Day 150 of 365, Tuesday. Today has been quite an eventful day, and I had quite a few pictures to choose from. But, since this is a photo a day, I had to narrow it down to one. However, I can still talk about all the events. First of all, when I was leaving for work this morning, three little kittens were hanging out in the basket on our front porch. Just what we don't need, more abandoned kittens. Luckily, the mother cat returned and still nursed them. By the end of the day they had disappeared.
Then, my aunt called early very upset that one of her cats had died, the one I call Sweetie Pie. After trying all morning to call her back and couldn't get her, I left work early to check on her. After talking it over, we determined that she had not been attacked by anything, but died of natural causes. It happens with farm cats. By the time I left, she had calmed down quite a bit.
And lastly, but possibly most importantly, I have been remembering my grandmother today. When I was about 5 or 6, I distinctly remember asking her about her birthday. I can still hear her responding "The 30th of May." So today, in honor what would be her 104 birthday, I am celebrating with my version of a "cone of cream", a very small milkshake. Happy Birthday, Maw!
This photo is from the farm, near where Aunt Frankie buried Sweetie Pie. I think they are called Fire and Ice, and I just love them.
Day 149 of 365, Monday. We had the perfect end to a long weekend today. Instead of driving straight to Concord after leaving Wilmington, we took a detour through Raleigh. Here is a small snippet of the fun we all had.
Day 148 of 365, Sunday. Yesterday I treated myself to a pedicure. Today, we got our feet (and the rest of ourselves) in the ocean today. The water was cold, but boy, was it refreshing!
Day 147 of 365, Saturday. This has been a truly great day. It feels like every time we are in Wilmington, all our cares are washed away. Even Jolly Mon seems to feel it.
Day 146 of 365, Friday. For as long as I can remember, I have disliked driving over this bridge. Since it is a steel bridge, I always feel like I am going to slip and slide into the next lane. Lately, however, this bridge symbolizes the start of relaxation. I love to look over and see the Cape Fear river with the boats docked in the port. I wish we could spend more time here.
Day 145 of 365, Thursday. One of the things I like most about this photo a day challenge is looking for beauty in everyday life. This cactus is at Aunt Frankie's house and it is full of blossoms.
Day 144 of 365, Wednesday. We have had lots and lots of rain this afternoon, and they are calling for storms through tomorrow. I wanted to capture a photo that shows how much rain we are having, but that's hard to do. So instead you are getting our little house.
Day 143 of 365, Tuesday. Sometimes I see the most interesting things around the farm. Today as I was feeding the kittens in the horse trailer, I noticed this snail. Honestly, it's not often around here that you see one with it's shell. Usually it is just a slug.
Day 142 of 365, Monday. We are in store for lots and lots of rain over the next few days. The thunder started while I was still at my aunt's house, and so I went down to the barn to put the horse up early. I am always amused at what you see in this picture. Every day when she finishes eating, she tries to open the gate. I will never get tired of this.
Day 141 of 365, Sunday. Donald and I got to spend a little time visiting Dottie, Ellie and Jackson today. We missed Patrick, but are glad he had the opportunity to go to Baltimore with his dad for an Orioles game. Jackson is so incredibly cute, and check out that dimple in his chin! I just wonder what he is pondering here.
Day 140 of 365, Saturday. Today was a good day. Donald and I reconnected with an old friend, one that we met shortly after we got married. Tim recently called Donald to let us know he got married and was having a marriage celebration backyard bbq at his house. Of course we wanted to go! I didn't take any photos while I was there, but it was so great to see him and meet his new wife. We also got to catch up with his parents, which was an added bonus. Anyway, I continue to get the signs to get over myself and my embarrassment about my legs. They will get better. There was a lady at the party battling ovarian cancer. She had lost all her hair, and I talked to at length about her prognosis. Again, I get it. Chill out.
This photo makes no sense with today's post. But since I didn't take any pictures at the party, here is a cute picture of Jolly Mon. He looks like he wears eyeliner.
Day 139 of 365, Friday. The vasculitis saga continues. As I mentioned in the previous post, I have been embarrassed about my legs, and I had a tiny pity party about it. I didn't want to show my legs to anyone, so after I left my aunt's house I went to the mall to look for some light weight long pants (it is summer after all, and it is already hot). I didn't find any pants, but I did buy a long, flowy skirt. Anyway, that is not the point. As I left the mall, for the first time in my life I noticed our church steeple visible from the parking lot. OK, I get it. Chill out and accept who you are, flaws and all. I'm still struggling, but am trying.
Day 138 of 365, Thursday. This post is hard, but I am trying to be a better person and accept who I am with all my flaws. To be honest, I actually took this picture on Friday but I am using it for Thursday. It may make sense later.
On Sunday I noticed some red bumps on my legs and feet which I thought were flea bites but they didn't itch. By Tuesday, they were moving up my legs. By Thursday, they were up to my knees. As it turns out, I have vasculitis which came from either a cold I had two weeks ago or a cat scratch from one of the farm cats. Either way, I have been very embarrassed about how my legs look. I have never liked my legs anyway because of all the spider veins I have, and this has just made it worse. I am posting this picture and writing about it in an attempt to be less vain, and let it be what it is. This picture doesn't truly show how bad they look, but you will get the general idea.
Day 137 of 365, Wednesday. Both Donald and I have had such a busy week. It has been hard to keep up this blog on a daily basis. I take pictures every day, but finding the time in the evenings is tough. Hopefully it will get better, and I will do a better job of maintaining. In the meantime, today is actually Sunday and I am just now catching up from the week.
Wednesday's picture is your's truly. I help my aunt on her farm, and this horse is nothing but a big dog. She is so friendly and loves to get treats. No one rides her, she is just a pet. Every once in a while she shows me her love, and that was true here. This picture doesn't quite show it, but she was all over me, nuzzling my face and neck. On these days, I soak it up!
Day 136 of 365. These have been the most beautiful Gerber Daisies I've ever seen. This one even has a hitchhiker.
Day 135 of 365. Sometimes I wonder what I am getting myself into. I attended a meeting about being a VEX Robotics coach tonight.
Day 134 of 365. Happy Mother's Day!
Day 133 of 365. And just like that, our students graduated. These kids were freshmen my first year at the Early College, and I feel that as they have grown up, I have also grown with them.
Day 132 of 365. There are four little kittens in this horse trailer. Aunt Frankie is peeking in to see them.
Day 131 of 365. Tonight I got to celebrate with a great group of high school seniors. These kids never cease to amaze me. Many of them are not only graduating with their high school diploma, but also have earned an associates degree.
Day 130 of 365. Every year I am amazed at what the month of May is like for educators. In short, it is our busiest time of year. Here is a glimpse of my office at the Early College. It's a good thing I'm not claustrophobic.
Day 129 of 365. I enjoy having plants in my office at work, but it's usually a challenge to keep them alive. I was very pleased to see this violet blooming again!
Day 128 of 365. I had a frantic call from Aunt Frankie this afternoon that Stumpy was sick and needed to go to the vet. I rushed to get her and the cat, and we made it to the vet in time. Turns out he had an urinary blockage and had to be admitted to the hospital overnight. These pictures were hanging in the vet office.
Day 127 of 365. Donald and I decided to take the scenic route on the way home from Raleigh today. We stopped at the Alamance Battleground to have a little picnic lunch. As you can see, it is a beautiful day.
Day 126 of 365. Saturdays are always interesting around here. Check out the photo, then the bonus video below.
Day 125 of 365. There is something about these clouds that I find beautiful.
Day 124 of 365. This boy. Today was his last spring program for pre k. It is hard to believe he'll start kindergarten next year! He is showing us his art work. That is his self portrait on the top.
Day 123 of 365. Today we are celebrating another trip around the sun for Donald! One of our favorite things to do is enjoy a little outdoor time after work and before supper. The weather was beautiful!
Day 122 of 365. Grilling out tonight! Turkey sliders and squash/zucchini! It was delicious!
Day 121 of 365. We've got more kittens at the farm. These were born in the horse trailer.
