All posts by Rivergirl

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Crying… and laughing at the same time.

9 Comments

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It’s fallen to me to gather old photos of my husband’s late sister for her celebration of life.

Her daughter is still having a hard time…so the get together will be small, informal, and at her home. I’m going to set up a table of remembrance with flowers, this plaque…

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A guest book where people can share memories…

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A flameless candle…

And a large digital frame filled with pictures that will play continuously like a slideshow.

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It’s been bittersweet collecting and uploading the photographs.

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Life.

It’s fleeting…

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And over far too soon.

I shed quite a few tears looking at the 160 pictures I’ve pulled together, but every once in a while I’d smile. Like when I found this old family portrait proof of my husband and his 8 brother and sisters. (Hint- he’s the one in uniform. Top left.)

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And sometimes I even laughed.

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That’s my husband, standing behind his late sister on the right. The couple with them had just gotten married and I think he was the best man.

I may have to print one of these for framing.

😉

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Hummingbird wars.

15 Comments

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We have two hummingbird nectar feeders on our back deck. (Sugar and water only please. Don’t buy that packet with the awful red dye. Use red glass feeders instead.)

2023 has been a banner year for hummers and I don’t think we’ve ever seen this many at one time. But with high numbers come battles, because while they’re beautiful … they’re also quite territorial.

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The minute one sits down to feed, another arrives to chase it off.

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Please appreciate the fact I had to take 20 photos to get these two of the little jewels in flight. Those little suckers are quick.

Here’s a short video of a male and a female. They drank together for a short while.

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And if that wasn’t amazing enough?

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Three hummers. Happily feeding together…

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That’s never happened before.

❤️

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My body has developed a sense of humor, but I’m not laughing.

39 Comments

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Me and my body used to be pals. It performed well, was always there when I needed it and rarely let me down. I’ve never had a cavity. Or a broken bone. Or a migraine. Or heartburn. I still have my wisdom teeth, my tonsils and my appendix. My body was a well oiled machine and had never been in the hospital until I had a full abdominal hysterectomy in 2015 which threw me into menopause before I was ready.

My body was not pleased.

And the bitch has been seeking revenge ever since.

Weight gain. Fatigue. Night sweats. Joint pain. Insomnia. Hot flashes. Brain fog.

Yes, it’s safe to say I don’t even recognize this creaking, flabby husk in which I now reside.

I have a bum knee that won’t heal. A recurring pinched nerve in my neck which flares up as I sleep. Yes, even going to bed is dangerous now.

I have bunions which painfully distort my toes. When I’m staying home? I get to wear sexy accessories like this:

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Which because it’s black Velcro attracts Lord Dudley’s cat hair. Such a good look.

Not.

And every once in a while… just because it’s bored? My body does something weird that has me saying WTF!

As it did yesterday morning when I woke up looking like this:

*Warning- photos of me without hair and makeup to follow.

Proceed at your own risk.*

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What the… what?

Half of my face was red, swollen and my eyes were puffy.

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The lids were so enlarged it was hard to keep them open.

And I had absolutely no clue why. Nothing bit me. I didn’t brush against anything poisonous. It didn’t hurt or itch… it was just there when I woke up.

I iced it.

I took Benadryl.

And 10 hours later?

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I was still red and puffy and looked like someone punched me.

Knock it off body.

You’re not the least bit funny.

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Things seen while shopping.

15 Comments

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I went out thrifting with a friend the other day. We both love a bargain and had a ball at Goodwill and Salvation Army. You never know what treasure awaits.

Banana Republic linen blazer for $3? Yes please. Talbot weekender chinos for $2? I was all over that.

And as we stepped into the parking lot at Goodwill?

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A car that’s definitely easy to find.

After a morning of thrifting, we had lunch and hit TJ Maxx… which I think of as new merchandise thrift.

I had to laugh at this dress on the clearance rack. It was a size extra large with strategically placed cutouts.

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Being a woman of a certain size I can assure you that is not where extra large women want less fabric.

😲

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A can of water.

People will buy anything I swear.

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Good morning!

18 Comments

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Mother Nature is a beautiful thing and sometimes she rewards my insomnia with an early morning show.

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When the dawn sky looks like this in our backyard, I don’t mind being awake at 4:30am.

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Well, actually I do…. and curse that demonic body altering thing called menopause on a regular basis.

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But at least there’s an occasional benefit.

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Not that it makes up for weight gain, fatigue and hot flashes…

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But it sure is pretty.

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Finito! Well… almosto.

14 Comments

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The contractor is gone, for now… and the back deck work is finished.

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Well, almost finished.

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And while we now have steps and pretty white skirting….

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You have to be a little careful where you walk.

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Because our builder was slightly off on his calculations….

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And we’re still waiting for the three more boards that had to be special ordered.

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He’s promised not to charge for picking them up or installing them so it’s fine.

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Just be careful when you step out the back door.

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😊

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News you can’t use.

12 Comments

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You know I’ll never run out of stupid headlines. The world can be a stupid place…

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I have to wonder about this. Wouldn’t 30 bottles of bull sperm have been sufficient?

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Kendall, give your nipples a rest. I’m tired of their antics.

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I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say swim.

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I think I’ve been listening to music incorrectly for a long time. Damn.

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Ear boners.

I have officially heard everything now.

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Just… wow.

🤣

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A man and his ditch.

24 Comments

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My husband is not happy.

Not in any way, shape, or form.

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Every time he goes outside he gravitates to the hideous Grand Canyon we now have at the edge of our property.

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Talk about an eyesore. People are literally walking by with their mouths open. A few have even stopped in to ask… why?

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What a mess. And aside from the fact they took a good two feet of our lawn? They couldn’t even be bothered to do it uniformly, and that rankles.

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Let’s forget that it looks like a giant gaping maw…the whole purpose of the project was to stop the caving in and erosion.

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See the stripes? That’s what happened after the first rain. All the seed and hay flowed to the bottom…

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And we had intermittent washouts. Which is exactly what we had before.

It’s maddening.

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In case you’re wondering, it’s three feet in that spot. In some places it’s three and a half. Won’t that be fun to mow…

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Assuming we can ever get grass to grow there again.

Sigh…

😫

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Marry me.

21 Comments

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No, I’m not proposing…

Although after all these years my husband might be more than willing to share the pleasure of my company.

No, I’m simply sharing a recipe called Marry Me Chicken.

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This sounded yummy so I gave it a spin.

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Mine didn’t look anywhere near as brown so maybe I didn’t sear the meat long enough… but let me tell you it was damn tasty all the same.

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I did add a bit of flour to the sauce at the end since it was too thin for my taste, but this is a keeper.

Instructions are a little vague, but don’t be afraid to be heavy handed with the seasoning and tomatoes. .

👍

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