Still holding breath?

Now, you promised you wouldn't laugh! That's the way life is for one with ultra-fine hair in the days before hairspray and/or styling mousse. Note also the space between my front teeth. (You can enlarge the pictures by clicking on them) At this point in my life I still sucked my thumb, and the space in my bangs usually matched the space in my teeth. I had a cowlick at my widow's peak where the bangs separated, and a few strands stuck straight up. Ruthie's mom used to tell the story of trying to comb my hair once. She'd wet the bangs, comb them down, and hold them in place for a bit. "Pop"—right back up! "Kathryn," she asked, "how does your mom keep your bangs down?"  "She doesn't, " was my simple answer!

I know I've shown these pictures to you before, but they were lost when my old, old computer crashed, and I never scanned them into my old or to my new computer. This gave me the ability to do that, and to save them to disc. So thanks for tolerating, again.

One day I must tell you the story of how I finally quit the thumb sucking habit. I and my second son both sucked our left thumbs for quite a while. Much to the chagrin of my dentist father. Telling the story of how I finally quit was the catalyst which made it possible for my son to finally stop.

Viewing these old photos again also adds another blog idea and that goes along with Lois' reminiscences of things we had in the past, and wondering what the future might hold. 

Off to KC—more soon

More hugs! 

Another "old friend"

Above are pictures of my very best friend (now departed—she must have really been needed in heaven) who was more like a sister to me for the 57 years we knew each other. The first photo is of us together taken in 1947, The second & third pictures are of us individually at the ages of 4 & 5—she was a year older than I, and I started school at 4 years of age (these were school photos). Note my unruly hair in the shot of us together—that hasn't changed! Mel calls me "Phillis" (Phillis Diller eat your heart out!) lol When I was that age, I asked mom if I could let my hair grow so that I could have long black braids like Ruthie. Ha! Note in my school photo how well coifed  I was. Actually I believe this was my first grade picture—mom wasn't about to get caught sending me to school on picture day the way my kindergarten picture came out. Tune in tomorrow for that picture! Promise you won't laugh.......   Hugs!

Old Friends

Lois' talking of a friend since childhood made me think how fortunate I am to have had 3 such dear friends in my life. Sadly two of the three have passed. But, I still communicate with the one remaining, and when we talk on the phone, we still giggle as we have for over 60 years.  In the picture above, she and I are with my father (my arm around her). Such sweet memories. Huge hugs!

☃

♪It's Oooooover!♪

Christmas is over, and put away at our house! Yay! Christmas in the rear view mirror is always refreshing to me. But it isn't there very long—next thing I know, it's just ahead around the next bend. My, how time flies, anymore!

I have my annual visit with my neurologist on Monday. He insists that I come in for a check-up once every year. I have gone a few years without, in the past, but it is only reasonable that he needs to see me every year. I'm at the clinic twice each year for my treatments, but I don't see "doc" at those times. He is in Kansas City, and that's quite a haul for us, but that isn't his problem. I have been having major problems sleeping recently, too, so it's probably time to run that by him. I'd rather eliminate the cause of the shooters than to treat the pain. But, I'm ready to go back on Elavil, in the interim. I also have an appointment coming up (on January, 6th) with an endocrinologist. Personally, I've always thought that most of my "shooter" problems were hormonally related. I've seen 19 different doctors trying to find one that would help me correct my imbalanced endocrine system, but they've all been set in their ways, and not willing to to take my personal idiosyncrasies into consideration. Hopefully this one will be different—the magic # 20. She (the endocrinologist) was referred to me by an RN that I met while Mel had his vein surgery. I've got my fingers crossed that she'll be the one! I'll keep you posted.

While we're in KC, we'll go by Costco, and do some more bulk grocery shopping. I know, it's only been a couple of months, but we've had visitors drawing on our "store". And, we have our annual New Year's Day neighborhood brunch coming soon. 

Huge hugs!

Guess what tomorrow is....

It is Dotti's birthday!  Seriously! Dotti is an old, dear friend of mine. In the photo above, she is the first on the left—I am second on the right. The picture was taken in the late 60s. Told you she was an old friend! lol  We still communicate regularly. Isn't that a treasure?  

So, Happy Birthday, Dotti, and  Merry Christmas!  

Testing—Tue #2

This is a test to see if I can write a blog in any font, send it via email, and still add a picture. I think I can! 

Hugs

The Desk Lamp

This is a simple story of needing and purchasing a desk lamp for my computer desk. 

I'm a poor typist, because my left hand isn't too coordinated. It does pretty well for most things, but typing isn't among the acceptable limits of its abilities. I'm therefore reduced to mostly right hand typing—I do use my left index finger on the "shift" key for capitalization. But, I must watch the keyboard. After getting my new computer desk, a lamp which I had been using was no longer useable due to the high back on the new computer desk (the lamp had a toggle switch which was no longer reachable), and without the lamp, I was having difficulty seeing the keyboard. The solution, of course, was to purchase a new desk lamp, without the toggle switch.  Simple enough!

I found an inexpensive (cheap) banker's desk lamp at Wal-Mart with a touch sensor! Perfect! I brought it home and set it up without too much trouble. It was exactly what I wanted—for about 5 minutes! It burned out! It wasn't the bulb. Mel took it apart, and discovered that the touch sensor switch was the culprit. So, having saved the receipt, I waited (blindly) for the next opportunity to get to Wal-Mart to exchange it. The time finally arrived, and I made the exchange without too terrible a hassle. The new lamp worked just fine—for about 15 minutes! The touch sensor burned out again!

I've not always made the best decisions, but I'm not totally without common sense, so I wasn't about to try for lamp # three from Wal-Mart. Instead, I checked out finding a banker's desk lamp (I loved the style) on line. I found and ordered one from Amazon. This was about double the price, but it had a glass shade instead of plastic, and it had a pull chain, rather than either the toggle or touch sensor switch. It took a bit of time for it to arrive, but it's working well for me and I just love it!

All that remained in my Wal-Mart dealings was to return lamp # 2 for a refund. Not too big an ordeal, right? Wrong! Just my rotten luck, I happened to get behind a lady (a female, anyway) who was returning about 50 items! This was at the store entrance, not at the service desk. It wasn't just a matter of putting a sticker on a bag (a huge cart full, actually) of returns, but their new computerized system required feeding in each item, and whatever else I don't know. Anyway I waited for about 30 minutes until the process was done. Then I followed the female to the service desk! She went to one line (there were only 2 lines)—so I went to the other behind several others. I advised a few others to do the same. We all got out of there faster than the female!!

All ended well! I have my lamp, and got my money back, but I thought it'd make for an interesting story. And, if you're ever in the market for a desk lamp—you'll know one not to buy!  Hugs!

Fill in

I'm going to fill you in on a bit of what occurred while sis was here for the month of November. You might want to check out Nov., 3rd's blog, as this continues from there:

I met Linda (sis) at the bus station in Springfield as planned, and the chaos began! I'll leave the story here for now to give you some of Linda's history. She married at 18 to Gary, and they were a dynamic pair. They were married for 48 years, and accrued quite a fortune. They had 4 children whose births ranged from 1963 to 1978. The first was adopted, followed within 3 years by a natural child. Several years lapsed before # 3 arrived, then a few more years before # 4. The first two were reared quite strictly in hard times, during Gary's drinking days—he was an alcoholic.

The second two had an entirely different upbringing. Gary was sober, they were quite well off financially, and the kids were all spoiled rotten! They wanted—they got. I tell you this to explain that Linda always felt guilty that the first 2 didn't have the same "advantage" as the second two. All 4 turned out to be bums—so I don't know why she feels that she/they somehow discriminated. Anyway, Gary developed diabetes, and his health declined pretty rapidly in the latter years. By 2003 he was legally blind, and Linda had her hands full doing everything for him. None of the kids were financially (or emotionally) independent, so Linda carried them all. All four kids had drug problems, and were in rehab numerous times. Linda refused to "let go and let God" as her training dictated. She "jumped" when any of them whined. 

Gary was Linda's emotional "rock" even though he'd become a physical drag.  Gary passed away in 2006—a result of the diabetes, and sis was left with a big bag of worms without her rock, and with 4 leach addicts. She enrolled in a truck driving school (age 67), and obtained her CDL. A few months on the road convinced her that that was not the life for her, but she met a truck driver 18 years her junior, and after a year of "mostly together" she married the bum! He has hardly worked in the last 2+ years, and loves Linda's bank account almost as much as her kids do. 

Back to the bus station in Springfield On Nov. 4. (Linda had left hubby to spend time with us)—she got off the bus with cell phone to ear talking to hubby! We hardly got a chance to talk to each other on the trip home because her phone(s), she had 2, kept ringing, and she refused to ditch them or turn them off. When we got to Cedarcreek, she asked me to stop at the Post Office. She sent money to oldest daughter (just out if prison)! I voted with no lines or waiting.

The whole time she was here, she was talking with the leaches, and sending money! It was really pathetic. But, it allowed me to "let go and let God" with her. I'll be available to her—but if she wants to come back here the phone(s) can't come. And the only money she can spend must be on herself (I'll hold her checkbook(s)).

Anyway, that explains some of the "stuff" I was dealing with for the month of November. Linda is now back in Alaska with her hubby (no step-daughter) and calls occasionally. She also lives with her oldest daughter, (just out of prison ) daughter's dog, (sis paid to transport) and significant other (junkie) of 3rd daughter who is in expectant mother's rehab! I am able to listen without offering advice or opinions. Hubby is working *gasp* but will be giving that job up when he returns to SC for daughter's birthday in January. What happens next? Nobody knows! Stay tuned!  Hugs!

Nance's Computer

I had sent the computer off to Nance via UPS, and was watching the tracking on it. When I first checked the tracking this morning, it said "out for delivery". But that didn't tell me much, as I have no idea what time they'd arrive at the home. So, I checked periodically. Finally, not long after noon here (1:17 p.m. EST, exactly) It said "delivered". YAY!! Nance had received her computer!! I called a couple of hours later, and we both had some choked up moments as we exchanged the joys of giving and receiving. Her world had been diminishing to such a small place, and it has opened back up again! I published her email address on MSOhio, and suggested that we hold a special "welcome back" session. 

Huge hugs!

During and after vein shots

Mel saw the surgeon who did his veins, yesterday for his follow-up appointment. She was real pleased, and will see him again in 3 months. You can see in the 1st shot above how much improvement there is, and she explained that it will continue to get better. The second picture (tho blurry—must concentrate on holding the camera steadier) Shows some of the black the upper leg turned. The really black part was not due to shadow--it really was black! And it got much worse than shown. But that has cleared, now. 

We got the computer sent off to Nance, yesterday—She'll get it tomorrow (Thurs.). And, I went back to town for a mammogram, today.  

More hugs!

Boo Boo #2 (I'm a poet)

To continue: After the bacon incident, I did one of my brilliant falling tricks. I never see them coming—I really don't think I need to explain. One second, everything is okay—the next second, I'm either on the floor or just about to hit it. Boom—I landed on my a** (just my left cheek)! Owie! No harm—butt for a bruised pride, and bottom. Sitting is still tender today, butt it IS better.☺

And, in summation, JOY:

For this segment I'll quote myself segments from a letter I mailed today to Nance. Yes, our Nance.

"I am so excited and full of joy! I have stewed over your dilemma for such a long time wondering what I could do to assist, and grieving over the pittance anything I could offer would be. Randy had written the MSOhio group trying to solicit ideas, and funds to make your life easier. I put a check into the mail, but I knew that little could be done with that. I finally asked myself what I'd like to have/do if I was in your place."

"Then the "light bulb" came on (God whispered in my ear)—what I'd want the very most would be a computer. The "wheels" started spinning. Where could we get a computer at an affordable price? Then God tapped me on the shoulder—you've got a laptop sitting in a closet downstairs. But it's old, and so outdated, logic argued with me. God pushed me toward the phone—call your computer man! I called my computer repair man and got the good news that he could erase the hard drive, and get the machine up to good order for a good price. I got another nudge—call Randy for more information. I dialed Randy, but he was not available, and I left a message on his answering machine to call me. Another nudge—I didn't mean for you to call Randy—call Nance!"

I did call Nance and asked her lots of questions about where she was living and what was available to her. I learned that she has wireless access to the internet! I told her that I'd send the computer to her. In closing our phone conversation she asked if I had plans for Christmas. My reply was, " To get you on line!" With that in mind, more quoting from my letter to her:

"You know most of the rest of the story. But, I'll add that Randy returned my call and is nearly as excited as I about the prospect of getting you on line. I gathered your computer, and drove to the computer repair shop (about an hour away—told you we were in the boonies) I had taped a note on your computer to add a wireless card, and bring the USB ports up to high speed. My computer man was not there, but his wife was expecting me. So your computer is going to be worked on this week-end, and might be ready early next week! I'll get it into the mail ASAP, and you should have it by the end of the week! YAY!!!"  

"I'm going to tell you that your computer was given to me by my sister who refused to use it. Her husband had purchased it for her. Her husband passed away in 2006, and when I made the decision to get the computer to you, he smiled down! I see a job and income in your near future! You have so many friends and a new horizon is spreading out before you. This was meant to be! "See" you next week!"

 God works in such wonderful ways—he put some of my recent plans out of reach so that this would be possible!

Huge hugs!

2 boo boos; 1 great joy day

Mel's been taking lots of field trips, and frequently packs a meal to take with him. He had asked me to cook some bacon for him, and I did that first thing this morning. I have a great way to cook bacon using the microwave, and avoiding all the splatter and clean up. I have a microwave tray with a cover that I use just for that purpose. The first batch came along without a hitch. I was engrossed in another project (computer) when I started the second batch. I set the timer for 4 minutes (I thought), then returned to my typing. Suddenly I realized that it had been waaaaaaay more  than 4 minutes—and then I smelled trouble. I stopped the microwave, (I gather that I'd had 40 minutes set, and that about 10 had lapsed) disposed of the burned bacon, and grease, and cleaned up the mess. But the stench was awful! I was expecting Mel home from his morning run, and taped a note to the door saying that everything was okay but hold your nose! He was grateful for the warning when he came in, but said the stench was more than burned bacon! We checked out the tray and cover that I'd cleaned. The tray was fine, but the cover was singed, and it was that which was so stinky. We threw it away, and it took a lot of scouring with baking soda to finally get the microwave smelling better. That was boo boo # 1. To be continued. Hugs!

I DID it!!

Yay!! I finished Christmas cards! 63 are in the mail, and on their way. I remembered one more to get out tomorrow, then Mel will need some to pass out at work—but for the most part they are done. I normally have the task completed within the first few days of December, but sis' month long visit left me quite discombobulated, and I'm just beginning to get it back together. (for me—lol)  

It's late—or rather early, so I'll make another promise to do better soon.   Hugs!

Okay, Lois.....

Lois shamed me in to it—not into decorating, but into publishing a picture of last year.  lol   This is as easy as it gets. Takes about 20 minutes each year. I am working on cards, and will get to better blogging when those are done. I will pass along a quick tidbit while it's on my mind. The NMSS fund drive envelope stuffing we did brought in $690!! I was very impressed that one old friend contributed $500 ! Wow!  Hugs!

birthday second post

My CA sister sent me a tear jerker e-mail which I wanted to share. This sister turned 5 years old 2 weeks before I was born.

HAPPY  BIRTHDAY  MY DEAR  SISTER!!!  I've been thinking of you all morning and remembering when you were born.  Grandma was at our house when it was time for mom to leave for the hospital.  Uncle George was driving her because dad was in the Army.  Grandma was litterly wringing her hands because I was sick with a cold and begged mom to rock me because I didn't feel well.  Mom stopped everything and rocked me  -  with what little lap she had left.  I later learned mom hardly made it to the hospital before you popped out.  Dad got leave from the Army and came home.  He took Linda and me to the  hospital,  but we weren't allowed to go inside, so we stood on the lawn and mom came to the window of her room and I could see her inside and she was crying when she saw us outside  -  I knew she missed us very much.

 

When mom came home with you, I was totally enamored   What a wonderful gift for a 5 year old girl.  You always smelled so good and you were a delightful baby and child.  I loved you dearly  -  and still do.  I am so proud of who you are and what you do.  You raised 2 wonderful sons, and then added your beautiful daughter.  You and your sweet  husband have carved out a grand life for the two of you.  I am so proud of Mel and the love and care he has for you.  Bless you both.

So Dear Sis, I am very thankful for you and am so pleased and happy and proud that you are my sister.  I love you with all my heart.

 

HAPPY  BIRTHDAY         Love,   Janie

 

Isn't that a sweet letter? I am so blessed!  More Hugs!

Better!

First, let me say with great relief that Mel's leg is looking not only better, but quite good.  Second, today is my birthday, (65!) and the photo above is of dental impressions which my father (a dentist) took of me in 1947. (I was 4) Sister Janie is the keeper of such stuff, and brought them  as a birthday gift to me. I was a serious thumb sucker and the results are apparent in the impressions. The photo is blurry and the details aren't evident, but I thought the size of them was worth showing.

Also worth reflecting—today is the 67th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. It was also on a Sunday, and pretty close in time to the very moment I'm writing this. It is interesting to ponder, and compare the times then and now.

I'll be driving with Mel to Forsyth, in a couple of hours—he has another field trip, and will drive his bus back home after the field trip (ROTC to a Branson Christmas parade). He'd left his bus at the barn on Friday to have his surgery (I'd driven in to pick him up after his route). That sounds confusing, I know, but things are backwards for him since he keeps the bus at home.

Huge hugs!

worse!

Mel didn't get home until 8:30 tonight, and came in limping. The problem area in the leg is not at the sight of the bulging veins, but where they inserted the laser probe to do its thing. His upper leg (to near the groin) is multicolored red, black and blue. We'll see what it looks like in the morning and make a couple of calls to see if we need to take more action. He has another field trip tomorrow, but it isn't until later, so will give us time to do whatever is necessary. Hugs! 

All's Well!

I don't have the "after" shot yet, but here's the ugly, painful, frightening (to the kids) "before" bulges! Nasty, huh? They were only on his left leg, and as a result of a bus with a VERY hard clutch. 

The surgery was more entailed than I thought, but there is no lengthy recovery. In fact, Mel will be leaving early in the morning for a field trip. He will need a test next Tuesday, and a follow up visit with the doctor on Friday. He'll continue with the support stocking for a week, and that's it. They were late getting the surgery under way, and it was after 3:00 when we finally got out of there. I was able to bring his coffee to him in recovery. There was no general anaesthesia—a local, and IV "relaxer", but they had to be sure he was okay. 

Glad it's done! More hugs!

Mel's surgery

I know that I promised stories, but forgot that today is Mel's varicose vein surgery.  So there is another story to add to my list. Surgery sounds so drastic for the procedure which doc described to us. I will try to get before and after photos for you to judge. And, I'm hoping it is as simple as I'm anticipating. The biggy for Mel is that he can't have any coffee (no food or drink) until after the procedure—scheduled for 11:00 a.m.! More details tomorrow! Hugs!

I'm back!

Above is a picture of Betty and George. They are a couple who frequented our restaurant in Wichita. They will celebrate their 66th (yes—sixty sixth) wedding anniversary on the 20th! We had been invited to a celebration of their 65th last year, but had to pass due to bad weather. I promised them we'd look them up next time we visited the area. It took nearly a year for us to get back there, but I remembered the promise, and we did get with them. What fun to see them again. I have their email address, now and we'll keep more current. The picture is one we took with Mel's camera phone, and it took a bit to figure out how to get it from phone to computer, (we forgot our camera) but I'm proud that we succeeded. I'm behind in projects, but will be writing more....... promise! Huge hugs!

We're Off!

We will be leaving in a few hours for Wichita to spend Thanksgiving with the family. I hope to have lots of good blogs and pictures when we get back. Know that I'll be thinking of you, and am so thankful for your friendship. I feel you are part of my family, now.  Huge hugs!

Happy Birthday, Janie!

I know that it's been ages since I last wrote a blog, and that you've been waiting to hear the gossip—but I have no news on that front. I'll just say that it's been "interesting" and that I'll give details another time. My other sister is coming in (she and hubby in RV from CA) today. It is her 70th birthday, and we're excited for them to arrive. I mention Jan's age with a quote from her: "I've been making a fool of myself declaring to all I meet that my birthday is coming and I'll be 70.  Folks look at me strangely, but I don't care,  I sure never expected to get this far.  It's wonderful." She is a type one diabetic, and has been insulin dependent since she was 6 years old—one of only two in the US to have survived so long! They are both looking to go down in the record books as the oldest surviving diabetic—and I'm betting on sis.  Hugs!

Monday—almost there!

There have been some major changes around our house in the last few days. Sister, Linda (trucker who married 1 year ago last August) has left her husband, and will soon be on her way here to stay with Mel and me for a few weeks. The marriage has been rocky, and this is very good news that she has escaped his possessive grasp. The only sad part of the separation is his 11 year old daughter, who has no alternative but to continue living with the "drug addict" (her words).

I won't go into details of their woes, but will fill you in on my plans for the next couple of days. Linda is currently in Alaska, but will get on a plane to Kansas City at 9:00 this morning, and will arrive at 9:00 tonight in KC. (rough times). Then, she'll take a bus to Springfield (12:15 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.) where I will meet her. My plan, then, is to go to bed with Mel (by 9:00 tonight—sure) and get up with him (4:30 a.m.). I'll take off as soon as I can, and hopefully beat the morning Springfield commute. Springfield is more than an hour away in ideal conditions. After, I connect with sis, we'll head back home, and I'll stop by my polling place and hopefully find a short line so that I can vote. Sheesh! How's that for a schedule?

If my blogging is skimpy for a while, you'll know why. Sis is in serious need of lots of TLC, and is coming to the right place. Hugs!

Time change day is upon us again. Don't forget.

I'll be going to Springfield for the required Methotrexate level blood work, to be drawn 48 hours after the infusion. 

My mind is busy on other things beside writing a blog, so I'll make this short, and pick out an interesting topic to tell about at a better time.  

Huge hugs!

 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

I'm home from KC and my treatment. Everything, so far, is going well. I'll be on the antidote for 3 days, then should be done except for my follow-up blood work in 2 weeks. Mel did our Costco bulk shopping while were there, too, and stocked up on a bunch of our basics which will last about 6 months. He'll need to do a bunch of butchering, then the freezer will be well supplied. 

I'll send this, read up on the blogs, and comment more later Hugs!

I Survived Smoker!

I'm adding a second post to show a picture of neighbor's lemon trees. They look a little weary because of all the lemons she just harvested, but there'll be more to come. I learned that they are a dwarf variety, and are about full grown. I also asked her about pollination. That is why she has 2 trees, and she aids with the cross pollination with a cue tip between flowers. 

I'd promised to get back if I could brave the conditions. I did, and I did!

More hugs! 

Great Book

I just finished reading "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson and David Relin. PeachOP had recommended it to me, and I'm passing along that recommendation. I emailed the Oprah show, suggesting that it be added to her book club. It is a true story telling of " one man's mission to promote peace..... one school at a time"

I have an obligation tomorrow (Mel goes back to doc for his varicose veins) and we're leaving Wednesday for KC and my treatment, so I probably won't post again until Friday. 

Huge hugs!

Lemons

We have a very strange neighbor lady (widow) who spends her life in her 2 acre yard gardening. She is capable of doing just about anything—carpentry, mechanics, you name it. (especially in her own opinion a true know-it-all) She can also pour on the "charm, soft lights, sad music, poor old widow act" and get the darndest things done for herself for little or no cost.

Anyway, when I went to the mailbox, yesterday, she'd left a bag on our mailbox containing 3 lemons which she'd grown in her house! I've never seen such gorgeous lemons, (and I'm a native Southern Californian—having lived in citrus country for 30 years) the inside of the lemons were as beautiful and tasty as any I've ever come across! I may have to brave the elements (smoke filled house—she's a chain smoker) to see her lemon tree. I'll let you know.

Hugs!

Yikes!

I was reviewing some of my 360° blogs from a year ago. And came across this one:

"Wretch, Gag, Barf! Yesterday it happened! On October 18th Andy Williams invaded the our home via the TV with his dreaded "Ooooooh—It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year" song! You may not think this is so terrible, but if you lived in the Branson area, and heard this song over and over, year after year for two long months every year it'd nauseate you, too. Give me some car commercials, political ads, or something less repetitious! Sheesh, Andy—get another song, and wait until after Halloween, at least! We're skilled with the "mute" button, but he snuck up on me, yesterday."

It happened again yesterday! I guess I should be grateful that we got a 6 day reprieve this year—but SHEESH! 

I'm hooked on a puzzle site. I don't know if you're into cryptograms, but I have been doing them for many years, and had one site that was lost to me when I got my "Mac". I did some investigating, and found another site that is really fun. You might want to check it out at 

www.cryptogram.org/check2.php the "hint" button will give you the vowels—you can hit it up to 5 times. 

Hugs!

Feeling better!

I'm feeling much better! My cold hit harder than I'd anticipated, and I struggled for a couple of days. They say that the "over-the-counter" cold remedies don't do much good, but I'd have been in big trouble without them. 

There was no school on Friday—a teacher work day, but Mel had an evening field trip. He took it easy all morning, and didn't leave the house until about 1:30 p.m..  He didn't get home until about 10:00 p.m., and had a long field trip to St. Louis on Saturday—he had the alarm set for 2:15 a.m.! So, it was a VERY short night!! He'd had Friday to prepare, so had blanket, pillow and everything ready to go. He has taken this group (ROTC) several times before, and knew he'd be able to take a good nap when he got there. He did! 

In the mean time, I was mrslazy! I was not feeling well, and took full advantage of not having to do anything to do just that—little to nothing! I did manage to do the laundry, but that was the extent of my exertion. 

Today is a big day for us. This is the 29th anniversary of Mel's sobriety! Congratulations, honey!

Huge hugs!

"Treatment"

I was scheduled to get a "treatment" on Friday. But, I'm coming down with a cold. This is a first for me—it's so unusual for me to get under the weather. I feel okay, but I am coughing, and quite congested. So, I called KC to cancel. I didn't get to speak to the RN who administers the treatment, but left a voice mail, and requested a call-back. I'm hoping that I can re-schedule for Monday, Nov. 3rd. That way, we could drive up at our leisure on Sunday, spend the night, and begin treatment early Monday. Mel will need to have a substitute for his route that day, but that shouldn't pose a problem. I'm disappointed that my treatment will be delayed, but trust that there is a reason. And, there is one advantage—Mel will be able to take two field trips this weekend, which will more than pay for the cost of the trip. Fate (or divine guidance) has a way of working for me. 

I still need to cancel our motel reservation, and schedule another for the new, approved date. But, I'm waiting for KC to return my call before I go on-line to do those tasks. Hopefully they'll call soon. Looking at the calendar to re-schedule, has me realizing that the election is less than 3 weeks away! YAY!! Won't it be wonderful to get this marathon campaign in our rear view mirror? I wonder if the terrible economy will effect TV advertising. They've been thriving on political, and automobile ads for so long, but they will lose the political, and they can hardly give away cars! Just an interesting thought.

Huge hugs!

PS I got my call-back, and I'm re-scheduled for Oct. 30th. Reservations have been re-done, and I'm back in business! More hugs.

Volunteer

Mel answered the phone a few weeks ago, and I overheard his accepting—what, I didn't know until he was done. It turned out, that it was NMSS seeking volunteers to participate in their fund drive. It was to be simple, take only about 10 minutes, and involved stuffing envelopes. The explanatory "package" would arrive shortly, and thanks so much for helping.

It was several weeks before the package arrived, and I went through it to see just how "easy", and "quick" this was going to be. The package consisted of 2 wrapped stacks of 20 envelops each, a stack of 20 foldable introductory cards, 2 large window envelops, a letter of introduction, and directions. This "10 minute job" consisted of coming up with 20 names, addressing the white envelops to those 20 persons, personalizing and enclosing the foldable introductory cards, self addressing, and enclosing the orange envelops, applying postage, (42¢ X 20=$8.40) and mailing. Then, collecting the contributions, and after 3 weeks returning the $ to NMSS in one of the supplied window envelops. (please write a check for any cash sent) The second window envelop was for any contributions received after the first mailing. 10 minutes—yeah right!

Anyway, I did the deed, and some money is starting to arrive. NMSS is counting on $100 per volunteer. I think there won't be any problem coming up with at least that. I do wonder, however, how many "volunteer" a second time! I think next year I might just send them $100! lol

I Found It!

Yay! There it is! My error was in not changing the date—and it posted on Sept. 28th (I think).  Anyway this is the picture I'd found on the jigsaw puzzle site, and wanted to share with Lois & Yo. The kitties' names are Randy & Floyd, and I'd said (in the former post) that I never see kitty pics without thinking of you two. I'm still learning, and making progress, albeit slowly! More hugs 

old picture—old kitchen

This is a test—it is only a test. I had posted (attempted to post) another picture from my drafts, and it disappeared! I have no idea where it went. It is no longer in my drafts, but neither did it find its way into my blogs. So, I decided to try again. I'm going to hit "publish post". Wait—i think I just found the problem—bet this works, and I know where to find the other one! More hugs! 

Where oh where

When we need to shop in Branson, I have to get up early and pick Mel up at the bus barn after his route (about 8:00—30 minutes away).  This is what we did last Monday when we went for Mel's new shoes. I'd had a poor night on Sunday, and had only had a couple hours of sleep, when it was time to get ready to go. I decided to watch the 7:00 news headlines, and leave about 7:15 to 7:30........I woke up at 7:50..........I'd fallen asleep in my chair!! 

I called Mel's voice mail to let him know I was running late. I didn't have my glasses on, and couldn't figure out why. I did a quick search for glasses and couldn't FIND them! I then did a more thorough search—nope! I put on my "spare" pair cuz how do you find your glasses without your glasses? I continued searching, sure that I'd find them with my foot on the floor—CRUNCH! But it didn't happen, and I really had to go! So, I took off wearing my "back-up" pair. 

After shopping, Mel has to retrieve his bus at the barn, and we drive both vehicles home. I'd told Mel of the "glasses" incident, and he assured me we'd locate them. The first thing we did when we got home, was get flashlights, and look behind, under, and around everything relevant to my having sat in the chair, and realizing the glasses weren't "on". Finally Mel spied them on the floor beneath a coffee table a few feet from "my" chair—they were amazingly camouflaged—it's no wonder we'd overlooked them for so long. I don't know how they got there. I can only surmise that I'd taken them off while I slept, and they'd been in my lap when I jumped up to go.

All's well that ends well—and this ended well! Hugs!

 

continuation

I will explain why I call the podiatrist "genius". After getting his inserts, Mel would occasionally experience more back problems. On these occasions, Genius would ask Mel to walk down the hall in the office. Doc would watch Mel walk several feet down and back—then take one or both inserts, and sand a little off here or there or add a "patch" here or there—poof the back problems disappeared! it was amazing! 

We assumed that any podiatrist was capable of this, so when he began having problems in Missouri, we set up an appointment with a podiatrist here. The yo-yo looked at us as though we were crazy seeing a podiatrist for back problems, and told us to see a chiropractor! I tried the "walk" viewing, and could see that his feet were rolling over to the outside. So, we tried new shoes—they did okay for a while, but would "break down" within a very few weeks. We bought a lot of new shoes until we found the pricey SAS shoes. He wore those for an entire year, and we swore to never buy any other kind.

The second pair of SAS didn't do so well—and Mel thought his back problems were from another cause. (sitting on hard bleachers on his field trips) But, I insisted that he buy more shoes. I asked if there was any difference in the first & second pairs, and the answer was yes—the second pair was ½ size larger. So we went back to SAS on Monday and checked for the size 7 N he'd had the first time. They didn't have them, but the "genius" sales lady recommended ladies' shoes. With his tiny feet, we have done the ladies shoes many times, and knew that he took a ladies 9. He tried a 9 N, and sales lady suggested an 8½. Sold! three days later, the back is good! Let's hope it continues!

More soon! Hugs!

Feet, shoes & back

Mel has chronic back problems that go back to our early years together. When René (daughter) was in high school, she played volleyball, and came home one day complaining that when she'd "jump" on the court, she'd hit her inner ankle bones on the ground  upon landing. I debated a while, and decided that a visit with a podiatrist (foot doctor) was in order. I lucked upon finding a genius doctor, who changed our lives. 

Doc (since retired) didn't take long figuring out the problem, the tough part was convincing me the necessity of spending about $400 to correct it. This was in the latter 70s, and that was a lot of money, back then. Anyway he showed me that her beautiful, high arches disappeared entirely when she stood. She had flat feet—and yes, her ankles did hit the ground when she'd jump. The treatment was shoe inserts. And the necessity of getting them for her was to prevent (among other things) back problems! He explained that 30% of back problems are actually foot problems.

The next step, of course, was to take Mel to the podiatrist. After doc saw Mel, he announced that he knew where René got her flat feet! Mel got inserts too, and has done pretty well since. A while back, (1-2 years) one of the inserts broke! We still had the plaster molds of his feet, and called the office of the genius doctor (the replacement doc trained by genius) in Wichita. Not only would they make new inserts if we mailed the molds, but the insert was warranted, and the broken one wouldn't cost us anything. The catch was that they could only do them in pairs, and we'd have to pay for the second one. Deal! So we got the deed done via telephone and mail!

More on the back/foot problems later. Huge hugs!

The Water Jug

Yesterday, Mel had a field trip, and took advantage of the close proximity of a store to purchase a new water jug. We discovered, during the last power outage, that one we'd had for some time was leaking, slightly. A gasket had cracked.  

Mel didn't get home until dinner time, and before we ate, we made a futile attempt at opening the new jug. We couldn't DO it! I was holding the bottom with all my strength, and he was twisting the top—but it didn't budge. We decided that we'd eat, and try once more before making the decision as to our next move. (return the jug or go begging, shamefully, for assistance) Now, this is a 3 gallon jug, and fairly large. Mel commented something to the effect that no one had opened it at check out, as is usual to be sure he wasn't walking out with it crammed full of other merchandise. His point being that he wasn't sure it capable of being opened.

We ate, and returned to the puzzle. Mel was convinced, I think, that it was weakling Katy that couldn't muster the proper strength to hold my share. But both of us struggling together couldn't budge the top even a fraction. Mel finally suggested we try the opposite direction. Without too much effort, it moved! he moved it back and forth a few times, then lifted straight up—the lid came right off! What was inside? The directions on how to open!!

I hope this story brightens your day, a little. I think we can all use some giggles! Huge hugs!

More on Nutrition

Nutritionally speaking, there are only 3 types of "food"—protein, fat and carbohydrate. (as three types of matter—animal, vegetable & mineral). Fat is a non entity it passes through the system without providing nourishment. Protein can be used by the body for whatever it needs (even energy). Carbohydrates are used to provide energy. Fruits and vegetables are both carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are sugar! It is the consumption of sugar which is causing obesity—not the consumption of fat. I heard a report the other day which actually recommended (as a healthy food for kids) fruit drizzled with honey. There are 3 kinds of sugar; sucrose (table sugar), fructose, (all fruit) and lactose (dairy products). What the fruit drizzled with honey was recommending was putting sucrose on top of fructose! And this is healthy? And we wonder why our kids are getting fat and developing diabetes? Our bodies store excess sugar (beyond what is needed for an energy spurt) as fat—to be used in lean times. We are consuming (on average) the equivalent of 2 cups of sugar per day per person! That is one pound of sugar per day per person! 30 pounds per month! 360 pounds per year each! And asking why obesity and diabetes are so prevalent! 

If you want more info on this, let me know. Otherwise I've said my piece, and topic closed. Hugs!

More Politics

I've been trying to put together a list of subjects for blogs, but I can't get my mind to stay on whatever subject I'm trying to pursue, and it's tough to write about something you can't concentrate on. My favorite topics (and the ones occupying my thoughts) are: 1.The economics in this country and all of the garbage (to use a mild word for what I was thinking) being fed to us about the true state of affairs; and 2. Nutrition and its misinformation being fed to us.

Economically speaking, we've been fed the same sort of garbage (being nice, again) that we've come to accept as fact. I've been fighting this one since I stumbled onto the truth in 1978. And I spoke before the Kansas state legislators trying to raise awareness back then. What I discovered was that the entitlement programs (Social Security, Medicare, unemployment, etc.) were designed to benefit the wealthy (the wealthier employers pay at a much better rate than the little guy). These programs were initiated in Roosevelt's "New Deal" to pull us out of the first great depression. They did as they were designed to do, and reversed the trend that drove the economy to such despair. But the pendulum swung back in the other direction, and no one has done anything to stop it. I think everyone knows that today's workers cannot possibly provide income to everyone in the country who has ever worked. Social security was designed before antibiotics and birth control. People used to have lots of kids and many people of all ages died from illness and infection. The life expectancy was short—not because people did not live to be old, but because of averaging. If a person who died at 90 years of age was averaged with an infant that died at birth—the average life expectancy was 45 years.  At Social Security's onset, there were hundreds of contributors for each recipient. Today, I think the ratio is 3 workers to each recipient, and declining rapidly. Why should the guy who works hand over his check to the guy who doesn't? What's wrong with this program?

My appeal to vote for Obama is because he affords us better opportunities. No doubt, we are headed for tough times. What we need is a complete revamping of the "social" programs and of the tax structure. My hope is that with Obama at the helm, these needs would be recognized and addressed. I'm certain that no such reform could be realized under McCain.

Tomorrow my thoughts on nutrition.

Hugs!

*sniff*

The hummingbirds have gone. There may be a straggler or two, so I've still got one feeder out. But, I haven't seen a hummer since Saturday. I brought the other four feeders in, cleaned them up, and put them away until next year. I always expect to feel a bit of relief when they've gone—it gets a little frantic when they are going through about 15 cups of nectar per day. The relief lasts only a flash—I miss them already. The way time flits by, 6 months will pass quickly, and I'll be watching anxiously for my first visitor.

I have another "treatment" scheduled for October 17th. I have the urine collection, and lab work  done, and I have the antidote Rx on hand. The motel reservation is made, and I'll start the sodium bicarb "flood" on the 15th. I dread the time and expense of going to KC, but, my body is starting to tell me, "It's treatment time!" "Shooters" (my name for my neurogenic pain) had me up until 4 this morning. I'll "up" my oral Methotrexate on Wednesday—that (and Neurontin) should keep me comfortable  for the 3 weeks left until I get my "fix".

Hugs!

Cute kitties for Lois & Yo

I never come across a picture of cats without thinking of Lois and Yo. These kitties were in the jigsaw puzzle page, and I made an attempt at publishing them in here, but couldn't do what I wanted to, with it. I promptly forgot all about it, but stumbled upon the "draft" postings in Blogspot. There the picture still was! So, after bumbling around a bit more, I discovered how to publish it. 

Better late than never is a cute picture of a couple of kitties for you. Hugs!