We hung two wasp traps from the apple trees in our back yard. They were “caged” glue traps that were supposed to attract unwanted flying pests, while also being bird proof.

Tell that to the poor bird that made its way into the trap and got its back and wing stuck to the glue strip.

I discovered him while I was talking on the phone on our screened in back porch. I thought I saw something in the trap, and assumed it was a bird or squirrel. I almost didn’t take a closer look, but decided I should, expecting to find a small animal I could easily free.

No such luck.

The poor bird was stuck fast and had done a lot of damage to himself trying to get free. After a brief panic and intense wave of guilt, I looked up how to free an animal from a glue trap on the webs and got to work. Once I was gloved, goggled, and masked, I covered his head with a small cloth to calm him down, then slowly and carefully used olive oil soaked Q-tips to release him from the glue. Once he was completely released, I used a damp cloth to gently wipe away what oil I could. Then I set him down in the grass and removed his head cloth. He could stand, but not move much, and certainly couldn’t fly.

I went inside to get a box, then found him in the exact same spot, where I scooped him up and moved him to the front yard, safe from my dogs. I found a shaded spot under some thick Day Lilly growth, where I thought he could rest, with some cover from predators. I had no real expectation he would survive, but I did what I could to make him as safe and comfortable as I could.

He died that afternoon, in the same spot I left him.

I don’t handle animal death or suffering well, and this one hit me hard, because we had hung the trap he got stuck in.

Both traps were removed and discarded, and glue traps of any kind are now banned from our home.

I take some small comfort in knowing he didn’t die stuck to that trap. I’d like to think there was some sense of relief for him that he had been freed. But he suffered and died because of something we did, and that will bother me for a long time to come.

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Our precious princess turns 11 today.

She is a special little dog, with lots of quirks and idiosyncrasies, but they only make her all the more lovable.

She is definitely a gift that keeps on giving.

Just a quick pop-in to say hello. It hasn’t been a great health week for me (I think I may have gotten food poisoning at the beginning of the week) so I’ve been lying low and couch surfing while I ride out the stomach-storm.

We purchased a Ninja Foodi Smart XL Grill, upon the recommendation of a couple of friends. I wanted an air-fryer but, rather than purchase a separate one, we decided to get this which is both a grill and air fryer, and replace our George Forman grill.

We grilled one item so far (fish, which I believe is the source of my stomach woes) but haven’t had the chance to do anything else yet. I hope to start experimenting more once I’m feeling better.

Otherwise, we’ve been hiding out from the ongoing heat, humidity, and rain, which does not promise to let up any time soon.

So far, 2021 has been a bit of a pill for me. Can’t say I’m bummed it’s passing quickly.

It has been raining almost non-stop here for 2 weeks, making any outside activities (mowing, pruning, weeding, pool time, grilling) impossible. All the moisture is making the relatively few dry spells so humid it’s unbearable to be outside for any length of time. Our poor inflatable “wading” pool (which we’ve only been able to enjoy once) is filled and overflowing, and the heat is deflating it to the point it looks like a mangled manatee. I was trying to bail the water out and re-inflate it as needed, but it became a daily chore, so now I’m just waiting it out.

This past weekend, we were able to bring all the cardboard from our recent furniture purchase (modular furniture, with each piece in a separate box) to the town recycling day clean-up site and unload it in one fell swoop. It was nice to clear that out of the garage, which is barely big enough for our two cars as it is. After that, we spent the day at my Mom’s house, visiting with my oldest brother and his girlfriend, in from Arizona. They were in NY for a wedding, and would only be in the area for the day, so the whole family gathered at the matriarch’s abode. It was a good visit, but I was spent by the afternoon and was happy to return to the peace, quiet, and tranquility of our own home.

My guts were acting up most of the weekend, so not much else got accomplished. Sunday, I spent the day relaxing and napping and mentally preparing myself for the work week ahead. (1,772 work days left, and counting.)

It occurred to me our life has become a bit too routine. Work week: breakfast, work, dinner, TV, bed; Weekend: chores, errands, TV/movies, bed. While my health can certainly play a role in that limited activity, it doesn’t prevent us from doing anything at all. I think we need to shake things up a bit and plan some adventures (even small ones, like day trips) before winter approaches and we’ve lost our whole summer to boring routines. We are still being cautious with our away from home activities (Pandemic ain’t over folks, and infection rates are on the rise,) but road trips and sightseeing are still great ways to spend a (safe) day out. Plus, I have nothing to blog about and these posts are so boring, I nod off typing them.

Time for a change.

I am happy to report that my bone biopsy results came back and it showed no malignant cells, so all is fine. (Yay!)

I am at my infusion lab now. Today is the first day on my new med. I am very dehydrated, according to my low blood pressure and high heart rate, so I’m getting fluids as well. I have an IV in each arm…I look like a marionette.

If all goes well today, I will only have to come to the infusion lab one more time to walk through the self injection process. (I’ve done blood thinner injections at home, and apparently it’s the exact same thing.) After that, I will no longer have to drive 40 minutes each way to the infusion lab and sit hooked up to an IV for 3 hours…I’ll be able to self-inject at home once every 8 weeks instead. That will be a nice change. (And SOOOOO much more convenient.) But I will miss the nurses here. I just hope this med works better than my last one and I start to feel better. I still haven’t returned to my old energy levels yet and I still have daily “morning gut ache.”

My first two days back to the office this week went OK. I definitely prefer working from home, but everyone was in good spirits and seemed to be happy being back together in the office again. The expectation is that we will get to continue telecommuting at least 2 days a week, going forward.

Harvey and Rita seemed to do OK my first day back (Jeffrey’s already back to the office full time, so this was their first day home alone all day in 15 months) although they were quite happy to see us both when we got home from work Wednesday. Day two didn’t go so well…someone did the dirty deeds on our bedroom rug during the day. I hope that doesn’t become a regular thing, as they are both housebroken and have only done their business indoors on very rare occasions over the last 9 years.

This weekend, we have plans to mostly chill out and relax and see if I notice any difference on the new meds. Our lawn needs mowing desperately, but it’s rained off and on almost daily for a couple of weeks now, and the couple of days it didn’t rain it was so hot and humid out there was no way either of us could have handled mowing. I hope we get a chance to do it soon before the neighbors show up with torches and pitchforks.

Our dogs could not be more opposite in temperament and personality. But a picture (or two) is worth a thousand words, so let me sum up their differences with these two images:

‘Nuff said.

This weekend was just as the title implies. Murphy’s Law was in full effect.

I woke up Friday morning with minor gut issues that worsened a bit and persisted throughout the weekend. (So no cocktails or delicious snacks or meals for me.)

The weather was cool and overcast, so no pool time.

We ran out of propane a few minutes into grilling and had to finish cooking inside.

Still, the BFJ was here, so we made the most of it. We played games, watched movies, did Mad Libs, and just enjoyed a quiet relaxing weekend while I nursed my wayward insides back to health.

As a perfect endcap to the weekend, I smashed the top of my head on a cabinet hinge today and now have a nice cut and bump on my head. A perfect look to return to the office on Wednesday for the first time in 15 months.

Sigh.

Ques Sera Sera!

Today was my bone biopsy. Although I had eaten lightly the day before (and hadn’t eaten since 6pm the day before,) I woke up with some gut discomfort this morning and worried it would make the whole process more uncomfortable. Jeffrey dropped me off at the hospital entrance and, after being routed to 4 different places, I eventually ended up where I needed to be and was quickly ushered into a backless robe and bed to await my procedure.

For the biopsy itself, I was asked to lay on my stomach. I told the nurse and the doctor that I would be very uncomfortable since my stomach was bloated. The nurse offered to give me some additional “relaxing” meds which did the trick…I zonked right out and woke up after the procedure in the “recuperation suite.” So the remainder of the process was totally painless. Once I was awake enough, the nurse gave Jeffrey a call and he came to pick me up and bring me home, where I promptly fell asleep for several hours.

All in all, not that bad of a process. I should get the results in 5 days. Here’s hoping the shadow they saw on my right pelvic bone is just a dirty ol’ bone and nothing more.

Well, folks, according to my wooden giraffe desk calendar, today is July 1st!

A full six months of 2021 have gone by already … unbelievable! Before you know it, we’ll be trick or treating, being thankful, and decking the halls.

Harvey was not having any of this new month get up and enjoy the day garbage:

Today’s excitement was “installing” my new Apple accessories that arrived in the mail yesterday: a Magic Keyboard and a Magic Mouse

There was no real installing to be done. I just had to hook each accessory up to my MacBook Pro using the Lightning to USB cable provided and the laptop automatically synced with each one. Then I disconnected the cable and – VOILA! – wireless blue tooth functioning for both.

The weather forecast for the weekend does not look promising…high chance of thunderstorms and rain all weekend, so we may not get to enjoy that cookout by the pool this weekend after all. Bummer!

We may just have to make it a Jigsaw Puzzle and Movie weekend. As long as there are cocktails, I’m happy!