Into PT and back again

I left  town around 9:30 a.m. yesterday morning and it was sunny and pleasant. The trip home, however, was anything but! I stopped in Sequim to buy a few groceries on the way home and it was getting darker by the minute. The rains started with a vengeance as I drove two-fisted with the wind picking up, the rains getting heavier, and the traffic getting slower.  If there's one thing I don't like about driving, it's doing it in the dark with heavy rain.  Just my luck!  I drove into the garage around 6.  I had a headache that had been playing with me off and on all day and I ached all over.  Went to bed at 7:30 and tossed and turned for the next 12 hours.

My neck and shoulders are giving me so much grief, I think I'll quit "thinking about it" and just make a doctor appointment.  I was convinced that time would heal whatever is wrong but now I'm not so sure. After I had sacked my groceries at Walmart last night, I discovered I couldn't lift the bag so I had to redistribute a few things into more bags.  Reaching for a half gallon of milk on the top shelf of the store caused me so much pain, I thought about asking for help.  That ain't good!  Time to get assertive and find a solution.

On the way into town, I detoured over to West Valley Road to visit my cousin, Susie and her new husband.  I had missed their wedding because I was recuperating from my knee surgery.  She's walking with a cane and is in physical therapy  from a fall she took in September right before her wedding. She broke her leg and had to go down the aisle in a wheelchair.

I love their place.  They have 40 acres and while he used to have animals, they only feed the birds now. I saw a hummingbird so that was enough to make up my mind -- I'm fixing up my nectar today.  His bird feeders were up high so he  (Cal) doesn't have to contend with the deer. We compared notes as he's also suffering with shoulder issues. He said he's getting a replacement soon.  I hope I don't have to go down that road.  Here's a picture of one of his vehicles parked in the front and another of me and Sue and Sue and Cal.

While in town, I went to lunch with my sister, visited with my pal, Ruthie, who has moved into Seaport Landing from the nursing home in Silverdale, and attended a funeral for Karen Bittner Meehan.  It was a full house with tears and laughter about the stories and memories.  I was too worn out to stop at the Elks afterwards.

By the time I got to the casino, it was still light out and it wasn't raining yet so I thought I would stop and play slots for 20 minutes.  I spent $20 and walked out with $41--just enough to buy my groceries.
I also took half a dozen copies of 'Town Kid' down to the museum gift shop.  They're also on sale at Maricee's on Water Street.

John O'Brien mentioned to me that he thought my rat in the birdfeeder might have been a possum.  He thought the long tail and the large feet looked more like a possum than a rat.  News to me.  I read up on them and it said one way to get rid of them (besides not feeding the birds) is to do this.....

 Ammonia, mothballs, and garlic are all scents that possums tend to flee from.

Pour a small amount of ammonia into a coffee can with a lid. Place a rag inside the ammonia and bring one end up through a hole cut into the lid. The rag will act as a wick to disperse the fumes. Place one of these containers in every area where possums gather.

Scatter mothballs around any area where you have noticed possum activity. You can contain the mothballs in a mesh bag, or you can scatter them around individually.

Place a clove of crushed garlic in any area that you want neighborhood possums to avoid. Crushed garlic is better than whole garlic since crushing it first allows more of the scent to escape.

I was kind of surprised to wake up and see snow on my deck this morning.  Granted it was just a few flakes but still...

I've placed one bird feeder in the front garden area so I can view it while sitting here at my my laptop. It's already attracted quite a few birds so maybe I'll hang just one more along with the hummingbird feeder.  

Not much on my agenda today.  Going to post on my other blog (genealogy notes) and maybe settle in to do a little knitting or cross stitch while I watch tv.  I have Netflix streaming in and I'm anxious to watch House of Cards.

Here's a cute cartoon  I got in an email yesterday.