Across the gulf

Our girls are growing up, but not apart.

Two of our three girls are crossing the gulf from childhood to womanhood. My Sydney turned 13 in December and my niece, Addy, will turn 13 in September. So glad they are all still such close friends with my younger niece, Amelia, who is six. She says they are all sisters, not a pair of sisters and a cousin.

backyard beauties

Beautiful azaleas from my parents' backyard

Spring...break from it all

Sometimes you need a break. Call it a change of scenery or an escape. Whatever you call it, call it a sanity on wheels. 

We loaded up our stuff, snagged one a Sydney's friends and hit the road to Waldo, Ala. Where's Waldo you may ask? It's located just south of Talladega, Ala., in the edge of the Talladega National Forest. 

Historic Waldo Covered Bridge

We rented a house situated on a few acres of land containing three creeks and a historic covered bridge. Our time there was so relaxing (except for the train track which was much more active that I was lead to believe). 

Talladega Creek

The girls loved the creek and would've stayed there the entire time. They rode bikes back and forth to the creek and the train tunnel. 

Sydney and Craig in the Africa exhibit

When the rain set in, we drove up to the Anniston Museum of Natural History. The exhibits were fascinating. 

Stegosaurus

After, we hit the road up to Cheaha State Park. The view was fantastic. The wind was cool there, as always. Can't believe I forgot my fleece. 

Lookout Tower at the highest point in Alabama

Scenic overlook just outside Cheaha State Park

Sydney and J on a wall overlook Cheaha Lake at Cheaha State Park

Firecracker plants were scattered throughout the woods. Gorgeous. 

And, just like that, it was time to go home. I would love to take two weeks off two see how far we could go. In the meantime, we'll just enjoy the sunset at our house. The worst part for me after any trip is the Monday after. Things go from busy and interesting with my whole family, to the drudgery of laundry and catch-up work while home alone. It's like the trip is mania, that starts with a long, hard drive. When I pull into the driveway, the depression sets in. I honestly don't want to get out of the car. Ugh. 

So, here's to being home. I'm plotting my next escape. It'll be a day trip, but I bet I'll feel better afterwards.

Beautiful sky greeted us when we made it home. 

it's all in the genes

I've always been fascinated by genetics. As the auburn-haired, freckle-faced girl with a blonde-hair, blue eyed brother who looked like a gingerbread boy in summer, I was curious how neither or us looked like our parents or each other; but, at the same time, we looked alike.

In fifth or sixth grade, we studied Gregor Mendel's laws of genetics. I drew Punnet squares like crazy. So many genetic outcomes could be predicted this way.

Living on a farm, I had pets like Aussies and different color cattle for examples of the inheritance of color as well as genes like merles and dilutes.

Maggie, my blue merle Australian Shepherd

A dilute cow and calf with a black calf 

With all the changes in DNA and genetics, I was pleased when ancestry testing became available to consumers at a reasonable price. For several years, I was apprehensive about trying. Finally, I had a little money to throw away. I bought two tests through 23andme.com. One for my brother and one for my husband.

After a few anxious weeks, it was fascinating to see what nationalities made up our ancestries.

My surprise was the 12% Scandinavian blood. After a little thought, I chocked it up to the large amount of Scots blood we have.

Even with the information from this website, I'm still no closer to figuring out who my genealogy brick wall, John D. Lee (1802, Robeson County, NC).

Who is this guy? ARGH!!!!

I've been talking with my dad and we're thinking of trying another DNA test. I've always wanted to participate in the Lee DNA Project and now in the Lumbee Indian DNA project on familytreedna.com



I would love to know how this John Lee was connected to the family of Jesse Lee, who is buried near Fairmont, NC.

John's children, grandchildren and other descendants share the names of Jesse and his children. Both my great grandfather and brother are named Jesse, as a matter of fact.

I often have my doubts that our John Lee was the son of a Lee man at all. I really think he was the son of a Lee daughter. The DNA samples we submitted through 23andme.com traces ancestry through the Y chromosome. Out of the 1,000+ relatives I'm connected to on 23andme, only 50 are Lees. You can't honestly make me believe that a name as common as Lee, with as many people out there looking for connections to noteworthy individuals like Lighthouse Harry Lee, Robert E. Lee, Harper Lee, etc., would only have that many Lees who are possibly (and, if so, very distantly) related to me.

I hope I live long enough to find out who John D. Lee really was. I'll post updates if and when we try again.

Ounces do not equal milliliters

I love my fish. LOVE them. I grew up with an aquarium in the house my entire childhood and have had one the 19 years I've been away from home.

I researched the species, plants, etc. and FINALLY had a great combination in this 75-gallon we bought a year ago. We were just remarking last night how much the fish had grown and how beautiful their colors were.

The only thing I wanted to change was cyanobacteria growing on the glass. Found multiple recommendations for using hydrogen peroxide at a ratio of 1 ml per gallon. Stupid me bought and poured in 75 ounces. Basically, 400 times the dose. I gave all the fish oxygen poisoning. Only one of of probably 30 survived. I took him, a golden wonder killiefish, to Momma's house.

Woulda... Shoulda... Coulda...

This was in the "memories" portion of my newsfeed on Facebook yesterday:

Any of you ever feel this way?

I posted this in March 2012, two months after my diagnosis. Now, four years later with careful attention to my meds and very regular visits with my psychologist and psychiatrist, I feel that nagging regret. People say "hindsight is 20/20." Well, my foresight is almost nonexistent.

Woulda... Shoulda... Coulda... LOL

Surgery Day is Behind Us

View of Pensacola from Mom's room at Sacred Heart Hospital

Surgery day is behind us. Ugh. It was a long one. I woke up at a quarter 'til to two, left home at three and made it to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, Fla. by 5 p.m. Mother's surgeon said her knee replacement went extremely well. The only snag we ran into was that the hospital was out of rooms. Momma basically spent six hours in recovery waiting for one. After she was given a room, Sydney and I stayed with her and with Daddy until things were settled. She had PT and OT and a meal before we left. We hung around until about seven because, with the rain, traffic was a nightmare. The ambulances left for another call as soon as they dropped off their patients at the ER, just underneath us.

Medical Milestones

Mother's left knee

This is a big week for our family. Tomorrow, my mother has her second knee replacement in a little more than four months. It's a big deal. A really big deal. Her knee were horrible. She'd been having cortisone shots for years and at 59, was basically tied to a walker when she was home or a wheelchair when she had to travel any distance. She hadn't bought groceries on her on for more than a year and had long since left her love of flowers and gardening behind.

Mother had what is called "windswept knees." One knee curved in and the other out, so her body was basically sitting about six inches to the right of where her feet were, instead of right on top of them. After the first knee was fixed, the second has deteriorated to the point that the tibia has worn a hole into her femur. Bone on bone.

Tomorrow, we take the last big step to getting her life back.

She will have a complete knee replacement. We talked this morning and she knows it will be painful, but is hopeful that, with having the earlier replaced knee to depend on, recovery will go much more smoothly.

My Favorite Cow

Guess who's back...

Sydney, Julie & Craig from Winter 2016

As you can tell from my catty little "About Me" box, I've decided to do the blog thing again. Hard to believe this is the first post I've made in two and a half years.  Things have certainly changed. Back then, you'd link your blog to your Facebook page and that was about it. Now, we have Instagram, FB, Twitter, Pinterest and a variety of other forms of social media.

I think I'm going to enjoy being back on here. There are times I like to post things, but don't care for some of the silly comments I get on FB. This way, I can pretty much say what I want and not feel like I need to censor myself because this friend is voting for that candidate or that friend attends a certain church with differing viewpoints.

I can just be me.

I'm going to try to catch up on a few things we've done these past two years that were photo worthy.