In the Service of Her Majesty The Queen

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope you spend/spent it with a loved one and have/had a memorable time.
:love:

 

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! :heart:

 

I hope the night went well and you have a good day.

Spring is here in Florida. Not that the weather is very Spring-like, although it is warming up some.

The trees and bushes are budding and the weeds are growing. So my lawn, such as it is, has clumps of fast growing green amid the brown grass. Good thing the grass, when it takes off, spreads so fast here. I'd have no lawn at all if it weren't for that.

People are starting to plant their Spring gardens, getting them ready, etc.

The early migrating birds are starting to arrive. And the buzzards seem to have accomplished their mating selections and have moved on. Did that awhile ago, actually.

I have resolved one issue/problem in my life, the major one, and the other problems are falling in line to also get resolved, since they all relate back to the major one.

It feels strange, actually. I've been in dire straits for so long that I hardly know how it feels not to be there. That doesn't mean I won't have bad spells in the future, but they shouldn't be nearly as bad as they have been. Or last very long.

Hope you woke up this morning.

May the Lady smile
on you and me too.

 

Spring in February!

He-he-he.

Well, I like winter as much as I like spring, so I do not envy you in this matter.
And I am quite happy with -20 C. And four 30-minutes walks over snowy streets every workday are so invigorating! (Except when I have to cross windy spots, but there is some perverse pleasure in that too.)

I just wish everyone could enjoy their weather as much as I enjoy mine.

 

Spring is my favorite time of year...when everything comes to life again. Green is also my favorite color, probably because I like Spring so much...or the reverse

I've lived in snow country and I agree that it can be invigorating to walk in it. Tis also beautiful to look at when it is freshly laid on the ground and trees.

But I do not like walking or driving in a blizzard, or trying to mince my way across ice without falling down. Ice is hard. The fat lazy flakes that swirl when I drive through them tend to hypnotize me and I don't think going into trance is a good idea when I'm driving

Plus it is harrowing to drive on snow when there is a cliff on the side. Seems like every corner on a snowy mountain road is smooth and slick.

But you are right...a snowy winter is much preferable to the sweltering humid summer days here in the South.

Every season has it upside and downside...I just happen to prefer rain and wind. And green over white.

 

Sergio's right. Enjoy the weather you got. There's nothing you can do about it.

 

Like we say around here...

Don't like the weather? Wait ten minutes.

Wonderful to hear! I'm very happy for you and hoping the other ones resolve quickly and satisfactorily for you as well!

 

I hope you had a good day and the night is going well.

The full moon has been huge the last 3 nights, very beautiful.

I thought I saw a bear last night. The cam was moving away from the location and when it came back, whatever I saw wasn't there. I didn't think there were any bears in the area.

A flock of geese landed in the catchment basin between the highway and the road to the neighborhood I live in. That road is a remnant of the old highway and fronts my neighborhood. The catchment basin is for the rain that sweeps off the highway and always has some water in it. Right now, it is about half full. It isn't very big, either. Maybe that's why the geese were making so much noise. Can't imagine why they landed there.

I'm glad you woke up this morning!

May the Lady smile
on you and me too.

 

A dove has moved into the nest in the pot holder on the back side of my house. Spring is here.

 

The rebuilding begins. It might be a long road, there is a lot broken to put back together, but it begins. It begins!

And so I put one foot in front of the other and start to breathe again...

 

And even better, you don't have to worry about funding your rebuilding with tax dollars.

No budget woes!!

 

Lexi sits in the window avidly watching the flock of tiny sparrows flutter and hop around the porch, pecking at the seeds the squirrels scattered under the bird feeder.

One of the squirrels, large and mature, who seemingly survived the winter very well judging from it's fat flanks, was busy at the feeder as I walked up the ramp to the porch, my footsteps heavy and plodding because I was so tired. It didn't leave the feeder until I was quite close, despite the noise I made, jumping down onto the porch and off into my weedy excuse for a lawn only when I was within arm's reach. It's persistence is probably why it is so plump; I envision it busy digging up buried acorns this winter, hunger driving it out of it's nest high in one of the oaks, down to the ground.

As soon as it left the porch, the small flock of sparrows the squirrel had been holding at bay flew in, scarcely noticing the screen door close behind me.

Spring is here...when the sparrows come to feed, spring is definitely here.

It was warm last night. I saw two lizards at work, on the wall by the door. That surprised me, I didn't know that lizards move around at night. They were quite close to the light by the door, probably feeding off the gnats and moths that swarm around that light, a tasty smorgasborg I imagine, for the lizards. It makes sense when I think about it, that the lizards would be out when food was plentiful.

So Lexi has something to keep her occupied while I sleep, either birds or squirrels. I'll have to remember to keep the feeder full.

 

I hope you had a good day and the night is going well.

My dogwood tree is in full bloom.

Lexi is kept busy watching the Sparrows visit the bird feeder (and the squirrels rob it).

A very large flock of blackbirds covered my lawn, industriously pecking away at whatever it is that blackbirds eat.

The neighbor lady mowed my lawn...at this point, mostly weeds. It will take awhile for the grass to fill in again. But, hey! It's the first mowing this year!

I have been working on rearranging (and reordering) my house. This is a slow process, seeing as how it is interrupted by work and the need to sleep. Plus there have been a couple of unexpected projects crop up that had to be completed before I can tackle the major chore of moving my computer and desk into the front room and out of the bedroom.

One of them, the most difficult for me, is covering a metal plant stand. Along with a bookcase about the same size, it is now a partial room divider. It has 3 sides and 3 shelves, the back and sides composed of thick wires arranged in an open vine pattern. I was worried that Lexi would hang herself with her proclivity to jump up on things, thanks to spending the first 4 months of her life in a large cage. So I decided to cover the back and sides with plexiglass.

Now this has been quite a job. I managed to cut the plexiglass with a sharp knife made for the purpose, but attaching it has become a problem. The outer metal frame of the back and sides are rods a little more than 1/4" in diameter and since the entire thing folds flat, there are two of them adjacent to each other at the corners. I cannot find anything suitable to use so I am using binder clips, which are not particularly attractive. I bought some metal mirror clips but I can't find glue that adheres to both plexiglass and metal.

I haven't tried to drill holes in one of the scraps of plexiglass yet, because my drill is malfunctioning and won't even drive a screw into wood and I really don't want to buy a new drill. I thought about heating up a skewer on the stove burner and trying to melt a hole, but I am not sure how easily plexiglass melts. Or catches fire either.

Anyone have any ideas? Surely someone out there has done something like this and knows how to accomplish it.

Plus I have not been feeling well for the last week, although I think I am getting better. So my energy levels are low. I was beginning to think I had walking pneumonia. Stubborn me does not want to go to the doctor, but I may have to.

Lexi and Alex are getting along better, even on occasion sleeping near each other on my bed. Not touching, mind you, but close. I watched Alex deliberately entice Lexi to chase him, so they are not actually fighting. I think he is teaching Lexi how to fight. Cats will do that.

And a neighbor's outdoor cat has taken claim to my front porch. This has resulted in sporadic ninja cat attacks through the screen door. So far, the screen door has held up.

Lexi has decided my computer chair is 'our' chair. She likes to lay down behind me, forcing me to perch on the edge of the chair while she curls up around me. While she is being a butt kitty, she likes her tummy rubbed. And her chin rubbed when she is a shoulder kitty. Lots of kitty loving going on in my house.

I have not been on 2nd Life much at all, being taken up with an offshoot game of Dragon Age when I am online. When I have been on 2nd Life, the vampire has not been there, at least not in the persona that I know. So there's that.

I hope you wake up this morning!

May the Lady smile
on you and me too.

 

It's nice to hear from you again!

 

Idea 1:

"Ask a hand-crafty neighbour for help with this. It will be better if that neighbour would bring his own drill. Even better if his drill will be hand-driven mechanical one and not electrical - less danger this way."

Idea 2:

"Buy yourself a new cheap hand-driven mechanical drill."

Idea 3:

"Rethink placement of the furniture so that its dangerous side meets the wall."

Using ideas 1 or 2 you are at a disadvantage, for you (or the mentioned hand-crafty neighbour) still need to invent a way to fix plexiglass on the rods (even if it has holes, how do you think you will do that? With wire?)

But, idea 2 provides an opportunity to befriend neighbours, that's good.