Rainy, lazy Sunday

What's everyone up to?
I'm reclaiming my kitchen. It's a mess!
Being outside every day takes time away from housecleaning. I'm taking this rainy day to find the counters..
I got part of the back yard/woods mowed yesterday, as you can see.

I need to fit in a boot camp today, too.
So far, so good with sticking to my workouts.

The dogs need groomed.. Blah.
Not my favorite job, but necessary! Thank goodness we train handling/grooming. I don't mind if the dogs flop over and pretend they can't move, as long as they stay still!

(Another thanks to Sarah Wilson and her smart input for pet dogs!)

Babbling (big shock, right?)

There's a robin nest just behind the garden..
I've been stuffing myself in the Mock Orange where the nest is located, and thank baby J the Robins aren't ripping my face off.
Yesterday, FINALLY, we have BAAAAABIES!

I tend to get this expression on my face when there are birds involved. My *demented with joy* face. Please note Michael looks like he wants to kill me.
I wouldn't hold still for a pic.  We were at the national aviary, for God's sake! I couldn't hold still!!!

The storms are beating up my poor peonies, but they are still stunners. This plant came to me from my mom, who got it from my grandmother.  I love growing plants with history :)

I'm off to mix up a Shakeology shake, as promised to a dear friend.  I have a terrible habit of not eating until dinner....
and then I tend to eat everything in my path.
I'll be posting a review of Shakeology soon.  Cross your fingers.

I warned you this was a Babble post! ;)

Blog babble

Browsing my blog stats this morning, I find the search terms that are sending people to my blog:

Chaos (obvious), dog chaos (ok, again), sharpest thing on earth (!?), guard crows, and baby garter snakes, The most confusing one "making marriage work"

When the HELL do I blog about that? 

No offense, babe. You know I adore you to the core of your being, but what I know about MAKING this work can be written on a TicTac.  I'm just winging it. ;)

The "guard crows" amuses me greatly.  We do have a murder of crows that hang out close to home, and beg for table scraps. Crows chase hawks/owls, hawks/owls eat songbirds.  They are hired help.

But.....do other people do this? Why are people looking for guard crows???

The guard crows, having dinner with the deer.  The crow has..pizza.  

Crows love caaaarbs.

Speaking of bloggy things...

Check out the Links I Love tab, please. Shop, read, learn, shop some more. 

*cough*

You..look familiar.

Again.

I know, I know.

Pulmonary Embolism Lung and I are doing well. We're an odd couple.

STILL getting back in the swing of things.  It takes forever. 
And then..wham..something throws you back to the beginning.

I am FINALLY on 3 week blood draws, soon to be once a month! WOO!

Started bootcamp again.  Lung and I disagreed about this, but I won.
(so it was only once. today. don't judge)

I haven't gained weight, which is a miracle of Sweet Jesus.  Seriously.

Catching up around Blogland....the wind chill is 8 tonight.  EIGHT! AH!

out, out damned..um..clot

I am currently in the hospital with a pulmonary embolism.

yes, SERIOUSLY.

what the HELL!!!!!

Horrible pain in right rib area was only symptom.

My tiny, random clot is in my right lung...hanging around for no obvious freaking reason.
As soon as my blood thinner levels are correct, I get to leave.
i'm in fabulous condition aside from the CLOT OF BLOOD IN MY LUNG WTF JUST HAPPENED?!?!

send some "get out of jail" thoughts, ok? my health is fine, since we caught this clot in time.  You don't even wanna know the statistics on death from pulmonary embolisms.  I sure as shit didn't want to know.
I am, however, going batshit crazy in here.

I need OUT.

So i can spend 6-12 months trying not to kill my dumb ass with blood thinners!

(i'm really ok.  scared the shit out of us...very surreal..but I'm ok!)

I look so hot with my heart monitor and double IVs ...sexy!

Ack, it's coming!!!

*cue ominous music*

Storm Saturn, that is.
People.  It's freaking winter. It happens.

When did we start naming..snow? Storm Saturn is hitting the Ohio Valley.
So much scarier than.. 5-8 inches.
Ooooo.

Granted, I HATE having My People driving in this crap.
 I would greatly appreciate it if snow would stop falling on the roads.
Snow isn't listening to me.

Why does everyone buy milk and toilet paper when we're getting a big snow?
The fear of modern man- being out of milk and tp.

To be fair, I live in fear of running out of coffee and bird seed.

Hoodies..and why I need a kayak and/or more camera equipment

No.  Not my normal attire.  BIRD type hoodies!

Yes, I know. Blur city. YOU try hanging out of a car window while sleety snow pelts your face and you're busy fighting with your beloved on WHY you need a 500mm lens because the f@#%ing birds won't come closer...
Anyway.

HOODIES! A herd of hooded mergansers! WOO!

Don't you think I should have a kayak...in addition to a 500mm lens?
Nothing could possibly go wrong with ME in a kayak, carrying a 500mm lens.
At all.

Michael tried (and succeeded) using my comments against me.
"You aren't a photographer, you said. You said you're someone who happens to have a camera. Why would you invest that much in a lens, if that's the case?"
"You laughed when I mentioned kayaks a few years ago. You brought up about 10 ways you would kill yourself with a kayak. So..what's changed?"
BECAUSE I SAID SO.


I know. Should have worked on that argument.

Chaos, part 239572

Another post that is ALL over the damned place...

This summer was supposed to be our lazy summer.
HA!

Lots of laying poolside and reading.
HA!

Instead, we had days of "Whoa. The bathroom floor feels weird next to the shower.."
and "Sam...Honey, WTF happened to the bathroom floor? Where IS it?"

Michael came home to a bathroom missing a floor..down to the joists.
I need to mention we don't have central air, and it was roughly 198 degrees with 613% humidity the day I tackled the bathroom floor.
Made me cranky.
More cranky.

Then we had a day of replacing the kitchen ceiling...another 198% day with 613% humidity.
Cranky doesn't begin to cover it.

Home repair certainly tests the strength of your relationship.  If we ended the work day and DIDN'T want to take a 12 pound sledge to each other...it was a good day.

Things have been absolutely chaotic this summer.
Beyond my norm! What the hell!?

We decided we need to focus on a hobby together..we hike/camp/etc together, but we needed a quickie hobby..something we could hop in the car and spend an hour doing.

I used to LOVE shooting. The gun range (or the gun range at my uncle J's house) was Good Times.
Good SAFE times..we're crazy, but good crazy..not dangerous crazy.
Hell, we're not even worrisome crazy.

So. Research and trips to Cabela's and the local gun shop...and we're back on the range.
MAN, did I miss it!

*Michael wins the Awesome Husband Award for being completely supportive and encouraging, taking advice from A GIRL, and being proud of my skill instead of crappy that I'm currently a better shot than him.

We have a state game lands range about 5 minutes away...
We can hop in the car and spend some quality time doing something we love.  Plus, we're meeting some great folks at the range.

We pull off the road and watch the wildlife around the creek...chat...watch sunrise or sunset...

hanging out by the gun range..she knows she's safe there! smartass deer.

Observations..

During the Great Backyard Bird Count, we ran into several other birders at the local hotspot.
Thrilled, since I rarely see other birders out and about..but...
Something struck me.
None of them were under 60 (and of course, guessing at age.  Guessing generously, at that).

I've been birding since I was 16 or so.  Seeing *older* birders wasn't shocking as a teenager.
But now, decades later, it's strange to still be on the young end of the curve.
WTH?
Why aren't more people in their 30s birding?!
----
Yesterday was warm and mostly sunny.  LOVELY!
I received my giant box of vegetable seeds..and today is gloomy and drizzly and horrid.
Tomorrow? Flurries.
WTH?
I think I hexed myself by ordering seeds and messing around in the garden.
----

Have a pile of pics from the backyard bird count...

Red-shouldered hawk VS crow

Oh.... and a bird dog!

Babble.

Honestly, which of my posts aren't babble?
--
I recently mentioned to a friend that I had never seen a pine siskin.

Nope.  Never.

Not a one.

Master of the Obvious, I'm not..and yet there are people out there that follow me into the woods.
I should come with a warning label.

---
I have an appointment with my Dr today.
Loathe. Detest.
I found a little bump on top of my foot.  No idea WTH it is, but I decided it was time to seek medical advice when bumping it almost made me pee my pants (excessive profanity helped with the pain).
---
I LOVE this candle company...and they ship!
If anyone wants to shower me with love, I'll accept 1000 Peppermint Patty candles.
I'm selfless like that.
---
Our gorgeous 70 degree days turned into 38 and drizzle.
I'm thrilled I spent the last few days wandering in and out of the house, enjoying the sun!
---
The birds are enjoying this *fancy* food.
Bird crack.
I'm sure Scotts doesn't appreciate me calling their food crack, but they aren't paying me or giving me free stuff..so..
BIRD CRACK!
The woodpeckers in particular are going crazy on it.
How are black oil sunflower seed prices in your area?  $28 for 50 lbs here! Holy crow!
The birds better get jobs and start contributing!
---
By the way, I swore I didn't have photos of the Common Merganser couple, either:

Now..anyone up for a hike in the deep woods?