This Perfectly Imperfect Life

On our northern back yard. And no, I'm not sick of snow! We don't have much left down on the coast but some dirty piles - it was so pretty up north this week. Snow is good for my soul. Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Well, my life that is. "...What she wished for most was to be the self she might have been if she'd never been sick, the person she could have become if she hadn't been stopped in some way, if she hadn't stopped herself." -Blackbird House, Alice Hoffman Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

The Rock Orchard: A Novel by Paula Wall My rating: 5 of 5 stars An off-beat and sometimes racy (sexy) Southern read; one of the best southern novels I've read to date. More real, earthy and gritty, less sugar sweet and cliched than many southern reads. These characters will linger with me. (If you offend easily when it comes to 'sexy' stuff or sometimes colorful language, it may not be the read for you!) View all my reviews

We had to put our kitty down today; it was the right thing to do so he wouldn't suffer any longer or more than he was. It's one of the worst decisions one has to make. Absolutely heartbreaking. But, knowing he was suffering, knowing that anything done wouldn't change the outcome or return his quality of life, knowing he would only suffer more if we didn't make this decision today, it was truly the best thing for him. I love him too much to let him suffer needlessly. In a matter of two weeks he lost half of his body weight, his left kidney shrank to the size of a pea, his right balloned abnormally and his bloodwork was the extreme opposite of normal. 'Sudden onset of incurable/acute kidney failure.' When I took him two weeks ago because he wasn't acting like himself, his bloodwork was fine, his weight was normal as were the size of his kidneys. But this is apparently common in 'Tuxedo' cats (along with urinary tract infections; his were un...

The swans have arrived at the river for a visit. They will disappear as quickly as they appeared. 48 of them again this year.

The swans have arrived at the river for a visit. They will disappear as quickly as they appeared. 48 of them again this year.

Yesterday I got on the treadmill at home for the first time since June, 2010. Progress. Slow & steady wins the race. So to speak. Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

A Happy Valentine's Day! (Remember to celebrate love in all its' forms every day).

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

It's a messy day in the neighborhood here in our neck of the NJ coast. The ice which coated everything this morning has begun to melt as the sleet & freezing rain has turned to rain. We're very lucky to have not lost power though since yesterday morning there has been a "digital channel service disruption" in our area with the cable; the tv's with cable boxes have no channels so we disconnected one box in order to see the news & weather channels (without the box there's no issue - no 24 hours of Ground Hog Day on Encore dernit). I'm glad that's the worst of it so far. It's a good day to say in and, as pictured above, you can see that's what I'm doing. Curled up under my favorite quilt with Country Homes & Interiors (British Edition) & Artful Blogging and a kitty (or two, the other is out of the frame). I don't have much of a choice in the matter as I started having bouts of extreme dizziness on Monday which is so far b...