Difficult Times Hard to Deal With ---

Sorry, no new pictures this time. Affairs have been too numerous to stop and document them. First of all Mommy was in yet another car accident last Friday and is still recovering from it to some degree. She was back to work the next Monday, but not without pain. There were no broken bones resulted from the incident, just broken cars. Both were totalled. Mommy had procured a ride to work from a co-worker and long-time friend and as they were headed to their destination they were cut off by a car that illegally attempted to cross through the intersection. Their car struck the offending car, a caravan, in it's right-side sliding door. The front of the car Mommy was traveling in was badly damaged, her side taking the brunt of the impact. Air-bags were deployed.

Daddy spent most of the day running between taking care of Mommy and providing for the kids, though help was received from Naughny-Na who took the kids for some time in the evening. Mommy spent most of that day and Saturday resting under the doctors orders. Saturday Daddy, Ella Grace, Eliza, and Naughny-Na spent at the carnival which was in town and had a great time despite the grey and damp weather. The entire family pulled together and got through the crises, each handling it in their own way.

Last week Mommy, Naughny-Na, and Daddy helped Ella Grace pull through a project she had fallen behind in at school. It took some time but in the end it was completed on time and Ella Grace was happy with the results. We still await a grade from the teacher, but regardless of what it ends up being we are proud of Ella Grace for sticking through a difficult assignment and for getting it done on time despite all the difficulties we experienced.

Through all of this Mommy's van was in the Grasso Tech automotive shop receiving much needed repairs. It took about a week and a half during which the family did well using and sharing our one remaining car, the Civic. The van is back with us now but will require some further work.

We also adopted a baby bird for about a day. It had fallen from it's nest and we suspect it may have hatched premature. We had it for about a day and were preparing to take it to someone who would know how to care for it, but sadly it died before we had the chance. From what little we learned it's an enormous amount of work to care for a baby bird, it's a full time job and very complicated. It's a credit to Jehovah's design that birds are able to do easily what is difficult for us acting only on the instinct he gave them.

Spring is Here ---

After a long winter full of loss we were happy to welcome a new member into the family, Georgia. Georgia is an 8 month old cat we adopted from the Humane Society. She's very lovable and also fiesty. Her and Happy are still learning to get a long but are making progress. Georgia has a habit of scratching everyone, but she's beginning to mellow with some discipline.

Mommy, Ella Grace, and Eliza were able to travel to see Grannie Vick Vick the week before last. All had a great time, met Grannie Vick Vick's new dog, and enjoyed a week of sleeping in and good food.

Yard work has begun again for the year, and Ella Grace is now learning how to mow the lawn. She enjoys it and has picked it up quickly, showing talent for it.

In Memory of Hickory ---

It is with great sadness that we inform everyone of the passing of Hickory, one of our beloved cats.

Hickory had been diagnosed with diabetes and after several months of trying to treat it we realized that he was not getting any better and that we were only prolonging his suffering. We made the painful and difficult decision to put him to sleep so as to ease his pain.

Hickory was a good cat who liked to get into trouble when he wasn't spending time with his brother, Happy. Hickory was taken in by Mommy from a bad home when he was a kitten. He tended to be shy and often didn't like strangers, but was loyal and attached to those he knew and loved. He loved the kids and became more outgoing once they were born. Hickory tended to Mommy when she was pregnant and was always patient with the kids when they were younger, tolerating them as they learned how to care for a pet. Hickory also spoke for Happy often as Happy doesn't meow for himself much.

Our landlady was nice enough to allow us to bury Hickory in our backyard. The family often goes out to the grave to say goodbye. He is dearly missed.

Pictures of Hickory here