Tulips

For the last couple weeks, I've been taking advantage of the cooler weather and lack of bugs to get a whole lot of yard work done!  I found myself really enjoying the work, even though it is pretty hard at times.  I'm pretty sure my level of enjoyment is a direct correlation to the amount of money I spent on plants and supplies.  The fact that Lowes is like 3 minutes away definitely helps too.  😁  Joe and I never necessarily neglected our yard before, but we certainly did the bare minimum and didn't spend money on it since we were so focused on fixing up the inside and taking care of the water problems in the basement.  But this year, we decided to put some real effort and money into the yard, and it's already looking so much better!  With some landscaping fabric, mulch, and edging, I'm hoping that pulling weeds will be a thing of the past.  There is still a lot of work to do though, and so far, I've mostly only focused on the backyard.  I could say more, but I'm actually getting ready to head out and work for a while before it gets too hot.

Fili always seems so excited to see me but then acts like he doesn't want to be picked up once I reach for him.  He's a silly boy!  😊

I've been catching Kili awake in the mornings and during the day more again.  He still isn't awake at night though, so he hasn't been getting as many cuddles, but he's doing well.  😊

I've noticed that Haleth likes to do some rearranging at night.  She pushes her wheel out, throws the sand out of its dish, and moves around her toys.  I tend to put everything back so she can start all over again the next night.  I think we both find this entertaining.  Although I suppose I could be annoying her.  It is her home after all.  😂

Cube

Last week was a bit rough and time definitely got away from me.  It's been well over a year since I've been sick with anything (I think masks and social distancing can be thanked for that), so last Tuesday took me by surprise.  I had gotten my second dose of the Pfizer vaccine at 10 am.  I had 12 hours of nothing but a sore arm (which I definitely expected).  At around 10 pm when we went to bed, I started getting body aches, fever, and chills.  I had a rough night, but other than being incredibly tired, I felt okay when I woke up.  I was able to get through my normal morning routine without any issues, but at about 8:30 am when I was getting ready to go to work, I got hit with another wave of body aches, fever, and chills.  I spent most of Wednesday in bed.  At around 3 pm, I was starting to feel much better and by 4 pm, I felt completely fine as if nothing had happened at all.  So I only had 18 hours of not feeling well.  As far as I know, I have not even been exposed to COVID and now that I'm vaccinated, I'm hoping that I won't experience the real deal which has devastated so many families.

Fili apparently doesn't care that much for broccoli.  He was biting at the fabric instead.  Such a naughty little dude.  😂

Kili seems to appreciate almost all food.  I was surprised that he started with the stem of the broccoli, but I was glad he was enjoying it.  😊

Haleth completely froze when I set her down.  Normally she loves all food, but she's still a little bit unsure of not being held and didn't seem to know what to do in this new environment.  She's definitely coming out of her shell though.  😊

 

Heart Box

I'm loving this warmer weather!  I've already mowed the yard and gone to the zoo a couple of times in the last couple of weeks.  I still have quite a bit of yard work to do, but I'll get it done eventually.  😊  I used to struggle a lot with not wanting to start anything unless I knew I could complete the project all at once.  But in the last couple years, I've shifted my mindset to focus on slow and steady work which sometimes means a single project takes months to complete, instead of a day.  I don't let myself get frustrated by this like I used to.  Instead, I admire the baby steps that get me to a finished task.  Getting our yard to look the way I want is a perfect example of this.  I don't have the time or resources to do everything all at once so instead of not doing it at all, I started the work, and let myself be proud of each baby step of progress made towards the goal.  So when I say I'll get the rest of the yard work done eventually, I really do mean eventually.  😄

Fili isn't very cuddly, but he always wants to be held.  He's really quite sweet, even when he glares at me for smushing his face with kisses.  😂

 Kili has become quite the recluse.  I have no idea when he wakes up to start his day, but it is definitely well after we go to bed.  He's so sweet though and definitely still my round boi.  😅

So it was probably almost a month ago that I took those pictures of Fili and Kili in this box from my neighbor who thought it would make a cute backdrop (she was definitely right by the way!).  I knew I wanted pictures of Haleth in it too, but because she wasn't very tame at the time, I had to wait and hold onto the box.  Last week I finally felt comfortable enough to get some real pictures of Haleth that aren't of her in my hand or in her bin.  She did well!

Plate

In some ways it seems like the construction on our street is so close to being finished, and yet I don't actually know what the full process of removing a concrete street and re-pouring it looks like, so I can't really guess how much longer they will be working.  None of our driveway was removed when our side of the street was ripped out and replaced, so we've had access to it for a couple weeks which makes this easier.  There was awhile when our driveway was the only one available for the neighbors on either side of us and across from us, so it's gotten a lot of use.  Thankfully the neighbors on our side can use their driveways now so they've been able to share the load of helping out all the people on the other side of the street while we all wait for our road to be finished.  This was especially helpful yesterday when the only side street near us got closed so they could remove the asphalt in preparation for resurfacing that road, which thankfully is a much faster process than concrete.  Despite the inconvenience, I have really appreciated seeing everyone coming together to help each other out, and I've finally met neighbors that I've lived by for nearly 5 years now.  Also, I'm sure the road is going to look awesome when they are done, whenever that will be.  😊

Fili wasn't appreciative of me cleaning his bin yesterday, but he did appreciate the whimzee treat he got, so I think all is forgiven.  😁

Kili didn't seem to care too much that I cleaned his bin.  I think he's always been a bit more laid back than Fili.

Haleth has made SO much improvement!  One of the first steps after she was finally comfortable in my hands was to get her comfortable when she wasn't being held.  I started this process by putting her in my jacket which she loved!  This also allowed me to walk to other parts of the house with her.  I also pulled out a snuggle sack I made a while ago which has been super helpful in this process of taming her.  She's definitely not scared of me anymore, she's not jumpy when being held, and I've witnessed her being active in her bin instead of hiding all the time.  I still have work to do with her, but she's becoming a sweet, confident, and plump potato.  😂

In My Hand

I missed celebrating one year with Fili and Kili.  😕  I got these brothers from the ACC on March 24, 2020 which was right before the hunker down orders were starting.  I remember how tiny they were and how they both fit so easily together in my hand.  I can't believe how quickly the last year went.  I have really enjoyed these two, but I have to admit that even after a year with them, I still struggle to tell them apart.  😬  Every time I think I have them figured out, then it seems like they switch personalities and looks.  So I keep the sticky notes on their bins so I know who I've grabbed.  😂  

Fili has been my little buddy in the evenings.  He wakes up pretty early and then he moves to his sand bath where he quickly dozes off until I wake him up for food.  

Kili doesn't seem to have much of a set schedule anymore.  I haven't been seeing him in the mornings, but I catch him up at random times throughout the day getting a sip of water before heading back to bed.

Haleth is still pretty timid, but I can pick her up fairly easily once I've coaxed her out of her bed with treats.  Usually when I put her back in her bin after holding her, she goes right back to bed, so I almost never see her active.  In some ways I'm disappointed that she is still so shy, but then I remember that I've only had her for a month, so she's actually made a lot of progress in a short amount of time for how terrified she was.  😊

Meet Haleth!

Say hello to Haleth!  I got this beauty on March 17 from the ACC.  After Laurelin passed away, I knew I wanted another Syrian hamster as they are my favorite.  But I wasn't ready right away.  I decided to wait while checking the ACC daily since I was looking for something specific.  My desire was to adopt a young male that didn't look like any hamster I've had before.  After a while, I saw a handful of females listed and definitely considered one of them, but I decided to contact the ACC first with some questions.  I chatted with some awesome people on and off for over a week before I went in to see the hamsters.  I initially thought that there were new little males available that day, but their final determination was that they had 2 baby girls, not boys.  Regardless, I instantly fell in love with this one!  She was VERY scared compared to her sister.  In fact, she pooped and even peed on me when I was transferring her into my travel bin to take her home.  😅

The first week with her was a bit rough.  I didn't want to give her a name until I confirmed that she was in fact a she and not a he.  Her fluffiness was making it very difficult to tell.  And she was terrified of being held and peed on me again the second time I held her.  So I spent an hour sitting on the floor with my hand, full of food and treats, laying in her bin to convince her that my hand was not something to fear.  After almost two weeks of doing this nearly every night, she's not as scared of me and I actually picked her up and held her last night fairly easily.  😊

She does use her teeth to communicate to me more than any hamster I've had before.  The first couple times I had my hand in her bin for her to sniff and eat food and treats out of, she bit a couple of my fingers hard enough to make me bleed.  The best way to teach a hamster not to bite is to not react, which is obviously easier said than done!  I think that worked though because she hasn't bit me hard since.  I am also getting better at understanding her personality which helps immensely!  Last night, when she was done being held and wanted to be put down, she gently put her teeth on me which I took as a warning and put her back in her bin.  She is VERY food driven and quite curious which has helped speed up this taming process.  I have yet to find a treat she won't eat!  😂  

All of these pictures are from the first day I had her as she was exploring her new home.  As she is still quite jumpy and I'm still working on taming her, it'll likely be while before I can get pictures of her outside of her bin.  Oh by the way, if you can't tell how fluffy she is from these pictures, she's definitely a long haired Syrian, but since she's a female, she won't get really long hair like Tarcil had.  She was 5 weeks old when I brought her home, so she's 7 weeks old now and already quite a bit bigger than she was in these pictures.  Welcome to the family Haleth!  💗

Name of course comes from JRR Tolkien's works.  I also want to say again how awesome the staff is at the Fort Wayne Animal Care and Control!

Not All Who Wander Are Lost

This week has more uncertainty in it than I generally like.  The construction on our street started up again, and we no longer have access to our driveway.  Obviously I would prefer a schedule and timeline of what to expect and when to expect it, but that's not going to happen.  Yesterday I got a very bad headache which I believe was from the noise of the construction and the general tension I feel with not knowing how this will affect us in the coming weeks.  Our wonderful neighbors who are behind us let us park our car at their house so we are walking through the backyards when we have places to go which has helped me immensely to have some peace of mind in this craziness.

Fili likes to wander and explore.  He is currently the most active hamster I have and therefore often the only one I really get to interact with unless I wake the others.  Yes, that is plural.  😉  Hopefully next week I can introduce the new one.

Kili can be summoned with food.  Otherwise he'd prefer to sleep.  I actually regularly see him in the mornings now for a couple minutes after I first get up before he goes to bed for the day.