My mother in law passed peacefully in her sleep this morning at 9am.

Not sure when the service will be yet, but we will be headed that way very soon.

Now I pray for strength for my father in law.

RIP Jean. I love you.

 

Wow, where to begin? I keep coming here to put up a post, but then end up closing it out…I hate that I am away from here for so long. I miss everyone. I miss posting. The longer I am away, the harder it is to come back though.

We have been packed & ready to go to Tulsa since last Wed. when we got word that the Hospice nurse said my MIL had 2-3 hours left. She is still with us today! She is a very strong lady. I am guessing that maybe since she was in such good health prior to the diagnosis, that is why she is hanging on so long.
My FIL finally admitted to needing extra help & this wonderful place is where she is at now.  She just keeps beating all of the “deadlines”. But I am sure that we will be getting the call any time now. She has lost the ability to swallow & has not had any water for 10 days now. Originally we were told she would only last 7-10 days  with no water. Today is the 10th day.  I guess it is just taking longer to get her “special” place in heaven ready for her!

I  heard that my ex husband’s father passed away this morning. He has been in poor health for quite a while. My thoughts & prayers go out to all of the family. Especially his wife who has been with him for 57 years.

My father is having some testing done today. Keeping him in my prayers.

This aging thing really sucks.

---

 

 

A few blooms from around my yard taken back in June…

 

 

This weird thing was a bulb that I had planted last year. Don’t know what it is called. A firecracker something, I think??

 

thought this lil’ guy was cute

I was so excited to find this wonderful Robin’s nest & see 3 eggs inside…

Then was so sad to discover that a predator had gotten to it & destroyed the nest & the eggs were all gone.

All just a part of nature, I understand, but still made me sad.

We have had 2 turkey hens with litters in the yard & also 2 does..1 has twins & the other just a single fawn.
I never grow tired of watching them!

  

 

A friend of ours got some tickets to the Brewers/Twins baseball game back in June. We had amazing seats in the dugout box section!
Minneapolis is only about an hour & a half from here, so it wasn’t a bad drive. It was our first time to the stadium there. Before the game we went & ate at a Brazilian Steakhouse called Fogo De Chaou.
It was a first for all of us. It was a lot of fun.

hubby, me, Jill & Bill

 

Daughter is back from her trip. What amazing pictures & stories she shared with us. She brought us back several goodies too!

Here is a group shot of them….

                        she is in the blue shorts on the right ^

 I will share more at another time.

 

Hubby has been absolutely swamped at work. Putting in a lot of hours. We have tried to get in a little bit of fishing on the weekend sometimes. Between the heat, his work & trying to stay in cell phone range, we haven’t been able to get out as much as we would like.

I now need to try to catch up with everyone here.

For those of you who still come here, thank you & bear with me!

♥~Zany

 

 

 

What a beautiful day it was today! I spent a lot of time working outside & also just sitting out on the deck & enjoying my beautiful surroundings. The only thing missing was my hubby!

I have spent 3 weeks down in Oklahoma, then I get home only to drive my daughter to the airport 2 days later for her to leave on her summer study abroad program & then hubby left the next day to go down to Texas to get a job started. He will be back very late tonight, so at least we will have tomorrow together!

Daughter is in Berlin right now & will be there for another 7 days before moving on to the next city. What an exciting time for her! Each day has been packed full for them seeing so many sites & also lectures & homework! lol..  I talked to her today & she said that they just haven’t had any “free” time to go & shop & see things on their own. I did have to remind her that this is a school “study” trip & not a “vacation”!  I am sure that they will get some free time soon though.

The time that I spent in Tulsa with my in-laws was both extremely hard yet also so rewarding &  such a treasure that I will cherish always.

me & my mother in law spent each & every day together.

The love that the 2 of them share is so heartwarming.

She is a very strong lady & is still hanging on. Some days are better than others. Some days you find yourself thinking that maybe there could be hope…but then as quick as you find yourself thinking that, the next day comes & takes its toll. It seems like the last few days have been more of the bad than the good.

Please remember to hug your loved ones & let them know how much they mean to you. Never take today for granted. Today is a gift…enjoy it & live it to its fullest!

So last night hubby went out & sat & waited for the bear to come…

We just want to let him know that he is not welcome here.  Like I said, it was the final straw when he tore down my bluebird house!

Pretty much like clockwork, here he came….

Hubby got a shot off & OMG…I heard the “ROAR” in the house! (The bear was not happy by the sound that he made, or maybe just scared.)
I about peed myself, so I know that hubby’s skin was crawling!

The bear took off running up the hill, so we are hoping that he now knows that he has worn out his welcome here.

This morning hubby brought in the memory card from the game camera so we could see if we captured anything, which is where the above picture is from.
He left to go to work & I started looking through the other 300+ pictures that were captured just since Saturday.
I got to  this one & my heart sank….

 

Uh oh….ANOTHER one coming out to join the regular visitor. OH NO!

 

They evidently are friends or something…

 

I’ll let you know if either of them show back up tonight.

*Sigh*

 

I have all that I am going to take from this bear!  He is evidently living somewhere very close by as he is now in our yard every single night. The last 2 nights he has knocked over my ceramic bird bath & last night, he bent the pole over & tore down one of our bluebird houses. The one that mama was making a nest in!   That was the final straw!
I told hubby that tonight I want him to be sitting outside on the deck ready with his gun & once that danged bear comes around to shoot him in his butte! Maybe he will leave & not come back!

Here are a few pictures that the game camera has captured of him throughout the past week…

He sure decided to make himself comfy!

 

 I finally decided to get my hummingbird feeder out earlier this week. Hubby noticed it a few days later & made the comment that it was already empty.
I told him that I was sure the wind blew it and emptied it out. I went out on the deck to get it & refill it & that is when I saw the evidence of what really emptied it….

that danged coon!  He made a huge mess & his prints were everywhere!

 

and yep…he wandered into the line of the camera too!

As much as I love to see the wildlife & live amongst it, they can be a real nuisance!

 

Now I have enjoyed seeing several of these around the yard…

The Northern Flicker. They are a woodpecker, but they also eat insects, mainly ants!
So they are feasting in our yard! They’re really pretty too!

Things are all blooming out here…

slowly, but surely!

mmm..you can almost smell those lilacs through the picture!

I really need to get in & get all of those leaves out of my lily of the valley…

What are these??? eggs?

nope..just some leftover gourds in the garden! lol.. which that garden is a mess & needs to be worked on too.
A lot of those mutant plants are trying to come back, but I am a bit scared of working outside with the bear hanging so close by.

 

My face & mouth are just now about completely healed. (see my last post if you don’t know what I am talking about!)  After 3 trips to the doctor’s office, pain pills & applying heat.

Still have a few more things to share, but need to get this submitted, so will try real hard to blog again soon.

Love & hugs to you all…

I always get the “weird” things happen to me. Like hubby told me last night, why can’t you just get the flu or something normal!

OK, let me backtrack a bit. Last night after dinner out of the clear blue & quite suddenly, the left side of my face swelled up & felt like I was having a muscle spasm. The bulge was hard as a rock. Talk about totally freaking out!

This morning, the swelling had gone down some & it wasn’t as hard, but because of that nasty abscess that I had 3 years ago that led to the emergency surgery, I decided I had better get in to see the doctor, sooner rather than later.

This is what I looked like this morning…

pretty nasty, huh! I look like I am a squirrel with my cheek stuffed with nuts for the winter!

The doctor thinks that I have a blocked Parotid Gland & that I need to pass a stone, which is the size of a fennel seed. How am I to do this? Suck on lemon drops all day!
Yeah, seriously! Like I said, I get the weird things! lol…I may not know when I actually pass this “stone”. Since it is so small, you usually just swallow it. However, the swelling will go down once it passes.
In the meantime,they are setting up an appointment set up with the ENT that did my abscess. If it is no better come tomorrow, then I will need to go & see him & also call my doctor back so they can do some type of a scan.

Before you ask, no, I am not having any type of teeth or gum pain. Didn’t eat or drink anything different, so it wasn’t an allergic reaction.

Why the lemon drops you ask?  Because they will help produce saliva which is necessary to pass this stone.

I hope this is all that it is & that it passes soon. These lemon drops are already making my tongue & the roof of my mouth raw!

My lilacs are blooming! They are a couple to a few weeks ahead of schedule, thanks to the mild winter that we had!

Mom, they make me think of you

We actually have dipped below freezing the last couple of nights. It was frosty out there this morning.
We are suppose to start warming back up though, so hopefully none of the plants will be hurt.
Even my apple tree is blossoming!

 

Bulbs are all coming up.

This next picture was taken around this time last year…

yep, we got some snow showers…so it can still happen!

        

Here is what my yard looks like today…quite  a difference from last year!

yep, I’m lovin’ it!

 

oops…Miss Pepper snuck in here!

We had a nice Easter. Just simple & quiet. Daughter came over that evening & we grilled steaks out. We played some Cribbage afterwards.
Always fun to get to see her.  Her boyfriend works nights & every other weekend, so he was at work
(which was the only reason we were lucky enough to get her to come over! ~ that & she was also off of work!)
I actually remembered to get my camera out & thanks to the self timer, was able to get a family photo!

My mom sent me a recipe that I tried out last night & now I have to share it with y’all. It was SO good!

Tortellini and Meatball Soup
(From Mr. Sunday Soup by Lorraine Wallace)

Chunky, hearty and comforting, this soup uses convenient packages of fresh pasta.

MAKE AHEAD: The soup can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

8 to 10 servings

Ingredients:

    1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage
    2/3 cup fine plain breadcrumbs
    Pinch plus 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
    Pinch freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
    2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    1 medium onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
    4 carrots, peeled and cut into quarters lengthwise, then cut into 1/3-inch-thick slices
    6 cloves garlic, minced
    8 cups (2 quarts) homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken broth
    1 cup water
    Two 9-ounce packages fresh four-cheese tortellini or cheese ravioli
    2 tablespoons Italian seasoning blend
    2 tablespoons chopped basil leaves
    2 roasted red peppers (from a jar), drained and chopped
    Freshly squeezed juice from 1/2 or 1 lemon (2 tablespoons)
    6 cups loosely packed baby spinach leaves, washed and dried

Directions:

Combine the sausage and bread crumbs in a large bowl and add the pinches of salt and pepper; mix well. Use clean, damp hands to form meatballs about 3/4 inch in diameter.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and carrots; cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Add the broth, water, the remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt and the black pepper to taste. Once the liquid begins to bubble at the edges, add the meatballs and cook for 6 minutes, adjusting the heat so the liquid barely bubbles. Add the pasta and Italian seasoning blend; cook for 4 minutes, then add the basil, roasted red peppers and lemon juice; cook for about 3 minutes or until the pasta is tender.

Gently stir in the spinach and remove from the heat. Cover and let stand for about 2 minutes or until the spinach is wilted but still bright green. Taste, and adjust the seasoning as needed.

Ladle into individual bowls (preferably warmed ones); serve hot.

---

 

Also from my mother, this fun list of “Punography”

    I do not enjoy computer jokes . Not one bit .

    I changed my i Pod name to Titanic . It’s syncing now .

    When chemists die, they barium .

    Jokes about German sausage are the wurst .

    A soldier who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran .

    I know a guy who’s addicted to brake fluid . He says he can stop any time .

    How does Moses make his tea ? Hebrews it .

    I stayed up all night to see where the sun went. Than it dawned on me .

    This girl said she recognized me from the vegetarian club, but I’d never met herbivore .

    A guy got arrested for playing the guitar. For fingering A minor .

    I’m reading a book about anti-gravity . I can’t put it down .

    I did a theatrical performance about puns . It was a play on words .

    They told me I had type A blood , but it was a Type- O.

    A dyslexic man walks into a bra .

    PMS jokes aren’t funny, period .

    Why were the Indians here first ? They had reservations .

    Class trip to the Coca-Cola factory . I hope there’s no pop quiz .

    Energizer battery arrested . Charged with battery .

    I didn’t like my beard at first . Then it grew on me .

    How do you make holy water ? Boil the hell out of it !

    Did you hear about the cross eyed teacher who lost her job because she couldn’t control her pupils ?

    When you get a bladder infection , urine trouble .

    What does a clock do when it’s hungry ? It goes back four seconds .

    I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger . Then it hit me !

    Broken pencils are pointless .

    I tried to catch some fog . I mist.

    What do you call a dinosaur with a extensive vocabulary ? A thesaurus .

    England has no kidney bank, but it does have a Liverpool .

    I used to be a banker, but then I lost interest .

    I dropped out of communism class because of lousy Marx .

    All the toilets in New York’s police stations have been stolen . Police have nothing to go on .

    I got a job at a bakery because I kneaded dough .

    Haunted French pancakes give me the crepes .

    Velcro – what a rip off !

    Cartoonist found dead in home . Details are sketchy .

    Venison for dinner ? Oh deer !

    Earthquake in Washington obviously government’s fault .

    I used to think I was indecisive, but now I’m not so sure .

    Be kind to your dentist. He has fillings, too .

 

haha…I really liked these!

OK my friends, that is all that I have for now.

Love & hugs from your Zany friend!

 

 

 

Thank you all so much for your kind words on my last post.

We have since been able to go to Tulsa & visit with the family. It was actually a wonderful visit, despite the inevitable.

Here are a couple of pictures that I can share with you.

 

Mother in law, hubby, sis in law & father in law.

 

 

in laws with big mama (aka me)! lol…

We did a lot of reminiscing, thus resulting in much laughter. A few tears were shed, but we all kept it as upbeat as we could.
I will treasure the time that we had.
My sister in law has been a godsend. Her & her family live in Georgia, but she came down immediately upon hearing the news & will stay until the end.
I would do the same if it was my mother, but just her being there has helped everyone tremendously.

When we returned home, we found that we had a visitor several days while we were gone.

Even though there were no bird feeders out, Mr. Bear was making a habit of coming into the yard.

Spring has arrived early for us this year. Of course, there really wasn’t much of a winter. All of my bulbs are up. The trees are blooming. I am loving it! It won’t be too much longer & we will be getting the boat out on the lake & I will be at my happiest…with a rod & reel in my hand!

 

 

Two weeks ago, we were told that my MIL has inoperable pancreatic cancer & is in the final stage.
She was given “maybe” 90 days & was told to go home & get her things in order.

How does one go home & do that? 

This has filled me with so many different thoughts. Would I want to know that I only had a specific amount of time left? I really don’t know.

She is one strong & admirable lady. She fought breast cancer & won that battle. But unfortunately she wasn’t  even  given a chance to fight this battle.

Hubby & I will be taking the trip down south to go & see her in the next couple of weeks.

Prayers &/or positive thoughts are greatly appreciated that she can stay out of as much pain as possible, and that her husband & family is given the strength to get through this.

So I see that Xanga has now forced me into using the new editor…no choice about it!  I do like the way pictures are now uploaded within the post..or at least I think so, they are uploading now as I am typing this. We shall see.

The latest & greatest news from here is that daughter has been excepted into the study abroad summer program that she applied for!! It is a 5 week Central European travel seminar.
It is just perfect for her being that it isn’t a whole semester abroad (I could not have handled that!) Plus it has always been a dream of hers to be able to visit Berlin, which is the first stop on the trip!
After a week in Berlin the other cities include Erfurt, Dresden, Prague, Brno, Vienna, Budapest & Krakow. What a trip! She is over the moon about it with excitement as are we!

She also has a wonderful man in her life. She has been seeing him close to a year & they are both so good for each other. He also spoils her rotten!  For Valentine’s Day, he gave her a beautiful tennis bracelet with hearts & diamonds. He gave this to her about 5 days early, as they were celebrating early since he had to work the day of Valentine’s Day. Then on the actual day, he gave her a diamond heart necklace & later that day she got a floral delivery of red roses! Wow, what a guy!  She so deserves it though.

Hubby & I had a fun Valentine celebration. We stayed home but had a nice & a fun evening together just eating, drinking, talking & laughing.

 

Had crab legs & artichokes for dinner & shared a bottle of wine. Made a wonderful new dessert…so quick & easy & soooo good!

 

Nutella and Strawberry Crepes

 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Nutella
• 8 egg roll wrappers
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 cups frozen strawberries, thawed, drained and halved

Preparation

Mr. Cocky strutting his stuff & shaking his tail feathers!

February’s full moon setting….

hubby called me on his way to work to tell me to check it out…

it was a brilliant orange color.

 

OK, I have decided that I do like the new editor! So far, no problems, and it seems more smooth than the old one.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.