My Vocabulary Expands.

Thanks to a certain Regency Era series on Netflix that is ever so popular at the moment, I have added at several new words ( or new meanings to words I already knew ... ) and phrases to my humble vocabulary.

With at least Season 2 in the works, one cannot help but look forward to much more such delightful education!

Dust Storm

That's why there are so many Wind Turbine Farms around us. 

We get a LOT of wind.

Which Way, Though?

We caught sight of a swarm of birds in migratory formation on our walk...

It's either a little late for flying South for Winter, or a little early to be coming back for Spring...

Cottage Industry

Oh you know, just making some yogurt for the week....

Sometimes it doesn't come out right and is all runny and whatnot... so whenever we get a batch that works, it's cause for a mini celebration :)

Self Isolation

Mamo, Uncle Lin and Cindy came to visit us during our voluntary lockdown, and it was wonderful to have all the siblings together, visiting. :)

Inauguration 2021

Happy Inauguration Day, President Biden and Vice President Harris!

As The Snow Begins To Melt....

I know I often grouse about the mud that is left behind when all the snow has melted, but I fail to mention some of the prettiness that comes with it as well.

Even after having been here 16+ years, the wonderment never fully goes away. :)

Making Snow Ice Cream

When there is an abundance of snow outside, what does one do?

Make Snow Ice Cream!

With Added Peaches!

Another Snowy Day

Snow fell in great big lumps today...And according to the Weather Office, we had between 5 - 7", just barely a week after the snow that we got the other day.

It was quite the sight. Just about everywhere had inches upon inches of snow piled up , the hedge was completely covered with big globs of snow...

We could not see the path we take our daily walks on, the snow was at LEAST 6 inches deep.

The boys, of course, engaged in some friendly snowball fighting.

and the little boy had a splendid time making snow angels and snowmen :)

We'll come out and play again tomorrow, for sure!

Rabbit Remains

We came across this on our daily walk, and the fuzzy foot points to the possibility of this poor thing having been a bunny rabbit.

We don't usually see skeletal remains like this out in the open. Makes me Curiouser and Curiouser about the back story on this.

The Impending Big "M"

I am turning "The Big 5-0" ( as one of my friends likes to call it ) this year.

My inner psyche is hovering somewhere in the late 30s while outwardly, my body continues to betray me, with increasing aches and pains.

I started having monthly migraines maybe a few years back, and then these last couple of months, I started having palpitations now and again.

However, those are not quite as befuddling as the HOT FLASHES that I have started experiencing the last week or 10 days.

UGH.

One moment you are fine, next moment your face and upper chest are aflame and you are tearing the layers of clothing off. It is a good thing right now is winter time, and I actually have layers of clothing I can take off.

It seems like it is worse at night. I keep it on the chilly side in the room since we are going to be under several layers of covers anyway.  All of the sudden, I am extremely warm, and have to throw off the covers. A few minutes later, the heat subsides and I get chilled from all the heat loss. So, I pull on the covers again.  A while later, the flash comes up again, and it is the same rinse and repeat procedure, all night long.  I am even sweating in my bed at times. In the winter time. Where the room temp at night is roughly 64 degrees, I think.  So much for trying to sleep.

After googling some, I found out that some women have hot flashes only a few times a week. Lucky them!  I seem to be having one every other hour!

I finally got so sick of this I decided to try to see what my triggers are. In the wintertime, I love having my chamomile tea and decaf coffee - they taste good and keep me warm.  

Today I tried to go without them, as well as give up my chili peppers at meals, and found that I encountered just a fraction of hot flashes that I usually have. 

While this may be anecdotal, it is indeed promising.  If I have to give up hot beverages and spicy food to avoid the agony and annoyance of hot flashes and its multitude of side effects, I am most certainly willing to do so.

The Snowy Day

Snow fell overnight, and it was beautiful.

It was almost like something out of a Thomas Kinkade painting.

I tried very hard not to think of when the temperature would be high enough for the ice to melt into a sloppy slushy muddy mess, and just to enjoy the breathtaking view and joy for now.

Snow days are some of the little boy's favorite types of days, and so he had a blast.

Snowmen would come later, but here was a prototype. 

Even Silky was captivated by the view, trapped though he was, inside.

We still went for our walk, even thought it got a little deep in the drifts.

There was also the strangeness with the front gate, where there were icicles only on one side. 

At first we wondered if the huge trees might have shielded one side, but in the end, we figured that all of those on the left had somehow been knocked off.

I leave you with some random shots taken around the place...