I made a cup of coffee and called my sister yesterday evening. We had a wonderful catch-up chat. She hadn't told me that her shoulder had been bothering her. She really isn't one to complain. Mostly, she reports how much progress she is making in recovering from a stroke almost a year ago. During her annual check-up, she mentioned her shoulder. A CT scan and an MRI later, they discovered a small rotator cup tear. She was referred for physical therapy and is already feeling a little better.
My freezer went out the first part of January. It is a really large, 6' one. We were debating whether or not we should replace it or not, but Stan decided to see about a repair. Ace's Appliance fixed it for us at 1/4 the cost of a new freezer. I actually think it is working better than it has in years. He told us that it is old enough to be a lot better than what is being sold now. I was going to give up making large batches of soup and having chicken pre-cooked for quick evening meals, but now I can plan by the month instead of the week. That really makes cooking and shopping a lot easier. I like to purchase a huge package of chicken breasts from Sprouts and dump them in the crock pot when I walk in the door from shopping. I usually shred it and separate it into recipe-size portions. I do the same with my homemade spaghetti sauce. I do plan to store quite a bit less now since I am retired and I no longer have to do most of the week's cooking on the weekend.
It has turned cold again just as I was fretting the end of winter. We need good winters in Texas to ensure fewer mosquitoes and other pests.
New visitors to the feeders this month have included ruby crowned kinglets and Carolina wrens. We have also identified three species of woodpeckers and some brown thrashers have returned intermittently. The juncos, common and house sparrows are all very healthy and maybe a little overweight from all the seeds and suet we've been providing. We don't even want to talk about how plump the dove are!
