Well it has been quite awhile since I have made an entry... for sometime my Blog would end up in cyber space...

This is into my 6th yr post stroke.. I almost forgot the date of it this year. I can say so far this is my best year so far. We have had a lot to go thru this past year. John's mom had lung cancer, went through chemo... and lost the fight . She passed away early March.. 4 of the 5 kids were with her as well as grandchildren, her sister and other family members. She had hospice at home and they are truly angels.

We have been trying to catch up on home chores... and John can focus more on his business now.

We have had one of the warmest, dryer Springs here in the Pacific NW than we have had in over 20 yrs. I have a garden window ..which faces south. I started vegetable and tomatoe seeds in the window.. John made a couple raised beds.. we eventually want to put in more raised ones.. so much easier than trying to get down on the ground.. and then back up.. (glad we don't have close neighbors to see me... LOL ) although it might make funniest home video's.

John made the comment several times... that since I have been gardening this year that my walking gait and balance seems to have improved. He notices I am not dragging my toe as much. Of course,, if I get tired the walk back to the house from the garden feels like a 5 mile hike....

Last weekend John made a flower bed by the driveway edge.... we got those interlocking cement blocks.. we got the medium sized ones... I decided to help hand him a block... I was going to get my gloves.. but thought oh i will hand him a couple and then go get them.... DUH first block slid and I tore the skin on the side of my finger... one of those little flap kind of tears.. OWIE.. and of course being on aspirin... so into the house to run cold water and to stop the bleeding.. John doesn't do blood well... but he was hollering from outside... are you OK? I came back out.. and he jokingly said you did that so you didn't have to hand them to me..LOL.. he said your job is Supervising the placement.. stand over there.... We bought 60 of the bricks and ended up 3 short... John picked up the rest on Monday. I am also doing a humminbird/butterfly garden. We had fun picking out plants.. and I found Spanish Lavender it is so pretty.. a dark purple with a cute flower on the top.. almost a cotton ball. Next Spring I am hoping to line the other side of the drive with regular lavender.

Most of you who know me.. know we have animals. We had to put our oldest to sleep this yr.. Tasha was a malmute mix.. We found her when we moved out here.. wandering the highway. We had her 12 yrs.. not really sure how old she was.. somewhere between 14 and 16 is my best guess.

Last Spring we adopted a 9 yr old kitty from the Humane Society. she is a calico.. from the moment we brought her home.. she fit right in.. The dogs did not frighten her.. our other cat.."Chompers" did not seem to mind much.. there have been a few soft hisses.. but no fights. I think Patches must have been an inside kitty before.. she has discovered outside now.. LOL it has been fun watching her. We are on 5 acres and the 2d property back off the main road. My kittys are in at night. and when I am home they go in and out to the yard as i leave the sliding glass door open when its warm. so we have 5 dogs, 2 cats and 2 goats.

The stroke that popped into our lives was not as severe as many.. I was left side paralyzed ... for a short time.. No I say I am left side clumsy.. I do get tired easier.. and I "try" to take breaks and pace myself.... I am also 6 yrs older than when this began. so I gues some slowing down is natural also. Learning never stops.. re-training our brains and learning to adapt how we do tasks. Is this acceptance.. Acceptance doesn't mean you give up... to me.. it is learning you may have some limitations... and to readjust to work with what you have and be creative to learn how to do things, and to laugh at yourself.