A GOOD HEALING PLACE

Yesterday I took a brief walk around our property.  The changing leaves, the fresh air, the fleeting glimpse of birds, squirrels and once in a while a deer. This is definitely a healing place.

West side of our house.

South side of our house.

East of the house.  When I can make it to the trees at the back I will be able to view the lake

HOME ALONE

Parenting The Parents 101.  Our daughter Chelle left yesterday but really did not trust us to be home alone.  I promised not to do laundry but she left this reminder over the washing machine anyway. 

As well as the sign, don't you just love my dust paw?

She  left us with the house in order, the beds made and everything straightened.  She also left delicious spaghetti as well as chicken chili and a big salad in the fridge.  Plus she had pork chops and scalloped potatoes in the crock pot for our dinner last night.  I believe all of that will hold us until her return this weekend.

I had to promise many things.  And when I would ask why she kept making me promise, she would say, "Because I know you mother."

Hum...What can one very small load of laundry do if I gently lift the items out of the machine and move them to the dryer one at a time? 

CALIFORNIA LOVIN'

Our California daughter and grandchildren hit us with a big shot yesterday.  The florist arrived and began the parade into our home with floral arrangement after floral arrangement.  It was a shocking hoot.  They are so grateful for our caregivers who are close and they are sad to be so far away at such a critical time in our lives.  It was too much. 

It was wonderful.  Terri, you, Joey, Jacob, Jasmine are WONDERFUL!  Thank you

Beautiful bouquet for Mom's healing from two surgeries:)

Bouquet for Sister Chelle for her home care of parents -- perfect!

Something for Aunt Elenore and her care all week at hospital.  Couldn't have picked better.

Arrangement and box of chocolates for Dad for his birthday tomorrow.

Grill full of candy bars for brother Tandy for being a good helper to folks.

And I get to enjoy all of them until the other take theirs home.

ADDICTION NOT AGE

Question Of The Week 11-5-12

Oops, I got so busy I forgot.

Which activities make you lose track of time?

BLESS BE THE TIE THAT BINDS

My dear friends thank you for sending me off to my surgery with  your prayers and well wishes.  Those prayers were definitely needed as I went from a very successful robotic hysterectomy directly into a massive heart attack.  Just coming home after five days with two new stents in my heart.  It will be slow going but the good news is I'm alive and I'm home and I have the best family in the world surrounding me.  What about dear Ron, well he was supposed to try to manage one night home alone while I had the first surgery and ended up here for five days fending for himself, working through is own pain and depending on the kindness of neighbors. We are both richly blessed.

SKIPPING CLASS

Question Of The Week 10-29-12

What life lesson did you learn the hard way?

HELLO, IS IT ME YOU'RE LOOKING FOR?

Hello.  You have reached the famous Medical Balancing Act of Ann and Ron.  We are either in a doctor's waiting room, in the lab for blood draw, x-ray or radiology or one of us is probably being admitted to a hospital for some sort of surgical procedure.  Leave a message and we will get back to you....assuming we survive all this:)

Meanwhile Slim is in charge.

(P.S.  I will try to find a couple of challenging Questions Of The Week to post automatically during my absence.)

FEEDING THE HUNGRY HEART

Question Of The Week 10-22-12


Are you and emotional eater?

But those mashed potatoes with creamy butter look so good!

This HEART SISTERS post will help  you decide.

MENTAL PICTURE

I do not have a snapshot for this post so you are going to have to use your imagination.  Slim and I went out the back door.  Slim immediately started barking and then set off toward the back of the field at a dead run.  Two deer were standing at the back of our property and the smaller of the two took off at a dead run TOWARD  Slim.  The two reached the middle of the field and were almost nose to nose when they abruptly turned and Slim ran to stand by me while the small deer ran to stand by the larger deer. The four of us stood there for quite some time just wondering what the heck had happened.

Not Slim, not our property and not the deer but maybe this google image will help your mental picture of what occured:)

JUST RIGHT

Now the couch is just right:)

Slim takes a while to settle for her nap(s).  Sometimes she will burrow under a pile of couch pillows and you can't even find her.  Most often she will remove all the pillows from both sofa and loveseat before she can relax and really spread out comfortably.  We have a couch and loveseat in our den as well and a small couch in our home office.  There have been times she has gone through the entire house trying each potential resting place and leaving all couches pillow free.  Thinking about changing her name to Goldilocks.

MONEY, MONEY, MONEY, MOOOOONEY!

Question Of  The Week 10-15-12

$1,000 Smack-a-roos

If I gave you $1000 and told you that you 
had to spend it today, what would you buy?

ONE OF THE FAMILY

My sister and bil's dog Tikka died Wednesday evening.  She was 17 years old.  (Actually one month short of 17).  While she was my sister's beloved pet, she was  my bil's best friend and fishing buddy.  Tikka was a loyal family member.  Our parents loved this grand-dog and Tikka spent many hours visiting our mother in her retirement facility.  All of the children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, friends loved Tikka who, like Will Rogers, never met a man (woman or child) she didn't like.  

Our family mural holds the sketches done by family members grouped by age, starting with the oldest which would have been Tikka who was around 90 in dog years at the time.

Tikka's paw print in ink.

Tikka loved the woods in the back of their house and enjoyed many a picnic in her 17 years. ( In the following photo know that the beer was not for Tikka or the granddaughter:)

Tikka and Nora on a picnic,

I can picture Tikka now resting peacefully at our mother's feet.
R.I.P.. Tikka
1995 - 2012

HUMBLE HOME

Deer grazing in front yard.  There were seven standing still and I don't know how many running in woods across the road.

Slim happy to be headed home.

AMERICAN GRAFFITI

My dad was the pastor of this church.  If we wanted to see him during the day, we would go to his office and most memories are pleasant of visits with him there. Often I was able to assist him or his secretary in the office.  I am sure this is what compelled me to enter the business world.  I found this professional aspect of his career more interesting than the ministry part.

This was our home.  Girl friends, boy friends all joined us here.   Sleep overs in the huge basement of this house are all memorable among my friends. The town had a busy Rock Island Railroad Line and transients showed up at every door on this house on a daily basis looking for hand outs.

Imagine it is night,  The cars are lined up on the street both directions preparing to circle the already packed drive in. Horns are honking, teenagers are waving, cigarette smoke is billowing out of every car and music and laughter are the theme.  Almost every night you could find whoever you were looking for by "dragging Jobes" as we called it.

BREKING NEWS

And the saga takes a turn. We are back home. Ron had a fall this morning as we were preparing to leave the motel and the fright plus the difficulty in getting him back on his feet convinced us that we were trying this long trip too soon. We are bitterly disappointed,, as is our San Diego family. We are also extremely relieved to be safely back home. And we are thrilled that we at least had  a good time trying by being with my class of '64 high school friends for one heck of a fun evening.

P.S. Slim comes home tomorrow:)

SHE KNOWS

"Please don't leave me:("

Slim goes to the vet tomorrow where she will stay while we are on our trip.  It has been awhile since we have had to board her but she definitely knows what it means when the suitcases come down out of the attic and clothes start going in.  She has been sticking to me like glue. 

Yes we got the okay from the doctor for us to take this trip to San Diego.  We will see our oldest daughter and grandchildren and we will attend one of Ron's ship reunions. There is a chance my goddaughter will drive down from LA, plus we are planning a stop on the way down at my old home town to have a little get-together with some of my Class of 1964 pals.

Now it is time for me to get in gear and start loading the van so I'm off computer. I will attempt to blog or at least comment while we are away, but if you don't hear from me, you will know why.

TAKE A DEEP BREATH

Question Of The Week 10-01-12

When was the last time you tried something new and how did it work out?  

 

ALL HAIL THE WORKING MAN

My son Tandy is a printer by trade working both as a press operator and a salesman.  (Primarily a loving single father of three and a hardworking school volunteer.) He was never trained in the field of mechanics but has always been able to take things apart and put them back together (with only a few left over parts.) He did manage to keep a junk car (purchased for $100) running enough to get him to and from college for two years

For a couple of years now he has been following directions from Ron plus doing research on the internet to fix our backhoe.  (Notice I say "our" backhoe because you may remember that Ron gave it to me for Valentines Day one  year.)  This work has been done on weekends as time and weather has allowed.

Now the backhoe is up and running and Tandy is enjoying learning the art of operating it.  Last weekend he dug trenches around two dead trees and uprooted them.  We always pay him for his work to cover his expenses and time away from home.  This last time Ron said he believed Tandy had such a good time playing in the dirt he probably should pay us.

I do have to point out another amazing thing about my son.  He hated getting his hands dirty as a child and would finger paint in pre-school with one finger and then demand to immediately wash his hands as soon as the required painting was complete.  Now he is a pressman in a print shop with permanent inked hands, and as a greasy "volunteer" Diesel mechanic. 

(Tandy's 42nd birthday is coming up and it has truly been 42 years of  love and amazement from the moment of his birth.)

UNCOMMON BONDS

Slim always enjoys chasing and playing with the many cats on our place.  Once in a while a special bond will form with a certain cat and such is the case with Jed.

After the fun and games, the other cats run off to the barn, but Jed hangs our with her best friend Slim.

Slim decides it is time to come back in the house and lets me know by tapping on the window.  Jed tried to follow Slim in a few times but has learned that is not okay.

Jed watches and waits for her friend to come out and play again.

BEST GUESS

Question Of The Week 9/24/12

What does your future hold?