April, May, June, July and August!

*Remember:  clicking on the photos, as well as the links will take you to the related blog posts

Please join me in prayer for my Dear Friend Kim at "Golden Pines" as she has lost yet another beautiful, golden friend.  Kim gives so selflessly to the magnificent dogs that she fosters.  She brings love and peace and joy into their final days, or weeks, or months ~ sometimes even years!  And she suffers so when one of them passes from this life into the next.  This has been a year of too many loses for Kim.  Her heart is heavy.  Pray for her to find the strength to go on doing the wonderful work that she does.  Pray for her to know what a blessing she is in the lives of the many dogs ~ and people ~ that she touches.

When I think about it, I realize that no one gets through this life without suffering.  At least no one who has a heart and cares deeply.  I believe that just about anybody could write a riveting novel  about the joys and the sorrows of their lives.  I don't think anyone that lives a life worth living gets by without suffering and pain.  Some of us just tend to be a bit more vocal about it than others...    ;-)

(I'm referring to mySELF here!)

In many ways, 2011 was a year of tremendous hardship for me.  Of couse, that also means that it was a year of great joy.  Somehow the two always seem to go together!

April

In spite of my accident and subsequent surgery in March, April means lambing and this year was the 10th (and final) "Alice Watch"
Sadly, I missed most of the lambing this year, due to ongoing pain and repeated surgeries and infections.  Fortunately, I was blessed with a loving family and friends who took care of me and the sheep throughout my ordeal...
It seems I missed most of April.  Even had a couple of 'guest bloggers' fill in for me when I was hospitalized.  But I came home on April 30 (my BBG's birthday!) and actually wandered out to the barn to meet the lambs in "She's Home!"

May

The lambs were coming like crazy now that I was home!  Godiva had a gorgeous white ewe lamb and a stunning moorit/smirslet girl, quickly followed by four HST lambs, two of which can be seen in:  "Dilemma's Twins"

The ONLY good thing about all the pain I was in as my body attempted to recover from the accident that I had in March was that I was constantly in the care of family and/or friends.  My Beautiful Baby Girl even got an 'emergency leave' from the Navy to come home and take care of her mama!

It may look like Katie spent her time "Loving the Lambs" but trust me, it was a good thing she came home.  By the end of May, my health deteriorated to a crisis point.  I told the story in:  "A Memorable Memorial Day"   Suffice it to say, Septic Shock is NOT something you want to ever experience!

June

Due to all I had been through since March, and because I was still weak and in pain, I made what seemed at the time like the only decision I could make regarding "The Next Chapter" in my life. June was also the month when the tiniest lamb ever born in the Bluff Country graced my life for four short days.  Although posts were few and far between in June, due to ongoing problems with my arm, I did get the opportunity to ride with my Brother and his Wife to Georgia and visited with my Beautiful Baby Girl, one week before she got married!  While I was in GA., the very last week of June, for the first time in months it occurred to me that I was HEALTHY!   After three surgeries, two infections and Septic Shock, I was finally regaining my strength and out of danger.  My arm was healing and I was getting STRONG!  I was no longer a patient and didn't have to go back to the hospital again.  What an awakening!

July

Unfortunately, before I could relax and enjoy my new-found good health for long enough to start halter training lambs, I was scheduled for a Stereo Tectic Core Needle  Biopsy due to abnormal results on a mammogram and subsequent ultrasound.    No worry ~ after everything I'd been through, there was NO WAY I'd have Cancer.   Or so I thought.

August

I had my mastectomy on August 10th. 

The thing about cancer is that nothing is "Black and White" 

Lucky for me, I was surrounded by my loving family as I faced what lied ahead.

Upon looking back, I have to admit, I'm proud of how I managed to keep my sense of humor through (almost) everything I went through this year!  One of the most difficult things that I faced was selling my beloved flock of Shetland sheep.  Especially when it was time for Dream and Alice to leave!  Alice in particular made it very obvious that "She Knew"...

That's enough for now!

All that's left in this review is Sept., Oct., Nov. and December.

Piece of Cake!

Later!!!