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.

Christmas shopping is coming to a close...

LaVaughn and I were planing on going to Cape yesterday to finish up our holiday shopping, but we decided to go to Farmington instead. Besides, who really wants to go to Cape if they don't have to? That's one of the most godawful drives in the world.

Plus, we were able to get our flu shots at the health department yesterday as well! I didn't know it was all the way in Park Hills. I just trusted the GPS and followed it. Worst drive ever! Not to mention the health department was creepy and horribly busy -- I don't like people, especially people that are in the flu clinic.

Anyways, ever since I went in Shoe Carnival the other week and saw this amazing Nine West handbag, I've wanted it. I should have got it then, but I wanted to wait until after Black Friday before I made a purchase for myself. Now nothing satisfies me. I went in 3 different stores yesterday looking for a handbag that would satisfy me, but none did. I'm glad that I wanted to go in JC Penney, because we found an amazing gift for my aunt white we were in there. It was definitely worth it.

Of course, we went to Walmart for bath sets, but that's really the best place to get them and we haven't got any this year. After we finished Xmas shopping in there, we paid and went back in to grocery shop. I hated it, but our cart was far too full to put potentially wet groceries on.

It was a very long, semi-successful day, but man was I exhausted! We left the house just after one and didn't get home until nearly 9. It may have been a little after, actually.

I don't have too many pictures to share, just a couple that I took on my phone and posted on Instagram. Hope you enjoy!

Here are the pics from yesterday:

Shopping!

'

Coffee and flu shot aftermath.

All of the glorious wrapping paper. We had to wrap a bunch last night!

The sting that keeps on giving...

LaVaughn and I finally forced ourselves to make the journey to Ironton -- the creepiest little town in Missouri -- to get our flu shots. No joke, there's something wrong with that place and all it's inhabitants.

For example, after we finished with our flu shots, we stopped at the gas station at the end of town for gas, obviously, and a soda. And right there in the front stood a woman, a little on the hefty side and probably in her mid 40s, just shouting at the top of her lungs at the poor kids she had trapped in the backseat! What she said slips my mind, but it was something silly. Something like, "This is the last time I'm going to bring you kids out to do bla, bla, bla!" Like I said, I don't really remember, but that gives you an idea.

I was so happy to leave after that. Driving through that place on my way to work is bad enough, but stopping and actually having to interact with everyone there is just, wow!

Anyways, when we returned home... wait a second! I forgot to mention the ladybugs!!

When I woke up today and made my way to the kitchen, there they were, like locusts! They had gathered all around the light fixture and kitchen windows trying to find as much heat as possible! Then when I took Milla outside, there were more! Dozens, if not hundreds! I had to bat and swipe my way through them! They were on my neck, my legs, in my hair! It was a nightmare! I swear, it was like I was in a horror movie called, "Attack of the Ladybugs".

Not long after that, I got our handy little bottle of Ortho Home Defense Max and sprayed the piss out of them, I also barricaded the doors and windows. After that, I went back to the kitchen, shop vac in hand, and vacuumed them all up. When LaVaughn heard the noise, she joined me in ridding ourselves of the infestation.

Okay, back to when we arrived...

The lighting was so beautiful and the weather was pretty much perfect, I just had to stay outside for a while and take some photos. And since I had let the yard fowl out before we left, they were skirmishing about and made for some pretty good subjects!

I was kind of shocked when I looked up towards the lake and saw THEM!! And by "them" I mean our dick head geese that ran off to the lake the first chance they got. Part of me wanted to chase them down and strangle their beautiful long necks, then the other part of me wanted to gaze at their beauty and how free they must have felt. Bastards...

Seriously, they we're in the perfect spot for angelic pictures. They were standing on a hill with the sun setting behind them among Shire green grass. Seriously awesome. LaVaughn and I both had to get in on that action, lol.

After I finished frolicking around the yard, LaVaughn and I made some coffee and started cutting some fleece. Since our phone and internet was out at the time, we were only able to cut one set out that we for sure knew about. The other one had very specific measurements, which we didn't have written down. So we'll save that for tomorrow. Then sewing tomorrow, lots and lots of sewing!

And no, I'm not working tomorrow. I'll explain when the time comes. Until then...

Love & Peace

-Megan

Here are the photos from today...

This was taken on the drive back from Ironton. Absolutely no pictures were taken on the way there, or while we were there. Thanks a lot, LaVaughn!

Our geese!! They are so rarely photographed!!

This stunning beauty is one of our youngest roosters. You remember the batch of chicks that our aunt got for us, the supposed RIR's? This is one of them! :)

She was also in that bunch.

As well as these two.

Here's fat nosed Toby. He seriously has such a cute nose.

One of our older roosters, Donnie.

The fowl frolicking about.

This is 1/2 of our outdoor cat army, lol.

Toby giving his mama Lucy some love. They are so cute together.

See how beautiful he is!? He needs a fitting name.

Love the multiple colors throughout his feathers.

Love her.

They are seriously too cute together.

The lighting was SO beautiful, it made for great pictures of them. 

It doesn't hurt that our yard was super green today.

And come on, does that not look like the Shire? Lol.

I'm still mad at them...

But they're still pretty.

Bastard ladybugs! Death to you all!!

Proof of my flu shot. And here I was thinking I would get a more colorful band-aide. Guess not. ;)

This is the only Barred Rock/Plymouth Rock hen that we got out of the 4 chicks.

She's so cute. She looks like a stereotypical hen you would see in a movie.

Gotta love Mr. Friendly.

And Lilith.

And of course, Harley isn't far behind.

Turkeys have the prettiest eyes ever!

A very rare shot of Lucy's face.

She doesn't like the camera, I suppose. And she loves laying by the shed. This is where she always is. 

Geese on the horizon! 

These are seriously beautiful pictures (which LaVaughn took). :)

And here's my shot at them, lol. Looks more like apocalypse geese!

Still pretty cute, though.

A couple more...

And one last picture for the day. This one is probably my favorite. I love how you can see all the little specks of bugs around them. So pretty. 

The one, and only, cage set that we cut out.

And YES! Once Upon A Time arrived! They shipped SO fast! Can't wait to tear into these bad boys and watch them all over again. I know, I'm pathetic...