NOTHING IN PARTICULAR

When I started blogging, I was expecting so much of myself.  I was sure that I would be writing at least once a week, and usually more than that. So much for noble thoughts. I can't remember the last time I wrote, although I have thought about it a lot.  By now I have forgotten all the "great" ideas I had to write about. So, I will put down a few random ideas and let it go for now.

Terri and Don have moved back from Texas. It is nice her being less than thirty minutes away rather than twelve hours, but I have to admit I miss her Texas home.  Her new home is nice, but I don't get the same feeling in it that I did the one in Texas.  I don't even get the same feeling in my own home that I did in the other one.  Can't really explain it.

Garret and Kalee surprised us by driving nineteen hours to spend the Thanksgiving weekend with family and friends.  They had only a few days, but Garret has two weeks leave over Christmas and they are coming home then, too.  His birthday is the day after Christmas, and I am hoping we can spend most of it together.

Danny wanted to come home for Christmas, but he can't afford to take off work.  I still haven't been able to get out there, and now that winter is here I know it will be a few months before I can visit everyone there.

A good friend I made in Colorado is now in a nursing home out there and is in pretty bad shape.  I've talked to him on the phone and he sounds so weak.  I hope I get to see him again. He is in my prayers.

Most of my Christmas shopping is done.  We've mailed Danny's presents to him, but I haven't wrapped any others.  I never did get out to buy Christmas cards, so will have to rely on email and phone calls to wish family and friends Merry Christmas.

Today is mother's birthday.  I love you mother and I miss you so much.

SUNSHINE

Beautiful day!  After an absence of several days, the sun is shining.  The sky is a beautiful blue, and the fall trees are beautiful in their red and yellow  leaves.  It has been so dark and dreary lately, which makes today even more beautiful.

Wayne got to work on the new porch/deck for an hour or so today. He could have gotten a lot more done, but he had to go to a Mason's installation dinner.  I could have gone, but after showering and washing my hair, I was so out of breath I decided to stay home.  They had their annual elections a couple of weeks ago, so Wayne no longer has to furnish and prepare meals or snacks for the meetings. He has been elected to the cemetery board for the next year, which will be a lot easier for him.

Speaking of the Mason's, I started Dan Brown's latest book, LOST SYMBOLS, a few weeks ago, but still haven't finished it.  To be truthful, I got really bored with it.  I will probably go back to it from time to time, but can't imagine it holding my interest long enough for me to finish it at one sitting.

Terri and Don are mostly settled in their new home.  They have a lot of yard work to do, but I imagine most of that will have to wait until Spring.

Garret and Kalee moved into their new row house Thursday.  Kalee has really good taste, so I imagine she will soon have it looking wonderful.  They have been a little aprehensive about this move, but I think they are really going to love their place

Danny is working again, thank goodness, so his mood has improved.  At least while he was off work he got a lot of song writing done.  Wish he would get his music recorded.  Some of his songs are really great.  And I don't think this is just a mother speaking, either. lol

We have a lot of health stuff coming up.  I will have to have a blood test done in November, in reference to my colon problems. We are both getting our regular flu shots November 6th, and Wayne has an appointment on the 4th for an eye exam. I need to make an eye appointment, too. In December I go back to Dr. Botts for my six month pulmonary visit. I think that is all we have scheduled.

I am getting hungry, and I think I will slice an apple and heat up the caramel apple dip. Hey, apples are healthy. 

THIS WEEK

Wayne worked on our new back porch this week, and it is really looking good.  He took yesterday and today off  from working on it, yesterday because of rain, and today just to rest his back.  He is planning on building a new step and moving the dog to Jackie's run tomorrow.  He will soon be starting on the ramp and putting the new railings up.  It will be nice to have it done, even though I probably won't be taking advantage of it for a while.  The car carrier for my power chair is rather expensive, and I'm not eager to spend that money.  I am eager to be able to spend more time in bookstores, etc., so I have mixed feelings.

Talk about mixed feelings, I am getting itcy feet to take a trip.  I am really wanting to go to Denver to see Danny, but with the weather cooling off it feels so cozy staying inside with a good book. My body seems to think I am getting ready to hibernate, I can't get enough to eat.  As soon as I finish eating something, I start planning what I can eat most.  This is not a good thing.

We ate lunch at Country Buffet Thursday, and while Wayne was eating dessert, I took a survey about the restaurant, which earned me a card for a free meal.  It is good until the end of October, and I know we will go back there in time for me to use it. Where else can two adults eat lunch, including drinks and desserts, for just over thirteen dollars?

Garret and Kalee moved from the base hotel to a long term motel today.  They were looking forward to having a kitchenette, but were disappointed when they found out what a fully furnished kitchen consisted of. One pan, one skillet, and a plastic spatula. Not much in way of dishes, either.  The good part is that they will be closing on their new house in only thirteen days, so they won't be in the motel very long.  The bank estimate on their place came back, and it was estimated to be worth a lot more than they are paying for it, so that made them very happy.

Trees are starting to change colors and the temperature right now is 51 degrees.  Brrrr

This is going to be a good sleeping night.  I hope.

EARLY MORNING NOT FOR ME

Everyone who knows me well knows that I am not a morning person.  As far as I am concerned, the day should not start until at least eleven in the morning.  I could even put up with it not starting until one or two in the afternoon, but that would not leave time for a nap. I like to think I am not entirely lazy, as I honestly believe my breathing problems have something to do with how tired I get.  Anyway --------

Sunday evening Wayne suggested that we get up early Monday morning and go for breakfast at our favorite buffet.  We really like the lunch and dinners there, and someone had told Wayne that the breakfast buffets were really good. 

We didn't set alarms, as the dogs always get at least one of us to let them out in the mornings.  Monday morning the dogs slept late and didn't wake us until around nine-thirty.  It is about a thirty minute drive to the buffet, so we decided that we would wait and go Tuesday morning, instead.

Sure enough, the dogs got us up before seven-thirty Tuesday, so we got dressed and headed for Gladstone.  It was very cool that morning, so Wayne turned the heater on in the car.  I honestly had trouble staying awake as it was so warm and cozy in the car.  When we got there, we noticed that there were only a couple of cars in the lot.  We figured that we had missed the early rush, but when we got to the door we looked at the sign showing the hours of business, and found that the breakfast buffet is only on weekends. Too early for lunch, so we started home.  Wayne suggested that we stop at Cracker Barrel in Liberty, which we did. No buffet, but by this time we just wanted a good breakfast.  My breakfast was eatable, but not anything to make me want to go back, and Wayne says that it was the worst breakfast he had ever had.

To make a long story short, I took my upset stomach back to bed for a few hours.  See, nothing good comes of getting up early.  It was a pretty morning, but not any prettier than the evening.

Terri had to take some time off from unpacking to rest her back, which often gives her trouble.  She hated this, but I think she should just enjoy this time.  She is under no deadline to get everything put up, and these days when you can just relax and enjoy the quiet times don't come that often. 

I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but the row house Garret and Kalee are buying passed inspection with flying colors.  Next is the bank's appraisal.

Danny still has a touch of the flu, but is finally feeling better.  His job hunting is picking up, and hopefully he will have something soon.  His mood is a lot better now that he is not so sick.

I am catching up on laundry today, and Wayne is starting to remove the railings from our back porch, so he can extend the porch to make it easier to get my power chair out and turned to go down the ramp he is going to build.  Everything had been put on hold for a while, because of all the rain we were getting.  I still don't use the chair around home, but look forward to being able to go more places away from home with it.  Once I can get it out of the house and have a way to transport it, that is.  LOL

With Wayne outside, the television is off, and I have to admit I am enjoying the quiet.  Still can't understand why some people will sit and watch it for hours, and complain that there is nothing on worth watching.  As far as I am concerned, that is what the off button is for.  Oh, well.  In a little while he will come in and turn the air up, because he got hot working outside, and will then turn on the Weather Channel to see how hot he really is.  Are all men like this?

CATCHING UP

I've been very lazy about blogging, and I had really thought that I would keep up with it. It has turned out to be a lot like a New Year's resolution - good intentions and lots of determination, but full of holes.

So much has happened over the last month or so.  Terri and Don haven't gotten their Texas home sold, but they did buy one outside of Richmond. The movers delivered their things last Friday, so they are all moved in, even though it will be a while before they are completely unpacked. They have lots of room and I think they are really going to love it there. The view from their family room and deck is out of this world. Some of their friends from Texas have promised to visit, so that is good, too.

Garret and Kalee were here for a month, but it didn't seem like it.  Time went by so fast.  They are now in Baltimore, and Garret is at work in his new post at Fort Meade.  He is still in Intelligence, but his job is completely different from what he was doing in England.  The hours are much better now.  He works five days a week from eight to four, instead of twelve hour days with revolving days off and shift work. They are both very happy about this new schedule.

They have found a row house they want to buy, and their offer has been accepted.  Now they are waiting for the inspection, etc.  The house has  been renovated, and the photos of it are gorgeous.

I still haven't made it to Denver to see Danny.  He is out of work right now, and he also has the flu.  His spirits are pretty low right now.  Wish I could wave a wand and make everything right for him.

It has felt a lot like Fall lately.  Temperatures have been in the seventies and the leaves from the Walnut trees are falling constantly.  We have to park the car in our lower drive because of the walnuts falling. We have three walnut trees which extend over where we prefer to park, and between the nuts falling on their own and the squirrels throwing down half eaten one, it is dangerous to even walk there.  So many have struck our roof that the dogs don't even react to them any more.

Next Friday evening, we are meeting for pizza some folks we worked with at the police department. It is a new place where we are meeting, so just for fun we drove out there one day to make sure we could find it. They had home made pies for sale, and we bought a blackberry pie.  It was the best pie I have ever eaten, and today we went back and got another one.  They are not baked; they are frozen and we have to thaw and bake them, so they are really fresh.  I warm a piece up in the microwave, and then add a little ice cream to it.  Soooo good.

It is getting close to time to take the dogs our for the last time before bed.  Talk to you soon.

Congratulations to Garret

I can't believe that I left this out of my other blog! A few months ago Garret took the tests for advancement to Staff Sgt. Thursday the results were posted, and he passed with flying colors. It will still be a while before he is actually promoted, but at least he knows that he passed and the promotion is coming. I didn't doubt but what he would pass, but it was still good to hear for sure.

Have a ham in the oven, and it really smells good! Will probably just have hot ham sandwiches tonight, and then in a day or so we'll cook a big pot of beans. The best thing about air conditioning is being able to eat whatever you want any time of year.

Have to tell you about Wayne and cell phones next time.

THINGS ARE LOOKING UP

This was a fun day. We met Garret and Kalee for lunch in Liberty at our favorite Mexican restaurant. We must have sat there talking at least an hour after eating, then came back to our house. Garret and Wayne varnished a library index card file that Kalee had bought at an on-line auction, and she and I looked at pictures on-line of some of the houses they are looking at in Maryland.

Then Wayne showed them some of his old family dishes that he will be dividing among his kids. They stayed a while longer and had some pie. It was fun and I was sorry to see them go.

They had been using our car since they got here from England, but they have bought one now, so my car is back. I didn't mind them using it at all, but I'm still glad to have it back.

Terri was here again for several days. She and Don had found a home they liked near Richmond, and after a little back and forth, they made an acceptible bid. The house is empty, so they were able to speed up closing, and should be able to close by the third of September. Terri has already made arrangements with the movers, and things are moving right along. Their home in Texas hasn't sold yet, but they will still be able to move right away.

Terri and I went to lunch one day this week, and we had a lot of fun. Don was working and we didn't invite Wayne to go with us. It was fun spending time alone with her. She and her dad left for Texas the day after that.

Garret and Kalee will be here another week, but that isn't nearly long enough for me. Although after they leave I may be able to drive to Denver to spend some time with Danny. I've been trying to visit him for months.

I talked to Dr. Coleman's office this week, but about all they could tell me was that I don't have cancer. I was having a "flare up" when they took the last samples, so apparently the pathologist couldn't tell if they had gotten all of the pre-cancer cells. I will have a blood test in three months, and maybe they will be able to tell me something more positive then. At least I didn't get really bad news.

Weather this week has been almost like fall. Not quite that cool, but cool enough we turned the furnace on for a short time a couple of mornings. We turn the air down to sixty-three at night, and the house wasn't warming up very fast on those mornings.

Wayne had Lodge last Monday night, and I really enjoyed that time. The worst thing about being married is never having any time to yourself. I've always been this way; enjoy being alone at least a few hours a week. Or day.

I don't think we have any plans for the weekend, so maybe I will actually get some ironing done. I've been putting it off for way too long.

SUNDAY MUSINGS

Back to the waiting game. I had my Sigmoidoscopy yesterday afternoon, so now I am just waiting to hear the results. Most of the time I am optimistic, but I am also nervous. I don't think I have cancer, and neither does Dr. Coleman, but until I hear for sure, I'm sure I will notice every little pain and feelings of discomfort. It will be a week to ten days before Dr. Coleman gets the results.

I didn't have to have sedation yesterday, so we were able to go out to eat as soon as we left the hospital. I hadn't eaten for over twenty-four hours, so I was ready.

Terri thought that they had their house sold, but the potential buyers didn't show up for their appointment with the realtor on Friday. She and Don will be house hunting in this area this coming week, and hopefully they find something soon. It will be good to have her living close again, but I will miss their Texas home. For their sake, I hope it sells quickly.

Garret and Kalee will be flying out of Heathrow Airport tomorrow, on their way to Chicage. From there they will fly into KCI, arriving around seven-thirty tomorrow evening. Can't wait to see them.

Been talking to Danny a lot, via phone, e-mail, and Facebook. Love keeping in touch with him. Miss seeing him. Still planning to go to Denver to see him when all the health things are taken care of. I want to sit on the patio at Greektown and catch up with my friends there.

I had a strange experience this afternoon. When my mother died several years ago, Wayne and I got her everyday silverwear. I reached in the drawer to get a spoon this afternoon, and when I picked it up I had the strangest feeling wash over me. I looked down and noticed that I had picked up one of mother's spoons. I really can't explain the feeling. It was almost like she was there. I really miss her and think of her often, but this is the first time something like this has happened. I wasn't even thinking of her when I picked up the spoon, and didn't notice it was one of her's until after I seemed to feel someone there. It wasn't scary, just strange.

I had an email from a favorite email friend recently (from California), and I realized how easy it is to lose touch with people. I am going to try harder to be a better friend. Better answer that email right now.

CONTENTMENT

This has been such a good afternoon and evening. Wayne had Lodge tonight, so wouldn't be home for supper. I decided to make a big pot of homemade vegetable soup, with homemade yeast rolls to go with it.

It was much cooler today, and with rain moving in, not much sun. It actually looked and almost felt like, a fall day. All afternoon I could smell the soup simmering and the rolls raising. Hmmm

Everything turned out so good, and I ate much more than I should have. The few dishes I dirtied have been washed and put up. I just finished a very good book that I didn't want to end, it is raining softly, and I have such a warm, cozy feeling. Perfect.

VARIOUS NEWS

I'm over my ranting about the cans that Wayne gave away. We are still saving cans, but I'm not sure who we are saving them for. Oh, well. It doesn't really matter, i guess.

Scooter Store guy came by last week with the oxygen tank holder for my new chair. Now, if I could just get the chair out of the house, I would be all ready to go.

Dr. Coleman's office called last week and said that all the samples they took during the colonoscopy were beneign, and I would not have to go back for two years. That was good news. Then a short time ago, his office called to say they had an amended report, and that I showed precancerous cells in some of the samples. So, at the end of the month I need to go back for another colonoscopy to make sure they got all of the bad cells. There go my trips to Denver and Texas. Maybe I will make it by fall.

Less than a month until Garret and Kalee get home. I am getting very excited to see them. I'm not sure how much time they will have here before he reports to Fort Meade, but believe it will be around three weeks.

I got a coupon from Red Lobster in my email, good for a free dessert or appetitizer. Red Lobster sounds so good, but I think we are going to wait until weather improves before we go. Temperature isn't so bad today, in the middle eighties, but humidity is terrible.

Don will be moving up this next weekend, to begin working in Liberty again. Terri will be staying in Texas, while they attempt to sell their home. She is dreading all the getting ready; packing, etc. Wish I could help her.

QUIET SUNDAY EVENING

Not much going on this evening; just watching Miss Marple on television. It is actually one that neither of us has seen before. Not bad.

I'm mad at Wayne, but trying to keep it contained. We have been saving cans for some time, and Wayne gave them to a friend of Kathy's today. It wasn't so much that he gave them to her and her husband, but the fact that he made arrangements for her and her husband to come after them, before telling me about it. I was the one who made sure that we saved them, and I had been trying to get Wayne to turn them in for some time. He kept saying that we would take them somewhere, but he never wanted to do it when I suggested it. He had set all the bags outside, and several had broken open, so it was a chore to pick them up. He just didn't want to mess with them. As I said, it was the fact that he didn't talk to me about it before telling them they could have them. I consider it very inconsiderate. It isn't the first time he has done something like this, either. If he decides that we don't need something, he is quick to let someone else have it and then tell me. Grrrr

Wayne knows that I am mad, so he made some chocolate chip cookies and brought them to me a short time ago. They are the scoop and bake kind, not from scratch. I was not hungry at all, in fact rather uncomfortable, but I ate some so I wouldn't hurt his feelings.

On to other things.

When I saw Dr. Botts on the fifteen of May, he said that he would look into getting me a power scooter. In just ten days, a new power chair was delivered to me. Medicare and my Blue Cross-Blue Shield paid for it totally. We will probably buy a lift to fit on the back of the car to transport it, so I can use it when we go places. No hurry on that, though. Wayne said he didn't like the ramps we could buy to make it easy to get the chair in and out of the house, so he is going to build them. He will have to build up the back porch before making the ramps, so it will be a while.

I had the second colonoscopy last Monday, and the doctor said they would call with the results in seven to ten days. He gave me a new prescription, but so far I can tell no difference. Still not much pain, but a lot of discomfort. I hope I don't have this to look forward to the rest of my life.

It is official that Terri and Don are moving back. Don is going back to work at Hallmark's in Liberty. He will probably be starting there in the next couple of weeks, and Terri will follow when they get their Texas home sold. She would bring the house with her if she could, and I don't blame her. I wish we could buy it. I want to get down there again before they move back.

Garret has gotten his written orders, so they will be coming back to the states in August. He will be stationed at Fort Meade, even though it is an Army base. All of the armed forces have intelligence divisions there.

I don't know when I will make it to Denver. Danny, James, and Donya keep telling me to hurry up, but with the health problems, I have had to delay the trip.

I had more to write about, but just can't think of what it was. Must be old age.

I hope everyone had a nice 4th.

A HOT DAY IN THE MIDWEST

I guess summer is really here, temperature is 101 degrees. Needless to say, we are staying inside today. Even the dogs want back inside immediately after taking care of their doggy duties.

I hope everyone had a good Father's Day. Wayne was very pleased with his. He got phone calls from all of his kids, including Terri. Garret called from England right after it turned midnight there, so he could be the first to tell Wayne happy Father's Day. We got a kick out of that. Sunday evening Wayne and I went to Lonestar Steak House for supper. It was so good, and since it was Father's Day, they gave Wayne a fifteen dollar coupon good toward his next meal there.

One of the problems with both of us being retired, it is sometimes hard to keep track of what day it is. We both thought Father's Day was the Sunday before. We stayed around home all day, wondering why none of the kids had called. Terri usually sends cards for all occassions, and Wayne hadn't even heard from her. We thought maybe the mail was just slow, and he would get a card Monday. It was sometime Monday before we found out that we were a week ahead of ourselves. Now, this has nothing to do with getting old, it is just a simple mix up that could happen to anyone.

Less than a week to go before my next colonscopy. I am rather nervous about what will happen after it. I'm not having much pain, but a lot of discomfort, and still having other signs of problems. I will be so glad when it is over. I just hope the problems can be treated with medication.

I have heard from the Scooter Store, and they are working with Dr. Botts to get me a power chair. Found out that Medicare won't pay for the scooter, but will pay eighty per cent of the cost of a chair. Blue Cross will pay part or all of the rest of the cost. I should be hearing more some time this week.

Time to start thinking about fixing supper, so will talk some other time.

NERVOUS WRECK

We got a phone call from the police department about fifteen minutes ago. The storage shed we rent has been broken into. We had a really heavy lock on it, so someone wanted in badly. Wayne has gone out to see if he can tell what has been taken. We had so much stuff in there, both our's and Garret's. The most valuable thing was Garret's motorcycle. Hopefully they didn't take it. A lot of things had no value to anyone but us, but there were a few things of value in the shed. I am just waiting for Wayne to get home.

Speaking of sheds I have better information about one. Wayne, with help from Kathy's son Ethan, spent between two and three weeks building Kathy a shed for her back yard. They did a pretty good job. I'll have to post a picture later.

I have to admit that I enjoyed the time while Wayne was working on the shed. I haven't had much time to myself since Wayne retired, just a couple of hours now and then, and I had really missed that. I even got a few things done while he was at Kathy's house, but I also just wasted a lot of time. Enjoyable.

Garret and Kalee will be coming home from England in a couple of months. It will be so good to see them. Garret will then be stationed in Maryland, at Fort Meade, so we will be able to travel to see them from time to time.

Wayne just called. He doesn't think anything was stolen from our storage shed. He said that they went through a bunch of stuff, but it didn't appear that they had taken anything. Garret's motorcycle is still there, too. What a relief! Guess it pays to have nothing but junk. lol

Going to get off here, now.

HEALTH AND WEATHER

I can't believe how fast this year is going! I was planning to keep on top of my blog, but that didn't happen. I will have to do better from now on.

I had planned to go to Denver to spend some time with Danny, but about the time it began to heat up enough that we could sit out on the patio at Pete's, I began to have some medical problems.

Ended up having to have a colonscopy, and have been on medication since then. I'm still having problems, but I was already scheduled for another test next week. I'm not looking forward to it at all. The colonscopy itself isn't that bad, after all one is medicated, but the prep is terrible. Keeping my fingers crossed for a good result, but not very hopeful. At least the doctor has said that my problem isn't caused by cancer, so that is a good thing.

Went for my six month appointment with my pulmonary doctor, Larry Botts, today. Not much change in my breathing from visit to visit, but can tell some difference when I am active. I get winded a lot faster than I used to.

The good news is that Dr. Botts thinks I would qualify for an insurance paid scooter or power chair. His office is going to look into it for me. He said that he would recommend me for it. That would be so cool. I could go to the grocery store, Wal-Mart, book stores, movies, and other places that are hard for me to go to now. Maybe I could put skis on it in the winter, and train Teddy and Jackie to pull me. Whee!

I got a haircut and body perm Saturday. The hair looks pretty good, but I was a little shocked today when I looked in the mirror while wearing sun glasses. My darling kids used to kid me about looking like Ozzy when I put on a droopy face look while my hair was shoulder length. Today I sucked in my cheeks while wearing sun glasses, and I swear I looked like Maxine!

We have had a lot of rainy weather the past few weeks, and we are scheduled for more this week. Chance of rain tonight, and there are already severe weather watches out just west of us. Some of them are fairly new, so we may get into them later. The weather channel is talking about the Kansas City area right now. They say that we will be getting hail, strong winds and heavy rain, and it will probably last around three hours. I missed what time it is expected to get here. I had better put any unpaid bills and my medicines in my purse, just in case. Wayne is at lodge, but will probably be here before the storms reach us.

I have been feeling very melancholy today. I have no idea why, but I find myself wanting to listen to sad music, etc. Feel rather weepy, too. Oh, well. This too shall pass.

Have some things I need to do, so I will wish everyone a good night. Talk to you later.

CAST LIST

It has been brought to my attention that some of my readers, mostly ones with whom I email, sometimes get confused about whom I'm talking about. So, I decided to post a list of the people I mention the most. I hope this helps.

Wayne - Husband
Terri - Daughter, married to Don; Derek, their son, my grandson
Danny - Son who lives in Denver
Garret - Son in Air Force, currently stationed in England, married to Kalee
Kathy, Step-Daughter, but more like my own
Jim - Ex husband, but good friend
Charlie - Our friend, but mostly Wayne's. Plays and sings country. Pat, his wife
Teddy Bear and Jackie - Our dogs; Misty, my cat; Phoenix - Garret's used bird he bought at yard sale when he was in high school, but who lives with us now.

I think that is everyone I mention very often. I will try to bring this up to date today or tomorrow. Time has gone be so fast, and I am so far behind.

Reasons I Blog

It seems most of what I blog about concerns the stupid things I do. I do seem to have more than my share of "experiences", but my life is not always like that. Today for instance, Wayne and I took Charlie's wife Pat to her doctor appointment in Liberty. Charlie was working and she did not have anyone else available to take her. We were glad that we could help her out. On the way home, we stopped at Wal-Mart so she could drop off her prescription. She didn't want to wait for it, as they were very busy. She said that she would pick it up when Charlie got home. Pretty normal day.

Yesterday we stayed home until late afternoon, and then went to Lone Star Steakhouse for supper. We asked for our favorite waiter, Cory, and did eat in his area. Food was delicious, and we even had a little bit of steak left to bring home to the dogs. Nothing unusual about that.

Of course, there was Monday. I had an appointment with the Chiropractor for my back. Again. When he told me to turn from my stomach to my side, I hit my hand on something on the table/bed. Didn't give it another thought until I was standing at the counter talking to the receptionist, and I looked down and saw blood dripping onto the counter. My finger was bleeding heavily. She gave me a Kleenex, but that wasn't enough. Dr. Decker got a wet paper towel and wrapped it around my finger, but it kept bleeding. Then Dr. Decker put a band aid on my finger, and that controlled the bleeding. The cut was only about an inch long, and not too deep, but it is still pretty sore.

The rest of my day was very normal. I stopped by the library and the bank on the way home, and nothing else unusual happened.

This proves that I am normal (be quiet Derek and Don), and can go out in public like anyone else. SO THERE! One occurrence over three days isn't bad.

ONLY GOOD NEWS

Pointers' Jewelry called yesterday afternoon to tell me my ring had been repaired and the two rings had been fastened together. This afternoon Wayne and I went to Richmond and got them. They did a great job; you can't tell the ring was ever damaged. We got to visiting with the owner, Roger, and ended up standing there talking for over an hour. He, his wife, and his sister, as well as the young girl who works for them, are all great people. We haven't actually talked to the man who does the repairs, but he does wonderful work.

Wayne told Roger about my adventure in Arkansas, and he had to tell his wife about it when she came in. My getting the ring stuck on my finger got lots of laughs, too. Roger kept telling Wayne to just bring me back whenever I got another one stuck, and he would cut it off for us. I'm glad I can be so entertaining for folks.

Then we got to talking about the "true" stories I told my kids about belly buttons and chickens with wooden legs, so now the folks at the jewelry store will probably never take me seriously.

When I had shoulder surgery, my pulmonary doctor, Larry Botts, asked me how I had injured it. He didn't believe me when I told him I injured it bull riding or sky diving, but when Wayne told him that I fell off a bar stool, he said that he could believe that. IT WAS NOT TRUE. I get no respect.

Yesterday I sent an email to one of my favorite authors to tell her how much I liked her books. I received an answer from her today. I can't believe that she took time from her busy schedule to write to me. Very impressive.

LAZY DAY

Today is cloudy with temperature in the low thirties. I don't think we are forecast to have snow or rain, but there is a really damp feel to the air. Good day for staying inside and snuggling down with a good book.

I got into the habit of listening to audio books at night, before falling asleep. I had started actually reading four other books, but just couldn't get into them. Then I picked up one of Nancy Pickard's books from her Marie Lightfoot series. I am conpletely hooked on reading, again. I had read and liked her earlier books, but for some reason had not started this series. Now I am glad that I had not read it in the past. They are so good; kind of books you don't want to end, but you can't stop reading. I have read the first two in the series, but I am reading an Alex Kava book before I read the third one. Kava's book is from the library, so I want to get it read and returned as soon as possible. Besides, the third Marie Lightfoot book is the last in the series, so far anyway, so I don't want to finish it too soon.

Now to bring you up to date on my latest dumb move, my ring caper. I couldn't find anything to make the ring slip off of my finger, so a week ago yesterday Wayne cut it off. My ring, not my finger. Last Wednesday we took both rings to Pointer's Jewelry in Richmond, and they are repairing the wedding band and fastening the two rings together. I will wear them on my right hand from now on. They are to be ready by the twenty-fourth, and I will be glad to get them back.

Wayne has a big Harley Davidson motorcycle which he seldom rides. He said the other day that he had thought about selling it and buying a scooter. I am safe from the motorcycle as it is too heavy for me to hold up, but I can just imagine my trying to ride a scooter. No telling what bad thing would occur.

Many, many years ago, when he was young, Danny had a trail bike. I thought that it would be fun to learn to ride it. It was summertime, so Danny, Terri, and their dad and I went to Washington School for me to learn to ride. I was cautioned about turning too sharply, so when I started toward the teeter-totter, I was afraid to turn and so ran headfirst into it. No damage, luckily.

I decided that I would practice driving it in our yard, which was softer than the playground in case of accidents. The day I was going to practice, I looked out the kitchen window and saw Danny had lined up the benches from the picnic table, and all the neighbor kids were settling in to "watch Danny's mom wreck." Needless to say, I didn't get on it that day or anytime in the future.

Wayne just got out of our most comfortable chair, so I am going to grab my book and a blanket and enjoy the afternoon.

WHAT WAS I THINKING?

As I told about in an earlier blog, it was a Thursday when I got lost in Arkansas with a flat tire, and the following Thursday when I was run off the road and damaged a tire and the rim. I'm not really superstitious, but I still have been avoiding driving on Thursdays since those incidents.

A little over a week ago, I began having very bad pain in my lower back. My husband talked me into going to a chiropractor. My last appointment was this last Thursday. I drove to the appointment and home without a thought of what day it was. My husband had to take his truck to the garage to be worked on, and I followed him there to bring him home. I didn't ruin a single tire!!

I don't claim to be the most intelligent person in the world, but I don't consider myself dumb, either. I may have to change my thoughts about that. Getting lost was bad enough, but it can happen to anyone. Right? Well, guess what I have done now.

Some time ago, one of our dogs pulled me down and caused me to hit my head, break two fingers, and cause my neck and shoulder to become painful. All of this was taken care of. My fingers were broken in the joints, so the middle joint on my ring finger is larger than a normal joint. The day the fall occurred, I was able to take my wedding and engagement rings off before the finger became too swollen.

I have been wearing my rings on my right hand since the accident. The other night, I was lying in bed listening to an audio book when I made another dumb decision. I decided to see if my rings would fit back on my left hand. I took the rings off of my right hand, and put my wedding band on my left hand. It didn't go on easy, but I managed to get it on. It was hard enough to get on that I decided not to try the engagement ring. Good decision.

To make a long story short, I will be spending this evening with my left hand in a bowl of ice, trying to get the swelling down enough that I can get my wedding ring back off. If this doesn't work, my husband is going to cut it off, as it is very tight.

How to I keep doing these things? I used to think I was pretty normal, but I am beginning to wonder a little. Oh, well, life doesn't get to boring for those around me. I keep everyone laughing, and that must be a good thing.

This and That and Good and Bad

After reading Terri's post the other day, Scattered Thoughts of an East Texas Housewife, I got to thinking about how lucky she was to remember her grandparents. I decided to record a few things about my mother that my children and their children might not know about her.

In her later years she had put on quite a bit of weight, but I can remember her when she was thin. I also have pictures of her when she looked as though a good wind could blow her away. She was just a little over five feet tall, but she looked like a giant when she was mad at me. When we were bad, my brother and I had to cut a switch off of a bush that grew by our front porch. This was what she spanked us with. Yes, I got quite a few of those spankings. I might have cried when I was spanked, but my brother would scream for mother not to kill him. I don't know what the neighbors thought. lol

My mother was forty-one when she became a widow, and she was left with a five year old son and a nineteen month old daughter, and no job. My parents had a house loan through a local bank, and a short time after my father's death, the bank told her that they were going to recall the loan. My grandpa Williams got so mad that he went down to the bank and paid off our house loan with cash. All of the family who banked there, then transferred their money to a different bank. My mother went to work in the office of Missouri Power and Light, and was able to pay my grandpa back for the house.

Some other facts you may not know about Grandma Ruby, my mother, was that she had one foot a half size smaller than the other. She had to buy good shoes in the size of the smaller foot, and then have one of the shoes stretched. Better than having to buy two different sizes.

Here are a few other things about my mother.

She liked to fish, but she didn't like their taste. Her feet caused her a lot of trouble, and she loved to have them massaged. She also liked having her back rubbed when she came home from work. Mother loved to go places, but always wanted to be home in her own bed at night. She could not drive. As she was so short, she thought if she hid our Christmas presents on a high shelf, we would be unable to reach them. Wrong. We almost always opened them and put them back before Christmas. I was a bit of a tomboy, and I would climb doorways by putting a foot on each side of the door and working my way up. I could then get the presents and hand them down to my brother. Mother's arthritic hands began bothering her at an early age, and wrapping was hard for her. So, it was easy to unwrap and rewrap the presents.

When my father was alive, they would go to Kansas City to hockey games. They also went to Kansas City to see the Marx brothers. My mother always watched professional football on television. She read several books a week. She was a very good mother, and I miss her a lot. She was so proud of her grandchildren. I'm sorry that they didn't get to know her better.