I went out after work today.

I went out after work today. I usually avoid leaving my house in the dark and/or cold, but I've been meaning to get to a NM Cactus and Succulent Society meeting for almost a year now.

They had a presentation on Christmas Cactus care. I really wanted to see that because the last one I had didn't live very long. A friend recently gave me a piece of hers and I really want to take great care of it.

I had a lot of fun and met a few people. The guy I was next to had been in for a while and told me about some of the members. It seems like a really neat group of people. I am looking forward to spending more time with them.

One thing that I think is super neat is that they do plant rescue missions. I know that might sound crazy, but it makes sense. When land development is going to happen, they try to get in touch with whoever is in charge to get permission to dig up the plants in the area. I love that because the plants matter, too. I really love how New Mexicans care about the plants and animals and environment.

They went on a rescue recently that I would have loved to be part of, but it happened on a week day and I didn't have enough time to take off work. Maybe I can help on the next one.

Here's a photo from today. A few people were giving plants away, so I helped lighten their load.

I haven't had a Propeller Plant since the baby I grew from a leaf died when we lived in Talladega. I was so sad about losing him. I was super stoked to see someone giving away this neat, gangly guy. I hope he'll be happy living with me. ❤️

This whole post just sparked a thought:

If money was no object and I didn't have to work, I'd spend my time going on plant and animal rescue missions. I love to drive, I love to help, and I love being part of my community like that. I love seeing new places and going on adventures. But I'll just do it around work when I can.

What sparks joy in your soul? What makes you feel happy and connected? What would you spend your time doing if you could?

I woke up with a headache...

I woke up with a headache and in general wasn't feeling great today.

Then Shaun said a package came for me and that it must be nail polish because it was heavy. I told him that I hadn't ordered any nail polish, and he shrugged and brought me the package.

I just had it in my hand, not abnormally close to my face or anything, and I was like "This smells like a plant. I bet it's my replacement Echeveria Cante!"

I had ordered one from Etsy (along with a few other plants) and the Cante in that order was kind of smushed. I potted it, the roots rotted despite never being watered; I did surgery on it weeks ago and added rooting hormone, but it still hasn't rooted. It's also not dead, though, so there's hope. But I let the seller know and they sent out a replacement - WEEKS ago. It just hadn't arrived.

The package that came today said it was from Texas and had no other identifying information on it. But my nose knew and as dumb as that might sound, it kind of made my day. 😂😂😂

Pic of the new kid. She's as big as my hand! No wonder the box was heavy!

She's cold and discolored now, but she'll be happy again soon. 😊

I joined a group on Facebook...

I joined a group on Facebook called "Menopause Chicks" a few days ago, and I've already left it. So many of the posts are like "What are natural solutions for my dry vagina? No HRT!" or "These hot flashes are out of control! What can I do? Pharma is not in my vocabulary."

And I'm just sitting here like "What is more natural than taking hormones THAT YOUR BODY ALREADY MAKES!?"

I get it if you have risk factors and make an informed choice to opt out of HRT, but the books I posted a few days ago point out that a bunch of the studies saying it increases your risk of cancer were not well-done and that HRT can actually help protect you from certain cancers, as well as Alzheimers disease and bone loss (among other things).

I don't know. As far as I'm concerned, everyone can do what they want with their own body, but it's so hard for me to fathom a more natural remedy to the ailments caused by declining hormones than, you know, simply replacing those hormones. 🤷🏻

I have an appointment on Thursday and I'm so ready. I've got a lot of symptoms of my hormones being unbalanced and/or low. I'm hoping to get a more hands-on treatment than what I can get from a purely online provider. We will see.

I ordered some Bully Sticks...

I ordered some Bully Sticks from Wholly Pup and they arrived today. We gave them to the boys.

Cub is chewing with his eyes half closed. He looks totally blissed out.

We tested how much Bear liked his by using the ice dispenser after we gave it to him. Instead of going into BEAST MODE, he frantically scrambled to grab his stick and excused himself to the yard with it. 😂 That's a win.

The change in him when he hears the ice dispenser is so wild. I'll try to get video next time.

We needed chews that last longer than a few minutes and are safe to ingest. So far, so good for both of them.

Look at this poor, abused dog.

Look at this poor, abused dog.

Forced to ride in the car to get doggie bagels with Cubba and Shaun. 

He's so over it. 😂 So upset he won't even open his eyes.

Absolutely FED. UP. 😂😂😂

I hate leg day so much.

I hate leg day so much. It's supposed to be on Friday, but I hate it so much that I do it on Saturday and put it off as long as I can.

I'm so stinky, and I've promised myself a shower after I complete it. I guess I better get started.

Ooh. This is Shaun's first night with his c-pap.

Ooh. This is Shaun's first night with his c-pap. I almost can't even tell that he's in the same bed. This is CRAZY good.

I wonder if he'll feel any different when he wakes up...