Long Time no visit....

When I say my life is busy...I'm not fooling.  I thought we were supposed to relax now that we're in our sixties?!
ANYwho....our main focus has been on the landscaping, flagstone patio and two, yes two, DG patios off the main flagstone.  The one on the left will have a fire pit and the one on the right sits under a massive oak that will be filled with lights to sit out on warm breezy summer nights with friends at the big wooden dinning table...ahhhh!!

Some new girls to the pack...and one boy..damn!  But too cute to send away...yet..ha ha.  Some garden shots...things are blooming around here.  PS. Don't forget, I'm the Tomato Lady...35 planted so far and six more coming soon...I LOVE canning them for the autumn/winter months...Enjoy!

This is a small shot...this DG patio of 20 feet long
and pretty wide...it goes to the gate entry...the hydrangeas
are coming in wonderfully.  The oak above is huge...it's
simply lovely here.We sit here every day for lunch..
too bad huh?

The flagstone is not set yet, and once finished will
have a sealer on it so you will see the deep deep
blue/green color of these stones...soooo pretty.
Step down to this fenced area where a Pit to come
will be on the right of the wide space in the middle...
looks awesome!

Mr. Big...a lemon cuckoo orpington,
who is almost 5 mos here...
can't wait for that tail to come in.
It will be a brown stripe eggs-travaganza...
see how I did that?  Right now it's softer in tone
and not bushy or long...

The newest cluster of chicks..
the front one is Hermione a blue splash orpington.
 Amazing blue color in person, I wish you could see it.
 Behind her to the right,
is Sweet Pea, who was originally
Mrs Big..or Ms. Bradshaw, aka Mrs. Preston...
who turned out not to be the lemon cuckoo female,
but a Buff Columbian cuckoo...so she's still just
Sweet Pea..and Buckbeak is hiding out in the back..
a black orpington.  And Mr. Big on the left.

This is my chocolate orpington...Maggie May..
so big and fluffy..and an amazing array of brown tones
from deep chocolate to a light latte on the bottom..
spectacular in person!

Sweet Pea..Buff Columbian orpington
four/five mos. old.

Millicent...Millie for short...a black laced Barnevelder..
who does NOT lay dark chocolate eggs as she
is supposed to..bummer!

Ha hahahaha...Lydia..my old barred Cochin..
love love love!

Ms. Chickie Gaga...
a light Brahma..strutting her stuff

Ziggy Stardust...BEYOND love!

Ms. Bette...as in Divine!  A blue laced red wyndotte,
 who never turned blue..
bummer again..but pretty nonetheless.

My favorite in color..dont tell the others..
Princess Buttercup..a gold laced Cochin

Ms. Gilda...my homage to Ms. Radner...
a dark Brahma...the hen, not ms. Radner.

And last but not least my oldest gal..
a Silver Laced Cochin..Ms. Wynifred...
or Winnie most days.  Millie is behind her.

Hope your summer is starting off peacefully and full of fun and exciting adventures to come...keep in touch.  Big hugs to all my besties..xoxo juner.

WELL....LET ME TELL YA...

It's been the longest couple of months EVER!   Between health issues and the holidays...I'm wiped out!

At the top of the list is a kidney stone situation that began back in July!!  I've never had an experience like this ever with passing them.  For me it all begins with this intense bladder/uti infection that continues for literally weeks on end.  And then usually it's, boom! here it is and it may take a couple days to pass, but then it's done.  I've taken as long as a solid week before to pass one stone...insane continual pain, vomiting, fever, you name it.  But once it's passed it's like the heavens open up and there is instantly NO pain.  It's insane.  

Well, this time it was months in the moving about.  I went into the urgent care at the end of July to make sure it wasn't a kidney infection and that's when they told me it was a rather large stone..5.7mm!  EEK!  So I went home and went through weeks of pain and the usual bladder infection symptoms...and then it stopped.  We went to Tahoe at the end of September for our annual anniversary vaca and I was totally fine.  By the way it snowed while we were there, it was so amazing  and COLD!   And we had the best time with my brother and his wife..the best! (Except on our very first day of vaca, out on my brother's boat in Bullards Bar...he decided to jump in the lake..with his thousand dollar glasses on...geez  Not a good way to begin.)

Then things started up again in October with back pain again.  One late night (3:30 AM), I realized it was beginning.  The crazy flank pain that wouldn't go away and all the other symptoms in full bloom.  By the next morning I was throwing up, fever and in serious pain...like screaming and yelling..sobbing..the whole nine yards.  There's really no way to describe it.  Actually, I've been told by several women (a nurse included), that it's worse than childbirth..! And three days later, nothing.  A week later, after bouts of crazy pain, I finally ended up back in the hospital because I was worried about the sharp continual pain that was located in one specific spot only; so now I was worried that this big stone was stuck!  
This time the hospital Doc assured me the stone was not only finally out of my kidney, and had moved its way to my bladder opening, but that in fact it was a 6mm stone and that he was worried that it was too big for me to pass into my bladder; which has a smaller opening than the kidney exit..!!  So home I went with pain pills and flomax..which is miraculous by the way.  It took another week and then I passed it while soaking in the tub!!!??  No, I did not pee in the tub, it was simply time for it to come out and I felt the bizarro pain that happens when it's exiting and it was just lying on the bottom of the tub.  So that was that...except I forgot to mention that they told me I had another one! AHHH!  Much smaller, but there it was.  And as far as I know, I still haven't passed it.  However, I've been dealing with a mysterious bladder infection for the past week and a half..so my bet is on the second stone making an appearance very soon!
And let's not forget to mention the crazy flu I got a week before our big Xmas party.  I was decorating my tree three days before with a fever!  I NEVER get sick, like really, never.  But too much stress and life was too crazy and boom, there I was sicker than a dog at Xmas.  Then guests for a couple nights, followed by all the kids coming in for Xmas...ahhh!!  Beyond the beyond, is all I'm sayin.

So this is my long winded way of explaining why it is that I have been away for so long again.  Why I haven't shared photos from anything, and to at least give you a glance at some of my Xmas Tree photos from this past holiday.  This was the best tree I've ever done and I really want to share it...so please enjoy!  And for gods sake...wish me luck in passing this sucker quickly!!  Ha ha...xo juner


This first tree is the BIGGIE...it's over ten feet, which is why it's bent out on the top..my son thought that was a great idea...in the meantime it is now turquoise, teal, aqua, wine, claret, purple, lime green, white/frost.  It was spectacular and massive!!  It felt like we had a piece of the forest in our home...the best tree ever!!

The second tree is the usual suspect, vintage only, pink and orange.  I did the hombre effect beginning with baby/pale pink, down to medium pink, into hot pink, then moved on into pink/orange combos into pale orange, peach, then deeper into oranges.  Every ornament, save for a few boxes of sets, are one of a kind...ALL vintage.  And my latest obsession...Vintage Russian Clip ons.  Although I do have one clip on that came from Germany and cost me more than any other one I have...an elephant balancing a ball...it's precious.  And I have a couple of the others here as well.  Aladin, and a pink scuba diver...and there's more, but I just needed to stop now..ha ha!  Don't want to inundate you with more photos of my ornaments. 

front hall entry window

So there you have it!  You're all caught up again.  At present I'm back to being an author and finally finishing up my ya fantasy/adventure series, Benjamin McTish.  Life is moving forward on it's own terms and we're tagging along.  Hope your holidays were special and filled with love.  To all my besties...mucho hugs and kisses!  xoxox juners