Dang...I am behind on this too!

Hey dear little blog world.
Yep, can't keep this up with everything else going on. But just to let you know I am still alive here are some pics to keep you entertained. By the way, we are off to Fredericksburg this weekend and looking forward to the hill country of Texas (I have only been in the "hill country" about 4 times in my life!) and it sure is pretty. I will share stories with that when I return....

Oh by the way, the above photo is from a fishing trip that some friends of ours hosted. It was FUN!!!!

fergie (the not-so greyhound)

fergie.
Originally uploaded by bigtexhex

This is from a gal I know. She is really a great photographer and why she doesn't do it for a living is beyond me! This is a pic of her pup. Not sure how she did it...but it's REALLY cute!

Magnolia Hotel

Magnolia Hotel
Originally uploaded by the urban fabric

I was on Flickr today prowling around and ran across this guy's photography. He is AMAZING!!! Please visit his work, especially if you live in Dallas. I was so dumb-founded with his stuff that I didn't write is name down. I will try to edit this later with a link to his portfolio.

Pinkalicious for AMY!!!

DSC02456
Originally uploaded by shepoots

So as great as the Lakewood 4th of July Parade was this year...when I saw this I of course thought of my friend Amy...and how...if we had the energy...could have rock this float with our bad selves!!! LOL! Maybe next year!

almost done

So this is almost a complete portfolio....let's see how it looks.

Practice Piece

Hey, This is only for testing purposes. I just wanted to see how this program from Issuu.com would work for Greg's portfolio. I will try it here first then in the next two weeks try to imbed it on his new website that is due to launch at the end of the month.

If you happen to look at this before I take it down. Let me know what you think about how it "functions"...is it intuitive enough to handle?

ok...hope this works

Thank you Dallas Tree Surgeons

So ...we made the decision to finally take down the cedar tree. I believe it was planted in the 50's and since our neighbor's twisted and fell through the fence and into our yard this spring (nearly missing G's newly built shed...lucky, lucky boy.), we decided that we should take care of this one before it created damage to our house or the neighbors. It was a hard decision since it really provided the only shade in our yard, as well as home for some wildlife. But near the bottom on one side sounded "full", the other side sounded "hollow" and there was some fungi growth there near the base (covering the hollow area) gave us concern. As well as an old stress fracture that would not have bode well with the corner of our house and the pool...so, before any high winds were to make a decision for us, we decided on Saturday (or was it Sunday?) that we better get someone to come out and do the job for us.

Let me say something about Dallas Tree Surgeons, they are fabulous! We had used them before to grind a tree stump down in our yard as our pool was being built. And they were quick and very reasonably priced. SO, when it came time to take care of this tree...I dug up our invoice and found their information again.1. Stump and Chips, 2. More than a trim, 3. First Cut: OUCH!, 4. Working up., 5. Starting to see the message!, 6. It's last word...Love., 7. Broken Hearted, 8. Fade away, 9. A little on top., 10. The last bit., 11. Excellent at what he does., 12. A Professional, and worth every penny!, 13. Leave for Hammock

It was the weekend and they had an online request form that made it so easy to submit! It saved me time, knowing that they would call us first thing Monday... and they did, in fact they sent Chuck out for an estimate, again reasonable, for taking the tree down and haul away.
We set a "to do by" date and within two days...they were on the job! Very professional, they took care in our yard with our plants and landscape lights...they cleaned up after the job fabulously!
And they billed me online after the job so we could get that taken care of easily!

Yeah, can you tell we would recommend them to anyone!!!

I hope I didn't make them nervous. I took pictures of the whole operation, because I document everything done to the house and I wanted subject matter to work on as I try to cut my teeth on "stills to video" production. And I wanted to watch! I learned a lot. The team was great, but that guy in the tree...OMG!!! He was unbelievable!!!!

Ok...enough for now...gotta go make money to pay for this! Sorry to see the tree go, but it was a preventative measure and Dallas Tree Surgeons, made it as painless as possible!

Cardoon...can you see the bee?

Cardoon...can you see the bee?
Originally uploaded by shepoots

So, here was a quick pic of the cardoon that has bloomed. We have two large plants outside and they LOVED this cool spring...but now the heat is here and they are really thristy. Two blooms this week. Look at the middle left edge of the pic. Do you see the bee? He is coming in for a landing!

Go do your thing Mr. Bee!

A poster effect on this pic of Vegas...pretty cute.

Now, if she only stood that still in real life!

And things are rolling along. I am working to get my speed up on some graphic techniques while trying to work on Greg's website also.

Cool stuff. So much to relearn.
And then...there's the laundry, dinner, shopping and so on.

So...I promised myself that I would get a good night's sleep, since I was up to 3:30 am. But I did win some money at the poker game!

Makes me smile

Ok...I was feeling horrible today. I am sure it is related to all of this "health" business. Feelin' crudy. Feelin' sad that I am going to miss my River Girl's trip this year. BUT I ran across this photo today from a friend of mine.

Yes, it is her daughter and this is one of the funniest things I have ever seen! A darling goof-ball!

So I thought I would share it with you to brighten your day too!

Have a great weekend!

Did I mention that about a month ago my dear friend Amy and I made a trek out to Ft. Worth to Mayfest. One of the highlights of the day was visiting with the folks who produce Redwood Creek Wines! We had so much fun there! And found a great new inexpensive and good tasting wine to boot! (Try the cabernet...it's very good!)

And Amy took this great pic of me and this fish!

I meant to share this earlier. It finally took this illness for us to be able to hire someone to help us with the house cleaning. Elisa is her name and she is wonderful and kind. Not only is our bathroom the absolute cleanest we have ever seen it, she put her touch on it also! (see pic)

You know, they do this on cruise ships, but I thought it was really sweet that she wanted to make this space, our bathroom, special. I love it because she cared enough to do it.

It's been a week. We got the results back from the biopsy and the nodules are benign. Yeah! A new auditory test was preformed and I am now hearing in my left ear somewhat. Moderate to severe was the new result. That's improvement!
What I hear is like Charlie Brown's teacher in a well, but it is better than 3 weeks ago, when I couldn't hear anything! So, I go back in 6 weeks and we will see what happens. Patience. Still dizzy, but the Doc said that was going to be the last thing to clear up months from now. SSHL...I don't want it to ever return. In the meantime, I will enjoy those simple things in life...like someone trying to make my life and environment prettier.
It makes me smile and helps me forget for a moment the cruddy situation going on. Thanks Elisa!

Iris' view

Iris
Originally uploaded by shepoots

What a day. Health is still the same. A bit sore from yesterday's procedure. Errands and breakfast with my friend Marilyn. She was sweet to do that. And it is SO appreciated!!! I had to get the gift to Geena, the Primacare nurse, who first took care of me on May 9th. Then off to visit Dr. John for another adjustment. This one I don't think worked as well as the first. Kind of felt funny the rest of the day.

About Iris though...she's not too thrilled about Vegas' return. She's on the run again. LOL!

Ouchie!

Today was exciting. A thin needle biopsy on my thyroid. Very interesting! You do EXACTLY what people tell you to do when you have needles going into your neck! You betcha!

All the folks at Baylor Roberts Hospital Radiology were fabulous! My nurse Marilyn was so incredibly sweet and kind and attentive. Dr. Yang performed the procedure. Young, personable, cute and thorough. Oh! And human! The best part. Comic relief provided by Gene. (don't know really what he does there). And I was lucky enough to have Dr. Ford - head of the residency program there - pop in for a view! I was in VERY good hands!

Dave in recovery, spelled things out perfectly and was great at explaining everything.

I haven't blogged my other procedures at this point, but Baylor has impressed us with their attention to customer/patient care. Very refreshing. With two procedures done, if any more happen to be needed, I actually look forward to going! Wow! That's a big statement for hospital care! Here's a bit about their philosophy on their residents program.

So, other than some minor pain. Everything went well. Except for me nearly fainting, but that was just me...tomorrow is a new day! Results in 3 to 5 working days and we will take it from there!

She's back

Been up all night
Originally uploaded by shepoots

Well, yesterday Greg went to pick up Vegas and bring her home from "board and train". The "train" part of that...well, I don't know if that happened too much. But she is aware of "the Clicker" now. Still jumps and nips! OUCH!

But it is great to have her back. She slept in her kennel all night. A VERY good thing. Tessa and Ozzie are wagging their tails again. I think they missed her too. The cats? Not so much. LOL!

I can't wait to get better and take her for a walk!!!!
Welcome Home Miss Vegas!

The good life

The good life
Originally uploaded by shepoots

This is a new addition to the household of my friends Elizabeth & Don.
They found her whimpering under their house, covered in fleas and in really bad shape.

Well, now she has a new home and people that are gonna LOVE the heck out of her!!

Welcome Miss Maggie Mae!!

Getting use to things

Ok. So "they" talk about waking up one morning and your life completely changes.
Well, it did.
It was a scary Friday, May 9th. I woke up and couldn't hear and the room was spinning. It was like I was shot with an elephant gun! WTF!

Now, that it is a week and a half later, my ENT specialist said it is a virus in my inner ear. And it will take at least 3 weeks to begin to feel a change and up to 4 months to heal. (what ever that may mean) So, I can't hear in my left ear at all, except for the noise that is constantly in it 24/7, and that gets annoying. The pressure can be extremely bothersome. And, did I mention I cannot walk well. Like a 3 year old. I am truly a dizzy broad now!

But...if you are reading this...I am really NOT complaining. Just venting. It is not cancer. So, day by day we (my husband is part of my team) will take it. You just can't control everything. That's hard for us Virgos.

So...we now have a maid. She just came and is working. Lovely woman. Despite what's going on "in my head"...it's finally come to the point of reaching out for help. And at least it smells good in here!

Talk to you soon.

0106081422.jpg

0106081422.jpg
Originally uploaded by shepoots

Time to knit

Hey world! Somehow I have to get over not "having a voice" or maybe it is just I am not a "talker", but I have to start somewhere and why not with my passion of knitting. I know that there is a whole world out there FULL of knitting bloggers...why not me!

So here we go! I will begin tomorrow! LOL!

It takes time to get up the guts! (and material!)