Hello!

 

It’s been a little over a year since I’ve written a post, but I promise I have not forgotten any of my blog friends. However, I don’t blame you if you have forgotten me and I understand since I haven’t been around. I don’t want to be one of those bloggers that just disappears so I thought I would post an update on the past year. 

It’s been a very busy year with the highlight being that I became a great-grandmother last summer! My granddaughter Annika and her husband Nick had a beautiful, 9-pound 10-ounce girl in July. Her name is Juniper Lark and she is such a happy baby, always a joy to be around. I would post a picture but her parents do not want any pictures of her on the internet and I totally understand that. I love having a little one in the family again! 

Another highlight of the year was that my grandson, Gavin, graduated from the Fire Academy which is part of a two-year program in an area community college. He first earned his emergency medical technician (EMT) certification and then went into the Fire Academy program. He is now working as a fire fighter for the City of Independence. Of course, we are all very proud of him!

Tom, Gavin, and myself at his graduation.

Tom has been doing okay although he still has health and mobility problems. He is still using his walker and I’m happy to say he has not had a single fall since he started using it! Our sweet cats, Sophie and Zeus, turned nine this year and they are still bringing us much love and happiness!

Sophie & Zeus

Most of 2024 has been a very good year for us until December when I got hit with some health problems. I have been diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer that has spread to the colon. On December 16^th I had some severe stomach pain to the point that Tom called an ambulance to get me to the hospital. After a CT scan they discovered I had an almost complete blockage due to colon cancer. I had surgery and ended up getting a colostomy (which I hate!). They did not remove the cancer yet because they want me to have chemo first. After many more tests in the hospital it turned out that the cancer had started in my ovaries and from there spread to the colon. I spent over a week in the hospital and came home on Christmas Eve. I think I was in shock most of December after receiving such an unexpected diagnosis. Just to make things fun, I came down with covid a couple of days after I came home from the hospital.

Since then, life has been a blur of medical appointments and a second hospitalization last week after my first chemo treatment. I came home last Sunday after a week in the hospital with colitis. I still have pain from the colitis but I’m trying to get to feeling better as my next chemo is Thursday, March 6^th. I had two medical appointments yesterday and hopefully no more until my all-day chemo appointment next week.

I know, I’m 72 and these cancers are stage four, but I am not giving up! I’m trying to stay positive and keep fighting! Despite that, I sure could use any prayers and healing thoughts! No matter what happens, I feel incredibly blessed in my life especially by my wonderful family!

I’ll try to post again when I can and fill you in on everything a little better. I send you all my best, I've missed you!

 

It's Been a Long Time

Hello!  Most of you will remember that I took time off from blogging to better adjust to some life changes.  Tom had been having many health problems and we were not doing well with the necessary adjustments in our life.  I had hoped I would be able to get more accomplished in regard to these changes if I took a couple of months off from blogging.  Unfortunately, things don’t always work out like you plan.     

A lot has been happening in these last few months.  Tom’s balance problems continued and he started to have falls on a regular basis.  Last month he had a bad fall hitting his head.   He was really banged up and of course head wounds tend to bleed a lot.  My son and I took him to the emergency room and he was admitted to the hospital.  He had a CT scan, MRI, and x-rays.  Thankfully the tests were all clear.  Still, he was kept in the hospital for four days at the end of which they admitted him to a rehab facility for ten days of occupational and physical therapy.  He came home a couple of weeks ago and now has weekly visits from a home health nurse, occupational therapist, and physical therapist.  His balance is still bad so at the doctor’s suggestion we purchased a walker for him.  Not something he wanted but those falls are just too dangerous.  So now we are essentially starting over with his physical condition but we are staying positive about it all.    

I celebrated my 70^th birthday in August and since then my health has continued to throw me hoops to jump through.  I had my annual mammogram and a nodule was found that was concerning.  They now have me coming in every six months for a scan in order to check for changes. Then I had a fall that sent me to the emergency room with possible broken ribs. I lucked out and they were just bruised.  (I’m clumsy at times!)  Before that was completely healed, I began having gallbladder problems eventually leading to surgery.  I discovered having your gallbladder removed can bring challenges in your diet but I’m working on adjusting.  I was just healing up from that when I got hit with a bad case of RSV (Respiratory syncytial virus).  It has been going around here quite badly with the hospitals full.  My body still was not ready to give me a break because I then had to have a questionable growth removed from my face and sent in for a biopsy.  I was fortunate and it was benign!  I’m really not telling you all this to complain but more to fill you in on what has been going on in the last few months.  I so wanted to get back to blogging much sooner but things have just been crazy around here!

The past few months have taught me a lot about myself and how I handle challenges.  I’ve always been good at managing whatever life throws at me but I’ve discovered the older you get the more difficult some situations can become.  I’ve also learned that sometimes (actually much of the time) I just can’t get everything accomplished that I would like and that’s okay.  More importantly, I am learning to bend with the wind and try not to let it break me.  

Thank you if you’ve stayed with me this long.  I sure have missed everyone and look forward to catching up with you all.

Sophie

Zeus

 These two sweet cats have definitely brought a lot of joy and love to us over the past months!

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!

The First of June - Already!

  

My blogging has fizzled out to almost nothing since January and in fact I only posted once last month.  Sure, I have a lot of excuses but really, either you blog or you don’t.  I will never be one that posts every day like many excellent bloggers I know, but I do like to post once a week.  Hopefully I will be able to improve and get back to that routine.

So, what’s been going on this month?  Like so many others living in many different areas, we have had almost daily rain and much cooler weather than usual for us.  All that rain has meant I am playing the game of trying to catch a dry day to mow the lawn weekly since it is growing like a well-watered jungle.  The plus side is the cooler weather is much more comfortable for mowing than the usual hot and sunny weather.

A positive thing has happened recently.  Tom finally decided to get hearing aids!  You may recall I had previously mentioned that he has lost all hearing in one ear and quite a bit in the other ear.  He was evaluated by an ENT earlier in the year and given the specifications for what type of hearing aids he needed.  Tom was a little unsure about taking this step so he didn’t get them right away, but after some time he finally decided to take the leap.  Accepting your aging is not an easy thing for many people.  Thankfully, we received our stimulus checks just in time to pay for the earing aids, as those that have them know – they are rather expensive!  So now he is getting used to them and trying to remember to wear them.  He can hear much better with them but just needs to get comfortable wearing them.

It’s not been the best month for me as I’ve had some minor health problems which have required a series of medical test.  A couple of weeks ago I had a CT – Calcium Score Test which is essentially a CT scan of your heart to check for blockages.  I passed it – Yay!  I have spent the rest of this month dreading some other tests that I have to have this Friday.  I will admit up front I’m a big chicken!  Due to some health issues I have to have Upper & Lower GI tests.  Yep, the lower GI test is the dreaded colonoscopy requiring the miserable one-day prep before.   I had one over ten years ago but it’s that time again.  The Upper GI is the scope test which I’ve never had done, although I should have had one a long time ago since I do have a hiatal hernia and reflux.  I didn’t have the scope earlier because, yes, I’m a chicken!  They are going to do both tests on the same hospital visit.  So, chicken me has spent much of this month worrying about this coming Friday.  I realize that may sound silly but well, that’s just the way I am.  Friday morning Tom will drop me off at the hospital.  He is not allowed to go in with me due to the hospital still observing strict covid rules.  I wish he could go with me to help with my courage, but that’s the way it has to be.  I will be put to sleep for the tests (they better do a good job with that!)  and when it is all over the nurse will call Tom to pick me up.  I’ll let you know more when I know, however if I have a biopsy from either test, I probably won’t know those results until next week.

Sorry for a post full of TMI but I am just an honest and straightforward person about things like that.  I have felt bad about not posting more often this month but honestly, my head has not been in a good place for posting and I’ve just not been feeling well.  Hopefully I will be better after this week!

I haven’t taken many pictures recently but I do have one.  There are many squirrels in our neighborhood and suddenly one of them has decided he wants to move in with us.  We have to watch the door when we go out or in because he has tried to run into the house.  Can you imagine the havoc with two cats if a squirrel came in the house!  I think he sees how spoiled the cats are and wants to join them! 

Take care everyone!

Santa Bus and a Chair for Christmas

 

Christmas is finding its way here even though I am slow at getting started on my holiday preparations.  It seems like each year there is a moment when I look at the calendar and feel a bit of a shock realizing just how soon Christmas will be upon us.  I know all too well how quickly even three weeks can speed by!

Today was Santa Bus Day for our neighborhood.  Our small town has a wonderful tradition of having Santa Claus travel each street in town to visit with the children.  Santa travels in a Christmas decorated bus and is led by a police car with the siren occasionally going to let the children know that he is almost to their house.  He gives the children small treats and they get their picture taken with him.  Usually, the kids go on the bus to see Santa but this year they have had to change that due to covid.  Santa steps off the bus and visits with the children.  I guess I am a child at heart because even though it has been many years since we’ve had little ones here, I still love to watch the Santa Bus come.  Actually, our two cats get excited about all the activity surrounding the bus coming and always run to a window to watch!

Zeus and Sophie watching the Santa Bus

Christmas came early for my husband Tom yesterday.  He has badly needed a new recliner as his old one was not working properly and was even potentially unsafe for him since he has had balance and walking problems.  Good recliners are fairly expensive and a new one was not in our budget just yet.  When I mentioned it to Chris (our son) and his wife Kristi they suggested that we all go in together to get him a chair for Christmas. They are both so sweet!  We luckily found a great sale on one the Monday after Thanksgiving and it was delivered yesterday.  Tom loves it and I feel better that this one is not going to pose a tripping risk for him as the old one did.

Tom and his new chair

We managed to get our Christmas tree up a few days ago but I still have to decorate it.  I hope to work on that this afternoon and evening.  Since we have cats, they always manage to find fun ways to enjoy the tree!  I didn’t get a picture of them in the tree this year yet but here are a few from previous years.

No, they have never knocked the tree over.  We attach it to a wide and heavy base that keeps it upright.  Once we get it decorated we do discourage them from climbing it but invariably we will catch them in it once in awhile!  

I hope everyone has a good week!

Passing Thoughts

 

It’s been a quiet weekend but that can be good at times.  I’ve stayed busy with odds and ends of jobs around the house.  Yesterday I did some much-needed cleaning in our basement.  We need to get someone out to do a winter check on our furnace this week.  I am also planning on clearing some shelves in the basement for food storage of canned goods.  We have very little storage space in our kitchen so I’m using a couple of shelves in the basement.  I have been slowly adding to our back up stock of canned goods and non-perishables.  This winter has the potential of not being the best and I do want to be prepared.  There have been some predictions of much more snow and cold weather than usual for us on top of the increasing number of covid cases in the area.  It’s funny, in some ways we were much more cautious back in March when the pandemic first started than we are now.  I guess because it was new.  But actually, now it is much worse where we live than it has been at any time before.  We go out for groceries and medical appointments and that’s about it.  Due to our age and Tom’s health we can not afford to take chances but it sure does get old fast. 

I have also been trying to help Tom with a few changes in his life.  Because of his balance problems it was suggested that he start using a walking cane.  When you think about it that can be a big step for some people and not an easy one.  On top of that, he has failed to have much improvement in his hearing and has an appointment this week to talk to someone about getting a hearing aid.  He is not over-joyed with either of these developments and I do understand.  I’m trying to help him see the positive side of both and hopefully he soon will realize the benefits of them.

Trees on our street are just starting to change colors

Our Fall colors are just now getting started and no where near peak color yet.  There are a few trees on our street beginning to change.  In our back yard we have a row of Osage Orange trees and they are dropping their hedge apples or Osage Oranges like crazy all over our yard.  These are a strange fruit that is not edible for humans although the squirrels here love them.  The Osage Orange tree got its name from the Osage Indian tribe which once lived in this area.  They used the wood of the tree for making bows and it is still considered very good for that purpose.  

 

Osage Orange or Hedge Apple Trees

Osage Oranges or Hedge Apples

As you can tell, there is not much excitement here.  I hope everyone is well and enjoying a beautiful Autumn!

Across the street from us

Still Here

I’ve certainly not been much of a blogger this month.  It’s been two weeks since I’ve written a post and this past week I’ve not been commenting on other blogs much either.  We’ve been busy and out with appointments almost everyday but nothing exciting to write about.  

My sweet girl, Sophie

Tom is still not driving due to his equilibrium problems, so I’m driving him to his cardiac rehab appointments three days a week.  In addition to that we’ve each had other medical appointments, so it does keep us busy.  He is scheduled to have an MRI this week to try and find out the cause of the equilibrium issues.  If we could get that cleared up he would be able to do more and feel better.  The hearing loss may be permanent but we will see.  Sorry, I don’t mean to complain.  Mainly I wanted to let you know I’m still here even though I have been an errant blogger! 

The past couple of weeks we have had wonderfully cool Fall weather!  After our extremely hot summer, it has been a joy to have Fall start almost on cue the first week of September.  This past week we’ve seen rain almost every day but that is okay for it was needed.  As a result the grass has grown like crazy and I have just gotten done mowing it.  August was so hot and I didn’t feel well, so I hired a neighbor boy to cut our grass for the month.  It has become much more difficult for me to do yard work when we have temperatures in the 90's F.  It used to never bother me but it sure does these days!  Now that we have some cooler days, I’m hoping to get caught up with some needed yard work.  

Zeus, about ready for a nap

I tried to start a jigsaw puzzle I’ve been wanting to do, but after three slow starts I gave up and packed it up for another time.  I just couldn’t concentrate on it plus my vision has not been very cooperative for a challenging puzzle. 

Our son gave us an Amazon Echo Dot or Alexa, smart speaker/virtual assistant.  We have actually been having some fun with it as well as finding it handy.  I will write more about it on my next post. 

I apologize to all my blog friends for not commenting much recently.  Things sometimes catch up with a person as I’m sure you understand.  I admire all of you that manage to write a post several times a week or even every day as many of you do.  You are all amazing!  I hope you all have a wonderful start to the week and enjoy whatever beautiful Fall weather you have at the moment!

I’m Thankful for Our Cats!

 

                                                              

Sophie and Zeus

We have had a lot of ups and downs the past month or two but through it all one thing remains steady for us – our two sweet cats!  Those of you that have pets of any kind will understand my feeling I’m sure.  No matter what happens your sweet, furry family members are there for you, accept you and will never judge you.  Pure unconditional love.                                                               

When I'm at the computer Sophie holds my arm and
sleeps with her head in my hand. 

Sophie and Zeus are always near us offering love and cuddles or entertaining us with their playful antics.  If we do have to leave the house, they meet us at the door when we return.  They follow one or both of us around and generally prefer that Tom and I are in the same room.  If I’m in the back of the house on the computer and Tom is in the living room, Zeus will cry at me and try to get me to follow him back into the room with Tom.  When we are both in the same room, they will settle down to a nap nearby or in our laps or play with toys near us.  They instinctively know when we are sick or sad and they stay close and comfort us. 

Tom’s health problems have continued.  I took him to both his cardiologist and our family doctor last week.  His heart, thankfully, seems to be doing okay but he has been hit with some kind of severe dizziness problem and is very unsteady on his feet.  The doctor did not see an ear infection but gave him antibiotics in case it was too deep to be seen.  Tom did suddenly lose his hearing in one ear at the same time this started so that could be part of the problem.  He’s never had this type of vertigo situation in the past.  So, for now he has to stay in one place and try to not move around much.  I’ve been trying to take care of him and still catch up on a lot of things around the house that I have neglected.  It has not helped that I am still having trouble with the high blood pressure, but I will see the doctor Tuesday.  After that, we have to find a new family doctor as our regular one is retiring next week.  We’ve seen him for over forty years and I hate to lose him but I am happy for him to finally get a break.   

I don’t mean to just write about health problems.  Things will sort themselves out eventually I’m sure.  It’s all part of life and getting older.  But anytime we do have problems like this it always reminds me of how grateful I am to have our two cats, Sophie and Zeus!  They are always there for us.  If you have any wonderful furry family members give them a little extra love because I’m sure they are there for you in the good and the bad times.   

                                                              

They even help me when I'm sewing.

Home

That sure is a wonderful word - home!  Tom was happily discharged this afternoon.  I got him home and we both took a nap.  Neither one of us have had much sleep the past few days.  You sure can't sleep at the hospital.  People were in and out of his room all day and he said all night too.  Plus he was hooked up to a host of beeping machines. 

He is doing good considering everything, just very tired.  He is under some restrictions, has additional medication and is supposed to start Cardiac Rehab as soon as maybe next week.  I am determined that I need to do more to try and get him to eat a healthier diet and when he can, get more exercise.  I always try to prepare healthy meals but he is a big lover of things like salty potatoe chips (crisps) which is a no-no.  We both got regular exercise twice a week until last March when the Coronavirus hit and our Silver Sneakers classes stopped.  We should have kept up at home but we did not as we are not very motivated to exercise on our own.  Now I wonder if that lack of exercise made things worse for him. 

Oh and speaking of Coronavirus, Tom was tested for it before they would do the Cardiac Catheterization and he was negative, so that's good!  We did find out there were cases in the hospital while we were there including a few on the same floor he was on.  That did make me nervous especially in the elevators even though everyone wore a mask.  I'm just so thankful he is out of there!

Thank you all again so very much for all your good thoughts and prayers.  I told Tom about all the wonderful messages from everyone here and he was blown away that so many people that didn't even know him would be so kind.  He sends his thanks and appreciation to all of you.  Blog world is full of many very special and wonderful people and I appreciate you all!

I'm going to try and get to bed early because there are so many things I need to get done tomorrow plus I need to cut the grass if I can take this heat.  But, I do want to share one thought with you all because I truly care about each one of you here.  Please be aware of any symptoms your body may be trying to tell you in regard to your health.  I don't mean worry about every little thing, that's not healthy.  Just be aware and if something does not seem right ask you doctor about it.  Tom has been through this situation and hospitalized for this twice now, once five years ago and this time.  Do you know both of those times he never had one chest pain.  The first time he had pain in his jaw.  He was going to go to the dentist but I had heard of that symptom and encouraged him to see his doctor who immediately sent him to the cardiologist.  This time the only symptom he had was shortness of breath.  It got progressively worse and he saw his cardiologist and ended up with another Cardiac Catheterization.  Both times he had a situation that could or would have killed him.  His cardiologist and that procedure has saved his life twice now.  Just take good care of yourselves, please!  I care about each of you!  

Still at the Hospital

Everyone has been so nice and supportive so I wanted to let you know the status of Tom’s Cardiac Catheterization today.  It turns out it is a very good thing this was done because he had a 95% blockage in one place and a 75% blockage in another.  He was most definitely headed for a heart attack.  They did a balloon angioplasty in one location and put in a stent in the other location.  It was a very involved and lengthy procedure this time because of the location of the two blockages.  He was admitted to the hospital and we are on a wait and see basis as to whether or not he can come home tomorrow. 

I want to thank everyone for your very kind and helpful comments, good wishes and prayers.  I kept reading over them on my phone the whole time I was waiting to hear the results of the procedure.  Even though I was waiting alone all of your kind messages helped me to feel a little less alone.  I responded to some comments last night but not today, however I do want you all to know they helped.  I probably won’t be posting or commenting for at least a few days as we get everything sorted out and get him home.  I just now got home tonight after being at the hospital since very early this morning.  I am going back early tomorrow morning in hopes of catching the doctor on his rounds.  In the meantime, I only want to get something to eat and crash with my two sweet cats.  Thank you all again!

Back to the Hospital

Tom had his follow up appointment with the cardiologist and the doctor wants him to have a Cardiac Catheterization.  If you are not familiar with this, it is a procedure where a small tube is inserted into an artery and is sent up to the heart.  It is used to detect blockages in the heart among other problems.  Tom had one of these five years ago and they found a blockage which was corrected with a stent placed where the blockage had been.     

The doctor is doing this out of an abundance of caution and I do agree with him.  The last time we had no idea Tom was as close to a heart attack as he was until they found the 90% blockage using this procedure.  We are hoping no problems will be found but it is a matter of we would rather be safe than sorry.  This is an uncomfortable and frightening test but it can prevent a heart attack and save a life.  We have to be at the hospital very early tomorrow morning.  If everything is clear and they do not find any problems he should be able to come home sometime later in the day.  If they find any problems, he will have to stay the night in the hospital and hopefully come home the following day.

This is certainly not the best time to be spending time in a hospital with the increase in Covid cases in our area.  It does make me feel a little uneasy but I know they are doing everything they can do to keep everyone safe.  Everyone at the hospital wears a mask at all times and hand sanitizer is readily available.  I can go with him and stay in the waiting room but no one can come with me due to the Covid cases in the hospital.  If he has to stay all night I don’t know if I will be able to see him or not.  

So, that is what is going on tomorrow.  Since I had mentioned the previous test that Tom had taken, I wanted to let you know what is going on.  I’d sure appreciate any good thoughts you could send our way!  Thank you all!

Hospitals and New Blogger

Tom and I spent most of the day Thursday and Friday at a local hospital as he had outpatient tests being done.  Don’t worry, nothing bad (we hope!).  He has heart trouble and several years ago he was hospitalized for surgery to have a stent placed in his heart.  That was a little frightening as he had a 90% blockage at the time.  Since then he has been doing good and we are quite grateful for that!  Every year he has to have a series of tests done in the hospital.  They tell us to allow two days for these tests, but in the past it has always been completed in just one day because he was doing so well.  This time it did take two days and that does have us a little worried.  They indicated to us there was something seen that concerned them but we have to wait until he sees his cardiologist in a week and a half to find out what is wrong.  I keep telling myself if it was anything serious, they would have moved his appointment up to an earlier date.  Right?

This is the first time we have been in a hospital since Covid hit the country.  It will be fine with me if we don’t have to go back to one for a long time!  It was like entering a high security military base with all the required Covid precautions.  I did have to go with him so I could drive him home after the tests.  There were all kinds of signs outside the hospital about the requirements you must meet to go inside.  Immediately inside the door we had to answer questions such as “Have we been around anyone that had Covid?”, “Have we traveled anywhere recently?”, etc.  We were already wearing masks which are now required everywhere in our county but especially in the hospital.  They took our temperature using a forehead style thermometer and then put a sticker on each of us indicating we could proceed to the next station.  We went through three stations before we made it to cardiology.  Each time we moved forward someone went with us because no one was allowed to walk around the hospital alone due to Covid cases in the hospital.  I must admit it was all a bit unnerving.   

I have been meaning to ask here on a post how everyone is doing with the new blogger?  I changed to it a couple of weeks ago and for the most part I am fine using it.  I’ve been able to do everything I’ve needed to do with no problems.  The only thing I really don’t like is the constant “Redirect Notices” I get every time I try to view someone else’s blog.  I click on “Reading List” on the lower left side and it brings up the list of blogs I follow with no problem.  However, when I click on the blog title I want to see it brings up this “Redirect Notice”.

I then have to click on the URL (I removed the URL from this copy) for that blog and it takes me there.  Is everyone else getting this also?  It’s not a big deal but it is a bit of a nuisance to have to take that extra step.  I tried searching all over blogger to find out why it did this but never could find a reason.  It is simple enough to go back to Legacy Blogger however, I wanted to give this one a chance.  I have also heard that the Legacy Blogger may be deleted but I don’t know if that is correct or not. 

Any other opinions out there about the New Blogger?  Is everyone getting the “Redirect Notices”?  

Birthdays and Graduations and Anniversaries, Oh My!

June has always been a busy month for our family and this year is no different, pandemic or not.  My daughter-in-law, Kristi, celebrated her birthday a couple of weeks ago.  For the first time in three months we went to their house in order to celebrate her birthday with them. 

Last night we celebrated my husband Tom’s birthday with the family.  His actual birthday is later this week but it is easier to get everyone together on weekends.  We went to his favorite barbecue restaurant and then came back to our house for cake.  This was the first time we actually went in a restaurant since early March.  I must say the restaurant did an excellent job of social distancing.  They even had employees in the parking lot telling you where to park and letting the waiters inside know that you had arrived.  We did not go in the restaurant until the table was ready and then they took us directly to our table.  There was a QR code on the table that you scanned with your phone and then you received the menu on your phone, thus doing away with physical menus, so nothing would be shared between people.  It seems like there is a whole new way of doing everything these days.  Tom did have a very nice birthday and we really enjoyed seeing our family again.  He actually gets a double celebration this weekend because tomorrow is Father’s Day here.

Tom's Birthday Gifts

Next weekend our grandson, Gavin, will be graduating from high school!  We were not sure if there would even be a ceremony due to the Covid restrictions.  However, many of the restrictions were lifted in our state last week.  His graduation will be held in a much larger auditorium than would normally be required in order for there to be socially distancing seating.  There are only seven tickets available per graduate and each family will sit together but be spaced from everyone else.  Gavin is our second and last grandchild and I can’t believe he is graduating already!  We are very proud of him!  

Then just two days after Gavin graduates my son and his wife, Chris and Kristi, will celebrate their 25^th wedding anniversary.  Time does go fast!  My brother, Charlie, also has a birthday on July 4^th but he lives out of the country and I have already mailed him something.  This is definitely a busy time of the year for us!

Tom and I have been very good about following all lockdown restrictions since they started last March.  We have only gone to the grocery store and have worn masks when there.  We have not spent time with family at all until this month.  Since many restrictions have been lifted, we are not breaking any this month but we are seeing family each weekend.  With the exception of the restaurant last night and the graduation next weekend we are not spending time around large groups of people and even those are guided by social distancing rules.  It is so strange that in these pandemic days there can be a concern about even being with your own family.  I am thankful we are able to see our family now while many of the restrictions have been lifted.  However since the state has opened up, we have seen a slow but steady rise in the number of cases of Covid and there has been some mention of the possibility of another lockdown.  I certainly hope that is not the case but if so, at least we have gotten to see family a bit now before we lockdown all over again if necessary.

 

A Busier Week

For the most part things have been moving fairly slowly around here.  Last week did seem to be busier for a variety of reasons.  I finally made us some masks to wear when we buy groceries.  Since I make quilts, I have lots of fabric scraps to choose from for making masks and I wanted to make a special one for my husband, Tom.  He has always been a superhero fan having grown up on Marvel and DC comics.  Even today he never misses any of the movies about those popular characters.  So, I made him a mask from some Marvel characters fabric. 

                                                                                                                             

We were also busy getting my old Honda Civic cleaned up to loan to my granddaughter, Annika.  She was in a car accident recently when someone ran a stoplight and hit her and then drove off.  Luckily, she was okay although I know she had to be pretty sore as it totaled her car.  It makes me so mad that this was a hit and run accident!  I just don’t understand some people.  Annika is still working despite the pandemic and has to have a car to get to work and back home.  She was hoping to buy one and looked at several but could not find what she wanted that was also in her price range.  I have a very old Honda Civic that I had not been driving much since we usually use my husband’s Toyota.  Despite the age of the Honda it is still in good running condition.  I spent a little time getting it emptied out of my belongings and we cleaned it up inside and out for her.  She still wants to get a newer car but this will give her the time she needs to look for one and also save up a bit more money.  I was happy to know I could do something to help her out as she has had a run of bad luck recently.  My son Chris (Annika’s Dad) brought her out Sunday to pick up the car.  It was such a treat to get to spend a little time with them both as we had not seen any family since the pandemic started.  We stayed outside and followed social distancing because she has been around many people in her job.  But let me tell you, it sure was hard to not be able to give both her and my son a big hug!      

  

We finished the week off with another trip to the grocery store.  You know I always have hated buying groceries but I swear, since this pandemic started, I now hate that job even more than before!  It was our luck that just when we came out of the store with a cart full of groceries it started pouring rain.  By the time we got home and got everything in the house every bag was soaked. 

I’m glad last week is behind us now and because I’d like to end this on a happier note, I will leave you with a couple of pictures of my two sweet cats.  They each send you lots of purrs and cuddles.

Zeus

Sophie

Rolling With the Punches

I guess that is what we are all doing these days.  There are so many changes to our way of life.  Basic, simple things have changed.  You can't even go out for a haircut.  Luckily, I had my hair cut just a couple of weeks before so many businesses were closed down.  I can go awhile without a haircut and although I may not like it, I can do it.

For many, and my husband Tom is one, it is difficult to go without a visit to his barber.  Unfortunately he was already past due for a haircut when the shops closed.  This meant that a week into it he was really wanting a haircut.  He's asked me to cut his hair in the past and I never wanted to do it.  I do not want to be responsible for messing up anyone else's hair.  But this time the situation was different.  As far as we know, it could be a long time before these types of businesses open back up.

I suppose this is one of those punches we have to roll with - right?  Tom told me not to worry about it, that if I messed it up too badly we could just shave his head.  Besides, that's a style too isn't it?  Sure.  He sat in the kitchen and I wrapped a towel around him.  That part was easy.  He gave me his electric razor with some kind of a guard on it and promised me it would cut all the hair the same length with that guard.  All I had to do was drive the razor all over his head just like when we used to have a dog and cut his hair.  But wait, I didn't cut the dog's hair.  Tom did that.  Oh boy.  I was a little nervous but I turned the razor on and made that first cut.  Nothing bad happened.  His ears were even still there.  Alright, I can do this.  In fact, it was kind of fun.  I wanted to cut stripes in his hair but he didn't like that idea.  I got it cut, and then I even trimmed around the edges and over his ears without the guard on the blade.  It didn't look half bad.  It didn't look like his barber did it, but he was happy and more comfortable.  So there is one punch in all these new punches that I learned to roll with.

We are all facing new challenges these days and I'm learning that we are capable of doing much more than we thought we could do.  Many of our challenges are much more serious than a simple haircut of course.  This new lifestyle has a learning curve for us all.  Some things are frightening, or sad, or depressing.  I believe we are all stronger than we thought and we can deal with the new challenges.  It helps to share our feelings with others, rather than holding them in until we feel like exploding.  Yea, exploding is no good.  What new challenges do you find yourself facing these days?  Do you have feelings you need to share?  I think there are a lot of us in blogland that care and are willing to listen.  I know I am.     

Flu

Well, the flu has caught up with our family.  My husband, Tom, has been sick with a cough for a while now, but nothing too bad and he was able to take part in all of his usual activities.  That all changed this past weekend when it hit him hard and with a high fever.  Yes, these things always happen on the weekend when your family doctor is not available.  I took him to an emergency walk in clinic where they promptly did a flu test on him.  Influenza Type A was the result.  This is not something that can be treated with antibiotics since the flu is a virus.  We can treat the symptoms such as the cough and otherwise the usual rest and lots of liquids.

I am staying busy taking care of him.  First thing on my agenda was to get him comfortable and then make some home-made chicken soup.  We all know that is the best medicine anyway!  I’ve been cleaning and disinfecting everything I can around the house to keep those nasty flu germs down.  The doctor even told us to buy a pack of inexpensive toothbrushes and have him switch out his toothbrush every couple of days and throw out the used ones.  Otherwise he could keep re-infecting himself.  This is the first time I’ve been told to do that when you have the flu.  I’ve always cleaned my toothbrush and I’ve heard of even putting them in the dishwasher to disinfect after being sick but this was new to me.  It makes sense because he certainly wants to get over this nasty bug.  This Thursday is our 40th anniversary so it looks like we will be celebrating it late this year.  In sickness and in health, right! 

I was sick over Christmas but it was Christmas – I simply did not have the time to go to the doctors or to rest, so I did not have a flu test.  It is the time we have everyone over to our house to celebrate the holiday and our busiest time of the year.  I rested up the week after but now I wonder if I had the flu and gave it to him.  Of course, you can catch the flu anywhere and we have been many places so it is impossible to know where you might come in contact with it. 

If any of you are feeling a little under the weather please take care of yourselves and if possible, avoid crowds.  The doctor said if you have a minor illness, such as Tom’s cough, you should be very careful since your resistance is down and you are more likely to catch something like the flu. 

When I started this blog I had hoped to keep up with it a little better than I have recently, but as I said in my first post “Life Happens”.  I have not even had a chance to read the blogs I follow today yet but I hope to get to them soon.

Stay well everyone!