A day in the woods

It was an extra special day.

I got to spend plenty of time with my husband out in the woods as we worked on clearing trees that had fallen on the fence in the August storm of 2007. Yes, that seems like a long time to be getting to it...

but understand, we lost over 200 trees up and around our house which we've spent a year working on~~and the job is not yet done.

We trampled through berry briars and multiflora rose, over barbed wire fence, and downed tree tops.

We got hot.

We enjoyed it.

Time together like this is always nice, especially if you can be with the one you love.

[Look how nice he was to Morris, holding the truck door open for him!]

Sometimes you feel like a nut...

Some days are just not very interesting. I haven't had any enlightening thoughts ... I am however looking forward to spend a couple of hours in the woods today to enjoy my 'day off'.

[I do get to enjoy some crazy hours though, as I have to go on shift at 4am. This is a new one for me~~a 12 hour shift. These don't happen very often, although I do work many 11 hr shifts.]

Morris has been going nutso the past few days. Being a Jack Russell, HE needs his exercise in order to behave.
Any one who owns a JRT knows this.

Last night he was rambunctious and a bit nutty. I put him in his crate. He proceeded to show his disgust by trying to shred his blanket.

He has been running around the house this morning doing mad circles. He grabs his toys and flings them in the air.
Then sits and stares intently at me.

It is a good clue that we must get out and have some fun.

Sometimes you feel like a nut...

A day off!

I made it ... I made it!

7 days of work without any days off~~I survived.

Yet this morning, it is back for an 11 hour shift.

I sure hate the alarm ringing at 4am on some mornings. Just didn't want to roll out of bed today.

But I got some good rest yesterday. It was cold and gloomy, just right for taking a long daytime nap.
Let's see, so nothing really important happened at all.
[oh yes, I did get to talk with my brother, that was very important to me]

We went over to see Mom and she is really doing quite well. She does have a pretty shiner and is amazing in the fact that she is doing well with her arm taped and banded to her side. She says the shoulder doesn't hurt her at all right now.

This is good and I am hoping that she doesn't have difficulty when the orthopedic doctor sees her in a week.
Tomorrow I take her to her ER follow up appointment.

I can't wait to get back out into the woods after the rains we had! Things will really start blooming and growing now that we've had nearly 4" of rain over the weekend.

Oh, the drive home Sunday night in wind whipped rain and blinding downpours was interesting.
We'd had a 'night crawler' rain.
It rained SO hard that the night crawlers had crawled up onto the black top and I swear, I was driving on worms instead of black top at some points on the way home!

Have a great day.
I will.

Moms

Everyone has one.

Yesterday the phone rang as I was getting ready to step into the shower to clean up for my night shift.

It was my Mother in Law's friend calling to tell me that my MIL had fallen and was in the ER. It seemed she had dislocated her shoulder.
Ouch.

She'd done it quite early in the day and had spent most of the day in the ER getting x-rays and getting checked out as she'd also gotten quite banged up in the process.

I jumped into my uniform and dashed to the ER to see her.
[She's doing okay, but it may be a 'bit' of a recovery.]

As they were getting ready to transfer her to a room for overnight observation, I headed off to work.

Of course that got me to thinking about Moms.
As I drove through the lightening and heavy downpours ... through the deep and beautiful valleys...I let my mind wander a bit.

Mom. I do miss mine and wonder about her quite a bit. How is she doing?

A spring hike

April 22...
After getting off an all night shift, I decided to take a quick nap and then go for a 'photography' hike.
This is the most relaxing thing I can think of doing.
Morris starts to quiver and shake when I pick up any of my cameras. It is a sign for him that there is more than likely going to be some sort of great adventure~~~

along with icky yucky things to roll in and sample.


We found some Virgina Spring Beauties...

We found some Wild Leeks [which I picked some! yum]

Rue-Anemone

And then a opossum! Morris discovered the critter.
I was busy on the hillside looking at the first leaves of wild columbine and enjoying the songs of a cardinal above me.
Morris wouldn't come to me when I called.
So I walked down to see what was so interesting to him.

A sickly hissing possum. Morris was quivering, though I think NOT from bravery. I was happy that he is not a normal Jack Russell for a normal JRT would have dove in for a fight.

No, Morris is a kind and gentle JRT. He prefers non-violence. He'll run from squirrels and bark at rabbits.
The possum was very intimidating as it was his size. True to being Morris~~
he just watched, curious.

Now before anyone jumps on me, for shooting this possum, let me say:

They are not cute.
They are not friendly.
They will go away on their own...
But they carry EPM ~ Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis
a disease that is really quite deadly to equine...

They are nocturnal animals and do not come out during the day.
They are carries of many diseases, along with carrying heavy infestations of fleas, ticks, mites, and lice.
In other words, a 'possum' is a big rat.

Perhaps I should be politically correct in saying that I helped this possum cross the rainbow bridge before his time.

Anyway. We did go on our way after disposing of the growling sickly thing. I felt I'd done it a kindness as it was obviously ill.

We finished up our hike by finding a deer antler shed, which I carried home along with another fine day in the woods, enjoying the outdoors.

Day 3 er night 3

Night 3 of sipping coffee and checking the weather so I will know what to wear [as in long johns or not?] to work.

I slept all day and am wide awake now. So this is how it feels to be a 'night' owl. I'm happy that I don't do this as a regular schedule.

[Would I become pale and pasty from never seeing daylight...??? ;-) Would I grow fangs and sleep hanging from the barn rafters?
Although it would be convenient to grow bat wings and just fly to work...save gas $]

I feel like I am missing so much. Though today it was cloudy, cold, windy, and not very nice outside...so I didn't feel the grand urge to drag my body outside to do things.

Of course my next shift is a day shift.
Talk about having to flip around!

I do miss my walks and rides in the woods right at the moment. I can't wait to 'rotate' to the next schedule to I can have some time to see the spring flowers blossoming.

Oh,...and I have to get some more miles in for my 5k race in July. I was told by my oldest son that I better get hoppin'...he didn't want me coming in LAST in the 'old folks' division.

The art of staying awake

During a midnight to 8 am shift.


Count Alligators, because Sheep would put you to sleep.

Listen to a co-worker's ramblings because there isn't anything else to do.

Jump up and down.

Drink coffee [I don't like to~~ it only makes you have to pee more often]

Count your fingers.

Pick your nose.

Shout out while watching the security monitors~~~ "OH my GOD, I saw an alien!"





[Really it isn't that bad, I do get a lot of letter writing done and crossword puzzle books~~from 4 am 'til shift change we stay pretty busy...]