A Reboot

 

Have you ever felt like you needed a total reboot?  I have come to realize that I am at that place at the moment.  Somehow over the past few years I’ve gotten out of sync with myself.  Tom and I have had some uninvited changes in our lives over this time period and I need to do a better job of taking care of things.  

A lot of this has to do with Tom’s health.  You may remember a couple of years ago he had a bad case of the flu.  I wrote about it here.  He has physically been a different person since then and seems to continue to get worse or at best no better.  This had been over two years.  Even though he tested positive for the flu at the time, the doctors now think he may have had one of the early cases of Covid.  At that time, they did not even have Covid tests much less know much about treating it.  He had recently been to a woodworking convention where he had contact with people from all over the U.S. increasing his chances of catching what we didn’t even know was going around at the time.  They now think much of his current condition could be related to him being sick then and his previously existing health conditions have been made much worse because of it.  Among other things, the neuropathy in his feet has advanced to the point that it is difficult for him to walk even with a cane.  He also has neuropathy in his hands now which reduces his fine motor skills.  Over this time I’ve worked hard at helping him to accept and deal with his physical changes but I only recently realized that I had not fully accepted all the changes and the many ways they have changed our lives.  Of course, I have taken care of him and helped him in every possible way as well as taking care of everything around the house, yard, and such.  But I have also fallen behind on many things that need to be done. 

I don’t mean to sound like I’m whining or complaining.  I’m just honestly sharing some situations that I’ve come to realize I need to get a better handle on.  Because of all this, I’ve decided I need to take a blog break for a while.  I have not been doing the greatest job of blogging anyway.  I am hoping if I take some time to deal with things around here, I will then be able to come back and put more energy into blogging.  I’m definitely not leaving all my friends!  I’ll still be reading your blogs but I may not be commenting as often for now.  If any of you want to get hold of me you are welcome to email to the address on my profile.

Thank you all for your wonderful friendships.  You definitely improve my life by being in it!  💗

We will be back!

No Price Too High

 

In the U.S. 27 school shootings have taken place so far this year and over 200 total mass shootings have happened.  This year is not even half over yet.

Below is a portion of an article published today by the NPR News Service.  The entire article can be read here: 

https://www.npr.org/2022/05/24/1101050970/2022-school-shootings-so-far

“A shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, that has killed 19 children and two adults marks the 27th school shooting this year. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the shooter behind Tuesday's incident was killed.

This comes just 10 days after a shooting at a Tops supermarket in Buffalo, N.Y., that took the lives of 10 people.

The U.S. has surpassed 200 mass shootings this year

The Gun Violence Archive, an independent data collection organization, has counted 212 mass shootings that have occurred so far this year, as of Tuesday. It defines a mass shooting as an incident in which four or more people were shot or killed, excluding the shooter.

The U.S. ended 2021 with 693 mass shootings, per the Gun Violence Archive.  The year before saw 611. And 2019 had 417.

As for school shootings, according to Education Week, 2021 had 34 such incidents at educational institutions (the highest since the organization started its database). In 2020, there were 10 shootings. Both 2019 and 2018 recorded 24 shootings.”

I have very strong opinions about this and not everyone necessarily agrees with me.  As far as I am concerned there is no price too high to protect our children.  Many changes need to take place including an improvement in the treatment available for mental illness.  On May 17^th this gunman bought two AR-style rifles legally just after his 18th birthday.  The next day he bought 375 rounds of 5.56-caliber ammunition.  I know our constitution gives us the freedom to bear arms.  But should that include the right to buy weapons of mass destruction and large-capacity ammunition magazines?  Those are weapons of war not needed for hunting or target practice.  Too many politicians are bought by big businesses and groups like the NRA (National Rifle Association) and continue to vote against making these types of rapid-fire weapons illegal.  As I said, no price should be too high to protect our children.    

A Wonderful Mother’s Day

I was blessed to have a very special Mother’s Day.  It actually started early when I received a flower delivery from my oldest son Chris and my daughter-in-law Kristi on Friday.  Chris and I have a tradition of just the two of us spending Mother's Day together usually in Kansas City and often at the Plaza.  The Plaza is a popular shopping and dining area designed in the style of Seville, Spain.  Because of his busy work schedule, I don’t get to spend a lot of time with Chris so having this one-on-one time on Mother’s Day really means a lot.   

 

Mill Creek Fountain on the Plaza

We went to Cooper’s Hawk, which is a three-level winery and restaurant for our lunch.  In fact, we went there last Mother’s Day too and enjoyed it so much we decided to go back this year.  They served a complimentary glass of champagne to all the mothers dining there which was an unexpected treat. 

Cooper's Hawk

 

After lunch, we enjoyed walking around the Plaza checking out the shops and just enjoying the day.  Although it was overcast, it was one of the first days that were warm enough to not need a coat.

My Mother’s Day did not end Sunday because on Monday my other son, Sean came over to spend some time with us and then took both Tom and I out to dinner.  After dinner, he also treated us to frozen custard at a local custard shop.  I feel so fortunate to have two such wonderful sons! 

 

Bad Blogger!

Well, that’s what I feel like I am lately.  I love following blogs and my intentions are good when it comes to blogging.  I guess I just get sidetracked with other things too much.  Not that there is much going on in my life these days but I do stay busy with many little, mainly unimportant details of life.

I apologize that I have not come back with the results of my recent Summons for Jury Duty.  I would have posted sooner if it was anything of interest.  I had been told to call the night before I was assigned Jury Duty to get a possible recorded message if they no longer needed me.  When I made the call there was only a message telling me to call one hour before the time I was to be there the next morning.  The next morning I called as instructed and was told I did have to be there.  We live in a small town outside the city and I needed to leave an hour before the required arrival time in order to allow for parking and such.  I was headed out the front door when my watch buzzed that I had a text.  I checked and sure enough, it was Jackson County Courts telling me my jury service had been canceled.  Talk about waiting until the last minute, I was halfway out the front door!  Happily, my week had been given back to me plus I can not be called for three more years.  Since they can call you until you are 75 in Missouri and I’ll be 70 this summer, that means I can only be called one more time.  I don’t mean to sound like I don’t want to do my civic duty but I have served jury duty many times since I was in my 20s and I feel like I have done my part!   

Overall, April has been fairly uneventful for us.  I’ve been doing a little family history research on Ancestry.  Anytime I do that an hour can quickly turn into a large part of a day as I usually fall into the family research internet rabbit hole!  I enjoy it and occasionally I find something of particular interest.

I hope everyone has been doing well and enjoying spring.  I know many of us have only had a small taste of spring so far but hopefully that will soon change!  

Take care my friends!

 

          

Uh-Oh

 

About a month ago I went to the mailbox and found a jury summons.  Now don’t get me wrong, I like and want to do my civic duty but I get summoned every three years or so.  I have served on both criminal and civil cases and missed up to a week of work on several occasions.  I’ve gone many times to the Kansas City Courthouse and the Independence Courthouse for jury duty.  Slightly frustrated, I put the summons on the table with the other mail and went about some other things I had been doing. 

The next day I remembered I left the summons on the table and went to get it.  It wasn’t there!  I tore the house up (twice) looking for it and never found it.  You have to have your summons because it has your juror number and jury card.  You must show up on the assigned date or be fined and /or jailed!  I was freaking out as I have never lost anything like that.  I tried calling the jury office and of course could not get a real person.  The recording gave me an email address to write and it also let me leave a message.  Over the following four weeks, I left a message and emailed every week with no response.  Luckily, I remembered the date and location of service but I was sure nervous about arriving without my juror number and card.

This past Monday morning I received a phone call from the jury office!  I was never so happy to hear from someone.  She apologized for the delay.  Jury duty was canceled for a year during the pandemic and apparently they are still catching up.  I was not able to get a copy of my jury card but she did give me my juror number and confirmed the date and location.  So next Tuesday I will go to the courthouse with that information and see how it goes.  There is a chance I won’t have to serve because that is the second day that week for jury selection.  There is a possibility they will have the number of people they need by then.  If they don’t, I will happily do my duty. 

                                               Sophie & Zeus say Hi!

Sophie

 

Zeus

100

 

Today would be my Mother’s 100^th birthday.  She used to laugh and joke about how she was going to live to be 100.  Even though she died at 66 from a second round of cancer, I believe a part of her is still alive in my heart if nothing else. 

 

Mother in 1939, age 17

My Mother was born on March 1^st 1922.  She was the youngest of three children and the only girl.  When she was four years old her father died from appendicitis.  That was much more difficult to treat in those days, especially without the help of antibiotics.  After his death, her mother and the three children moved closer to family.  The love and support of family made all the difference for them.

 

Daddy, Mother, and
my oldest brother, Charlie, 1940's

Even though my Mother’s adult life was often challenging, she always loved her children and grandchildren more than anything.  She would sing fun songs that the children loved like “Mairzy Doats” and “The Purple People Eater”.  When I was a teenager she was always understanding and supportive of my interests.  By then she was sick much of the time and I often took care of her as much as I was able when I wasn’t in school. 

Mother's Day, 1965

I have so many memories of the little things about my Mother, such as some of the items she carried in her purse.  There was always Dentyne gum, a small tube of Blistix, a handkerchief, a compact, and lipstick.  She used Coty cologne and makeup and I still remember the scent of both.  She took great joy in simple things and loved gardening.  One of her favorite activities was getting together with as much family as possible and having a picnic at a creek or lake nearby.  You know, it’s the many little things we remember about our loved ones that we later realize were actually the big things.    

Hello!

I’m back!  Well, I haven’t been away but I’ve not been posting much recently.  I’ve felt bad about having this blog and then not writing much this winter.  I’ve even considered stopping blogging but I don’t really want to do that.  This has been a winter of many distractions that have kept me away from the computer.  I’m hoping to change that.

So, what’s been going on this month?  Both of my grandchildren have had birthdays.  Annika turned 26 on the 3^rd and Gavin turned 20 on the 15^th!  I cannot believe how quickly they have grown to be wonderful, caring, young adults!

The bird feeder stays busy these days!

February has been the month for extreme winter weather for us.  We have had big snows each week.  Our temperatures have stayed below freezing almost constantly which keeps us inside most of the time.  I usually buy groceries each Thursday but all month it seems we have the most snow and ice on Thursdays!  I don’t mind changing my shopping day though as I keep enough food in the house for storms.  We’ve had to change a few medical appointments due to snow and ice but that is not unusual around here.

Our deck has remained snow-covered
except for what the wind blows away.

I love to feed the birds, especially in this weather.  They offer much entertainment for us and our two cats Sophie and Zeus. 

Sometimes the squirrels help
themselves to the bird food.

Have many of you gotten started on the Wordle games?  I enjoy doing them especially since it is just one game and done each day.  I have a tendency to start on games and not know when to stop sometimes and Wordle keeps me from going down the “game rabbit hole”!

There is not much exciting to write about at the moment here but maybe that is a good thing!  We are having more snow today so I’ll probably go out tomorrow if the roads are clear.  I’m sure we are all looking forward to Spring but I don’t really mind Winter because there is so much beauty in all four seasons.  Take care everyone and I will try and be back much sooner!