THINK OF ME AS STEEPING TEA

I've been horribly absent from my website. My heart just hasn't been here. Thursday my cousin LeRoy Kreiger died. His wife has watched her brother die, her mother of cancer, her father of something unknown, her daughter of Hodgkin's disease, and now her husband of colon cancer that metastasised. I've known he was being overcome by the disease but to the end he remained hopeful. He was fine man, husband and father as well as funny, hysterically funny, kind, generous and fund to be around. So is Elaine. What a tremendous loss for her after losing so many of her family.

I have also been playing catch up on medical appointments that I was too sick to make last fall and this spring. There are usually two or three a week and by the time I drive there, wait for the appointment, get through with it and get back home the day is gone and I'm tired.

I always try to do my best to spread happiness and kindness throughout my life with the people I meet, but these last few months have taxed my positive attitude.

Our deer was back to eat the columbine seeds, but just one deer. Last time there were two. Mom must have sent the yearling out on her own.

The chickadees from the birdhouse outside our kitchen patio door have fledged, leaving one little dead one behind. I fear he suffocated because there were so many - at least five or six plus two parents. I also found a completely perfect robin's egg the other day. Nature always astounds me. We walk around the yard and find things that put icing on the cake that is our life. We have little black centipedes with yellow spots that are everywhere. They are so sweet and we can pick them up and they crawl on our hands. They seem like little friends.

Our spring has been so late this year because of the temperatures. I am still fearful to put my basil out. I may just keep it in my garden window. It gets plenty of light there. My orchid is putting on a blossom stem and I'm so excited. This has never happened for me before. I was just about to throw it out when I noticed the little bud. How cool is that?

So folks, that's my life in a nutshell for the last several weeks. I hope yours had more happiness and less tragedy.