Okay, now we've got snow! Something that's actually measurable :D This is from a couple of days ago, but there is still a fair amount on the ground. Thankfully it didn't keep Mike out in the field any longer than scheduled, though it was looking that way for a little while. He got home late but that is better than the alternative :)

The ferret tower got here the day before Mike came home and we agreed he would put it together, but I got impatient and I felt bad that they didn't have proper digs. I managed to build it myself, all proper and competent like but when it came to placing the shelves and the ramps inside... No. I tried and the ferrets got around okay but Mike had to rebuild the interior when he got home. He's much more mechanically inclined than I am and the ferrets are better off for it.

NaNoWriMo is inching ever closer and I don't have nearly as much prep done as I would like >_< Mike is home until 31 October and if I don't make some time to get something done I'm afraid I'm going to be going in a lot more blind than I was hoping. This probably isn't the proper spirit, but I don't truly expect to get 50,000 words done. I want to - it's my goal. But I'm rusty at writing at all and really this is a tool to get me going more than it is a competition to win. For me anyway. If it gets me writing - really writing - in November and beyond I will consider that a total win :D

On Thursday we attempted to go to the Zoo - though we didn't realize it was a "Free Day" before we set off on our two hour trip to Denver. We ended up grabbing lunch and turning around to go to Rocky Mountain Nation Park instead - a very wise detour :) The day was perfect for it - crisp and clear - and the scenery was beautiful. Also we saw a ton of elk - some close enough to touch. Unfortunately the closest elk were at night and my camera is just not snazzy enough to get great night shots. Still, a very cool experience.

Today is my 31st birthday. I feel old. When I was 30 I sort of comforted myself with the knowledge that I was still close to my twenties. That doesn't seem applicable anymore. I know someday my thirties will seem young - but not today :p

What is young in the ferret currently trying to crawl up my pant leg. Oh yes - we've already extended our family again! But we're done now - for sure! Eight pets is enough. For anyone counting that's two dogs, two gerbils, two birds and now two ferrets. They were a birthday extension. So I got a pretty good haul this year! Birds, ferrets, Sims 3 Pets, BBC's "Jekyll", a Paddington Bear mug and Ben Fold's new 3 CD set :D I am a lucky girl! What I don't get this year is my husband. He left for the field this morning. But we pretended yesterday was my birthday :)

NaNoWriMo is coming and I don't think I'm ready! I have an idea but I'm afraid it won't carry me. I need to spend some more time with it and see where it takes me.

Happy Bird-Day! Okay, that was a little lame - but really, these little guys are my early birthday present :) No official names yet - but we're leaning towards Bludger (the green guy) and Snitch. We brought them home a few days ago - and I made Mike pick one out :) I truly never thought I'd get a bird because Mike always thought the noise would drive him insane. We read that these guys aren't very noisy and they seem to be holding true to that - though Snitch does like Ben Folds! (Great taste, that one ;)

My mood has been erratic, but I think it's getting better. I'm sure that getting my Vitamin D back on track is helping. Getting some decent sleep is nice too. I'm more interested in doing things - most of the time. I did spend some time in bed this afternoon and was tempted to just not get up but I did - even if it was just to read on the couch. I look forward to school starting in January. I think getting out and having something to do and some purpose and responsibility will make a huge difference in my mood. In my life. In the meantime I'm just filling the space.

We got snow! This is from a couple of days ago and it's mostly gone now. Mike says he remembers getting snow this early in the year back when we were growing up in Massachusetts - though I do not. All the same it's nice to have some cooler weather and know that it's here to stay. I will for sure be singing a different tune when the wind has our temperatures at forty below - but for now, it's nice :) By the way - that's Dylan in the picture. Weather will not deter the Squirrel Patrol :) After spending about an hour hounding the trees one afternoon (and sometimes walking into them) I got her a tag for her collar that says "Squirrel Patrol" and has an acorn on it. She's earned it :)

I've been having trouble writing. Not getting something down on paper, but even trying. Even sitting down to attempt it. I feel like I've got something in me - like if I were to just sit and write something really cool would come out. But I can't. Really I won't. I'm self-sabotaging like that. I always have been and believe me it's a quality I'd like to ditch. Perhaps I'm afraid that as sure as I am that I've got something good stuck inside it's really going to end up being crap. Not that that is the end of the world - but it's a possible explanation I suppose. In the mean time I've been doing a lot of reading. I finished "Feed" by Mira Grant on Saturday and started "The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox" by Maggie O'Farrell yesterday (getting more than halfway through). I walk the dogs, watch the gerbils go about their daily business, run unnecessary errands and find other excuses to not write. I suppose, including blogging :p

All the little things.

This guy was waiting for us when the dogs and I came back from our walk this morning. I'm thinking super moth? He's pretty - and he'll continue to stay pretty as long as he's outside and doesn't bring along a swarm of his friends.

I saw the hematologist on Monday - I've got a Vitamin D deficiency and an intestinal infection. So super duper Vitamin D pills for the deficiency and Vancomycin for the C. difficile.I also saw my physical therapist on Tuesday and he says no to sciatica. He says I've got a back problem and a separate problem in the TFL muscle - causing sciatic symptoms. Anyway - doing some exercises for those and getting nerve stimulation treatment Tuesdays and Thursdays on my back for the next couple of weeks. That last part is really quite nice!

In a rather quick turn around I've already decided against going for SSDI. If I go for disability I can't go to school (or, obviously work) and I want desperately to work with or for wildlife. I've tried school before, several years ago and ultimately dropped out due to depression. I've also left several jobs for the same reason. But I want this, more than anything. Years ago I was being treated by a different doctor who was over medicating me (I was at any one time on seven to nine daily psych meds). I'm in a different place now. Much less medication. I'm older (which I'm told makes a difference). I think I need to not give up on something I want so badly - even if it'll be hard getting there. I'm going to commit to using my resources and to doing something that matters to me - I believe I need that. I believe everyone does.

 

Today? Halloween cards! Well, I got some of them done. As you can see I made a bit of a mess in the process. Also, I now know where the quote "Glitter is the herpes of craft supplies." comes from. Seriously O_o Also the nice thing about having the gerbil's tank on the table is Instant Recycling! Any cardboard packaging (minus the bits with glue) just gets tossed right in! Entertainment and bedding all in one :D

In more serious news I've decided to fight the battle for Social Security disability. I think I've got a chance - even if it takes some time. I am in no way looking forward to this experience or the stress it's going to bring but I am hopeful that in the end it will be worth it. If I'm lucky that hope will not be misplaced.