Some recent photos:

Whiskeytown Lake at sunset

Mt. Shasta from above Hat Creek

The Pacific Crest Trail marker

Mt.Lassen

My quilt at the baby shower

The cake at the baby shower (it was too cute to cut!)

AJ's room in the pod hotel in Tokyo

The dogs running free (before they jumped in the mud puddle.....)

Alli's new glasses, which she wore for about 5 minutes.

I've put off typing this post.....Mom died last Monday night.  There are no words left.

Happy Easter!!!

I decided to push my luck with the garden this year, since it has been so mild, and plant early.  The locals say not to plant until after April 20th (I've also heard the 15th, but I lost my garden one year on the 19th......) but I decided to go ahead and plant this year.  The main reason was that Turtle Bay had their 30% off sale yesterday at their nursery, and they have some great heirloom tomatoes that I like to try.

I should have waited.  It wasn't that we got a freeze and I lost the plants, but rather I had help.  I brought home the plants from the nursery, and decided that if I was going to plant them, I might as well put everything in at once, so went over to the local nursery for cucumber and zucchini plants.  While I was gone, Luna picked up every single plant I had brought home (and placed on the table, supposedly out of her reach)  and carried out in the yard, and then dumped them - all in a nice little line about 2 feet apart.  Most had little or no dirt around the roots after she finished with them, but the stems weren't broken, so....maybe they'll make it.

Allison had a psychiatric evaluation yesterday.  On Friday, the attorney for her Conservatorship called, and asked if we had the evaluation yet - her court date was April 20th, and that had to be done first.  I had obviously misunderstood Allison's Case Worker last year - I thought that she had told me that all I need to do was let her know when I started the process, and she would order the evaluation.  Since it hadn't been done, I therefore thought that it was something that maybe the court ordered to be done after the case was filed....what do I know about this stuff???  Instant panic mode.  Alli's Case Worker was great though - she called me, figured out that I was confused (which didn't take her long at all), made a phone call, and within 10 minutes of our conversation, the Psychologist was on the phone, and we had an appointment for the following day.   Whew!

The evaluation for Alli turned out to be a bust though - she didn't want to play with the strange man and his blocks.  She wanted to watch Pokemon, nap, or maybe have a snack.  She really didn't want to play with him,  Ralph and I filled out paperwork on her (can she tie her shoes, brush her teeth, feed herself, etc.).  I don't think the Psychologist is going to recommend she not be put in a conservatorship, so it's all good.

Alex spent the weekend at an "ATV/Survival Park" - whatever that would be.  I did get him to send me some pictures.  He is also going to send me a video of the Paint Ball Games (the Survival part of the ATV/Survival Park??).

Another baby project finished:

Since Malorie is going with a nautical theme for the baby's room, I made a whale with bells in it.  It turned out really cute!  Her baby shower is coming up on the 23rd, so I need to get busy!  I don't think the afghan will make it by then - I really don't feel like devoting every spare minute to it to get it done, and that is what it would take I think, so it will be a present for maybe when the baby is born, not for the shower.

Ralph is 3 weeks sober!  What a difference it makes - he's feeling better, has lost a lot of weight so he can move better, and the depressions really seems to be lifting.  Yesterday, he called Direct TV for me and we switched over yesterday afternoon!  Getting a new system is terrible - I can't find the channels I want, etc.  I'll figure it out, and it's good for me to get out of my comfort zone.  I might even find something different to watch!!!

Ralph is going in for an endoscopy this morning - they are still trying to figure out why he can't breath well.  So far, it's all negatives - it isn't that, or that, or that.....which is all good I guess.