Today

We have had a black/ brown widow spider infestation in our yard, so I have been bravely slaying spiders for several days now.  I’m not too funny about many bugs (except roaches) I usually just leave them alone (unless they are eating my garden). I think my venomous spider body count is up around 30 (not including the egg sacs), .. I am starting to get slightly creped out.  I have found them EVERYWHERE in the yard, but thankfully not in the house!!  With some research and a call to my biologist friend, I have learned that the best way to get rid of them is to go where they hide and kill them. So that’s exactly what I have been doing. There really aren’t sprays that are effective unless you actually spray the spider.  I think I am finally on top of the problem. I cleaned up lots of placed they hide and sprayed some citrus oil to discourage them from returning. The kids spend alot of time outside, and I want to be sure they are safe.

                                                                     

Yesterday our neighborhood stray cat wandered back to my house (after not seeing him for several months), he was lying in my garden.  As I approached him he did not run away, so I knew he must have been very sick.  He had one eye completely missing and infected and the other eye was cloudy.  His skin was thick and swollen, he had sores all over his body, and was very skinny.  I called a local feral cat rescue and they gave me the name of a vet I could take him to.  So I gently lifted him into our cat carrier, and the kids and I took him to the hospital.  I knew the only option for him was to be put down, so we had a long talk on the drive over about what was happening to poor Red.  The vet was super nice and thanked me for bring him in, she said she thought he was blind.  She also warned that he had scabies so I have clean everything he touched with bleach water, because they are transmittable to humans.  It was a sad lesson, but a teaching moment for the kids about humane treatment of animals.  We also helped two gopher tortoises safely cross the road, another lizard egg hatched and released, and founded a giant moth.

I saved the best news for last….I had an appointment with my rheumatologist.  My lupus is NOT active!! In less than a year from diagnosis and treatment my iron and white blood cells are back up to normal levels, and my DNA and ANA tested negative.  I have still been having a lot of pain and fevers.  My doctor said that lupus often bring other autoimmune friends and suggested that something else could be causing my pain.  She talked about the possibilities of fibromyalgia.  Yuck! I was so hopeful that when I got my lupus under control that I would actually feel good.  I have worked so hard to get here, and I AM grateful.  I will continue on the anti-malaria medication, nutritional supplements, and eating a (for the most part) clean healthy diet, hoping that I will be able to get on top of whatever else this is.  I do feel better, and an am confident it will continue to in this direction.

The kids (with help) made their own vision board and talked about their dreams and not just “stuff”.  It was a fun project, and I made it so we can update it as they grow and change.  It’s a good exercise for me too.  I feel the need to be still, quiet and listen, which is very hard for me.  I push so hard to make everything okay, I am learning to accept that somethings I cannot change.  I am grateful for my life and the challenges that I have and will face. 

I found this book Monty gave me for my birthday this year about the year I was born 1977. He edited it and added his own description in it. I found some humor and irony in it.