Upside down girl

 

Happy Thursday

 I'm feeling better though still tired and sleeping quite a bit, thanks for asking. I've been able to get the trash out, clean and tidy the kitchen and bathroom and get some laundry done today. Though I still need to mop, that all feels like enough for now. Mercy has become a shadow. following me about and sticking like glue. She senses a change and isn't sure what to make of it.

Thanks for your concern and continued good thoughts. Wishing everyone a lovely afternoon.

A Soup kinda weekend

 It is chilly, sunless, dark and wet and has been so for the majority of the weekend. Wee girl and I have been in bed beneath blankets with books and cups of tea. When I finally arose to feed us both, she registered this turn of fortune with licks to my arms and face and has so far consumed a bowl of kitten kibble and a 3 ounce can of wet food. I have made tea and have a pot of lentil vegetable soup slowly simmering away.

She is fine. me, not so much. After getting some groceries in before 8 AM and putting them away. my mad dash to the dumpster resulted in getting soaked and chilled. Despite a warm shower and dry clothing. I awoke coughing. slightly congested and still chilled, hence the soup. Mercy has ensconced herself in sheets and blankets but follows me every time I leave the bedroom as though concerned.

I am taking lots of vitamin C and D and plan on lots of extra sleep the next few days.

Cheers!

Mercy Today

 Miss Mercy Says Hello

Then and Now: This makes me smile: Wishing everyone a sweet day

 

Thanks to Ivy who blogs as the Happy Whisk, I got this really cute drawing that made me smile! Wishing all who celebrate a Happy Valentine's Day. The bear below is from me to you. Cheers!

Secrets

 The day started drearily. While I originally intended to strip the bed and finish laundering, I instead went back to bed. snuggling with the wee girl until our groceries were delivered. She is now upside down playing with a ball in bed while I make plans for another batch of minestrone, a salad and a curry with rice. All of this should see me fed into Tuesday. 

My last book, DNA Never Lies, by Sue George, despite being a novel, is also a treatise on the perils presented by genetic genealogy for those harboring long-held family secrets. Because DNA can now be tested. the potential exists for such secrets to be exposed and bring with that unforeseen consequences for individuals and families. 

I have a real life example of this in my tree on my mother's side which involves her paternal grandfather's family who were/are cousins and who are related to another family through bigamy they know nothing about. Imagine what it is like being told by a professional team of genealogists and DNA experts that a man I know by one name is actually someone who juggled two identities and for a time two different families until leaving one state for another and having more children with a woman who was not legally his wife. It was easy to get away with this in 1889. 

To also be told that as a result of DNA testing I was the only tree containing this information is rather jarring. I have since only told one other descendant with a tree, and what amazes me is that no-one else who looks at her public tree has noticed. My tree is private. Having been given access to a maternal cousin's DNA matches, I know that the portion of my tree he occupies has been researched correctly because I can look at his matches and see to whom they are related in my tree.

I know other secrets mat exist and have my suspicions about at least one. Whether I will eventually tear the lid from this figurative Pandora's box remains to be seen,

How much can one person discover before the knowing becomes a burden?

Commencing life without Facebook

 The giant of social media has locked me out from my account as over the weekend my four-legged friend caused havoc by first walking on then sprawling across my key board when I went to get the laundry.

The incident left the screen flipped and my apps in chaos, which included Facebook. I've tried leaving my phone as requested to get a code when my profile appears because I am on a device Facebook recognizes but no code ever appears on my phone at the number I've had for twenty-five years. I've had my Facebook account since 2015.

I've attempted to contact Facebook, now Meta, by phone, only to be told to go online to the Meta help pages which really do not help. Additionally, after trying several times today, Facebook informed me that I am temporarily locked out as a result of in putting my phone number too quickly, something which seems laughable given my motor skills and how slowly I type. At any rate, I'm thinking this separation may be permanent as life is really too short for this aggravation.

It has been cool, cloudy and wet today and apart from making a stir fry with tofu and tending to herself, I've been enjoying a rather engrossing book from the warmth of my bed. Flannel sheets are lovely.

Cheers!

Milo's Eyes

 The title of a wonderfully written memoir. this book tugged at heartstrings as well as bringing back memories, Unlike the author, Lissa Bachner. I never competed professionally but logged hours caring for and bonding with a horse which was mine to ride on the after school days I was scheduled for lessons. a time I prized during part of my often bumpy teenage years.

Bachner, whose mother worked with horses, won her first competition as a very young child while coping with an autoimmune condition and complications which robbed her of vision over time. To compete and work professionally in the equestrian world as either a child or adult has to be daunting but Bachner, who  began riding at three. would not be deterred. When her trainer found and suggested Milo, an older horse in need of care, Bachner, too, saw potential. What unfolded between horse and rider. however. eclipsed a working relationship. The bond between Bachner and Milo forged by care became one of love and compassion, earning both ribbons and the respect of their peers. 

I'm not ome for spoiler alerts and I know at least one of my readers loves horses. but I think even non-horse people would enjoy this book. Those interested can find clips and interviews with Lissa Bachner on You Tube.

Happy reading!