Crazy

That's the only way I can explain our weather this year. Of course, we Texans have a saying: "if you don't like the weather, wait five minutes." I'm sure that could apply to other states as well, but it really is true of Texas.

Our current situation began Tuesday with a wind shift. It was balmy and warm until about mid afternoon. Then the winds shifted, and how! They were blowing at about 30 mph. K told me she was putting out the recycling. Monkey Boy was with her. The winds suddenly shifted and began blowing. He had not witnessed our Texas Blue Northers before. She said his eyes got as wide as they would go. He couldn't figure out what was happening to him. His only words were "tornado."

With that wind came the cold. Yesterday it did not get above about 47 all day. Late in the afternoon, K called me and said that she could swear it was snowing. I looked out, and at first, I didn't see anything. Then the flakes got much larger and falling much faster.

Yep, Swampland had snow. That isn't a big deal in most of the country. Snow happens. But here on the gulf coast it is a rare phenomenon. Our last snow was Christmas Eve of 2004, and the one before that I don't remember. This is the earliest that I can remember, but then with menopausal brain, chemo brain, and anesthesia brain all rolled into my head, I don't remember much!

Snow around here is a disaster. It didn't really have an effect on last nights rush hour. It didn't stick. But this morning we woke to find that the areas more to the east got three inches. Then it got to sit on the overpasses all night - and freeze. The traffic accidents were frequent and many. We just don't deal with this well.

So, the score around here is weather - 2, people - 0. First we are hit with Ike. People are still recovering from that. The most severe damage was to, of course, the eastern parts. Where was the snow. Naturally. I am worried about some of those folks. As of two nights ago, there were many still living in TENTS! Living in a tent in 30 degree weather with snow! No way, but I guess they had to manage.

I really worry about what the rest of the winter. I think we will have more really abnormal, severe weather. And they say there is no climate change? Our rainy season hasn't been. We had a major hurricane. Now it looks like a real bear of a winter. Not weather as usual. Anyway . . .

Peace.

Searching

Searching the internet for items that are needed is really a great thing - if you can think of just how those things might be listed on said internet.

I really, really hate shopping. The older I get, and the worse my knees get, the more I hate shopping. There is a direct correlation there. I tend to do most of my shopping on line, and thus far, I have been lucky. I get what I want.

Sunday while we were hawking out wares, I bought a salt lamp from another vendor (see Monday, December 8). I brought my prize home. I didn't buy it for its reported health benefits. They are supposed to "delete negative ions" - a claim I can neither believe nor doubt. I plugged in my beautiful salt crystal. The thing weighs about seven pounds. I turned the switch, and nothing happened. Well.

So I assured G that I really didn't believe the vendor was out to cheat my, and I still don't. I didn't realize I had an information booklet with the lamp. It fell to the floor without me seeing it. I decided to write the company via email asking if I could buy another light fixture from them. This thing is only a night light bulb in a socket that fits into the crystal. They got right back to me. Their response was that I could find said fixture at any hardware store.

Hummm. That would mean that I would have to go to said store and try to find someone to help me. They suggested I take that part with me to match it. I didn't like that idea, so I turned to my browser. What do I put in? Finally, I decided that searching for "lamp making supplies" would be just the ticket. My dad used to make lamps. In the 70's big, tall lamps were all the rage. So he would take all sorts of things to stack to make lamps. He even drilled into glass vases.

That worked rather well, but when I would get into the site I had some trouble narrowing my search. I finally found the right site, found the right verbage, and ordered the right part (I hope!!). Now I sit and wait for the mail to bring me my socket to put into my beautiful salt crystal.

As for the health benefits - I'll let you know!

Peace

Remembering

My father in law died a year ago yesterday. He was such a fine man. He was loving and fair to all the grandchildren. That statement carries an important thought. When my kids were growing up, their grandmother was not fair and loving to all the grandchildren. The girl cousins are three months apart and the boys are two weeks apart, so obviously, they are the same age.

She had her absolute favorite. That was K's cousin E. She looks like their aunt, who is grandma's baby girl. The second in the running was M. My kids were also rans. Holidays were spent in the Capitol City. The trips to Swampland were few and far between.

We all miss father in law greatly.

Mother in law stayed in the Alamo City until just before Thanksgiving. She did move into independent living, but she was alone in Alamo City. That was brought home to her big time when she was whisked to the emergency room. But more than that, she lamented that no one came to see her. Now by "no one" she was referring to us. The same ones that she never bothered to come to see, and were at the end of her favorites list.

She has moved to assisted living in the Capitol City now. We all said that we could visit more if she moved there. Well, it is still difficult. But G and I went by to see her the Monday after Thanksgiving. I didn't think it would have affected me. It did. Greatly.

As we were walking up to the door, there were about 10 rocking chairs clustered around the doorway for the smokers. It was the same where my dad was. My stomach lurched with the memory. I was so glad it was really chilly that day so we didn't have to walk the gauntlet of those old folks sitting, rocking and smoking.

When we went in to sign in, I was struck at just how much these assisted living places are all alike. Sure, this one is two floors with an elevator, but it was just like the one dad was in. When we stepped into the elevator, tears came to my eyes. I missed my dad so much then - as I really do much of the time.

I think from now on, G can go in to visit. I think I need to stay with Simone in the car.

Peace.

I call it a success

We (K and I) did a craft show yesterday. I really thought we wouldn't sell a thing. With the economy as it is, people just aren't in to buying crafts. Since we live in this little city, we don't have to pay for a space so we would only be out the gasoline (perhaps a 20th of a gallon) and the exertion of setting up our tables and stuff.

Admittedly, we do live in an upper middle class area. Most people here aren't as strapped for cash as a lot of other people, but since Swampland's economy is based on oil and gas, it those prices keep dropping, people will begin to feel the pinch. Right now, we have been rather recession proof, but I'm not sure that will last. '

Anyway, we were really surprised. We did as well as anyone else, and far better than others. Some folks didn't sell a single item. Many closed up early, but we decided we weren't in any hurry. We did some business right at the end of the time.

We had fun though. People are so interesting to watch. Last weekend, we harvested some mistletoe at the SSB. Last year, K, Lady Bug and I tied it up with red and green ribbon that was so cute. We brought it all back home. Of course, the weather last year was horrible. Cold and rainy. This year, I decided that I would just put it in baggies. I really only wanted to charge 50 cents for it, but we include sales tax in our prices so that we can round off to the nearest dollar. We don't have that kind of change. G suggested we label it $1 or free with purchase. What a sales trick. One teen girl wanted the mistletoe. When she saw it would be free with purchase, she decided to look for a necklace. A little flawed logic to be sure!

K and I had a nice afternoon out on a beautiful sunny, cool day in the park. She found a cross from another vendor, and I found a very unusual Himalyan salt lamp from another. SUccessful? Yes, although I think we may have just broken even!

Peace.

Success

The party was good for the most part. My Southwest Shepherd's Pie was a hit. It got rave reviews. I won a prize - a piece of applique software. I don't really know how to use that kind of software, but I guess I'll learn.

The attendees were from three clubs, so there were a lot of people I didn't know. Just before the party began, a little man about forty appeared in the doorway. I had never seen him before. Then he said "Merry Christmas." I knew right then. He was profoundly retarded. A lot of the women knew him and addressed him by name. He was David.

He disappeared for a while. I thought he might be employed by the business, and he had to return to his job. After a bit, he was back. Then I realized he was with his mother. A woman behind me said that she saw he won a prize for his apron in the contest the store held last month. She said she also had won. I really was surprised at that.

David then took a chair next to me. He began talking about his truck and his Camaro. He said that Santa was going to bring him more presents. He asked if I had a truck. We talked for a while about trucks, comparing colors, sizes, transmissions and so on.

David became my dinner companion. He was a slight little man. He was about 5' 2". His hair had little grey flakes in it. He had thick glasses. He could have been considered good looking if his condition wasn't a factor. Retardation does effect the visage.

He ended up being rather fascinating. His mind was like a five year old. I could have been talking to Monkey Boy. He was complete stream of consciousness in his conversation. We would sit in silence for a while, then a thought would hit him. It was straight to the mouth. It was really cute, and he was really sweet.

He wanted to show me his apron. He didn't get to. Our party had gone on so long. While he and his mother were participating in the ornament exchange, I retrieved my casserole dish and left. It wasn't until I was half way home that I remembered David wanted to show me his winning apron. I'm sorry David!

Peace

Change of plans

We are experiencing another blast of what passes for fall in other parts of the country. It is dreary, cool (44 degrees), and a slight wind. In other words, a Texas norther has blown in. The weather reports predicted today to be cold and rainy. So like a good Swamplander, I decided that yesterday was the day to venture out to forage in the local grocery. My plans were to spend today and tomorrow upstairs in the craft room - where is it warmer, and I could get ready for Holiday in the Park on Sunday. That is one of the two craft shows we do.

As I was planning my shopping list, I realized that the sewing club I belong to is having their Christmas party today. I know I have only been attending since September, but I really wanted to go. So I bought the ingredients to make the casserole I had intended to make, and girded my loins to brave the brutal weather today. Well, as usual the weather people missed the boat on the forecast. It is, as I said, overcast and cool, but there is no rain.

I almost feel like I am doing Thanksgiving all over again. How many times do you prepare mashed potatoes at 7:30 am? It is not something I normally do unless it is Thanksgiving. I don't even do it at Christmas. But to make my Southwest Shepherd's Pie that is what I was doing. In a minute I will return to the kitchen to brown the hamburger and throw the entire thing into the oven.

I was thinking about how I was going to get this concoction into the store where we meet. After all, it will still be fairly warm. I remembered my holder for the 9x13 baking dish that I have. I remembered it to be stainless steel or aluminum. Nope. It's silver. It hasn't been used in over five years. Would you like to guess what it looks like? Would you like to guess who doesn't have any silver polish? Would you also like to guess who is going to go ahead and use said device? I am such a slob!

One of the things they will be doing (you noticed I said they) is an ornament exchange. I had visions of running upstairs and quickly stitching an "in the hoop" ornament so I could participate. But these people are serious sewers. I think I'll sit on the sidelines and watch this one. I'm not sure that I would put a $8 - $10 value on what I came up with. If they are not extravagant, I'll participate next year.

Time to cook again. Peace

Second verse

I have not been ill in a good long while. Chemo didn't even make me very ill. This thing that I picked up over Thanksgiving simply will not leave me alone. I thought I was fine on Monday. I thought it was a simple 12 hour bug, but it decided to visit me yet again yesterday. It wasn't as bad, but still . . .

The verdict is out for today. I think I am back to normal, but only time will tell. I just hope it doesn't come by to check in tomorrow. I called B last night, and he is well. So that's good news.

K called yesterday. Among the things she said, and I believe it was really first on her agenda, was she didn't know if they would make the traditional trek to the SSB for New Years. She said that is causes her to be too hard on her children so they won't bother anyone. She made hints at B and C, but she knows they won't be there since C is not going to be able to travel by then.

I really think she was addressing me. I am not allowing Monkey Boy to be an animal in my house anymore. Thanksgiving Day, he did his usual "grazing." He has never been made to sit at the table and eat. In fact, they eat at the coffee table in the den in front of the TV. So he was at least at the table, but sitting side saddle. He was dropping food everywhere. Simone ate the droppings off the floor because I was too lazy to get up to sweep up his mess. I was really tired after cooking dinner. She was sick all day Friday. Monkey Boy actually got in her face once to make fun of her.

When he started eating like that again, B and I made him sit properly at the table to eat. He is never required to mind. Lady Bug is supposed to give him whatever he wants if she has it. He brings golf balls into the house to throw. Nothing is said to him. I have two sliding glass doors and a glass fireplace door. Glass and golf balls don't mix. All that is said about him is "he is just a boy."

I had a boy too. He didn't act like that. K was always accusing me of getting on her rather than B. Well, you stab your brother with a pencil . . . I did discipline B. I didn't excuse his actions with him just being a boy. She says that when B and C have their baby, they will see why she is the way she is. No. They have the same ideas about child raising that I did. Children want to be disciplined.

That was the most obvious when I was the Educational Therapist at an in-house unit for mentally disturbed children. We would discipline them. It was behavior modification. There were strict guidelines for their behavior. They were great - until they went home on a pass. There were no boundaries there. They would come back and act out. On Monday mornings, I always had to check to see who was in seclusion after coming back to the unit and acting out - violently.

I'll step down from my soap box now. Thank you for your attention. I will return to keeping my mouth shut - unless my house is in danger.

Peace

Recap

We pretty much survived four days of togetherness at the SSB. There were nine of us ranging from 64 to 16 months. Fortunately, the weather pretty much cooperated. It was a little cold and very windy, but that still allowed the women to venture into Tiny Town. We had lunch at the new resturant there. They almost have more resturants than any other form of commerce!

Doodle Bug was probably the most irritating being. She really hates the word "no," and reacts by crying. She cried a lot. I think there were times that everyone's patience was stretched to the limit. For instance, just after arriving, G threw a bag with a pint of paint onto the deck. K was helping him unload the truck, and she didn't know to wait until he had gotten everything out before transferring it to the house, so he threw the bag probably being impatient. The can opened. He accused me of opening the paint. I yelled - back - that I wasn't responsible. Things went from there and not nicely. But it ended before I could really react the way I was about to. Let's just leave it that way.

S and K got into it a couple of times. I really don't know what was going on there with the exception of the fact that they have three children. That may have been a good part of it.

C was just miserable with her pregnancy. I can't wait for January and February. She doesn't know what lies ahead of her!

Things were fairly smooth until late Saturday night/very early Sunday morning. G awoke at 2:30. I heard him in the bathroom. I knew he didn't feel well. I thought I was having another attack of indigestion, so I took two of Simone's Pri****k.

A couple hours later, I wasn't feeling well. Then things went to worse. I had a gastrointestinal problem. Details of which will be omitted. Suffice it to say when the kids decided to leave even before breakfast for the five hour trek home, I was not sorry. It was a relief for them to go.

I finally got better, and so did G. We were able to get home without any incidents! I have always worried about getting sick there. And I especially worried about getting sick just before coming home. At least it all ended well.

Just about the time we walked into the house, the phone rang. It was C. She told me B had the same thing. Seems like some evil virus is making the rounds here in Swampland (and beyond, I guess) bacause her best friend had it and so did everyone they had Thanksgiving with.

We just wish we knew who the vector was. We both would like to kick butt. I think only the tip of the ice burg has surfaced. I know C is really worried that she will be next!

Hope you had a great holiday. Peace.

A little giggle to leave with you

I am preparing to begin the final running around town to prepare to leave town with this annual feast at the SSB. It really seems rather stupid, if you want to know the truth. But it has become a family tradition with S and K and kidlets going every year, and B and C joining us on alternate years. The festivities begin with G moaning and groaning about how heavy things are to pack and unpack. His usual comment is "I thought we had moved in already!"

It would be so much more simple to have Thanksgiving dinner here, but Thanksgiving is a prime time for harvesting meat (yes deer). This will be the only trip B can make since C is due to have the baby in late February thus not able to travel the five hours after this. S doesn't like to make the trip without K, and as long as Doodle Bug is at her stage which means she cries almost the entire way due to hating the car seat so much, it is not a fun trip for K.

So I will only have dial up for the next week. It works - sort of. But I use it for emergencies only because it is so slow. I feel good about having it. Whe Dad died, I didn't realize just how far behind civilaziation you are without the internet or at least a fax machine. We needed it despirately, and we had neither. We went to the neighbor (relative) two mountains over to use theirs. At least they were in contact!!

I will leave you with a humorous (I guess) story about what a klutz I still am. With all my joint problems and surgeries, you would think that I would be more careful on our stairs. I generally am. But I guess Saturday I thought I had mastered those stairs again.

Now I have to interject stories about those stairs. I have missed the last step before. I had my hands full since it was before severe arthritis in my knees and I could go up and down without a death grip on the banister. I missed the last step, fell and put a hole in the opposite wall with my elbow. G has missed that last step, fortunately not putting a hole in anything. K would fall both going up and coming down the steps. I think B may have even fallen on those stairs. They are the result of us taking in our attic to put two bedrooms, a bath, and a small sitting area up there. The steps are steep and the runners are small because of where they are.

Saturday, I was thinking about something else, turned off the overhead light, and forgot to count steps. I missed the last one, ending up on my butt. Talk about being scared to death. I was sure I had broken something. As I sat there evaluating systems, I figured out I wasn't hurt, but I did have to figure out how to get up. I finally managed, but I was hurting afterward! I was convinced that I wouldn't be able to get out of bed on Sunday, but it wasn't bad.

Later I told G the reason the steps are so dangerous. There are thirteen of them. Didn't know I was superstitious did you? Not really. Just klutzy - like the rest of my family.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all. I hope you can share the blessings in your life with those you love.

Peace.

A change?

We went to son and daughter in law's last night for family dinner. Since she prepared gumbo, it was "extended family dinner." That is fun because we get to see other people.

We were talking around dinner, and my shoulder and the impending surgery was brought up. Crystal, who is in the extended family - really non-family, asked who the doctor was. I thought she was going to choke when I told her.

She had been to this guy when she was having back problems. Her pain was terrific. He did all the tests and, as she admitted, was very thorough. He then told her he thought it was all in her head. In a way, I can see him saying that. My first impression of him was that he really was rather short.

So now, knowing that he doesn't believe in the new methods of doing that surgery - meaning he will lay that shoulder open, and the way he treated Crystal, I'm not sure. I really, really don't want this surgery. I will be out of commission for two months. I am tired of being out of commission.

I think it's time for a second opinion. Oh, and Crystal's back pain - she later went to ob-gyn who told her, and correctly, that it was endometriosis. Now I set about finding another doc!

Peace.

Silly daughter!

The other day K informed me that they had decided to get Lady Bug and Monkey Boy Gameboys for Christmas. She rationalized that they were good for hand-eye coordination, and the only thing they would take away is more TV time. They plan for the game systems to only be used downstairs. In addition, the units would be an early Christmas present that they would get on Wednesday for the annual pilgrimage to the SSB for the appointed Thanksgiving celebration there.

Lady Bug will be able to handle hers just fine. She will be 8 in January. She knows how to take care of things. She has always been rather mature anyway. I see no problem. Now Monkey, on the other hand, will break his before they leave the city limits. He doesn't know the meaning of the words take care of something. I know, he is only 4 1/2. That's my point. He is only 4 1/2. After he breaks his, he will go after LB's. The sad situation is that he will be allowed to take hers.

The other thing that has me giggling is when she said they would be an early Christmas present. Now you and I know what will happen on Christmas morning. The fact these were gifts will be forgotten. Especially since they will be toast and a fond memory.

The last giggle is that the playing downstairs will not be monitored. That rule will go be the wayside. Monkey will pitch a fit, and it will all be over.

Now, I'm not opposed to any game systems, They are fun. I know LB will really enjoy hers - as long as she has it. There are a lot of good things about them. I just see big problems ahead, and as a grandmother I sit back and giggle. There are some things they need to learn for themselves.

Peace.

Drama, drama, drama

The reason I went to the ortho doc in the first place was to shut G up! He keeps telling me that I need a knee replacement. I only bring this up because when I told him that the doc wants to do surgery on my shoulder was met with less than enthusiam.

Now I'm looking forward to another surgery like I would look forward to having bamboo shoots shoved under my fingernails. I have already decided that I certainly didn't need to have that nipple fashioned on the reconstructed breast. There goes my career as a nude model (ha!).

He immediately asked all sorts of questions like: did he say the cuff was completely torn, what does torn mean, are you going to get a second opinion. Actually he was more like GET A SECOND OPINION.

That's not bad advice nor a bad idea. But it has taken me years to set about making this appointment. I spend two months playing phone tag with the other practice. I even went to their web site where I could request an appointment on line. Still waiting for that one.

My confusion here is why there is so much concern about having the rotator cuff repaired as opposed to a knee replacement. I think, although I'm not sure, the rehab time is considerable for either.

I had just about talked myself out of having the surgery. I had been feeling pretty good - although a bit stiff. That was until I simply opened the door to let Simone out this morning. That little twist sent a shock wave up the arm to the bicept. It was a gentle (!) reminder of what was still going on.

All I can say about this whole thing is even after 40 years of marriage, I still don't understand my husband. I finally told him last night to call the doctor himself. He backed down at that. I still don't understand his thing about the surgery. Probably never will.

Peace.

Ortho - Part 2

The verdict is in. As if there were any question about it. The MRI shows a tear. Surgery is indicated as the way to end the pain. The results are up to me after it. Depends on how hard I am willing to work. He wants to schedule it for late January or Early Februrary.

There never seems to be a good time for these things. Late February or early March is the time the new grandchild will present itself. I really don't want to be laid up then. If I wait too long, the muscle will pull away and stiffen. Then reconstruction won't be as successful.

I really don't want another surgery. I managed to live my life for 60 years with only one surgery. That one was due to a car accident where I was ejected, dragged, and broke my ankle. Now I've had five in two years. Yuck!

Welcome to my pity party. I should just suck it up. The real cause of the problem is age. The doctor said that as people age, the incidence of rotator cuff tears goes up with the age. He said by the 80's, most people have some tear even if they are asymptomatic.

Well, I have to let this digest a little more.

Peace.

Ortho - Part 1

I am going to check with the ortho in just a few minutes. I finally had to call yesterday. That was a trip. At first it was they had not gotten the interpretation, then 30 seconds later, it was do you want to come in tomorrow? I am begining to wonder about this operation. Ooh what a word to use since I really think that is what he is thinking about.

In an other tone, without sounding self centered, if you might have tried to comment, that feature was changed somehow. I think when I got the one comment that was so hateful, I wanted to change them from open commenting to moderating comments. Somehow, it was that comments could only be made by registered commenters. That was not my intention. Anyway, comments are open to all, but I will be moderating them.

I'll check back later after my visit.

Foiled plans

Even though I don't have a hard and fast schedule, I do make some plans for the day ahead. That was true of yesterday, but they just didn't happen.

Mondays mean that G is usually off. He works a 4 day week, and that gives him Mondays off which is good when we go to the SSB.

Since he was off, as usual, and we were in town, he decided that Sunday would be the best time to do the 24 hour urine collection for the endocrinologist. So bright and early yesterday, he took the collection to the office. That went pretty quickly.

We had decided it was time to get our flu shots. Our primary care doc retired - about a year ago. We neither need a primary anymore because we have specialists out the kazoo. But those specialists don't have the flu vaccine.

We called the "old" number for our doctor because it is still being answered by the doctor that bought the practice. They have moved close to us - like right here in our bedroom suburb's city limits. I knew they had because son, B, had gone to them for something. But I got the wrong impression of where they had located.

When G had called earlier in the week, they said we didn't need an appointment. Just come in, sign in and put "flu shot" by the name. OK! Great. After he got back home, we got in the car and set out for the office.

We drove to the new office complex. There were no signs on any of the four offices in that complex. So I thought it was the next one over. Nope! B had told us, and I think the office told G, that they were on Village Green. After looking through the second complex, I called to find out exactly where they were. They are in the "old" strip center. In fact they took the office of another retired doctor. So success.

We were in the office and signed in. From the inner office we could hear the crying and moaning of a woman. As people came in, they would say that they were running behind. This was the second emergency walk in of the day. I was really puzzled. If I were in that much pain, I would opt for the ER, not the local Family Practice doc!

We sat and sat and sat. After about an hour, we had just about decided to leave, but they called us back. In the mean time, the woman who was in pain had been taken out the back door via a wheel chair. She was still crying and shouting and moaning in the parking lot. Another patient who was waiting got up to see just what was going on.

Even when we got into the inner office we had to wait. Finally the shots came, and we got them. When we were leaving, I asked the guy who was still sitting out in the waiting room what happened to the woman. Turns out it was a 16 year old girl with muscle spasms of unknown origin. I still would have rather been in the ER!

Our wait for the shots threw off the rest of the day. We had planned our trip - as we got used to doing when gasoline was so expensive - and the next stop was the med center out in the next "city." G needed inserts from the foot doc. Unfortunately, her office was closed for lunch by then.

We still needed to go to the "fancy" grocery store that was a little further out. They had a free turkey if you bought a spiral sliced ham. Can't pass up those free turkeys when feeding 8 for Thanksgiving. They also had pork butts that we need to make venison sausage.

G suggested we eat lunch first, so we set out to find food. In our area, if you find a strip center, you will find a cleaners, a nail salon, and a Mexican restaurant. That's where we ate. We found another good place! It is between the churches we attend (one where we have been members for over 25 years with the pastor who is so boring that he drove our kids away, and the other mission church that we really do enjoy, but have mixed feelings about - torn between loyalty and the fact they are into contemporary worship).

Then on to the store. That was a snap. Then back to the foot doc who was back open by this time!

To say the least, my time frame was off - a lot. But then what else do I have to do. Well, calling the ortho for one. So that is my focus now.

Peace.

Worse

I still haven't heard from the ortho doc. The MRI was last Tuesday, and I know he has the results. SO I guess I'll be calling him today.

Part of the reason is that I aggravated the shoulder last night. I was preparing for family dinner night. I was draining some vegetables that were to go into the casserole. I thought I was about to drop the strainer. I grabbed it quickly, and I experienced such a pain down through my biceps. It was at least a level 9.

After that, G had to finish preparations. I couldn't lift anything more than a pound with my right hand. It has settled down some today, but it is still so sore. I slept fitfully last night, and that was even with a pain pill.

So I guess I'll toddle off to find his number and give him a call.

Peace.

Self discipline

That's what I wish I had. I don't seem to be able to set my priorities appropriately. I SHOULD be cleaning and de-cluttering my house. What am I doing? Well, you're reading it.

If I weren't doing this, I would be upstairs with the excuse of having to make more blankets, aprons, purses for the craft show in December. I don't have to do that, but let's face it, it is surely more fun.

Night before last, I sat and watched the machine embroidery eight receiving blankets. It was so much fun, and I wasted three hours. Yesterday, I began cutting out two retro aprons. I then went upstairs to begin sewing them. I did come down to make dinner. I'm so thoughtful that way. Then I was back to finish them up.

Now you have to understand that right now, as I'm sitting here in the breakfast room, I am looking at three huge totes full of merchandise that came from the July show in Bitty town. They have been here for a month now (we left them at the SSB for a while) because I hurt my shoulder (the torn (?) rotator cuff). There is no way I can wrestle them up the stairs.

We have plenty of merchandise for this show. But I still hope that new designs will sell better. I also know that in this economy people aren't wasting money on aprons and other crafts.

If it weren't blogging, reading blogs, sewing or something like that I would find another way to escape house work. I simply hate it. I think I was supposed to be born into luxury. Perhaps a princess or something would have been more like it. That darned stork dropped me in the wrong place. That has to be the answer. It isn't that I just can't (don't want to) set proper priorities. I knew I could find an excuse, err, answer to my problem.

So from the land of mess - peace!

What I wanted to post yesterday before crazy happened.

This time of year is such a beautiful time in the Texas Hill Country. Generally speaking, Texas does not have the fall follage events that are so common in other parts of the country. Pretty much, the trees stay green all year around, or right after the first really cold snap, the leaves fall off - all at once.

The Hill Country has had three or four cold snaps. That has caused the trees to begin to shut down their food production to get ready for the real cold. That being the case, the chlorophyll has begun to wane, and the other pigments in the leaves are left to show. And show they do!

When you look over the hills, it is a patchwork quilt of colors. I wish I had taken a picture, but the camera was in the back seat.

The tree that gives us the most color is the sumac. Now that is an amazing tree. It doesn't grow very tall, and during the regular growing season it doesn't really stand out much with the exception of ONE thing. They seem to have the amazing ability to grow in no dirt.

When we return to Swampland, we travel through the Capitol City. The roads have been cut through some of the hills there. Those hills are obviously mostly rock. You can see the striations of rock in the cut. Growing out of those rocks are the lowly sumac. That amazes me because where we put the double wide at the SSB has about 18 inches of dirt on top of solid rock. We know because we had to put the Cadillac of a septic system in because there wasn't room for anything else without blowing up rock! I wasn't too eager to use explosives. I keep thinking about finding some of those seeds and planting them around the house. I know what the result would be. I keep telling G that planting trees would be useless because in the millions of years that land has been there if a tree hasn't grown, it won't grow now.

This is my favorite season to go to the hill country though. I can almost pretend we are on the east coast with their beautiful foliage displays. It's just on a much smaller basis.

Peace.

How plans change

I should know that when I make plans, they are changed by outside forces. Coming back from a beautiful weekend at the SSB, G asked me what I had planned for the week. I simply replied "nothing." In the back of my mind, I had visions of going upstairs to my craft room (B's bedroom when he lived here) and sewing all week long.

I was sitting reading Sunday's newspaper Monday evening when the phone rang. I looked at the caller ID, and it showed an Open MRI facility. When I left the ortho office, she told me that SHE would call me. I called home several times to see if there was a message, and there was none. I was prepared to call the office on Tuesday to see what had happened.

The voice that came from the receiver told me they were confirming my appointment for the following day with arrival time at 10:30 am. I was so shocked! I know the caller thought she had been connected to a dimwit. I told her that I had not been told about the appointment, but that was fine. Then I said "now tell me where you are located." Of course all the pens that should have been around were gone!! (Does that happen at your place too?) Anyway, I got the directions, and was really glad that the appointment was set.

Yesterday I had been talking to K, and just as soon as we hung up, the ortho office called. For the life of me, I cannot remember exactly what she said, but I explained to her that I was on my way to dress and make the appointment.

I got to the appointment with quite a bit of apprehension. I have heard stories about the dreaded MRI, but I wasn't nearly as scared as if it had been a closed MRI. I got ready and got on the table. It really reminded me a bit of the radiation therapy apparatus. The thing that shocked me was the two easy chairs set up with a side table between them. Looked like a lounge with that MRI table as the focal point! I never saw something like that! I could have been the main act.

The tech told me that a contrast study had been ordered. That meant an IV. Great, but ok. We went through about 40 minutes of clicks and bangs. She came in to tell me that it went great, and got me up. I asked about the IV. She forgot.

That meant an additional 15 minutes to get everything reset where it had been, then the stick. But it was done. After we chatted for a while. It seems the ortho office had called them earlier to tell them I wouldn't be coming in. Then they called to say I was. The MRI place was as confused as I was. But in the long run it all worked out. Of course, now I am waiting for the results. I wonder when they will call.

I am curious as to what my options will be if there is a tear in the rotator cuff. I really, really don't want surgery. I lived 47 years before my first surgery. That was when I broke my ankle. In the last two years, I have had five surgeries. That is enough for the rest of my life.

It's that time again

Yep, I'm packing up the tote that lives between my breakfast room and den for the trek to the SSB. It is the second week of hunting season, and G is all set. For those of you who may be anti-hunting, I'm not going to set up a big lecture, but I do want to say that there are so many deer in our area that if some weren't taken, they would die from starvation. The land in our area is transition from hill country to desert. Grasses are sparse, as are the forbs that the deer dine on.

Deer happen to be rather stupid. That is a trait that sometimes accompanies anything cute. But they really are. They find an area they like, and they won't go far - even if the grazing becomes sparse. But they will do "what comes naturally" and produce fawns.

Our family doesn't trophy hunt. If it is killed - it is eaten. Even our hunters we lease to are that way. The one who is there the most often usually takes one or perhaps two a year. In total, I would say that much fewer than fifteen deer are harvested from our place. I can't say the same for the cattle that come to us every summer!

I don't and have never hunted. I have always been afraid that I would just wound the deer and not make a killing shot. I guess that's the biologist in me. But I have always loved venison. My uncle used to store his deer in my parents freezer, and we could use as much as we wanted.

If the trip goes as usual, G won't shoot anything this trip. He really just loves going out and watching the deer and other wildlife. I would go to one of the stands, but I don't think I could sit still that long. I wouldn't be able to move when it was time to leave. The house has been in place long enough that the animals are used to it, so we do get some wildlife venturing close so I can watch them.

Peace to you all.

More normal - whatever that is

In my emotional mess from yesterday, I didn't update on the current status of doctor visits. I added a new physician to the stable. G has been telling me for several years to go to an orthopedist. I finally made the appointment because the pain in my shoulder had been terrible. I was dipping into my stash of heavy duty pain killers left over from the various surgeries. At times the arthritis and shoulder pain can be far worse than after surgery pain.

When I arrived at the office, I was given a 10 page form to fill out. Now I know why the receptionist/radiographer had suggested she email it to me! It took me 20 minutes to complete it.

The first stop after the exam room was the x-ray room. I swear, I glowed last night. They took something like a total of 10 x-rays. Since I was there, I decided I would present a laundry list of the faults in my skeleton. Of course, I forgot to list the back pain, but that will go away if I can ever get back on track and lose weight again!!

To sum up the visit:
The cartilage in my knees is gone. The scheduled treatment for now is to increase the anti-inflammatory drug. This has to be the first step as mandated by insurance. I think he is looking, without comment, at something bigger down the line. I think he knows that just the meds will not do it. I know it too.

I am to be scheduled for an MRI. This is to determine is the rotator cuff is torn and to what extent. I am a little anxious about that. First, I'm scared of the MRI. The CAT is bad enough. I also am worried about the pin in my ankle. I hope it is plastic. I asked G if he had to remove his wedding ring when he has one. I didn't ask because I don't take mine off - far from it. Lady Bug and I had our ears re-pierced Sunday. Those have to stay in for 6 weeks!!

My "trigger thumb" was treated by a steroid injection. It seems to have worked.

I guess getting old is really hard, but I keep working to try to get older.

Shame

I have been blogging for three years and two months today. I mention that because it is just now that I have been targeted by the hostile, hateful. If you check yesterday's comment, that is exactly what happened.

As far as I can tell, that person has never been here before, at least on that specific computer, and I don't know what directed them to this blog to leave such hate. I had put up two posts in response, but that's silly. I'm sorry that the person at 99.162.239 (SBC) latitude 39 and longitude 97. If this is someone who is a reader here, I will be so very disappointed.

I have not witnessed such hate - ever. I am completely speech less. I don't know how they zeroed in on this specific page which makes me think they stop by at times. That comment is making me seriously consider shutting this thing down. For the time I will limit comments. I will not accept anonymous comments anymore. The internet has people thinking they can do verbal "drive-bys." I have just been hit.

I am really glad that the pain of my mother's death is long over, but the fact that this person things that all white people are evil really upsets me. To consider melanoma to be the revenge of the blacks is so horrible that I cannot comprehend it. To compare sickle cell with melanoma and say that sickle cell is the smart disease is really off center.

I have a very sad, heavy heart while I write this.

I still can say however, and really mean it especially for 99.162.239 - peace be with you.

What I did this weekend

Interesting - I didn't notice when I posted last, but today when I logged on I noticed that the date of the last post was October 29. That would have been my mother's 93rd birthday. In a big way it hurts me that I didn't note it on the day. She passed away December 1972 from melanoma. I am aware of her birthday, but at that moment my mind was elsewhere. Happy belated birthday Mom.

This is in line with what I did yesterday. It dealt with another cancer death. Here is Swampland, we have public service announcements from our blood center. I think even last year, they showed two with a darling little boy named Johnny Romano. The first was Johnny and his mom. They stood out to be because he was still bald from his chemo for leukemia. They were addressing how important blood donation is because it was so important to Johnny in particular. He stood out even more because he had on a pink T-shirt that something like even real men where pink. His smile was so warm, and his eyes just sparkled.

The next spot he did was with a man who would hold an apple. He likened the apple to the number of people who could donate blood. He then removed the stem with the words that that represented the number who actually did donate. He tossed the apple to Johnny who then took a big bite from the apple with eyes twinkling.

I didn't know the rest of Johnny's story. He was a really good skate boarder. I am not into skate boarding, so I certainly didn't know that. He was seven years old. He was diagnosed in May of 2005. He immediately was taken to Texas Children's Hospital where he began his chemo.

The family was so looking forward to September, 2008 when his chemo would stop. During these years, he was really on chemo the entire time. He had quite a following. Again I was unaware of all this. Yesterday our newspaper had a front page story on Johnny. He died September 27, 2008 - the day he was to stop chemo. He had a relapse in June, 2008, three years to the day of his first diagnosis.

I was entranced with Johnny's story. I went to his blog, written by his mom. I followed each entry. I could so relate to much of what Johnny endured. I was especially moved by the entry that described one of his treatments where they accessed his port only to not get a return. If you should not understand, that is part of the accessing of the port to make sure it's open. Saline, or perhaps a blood thinning agent, would be injected into the port, then they would pull back on the plunger of the syringe to get a return of blood. Often the accessing paraphernalia would have to be removed, and then it would start all over. In my case, I really hated it because my port was very deep. I would agree with Johnny's take (and others) that the pressure was not comfortable. His mother didn't know about that pressure. It made me think - that was probably just one thing those who have never had chemo don't realize.

After his relapse, Johnny basically never left the hospital. His last months were really a pure hell - especially when you think of a 10 year old boy. I was so impressed at the valor he showed during the entire ordeal. He was my hero. I just wish I had known when he died. As I have said before, I don't read the obits. G does, but I find myself lingering over the young women who have died from breast cancer. This time it would have been for a darling little 10 year old boy.

Should you be interested in reading Johnny's story: www.j-grom.blogspot.com. It's a read that will really draw you in with your emotions vacillating constantly. Even knowing the end, I found myself rallying with the mother with her hopefulness.

Peace be with you all.

Weekend, doctor, and dad

Well, we are safely back from the SSB. The weather was beautiful even though it did begin to heat up - a lot! We were surprised to find four "feral" cows on our place however. It seems we have a fence problem back on the east side where the land pluments into a huge, deep valley. We did find who is leasing the property for grazing - and the owner of the cattle. From there we found the number of the land owner who is, as is usual in that country, a distant cousin. I think he's only remotely related to G, but I haven't finished my dad's genology yet. He may be a distant cousin of mine as well, but through a different path.

I had an appointment with the plastic surgeon yesterday. I'm so glad they left a message on the machine because I thought it was Thursday. Anyway, we are still at a decision point about the reconstruction of the nipple. It's a little tempting because it will take 15-30 minutes, done under a local. But he still wants to do it in the operating room both because of sterility and SHOULD there be a complication like bleeding. I am still mulling it around.

When I arrived at the parking lot, there was an older couple who had pulled up before me. I guess I should explain that I use the valet parking. Being right at the door is such a big plus for me. At this facility, it is free, so that makes it even better. Back to that couple. They were driving a fairly new Cadillac. When the man got out, I could see that he was dressed in a nice looking sport coat, tie and sharp slacks. He looked very dapper. One of the other attendants opened the door for the lady. She looked beautiful. She had on a lovely printed full skirt, blouse and jacket. Her hair was done meticulously. She walked with a cane, and he was very attentive.

I lost track of them because they got the elevator before I got it. My doctor was running late - about an hour, so it was a good hour and half before I was back at the parking lot. They were there. When their car arrived, he opened the door for her and helped with her seat belt, making sure the skirt was nicely tucked into the car.

I was so struck by them. They were of the generation that dressed when they went out. It didn't matter where they were going. They dressed appropriately. That meant being very well groomed. But that wasn't the biggest thing that got my attention. The man being so very gracious reminded me of my dad. He would treat his wife with the same consideration. He was such a gentleman. I miss him so.

Army of Women

On October 1, Dr Susan Love, in conjunction with Avon, began her campaign against breast cancer with Army of Women. She is looking for a huge group of women who could be considered for certain research opportunities to stop this killer. She is trying to formulate a ery large, diverse group for sampling. As a scientist, I know how important it is to have a large diverse group from which to choose for research.

On October 28, she will appear on Good Morning America to announce the first "Call to Action." She makes it clear that they will be looking for only certain qualities for this one and not everyone will qualify. This is going to be true of all of the projects.

I am asking you to please consider signing up with this army! If you want more information please go to www.armyofwomen.org/armyfaq. I really think it will answer any of your questions. I feel there is no risk to you and the rewards are great for our daughters, granddaughters, and even sons and grandsons as they too are at risk.

I also added the pledge form. Consider signing the pledge to help keep research going. We really have come so far. If I had been diagnosed many years ago, I would have been given a certain death sentence. As it is, even though I can't know the future, I feel I have a real chance to live my life.

What next?

In my search for things to put on my body to make it better, yesterday meant I traveled to the shoe store. Their claim to fame is that if you are having foot, knee, or back problems they have the fix. Well, OK! I was already sold.

K and I were going to go together this past weekend, but she has had a contractor rebuilding (from the studs) her kitchen. Silly thing, since he had finished she wanted to put it all back together. Humph! Dong that over her mother.

Anyway, I decided yesterday was the day for me to hit that shoe store. K was a little disappointed I think, but I needed help. My shopping on Monday had left me really sore and hurting. I had to find something that would help.

I walked into the store. They had two clerks actively working and a woman at the register. I walked to the woman at the register and explained that I had arthritis in my spine, knees, ankles and feet. She promised they had just the thing, and one of the clerks would be right with me.

Sure enough, the lady called me over to a chair. She could find me shoes as well as working with the other woman who was already there. And that's just what she did! She measured my feet. My right is right about a 9 1/2 - really closer to a 10. Then she measured my left. It was a 9.

I immediately thought of my time at the bra place. Great! One breast clearly at least one cup size smaller than the right - and now my left foot clearly one size smaller than the right! I could not believe it. I am completely lopsided I guess!

The good thing is that the clerk brought me about 6 pairs of shoes. They all felt great. I bought one pair. The bad news is that my feet feel the best in one type that is made in Germany. They are the most expensive. As she put it, I have Cadillac feet.

After my experience at the bra shop, I could really only allow myself to buy one pair of shoes. They are the first that I actually want to wear. Usually I go without shoes as much as possible. These are ones that feel so good, I want them on my feet. But due to their sticker shock, I only have the one pair. I am, however, in love with another pair of shoes. These are walking shoes. Ugly as can be, and priced at $265. I really, really want them though!

I can tell I will be back at that store. I will be getting more of these shoes. Payless will never see me again!

After my last two shopping forays I am afraid to be fitted for anything else. I may find that my left side is simply disappearing!

Amazing

My mother in law may finally be coming to the realization that she shouldn't be living in the Alamo City. G's brother called last night with the news that she will be visiting the Capitol City at the end of the week with finding a facility there in mind.

Her first complaint is that no one comes to see her at her independent living place. Well, she is basically correct. I still could shake the liver out of her for putting a terrible guilt trip on my son about not coming to see her. He NEVER goes to the Alamo City! He often works overtime on weekends that he and his band don't have gigs. It would be the trip and a stay in a motel. All that adds up.

G and I don't go. For one thing when we go to the SSB, it is out of the way. Also she lives on the fourth floor. They don't allow dogs up there. Simone can't wait in the truck. When we DO come by, no one talks. There is nothing to say.

Another problem is that G still harbors great resentment about his mother. She made it clear, and still does, that he is not the chosen child. She has always preferred G's brother and family to G and us. She was abusive to G when he was a child. She would bend over backward for the brother's family. She even admitted it to my daughter in a weak moment. K is far more attentive to her than her cousin (who is three months older). At Christmas, it wasn't what my kids wanted - it was what the cousins wanted that was given.

It seems that Saturday night she was taken to the hospital. It was rather late when brother got the call. It was too late to get down there. I think she has realized that if she wants the comfort of someone around, she better move. Sister in law tried to tell her that at the reunion. SIL said HER mother was thinking of moving to be closer, but MIL laughed it off. She ignored the tone of SIL's voice when she remarked how much easier it would be to take care of her.

I guess it's sad. She has realized she is not the Queen Bee that she thought she was. No one is really going out of their way for her - with the exception of the chosen boy. I've been in that situation - more because I was the only child, but I surely don't want it again. I ended up moving them without their permission. I still feel some guilt about that, but there was no other way. You can't care for elderly parent(s) with them 100-200 miles away. It is just that simple.

So MIL has finally figured that out too.

A Whole New Experience

Never, in my 63 years, have I ever been fitted for a bra. But with my new plastic body, I figured I would never be able to find the correct sized bra. I think I was right.

I ventured out this morning to the bra shop. I knew that their merchandise would be pricey. K had been there a while ago, and walked out with $200+ of bras. I didn't think I would let that happen. Guess what. It did!

I went in and explained that I had a mastectomy and reconstruction. The clerk said ok. We went to a dressing room where she measured me. I was a little shocked. The band measurement was 6 inches more than when I was measured for the mastectomy bra that held the prosthesis. But then I did go tbrough chemo and my body held on to all those calories that I was hoping it wouldn't. I enter chemo thinking it would be a good thing for my weight. Boy was I wrong.

Anyway. The first bra she brought was an "E" cup. My poor little breasts were swallowed up completely. I'm not sure that my previous breasts would have filled that cup, but they probably would have.

The real work began then. We kept trying different bras. The band would fit but not the cup or the cup would fit but not the band. Or one cup was fine and the other was way too large. That is part of the problem. When Dr Plastic did the reduction, he got a little carried away. The left is much smaller than the right with the implant. His solution was to take some of the silicon out. I vetoed that right away. I know they are better now, but I don't want to take a chance on the silicon leaking.

After an hour, I scored three bras. Of two different sizes. Using band extenders. You see, now I have small boobs and a broad back. If it fits the back, it won't fit the boobs. But it looks good. I was absolutely amazed how good the sisters look.

That should be motivation to stay on my diet now. I surely need something.

Dr Poison

Finally today I got to keep the appointment with Dr Poison. Last night I was wondering however because the rains have come to Swampland. Flooding, heavy rains. But we DO need them. Really. But I was thinking this would be canceled appointment number three.

The first that had to be canceled was the Tuesday after Ike visited our area. I couldn't even call to cancel because their phones were down. The second was the fiasco of them not seeing patients out here, and then I was afraid of being flooded in today.

It was really rather pointless. He told me that the bone scan showed the take up of the isotope was in the knees, feet, ankles, and spine. Bone cancer takes up the isotope in the middle of the bone. Diagnosis - arthritis. Wow!! Could have fooled me!!

His next announcement was that I should be exercising to prevent the return of the cancer. It is effective to prevent colon and breast cancer recurrences. Sure. I was on the recumbent bike for one minute this morning, but my knees hurt so badly I couldn't stand more than that.

Then he wrote the order for my mammogram in January. I don't see him again until March.

It was such an exciting morning. Now I guess I better go call Dr Plastic Surgeon, since I canceled that appointment for last Tuesday. I also am going to try another orthopedist. This time I'm calling another physician in the practice. If "Mike" for the first doctor is so busy that I always get voice mail, then I can see that succeeding appointments would also be a problem.

Exercise people!

No clean clothes

The appliance guy came on Friday before we left for the SSB and the reunion. I thought all was great. I got the trip to the grocery store in, the appliance guy, everything packed and the cars all sorted out to leave before 11.

I knew Simone's bedding, that caused the entire thing, had not been rinsed well. I went in to put the washer on rinse and turned away to do some other things. I went back into the utility room to pick up the laundry basket that had been put in front of the door. It was WET!!

I really didn't think that much about it at that moment. It wasn't until I looked again and realized that I had an inch of water on my floor that was running out of the door that I really got into action. My utility room was underwater. I turned off the washer and then went to spin to get the water out. I swept the water out, and when I was outside I realized that the water had run under the wall between the floor plate and the foundation.

I called the appliance guy. He apparently knew what was wrong. I think he has to hook something up again. He said he would be here this afternoon. Haven't heard from him, yet. Guess I'll call.

I really have my doubts about this guy. When I needed him before, he never returned the call. He said he knows our hunter who is a repair guy in Sweetland. A said he didn't know T was in the repair business. He knew him from parts sales. Hmmm. Is this a sign?

Beat

Busy, busy, busy weekend. We went to the family reunion in the Alamo City even though we stayed at the SSB which is two hours away. For seven of us and a dog, it was a lot less expensive - even with time.

G's mother tried to put me on a guilt trip - once again. She was going on and on about how my sikser-in-law had done "sooooo much" for her where as we haven't been to her independent living apartment twice since January.

M was telling us that HER mother is planning a move to the Capitol City and she tried to get MIL to say she would do the same. She talked about how much easier if will and would be if they were both there. It went right over MIL's head. She would rather they travel from the Capitol City to the Alamo City at her whim. What I did with my dad and step mom was hard, but I think that is exactly what needs to be done with MIL. I know she is in a "protected" environment where Dad wasn't, but noone should be expected to make trips to check on family like has to be done.

Other than that the reunion was fun. The rest of the weekend was a little nerve wracking. Monkey Boy needs a good butt warming. He has been allowed to get what he wants by crying for his entire life. Whenever things don't go his way, he whines. If dinner isn't chicken nuggets and fries with catsup, he cries. If he is told to do something that he doesn't like - he cries. It was a weekend of his noise. Mom and Dad (more Mom) are realizing just what they have created, but it is still annoying.

Doodle Bug is a red haired wonder! She has the temper to match that hair. She can be so happy one moment, and she is really ticked off the next. She does love Simone however. I wish I had my camera out when they shared their kisses. When Simone would get up in the mornings, Doodle Bug was at her happiest.

Lady Bug was her usual good self with the exception of thinking she could get her own glass yesterday out of the cabinent. We are minus one glass. I just hope she asks for help from now on. I really had to laugh when her dad said she should be using plastic anyway since he gives both older kids my thin, fragile juice glasses for their drinks. Ah, well!!

S and G were able to get the feeders up and running. Although at one point I was wondering if that was going to happen. They waited until about noon yesterday to even move. When they went out, there were three dead batteries! The old farm truck was dead, the Mule was dead and the four wheeler was dead. G said he was afraid to even try the troop carrier (the F250) or the Expedition. We must have some kind of warp field around us!

We are all back home and, some of us at least, are in quiet, peaceful places. I will spent the next weeks getting ready for Thanksgiving. There will be nine of us in the less than 1800 square foot space. One of those will be 6 months pregnant. Oh my! Should be fun. At least I know where the key is to our hunter's cabin. I may disappear there - often.

It's all because of fleas!

As we live our day to day lives, everything we plan, down to the most simple things, can be instantly changed. I had the day mapped out in my head. Guess what - it all changed!

As a way of explaining part of what was going on today, I must tell you that we are having a terrible time with fleas and Simone. I keep treating her and the house, and G still gets bitten. I really think HE is the vector bringing them into the house. He is outside more than she is!

When I picked up her prescription dog food at the vet's office Saturday, I told them I was having a terrible time. They said there is a pill out that will make all the fleas leave her within 30 minutes. Well, OK. So I bought 2 of the little gems ($4.40 each). Since Saturday was hot, and we wouldn't be home when it was cool on Sunday, we decided that Monday was the day to give her pill number 1.

She tolerated it well, but since it was going to rain on Tuesday I would wait until Wednesday for the second pill. That was also tolerated well, and I decided today would be the day for a bath (at the vet) and the application of Frontline which up to now has not been effective at all.

I got her up early, had her go outside and fed her. Then I loaded her into the truck, and we were off. Now she thought she was going to her slaughter. She planted her feet most of the way to the back at the office, but they picked her up (all 65 pounds!), and all was well.

I returned home, and set about washing her bedding. I was fiddling around with something when the washer made a horrible noise. The bedding had gotten out of balance. I thought it wouldn't be much of a problem. It happens all the time with a large load. I opened the lid and shifted everything around. I lowered the lid with the expectation of the spin beginning once again. Silence.

I moved things around again. Moved the dial a little. Lowered the lid again. Silence.

So I called the Maytag repairman - probably woke him. He came out about an hour later. He poked about for a while, removing the panels from the machine. Then he pronounced he needed a part. He would return this afternoon.

Under normal circumstances that would have been fine. But today, I have Simone at the vet, and I planned to hit the grocery store as we are going to The Alamo City for a family reunion and I need provisions to make food to take. Plus we will be staying at the SSB along with K's family of 5. I need to prepare. We will leave tomorrow at noon. No time for the grocery.

But I guess things will just have to wait. It is almost 2pm. Mr Maytag has not called again. I guess I'll learn some patience and wait. I DO have to be thankful that he didn't pronounce the washer DOA. The thing is about 20 years old. I should be happy instead!

Such a puzzle

G is a devoted reader of the obits. When the paper is brought in, he settles down with that section and reads every last obit in the paper. Let me tell you, there are a lot of obits in the local Swampland paper.

I glance at them on occasion. Each time I read them I get really depressed. Perhaps it is because, not unlike anyone else, I simply don't know what my future holds for me. None of us are promised a set number of days, but I think mine are seriously diminished by the cancer. I cannot be sure it is really gone.

On another cheery note, I finally called the orthopedist yesterday. I got his "scheduling person" Mike. I had to leave a message. I could not believe that! I had to leave a message to make an appointment. Here it is, the next day at 10:06 and no return yet. I wish I could have had a job like that. Apparently he comes to work at 10am (or later) and gets off at 4. Wow! What a deal.

I also got a call from Dr Poison's office. They asked if I would come to the office across town. I said no I could not. You would have thought I was signing my death certificate on the spot. I wouldn't be willing to drive an additional 20 miles for an appointment that isn't all that important anyway. So we rescheduled for next Thursday. My, my. These doctors!

It's time

I'm finding that I don't want to go any where. I don't want to shop. I don't want to go out to eat. I don't want to see anyone unless they are here in my house.

I'm not just antisocial. My knees and feet hurt so much that I can't stand the thought of walking around. Just going to the mailbox at the curb is a major trip.

G keeps asking me "so - when's that appointment?" He is talking about me making one with an orthopedist. I have to do it. I just hate to add yet another physician to my stable of doctors!

I see Dr Poison later today. I'm curious about the real results of the bone scan. I was supposed to see him several weeks ago, but Ike blew in and changed all our lives around here. I had called the office. The nurse said there were signs of arthritis. I wonder if the good doctor will go ahead and order an MRI. I sincerely hope not. I really don't want to do that. The thought of being in that tube scares the liver out of me.

I guess I should serve some cheese with this whine. We'll see what happens this afternoon. I've got the recumbent bike working (I think), so I believe I'll see if that will help anything.

Later!

Foot in mouth disease

I really try to not critisize how my daughter and son in law are raising their children. I KNOW it is not appreciated. I don't think I would have liked it one bit either.

With that said, I did exactly that last night. It was Sunday night dinner with the family. I was already not feeling well. I decided to serve frozen lasagna with salad, bread and a bought Halloween cake. Simple.

Monkey Boy is a picky eater, and he is encouraged to be just that. For lunch after church when we went out his was macaroni and cheese with fries as the side dish. That was washed down with lemonaid. Carb city.

I know he does eat spaghetti and other noodles, so I expected him to eat last night. When he SAW the lasagna, he immediately began crying and chanting no-no-no. This boy is four! \

My son was really irritated by this. Now they won't have their baby until almost March, and he is hopefully making his words nice and soft, but his feeling is that his kid won't act that way. I hope so for his and the child's sake. I was irritated also. I could see no reason for this act except for the fact that he thinks he doesn't have to eat when he is here. I felt the behavior was uncalled for.

When time for dessert came, at least his parents didn't give in. He sat on the floor by his older sister and just bawled. They remained unmoved. I was proud.

Then he came and sat on the sofa between me and his dad. His dad then asked if he wanted a sandwich when they got home. I just about had a cow. I said nothing at the time. His dad was then ready to go - right then. K was watching the program on TV. On the way out, I told her about the sandwich thing. She didn't believe me at first, and I assured her that the sandwich deal was going to happen. She became defensive and said that it was nutrition.

That wasn't my point. I don't like sending kids to bed without dinner, but come on. They wonder why is will behave for his teachers but not for them. This is the reason. They don't make him behave. I hate to see this happen to him.

They had a big birthday party for him at some children's game place. No one came. There is a reason. He is a bully and quite honestly not a nice kid.

K didnt mention it today when I talked to her. She apparently didn't think it was a big deal. I guess that's good, but on the other hand . . .

Torn

Right now I'm trying to decide if I REALLY want to go to the Alamo City to attend my 45th (gasp) high school reunion. I just don't know if I really want to spend the time and money.

High school was a great time for me. My high school was a gorgeous campus. We really were treated like we were more in college than high school. I was in the "pep squad" and had a great time with the other girls and the band when we practiced for half times together.

I loved most of my teachers. I know it's impossible to love all of them - just as I know that not all of my students loved or even liked me. That's life.

We have lived in the Swampland area for about 38 years. I haven't seen any of these people in that time. I haven't had any communication with any of my friends save one in all that time. When we went to the last reunion, none of my friends were there. I really was rather bored.

It seems that mostly it is the males who keep up with high school buddies. That's the way it looks from what I see from the high school site. That's the way it seems with my daughter and son's classes too. She doesn't see those people and doesn't care to attend a reunion. My son is still best buddies with his classmates.

I have to make up my mind soon. I am so torn.

Stronger than I thought

I kind of feel like the Little Red Hen or the Little Engine that could or perhaps a cross between the two (what a terrible run on sentence). Just exactly who I modeled most after depends on the time.

I felt like the Little Red Hen when I decided that since no one helped me move my HEAVY sewing/embroidery machine downstairs so I could go the the machine brand club meeting, I would just do it myself. I planned it all out last night. I would go up to put the materials and sewing supplies that I needed into the sewing machine carrier last night. Then today, I would go up to get first the machine and ease it down step by step. I would then get the carrier last. When they were both downstairs, I would put the machine into the carrier and I would be set.

There was some consideration to taking the smaller plain sewing machine, but my ego got in the way. This club is made up of those who have these fancy, dancy machines. I didn't want to be the one there with the older (much) little machine. Pride!! It causes some terrible things.

I went up last night and loaded (most) of the supplies I needed. Since I had the time for the club meeting wrong, I was able to go to the nearby fabric store to get what I had forgotten. I had to laugh at the others who showed up without some important items. I thought I was scattered at these meetings. I'm better than the first one (two months ago) when I showed up with NOTHING I needed as far as supplies. They thought I was some sort of alien. Well, there were three new people this time. I guess the club is getting their act together because they were warmly welcomed.

This morning I went to get the machine. I doubt I should be picking it up right now. I am still on restricted activities for now. But I gingerly removed it from the cabinet. I got to the stairs, and that's where the Little Engine came in. My stairs are steep!! We enclosed our attic about 20 years ago, and it became our kid's bedrooms, a bath and sitting area. Due to that - our stairs are steep and the treads are narrow. I "screwed my courage to the sticking place" as someone once said, and ventured to the stairs.

I always have a fear of falling on these steps. I really didn't want to trash my beautiful machine. But I managed to go, step by step, down the stairs.

Humph - I did it myself. I don't need help. Go me!

Loud noises

Three years ago when Simone first came into my house, I knew she certainly wasn't a guard dog. She was and is rather timid, and that's great. I really don't worry about her with the grandkids. In fact, she and Doodle Bug are such great friends that we call DB Simone's puppy. DB giggles when Simone licks her and hugs her.

Simone does not like loud noises however. During a thunderstorm, she will be right beside me. She just doesn't like them at all.

Recently Simone will growl if she see someone walking by on the sidewalk. I don't know what that is all about. I guess she feels she needs to contribute something to the workings of the household. If someone knocks on the door or rings the door bell she will now bark and want to see who's there. I really think she wants to greet whoever is visiting. She feels that is her role in the family.

Today she is stuck to my side. My neighbors are replacing their driveway. There is a poor man out there with a sledge hammer trying to break up the sections of concrete. This first section apparently really didn't need replacing because he is having a heck of a time breaking it.

When he finally gets some of it broken, they use a front end loader to put the pieces into a dump truck. That banging is really loud and feels like it shakes our house. Simone is not at all sure what is going on over there, but she knows she wants no part of it. Each time I open the door for her to go out, a bang comes from over there and she is back in the house - glued to my side.

I'm glad, for her sake, that I had planned to be at home today. I'm not sure what her mental state would be when I got home.

My day - so far

I just got home from the plastic surgeon. It was quite an uneventful visit. The excitement was, as always, the traffic getting there! It was a little unusual. Where the traffic is usually bad, it wasn't. Where it was usually good, it was terrible.

The nurse removed a few stitches, he looked and affirmed that the right breast is bigger than the reduced left. He said he might try to remove some from the right when he does nipple reconstruction. I vetoed that!

I have wondered how the reconstruction would be done. I got an idea when he said I might want to have the reconstructed nipple tattooed. Wow. I could get really silly here, but I'll refrain.

So, I have a two week interval before my next appointment. I'm sure we will set the date for the final procedure.

Small steps

Our little incorporated city outside Swampland announced they would begin picking up fallen tree limbs on September 15. They would have a second pick up on the 20th. The first announcement was the tree limbs could be 6-8 feet long and stacked at the curb. The second announcement, coming well after people had labored to put their limbs out - with no power, said they had to be 4-6 feet long and bundled. Well . . .

So the trucks came and went - along with a police escort (? valuable items there ?) and a public works truck. They tentatively ventured onto our street only to apparently flee in horror. Our street wasn't really all that bad. They scoured the entire village, and finally, today, we were graced with the long awaited debris pick-up.

They made three separate trips to our street to pick up those limbs. I guess there was more than I thought, but then the truck that was picking them up really wasn't all that big.

Now the street looks like another hurricane came through. There are limbs, branches and leaves scattering the entire street. But at least the mounds are gone. I am very pleased on two counts. One is safety. They were hard to see around. The second is that gives one less hiding place for those little blood sucking mosquitos!

Where did that $5 come from?

Well, that title isn't exactly accurate. This is really about one - Lady Bug. She is my darling 7 1/2 year old granddaughter. She pulled a real stunt Sunday night into Monday.

She has decided she wants a skate board (why??) more than anything in the world. She doesn't want to wait for Santa to bring it - she wants it now.

She had about $3 that she said she was saving to buy the dream board from the local sports store. She helped her mom clean the den and was told she earned $2 more. That was like all the money in the world for her.

She was with me on Monday. At one point she proposed that I ask her a difficult question, and it she answered it correctly I would give her $1. I told her that I don't play that game. As a side, she is a very intelligent child. The problem is that she knows it! That often presents a problem when she is sure she knows everything. Anyway, back to the story.

She showed me the money she had accumulated. When she opened her purse, her dollars went flying everywhere. I had her bring the money and her wallet to me. We straightened the bills and put them into the wallet - properly. That's when I saw she had a five dollar bill. I thought it to be strange, but dismissed it.

When she was went home, she told her mother that I had asked her the capital of Arizona which she answered correctly, and I gave her $5. K called me because she thought it was cute and another example of my spoiling my grandchild. She was going to tease me about it. I told her the REAL story. The real story hit K like a brick. She then knew what happened to the $5 she had in her wallet.

K asked Lady Bug if she wanted to tell her anything. LB told her that she took the money from her wallet when K was in the shower. K was crushed. It isn't that she is burying her head in the sand, but she didn't know it would happen so soon.

As a consequence, they removed her TV from her room (good move), took all the Hannah Montana stuff away (yea), and all the High School Musical stuff (double yea). She is restricted from the Disney Channel's teen age based shows. I am so glad. She has been pushing the teenage years since her step-sister came to live with them when she was four. M has been gone for two years, but the horror of her living with them remains. (I tried to find posts to link to about the darling girl, but I can't find any).

Lady Bug's actions were those that we would have expected from M. It was so typical of her. We all know that LB is going to try a lot of stuff, I guess we just didn't expect it this soon.

FInally!!

I finally got to have my post-op appointment with the plastic surgeon. I was supposed to go to him the 12th of September. The move of his office stopped that! So I was supposed to go on the following Monday. Ike changed that. They were finally in the office on Tuesday, but we were gone.

I called on Wednesday to make an appointment for this week. When I talked to the nurse, I asked what I should be doing. She asked if I could find a doctor or nurse where we were to have the "boulsters" over the nipple removed. Funniest thing - we have a nurse on the next hill.

So I called J, she called the nurse at the surgeon's office, and I had the boulsters removed. It was such a relief. They looked like four cotton balls and were stitched to the nipple and surrounding breast tissue. It was a real relief when those stitches were cut.

My appointment was for today - at the new office. It should have not caused me any anxiety. It is next to his old office. But we are talking Medical Center here. One of the largest medical centers in the world. I am scared silly of the Medical Center. I also am scared of the parking situation. Many times, there is a loooong walk included with the parking space.

The old office was great. They had valet parking that was right at the door. It was $10 or less, and it was right at the door. I had that one nailed! But now I was faced with a new situation, and I don't handle change well at all.

I was early - very early because our Freeways are a mess - all day. I don't know why, but they are. So I left super early. I turned onto the street where I would normally turn thinking that the two buildings were connected. I noticed the new office had its own parking garage. I turned around to go to a street where I knew there were some places to park so I could call the office.

I had to park in the new building. I found the valet parking, but there were no signs about the cost. I worried the entire time I was in the office because I had $24 to my name at the time.

I was checked. I have some redness that we both (the doc and I) believe is dermatitis. I reacted to wearing that surgical sports bra for days on end. I have a very itchy rash. He decided I needed to have another round of antibiotics just to be sure. Then the very best. He had the nurse remove the drain. Heaven!! No more pulling of the stitches. I was absolutely in heaven.

I managed to find the place to pay parking. It was different from the valet ticket. I used my credit card. I went to rescue the truck. The person in front of me didn't pay anything. I handed over my ticket. No money was requested, and in fact the attendant looked shocked when I tipped him.

So I was homeward bound. The trip home reminded me Swampland isn't back to normal yet. I encountered 3 or 4 traffic signals that were still out. There were police directing traffic at those locations. That part of the trip wasn't as easy as usual. The lights are usually synchronized so that if you drive the speed limit - you don't stop. Well, it wasn't bad even so.

Ah, another day, another adventure!!

What happened to us

I have heard that it is catahartic to talk about bad experiences. Well, I guess that's what I'm going to do.

I wasn't in the least afraid of Ike. I thought it would just be a pain in the a**. Was I wrong. It was quite scary. I kept thinking the thing would turn north - much sooner than it did. It was really amazing to watch that huge thing heading for the Texas coast.

Our lights managed to stay on with some blips until 1am on Saturday. That is a feat because they usually go in a heavy dew with a puff of wind. Of course, G waited until Thursday evening to check the generator. It wouldn't start or at least keep running - same thing. So I knew we were toast!

Saturday my daughter had her power restored. She is on the same grid with the police and fire stations. They said a tornado had taken out the high voltage lines and a couple of transformers. They looked to have our little suburb's power on by 2am Sunday.

We thought we could certainly stand it for that long. SO we stayed. Dark, dark, hot and humid. It was 81 outside at 10 pm with the humidity at 91% - NO wind. We thought we were going to die. We also figured out at 10 that the power company had quit at 8.

Sunday we stayed with our son. G wasn't comfortable in that bed. It was so much better than our couch where I slept. With the coming of a cool front on Monday we returned home. Still no power, but at least it was cool.

We promised each other that if the power wasn't restored by 1 pm on Tuesday we were gone. We spend Monday throwing away food that was in the refrigerators. At least it was cool that night. On Tuesday 1 pm came and we left. My daughter called and told me that the power came on at 4.

Oh well. We are now actively looking for a new freezer which we had promised each other before the storm so we can collect our meats from the kids' freezers. Much of the vegetables were saved. We are continuing with our lives and really appreciating lights, air conditioning and INTERNET!!

Alive

We survived Ike. No real damage. Escaped for a few days to the SSB when we had no power, only to have it return 4 hours after we left Swampland. More later! How nice to have internet again.

I don't like Ike! (and I know that;'s not original)

I sit here with the eternal droning of our local "news' people following Ike. This has been going on, without interruption, since at least 6 a.m. yesterday. The worst part is that during the day, cable is not great - at least not what G would tolerate since his business is shut down today.

I am amazed at the dolts in Galveston and associated areas that are still there with the storm about 12 hours away. Things are already dicey there, and the rain has JUST begun. There are going to people on tops of roofs (if they are left after the huge storm surge) with no one to save them. The island is flooded already. I don't know what they are going to to!

We are sitting here in the northwest area. I'm expecting quite a blow and I'm praying that the flooding will be minimal. We have lived here for 34 years and never flooded, but as subsidence has taken it's toll, houses behind us have flooded - with a couple of feet of water in them. The county and city have been working on this issue, but there hasn't been a test of all this. Say a prayer for us that this is not our year to flood.

My drain and I sit here, anticipating the power leaving us soon. It will go out on a bright, sunny day. I'm sure we will be out at least 16 hours. I just hope it's not several days. G decided to try to start the generator - yesterday. Guess what. No go. Our talk about getting a new one - well that will come after all this is cleaned up. It may be a Christmas present. I finally got a portable battery device that will at least run a fan. It is scheduled for delivery on Monday. I think not. I don't look for Fed Ex making their appointed rounds.

I think we will weather this storm, but remember us and the other fools that have stayed in this and the more dangerous areas!

He was right!

The surgeon said this would be easier. It, so far, is. The surgery lasted about half as long as predicted, and I was home the same day.

Yesterday I just lazed around. There is some soreness from the lipo. It's not too bad. I just wish I could get rid of this "sports bra" that is more like an ace bandage with straps. I know it's meant to hold things tightly in place, but I really am tired of it!

The surgeon wanted me to call his office yesterday to get an appointment for Friday with the idea that he would take the drain out. He is moving his office today and tomorrow. Ummm - I called yesterday, got the answering machine, and still no call back. I am beginning to believe I won't get an appointment for Friday. That means the first time I can get the drain out now will be next Tuesday. He is in surgery all the other times.

Oh well, I guess I will live through it all. You would think I would have more patience by now. Guess not!

D day or is it O day?

Yep, tomorrow is the day for stage two of the reconstruction operation. To say that I'm apprehensive is an understatement. I just wonder how sore I will be - especially since both sides will be involved. It will include about a 6 inch long incision on the right side, a new incision to take the expander out and put the implant in. The left side will include reduction with replacement of the nipple and "a little lipo." I have a feeling that little lipo is not going to feel very good.

I will have to stay overnight. That part doesn't really bother me that much. I would rather be home, but I have learned my lesson.

We are having the kids over tonight for family dinner. That means I must get up and start cooking!

Good news

I called Dr. Poison's office to get the report on my bone scan. It "just" showed arthritis. Arthritis in the lumbar spine, cervical spine, knees (gee ya' think?), ankles and feet. What a surprise, but I am so thankful that is what is showed.

I guess I can continue to think of myself as a survivor again. This is really a relief.

The plastic surgeon's office called to be sure that surgery is still on. He has an assistant surgeon that they would have to notify as well. I had told them we are set to go.

G bought me the last book in the Twilight series. I decided that I wanted to read the entire series, so I went to my favorite on line book store and ordered those books. The first one came last week, and I have read it. Then volume 3 came. I was a little surprised when I opened it. It was in Spanish! Volume 2 is on its way. I sincerely hope it's not in Spanish too.

I just went through the process to return it, now I have to print the forms and mail it all off. I just wish I knew how in the world I managed to order a Spanish version. I was disappointed that it was the 3rd volume, but I was crushed that it was in a foreign language!

Gustav

This is not real news since it has been announced all over the country, but Gustav was a bust. The locals here (with the exception of the network with the MD telethon) covered the "news" until noon. I guess they can only show so many downed . . . leaves from trees. True, I believe there was minor flooding in New Orleans, but it wasn't the "mother of storms." I couldn't determine if the reporting was really serious or if they were a little tongue in cheek trying to make damage out of no damage, like the downed paper political sign.

I doubt people will evacuate with the next storm that comes knocking at their doors. Some of those folks spent hours and hours in traffic (like with Rita), and paid high gasoline prices only to then add hotel/motel rooms to the mix. Several who made it to Swampland with reservations found that those reservations didn't mean anything. Sure, they could have paid ahead to have the room saved or called when they found themselves in traffic bottlenecks, but THIS time was supposed to be smooth. My heart goes out to them regardless.

I am really thankful that there seems to be so little damage. Some areas were hit pretty hard, but even so it was much less than expected.

Of course, the weather gurus have at least two more out there to satisfy their desire to whip us into a frenzy!

Such is the life on the coast of Texas and the Eastern United States. These come and go, along with the frenzied weather people (at least here in Swampland).