I am so Over the Owls

Well, today my neighbors said that the screeching owls have moved on. I had to go check it out so I peaked out the window down the hall from where I live. Yup no more screeching sounds. I loved those beautiful owls that I was able to observe for a week or two.

I looked on the sidewalk, and lo and behold, there was a creature sitting there. This brown animal's eyes were looking at me..it wasn't a cat or a dog. I couldn't tell what it was. At first I thought it was a brown owl . That is so awesome but Was it hurt? Why is it on the sidewalk?  Yet it was so cool to watch...

It looks so curious with its white face and brown body, just looking around and turning his head from side to side.. Oh I wish I had my camera.  I went and put a note on my neighbor's door and went back to the window and it was gone. I am a curious person, by nature so I had to go investigate that animal.

I forgot I had my camera phone so I got it ready and  I went downstairs as fast as I could and out the door to go see if I could get a closer look, but the animal about as big as a kitten or puppy was nowhere to be seen...

Then I moved closer to where it was originally standing, and I heard a sound as if something creaked open, then all of a sudden this beautiful brown owl flew about 100 ft away from me, but it was carrying a smaller animal...his dinner....oh gross. I immediately got nauseated and felt like I was going to puke when I saw that animal being carried away to be eaten,,,just the thought of it made me not like that owl any more...I know they have to eat, but that was too much for me to see..

As I walked back to my apartment, I had this bad taste in my mouth, and felt disgusted by the owl....as I am writing it, it's still giving me chills down my spine...I am a city girl...I don't like to think of  animals killing other animals for food....Okay I know I eat certain meats, but like I said. I am a city girl...If I had to kill it, I would be a vegetarian...

so long furry friend; I hope you had a good life.

We Have Visitors

About a week and a half ago,  I was at my neighbors apartment around 9 p.m. which is in the same building as my place. I sat on her nice couch and while we were chatting, I heard screeching sounds. I asked her to listen and we were quiet as the sounds enhanced. I suggested that I thought the noise was a screeching owl. She laughed as she said that she hears that noise a lot at nighttime and thought it was her neighbors making that noise. I kindly said, as I chuckled, "that's not your neighbor; that's a screeching owl." As we continued to talk, the noise would become louder and then lower a few decimals. I said goodnight to my friend, and went on my merry way. I totally forgot about the lonesome owl. 

Last week, one of my relatives came over to visit me. While he walked back to his car around 8:30 p.m., he heard the same noise that my friend and I had recently heard from her apartment.  He called me and told me that he thinks there is a nest of owls in the palm tree where I live.  I thought that was cool, but eventually forgot about the owl again...

Then the next day, I went out for a few hours and visited with some friends.  After I was dropped off at 9 pm, I heard an increased number of screeching sounds coming from the palm trees. I decided to investigate the noise.  I went up to the third level of my apartments and looked out the hallway window...and lo and behold, there was one owl, then another, and another, and one more...than I think there was even one more. They were on the palm tree branches, some were flying in the air, and some were peaking out of the palm tree...So I called my neighborly friend and told her "you have to come check this out...There are 4 or 5 owls in the palm trees on the property."  She was amazed and came as fast as she could up the stairs. It was a sweet moment to share this surprise with her.

The beautifully white colored owls would circle around and come for a landing on the palm tree that was right in front of me.  I couldn't believe it's beauty of how it soars through the sky with no effort.   A few of them soar in the sky, some sit on the palm tree branches, and a few stay in one spot that looks like a nest in the palm tree.  It's so amazing. I have seen owls before, but they usually glide into the palm trees and hide.  So it was magnificent to see these beautiful creatures God created.  When they were flying, I wouldn't hear any sounds from those owls. Only when they landed on the branch, it was then that they would start communicating with each other in this high pitch screeching sound. When two particular owls would join the nest, the owls would get so excited and the screeching would get even louder as though they were the welcoming committee or the hungry committee...These two, I think were the younger ones. They didn't seem to take off anywhere but flapped there wings and were extremely excited when I assumed mom and pop came back...These younger ones, looked just a tiny bit smaller than the other owls, and even a little bit rounder.  But don't let that stop them, they sure have lungs...They get just as excited and loud as the adult owls.

I ended up calling one of my other neighbors on another day and told him about them...I said, "You have got to see these owls." So he came up and we saw at least six owls... Out of the six I saw, five of them were hanging out on the branches and some would fly and come back to the same tree while one (I will name the Rebel) decided to fly to the opposite palm tree.  It was so magnificent to watch...You know, there could even be more owls than the ones I have counted.  

One of my new nightly routines is to see these beautiful, peaceful creatures.  Six beautiful, fluffy white owls right where I live...Amazing...and the best part is, the owls are on the other side of the building so the screeching sounds don't wake me up....lol...so I do feel a little sad for my neighbors on the other side....if they aren't getting a great amount of sleep from the group of owls.  The owls seem to come out from 8:30 p.m. to 5 a.m.  Yup, about the time people are either trying to relax or sleep.  

I have been google-ing information about owls. Did you know a group of owls is called a Parliament (ask.com). I also found out that there are over 200 different species of owls too (ask.com). Who knew? I had no idea. If you want to see a list of the owls, check out http://www.owlpages.com/owls.php?genus=all

Okay I have to go now and spend sometime with my new friends.

the picture of the owl is from: pictures from http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/PHOTO/LARGE/3160392778_1e4fd6e031_o_TimLenz.jpg

Speaking up

On behalf of all who deal with debilitating chronic pain...

I know people mean well, but some people don't understand what we deal with.  For if they did, they would not be doing and saying what they are.  

Some people seem to get mad at us when we are not well. Others demand healings that don't come. And even others try to shove diets, supplements or other alternative to medicines down our throat. 

Some of us have tried so many different things and for some of us, all they do is give us more side effects. We may have spent so much money on "alternative meds."  

I wish people would realize that some of us have sensitivities.  We have sensitivities to food, to supplements, to medicines, to temperature, to barometric pressure, to allergies, to even the air we breathe, or whatever is in it.  

People seem to get frustrated and even tell us "well, if you ate this way" or "if you would only take this medical treatment, than everything will get better"...so we try it, and guess what? It doesn't work, for some of us. And then there are others who give us more unwanted advice and they may give a condescending look as though we are sinning or done something awful because we are not taking their advice. To those people who say "well, if you just did this ______."  I want to tell you, thank you, but, no thank you.  It gets overwhelming when the same people (over and over again) keep pushing us to take the next best and new thing. Just because it works for some, doesn't mean it works for everybody...


It weighs so heavily on my heart. I know I am not well, for I have been practically housebound for about 4 months and even bed bound at times.  There's times that I can't even cook for myself so I end up eating a bowl of cereal for dinner. Do people really think that I like living this way? No I don't. That's why I have tried so many different things to help me to get better.  And believe me, I have done a lot of prayer in the process and prayed, and prayed, and prayed some more for a healing...I still hope and pray for a healing, but I have to take care of myself in this condition, in the meantime.

Some of us have even had people tell us to go to such and such preacher or a healing service for God to heal us...We know that God can heal us instantaneously.  (I know that maybe there is a reason he has me in this condition, at this time. God can heal me at a healing service, at a healing conference, or even in my house.)  Nowhere in the Bible does it say you have to go to a special place for a healing. Please don't stop praying for our healing, but please don't push us into the healing or get mad when it doesn't come. It may come soon, later, or maybe never. 

We may have even had people tell us "you need more faith and you need to believe God is going to heal you." To those I say, "I have way more than a mustard seed of faith."  We have had others imply that maybe something is wrong with us, that maybe we are being too negative, or maybe our walk with God isn't right, or maybe there's some secret sin we need to ask God to forgive us from. That is not cool to say either.  Unless God told you specifically to say that, Please don't say those things. That can be hurtful. 

We don't know why people sometimes appear to be angry when we are not well...Does it affect them some how? Well, I guess yes it does when we are unable to hang out with them, or even go to church and sit by them... Do they live with the day to day pain we deal with? Do they help us when we need it? Does it affect them when we have lost our strength in our body to where we can't even walk that far? so why do people treat others who are chronically ill like this. I don't know...

To those who are constantly shoving wellness at us, we know you mean well, but it wears us out every time you do this. 

We need strength, love, hope, and peace in our life. Not demanding faith, shoving diets, pushing supplements, and throwing things at us that are not positive.

Sometimes it's best to step back and look at the situation.  Think of what people who are in horrible chronic pain really deal with. 
Close your eyes and visualize chronic, debilitating pain throughout your whole body. How do you feel when you have the flu? Do you feel great? Are you at your best performance? Do you feel weak? When you push yourself too much, do you feel worse and does your pain feel worse? Do you usually ask or want someone to help you out?  Do you have a lot of energy and strength or do you tend to lay on the couch or bed, like most people who have the flu, hoping for that day you will get better. Now picture having that flu everyday, that's kind of like what some of us who have chronic pain deal with on a daily basis. If we do too much, than our pain levels increase. Yet sometimes we have to push ourselves to clean the house, or take care of family, go grocery shopping, or just doing daily tasks.

Now that you have this information, can you help others who deal with this kind of  life? Sometimes our friends or family may stay away because they don't want to deal with "us" in this condition or they try to minimize what we deal with. They don't want to face the fact that this is life for "us."   

We are not saying to change your whole life for us; just be courteous, encouraging, loving, supportive, hospitable, and prayerful.  Is there something you can do to help us?  Can you lend a hand, help us go on errands, bring a hot meal, a hug, come and sit by us and chat? Do you check up on us by text, phone, or slow mail to see if we are okay or just need a friendly voice to chat with.  We like encouraging cards too. We are human just like everyone else, and we have feelings too. 

And please don't stop praying for us for a healing. We need all the prayers we can get.  We hope for a miracle of healing, yet we have to take care of our bodies the way they are, at this time...

Thank you for reading this

all pictures are by photobucket.com

Check out MY New Fibromyalgia Support Group on Facebook

Please check out the new Fibromyalgia Support Group on Facebook...

This support group is to encourage people who deal with and bring awareness to Fibromyalgia.  You are welcome to chat about your symptoms, talk about ideas, cry on each others cyber shoulders, and encourage each other.  I encourage you to lean on God through the pain you are in. He is our source of strength.

If you don't have fibromyalgia, but you want to learn more about it and/or support a loved one who has it, you are also welcome to join.
Check us out at:   

Fibromyalgia "fibro brothers and sisters"

Thanks 
Tanya