Where, oh where, have I been?

I've been home, with husband, piddling around the house. We're watching our pennies because gas has gone through the roof and we expect it to get worse. We filled up our van today and it cost $44.00 for 15 measly gallons of gas. We've been working on the garden and the yard, trying to overcome all the damage from our April frost. Things are looking better around here but we're still pretty disappointed. I noticed some of our irises were blooming today.



We have several other varieties planted in the same patch, but these are the only two colors that bloomed. We had a few Paperwhites to bloom but nothing like they usually do.

Thanks to those who have asked where I've been this past month. To tell you the truth, I faced a hurdle and just couldn't get past it. I think I'm better now, so thanks for thinking of me.

(Double-click on pictures to enlarge.)

Daughter Alipurr at her baby shower on April 28
Only about 28 days to go before Baby Boy is welcomed to this world

Little Sister and Dancer Girl were very helpful
in helping mommy open her gifts

Both girls couldn't wait to play with the pull toy
we got Baby Boy

Daughter had a great time at her shower and many of her friends attended. She received some really nice (and useful) gifts for the baby. We were very happy to see the girls again. They had been sick quite a bit since the middle of March and the shower was the first opportunity we had to see them since then.

Husband has opened our pool for the season but it's still too cool to swim. I can't wait. I'm looking into getting solar panels to heat the pool and extend the swimming season. Although Spring is my favorite season of the year, I also love the hot summers spent swimming and lounging around the pool on our deck. (So, if you come to visit us, that's probably where you'll find us.)

Some of the annuals we planted yesterday in front of the house

To tell you the truth, I was actually at a place where I thought about shutting down my blog for good. I asked myself if I wanted to continue, and the answer was no, I didn't want to stop blogging. I took a little time for myself and now I'm back -- a little worse for wear -- but still sane. I hope you will continue to visit me (during my hiatus I didn't stop reading your blogs but I might not have left comments) and I will continue to visit you. After all, where would I be if I didn't blog? I would be all alone with husband and seven cats and that ain't good for my temperament. Ask husband. He can tell you how grouchy I've been lately.

Just before it started raining (again) this evening