We were originally greeted by a few wild turkeys when we were moving in a few things before the big move.  They come through the yard anytime of day.  Some mornings they are so loud they have even woken us up!!!

Then there was the whole in the yard we couldn’t figure out.  After many attempts to discover what lived in the hole my husband covered it with a piece of slate.  In the morning when he picked up the slate to his surprise was a just as surprised chipmunk.  I wished I had a camera to catch how high Bob jumped, never mind how fast that little chipmunk took off.  Well, we’ve named him Chip and that mystery hole is solved.

Our daughter ran into a turtle crossing the driveway one morning when she was leaving to go to school.  One lone turtle along way from the pond across the street.

We also have a whole maze of mole hills.  They are in all their glory here, basically going anywhere they like except in my sunflower garden.  I heard somewhere along time ago that if you stick a pinwheel in the ground it will send out vibrations that the moles don’t like so they will stay away from that area.  I have done this since then and I have to say I don’t have any moles in my little garden area.  I will post some pictures of this years sunflowers as soon as the battery charges on the camera.

I do have a couple pictures of our latest discovery of wildlife in the backyard.  We have a barn in the back and we just discovered the black vulture and her two babies living in the loft.  I saw the mother yesterday on the roof and my husband bravely took a few pictures yesterday afternoon after mom had returned.  She was hissing so we didn’t get to close but there are definitely two babies in there!!!

Black Vulture and her two babiesMom and babies

We really love this place and the peaceful setting.  The dog really gets more exercise here too.  She has really done well healing after her  ACL surgery at Thanksgiving.  We’re so very grateful for this.  She gives us so much joy.  Our little Princess does have personality.  She turned 8 years old in May.  We got her from the Ct Humane Society when she was about a year and half old.  She had little to no confidence and was very timid.  She is far from that now!  She is very attached to me, (can’t be I spoil her rotten) and absolutely loves her Dad.  She thinks we never should go anywhere and always be with her.  She certainly takes up to much of the bed at night sometimes……

I’m going to sign off for today.  I just had to share our discovery in the barn.  My husband looked it up online and found that black vultures have only been nesting in Ct since 2003.  It’s pretty cool and I will enjoy watching them grow and fly away.

Have a great day!!!

P.S. Check out this video it will make you smile for sure..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQcVllWpwGs

On January 23 I had an unfortunate accident at my dog groomers job.  My finger got caught in a dog’s collar and I thought I had dislocated it in a couple of places.  Well, a trip to the emergency walk-in clinic told me it was more than that.  They sent me right to the emergency room to be seen by a orthopedic doctor.  I was splinted and told to see a specialist on Monday, this was a Friday.  When I went to this doctor (whom I should name but I won’t) he seemed to feel the injury wasn’t that bad and told me to wear the splint for comfort but it just looked like a sprain to him.  I insisted it was more than a sprain so he ordered a MRI to pacify me and told me to go back to work.

I was able to schedule to MRI for that Sunday.  The doctors office called me on Monday and said I needed to come to the office to get the results of the test.  The earliest they could see me was Tuesday so I went back to this doctor and was greeted by his assistant with a metal splint.  When he finally made it into the room he told me the MRI showed I had a injury called a boutiennere deformity.  The tendon had been ripped out at the middle knuckle.  He recommended splinting the middle knuckle for six weeks and we’d see if it reconnected.  He sent me to a therapist to have special splint made and that was done on Thursday of this same week.

Meanwhile, I should add that my finger was in a very unnatural position, having the tip pointing to the sky and the middle knuckle bent down.  So, I contined to work with a lot of pain.  On Tuesday I went back to the therapist to have the splint adjusted, it wasn’t really doing anything.  When I asked her what I should be doing to fix the tip because the splint only addressed the middle knuckle, she referred me back to my doctor.  As soon as I left the therapist I went directly to the doctors office.

When I saw him and expressed my concern about how my finger was looking, the doctor told me that “if you don’t want your finger to look like that forever I guess we should send you to a hand specialist because if you need surgery I can’t do it anyway.  I don’t do this kind of surgery.”  He gave a referral and I left upset and wondering why he hadn’t done that in the first place!

Well, when I call this specialist they couldn’t see me for another week.   I have to admit I was also having pain in my right elbow before I injured my hand and was trying to not make a big deal out of it but it  got worse when I hurt my left hand (I’m a lefty mostly). Soooo, I called my regular doctor to find out who I needed to see for it.  He referred me to Dr Lindberg, an orthopedic surgeon.  When I called them for an appointment they said they could see me that week for my elbow and they could also look at my finger.  Wonderful!!!

When Dr Lindberg saw my finger he scheduled me for surgery the next day.  He said I needed to have it fixed right away and we couldn’t wait any longer or it might not be able to be fixed.  He was also able to give me medicine in my elbow to take care of my tennis elbow while I was asleep, so I had no pain from the injections.   No pain is always good for me.

I am still recouperating from the surgery and expect to be for quite sometime to come.  I never expected it to be such long a process. There has been quite a few life changes since this injury.
I was out of work for a few months and I am still doing therapy trying to get movement back into my finger.  I am unable to use my hand without the finger swelling so bad I can’t move it even when I try.  When I went back to work my employer at the groomers thought I should be all better and expected me to perform like it never happened.  I felt I had to leave the grooming job for many reasons but mainly because it has been to painful to work with the big dogs right now.  I just quit last week.  I’m really disappointed it didn’t work out because I have always wanted to work with animals and it was a great opportunity to learn grooming.

Since I last wrote here my husband and I moved back to Manchester.  Our neighbors in Vernon had many issues and we didn’t feel safe in our own home.  I found a wonderful rent in a great neighborhood.  The yard is beautiful and we even have wild turkeys going through the yard.

Our dog is loving this new place too, plenty of yard to explore and a bigger apartment to wander around in too.

While I was still out of work from the surgery my husband was let go from his time clock job.  I think it is a blessing in disguise because now he is able to devote all his time to what he really is meant to be doing, helping people.  Check out his site at www.bobcrawfordonline.com.  He offers something for everyone.

I’d like to note here also what a support my husband has been to me though out this whole time.  He continues to be a source of strength for me everyday.  I have really been limited in what I can and can not do with only one hand, for months.  He even had to help me dress and bathe and he never once made me feel I was a nuisance.  He’s a wonderful man and I am forever thankful to have him in my life.  I really, really don’t know what I’d do without him.  I hope I never have to find out either!!!

I have to say at this point that I really listened to my inner voice during this whole time.  I knew my finger was seriously hurt even when the first doctor told me, “just wear the splint for comfort” and I insisted on more tests.  Good thing I did or I would have been permanently disabled.  I’m not even sure what limitations I will be left with when all is said and done.

I also found a wonderful place to live just because something told me to look for a new place even when I had no idea how we would be able to make the move.  Not only did we make the move but we are soooo much happier in the new place!!!

On a good note my stepdaughter Cindy graduated from high school last week.  We a very proud of her and look forward to her college years.  She will be going to college at Westfield State College in MA to pursue a education degree.  She’s very interested in special education and I am sure she will be successful in anything she decides to do.  She’s  a very smart young woman and I feel blessed to have been able to watch her grow from a young girl into a stunning woman.

I have to sign off for now and I promise I will be back in  a couple of days to add more.  I really need to give my hand a break right now.

LIFE IS GOOD ! ! !   Thank you babe for everything you do.

This year I have been making sure to take care of myself better and to take the time I need to rest my physical body. I have even taken a few naps lately which I never use to do but find it really helps me feel better physically and mentally.

It is real cold here in New England and it seems to take more out of me each year.  I am looking forward to moving to warmer weather in the future with my husband.  That’s the plan, warm weather.

I am absolutely loving my new job at the day training/grooming/daycare center.  I started working there at the busiest time of the year and it was crazy busy the month of December.  I actually look forward to going to work everyday!!!  The girls I work with are great and the dogs are wonderful.  They each have their own  personality and it’s really joyful to watch them all play together.  I have been blessed with this opportunity to learn something I have always wanted to do and I am learning something new everyday.  My boss Chris is very patient and is a really good teacher.  It is hard work and it’s kinda a dirty job at times but it’s the best job I have ever had.  I love animals and and appreciate the love they give me so freely.  I even get kisses when I am giving a bath sometimes!!!  I can say there are a few I feel an extra psychic connection with and can “feel” them accross the room which is really cool.  They all warm my heart.  I am so very grateful to have this experience.

I’ve also been very busy answering questions from my psychic email reading site  http://www.donnamariecrawford.com/ I have really enjoyed all the contacts and want to thank everyone who had contacted me for my insight.  I also really appreciate those who have recommended me to others.  There really is no better compliment one can receive and I am forever grateful.

I just really feel blessed in my life right now.   I have been surrounding myself with as much positive as possible in many areas of my life.  I don’t even watch the news lately because I feel the negativity really brings me down.  I have really been loving watching a show calledExtreme Home Makeover show lately.   I feel so much positive energy from this show and I really hope this show never goes off the air.

Well, I do have to get the dog out now.  She has done very well since her surgery.  Princess has really been great through the whole ordeal.  She doesn’t  seem to realize she needs to take it easy and when we got our first good snowfall she was out there romping around like a puppy.  She really loves to chase snowballs (rolled on the grond) and eats them up when she catches it.  Her leg seems to be healing as expected and we continue to love our Princess.

My husband is also extremely busy with his life calling,  life coaching.  Please check out his site for all the new updates and programs he’s offering at http://www.bobcrawfordonline.com/ I am blessed to have him in my life and like to show my appreciation for all he does for me as often as I can.  He even still opens the car door for me even after all the years we’ve been together.  I am blessed in many ways!!!  We all are, really.

Have a great day

I have to tell you something funny that happened this week.  I went to a Reiki share on Saturday at Woodfaeries.com. When I got there I thought it was very quiet and strange to see only one table set up.  My Reiki master teacher Deb Veilleux looked at me, a little surprised to see me.  I very confidentially said, “I’m here for the Reiki share,” and Deb looked at me and said “That’s next week, Donna.”  We laughed and talked for a few minutes.  Deb assured me I was not alone with the schedule mix up.  It’s something that happens sometimes when you spend time out of this world.  My husband will verify that.  I refuse to believe it’s all just senior moments!  I even have a night shirt that says, “I’m out of my mind but feel free to leave a message.”  As my intuition continues to expand and I listen to it more (and my guides and helpers too!) I am finding I can be somewhat less than devoted to the everyday mundane routine of everyday life and strict schedules.  I guess I do get spacey sometimes.  Oh well, it’s all good, as my wonderful husband says often.  I give thanks for his support and encouragement everyday.

You can check out Bob’s website at BobCrawfordOnline.com and see for yourself.  He’s a great life coach and offers many different programs for people that are local as well as email and phone coaching!

Have a great day and smile…..