphop & tap.  Then she wanted to try lyrical.  But ballet was a requirement for lyrical.  Once she hit 12 years old, she wanted to try out for the studio competition team.  Now we have comp & recreation classes. Throw some pom and pointe in there. Then one of her instructors who was trying to start his own studio "borrowed" some dancers.  So add another jazz, pom & hiphop.  And don't forget the dance team at school and the USPBL ball park near our house.  

Funny that her first time on stage with this other team ended up with a big trophy, fancy jackets & medals!

Her senior year of high school, she was in 13 (or maybe 15 - I don't remember!) dances in the recital!   My family called the recital "the Spawn Show" since she was in so many.

Most kids quit dancing at the studio when they graduate, but she did 2 more years because the director asked her to.  Those last couple years I felt like I was working to put her thru dance.  Thankfully they only planned for a trip to Nationals every other year!  

Of course I post about them, too

Oh - and I also have a physical photo album of her in every costume she's ever worn. I thought I had a post with her final year's costumes, but apparently it's a Facebook album.  Every other year her pics were taken by the professional photographer that came to the studio, but that last year, she was working and didn't have time to get individual ones done there - so I did them.  It was a lot of fun! 

Her very last competitive dance was worthwhile!

Here's the video....

If you have a child - be warned this could happen to you!

For your entertainment - this is the recital that I was in with the Spawn - her very last one.  

I'm in the pink muu-muu and the Spawn is in the leopard pants & sparkly top. 

I did the best I could, but my knees were really jacked up. I went to physical therapy not long after this. 

and this one's not personal, but I have watched this video 100 times by a dance troupe called CDK.

They're amazing! 

#AtoZChallenge - Calligraphy

My theme this year is basically things that I’m interested in.  This could be things that I’m currently involved in and would maybe like to increase my knowledge… or things that I’m not involved in but still fascinate me in some degree anyway. 

Calligraphy. 

It amazes me the control these people have when writing like this.  And in the video below, there are many different types of pen they're using.

Please note that I can have nice handwriting for a short time, but as my hand gets tired, my writing gets sloppier.   And if I'm taking notes in a class or something, literal chick scratches.  And my mind will move faster than my hand, so I miss letters or misspell things. 

#AtoZChallenge - Birdwatching

My theme this year is basically things that I’m interested in.  This could be things that I’m currently involved in and would maybe like to increase my knowledge… or things that I’m not involved in but still fascinate me in some degree anyway. 

Today it's birds.   I like to watch them! 

I snagged these photos off the "Birds of Michigan" wiki page because it's tough to get decent pics thru the windows/screens in my house.  

Of course, there are many other kinds of birds in Michigan, but these are the ones I see most often on / under the feeder in my backyard.  I'm very sad that I've never seen an owl!  Other than the one at the nearby nature center and at the zoo, that is.   There's a nature preserve a mile or two up the road from us that's been designated a Blue Heron Rookery - they're neat to watch.  And a couple years ago, an eagle pair built their nest there, too.  Weird that they're so close and I've never seen them flying around!  

Blue Jay

Cedar Waxwing - these guys are the sole purpose we replanted a cherry tree in our yard after the old one died! 

Some years I'll actually get a cherry or two before they clean them out. 

Chicadee

Mourning Doves

I love watching these guys toodle around. 

Woodpecker

Grackle

Sparrow

Mallard ducks 

we're not conveniently close to water, so I was really surprised to see these guys one day!

They're so pretty!

I'm always happy to see the first robins of the year!

Starling

Going in a different direction - on YouTube I like to watch @geckoemmy and @greenbirdbrigade who both talk about bird/parrot care and have large personal flocks that are very interesting & entertaining.  You might have seen GBB on Facebook with her little blue bird who sings & dances to a "bacon pancakes" song.  So fun! 

I also have an app on my phone called BirdNET that you can record a birdcall and it tells you what is making that sound.