another blooming Monday...

Mtn Plain Heritage Park sunrise

Too many more days like yesterday and I may just burst into a flower, myself! Wow, I just am so thankful for this amazing weather we’ve been having! I’m trying not to get too excited about it because I know we still have some snow days to contend with…or do we? Gosh, wouldn’t it be cool if we actually stayed like this? Nah, ain’t gonna happen, no matter how much I wish for it, I do live in Wyoming where it even snows in June more often than not. But, I am going to relish every pea picking moment of this, I tell you!

Rob and I spent most of the day outside yesterday.  He went out to the Sale barn, where they auction off the livestock and picked up a nice big truckload of manure and came back and slung it all over the garden.  Since we don’t plant til the middle of May, that will give it plenty of time to soak in. He also broke down all the cardboard boxes we’ve accumulated over the winter in the garage and took them off to the recycling center. Now, we can walk around in the garage again!

Me and Thistle were mostly lazy.  I just received my Reiki Master designation a couple of weeks ago and I’ve been pouring over a lot of the books that go along with it so yesterday I turned up the stereo and brought all my books out on the deck and read in the sunshine.  Thistle busied herself with digging up half the backyard until I caught her at it.  I had to put a baby gate up at the top of the deck stairs and keep her with me on the deck after that little fiasco.

You see, the original part of the house is over 100 years old and evidently way back when they had a trash line in the back yard where they threw the trash. We found that out when we buried our first dog shortly after we moved here. Our inner backyard, where Thistle is, has this long hump that goes the full length across it.  When we buried Heidi, our sheltie, at the bottom of it, we dug up all kinds of interesting things from the turn of the century.  Well, Thistle has an incredible nose and about a week or so ago she started digging on that hump, right below our owl tree carving.  She got down about two feet and found a freaking ball! As soon as she found that ball, she quit digging there.  Yesterday, she started up on several different places along the hump. If it weren’t so muddy back there right now, I’d probably let her continue, because I’m just as curious as she is about what’s under there.

We are eventually going to dig that whole line up so we can level the backyard better but we aren’t quite ready. In the meantime, these holes she’s digging are really deep and I’m worried I’m going to accidently step in one and twist an ankle, if it gets covered up with snow again. That’s the last thing I need right now!

We had a lovely lunch on the deck, too.  We were just amazed that we were out on the deck in March!  I actually have a sunburn today! I keep forgetting how much closer to the sun we are at this elevation.  Oh, and Rob found another stray dog yesterday and we had to call the cops to come get the poor girl.  She was a real sweet birddog of some kind with a cute little docked tail, no collar, of course, despite our city regulations. Thistle thought she was real nice, but then Thistle just loves any dog she comes across. The poor stray had a nasty wound on her back paw. I hope they take care of that at the animal shelter.  This is the second dog in a week we’ve had to catch and call in.  The nice thing is that our shelter here is no-kill so even if someone doesn’t claim them, they are safe. I have a feeling someone will be claiming this sweet girl, though, she didn’t look underfed or anything.

Today is my tanning day so that’s the first thing I gotta get done.  With the nice weather, I think I’ll go wash the car while I’m out, too.  Then Miss Thistle and I are going to take a nice long walk on the Clear Creek trail and see what is starting to pop in the woods. My knee is totally back to normal already and it’s high time I get back into the walking routine.  Thistle has gotten out of the habit of walking on lead because of me being out of commission so long so we’ll be doing a lot of stopping and starting to get her back in the swing of listening again.

After lunch, I have my first physical therapy appointment to work on my neck problems.  I hope they have some good exercises I can do at home.  I think Quinn said they were going to do some ultrasound, that will feel good! I’m really glad he doesn’t want to do surgery anytime soon.  I have a girlfriend, Kim, who is in the same (or worse) shape with the same bulging disc problems and they are recommending surgery for her.  She’s going for a second opinion this week, just to be on the safe side.  We do not have the same doctor although they are in the same surgical group in Sheridan.

All in all, I think it’s gonna be a pretty lazy day.  I’m going to try to soak up as much sunshine as possible because I know this great warm weather isn’t going to last forever. I really should be indoors cleaning the house and calling relatives and friends back east but that just ain’t happening as long as this gorgeous weather persists!

Funny Thistle likes to "hang" on my chair in the evenings

I’ve been upstairs moving my clothes around in anticipation of wearing lighter clothes and I was quite pleased to find out that all of my summer clothes either fit or are a bit big.  Now, that’s been a nice surprise! This medical vegetarian diet I’ve been on so long really doesn’t allow me to gain any weight.  I've actually lost weight over this winter, about another 15 pounds. Usually, I’m in a pretty bad mood when I get to the summer clothes after a long winter, but not this year!  I’ve already set aside the clothes I’ll need for the Arizona trip and for once I won’t be scrambling to go buy clothes that fit! I can even fit into my bikinis, but I tell you right now that I won't be wearing those anywhere but in my backyard. I don't think women of my age should, no matter how good they think they look. I can’t believe I’m actually smaller than I was in high school now.  I tell ya, though, things don’t sit the way they did back then. Oh well, we aren’t getting any younger, right?

I hope wherever you are, you are enjoying a nice day, as well.  If not, you’ll just have to make up some sunshine in your mind, right?  There’s always something to be thankful for, no matter what’s going on, take it from me. Have a beautiful Monday, friends!