Heidy-Ho, Blogging Buddies!!!
Well, it has been a while yet again. Sorry. Had a lot of things going on over the past month.
At any rate... let's talk squirrels. Yep. You heard me. Those pesky, yet adorable, amusing, yet irritating, little "tree rodents" (as The Man likes to call them)!!
Upon arriving here, they were EVERYwhere!! The house we were renovating had been vacant a few years. They had literally taken over the back yard since there was nothing going on there... and a nice big oak tree with plenty of room for them to hang out. The Man relocated a number of them to the nearby park area, hoping it would slow down the battles. Nope. Move one... two more move in!! For the past two years, they have come into the garage (when the door is open) where they found my well-covered buckets of bird seed and proceeded to begin the gnawing process of the lids!! New, more difficult-to-bridge lids have helped end that. They have bounced around all over the "bird areas" including the bird bath. They were kept clear of the feeders with the use of a baffle that does not allow them to climb the shepherd's hooks holding the feeders. Until a little earlier this summer...
In placing the bird seed feeders, I tried to place them where they would be shaded for a good portion of the day but without placing them directly under the big oak tree. I know squirrels can be creative! For the past two years, they have spent most of their time scrounging the ground beneath the feeders where some scraps of seed fall out or get kicked out by the birds. That's fine. What I did not pay attention to was the growth of the oak tree... until...
Yep. This little fella' wandered out to the end of a thin branch, then managed to leap onto the shepherd's hook, then made his way to his preferred feeder... the woodpecker "butter bar" as we like to call it. I watched him do it again later in the day, after scaring him off when I spotted him doing this! Okay. Have to change things.
So... I asked The Man to help me move the shepherd's hook further away from the limbs, which he did. Thought that had solved our problem until I saw a little guy on the feeder again!! WHAT?!? The only possible route was to climb the pole... which had a baffle on it to deter them. Discovered the baffle has to be at a higher location on the pole than we had placed it after moving the pole. Okay. That should resolve it.
One thing squirrels apparently do not do is give up easily. I say that as I spent some time at the French Door snapping the following pics for fun. Hope you can see the process. But... I will tell you the ending now... we won. Finally!! Whew!
And so... the feeders are now safe from the squirrels. Hopefully that will continue for a while... but I am keeping an eye on those little guys. They do NOT quit... ever.
Enjoy the rest of your summer!!!
Until next post...
Heidy-Ho, Blogging Buddies!!
Long time. I know. My fault. Forgive and read on! Some nice pics follow!!
My friend and I have been making Fredericksburg, TX runs for several years now. Things slowed down when I was in Louisiana due to the time needed to travel, etc. But... now that I'm back in Texas, my plan is to make it twice a year... at MINIMUM!!
So... we decided to make a Spring run. While we always enjoy wildflowers (which we saw each morning during our walk!), that is not our reason for going. We enjoy the food, some of the shopping, and, primarily, the wineries!! We also are always able to meet up with the previous owners of our most excellent B&B!! We always stayed there in the past. Once they sold it, we haven't returned. Can't possibly be as fabulous as it was when they had it. Sad, really. But... we always enjoy catching up with them and stay in touch.
Okay. Let's get started, shall we? :)
We meet in Georgetown, TX, then head west using the "back roads" to get there. They take us through Liberty Hill, Bertram, Marble Falls, and Johnson City before we actually arrive in Fredericksburg. BUT... there are many things to do on the way!
We have stopped in Marble Falls before... at a little winery, to grab a bite, to shop the little "downtown" area (original downtown!), and to just take a break. Our usual "big" stop before Fredericksburg is in Johnson City. We know of one winery there we like, Texas Hills Vineyard, so we stopped there first.
After buying the first round of bottles (!), we continued to the little downtown area. We wandered about looking in a few of the shops while waiting to grab an early dinner at Bryans on 290, a wonderful, surprise gourmet eatery there! (Incredible as it will seem to some, we actually ordered dessert!!! I KNOW! A rare occurrence.) While wandering, we ran across a brand new little winery downtown. We popped in on a tasting that had just begun for a winery tour group and were kindly welcomed by all. The owner was a young man who was clearly passionate about his process! He was full of tons of information he shared with us.
We absolutely enjoyed the time there... and the wine! I actually found a red I could drink!!! Exciting! (Usually can't handle the tannins that follow the wonderful taste... so just don't buy reds.) And yes... a second round of bottles was piled into the 'Hoe.
So... the first morning in Fredericksburg, we took our little "stroll" through the neighborhood surrounding our accommodations. While there were lots of interesting things, I was mainly taking wildflower pictures. These were in vacant lots in the neighborhood! The Bluebonnets were on their way out at the time but the Indian Blanket (red/orange/yellow) were blooming like crazy! Just a few (maybe more) for you:
After the walk, it was time to catch brunch at a most favored place... The Peach Tree Restaurant. There are some things that are worthy of repeating... and we do every time... even down to our order!! Say hello to Mimosas along with Quiche and Avocado Soup (it's Butternut Squash Soup in the Fall!).
Heaven in the morning. Yum...
So... after brunch, it was time to hit downtown Fredericksburg... at least the few shops we like to go to each time. While walking around, we found a couple of new benches the city had put out for the tourists to use for a little break during their stay! Absolutely cracked us up!!
A few wineries later, it was time to get ready to meet our friends for dinner. They had suggested a new place for us, the Fredericksburg Herb Farm. It has cottages (which we will consider staying in on the next trip), a restaurant (more later), and a garden and gift shop area that is lovely. We had a REALLY wonderful dinner there. I highly recommend it. In fact, they told us that they had a great brunch, too! So, my friend and I decided we should have brunch there the next morning on our way out of town and back to reality! Here are a few pics of what is there:
A Flight of Mimosas was interesting! And brunch was excellent... just as good as dinner the night before! Will definitely add this to our "repeat" place for dining.
Then we wandered through the grounds. Shot pics capturing the cottages that can be rented, the gift shop, as well as some of the garden area. Very lovely location. And... it's VERY close to downtown!
Okay. After brunch and a couple more wineries, it was time to head back east to Georgetown, drop off my friend, and return to Woodway. Sigh. Hate when the fun ends... but we did make one final stop on the way out. A pleasant way to say Goodbye until next time (and a very favorite winery, to boot)!
So... that's it, Blogging Pals. I know some of you may have read of Fredericksburg adventures before... but when we find "new" things, I like to post again. It is a great place to go hang out, relax, eat, shop, and wine away! Highly recommended. Probably avoid weekends and the "prime" wildflower time (as well as Oktoberfest!) to keep crowds lower.
Until next post...
Heidy-Ho, Blogging Buddies!!!
Well, it's been just a little less than two years since we moved into the house. Getting the interior done and getting settled in took a while. Believe it or not, there is still more to do!
But... my passion is the exterior. I have always loved landscaping. While I can no longer do the actual "hard" work (thank goodness for The Man and for those who do it for a living!), I can at least plan and provide a little assist.
When we arrived, there were some VERY old "foundation" shrubs as well as a ton of knockout roses. Neither are my thing. So... first step... pull 'em out! This was April of 2018.
Okay. Fast forward to March of 2019. I know. Nearly a year. Things move slowly here!! :) The weeds have been prolific, however!
Okay. Let's put some native stone along the bed edges, pour in some decomposed granite for mulch, and plant some natives!! Oh... and we will throw a few of our "yard art" items out there just for fun. Extra stones make nice stacks where the roadrunners can find their prey. Love native!!!
There has been some more work done... and some new plants added. But I will wait until things start to grow out a bit before posting more photos. I know it's a little much... but it's what I love so you get stuck with it! :) I am very happy with what has been done so far. It makes me smile when I turn into the driveway.
That's it for today. Just wanted to catch you up on what has been happening. There will be more to come!
Until next post...
Heidy-Ho, Blogging Buddies!!
Well... was hopeful about the hip injection, etc. Unfortunately... no go.
So it is time for Round Two in the world of old age, imperfect body parts, and what's next!
After discussion with the doc's office and a little more research on my part, there is an Arthrogram MRI scheduled for May 15th with a doc follow-up on May 23rd. Won't know anything until the 23rd. Fingers crossed. In the meantime, meds and patches, please!
Alright. New subject. Let's talk about painting the exterior of one's house! Yep. Had that done a little while back and have been quite happy with it. Just a couple of "before and after" so you can see the color differences.
The house had a rather outdated "post and arch" wood trim that was decorative only. The shutter paint was really a little too "orangey" and didn't do well with the roof shingles.
But... removing the trim and changing paint colors did help.
The sides of the house and the garage door were repainted, too.
Finally, the back patio area was painted. Pardon the mess... but everything had to be pulled away from the walls and gutter area. (That's my excuse!)
Now then... I know the weather (sunny v not-so-much) and your monitor/phone can make the colors change somewhat... but I hope you can visualize the change. It is definitely an improvement in our world. "Builder Beige" is NOT a color I have ever liked.
There has been work done to the landscape beds now, too. Will show you that next time!
Until next post...
Heidy-Ho, Blogging Pals!!
Yes, I am still on this planet.
Here is what has been going on after my last post (the "whiner!"). I am going to skip all of the details but try to let you know what is happening... and why old age ain't for the weak!
My Physical Therapy cranked up in January. It ran through the end of February. I was VERY happy with the Physical Therapist (PT) as well as the Physical Therapy Assistant (PTA) working with her. The PT went through an extensive evaluation on my first visit. She was very thorough. She explained a LOT of things about my situation that no one had ever mentioned previously, including other PTs. Hmmmm. That's interesting.
Physical Therapy did help... but it did not "fix" the issue. In fact, right when I felt like things were getting much better (and was VERY excited about that!), I had a whole 'nother pain crop up that scared the you-know-what out of me!! In fact, ladies and gentlemen... it actually sent me into a complete spiraling meltdown. Yes. You heard me. I know. I had never had a meltdown in my entire life... even during some less-than-pleasant events including divorce, family member deaths, etc. Nope. Just not a "melter", actually. But this was the straw that broke that metaphoric camel's back!! In fact, the Spousal-Unit had to endure that meltdown, which I think was quite a shock to him! He was, as usual, stellar at talking through things. Calm guy. Calming effect. I did finally rage as much as I could and had no further choice but to calm down. It totally wore me out.
So... at the next Physical Therapy appointment, I explained the situation. The PT did a few more manipulations and suggested what she believed might be causing it. The down side to her thoughts were that the only "resolution" was surgical. Hmmm. Not liking that. She and the PTA referred me to an Orthopedist who specializes in the area where my issues keep showing up. I called and scheduled an appointment.
Visit with Orthopedist. Discussion. X-Rays. Review of X-Rays. Manipulation. Bottom line: He pointed out a Cam FAI (see https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases--conditions/femoroacetabular-impingement for info) as the likely root cause of my 30+ year issue. Seriously? No one can figure this out for over 30 years and suddenly my PT/PTA know what it probably is and to whom I should go? WHAT?!? AARRRGGGGHHHHH!!!! Alright. Now what?
Ortho suggested hip injection as first step. That did NOT make me happy. It was more the unknown and the fear it would send my lower back into spasms again that terrified me. Second step would be an MRI to determine specifically if the FAI was the cause of my primary pain issue OR if it was possible the SI Joint had its own issue that was causing the pain. He did say we could go straight to the MRI... but the injection would give us some information that would be helpful in determining if the FAI was the primary problem OR if the SI Joint had its own issue. The MRI would be the next step if the pain was not lessened/ended with the injection. Okay. I will get back with you, doc!
An afternoon of research online helped me understand even more what was probably going on and where to begin. While the injection did NOT appeal to me (duh!), it made sense as the first step. So... I called back and that occurred two days later.
So far, it has apparently been quite helpful. The "twinging" pain that has been a problem for years has lessened considerably... literally nearly going away. There have been a few very short times when I felt it might be coming back... but it goes away. That seems to be good news.
Now... I am to provide feedback two weeks after the injection. Doc sez the lack of pain may not last long (in which event we look to the SI Joint via an MRI) OR... it may last 3,4,6 months... or maybe more? Everyone is different. My only concern here is that the injection might be fabulous for removing pain temporarily (WONDERFUL!)... but it is not a true "fix." What I have read indicates further damage can occur if things aren't actually resolved (surgically). But the surgery is arthroscopic for the hip situation. The SI Joint surgery would be different... but I am not worried about that yet. I am quite willing to simply take one step at a time. At least the most recent steps have resulted in a huge improvement in my pain issue... and my attitude! :)
Okay. Sorry. I realize this is not a very interesting post. But it is something of huge importance to me... and I feel like sharing that there is likely SOMEone out there who might be able to help you with any issues YOU may be experiencing is worth the lack of interest. Do NOT give up!!!
To hopefully end this on a more pleasant note, I would like to share an excellent place to finish your visit to the Waco Farmer's Market!!! YUM!!!
Until next post...
