A long time coming....

So much time has gone by.... where do I start? If anyone is still out there, I'll just say for the record that although I've been away from my blog for what seems like forever... I never forgot about it- or all my blog friends either.
I'll try to give an update on what's been going on around the Fraker Farm for the past year... I almost always talked to my dad several times a week, and in February of 2016 I had tried to call my dad for a couple of days but he never answered his phone. It was not unusual for him to not to answer on the first few tries because sometimes he just didn't hear the phone ring or he was outside when I called, but he always called me back after seeing my number on his caller ID. When he didn't return my calls, I started to worry. I drove to his house to check on him the next morning (I live almost an hour away) and found him on the floor. He had been there for at least 24-36 hours, judging by the condition of his clothes. He was alive, but very disoriented and dehydrated. It was terribly sad to see him in that condition....
After a week in the hospital and another two weeks at Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center in Knoxville, my husband and I brought him home to live with us. It was without a doubt one of the hardest things I've ever decided to do, but at the same time, the most rewarding. It was not without many days of frustration, for my daddy, and for me, but in the end, I'm so thankful for the opportunity to spend time with him because, unbeknownst to my hubby and I, my dad was in renal failure. After another stint in the hospital and a short time in hospice care, he passed away at our home at the age of 81.
I've felt the need for a while to start blogging again, if for no other reason but to have an "online journal" of sorts. It makes it easier for me to keep track of things these days- as I found out in 2016 when the days all seem to run together and life is on autopilot- and it's nice to have some reference points and milestones recorded somewhere to look back on. So, maybe I'll just be blogging for me, but I hope someone is out there still reading and keeping up with me. *wink* I'll give more updates another time, but just in case you're wondering, Lily, the sheepies, and those crazy chickens are all still living the good life.
I'll stop right here for now, but I'm going to leave a few photos of my Dad on here today.
Miss you, daddy...
Love,
Your little girl.