Life and the other

 If you have been blogging for a long time, you have made friends who mean as much to you as people you know in "real life". And the long time of blogging means that we have all gotten older, with the sad facts that may go along with it. Sickness. Death. 

Some of my beloved blogging friends have lost their husbands  And today I read that a woman I have been in touch with for a long time died. Her daughter posted on her blog. 

I cried as if I had known her in my everyday life, because of course I did. It is made even harder because I have been away so much in the past year. If she was sick, I didn't even know. I've emailed her daughter.

I know a lot of you have been through this, too. The blogging world is slower, quieter than what came after it. That is why I love it and continue on. It lifts me up, teaches me, offers friendships, and sometimes brings sadness.

Melody Gardot & Sting - Little Something (The One Show)

I just heard this today on a jazz radio station, and I love it. I've been a fan of Melody Gardot for a long time, and Sting is always great. Their voices go perfectly together, I think. Also, it is a tune I can't stop humming.

Followup

This is a followup to my January 1 post. In March, Tom had two seizures at home, and one at the local hospital after the ambulance brought him there. He later went down to the hospital I mentioned in the other post. He stayed only a day, and is now on an anti-seizure medicine. So far, it has worked. And he sleeps better than he has in twenty years. 

This has been harder to deal with than the post-concussion because he cannot drive. He has a followup zoom appointment with the neurologist in October and he is hoping he will be able to drive again. Was the concussion caused by a seizure, or did the concussion bring on seizures? Or are they unrelated? There has been no real answer. We just have to accept what is. It is mostly okay. He tires easily, and must rest during the day. He does have some memory lapses but nothing really important. He has stuck to the low saturated fat regime, and though he misses some things, he is mostly okay.

I am really going to try and write more, and read your blogs which I have missed so much.

Last week's flowers, and a surprise visitor

 I've meant to post these pictures for nearly a week! The tulips are the most beautiful I've ever seen. I told the woman who grows them that the first week's were elegant, and the second week's were like a party! Such colors, and all mixed together. You'll also see a couple of poppies. I so love them even if they are often gone in a day or two.

I usually keep them in a big vase for a day or two and then break down the bouquet into little containers.

And the surprise visitor ...

After his snack of sunflower seeds, he headed over to the suet feeders and pulled them right off the poles and carried them off. 

Spring has sprung

It is in the mid-fifties which is not warm, and there isn’t sunshine every day, but I just love this time of year. The air is full of birds singing away - white throated sparrow, woodcock, thrush, robin, finches both purple (which are really red - why are they called that?) and gold, mourning dove, chickadee, nuthatch, junco, crow, and still a few turkeys, though the mating season has wound down and the ladies are in the woods on their nests. I heard a red-winged blackbird today which I haven’t heard here for years. And the peepers and woodfrogs! It is just glorious. Every single day there is something new popping out of the ground or flowering. The pictures become a bit clearer if you click on them. The forsythia makes me feel like I am immersed in yellow.

And the first CSA bouquet of the year. These are La Belle Epoque tulips, which the grower adores! And I do, too.

Today's picture - Mayflowers

How do these mayflowers know it is the first of May??

Ah, spring!

 We had an all day snow yesterday, and the weather folks say we got 22 inches. Best snow of the winter, and it isn't even winter anymore! I shoveled for a couple hours, and then Margaret and Hazel walked up while Matthew rode the four wheeler and plowed out the parking area, and a path for the oil delivery tomorrow. 

I don't think there is any day in a year that is so beautiful as this. Bright white snow, blue blue sky, and warm sun that is melting the snow. Perfect.