This Perfectly Imperfect Life

Still not feeling 'up to par' but making the effort to get outside regardless. Yesterday (as you know from my photo's in the prev. post) I sat on the front porch for breakfast. (Wasnt un-interrupted though, but Mondays here at the apartment complex are usually hectic). It's warmer this morning & not much of a breeze out front so I decided to switch to the back yard where it's shady and pleasantly breezy. The wind chimes are tinkling and a mourning dove is cooing. Even with the street & highway traffic noise, I could fall asleep out here! I'm sure Ceasar wouldn't mind at all. He loves being out here, keeping me company, exploring & mole hunting and chasing bugs. He hates being brought back inside and isn't shy about vocalizing his discontent! I'm just so tired lately and headachey. My hands & arms hurt so much they kept waking me up last night. I was hoping my 2 plus weeks of feeling crappy were weather related but now with o...

1) Water flooded the patio & came into the kitchen during a nasty storm Fri evening 2) Kitties didn't like the nasty storm 3) Sky after the storm 4) Sky & rainbow after the storm 5) View from dock where we had dinner Sat evening 6) Same as #5 7) Pretty Sunday evening sky 8) 1st red raspberry of the season 9) More raspberries 10) Sunny sky this morning, 3rd sunny day in a row 11) Breakfast on the front porch this morning

This is that restuarant's garden I told y'all about. Not the best pic but next time we're going, I'll make sure to get a better one!

Went to my 'every 6 weeks' follow-up doctor's appointment with my Rheumologist yesterday morning. Apparently my heart palpitations/racing (not often, though enough to be noticeable), vision issues (blurriness and discomfort) and muscle cramps (too often & not dehydration) are "disease progression." Not exactly music to my ears I can tell you that much. We discussed my pain & swelling levels (back on the rise through the last 2 iv treatments) and agreed that my iv med should be increased from 400mg every 8 weeks to 500mg every 8 weeks. (This brings me closer to the area of 800mg, which Dr. A feels would be the max dose for me, and the fact that I'm getting closer to that mark scares me). One good thing to note, my blood pressure was "normal" for (at least) the 3rd follow-up in row and without meds, so at least that's one less thing for me to worry about (though it's like a needle in a hay stack really). I'm always on the verge ...

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Sorry this didn't come out so hot. I'll have to play with it in Picasa so you can read it. It gives the Civil War/Battle of Gettysburg background of the campground we stayed at.

Our little cabin.

Foggy foggy, rainy day in PA.

It's some time after 9:30p and it's been raining for over 2 hours, with thunder & lightning at times. It's looked threatening since 1:30p (when we went from 30% chance of storms to 60% with a flash flood watch) but thankfully held off. We were able to take a dip in the pool, have a miniature golf rematch (Vic beat me this time) and play some arcade games in the game room before heading back to the cabin to grill dinner. Alas, no fire this evening though. And no dusk drive through the battlefields on the main roads to see which memorials are lit up at night and to see if we could catch site or sound of anything remotely ghosty. But a rainy evening in the cabin isn't all bad... ;-) It just goes too fast, any time we're lucky enough to get away (or have nothing to do at all). And while I love where we live now, again I am reminded by being here in PA that I want to move and that I will be happy when we do. (I would LOVE to move to PA, but the job outlook is...

Boyd's Bear Country store & factory. (Definitely better via website than in person).

After taking this and walking past this head stone, I felt compelled to turn around, which I did and I walked back to it, placed my hand on top of it and said, "Thank you for all you did" then walked on to where Vic was. Not sure what to make of that.

Imagine living here, where such a bloody & violent battle took place... This isn't one of the residential homes throughout the Battlefields, but there are many, scattered and not close to one another. There are no street lights throughout, only the light from some of the monuments, passing cars & the far off homes and farms. Dawn and dusk are reportedly the active times, cannon & gun fire off in the distance, blurry images of Confederate and Union soldiers roaming the fields, shrowded in fog.

This tree was hit by lightning during yesterdays storms, there were pieces of bark all over on either side of the road. (The Rangers were busy clearing debris before the Park/Battlefield opened at 6am this morning, many trees & limbs down as well). Helicopters were flying over-head off & on throughtout the morning surveying storm damage.

This is how I start my mornings, after breakfast. If I'm sick or in a lot of pain (like this morning), there are more to take. I do this 4 times a day in order to take all of my meds & supplements each day (similiar amount of pills each time), on top of my 3 hour i.v. treatments at home every 8 weeks - and all of the other stuff I need to do every day to try & function as normal as possible. Some days it's really cumbersum and exhausting to live like this (today's one of those days) but it's part of the lot in life God has chosen for me so what else can I do but bear it? (Can't always grin & bear it).

Odd statue in Lincoln Square.

Tornado warnings (unconfirmed tornado in Lancaster 15 miles east of us this afternoon), severe storm warnings and severe storms passed thru Gettysburg and much of PA this afternoon. We could hear the thunder for an hour before they got to us and since we were at the Battlefield, it was eerie - sounded like cannons firing in the distance. We were stuck at the bar we had lunch in for 3 1/2 hours because of the storms passing thru! Couldn't see to leave, there was hail, electricity kept going out - but we had a good time w/the bar maid & cook! (We were the only 2 customers in there). We were mistaken for Pennsylvanians! (Such a compliment in my book!)

See what I mean?! (See prev post)

Yes, we climbed it. Gorgeous view. Not worth the fear factor of those stairs!

Yup, got myself a big ol' floppy sun hat! And I like it! (Embracing the southern/gardening lady in me!)

Into PA that is! As the moon was rising to our left (pictured above), the sun was setting to our right. Funny how merely crossing over the State line into Pennsylvania makes my entire being relax. We're staying at the Hampton Inn & Suites at Valley Forge for this evening before making the rest of the trip to Gettysburg tomorrow. Because they only had suites left, we got $50 off the regular room rate - such nice little apartment style setup! Loving this for the time being.

Taken this evening after dinner in Frenchtown NJ, just steps away (literally) from PA across this bridge. (One of the few ways to get out of NJ without paying - fyi). I adore Frenchtown! Very quaint, colorful and beautiful scenery. (If you have the chance to stop by Grassamo's (I'm spelling that incorrectly I know it) on Bridge Street, you won't be disappointed! Excellent Italian food.

Of course it's time to go away & my rose bush (purchased last year) is beginning to bloom! First bud opened fully this morning.

We'll probably be in a motel room for the evening having left in the afternoon to start making our way down (and over) to Gettysburg. We may stop in Philly to take Nephew out for a late lunch or dinner. We may not. (Depends on his schedule). I'm not as far along with packing & tidying up as I would've liked to be (I hate coming home from vacation to a messy home) but with Vic's help we'll catch up tomorrow morning. With the wind-swept pouring rain I was unable to re-pot 9 things in the garden (2 in Mom's) today so I have to do that before we leave tomorrow as well or they may die while we're away. My rose bush from last year is just starting to bloom (of course!) so I took a few pics this evening. I hate leaving the garden as much as I hate leaving the kitties! (I never claimed to be normal, lol!) Mom's going to look in on them. Her first time doing so. ( This should prove interesting). I have the urge to lock down the file cabinet & our...

My Mother-in-law Betty (pictured above) passed away 5 years ago today. This photo was taken the night before we left FL on May 16, 2004 (also the anniversary of my Nana's passing) after we had a symbolic wedding ceremony for Vic's parents. (There were a lot of siblings, inlaws and nieces & nephews there too). Betty decided to stop her chemo and radiation treatments just weeks before so we flew down as soon as we could, along with one of our Nephew's and a Brother-in-law. We were married (legally) here in NJ on May 25, 2004 (I wanted Betty to know what we'd done in FL wasn't just for show and that I truly love her son & I knew she didn't have much more time) and while away on our "mini-moon" (instead of honey moon, as I call it) up at the family cabin in the Endless Mountains (PA) a message finally got through from one of his brothers that she had passed away. Vic had been somewhat annoyed, even embarrassed that I'd "rushed" ou...

"I will not die an unlived life. I will not live in fear of falling or catching fire. I choose to inhabit my days, to allow my living to open me, to make me less afraid, more accessible; to loosen my heart until it becomes a wing, a torch, a promise. I choose to risk my significance, to live so that which came to me as seed goes to the next as blossom, and that which came to me as blossom, goes on as fruit." — Dawna Markova ( I Will Not Die an Unlived Life: Reclaiming Purpose and Passion )

Ceasar: "Please mum, I've been good today and I ask that you permit me to step outside of this door into the wonderful backyard where there are lots of bugs to chase, grass to eat & sunshine to lay about it in . I promise not to chase bees though (if I can remember) nor stalk the birds by the feeder (if I can help myself)."

1~ George Strait concert Friday evening, went with our friends whose little boy passed away last July. Great concert and so good seeing them. 2~ Last of the 1st Mardi Gras rose blooms for now. 3~ 1st Annual Car Show down town on Saturday morning. 4~ We were very tired Saturday and after doing some errands, ended up relaxing in bed for the afternoon & Ceasar kitty joined us for a good portion of the time. 5~ Sunday was humid, hence a bad hair day (which turned good because my braids came out alright), hence the "Wednesday Sister's" hat! (Not the best pic, lol). 6~ New addition for the garden: A yellow Early Sunrise Coreopsis and purple East Friesland Salvia. (I couldn't resist!) 7~ 1st coat of 'redwood' stain on the fence. 8~ Hubby, just because! **Just FYI: For the music to play on here (at least for me), you have to scroll down just past my Moon Phases widget on the left and let the player load & the music start, then you can head any place on here ...