Every Tuesday, I will share a favorite photo I’ve taken within the week with all of you. This week, it is . . . Zumi Tye.
A little bit more about this one . . .
Zumi Tye Loadholt is our new Red-Footed Tortoise! It’s too young to tell the gender, but the name I’ve had in my head for weeks works for a male or a female. I’m happy with this selection as I gained additional education at the Reptile Zoo in Kernersville, NC on Saturday, March 23, 2024. This tortoise is better suited for my lifestyle and my living situation (apartment community).
I didn’t have much success searching for an aquatic turtle (which is what I had in mind for a couple of months), and I’m happy I took this route, instead.
The zoo had everything I needed for ZuZu in-store and slowly but surely, we are getting its terrarium enhanced and catered to my desirability for it. I have switched out the plants that came with it for a few others I purchased. I have purchased a water platform and a hiding/basking platform for ZuZu as well.
This pet will probably outlive me, but I am so happy and ready for this journey. I’ve got so much love to give, so why not lend it to a reptile, too?!
And if you’re wondering how Jernee Timid is handling this new addition to our family . . . she is completely unbothered and seems to stare at Zumi as if to say, “Oh, okay. You live in there? Well, stay in there, please.”
Jernee Timid: Testing out her new heated pad after I’d given her a trim and a bath.
Remember that heated pad I said I’d order for Jernee?! Well, it arrived yesterday afternoon and The Little Monster seems to enjoy it.
Although her sitting/lying on it for a long time did not occur . . . she tested it out for about thirty minutes, and while I was cleaning and moving about from room to room throughout our apartment, she’d gotten her little self up and in my chair again.
But at least she likes it! I think it’s going to take some getting used to for her, but she didn’t outright decline lying on it.
If you ask me, that’s a WIN for me. 🤣😆😂 It means she isn’t opposed to having this new item grow on her.
1. My brand new pair of skates. Now, for the time being, I have two pairs! Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
2. Jernee Timid, sitting on my ottoman, finally sharing the chair and electric blanket with me. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
1. My new skates arrived on Tuesday afternoon, and I am in LOVE with them! There is nothing wrong with my other skates at all. I simply wanted a pair with sure-grip and rubber wheels, all black.
When my eyes landed on these beauties as I searched Amazon for what I would instantly know as most appealing, they were the pair I decided to purchase after reading about their specs. I cannot wait to take these babies for a spin tonight! And then again on Sunday afternoon!
I’ll report back over the weekend about my test drive in them tonight.
2. Jernee Timid is sharing my chair and electric blanket with me. I should probably be grateful for this as I am certain it may not occur again anytime soon. Lol!
She loves my chair and the electric blanket–so much so, I’ve carted a doggy heated pad for her I found via Amazon. I’ll purchase that tomorrow.
I have a lot of pictures of her commandeering this chair and blanket, and I’m sure there will be many more! She likes what she likes.
She has so many places to sit in our apartment; places catered to her and to myself as well, yet the one piece of furniture I want for myself, she will not let me have. Whelp, what are you going to do?! 😂🤣😆
1. My best friend’s dogs; Bella-Rue (Baby B, on the left) and Stacey-Lou (Lil Miss Busy Body, on the right), and a pair of my glasses. Why did I choose this photo? On Tuesday, March 05, 2024, I had yet another follow-up on my eyes with my ophthalmologist to determine where we stand with keratoconus (a “rare” eye disease that currently affects about 200,000 people each year) and its progression in both eyes.
My right eye is still getting worse and now my left eye has decided to join the party and cave in as well. I have written at length and ad nauseam about myeye disease, and I am sincerely over it at this point.
As I type this, I am still hopeful and prayerful about a positive outcome, but it will not occur without moving forward with Collagen Cross-linking. We decided we would focus on the right eye first and when it has healed, a recheck on the left eye will occur, and if necessary, we will move forward with the procedure for it as well.
I am now in the waiting stages for my ophthalmologist’s office’s surgery scheduler to contact me so we can select a date for the procedure. Once the date is set, I can further assess the logistics of it all: who will take me, who will stay with me for about two days, and how much time I’ll need to take away from work.
It’s a risky business dealing with one’s eyes and invasive and/or surgical procedures, but it is what it will be, and I cannot do much about that now.
2. A Shirley Chisholm Quote. “Shirley Anita Chisholm was an American politician who, in 1968, became the first black woman to be elected to the United States Congress.” –Wikipedia
Not only was she a force to be reckoned with politically, but she fought fiercely for her rights and the rights of others in the United States.
From what I have learned about her, she never bit her tongue. She was forthcoming about any of her political plans and decisive about the goals she implemented for herself. She also ventured down the road of Presidency and became the first Black candidate to be nominated by a major party.
There is a biopic about her and it will release soon. The incredibly talented and gifted Regina King will be in character as Shirley Chisholm, and the movie is set to drop on March 15, 2024, and trust and believe, I will definitely be lending my coins to this fantastic production! The trailer for the SHIRLEY is below:
Jernee Timid: Such a pretty girl resting on the bed in the Airbnb. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
A planned trip to Asheville, NC is currently taking place as I type up this blog entry. I hadn’t been to Asheville in three years. When COVID hit its hardest in late 2020, I halted all visits and travel plans anywhere.
I went from visiting my favorite place frequently to not visiting at all.
This weekend’s trip is not only shaping up to be a fun one, it’s an emotional one, too. Later today, for lunch, Jernee and I will meet up with one of my closest friends and her two youngest daughters. We’re going to a spot called Creekside Taphouse. This is a pet-friendly eatery with an interesting, yet appealing menu.
Both E and I are free-feeling human beings. With that being said, when we see each other, there will be tight hugs and plenty of tears. I can no longer pick her girls up and hug them close while tossing them in the air sporadically, but I intend to hug them until their little faces flush red.
To not see someone you love for almost four years is a painful thing. It’s a hurt that has no words of description that are good enough.
We had arrangements last year to meet up, but one thing happened and another and another, and here we are in the year 2024, and it’s finally happening!
The fear of being pummeled by one of the harshest viruses is slowly leaving my system. I cannot allow it to pin me to myself and the Piedmont-Triad forever.
I’m getting back out there!
Last night’s dinner: coconut shrimp & Asheville Rolls (sushi) Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt
Yesterday, upon our arrival, I ordered a double cheeseburger, fries (with aioli sauce), and an unsweetened tea (I added simple syrup as the sweetener) from Baby Bull, which isn’t too far from the Airbnb, River Row Flats.
We’ve stayed here before, and it’s a place I like to call a temporary home when we’re in Asheville. There is one hotel we use, too.
The meal was delicious and I was pleased with the efficiency in preparation of the meal and the accuracy of it, too. Of late, customer service isn’t really what it used to be, and often when I order takeout nowadays, I’m left unimpressed. Not this time, though!
Dinner was also scrumptious! I ordered coconut shrimp as an appetizer and Asheville Rolls, which are tasty sushi rolls with salmon, cream cheese, avocado, and sticky rice.
The place in question is Mr. Tea Asian Bistro. This restaurant is also not too far away from the Airbnb. They also give you a fancy schmancy takeout bag for you as a keepsake! Isn’t it swanky?!
Airbnb Snapshot #1
Airbnb Snapshot #2
Airbnb Snapshot #3
Airbnb Snapshot #4
Currently, I am pleased with the decision made in early February of this year to book this trip, match calendars with E, and bring Jernee back to a place that gives us both a great deal of energy.
Loving and living with my senior dog during her later years are challenging. She cannot do nearly as much as she used to, so I have to find things both she and I can enjoy.
Our walks around the lake across the street from where we’re staying as well as the walks up and down the strip have been easy for her and fun, too.
I’m getting my exercise, she’s using her joints more and drinking in the breeze as it hits her little face, and my heart is healing. We get our walks in back home, as you all know, but there’s just something especially different about being able to exercise the way you need to away from home and have places where this can be done as well.
Coming back to Asheville has been the best decision I’ve made so far this year. Next month, we’ll be traveling home to Savannah, Georgia. We haven’t been there in nearly five years. I can hear home calling.
We’ve been tied down to our places of “safety,” afraid to move forward.
We’re changing that. And I’m excited about it, too!
Left: Caison Michael holding his basketball trophy proudly with a semi-toothless smile. Right: Jernee Timid resting on my cousin’s floor
I woke up with his face tattooed on my brain; such a handsome boy with a smile to shake the world. He gives me hope. He lends me peace. His innocence is contagious.
My old girl rests her tired body on my cousin’s carpeted hardwoods; a full morning of racing through time has drained her. She calms my nerves. She centers my spirit. She saves me from myself.
And as Sunday kicks off with temperatures that have tanked overnight, I wonder what the constant change of weather will do to my head and heart today, but I’m still smiling because of a growing boy and an aging dog.
A Cornered Gurl 
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