Time for catching up...

So, I have not been in a blogging mood here of late...just had things on my mind and things I wanted to do....and reading. Not sure if the kindle was a wise gift or not. I just want to read and read and read.

Then, I really got thrown off track last weekend...Sunday night to be exact. And I have debated on whether to tell this or to keep silent...but wanted to explain part of my absentness this week.

I discovered a lump....yeah, one of those. Quite by accident. Sunday night, after Roger had gone to bed. The lump was on the same side I had a stereotactic biopsy in 2007. Which was negative for cancer, I might as well add.

Well, we were heading to a hand to-shoulder doctor Monday morn for a knot that Roger had on the underside of his wrist...right where his hand joins to the wrist. So, I did not say anything to him...just went on with him...it was just a ganglion cyst and the doctor drained it right there in the office, and we were on our way. We did a couple stops, and came home, and I called to get a mammogram. Got it set up for Thursday....still didn't tell Roger. Stuff like that just really worries him...

Then Tuesday morn, they call me about the mammogram...since I had had the biopsy, I had to see the doctor and get orders for a diagnostic mammogram. So, I called the doctor's office and got in Wednesday....I did tell Roger what was going on then. The nurse practitioner didn't really read me the riot act like I was afraid of...not when she remembered all that had been going on in the past year or two.

They were able to reschedule me for the mammogram on Thursday, just an hour later than I had originally been scheduled...and scheduled an ultrasound at the same time. They are over and done with...it is only cysts...the one I found is about the size of a quarter and there are at least a couple more about the size of a pea.

I don't think I will let anything slow me down from getting those mammograms now...I felt so dumb that I had put it off for so long. It could have turned out so different. I want to encourage all women to schedule their own mammogram. And to follow through with whatever the doctor tells them.

I am heading down to the basement to sew a little bit and try to get back to feeling normal...will probably try to catch up with everyone later tonight.

Strip pit report....

I haven't been going to the strip pits as much as normal, and when I have, there hasn't been much to report. Most times I have been lucky to see anything at all. I think it has been due to the time I am out there...I have either hit it too early or too near dark. Last night was different.
I had barely got to the first pond that is right near the entrance, when on in the distance I saw a Northern Harrier...I raced down to try to catch it. Then there were what I took to be three of them....they had moved on farther from the road and where swooping and circling...and just moving all the time. It did cross my mind that one was definitely darker than the others, and bigger...but I didn't give it a thought that the two smaller ones were owls till I downloaded the photos. You will probably have to enlarge this to even see the birds.

The birds drifted even farther away--I headed on down the road, but no more than started, till I noticed the two deer above....they were too far away to get a good shot, and started retreating soon as I headed their way. I passed a small pond that had swans on it, but they were too far away to get a good shot... I went on to the biggest pond near the road....water covered the road there and was a little deeper than I wanted to venture across, though I really think it would have been fine. It isn't like it is flowing....it just gets up and stands in the road.

I turned around, and headed back from the direction I came...when I got back to where I first saw the Northern Harrier and the other two birds, there were the owls! The short-eared owls--there was four right there, they swoop and fly low to the ground while they hunt. Now two of these did light on the ground...not like they were catching something, but they just set and looked all around...

I saw four right there, and then two more on down the way....so they are back in full force. I did go back to the entrance, turned around and drove back to where the water was across the road in hopes of seeing one sitting on a fence post, but no such luck. I did see more deer however....though I lost count. Oh, it was not 20 or 30, or any number like that...but thinking along the lines of 10-12...

There was actually a 3rd deer with these, but didn't get a good picture that showed it because it blended in so well with the background. And I think these are the two that are in the other photo above of deer...they are in the same place where I saw them.

There were also a few geese, and then there was flocks of some other type of duck...with as small as they were, they were too far away to get a decent picture of...there were about 3 different flocks in the air...each one probably having at least 100...and a few little groups of 6 or 8 or 10 'ducks.'

It was sure good to see some wildlife once again...

Don't it warm your heart

No matter how many times I come in and see one of the cats under the Christmas tree, it is an ahhhh moment for me. I took the one above and Roger took the one below.
They all lay under it a little bit here and there, but Bubbie does probably spend the most time.