Rambling sort of update

Just a catch uppey kind of post....

Self-cut bangs and a right eye still not thrilled with light...

We think my cataract surgery was a success, hurray! The doctor is pleased so far; Not being a rule follower I didn't even keep the big blue patch on the entire first day, and felt perfectly fine as soon as I came home. It was strange to be able to hear the doctor/surgeon talk, during surgery, about getting my new lens into place. Cub Sweetheart tells me she talked to us after the surgery, but I don't remember a word she said. Surgery / anesthesia is a strange thing. I'm fascinated to see things come into focus, and am having fun riding around in the car trying to read license plates and road signs, etc. After three years of not seeing much of anything clearly it feels amazing. On a weird level, my eye is still dilated more than 72 hours after surgery, but I imagine that will straighten itself out with time. Eventually I think both eyes will be happy to see sunshine and light; as of this moment my right eye is still cringing at light just a bit, so I look a little lopsided.

We're still getting settled into our house, almost a month in now, but things are pretty in shape.  It's starting to feel normal to be here, and we're meeting a few of our neighbors. Lily's feet are a funny shade of orange from walking off the sidewalks, in the clay/mud, but she's enjoying all the new smells. And so far we're thinking she's the cutest dog in the neighborhood.

We're having fun discovering our new town - new parks, shoppes, restaurants, and we visited a church last Sunday. There are another four or five on our list to visit before we head back to Idaho for the summer. Being in the Bible Belt, there are a lot of good churches to choose from. I'm sure we'll find a great one with time.

This week we planned our yearly vacation with CS's brother and sister-in-law, to Yellowstone this September. They haven't been there in years, and it's one of our favorite places in the United States. Fall should be a beautiful time to visit. Amazing that every room in the park is pretty much fully reserved a year ahead! CS loves road trips, and he has a deep, abiding love for Yellowstone; we think it'll be a perfect place to visit this fall, since it's only a day's drive away from our CDA, Idaho home. The bear presence there always scares me a bit, but did you know that the buffalo are considered the most dangerous animal in the park? Yet people approach them all the time!

I tried a new website called Posh Mark, at the advice of a friend. It's consignment clothing, sold by mothers trying to make a bit of cash by working out of their homes. I bought two skirts and a pair of shoes this week, and they arrived within days. I love how creative young moms are these days!

My hair, not necessarily on purpose, has grown to be the longest it's been in years. Mostly because I was out of pocket for a hair dresser and it seems to grow fast. So I find myself having shoulder length hair, but photos I'd see of myself looked stark and severe. So I got brave tonight and stood over the bathroom counter and cut bangs. A bit scary but it turned out fine I think, and I like the look much better. Having a long, skinny, oval shaped face, bangs just seem like a good option for me. Break up some of that space! Bangs are just a softer look, and at my age, that seems a good way to go.

I read a book last week called A Fall of Marigolds - can't remember the author. It runs two time periods concurrently, one 10 years after 9/11 and one in 1911. One takes place in New York City and the other on Ellis Island. I really enjoyed it. Not heavy but the kind of book I looked forward to curling up with every night. I got a library card from our local library within a week or so of moving in and brought home an armful of books. Having a stack of books on my nightstand just makes me a happier girl.

So the pantry and my craft closet are still a total wreck. Perhaps next week I'll tackle them a bit. Right now I'm looking forward to easing into May, and taking it one week at a time. May is just too lovely a month, no matter where you live, to do anything else.