HEAVENLY LARRY, AMEN!

The other night we watched an old BECKER episode. A patient with a bit of a mental problem was in Dr. Becker's office and telling his problems adding advice he was getting from Larry. Dr. Becker (Ted Danson) asked "Who is Larry" and the patient responded "Oh, that's God. He lets me call him by his first name."

This reminded me of a time I was in a group (I don't remember what or why) and we were asked to think of someone special who had touched our lives in a positive way. It should be someone good enough that we could picture their face as the face of God. Now there are a lot of special people in my life but there was one person I believed was good enough to equate with the wisdom, love, kindness, power and understanding of our Creator. This was the first time I gave the face of God the face of a woman -- my paternal grandmother.

God's first name, to me, is Myrtle.

Whose name would you pick?

FEAR EVERYWHERE

Here you can clearly see that Goliath is not only big, he/she is also a HAM. Hope that doesn't increase the chance of the kittens giving us thw Swine Flu. LOL Yes, David is fine too just not as much of a show off. Doesn't Miss Hissy look like a tired Mama?

HAPPY TOOTH

I have been struggling with a bad tooth since December. My Bil the Dentist and his Endodontics friend were prolonging the inevitable to make sure it would need a root canal and to save me a bundle of money. Sometimes these kind of problems can go a year or an entire lifetime without demanding treatment. I only had one horrible pain event and the rest of the time I have been pampering the tooth and hoping it would not blow up on me. We have a trip coming up to Colorado and I did not want to be worrying about my tooth so when the Endodontics office called yesterday that they had an opening at 1:00PM, Ron and I were on our way.

It seems that I did not know how much pain I actually was in until it was over. With the pain gone, I am a new woman with a happy tooth. Oh yes, I am a great deal poorer as well but at this point it seems worth every penny. Both of these doctors of modern dentistry are among the group of totally painless professionals. I don't believe our children or grandchildren have ever known a moments old fashioned pain in the dental chair.

Let the good times roll!

S.O.G.W.P.I.P.

Yesterday I attended a wonderful luncheon at my sister's. Two of her best friends from childhood were there and I was honored to be included. All three of these beautiful women were beautiful girls I admired and emulated. Because they were "older" they did not have much use for my sister's baby sister but they were always nice to me. Even though I am bigger and look older than they, yesterday they took me back in time and I was 12 again. It does turn out though, that even I have a great deal in common with them now. We are each a S.O.G.W.P.I.P. (Silly Old Grandma With Pictures In Purse).

WEEKEND UPDATES

David and Goliath are both active and both are trying to open his and/or her eyes.

The Insurance adjuster was supposed to call us back either Wednesday or Thursday with new figures. He did not call back at all.

I have passed the halfway mark on the audio book I am listening to on CDs. There are 50 CDs and I am finally on number 26!

My grand nephew Owen has had his big cardiology check up and things are so well improved they believe they will begin taking him off his medications in August!!!

I have revisited my acupuncturist for additional help on my weight loss. This time, instead of laser acupuncture, she used the needles plus I have new tacks in my head. No pain and hopefully no gain – as in weight gain. (Never mind that we went to the Casino for lunch after my treatment and I ate a burger and onion strings.)

The Golden Girl chicks are venturing outside their brooder and as soon as the hens awaken in the morning and leave the roost, the chicks climb up and scatter all over the empty roosting poles.

Ron is still experiencing pain under his right shoulder and our primary care physician is sending him for MRI next week. Meanwhile, his diet consists of pain pills and more pain pills.


Thankfully my son is here again for the weekend to help. He gets a lot of the things done that Ron just cannot do and they work well together.

We learned that our grandson Michael, age 14, will go with us to Colorado to see my godson Travis and his new wife Christaine and meet her parents from Germany. Everyone is excited that Michael will go with us. We always call him Travis Jr. because they are both so smart.

My daughter and son in law have sold their house in Missouri and are getting ready for their big move to Oklahoma. WhooHoo!

Yes, I’m making tuna salad for sandwiches, served spaghetti last night, plan on frying fish and am in the process of baking a pie! Now, what’s wrong with my diet???

IT IS WELL WITH OUR WORLD

It appears that all is well in feline/fowl world as the earth resumes an upright, on track position. Elenore has given up the kittens in favor of a little clutch of eggs in a next door nest. Miss Hissy is in total control of Goliath and David. Little David is quite the runt and may not survive. We'll just have to wait and see. I'm pretty sure the missing kitten or kittens did not survive and Miss Hissy took them away for a private memorial service.

See this post "What's wrong with this picture?" that began this kitten saga.

Enjoy these follow up posts. DILEMMA; FEATHER COMFORTER; NOW WE'VE GOT A PROBLEM

NOW WE'VE GOT A PROBLEM

I believe this is what we might call a crowded nest box. Three felines and one fowl. Hope it doesn't turn into a battle because Elenore cannot nurse the kittens!

Oh, and here are the Golden Comets a/k/a Golden Girls. I haven't updated you on their growth in a while. They are some pretty girls and about the best batch of Spring chicks ever!

FEATHER COMFORTER

Miss Hissy is moving her kittens. You can tell that Elenore is holding on to the last two for dear life. Be sure an enlarge the photo to see the kittens faces.

See this post "What's wrong with this picture?" that began this kitten saga.

Be sure and look at yesterday's sunshine post if you missed it.

HOW ABOUT SOME SUNSHINE!

We went to the Sunshine nursery today for our tomato plants. We got a nice prize with the plants. We were putting our purchase in the truck and I noticed a little boy squinting to read the plate on the front of the truck. It is Ron's VFW Life Member license. Ron looked up in time to see the boy suddenly stand tall and salute. Is that a dose of sunshine or what?

It is amazine how quickly the things that matter in life can come into proper perspective.

NO FACE

It was a good day. We ran errands and ended up at a casino meeting my sister and her best friend for lunch and some gambling. As we arrived home my cell phone was ringing and the Allstate insurance adjuster was calling. He is the fourth representative assigned to our vehicle settlement. He is very condescending and treats us like a couple of idiots. At one point he actually ask us how far back in the woods we lived.

It is easy to picture this young man as a short 12 year old boy in a suit that's too large. He's rough and he's tough and he is going to teach this old couple from the country how the city boys do things.

Ron is still in pain plus he has a heart condition, as do I. However we decided I could discuss things with the young man in a more sane manner. WRONG!

The insurance adjuster with no face (only the one I imagine) was strict and condescending with me even calling me Madam. I found myself yelling at him. I totally lost my cool and showed no professionalism and was yelling at this man.

Another insurance adjuster told me how to approach this group. I had my figure ready that we want and I had the reasons we expected that figure. I presented it in a soft and sane manner but I could barely finish before he began telling me there was no justification for what we were asking......and I lost it.

Why has this made me so angry? Because my husband has not been the same for one single day since the accident and I fear this will affect us forever.

Should I request some cheese with this whine?

Interesting information. Looks like I'm putting a face on Allstate that helps me know it isn't me.

DILEMMA

ELENORE

KITTENS GROWING

MISS HISSY, MAMA CAT

We have all enjoyed the kittens in the nest box. Now I have a dilemma. One of my hens, Elenore the silky mix, has adopted the kittens and is very possessive. Miss Hissy, the mama cat, doesn't seem to mind this babysitter but my fear is who will nurse the kittens. I removed Elenore from the nest but she had a huge fit and fought her way back. Surely Miss Hissy will get her out when it is necessary. Has anyone in the country with cats and chickens ever had this situation before? Is there a problem of the kittens starving? In case I am the first to encounter such a problem, I will keep you posted as things progress.

UPDATE: Of course you all were right. Last night at closing time Elenore was back on the roost and Miss Hissy was back with her babies. With all this mothering I'm sure this batch of kittens will be very spoiled.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?

This is what you call a surprise:)

TATTOO OR NO TATTOO

Last night's Jay Walking episode was Tattoo or No Tattoo. You find out about the person Jay Leno meets on the street to interview and then guess if that person has a tattoo. It seems the majority of the people have tattoo's.

I do not have a tattoo but I do have a design on one of my porcelain crowns. My bil, the dentist, had one of my crowns made with a green dollar sign $ on it when I was promoted to vice president. I love it and, as everyone said, "Now they can identify the body". It is on the bottom toward the back and not one of my front teeth. Every once in a while if I laugh real big someone will say, "You've got spinach on your tooth".

My goddaughter has one beautiful tattoo on the middle of her back (shown above) and I'm pretty sure she has others but I can't remember. My son has a tattoo on his shoulder. My daughter has a small tattoo on the web on he hand between thumb and finger. My spouse has a large peacock on his forearm that covers a once naked lady and he has another tattoo on his leg just above his knee that I won't describe.

What about you -- tattoo or no tattoo? If not, do you want a tattoo?

SQUEEZING THE WINE BOX

We finally have a lovely day of sun and warmth. Ron is out mowing and I could be enjoying a walk or care of my chickens. However, I am glum. All my life I have had to hold still waiting for one challenge to end until the next event arises in my life. I wanted a glass of wine but didn't want to open a new bottle just for myself (Ron does not touch alcohol). There was something left in a box of Merlot in the refrigerator. I turned the spigot and got half a glass. I shook the box and got a little more. I squeezed the box and was able to dribble enough to fill the glass. Then I laughed at the image of me in the kitchen squeezing a wine box.

INSULT TO INJURY

The "IN" in INsurance stands for INsult to INjury. Have you ever heard of persons receiving a fair and equitable settlement from an insurance company without having to hire an attorney? Of course it is the insurance adjusters job to pinch every penny they can, but it looks to me they would want to treat the victims in a way that would leave them with some dignity.

Have any of you come up with the perfect solution for dealing with the insurance adjusters? One thing I know now that I didn't know then was to read what your rights are before you begin talking because they are not going to tell you anything unless you ask the right questions.

Oh ye wise and wonderful bloggers please advise:)

BUTTERMILK MORE THAN THE NAME OF A HORSE

Let's talk about buttermilk. This past ten days I have challenged myself to use the entire 1/2 gallon of buttermilk.

First I needed the buttermilk to fry fish and make cornbread. The container felt like I had not used any. I hate to throw out perfectly good buttermilk, so that's what brought about my personal challenge to use it all this time. (Yes, I can make buttermilk with milk and vinegar and it works fine but regular buttermilk seems best to me.)

Two very nice buttermilk pies followed. OMG, I'm trying to diet and making pies at the same time. When will I ever learn.

I made the crust for berox but they did not turn out good because my yeast was expired. At least I used most of what was left of the buttermilk -- I thought.

Yesterday I fried fish again and made cornbread again. It was a full circle. The container should have been empty.

I still have about a cup of buttermilk. Any suggestions???????

OUT OF THE BOX

I'm holding the camera inside the brooder but cannot see what I'm taking a picture of. Nice legs on my girls, huh? LOL

Here is a curious soul peering out through the brooder's tattered skirt. Today it will probably get warm enough for them to take their first adventure walk in the chicken house.

The thirty Golden Comets (aka Golden Girls) are out of the box. They are now on the ground in the chicken house and free to run in and out. This time the cold weather has been a good thing because the little girls are not as eager to run out and are taking a little more time adapting to their surroundings. The big chickens peering in at them. The hen shown is Chicken Little, the last of my Aracauna's.

This brooder is rusted and the skirt is torn but it still serves the purpose with a lot of inventive upgrades by Ron. My chicken house is functional and works well for all our needs but we would not win a spot in Better Homes and Garden magazine.

Ron is doing great and his pain is lessening every day. Our doctor does not believe that he will have any lingering effects from the accident and now we only have to concern ourselves with replacing the vehicle.

Thanks for asking about my phantom post from yesterday morning. I did make and entry and then deleted it. Sometimes I do that. I felt badly because Linda G. made a nice comment just as I was deleting.

MIX AND MATCH

Happy Monday to you because it certainly is that to us. A quick update to tell you that Ron is doing great. He did not have to stay overnight at the hospital and nothing was broken. They gave him lots of pain medication and we will see our Primary Care Physician on Wednesday. Both vehicles in the accident were total losses. The little 18 year old girl that hit him from behind was uninjured. It was truly a miracle.

Ron did not incur any cuts or lacerations in the accident yet he left the ER covered in blood. They did not wrap the site of the removed IV very well and as we were leaving blood began squirting everywhere. He looked better going in than he did coming out! LOL Thank you all for your kind words and your well wishes.

Now we return to less important things such as my diet. I mentioned body types and will tell you that my type is Adrenal. The four types are Liver Belly, Thyroid, Adrenal, and Ovary. Click here to see what type you might be. My tacks fell out of my head yesterday so I will return to the Acupuncturist and she will replace them today.

Now I have a question for my fellow bloggers that has been bugging me. A new blogger with more than one blog visits you and you want to repay the visit, how do you pick which of theirs to visit?

Next I have a bit of trivia for you. Did you know that an average of 85,000 people are injured every year by their pets? The majority of those injuries come from tripping over the pet. I can be walking in the house or outside with Slim leading the way and suddenly she will stop and if I don't slam on my brakes fast enough, I will trip. Do you think it is a conspiracy among our pets?

My baby chicks are all beginning to look like Big Bird and they are attempting to fly out of the box. Actually one did manage to get out yesterday and when she hit the ground she was so stunned that she just sat there until I picked her up and put her back with her sisters. When the sun comes up and I go out to check on them this morning, I will take my camera and add a recent photo to this blog so if you come here before the picture, be sure and come back later to see my beautiful Golden Girls. We've got another cold snap, but as soon as we're warm again the chicks will go in the brooder and be able to mingle with the crowd at their leisure.

Over at Rachel's blog there is a Sunday sign that says so much: "Each day is a gift to be opened with prayer."

Have a good and careful week dear friends:)

THE ORDER OF THE DAY (YESTERDAY)

Yesterday I got into a routine taking my herbal appetite suppressants. They seem to help suppress my appetite along with the tacks.


I reviewed the treatment and diagnosis of my Adrenal body type and how I can best change my eating habits to accommodate that type. (Read about the four body types and be amazed at how differently we respond to weight loss.)


A neighbor calls that another neighbor's dog is killing one of my guineas. Ron tracks the dog and the guinea to the other neighbor's home and watches the dog store my lost-forever prize Guinea Fowl under their house. The neighbors are not home.


Ron leaves to go to town and collect our mail and buy deli food for the kids coming this weekend. Leaves me grieving for my guinea.


Friend in town calls to tell me Ron has been in a wreck. In the blink of an eye I arrive at the horrible scene on a major highway with traffic being detoured, city police and highway patrol gathered along with half the town. They are keeping Ron in the van until paramedics arrive. The van is demolished and the other vehicle, a little red car, driven by an equally little girl, is demolished but the girl is out and walking around and presumably okay.


I see Ron safely loaded into ambulance and leave ahead of them to meet at the hospital. I have to wait quite a while and even though they have alerted the emergency room that they are bringing him, I still worry because it is taking so long. My precious sister arrives to hold my hand.

I know Ron is going to be okay when he responds well to his two attractive young nurses and his ER doctor, also an attractive female. He begins the story telling and they begin laughing and I can be at ease

We receive a good report on Ron, although we have been assured his pain has only just begun. He has so many previous injuries that it's difficult to know what is old and what is new but they feel confident that the feeling of a knife being stuck in his back over and over will subside. The girl was traveling at least 45 mph when she struck him from behind. He was stopped preparing to turn left across the highway and she obviously did not even see him before the impact.

And suddenly my priorities are clear in my life. My weight loss program is moved to a back burner (2 lb weight loss by the way) and grieving for a lost fowl does not seem as important (the neighbors came home and found their dog chomping on the guinea and the dog is gone). Everything becomes "I am so very thankful for the safety and another miracle survival of my spouse."

BETTER THAN DIAMONDS AND FURS

Ron designed this wonderful chick nursery box for my Spring chicks. Usually we place the large wooden box on saw horses inside our house. At first it is a great bonding time for me with the babies but pretty soon the smell becomes overpowering. With the help of my son and grandsons Ron has enlarged the chicken house and he came up with the idea to set the nursery box in the hen house permanently. It is attached to the barn wall high enough up to keep out predators but low enough for me to work with the chicks and the roof is slanted to keep the big chickens from roosting on top and covering the box with poopies.

The hinged lid makes it possible for me to keep the box cleaned out and get the chicks fresh food and water.

I use a long pole to prop open the lid so I can do my work and play with the chicks from time to time. My son came up with the idea for the supports for the hinges on the box lid.

The sudden return of cold weather through us for a loop, but much to our happy surprise, the warm light over the chicks and the hanging of a flap over this one open end, kept the chicks warm enough to survive the sudden Winter blast. It is wonderful to have a place to keep chicks out of the house and might allow me to bring more home more often. Next Ron is going to rig up a pen for adding guinea fowl. We have learned that keeping them in cage and only releasing one at a time over several weeks keeps them roosting with the chickens at night. Oh, and did I mention we almost bought a miniature burro? Ron is also working of a corral so I can obtain some four legged critters.

Yes it does worry some of my friends and family that I get more excited over things like this chicken box than I do about fancy stuff.

TACKS IN MY HEAD

My sister and I met at a casino halfway between our homes for lunch and crazy fun today. The above flowers were served on our lunch plate so you can guess what a nice lunch we had. It is the greatest adventure when I can have my sister all to myself for laughter, gambling and dangerous missions. (Both of our spouses swear the two of us together unattended are dangerous.)

Together we analyzed my new program designed by my Natural Health provider i.e. Acupuncturist. Along with some herbal pills that will not conflict with any of my heart medications, I had one laser acupuncture procedure that included the installation of tiny tacks pressed just below my ear. They are covered with tape the color of my skin so they cannot be seen. I only have to press them occasionally if my hunger is overwhelming.

I am very happy to be pressing tacks into my head rather than listening to the news and trying to understand the politics of the day.