Smoke and Ash

I realized today that my bloggy friends across the country are having a difficult time getting news of the fires raging through our state.  I wish with all my heart that our sunsets were back to the beauty of Colorado, without the plumes.

Here is a screen shot from http://www.inciweb.org/state/6/, which keeps track of fires across the nation.  This website can give you the most up-to-date information on fire activity, evacuations, and other information.

These are the active, large fires ravaging our state right now.  But literally every day hundreds of small fires are started from lightning and quickly extinguished by our brave firemen.

Please, please, pray for our state.  Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes, possibly hundreds of homes have been lost.  Hundreds of brave firemen from across the country (including our military fire personnel) are literally standing in the gap.

Praying for Rain

Like much of the country, our community is in the grip of a terrible drought.

Currently, we have a 17,000 acre fire an hour east of us and a 300 acre fire an hour south.

And, last night, this began.

Adding insult to injury

I've pulled a muscle. In my thigh. My right thigh. The same leg that is currently covered in a cast. Yup, I'm just that good.

So, I've spent the better part of today with an ice pack on my thigh and a bag of frozen corn on my foot. As a dear friend texted me, "Of course. That means you need to stay down! God will get you down one way or another. "

You'd think my friends thought I was stubborn or something...

I've read 5 books in the past week. And downloaded another 20 or so to my kindle to read. All free, I might add. Thanks to Beth for turning me onto www.inspiredreads.com. Love getting that daily email!

Below is a pic of my incision. If you're squeamish, might I suggest the little red x in the corner. The nurse claims that, although it may look nasty now, my surgeon's incisions always heal the best. I'm just gonna have to trust her on that one...

And my cast color is....

Day 5: Back To The Grind

Well, we survived the first four days. I pretty much spent Thursday and Friday sleeping on the couch. Jerome was AMAZING and took the kids swimming, to the museum, on adventures, and generally did everything.

Saturday morning a dear friend picked me up and we went to a baby shower. When we got home, I was so light-headed and nauseous I almost collapsed. After spending the rest of the day like that, we realized the pain meds were doing more harm than good. So we ditched them.

Sunday was great, with church and fro yo mixed with naps. And no puking.

And today, it's back to the grind. We have 2 more weeks of school, so the girls are gathered around the coffee table while I'm on the couch. Jerome is is going back and forth between home and work, and the cats are pestering the dog.

In other words, life is returning to normal. Although we still aren't sure what color cast I should get tomorrow. Stay tuned for the big reveal!