Life Lately (last 20ish months)

So, where do I even begin. First off, I’m doing this on my phone which seems very alien to me. I’ve never been one to be able to blog on my phone or tablet, I keep that strictly for my laptop. Since I’m currently at work without access to my computer, this will have to do for now. 

Una had to have two different surgeries last year, which is why I stopped blogging after March. The first one on April, the second one in August. She had to have another surgery in February of this year, then another in May. That’s all I’m going to say about my baby, it hurts too damn much and it’ll just make me cry even more than I already do. 

I don’t think anything significant happened last summer, so let’s jump to September of 2023. This was a monumental month, this was the month that we got our new car! New to us, anyways, but new all the same. She’s a 2019 Chevy Cruze Hatchback that only had 70,000 miles, which was decent for the price. It was really bittersweet saying goodbye to the Impala, but her time was well past being up. We just hit 200,000 miles and I’m fairly certain the engine or transmission was going out. Thankfully they still gave us a 2k trade in. I’ll add a pic below if I have one on my phone. 

September was also the month that I got horribly sick with an egregious head cold. It really, really effected my ears, mainly my right one. I have Eustachian tube dysfunction in that ear anyways, but it was mild and I was able to live with it. This cold basically destroyed my ear. My ETD is so much worse now. It’s muffled and feels full all the time. Plus, I have patulous ETD so my tube stays open all the time unless I manually close it or use saline nasal spray. Even then, it opens as soon as I yawn, talk, swallow or move my jaw. I have to go to an ENT soon, it’s inevitable. 

December of 2023 was a weird one. I feel like everyone had some type of illness, which really put a damper on the holidays. In the beginning of December we got to see the Way Of Lights show at Our Lady Of The Snow… absolutely breathtaking! My ear was really annoying at that time, so I was miserable the entire ride. We also hit up like 5 Dollar Trees while we were in the city, plus stopped by Five Below, Crumbl Cookies and then proceeded to pick up food for everyone from Steak n’ Shake, White Castle and then McDonald’s. I was freaking dead. It’s not like it was in a 50 mile radius, Our Lady Of The Snow is in Belleville, IL which is 88 miles one way from Perryville. That doesn’t include all our side missions. 

I felt the aftershock for like a week. 

Neither LaVaughn nor I got our flu shot last year and, lo and behold, I got some type of flu on the 22nd/23rd. We looked at Christmas lights with Jake and our extended Perryville family on the 23rd and I was miserable the entire time. I was so sick and rundown, it was just awful. We went home on Christmas Eve where I felt a little better, but Christmas Day was awful. I had no appetite and maybe ate like two or three bites of food. I also over salted my homemade stuffing and that just really pissed me off. Thankfully I started feeling better the next day. 

Let’s fast-forward to 2024. 

The beginning of the year my sister and I were introduced to Vikings, the tv show. We already loved The Last Kingdom, so we knew we would like that. Absolutely obsessed and still am. 

We did the garden like always, but I slacked so much this year. Our tomatoes, green beans and Italian zucchini did amazing, but everything else kinda sucked. I have to do better next year. 

We got the pool up and going pretty early and were able to swim by the end of May thanks to our solar cover. Unfortunately our pool cleaner tuckered out before we got a chance to close the pool this year, so there’s still lots of small debris on the bottom. That’ll be a big purchase next spring. Those things are ridiculously expensive, they should last longer than three summers. 

We got to witness the total solar eclipse in April, which was amazing. We had like 3ish minutes in totality here, so we got a nice long show. Much better than the 2017 eclipse that only lasted like 20 seconds. 

Then the following month we had an X class solar flair that allowed a lot of the southern states to see the northern lights. It was really difficult to see with the naked eye, considering we didn’t realize it was happening until after sunset. Still, it was awesome to witness and photograph. Still kicking myself for not having my camera on me. I won’t make that mistake if I ever go to Iceland or Alaska/Canada here in North America.

To conclude this very celestial year, we also got to witness the Tsuchinshan-ATLAS comet in October. I think out of everything I’ve witnessed space wise, this has to be one of the absolute best. Seeing a comet with your own eyes is unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

Pretty much everything else this year has just been meh. Summer was okay, but fall has been nothing short of depressing. I’m trying to get into the holiday spirit, but it’s nearly impossible. I’m pretty much sad and/or mildly depressed on the daily. It’s really taking everything I have to function normally. 

I believe I’m jabbered enough for now, so I’ll leave you with s few random pictures from the last year and a half. 

So sad to see our black beauty go. We had this car for over 8 years. Chevy Impalas are amazing cars.

Inside the Blackwell dealership in Poplar Bluff.

Here she is, our gorgeous 2019 Chevy Cruze Hatchback. She’s probably the cutest cat we’ve ever had.

This was around November of last year. We equipped our car with reindeer antlers.

We also put a big red nose on the front of our car.

Here’s the entrance to The Way Of Lights at Our Lady Of The Snow.

The Way Of Lights entrance sign.

Entrance to the awesome lighted tunnel.

Inside the lighted tunnel. Gorgeous.

My camera setup on the roof for the total solar eclipse.

The shadows are rendered in such a unique way during an eclipse.

The lighting just before 50% coverage of the eclipse.

Nearing totality… also nearing dusk.

My camera and tripod blazing towards the total solar eclipse.

Decent total solar eclipse shot on my iPhone, which is surprising.

Here’s the real star of the show… the 2024 total solar eclipse taken from my Nikon. Super happy with how it turned out.

Did some redecorating in the bedroom this summer.

Added a couple different shelves with lights and greenery. Also candles… lots of candles.

Also moved the old 43” tv in the bedroom with a wall mount. Set this little shelf up that I bought like 3 or 4 years ago and loaded it with plants and led candles.

Here’s some of the northern lights from May.

This was one of the best shots that I got. So insane that we got to see an aurora borealis in southeast Missouri.

Another northern light shot.

And the last northern light shot with a farm light in the background.

I had to share this pic. It doesn’t signify anything, just an absolutely gorgeous sunset here in Perryville.

This also doesn’t really mean anything, but I heavily cleaned the bathroom and thought it looked pretty. Especially with the mushroom light and candle/plant.

Here’s one of the only decent pictures I got with my Nikon of the Tsuchinshan-ATLAS comet. It’s not the best, but I love it.

And here’s the Tsuchinshan-ATLAS comet via my iPhone that LaVaughn took from our yard when I had the telescope out. Love the way the trees outline the sky with the ancient comet in the background.

Potential resurgence…

 Considering I’ve been at one of the lowest points in my life in the last few weeks, I thought that blogging would be a decent and much needed distraction. I’ve talked about my anxiety numerous times here, so there no need to go over it again. I’ve always attributed every bad thing happening to me or my animals to be due to my blogging or posting on social media. 

Crazy, right?

Anxiety does some very strange things to your mind. I think the only thing that keeps me sane is the fact that I acknowledge how crazy or insane things sound. I know where to draw the line, for the most part. However, that doesn’t keep my mind from taking something minuscule and absolutely running a marathon with it. 

My sister and I lost our precious 16 year old angel, Una, on the 25th of last month and I swear to God it’s almost killed me. After Milla and Zoe passed in 2018, I clung to Una even harder. She was part of my soul and with me in every aspect of my life. The only time we were apart was when I was a work. 

I’m still not okay and I don’t know that I ever will be. 

I can’t talk about it, so I’m going to stop there and will most likely never bring it up again because it hurts too much and makes me want to cry. I already cry daily… numerous times usually.

With that being said, I think blogging would be a nice outlet for me. I feel like I have no drive to take pictures anymore, so maybe this will help spark one of my absolute favorite things in the world. 

Don’t hold your breath, cause I won’t. 

Maybe I’ll pop in tomorrow or some day soon with a little recap of my life from the last… idk, 18 months? 20? It was around March of 2023 when I posted last. So there’s that. Hope everyone is doing well, until next time…

Weekly iPhone Roundup {3.18 - 3.24}

 I'm not gonna lie, I'm back dating this post and honestly can't remember what all happened, lol. I only have the pictures to go by, which doesn't show me much. I mean, nothing really happened that's worth talking about this week. Just the usual stuff.

I guess the only thing different this week is the fact that I didn't go in Buchheits at all and absolutely did not purchase anymore chicks... hand to God. Believe me, I wanted to, really I did. We're maxed out on space, so I absolutely have to stop.

I believe I'll leave it at that. Here are the pictures from the past week!

Beautiful evening drive through Perryville.

The sweetest girl, Ella.

She's a chonk that's obsessed with her mama.

Here's granny Layla.

And baby Hyde.

I wonder how many times I've gone to Taco Bell for my brother, lol.

The best coffee shop in Fredericktown, MO... The Station.

Fork in the road.

Here's our mini Amazon haul. LaVaughn's Airpod case is on the left, mine is the moon and stars on the right, obviously. Then we got some camera protectors and some absolutely fantastic soup spoons. Such a random Amazon haul combo.

Very foggy and nasty day Thursday.

Chopped noodles for the chicks.

My favorite two ingredient bagels for breakfast for the weekend.

I did an egg-wash and added some everything bagel seasoning to the top of them.

Weekly iPhone Roundup {3.11 - 3.17}

First I'd like to say, Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Another eventful weeks for the books. Not anything major, just doing a lot and involved in a lot. I added 3 new Silkie Chicks to the flock, which was an impulse buy. I only wanted two white ones, but there was legit only 3 left, so I couldn't leave the third little one behind. 

We also took all the glider cages out and cleaned them, which was an all day thing. We also cleaned the toys, wheels and all the cage sets. The gliders were probably having a sensory overload due to all the cleanliness. I'll be the first to admit that we absolutely do not clean their cages as much as we should. With the weather getting warmer, we really have no excuse. 

Aside from that we had the Bald Eagle excitement from my last post. Still so damn cool and I'm so proud of the pictures I was able to capture. It makes me want a higher quality telephoto lens now, which is terrible. It's not like it's gonna happen, They're insanely expensive.

I also got to play the Resident Evil 4 remake demo yesterday. So. Freaking. Amazing! If anyone knows me, they know I love anything Resident Evil. My sister and I have legit been playing Resident evil games since 1999, which is almost a quarter century... unreal! For the solo games, RE4 has to be one of my favorites. I have so many good memories with it, I think that's why I love it so much. I got the remastered version for PS4, but the rendering or something really screws with my eyes. 

I almost forgot to add that I went with my aunt to our culty neighbors house Wednesday to look at some sprouts. Word on the street is that they're selling their property. I couldn't believe it, I was both excited and dreading who might move in after them. That's beside the point. I mainly went to look at their chicken coop that they have for sale. We've been in need of a new coop for years. We have the lumber and everything else for our new one, but we have to wait until my uncle is recovered from his surgery to build it for us. Until then, we thought this coop would be perfect. They're asking a lot for the coop, but they did agree to go down a few hundred dollars, which is awesome. I just have to contemplate for the next week or so on what to do.

Anyways, I think that's pretty much it. Anything else will be in the photos and not worth writing too much about. Enjoy!

Living in a rural region means you absolutely will get stuck behind farmers and their tractors.

Here's the new baby Silkies! One looks cream, but the other two are for sure white.

Granny Layla.

Perryvile, MO streets and night.

People are so nasty. Someone left their McFlurry outside the drive-thru window Saturday night.

I'm in love with the new baby Silkies. They're tiny and terrified.

The drive-thru was a bitch Sunday night at McDonald's. I do not miss these days.

This baby turkey wanted so badly to come home with me.

So did this one.

And that one in the back.

Notes on the clawfoot bathtub. Love the aesthetic.

Walmart grocery pickup for the win. The guy that almost always bring the order out is a guy named, Nathan, that I used to work with at McDonald's.

The drive home on the new Saint Francois bridge.

The boys cage was nice and clean Tuesday. All at my own hand, I might add.

Mr. Max... he's such a beautiful red boy.

Here's the Bald Eagle next from afar. I sure hope the owner of the farm doesn't mind us parking here.

It's really far back.

Thankfully the zoom on my phone got a decent picture of the mated pair of Bald Eagles.

This is Miss Louise, our scissor beak chick.

She's such a curious and sweet girl.

Here's more of the baby chicks.

And more of the baby chicks.

The scraggly one is our white Polish Crested chick, Thrya.

This absolutely insane black and white chick is another one of our Polish Crested chicks. Her name is Brida. If you know, you know.

A more calm Crested Polish.

I just love all our chicks so much.

This is the rarely photographed black Silkie.

Here are the other 3 glider cages in the process of being cleaned. After months and months, we finally moved Cas' cage out of the room. :(

I not only scrubbed their water bottles, but I boiled them first. I also soaked all the nozzles in white vinegar to break off hard water stains.

Our one white HQ sugar glider cage all nice and clean.

Our double stacked HQ sugar glider cages, nice and clean.

And lastly, our Double Critter Nation sugar glider cage that got cleaned the day before.

Here's a pic of the new Resident Evil 4 remake demo. Loved it!

Nasty, hazy day.

Here are the sprouts that the neighbors gave us. They're all in really rough shape.

And last, but not least, all of the Dunkin' Donuts s'mores iced cases that were given to us.