Day #90 - The boys... and friend...

Grandsons Michael (11) and Christopher (14) along with Bananas, the monkey. We're already having a great time - they keep me laughing!

Day #89 - Down on the farm...

This is the field and farm behind my house. It looks closer because I used my zoom, but it's a little over a 1/4 mile away. The field, separated from my backyard by a rusty ol' wire and post fence belonging to the farmer, used to be full of cows... I used to feed them clover through the fence. Though still a working dairy farm, ownership has changed, production has slowed, and the number of cows has lessened and relocated to the field beyond this one.

Day #88 - Stylish barn...

The brickwork on this well-kept barn is fascinating.
It begs to be photographed.

I liked the way the tree shadows showed on the doors.

Day #87 - Local color...

Yay, finally got out and about a little bit today! I was looking for something bright and cheery to take a picture of so couldn't resist this colorful, whimsical gate attached to an antique shop - it fit the bill perfectly!

Day #86 - A refreshing burst of yellow...

These pretty little gals are making their appearance in our yard now.

(Psssst... over here... yes, I'm feeling better but I'm not saying it too loud... the angry Gods, you know?) ;-)

Day #85 - Under all that paper...

... there really is a desk! The sum total of my activities today.

Day #84 - Fever and headache...

This combination oral/anal thermometer has seen its share of mouths... and tiny hineys. Included in the Welcome to Baby gift bag when my son was born almost 44 years ago, it has served us well through kids, grandkids and us big guys too. Still works just fine and has been getting a workout these past couple of weeks. (yes, it gets thoroughly washed and disinfected!) ;)

Day #83 - Movietime...

This is the best I could come up with today. Had great plans of getting out of the house and taking some nice outdoor photos but the Gods must be angry with me or something. This flu thing apparently enjoyed my "hospitality" and has hunkered in for an extended stay. So, instead of being out in the fresh air, I'm laying around, feeling lousy, drinking fluids until I float, and watching movies... again. Maybe tomorrow.

Day #82 - Whatcha see??

My beastie girl, Zoey gazing intently at something known only to her. Probably some furry/feathery tidbit scurrying around the yard - she likes to watch the squirrels and birds. Or not. Sometimes she just sits and contemplates the outside world.

Day #81 - Up the creek...

A more peaceful view of Israel Creek in its normal, unswollen state as it flows laconically through the surrounding farmland.

Day #80 - Leaky valve

Go ahead, ask me what it is... I couldn't tell ya! All I know is it's some kind of valve thingy on the side of the house that makes the sprinkler system work and it's broke. So sez the Water Turf guy who came to turn the system on today.

Rather uninspiring, but figured if nothing else, it would count as my b&w photo for this month.

Day #79 - My keeper...

My guy Lew took real good care of me while I was sick. He kept me fed, watered, juiced, and comfy. He stayed home from work one day and came home early the rest. Yep, he's a keeper... my keeper!

Day #78 - Fish out of water...

... and on my plate! Mmmm, mmm, was this good! Feeling better and craving something more substantial than soup or something equally bland, we tried carry-out from the new Bonefish Grill in our area. Bang Bang shrimp appetizer (fried in a delicate light batter and served in a wonderfully spicy sauce), grilled rainbow trout with a lemon butter sauce (delicious), garlic mashed potatoes, and veggie medley. Soooo good!

Zoey, waiting patiently, is eyeballing it all with the expectation that she'll get hers. She's such a beggar, and of course, appropriately spoiled. ;)

Day #77 - From Where I Sit...

This has been my view for a good part of the past few days. The plaid lump in the middle is my feet, covered by a cozy throw... complete with cat hairs. :)

Many thanks...

I'll be posting today's photo later, but wanted to thank you all so much for your well wishes and prayers. I'm starting to feel half-way human again instead of like last year's road-kill. Still plagued by miserable head pain, but 600 mg of Ibuprofen manages to lessen it for awhile... hopefully it will go away soon.

Thanks again - you guys are the greatest! :)

Day #76 - Plenty of liquids...

Water, coffee, juice

I'm beginning to develop gills here - if I drink anymore, I'll start blowing water bubbles!

Day #75 - March 16, 2007... WHAT???

I'm crawling under the covers and staying in bed until June!

Day #74 - Testing, 1, 2, 3...

I am soooo sick. I seem to have acquired some kind of flu virus that has literally knocked me on my arse. Fever, weakness, aches, pains - the whole bit. Hit me like a train last night. Coincidentally, I already had a scheduled appointment with my lung doctor this afternoon and it took every bit of energy I had just to get ready to go. So, all I could muster for today's photo is this fingertip oxygen level/heart rate test. Good news on that score - oxygen level was 96.

He ordered me to bed with the usual instructions... lots of rest, lots of fluids, let it run its course, yada, yada, yada.

Wonderful. I still feel like crap. :-p

Day #73 - Paper Unlimited...

One of the two (and a half, maybe three) piles of never-ending crap that accumulates on my desk. I thought this computer age was supposed to be paperless... what the heck happened in my house?? *sigh* It's a losing battle.

Day #72 - Ta-Da! It's coming...

So I'm going about my day, doing odds and ends and putzing around the kitchen. I paused for a minute or two to glance out the window into the front yard. Suddenly, I caught a flash of purple out of the corner of my eye ... ta-da! we have crocus blooming... Spring is springing in my corner of MD!

Day #71 - We got cookies!

"A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand"... or in my case, enough Thin Mints in the freezer to last all year. Couldn't find one box of these last year, not a one, so when Lew saw the Scouts selling them at some local stores this weekend, he made sure to get enough to keep me happy. I love these things!

Day #70 (cont'd) - and the answer is...

A dishcloth! One of those disposable types that I can plop in the
dishwasher occasionally and then pitch when it really gets ratty.
Those were great guesses, thanks for playing along! :)

I'm so glad y'all enjoyed the blue theme, I had lots of fun doing it. I'm really looking forward to the color themes YOU guys post!

Day #70 - My Blue Period - 7

I was hoping for a bright, sunny, blue-skied day to close this week's blue period, but Mother Nature just isn't cooperating. We have bright and we have sunny... but we don't have blue. We have somewhat white skies. Sooo, I chose bits and scraps of... what else?... scrapping supplies instead.

And, for your entertainment, I'm throwing in a bonus blue What is It??

Whatcha think it is? (answer tomorrow)

Day #69 - My Blue Period - 6

Every little kid needs a bucket of Legos, and my grandkids are no exception. They've been Lego-lovers since they were tiny and old enough to play with them. We have a collection we keep at our house and it's one of the first things the boys still grab when they come to visit.

Day #68 - My Blue Period - 5

My faithful and trusty ol' bowling ball... battle-scarred and all of 10 lbs heavy! In spite of its scant weight, it served me well for over 20 years of league and personal bowling. It lives in the basement now, collecting dust, but oh, the Wednesday night memories it holds! I miss it.

Day #67 - My Blue Period - 4

Lew bought this blue topaz for me at a local jewelry
fair and then had the necklace setting made for it.

Day #66 - My Blue Period - 3

*sigh* We got about 3" or so more snow today. There were icicles growing on the tarp that keeps the firewood dry. I am sooo NOT amused...

Day #65 - My Blue Period - 2

Not terribly creative, but I've got to get through seven
days here. Sooo, today's wardrobe - blue jeans...

and a favorite blue/kitties sweatshirt

Oh yeah, and since I was wearing these when I took the pictures, this serves as my self-portrait for the month too! LOL ;-)

Day #64 - My Blue Period - 1

Stealing Picasso's idea, I'm declaring this my "blue period" and will be photographing something blue every day this week. This cute little timepiece lives in our guest room.

Day #63 - Bathroom buffing

Our new downstairs bathroom sink/countertop is made of some kind of fiberglass/acrylic composition as opposed to the trusty ol' easy-to-clean vitreous china we've grown to know and love. Sooooo, it doesn't tolerate abrasive cleansers very well and needs a special cleaner. Sooooo, today it got some TLC and a spiffy clean and shine.

Buffing a bathroom sink... and they call this progress.

Day #62 - Computering

Seeing as how I spent a good bit of the day putzing around on the computer instead of doing something a little more constructive, it's only fitting that it be the subject of my daily chronicle. Besides, I couldn't come up with anything else! :D

This really, really needs to be said...

You guys are so sweet! Thanks so much for all the kind comments and support you always leave for me.

Being my own worst critic, I don't always think my photos are all that, but y'all always make me see things from a different point of view and feel better about what I'm doing in this project. I'm really a novice in the photography field, and still learning about using a camera beyond the "push here, dummy" mode. It's nice knowing I'm taking some decent pictures in the process.

So again, many, many thanks to you all. :)

Day #61 - 5 Feet High and Risin'

The aftermath of last night's rain storm had Carroll Creek
looking like the Monocacy River that it feeds...

Road to farm completely submerged by the same creek...
you can see how far underwater the posts are.

Normally, Israel Creek runs placidly along the trees in the background. Now it's covering the bottomland of a nearby farm. This particular creek is about 1/4 mile from our backyard and it's extremely disconcerting to watch it overflow its banks when we have heavy rains. Luckily, we're uphill!

Day #60 - Grilled Goodness

Got to get more Omega 3 fats in our diet, so dinner tonight was grilled salmon with a ginger-orange mustard glaze. It was okay, but we decided we like the brown sugar/bourbon glaze or baked dijon salmon better.