@Koah: LOL - yeah, he's a big enough gator that I'm kind of surprised he hasn't been removed from the neighborhood pond yet. We chased another one off the bank of a pond today while walking the dogs. He was only about 3'. The turtles!! I love the big one stretching his feet out!! <3 XD The ones in the photo are pretty normal...not all of them around here are (like the soft-shell and alligator turtles (not my photos)).

It has been a long time, but I've seen moose in person before (NH/VT/Maine). They are much bigger than you tend to think they are!! And I love the photos you've shared of them! <3

I'm glad you caught the mono early - and that she seems to be feeling better already (yes, whining, although annoying, is better than thoroughly lethargic!). Good luck - that stupid virus... yeah, I hope your daughter (or anyone else) doesn't go anywhere near what I went through with it. <3

@CooperationIsKey: For what it's worth, both hubby and I have been commenting on feeling just a tad off-balance the last couple of days too. It might be the pollen that's starting to emerge around here... at least for us. Could sinus issues be a possibility for you as well? /shrug/ Regardless of the cause, balance issues really suck... even without being sick. :/ It sounds like the best thing you can do for yourself right now is to keep your blood sugar balanced and try to give yourself the time to nap and recuperate, which sounds like what you're doing. You'll know when it's time to do something else. Still, good luck.

Yeah, it didn't turn in to much of a week off, yet ironically, it actually was less chaotic and less busy in a lot of ways that usual. LOL!

The car thing... yeah... fortunately, it's still under warrantee, but it is something to do with the (stupid) dual-clutch transmission I have. It's just not happening frequently enough to tell the (#&%!@*!!) computers what's actually going on, but in the meantime, sometimes I'll pull out in to traffic and the RPMs rev up to 4k before it finally drops in to gear, at which point I end up lurching/flying down the road instead of the absence of power I had before the car figured out what gear to be in :/ And it's not happening often, which makes it more unreliable in some ways - especially with the aggressive drivers around here who stomp on the gas when somebody dares pull out in to traffic in front of them (with what was more than enough room to do so safely). It's annoying to be sure. :/

@Lotus: It sounds like you've had a lovely period of time to celebrate and to enjoy the holidays ... and to relax and do some introspective things. That's good :3 <3 Did you make any big plans for 2023?

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@Wildfire: Yeah, it could be sinus related, I dunno. Except I really haven't had much sinus congestion the past few days. So I'm not sure! I'm hoping it all works itself out though.

And yikes, that's scary with the car! Sounds like a recipe for an accident. Hopefully the mechanics can figure that out for you!

@CooperationIsKey: I'm sure you'll figure out whatever is causing the extra dizziness... or it'll resolve itself. The pollen/sinus thing was just an idea. It sounds like you're starting to feel at least a little bit better, which I'm happy to hear for your sake! I hope the trend continues in that direction.

... that's a lot of cinnamon!! XD

@Wildfire: Just working today and I am already feeling tired. T_T Nothing too big planned for this year, yet.

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@CooperationIsKey: That cake sounds amazing, did you end up making it? n_n

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@daniellerenee: Welcome to Voltra! I'm doing great, how are you?

@Lotus: No, sure didn't. We've got a fruit fly problem in our kitchen at the moment that put me off dealing with it. Didn't want to make a fly magnet!

@daniellerenee: Hello and welcome!

@daniellerenee: cool - so you're familiar with them, then... most of us here are. Have you found any others in your search?



@CooperationIsKey: your avi is simply adorable right now, btw... so cute and colorful!



How are you both doing today?

@Wildfire: Not to jinx it, but I think my daughter is dealing with mono pretty well.
I had an eventful weekend and I'm actually glad to be doing my mom's daycare now. XD Too much was too much. /bad, not good/
We have 2 birthdays this week. And no plans, unfortunately. I ordered gifts kind of late too. OTL

Omg. Softshell turtles look SO WEIRD! and alligator turtles look quite a bit like snappers. o3o I have a pet Mississippi map turtle. It's a dwarf-sized one. Never grew any bigger than my palm. My mom took him as her store mascot/pet since I kept moving around and ... it moving his tank was a lot of work.
I drove to the post office the other night and had to wait until the deer moved away from the door so I could get in. lol. XD
The place is in a residential area, so I couldn't honk or make noise to scatter em.

I only have 2 kids today in the daycare. o3o it's a really nice break. but I know, tomorrow it goes back to 5 and I'm soaking up the simplicity of today while I have it.