Our Silveit Turns 5 and Deer Caught in the Pumpkin Patch~

Hi everyone...well we here in Kentucky USA are preparing for a big Winter mix of weather beginning tomorrow. 

This storm system will bring freezing rain, then a layer of sleet and add on top about 4 to 6"of snow.  Just hoping that the ice won't cause us to lose any power like we did a few years ago.  That icing caused us no power for 5 days.  I would like the snow part, just not crazy about the ice.  

What is it like where you are on the map?

 

My DR reminded me the Tuesday that I cannot take a fall...that is certainly the truth! 

Wherever you are, whatever you do, please stay safe and well~

* Note: Nothing has changed with my blog setting in 8 years and all of a sudden just this past week, I am having a rash of "Spam" comments attempting to get through.  Thankful that Google places them in my "Spam" folder, but I wonder if anyone else has seen this...

Remember to double click on the first image, to view a larger slideshow presentation after                                                                you have read the narratives~

I am joining in the fun with Eileen at:

http://viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.com/

Saturday's Critter

Anni at:

http://id-rather-b-birdin.blogspot.com/ 

I'd Rather Be Birdin'

 Linking to I'd Rather B Birdin'

    

Maggie's  MOSAIC MONDAY

                                              https://normandylife.blogspot.com/

& 

Stewart for:

http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.com.au/

Wild Bird Wednesday

Our Silveit turned 5 on the 9th.  We just can hardly believe that she is already 5...time just keeps clipping by so swiftly.

Above is Silveit and her litter mates.  Next to Silveit is Tessa who lives in New York, then Sayko who is in San Diego.  Below left to right is Natalia that lives in Washington state, Rosie lives in Iowa and Judah lives in Georgia.  It's amazing how spread out this litter got and yet I became friends with their owners, and we remain close, other than for Judah.  The owners gave him away and I don't know how to reach them~

My surgeon told me on Tuesday that my knee was doing much better following the Arthroscopic surgery two weeks ago tomorrow.  No more popping, or grinding on the medial side, but I have large pockets of fluid on the lateral side, the top of the knee and behind the knee which is not so painful as it is extremely uncomfortable...imagine having tight rubber bands around your knee when you walk and move about.  He is going to give it 5 more weeks to rid itself of this problem and we shall see how it goes from there.  I never realized it was such a long process...one must maintain their patience and positive attitude, which I must confess has not been my strong point in all of this.  He also said that I no longer needed to go to Physiotherapy and could begin taking longer walks.  Yesterday I took our 19 month old Svetka to the Anchorage Trail with me and we walked two miles.  I am paying for it today with a lot of swelling, but I am feeling confident~

On the way to the surgery, my husband took me for a drive along the Ohio River again and I got this photo shares.  I edited them with a touch of HDR...which is kind of fun when you do these kinds of images~

Icing on driftwood and one of the beautiful Autumnal trees that I shared last October and the way it is still holding onto colour two months later~

Eastern Red-Tailed Hawk~

Red-Shouldered Hawk~

American Kestrel~

Red-Shouldered Hawk down the lane from home~

Northern Harriers don't live here, but some will migrate through this time of year and even spend the Winter months here.  These two were working a meal together the other day in my county...and I am always thrilled to see them...only wish that I could have gotten closer~

 The image top left hand corner shows how far away I was from the birds, using my 70/300 lens~

 

After leaving the Harriers behind I saw this beautiful Red-Tailed Hawk on my way home~

Yesterday when I was at the Anchorage Trail, I saw this darling pair of Mallard Ducks~

I am not sure if the park has Beaver, or not...do Woodchucks do this kind of tree damage, not sure~

Now this Red-Shouldered Hawk was at the park yesterday and I nearly missed seeing it.  The pup was sitting off the path as other dogs and their owners walked by and I just happened to see the bird when I turned around.  Sweet!

 A Doe and her two fawns had gone into the large fenced in Pumpkin patch and when they saw me and the dog got all messed up on the direction of their entrance, which was now their escape gate.  They ran all over trying to figure it out and even began to pant in stress.  I was like frozen while I watched.  The pup was wonderful and never even barked in their direction.  I was so relived when they finally figured it out~

One of the fawns on the right looked at the Doe on the other side of the very high fencing and was so stressed wanting to get out~

There it was...my two mile walk was complete.  I managed very well, but the knee swelled and I just have to put up with such for a few more weeks...  Take good care wherever you are~

A Whirlwind Week in the Neighborhood~

One of our precious dogs posed this week. Silvie Aleit, affectionately known as Silveit, age 3 years, 4 months~

For those who have already read last week's post, you can skip down to update...

For those who have been friends and followed me for the past 4 years, I have had at times some things with my health that just did not ever make sense.  For three years I had these very strange events/episodes.  It was thought it could be my heart, but heart was good even after having had surgery to place a monitor in my chest wall and a year later having it removed with no further findings.  Then they thought it was the kind of seizures that happen without the visual tremors.  I was put on anti-seizure medication for right at a month, but no, following an EKG, not seizures.  A year ago this past November out of what seemed like no where, I had a pinched cervical nerve which still is at this time and those events/episodes stopped right then...weird yes!  

I had wanted to wait until this week ending, but nothing will be any different then as it is now, unless my biopsy results from 2 weeks ago are wrong!  I have digested the news as best that I can for now anyway. I am so thankful that I have a loving and supportive family and wonderful group of friends. I am thankful that I also have a strong faith and that I have once the initial tone has been set and I am hit hard with some tears and then a good blow of the nose...I always get a stuffy nose if I do carry on too long and feeling sorry for myself, well it never got me anywhere, so why go there. 

The Dermatologist called Thursday early evening and told me what I had not wanted to learn hear, the biopsy that was taken from the rash that was on the backs of my hands for the past 4 weeks is indeed a Systemic Lupus (unspecified at that time) skin rash. Friday I had extensive blood work done and other tests  done to determine if any other organs are involved, or this may be where it is.  Results will be in mid week.  This is a little scary for me, but that is because it is brand new and I am trying to get my head around it. If it is full blown Lupus, then I will not be able to tolerate steroids and so I will have to work with my special team of wonderful doctors to manage it.  Good thing going for me, I am way past the 6 decades mark and so this should prove to be a mild to moderate, rather than severe from what a few people have indicated, we just have to wait and see.  I am thankful it is not Cancer, and I know that the experts are constantly making new strides with these diseases. I will be optimistic, and I will be OK...I pray that and I claim that~

Update...

It has been another very long, stressful week, but I have kept busy and tried not to dwell on last week's news.

Many of the lab results are in and so far everything, other than my skin biopsy has been negative.  That being said, I have to continue to think positively, as this all takes time to know for certain, one way, or the other.  Lupus is a hard one to diagnose.  The two very important antibody tests had still not come back, as they had to be sent to a lab that specializes in them.  I have to be at my Dr's office this Monday at a special time of 7:45.   (My Dr is getting ready to be on a vacation journey for the next three weeks and wants to see me before leaving)  We are so hoping that by then, the final lab reports will have arrived and prove to be negative as well.  If not, more tests will be pending, and that is where I leave this, for the "not knowing" as many have mentioned, that is the most difficult at this time.

Thank you for your ongoing kindness, encouragement and support~

Remember to double click on the first image, to view a larger slideshow presentation after                                                                you have read the narratives~

***Special Note  I have not yet figured out how to add Eileen's link for the meme below~

                                                          I am joining in the fun with Eileen at:

                     http://viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.com/saturdays-critters

                                                                          Saturday's Critters

& 

Stewart for:

   http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.com.au/

Wild Bird Wednesday

A neighborhood Cooper's Hawk flies over the Red-Shouldered Hawk nest area daily.  They are of no consequence to the Red-Shouldered Hawk.  

Below after 2 days of storms and winds that hit 60 mph in my little town, the female adult Red-Shouldered Hawk was taking advantage of a dry spell to preen and air dry her soaked feathers~

The hen is on her nest...a very rare selection of that being a transformer pole.  For those who may have missed the whole sage of this beautiful pair of hawks, please see the past two older posts~

Below neighbor and friends Bob and Velsie Hewlett are part of the "Hawk Alert" team.  I have always said that I have the best neighbors! If there is one young one, that will be difficult enough, once the eggs hatch in about another 14 days.  If more than one, it will become paramount to be watchful for any falls~

A first year Red-Shouldered Hawk from another site taken on Sunday morning en route to Bible study~

Swallows!!! I LOVE Swallows and the Barn and Tree Swallows are back from migration and nesting already.  What can you not LOVE about these beauties...

Tree Sparrows~

My Clematis are in bloom again~

The storms took down another tree in our yard, close to home, but not hitting this time.   Some neighbors were not as fortunate.  The images below are already marked for what also transpired...we were blessed!

Maple Tree Seeds~