The Diagnosis

 Today I was diagnosed with Shingles of the Tri-Geminal nerve, one of the most painful kinds. The doctor started me on anti-virals right away. But there is always the chance of permanent nerve pain and damage. And here I had thought I had an abscessed tooth! Feeling very painful and crummy, and have been in bed quite a bit. I guess I will just post and visit whenever I feel up to it, so if I don't get to your blog as often as usual, you will know why. Thanks so much for your caring comments!!

Tooth

 I am in quite a bit of pain, likely from an abscessed tooth. So hopefully I will be going to the dentist tomorrow, and will also take a blog break. I'll give you an update when I get a diagnosis. The tooth is under a bridge, making it more complicated of course.

A Mere Cat

 

The Aqua Refrigerator

 Today we passed this house a couple blocks away. On the coldest day of the year, I spotted a refrigerator on the front porch. And not only that, it is AQUA!!

The refrigerator: number one job hazard of the home office.

 ~Cathy Guisewite

Polka Dots

 We came across this car in a parking lot the other day.

It made me think of my own polka dot plates.

Which took me to the computer to search for more interesting polka dot things, like these cheerful balloons.

And these polka dot glow in the dark balloons.

And I love the polka dot pajamas and the rainslicker. I want to buy them both. Found them on Amazon.

And last but not least, for people my age who remember "The Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini".

The Lifesaver

 A few months ago, I bought this cactus called Lifesaver (Huernia Zebrina). At the checkout, the clerk told me the blooms look just like Lifesavers! Well, mine has bloomed, and WOW!! I am so tickled with it! And now it has another bloom.

Branches & Wires

 I guess it would be fair to say that we have been trapped today. Snowed in. This is why we could not get up to the hill when I saw the beautiful sunset. I had to snap it from the back door. So now you see why we have to go somewhere else to snap the sunsets!

“If you look closely at a tree, you'll notice it's knots and dead branches, just like our bodies. What we learn is that beauty and imperfection go together wonderfully.”

Matthew Fox

Footprints

 It is just past midnight, and we still have power! Plus at least 7"of snow and some ice. Tomorrow is to be 60 M.P.H. winds, so we are not out of the woods quite yet. You all guessed that my mystery photo is footprints! After studying footprints on line, plus knowing what kind of critters we have around here, I think they may be from a sparrow. So cute!

While it is well enough to leave footprints on the sands of time, it is even more important to make sure they point in a commendable direction.

James Branch Cabell

A Mystery Before The Storm

 A big storm is coming our way tomorrow. Lots of snow during the day, followed by lots of ice during the evening and night. They are predicting loss of power in places, so if you don't hear from me for awhile, you will know what happened. I hope not, we have no alternate source of heat and it is way below freezing.

Meanwhile, a mystery for you. Can you guess what the snowy photo below is? I'll tell you next time.

"No one can mistake that voice— His word thundering so wondrously, his mighty acts staggering our understanding. He orders the snow, ‘Blanket the earth!’ and the rain, ‘Soak the whole countryside!’ No one can escape the weather—it’s there. And no one can escape from God." 

Job 37

Made Of Warm

 

Seeing this on line, I thought it was so cute. And true. It reminded me of when our son's cat threw up on his computer keyboard during the night when everyone was sleeping. The cat had the entire house to be sick in, and chose the keyboard. I think cats love them becuas they are warm so often. Because they surely cannot be comfortable!

“Best doctor in the world is the Veterinarian. He can't ask his patients what's the matter. He's just got to know.”

 ~Will Rogers

Dinosaurs In The Bible?

 Recently, a skelton was found of this creature.

It is a Quetzalcoatlus, the largest known airborne animal to live on earth.    Once described to CNN as "giant flying murder heads," the ancient reptiles took to the sky like a fighter jet off an aircraft carrier -- punching 8 feet off the ground before flapping huge wings..

Speaking of prehistoric animals, have you read this bible passage from Job 40 about the Behemoth?

¹⁵ “Look now at the behemoth, which I made along with you;
He eats grass like an ox.
¹⁶ See now, his strength is in his hips,
And his power is in his stomach muscles.
¹⁷ He moves his tail like a cedar;
The sinews of his thighs are tightly knit.
¹⁸ His bones are like beams of bronze,
His ribs like bars of iron...

The word “behemoth” means, “huge beast,” and commentators commonly take it to be either an elephant or a hippopotamus. But the description fits neither of these, nor any other living animal. On the other hand, it seems to match the probable description of a great land dinosaur, such as the tyrannosaurus. Of course, there is an enormous time difference, so this would have been a one time occurance. Thoughts?

Milkshakes

 The look you have when your big sister's milkshake is a lot bigger than yours.

I snapped this when we were eating out with the family several years ago. During  my lucky glance at our granddaughters being served.

Blue Glitter

 These are some of the Poinsettas we saw recently. This year, the most popular seemed to be the blue with glitter! I am assuming they are dyed. Do not look natural, but are pretty in their own way.

Old Calendars

 What do you do with your old calendars? When the new year comes, I look through all the pictures, and tear out my favorites. I have plans to frame them, but never have yet. I will, though!! Here are the two that I saved from last year's calendar, I love them!

Pretty Litter

 I snapped these photos from our T.V. when a commervial was on, so you would believe me. Martha Stewart is selling designer kitty litter! What next?

So what's the deal with it? It is all white and pretty.

But apparently there is more to it than meets the eye. When kitty pees, it will turn different colors if the cat has certain medical conditions. There is even a chart showing you what color it will turn for various infections, etc.

After finding this out, I guess I will stop making fun of it. Darn!

The Colors

 There is a style of Christmas cards where all the colors are gone, except for one or two. I think they are so pretty. Here are some that we got that are only red. O.K., this first one has some green as well.

This one has quite a few colors, but they have been edited in some way. I love it!

Purple is the soul-lifter
Red, the flame of passion
Yellow, the light of warmth
Green, vibrant stem of life
Pink, a whisper of beauty
Orange beckons, take a chance
Blue is the sea tide in us all

~Terri Guillemets

Oddities Part ll

 I just couldn't resist posting some more strange decoration sightings. Remember the cow I posted earlier?

Well, we came across another cow!

And a Peacock!

And this very tiny bike lodged in a bare tree.

Peacocks sweep the fairies' rooms;
They use their folded tails for brooms;
But fairy dust is brighter far
Than any mortal colours are;
And all about their tails it clings
In strange designs of rounds and rings;
And that is why they strut about
And proudly spread their feathers out.
~Rose Fyleman