May 11

The weather has been nice this week so I've worked outside a lot. Too much according to the right side of my rib cage. One doesn't realize how much we use the muscles that go across the rib cage. Anytime you move your arms, bend over, stretch in the mornings or to reach something, lifting, etc. you use those muscles. I am certain that age, prednisone, fibro & arthritis are all playing a part in the continuing discomfort but that doesn't make it any easier to live with daily. I just take the pain meds and take the rest periods I should be taking anyway. I heard a preacher today talking about GOD promising a life extention if we would do certain things. He had some scriptural grounds for what he was saying but I found myself saying " No thanks. I have no desire to live to be 90, etc."

I will be doing some house cleaning today because it is so terrible in here. Sometimes Jack will help me by sweeping but not so far this time. I guess he gets tired of me spending so much time outside and knows the only way to get me to do the house work is to refuse to do it himself. I can see his point of view. But there is so much to do outside and he does none of that either. His feet hurt so badly that it is hard for him to even stand up because he is walking on the ends of his toes due to hammer toes. I know that must be pure torture. Because of his liver problems he can't take most pain killers. Many of the best ones either affect his heart badly or make him so sick he just wants to give in and die. Right now OTCs are about the only ones he can take and even those are limited. Not whining here, just stating the way things are.

Little Skyler will be here for awhile this morning while his mommy goes to get her shot to make sure there aren't any more little ones showing up in the near furure. He may be an only child but Holly may change her mind. Pregnancy was really bad for her and she has no desire to repeat the experience. I can certainly understand her feelings. When he comes I will definately be outside while he is here as he is NOT going to stay in the house. Even in bad weather he insists on going outside for a little while each day. He is a very hardy little guy. A miracle considering his health the first several months of his life.

Did I tell everyone that GOD got rid of the extra degus for us last week? Now we only have the 2 females. Marion is expecting babies but at least I now know the animal shelter will take them. The man I talked to seemed almost estatic to hear I had some degus for them. I loved little Charlie but he was just having 'too much fun around here' as Holly put it. She was referring to the continued pregnancies in the females. So he had to go as did the 6 little ones who the pet shops could not take them. The degu craze seems to have died down a lot since last fall. I was feeling overwhelmed by the little darlings and was regretting the day I ever got the first one. Now I can enjoy Rachel and Marion because they are all I will have.

GOD bless and keep each of you. Treasure life, you don't know when you will enter eternity. remember that life is GOD's gift to us. What we do with that life is our gift to GOD.