Edna?? Edna who??!?!? in shiny things

Wow, I have been absent from PB for ages. As I predicted, work went from horrifically boring to overwhelmingly overwhelming in about a ten second time span a few weeks ago, and it did not let up. Until now, when, just as suddenly, it's dead again. (Yes, I could make entries at home. I could read entries at home. I have no excuse for that other than work-exhaustion which requires me to lie on the couch drinking beer and doing mindless things online.)

SO. Lots of things have happened. I went to New York with the cousins! We had a wonderful time and there will be an entry and pictures. When I get them on Flickr. Well, I hope there will be pictures- I had problems posting from Flickr a month ago and haven't tried again so who knows. Anyhow, it was great and I'll elaborate later.

My dad fell behind his junk-filled, junk-surrounded garage last week, and dislocated both his shoulders. Which, horrible as that sounds, could have been WAY worse. It's actually hard to believe he didn't break something. AND although he was wearing a Lifeline thing, he couldn't reach the button to call for help because he couldn't lift either arm, so had to yell for help until my niece's boyfriend heard him and came to the rescue. (Apparently there's another brand that knows when you fall and calls for help automatically- we're switching to that one. I forget what it's called or what his is-- they all seem to be Lifeline/LifeAlert/LifeSomething).

He's having to stay in a Veteran's rehab place until he recovers enough to take care of himself again. I'm going down to see him tonight. This happened the day before I left for NY and I was gone until Monday night. Since he was okay at that point and in the rehab place, I didn't go down there during the week. I've talked to him nearly every day and he sounds good. Bored, but good. He's getting shoulder therapy.

On the happy and slightly-related news front, my brother who has been teaching at a community college in Chattanooga and coming back to Asheville on the weekends since last summer has just gotten a job managing an auto repair shop in Asheville, that pays much better. So he's moving back and I am VERY relieved, as he lives right beside our dad. My nephew and nieces also live right there, but they all work weird hours and aren't always the easiest people to get in touch with. And I'm an hour and a half away which is not very convenient during emergencies.

Also happy news is that winter appears to actually be OVER. Now that it's May. The trees are getting leaves! Flowers are blooming! The lawn needs to be mowed! I need to get the dead flowers out of the planters and replace them with live ones!! The hummingbirds are back!!!!!! (That just happened day before yesterday - they seem really late this year.)

Okay, let's see if Flickr will post a few springy pictures:

NO. No, it won't. I don't know what in the HELL has happened to Flickr, but it's really getting on my nerves. They've revamped the whole site and now I can not figure out how to get the URL to my pictures. Which, YES, ought to be a very simple process. Well, FINE, I'll get it from the ones I posted to Facebook.

These were actually taken in Abingdon weekend before last. They get spring earlier than we do.

Of course I didn't post that many on FB. They're all on Flickr. AAGHH!!

And finally, the Adorable Eddie, obviously intending to go to New York with me: