All the news....

I humbly apologize for prolonged absence. We have all been so sick as to seem unfamiliar....who is that grey blob in the mirror anyhow? Cheeks like cherries, lips like lizards? Nope, nobody I know.

And scheduling's been hard. When you have to pencil three-hour blocks of time for coughing into your dance card, there's not much room for waltzing....or typing.

Flu shots were futile. Some got 'em some didn't; none benefited. Jade went straight to the doctor and got good drugs, and may have gotten better quicker than the rest of us...but maybe not too. He was the first with it and he's still pale enough that his dark lashes make him look as if he's wearing kohl. 

However, this morning I felt a faint burst of pleasure at rising to find the sun shining on a cold, but cheerful morning. Optimism....I had nearly forgotten it, but there it was, tapping me on the shoulder.

Bout time. I have fed the birds faithfully....but have not unscrewed the big feeder to load it up since last week. I knew I'd never get it back together again. I'm still not up to it today, but maybe tomorrow. Meanwhile they can eat off the trays and the ground and the oak log the boss topped with the bottom of a barrel for a feeder.Had to feed the doggies over the sink, as I had a hard time hitting the bowl.What is is with canned dog food anyhow? It goes everywhere but where you point it.

During our illness interim Mother Nature went plumb off her meds. We went from pretty decent weather to at least 22 below overnight. With howling gales strong enough to pick up the metal lawn chairs and give 'em a whoflung. Not a big deal normally, but they were FROZEN INTO THE GROUND!!!

Thankfully, something made the boss suggest that the next time we sold a load of hay we spend the money buying a load of wood from our logger. I said, "Why wait?" (and wondered why I hadn't thought of that myself. The weather makes getting up to the woods really hard and being sick doesn't improve things any...and of course getting wood in a few seasons ahead is simply not done around here.)

So Friday, a faithful friend brought us in a load of logs. Good thing because even with them, we could barely get the house above freezing.

Two days later it was fifty. Nothing like a seventy-degree temperature variation in as many hours.

Then we, and a goodly percentage of the other landowners around here (judging from chatter at the Post Office) received a Priority mailing from a solar farm building company wanting to make non-binding agreements on people's land.

I dunno know about you, but when somebody starts talking about doing things on our land I get nervous. This ain't just real estate. It's HOME!

So I ask for your help.....

I have come to realize over the years of writing this that the people who read it share a collective knowledge of thousands of topics that would rival an encyclopedia.....

So, do any of you know anything about Cypress Creek? I have been able to discover that they are huge and have fingers in many pies, all over the country, but not much else. Their folder on the table by my computer makes me nervous.

Meanwhile, if you see anyone doubled over coughing, stay away from them....you do not want this bug.

Still the best strategy with flu