tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3234090255678743792024-03-14T02:08:24.288-07:00Five Bears A-BloggingUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger694125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323409025567874379.post-21412872531271409402022-11-02T11:45:00.004-07:002022-11-02T11:45:43.937-07:00Michael Makes a GIFThis is Manny the Sproinger. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323409025567874379.post-91674278672705823052022-11-02T07:53:00.002-07:002022-11-03T07:56:07.570-07:00Voting! I took William to early voting this morning, and look who happened to show up just after we did.There was no waiting at the Rhodes-Jordan Park Community Center and all of the volunteers were helpful and friendly. William wasn't as nervous voting this time as the first time he voted in Tennessee. One more case of Successful Adulting.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323409025567874379.post-24103221332865137112022-10-31T10:37:00.017-07:002022-11-02T10:42:14.752-07:00Halloween BeautyIt's always great when you can solve a household problem quick as a wink. Hannah wanted to dress up for Halloween for her shift at the tavern bud didn't have anything at hand. I overheard David telling her that we had a bin full of costumes (he thought in our closet, but not) and that I had (at one time) a goddess costume. I quietly went to check my closet and found something evenUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323409025567874379.post-51836571745669878782022-10-19T08:24:00.003-07:002022-10-25T08:32:05.742-07:00Jayne the Skeleton Gets a New HatLooking for a new winter knitting project, I hopped onto Esty and look for a pattern for a specific hat. For those of you who are Fire Fly fans, you'll probably remember when Jayne's mom made him a hat. I found a very simple pattern by WoolfsClothing and tried it out using some yarn and needles I had on hand (it's been a while since I've knit anything and wasn't sure I'd be able to pull it off). Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323409025567874379.post-75096445934329927272021-12-07T11:16:00.051-08:002022-11-02T11:28:26.053-07:00A New Book by MomLook at what showed up today! My mom's new book, "A Bear Gun: Charlotte's Compendium for Conscious Living"! This volume contains guidance, wisdom, and techniques gleaned from her spiritual journey over years of dealing with life's challenges. It's non-religious, the stories are engaging, and the techniques are simple, clear, and easy to follow. This is a home-made book in it's Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323409025567874379.post-63556042549203913762020-05-15T10:30:00.000-07:002020-05-21T10:57:39.149-07:00Kitchen Garden
Gazing over the railing of the back deck one day, Michael was inspired by a particular patch of lawn that he felt would be ideal for a kitchen garden. It was shaded in the morning by the house, got full mid-day sun, and enjoyed filtered sunlight in the late afternoon.
The subject patch of earth with lawn removed.
Michael engaged David in his endeavor and they worked out a planUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323409025567874379.post-46369203108155066772020-05-12T09:52:00.001-07:002020-05-12T10:43:07.103-07:00TeleHealth
William had his first TeleHealth appointment today, his quarterly endocrinology checkup with Regina, our APRN at Eskin Diabetes Clinic. Vanderbilt hospital and Davidson County where the hospital is located have been hard hit by the COVID-19 virus, so they're scheduling as many regular "visits" as possible online to keep patients and health care workers protected from unnecessary infection.
It Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323409025567874379.post-90003567627667757432020-05-08T17:08:00.013-07:002022-11-16T11:50:54.046-08:00Shadows in Sunshine These are just a few photos I took at home that I find peaceful and tranquil. Tigah, Biscuits, and BagheeraKitchen table centerpieceFlowers (artificial) in a mason jarUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323409025567874379.post-14643742023923782252020-04-02T10:45:00.000-07:002022-11-02T11:31:45.790-07:00Lizard in the Sunshine Sometimes when the weather's been cold and you've been cooped up in the house for a bit too long, you just need to lounge in the sunshine. The back deck of our Old Hickory house.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323409025567874379.post-82044262501632821542020-02-04T20:00:00.000-08:002020-02-07T03:19:54.228-08:00Post-Pod Supper
William had his first (and hopefully only) trip to the podiatrist to get an opinion on his fallen arches and duck walk. Dr. Hicks was a very nice gentleman, answered all of our questions, and gave us specific recommendations for shoes and inserts. No surgery or custom orthotics are needed, but stretching exercises every day are called for.
After the appointment and a harrowing drive home Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323409025567874379.post-39399238452617116572019-06-13T20:00:00.000-07:002020-02-07T03:25:01.185-08:00New Grill
Being the cooking enthusiast that he is, Michael was so anxious to be able to grill at our new home, he decided to use his allowance money to buy one rather than wait until we could budget for one.
We assembled it in the living room.
Ruger, of course, was part of the process.
It took a bit of burning off of “coatings” before Michael could Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323409025567874379.post-58444947765494565572019-06-11T20:00:00.000-07:002020-02-07T03:27:00.765-08:00Cat and DoeOur neighbor’s backyard is open to woods behind us and for the past few days a doe has been visiting to feast on the clover on their lawn.
Yesterday Meghan bravely stood on our back deck and alerted us to the doe’s presence, and Ruger soon followed suit. Today, it was Tigah who took it upon herself to check out the very large and odd-looking dog in the neighbor’s yard.
She Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323409025567874379.post-23737339188264791902019-05-21T20:00:00.000-07:002020-02-07T03:46:04.748-08:00Brunswick Stew
David's former landlord in Nashville gave us some venison from his freezer, and what else is there to do with venison but make Brunswick Stew. Michael, of course, had a recipe tucked away that he wanted to try.
It's not the prettiest piece of meat, but once it was seared along with some chicken and beef, it looked pretty good.
Into a cast-iron Dutch oven along with some potatoes, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323409025567874379.post-4461643149663926462019-05-20T20:00:00.000-07:002020-02-07T03:35:29.625-08:00Kittie Love
Since Day One of her adopting our family, Tigah has always been a bit of a pistol, chasing, harrassing, and terrorizing the other two cats. Biscuits pretty much steers clear as much as possible. But Bagheera seems to have more of a tolerance for Tigah's pranks, and they often end up snuggled together in whatever cozy spot they can find.
Of course, as soon as Tigah wakes up, she's atUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323409025567874379.post-76249001688190092472019-05-15T20:00:00.000-07:002020-02-07T03:35:58.279-08:00Local Bounty
One of the best things about where we landed in Tennessee is that there’s a fresh produce stand minutes from the house on the way to Kroger.
I stopped by today to see what they had and came away a happy lady. Everything is grown locally, some at the family's farm and some by other farms in the area. There are also preserves, honey, and other goodies produced locally.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323409025567874379.post-27789788519671485022019-02-21T20:00:00.000-08:002020-02-07T03:51:23.045-08:00Rising Tide
We were caught a bit off guard at Moon Shade Hollow by the unexpectedly heavy rain overnight. By morning, the lake had risen to the bottom of the dock's roof.
And, several of the small boats had drifted away. Since I'd never done such a thing before, I took it upon myself to wade out into the water (up to my waist, and yes it was cold) to fetch one of the kayaks, which I then used to Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323409025567874379.post-72401811261924728622018-12-05T06:04:00.000-08:002018-12-06T06:23:50.446-08:00Bagheera Recovering
On Monday I took Bagheera to Coal Mountain Animal Hospital with a bladder blockage. This happened back in March, when we took him to our family vet, Gwinnett Animal Hospital, and he stayed about a week for treatment, care, and recovery (yes, that's expensive).
This time around, he only needed to stay overnight, and I brought him home Tuesday evening (even though it was only overnight, it was Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323409025567874379.post-66162991724834780342018-11-30T11:27:00.003-08:002018-11-30T11:27:58.757-08:00The Shackles of Programing
William had a Lieterature assignment to choose a poem and completely rewrite it, maintaining the basic theme and meaning. He chose "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings."
The Shackles of Programming by William Huenergardt
A nail punched here, a drill bit there,
this product must be perfectly square.
Our programmed constructor works on the clock,
some hot glue here, another nail Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323409025567874379.post-7415066621882949212018-11-21T10:32:00.000-08:002018-11-30T10:39:46.606-08:00Editing:::My Office
There are some disadvantages to living in a smaller space than you are accustomed to, but there are also some advantages. I've pretty much settled everything into my small "room" at Moon Shade Hollow and worked out a daily routine that maximizes efficiency of space and effort.
Although I've got my small writing desk, I usually end up working on my bed. There's plenty of space to spread out, andUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323409025567874379.post-87053916581687569052018-11-19T18:37:00.000-08:002018-11-20T06:49:55.964-08:00DualolaWilliam and Thomas are both deeply involved in Dungeons and Dragons, participating in online games at least once a week with various groups. Part of the D&D engagement is creating your own characters with their own personalities and powers, including crating their background story.
This is William's most recent character creation, told in the form of a poem, complete with graphic Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323409025567874379.post-67896621138297578662018-11-17T07:11:00.000-08:002018-11-20T07:12:32.834-08:00New Mode of Transportation
Since the loss of the Focus, we've been scratching our heads trying to figure out how to get a replacement vehicle for the cash we've got on hand. Papa Bear took some time investigating private-party sales in our area, but none of those panned out. The search was put on hold until next the next weekend, hoping something would change by then.
What changed was my thinking, I can only credit to Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323409025567874379.post-82098648284547005142018-10-27T07:20:00.000-07:002018-11-20T07:30:37.812-08:00Near Miss Driving
One of the semi-accepted hazards of having a teenage driver is their propensity for accidents, both large and small. Thomas had had a couple of "minor" single-car (thankfully) accidents in the Focus. Now, he's had a "major" one.
The deputy who arrived on scene did not write him up, agreeing that the light rain and slick conditions made that stretch of road difficult to navigate safely. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323409025567874379.post-6657507353306277902018-10-19T06:52:00.000-07:002018-11-20T06:56:20.888-08:00Ready to Walk
We're participating in the JDRF One Walk tomorrow, for the first time in a few years. In the years that we have previously participated, I always wanted to have team tshirts, but never quite got that part done. This year, I managed to purchase enough ORANGE tshirts for everyone on the team, and personalized William's shirt with his nickname.
Go, Team Thunder Bear Lives!
William, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323409025567874379.post-24481817145926850852018-09-12T10:22:00.000-07:002018-11-30T10:28:09.536-08:00Meghan’s Doggie Adventure
Michael and I took a row around the lake this morning. On a lark, Michael put Meghan on the bow of my kayak just as I was ready to launch. To our surprise, she seemed perfectly comfortable there, and so became the prow of my small ship.
She stood a bit shakily at first, but eventually got her sea legs.
After a pass up the lake and back, she decided to kick back and relax a bit.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323409025567874379.post-61753318173093601902018-09-11T10:42:00.000-07:002018-11-30T10:44:25.631-08:00Morning on the Lake
One of the advantages to living so near a lake is...being able to go out on the lake. Although the days are still quite hot, the mornings, especially when overcast, are almost pleasant. Almost.
Michael
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0