This is take two! I inadvertently erased my first e-zine! Yes, that really rots my socks…but that too is life.
I have found that Fall came far too quickly. We had such wonderfully warm weather and then instant Fall. I was glad that Jim and I got all our furniture put away in the shed and I got the annuals all cleaned up. I don’t know about you but my yard looks so barren now. As it snowed today I am so glad that all this work is done.
I always look forward to spring when once again the flowers and shrubs are in full bloom. I am feeding the birds more now as it is so cold. We have a mountain ash tree with lots of berries. The robins are filling up on these before their trip south. I put the water heater in the lower barrel of my water feature with my fish named Hudson and Rex. This heater hopefully will keep my water lily alive as well. It was interesting to see the two fish just laying on the soil of the water lily. I guess it was just too cold to move around much. These fish were so tiny when I got them and now have more than tripled in size. They just feed on the algae in the barrel. It is wonderful not to have to feed them.
November is also the month where work on our street is coming to its conclusion. We have new water, sewer and storm drains. As we often got flooding we actually have two grates! They started on May 15th and should be done by the end of the month. Currently, they are putting in curbs which will be followed by asphalt. They are putting topsoil at the end of the property and possibly grass this year. Our driveways hopefully will get our bricks back in place. It seems like a long time, however, to have this system fixed is awesome.
Over the past 5 years, we have had 3 water main breaks plus one directly across the street from us. This system definitely needed an update. There is even a larger storm drain in front of our place. They will finish the final asphalt surface in the Spring.
Jim and I are looking forward to getting our trailer back in our driveway at that time. It was so hard this year to try to remember everything to pack in it when it was parked 40 minutes away. It will also be great to have the trailer for guests again.
Our little Bella will be 5 months old on the 15th. She is now 4.4 lbs. She continues to make us laugh. I saw her in the backyard bend forward to pick a leaf off the ground. Both of her back legs lifted into the air. She goes around our tree and will quickly reverse directions so you cannot grab her! She loves her rawhide bones which is great because those sharp little teeth do make holes in fingers and arms. She is getting better every day in her potty training. She now lasts six to seven hours in her kennel at night. She still gets the Zoomies and tears around the house or yard. Right after she crashes in our arms to sleep for an hour or two.
She discovered snow for the first time today and thought that she could lick it all up. This is a major task for sure. We only had a dusting today so it will be fun to watch her reactions to a major storm. I am sure I will have to shovel out a path for her as she will get lost in the depth of the snow. We have got some warm outfits for Bella. She looks adorable in her outfits. Her Christmas one is wool with sheepskin inside, plus a velvet skirt. I never thought that I would be one of those people, but apparently, I am. Bella doesn’t care as she just wants to be warm!
She had her first experience with children at the door on Halloween. One little boy charged into our home and chased her around the kitchen island. I don’t think Bella was impressed. Another little boy gave her a kiss on her nose. She liked that. We went to Pet Smart on the weekend to get her used to little children. They are pretty gentle with her. So many children had lined up to receive candy from the firefighters. They gave her lots of pets too!
I was happy to get 90% of my Christmas gifts off to my Grands and children. The rest is almost ready to ship. It will be interesting to see how Miss Bella does with a tree. This should be a fun time for sure. I do love the Christmas season! We have an ornament coming with her picture on one side and Bella’s first Christmas on the other. I hope it is as cute as the pictures show!
I was also happy in late October to get my booster vaccine. I was on a higher dose of prednisone for my PMR which made my first dose not very effective. I am relieved that two weeks have passed already. I will get my flu shot but want to give this vaccine a chance to work fully first.
Take care and stay safe everyone.
Enjoy the holiday season as it gets closer. Remember what this season is all about. Try not to stress out too much. Be kind to others but mainly be kind to yourself.
Sue