Happy Halloween!

We used to celebrate Halloween every year.  Before I retired I worked in a medical office where we all dressed up in costumes and celebrated at the office.  That was fun finding different costumes to wear each year.  And of course when our two sons were young we enjoyed helping them with costumes and taking them trick or treating and to other holiday activities.  Then when our two grandchildren came along they would often come out to show us their costumes and trick or treat in our neighborhood.  It was fun for them to trick or treat in the same neighborhood that their Dad had lived in as a child.  

We had to carve a Jack-O-Lantern!

These days even our two grandchildren are grown so we have no little ones celebrating.  But we still enjoy our many memories of happy times spent with our children and grandchildren.  With no new Halloween pictures I thought I would post a few memories from Halloween 2004.

Our Grandson Gavin was a Hobbit, complete with sword and toothbrush!  And following the theme of the night our Granddaughter Annika was Arwen from The Lord of the Rings.

We feel blessed to have celebrated many fun holidays with our family.  I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend whether you celebrate Halloween or not!

A What Did Your Surgery?!

 

Last Friday our younger son Sean had outpatient surgery for a hernia repair.  We always help him out with things like that since he is single and lives alone.  As with many surgeries he had to be at the hospital early - 6 a.m. early.  In order to get to his house to pick him up and then to the hospital in time we left our house at 5 a.m.  I am not really a morning person but you do what you have to do in these situations.  The difficulty we encountered was the fact that just as we were leaving, our area got hit with a major severe thunderstorm that lasted all morning.  Let’s just say the trip to get him to the hospital was not a lot of fun with the storm and the morning rush hour combined.

We did get him there in time despite the storm and traffic.  Due to the increase in covid in our area and new hospital restrictions we had to just let him out at the door.  We were not allowed to enter the hospital and wait inside.  That was difficult for me as a Mother but as my son reminded me, he is an adult.  We knew it would be several hours so we found a restaurant that opened at 6:30 a.m. and went there for breakfast and coffee.  We managed to spend a couple of hours at the restaurant and then went back to the hospital parking lot.  There was really no place we wanted to go after that and we wanted to stay close to the hospital so we waited in the car.  We noticed there were others waiting in their cars too.  The increase in covid combined with the almost full hospitals does create some changes in many different ways.  I received several calls from the recovery room nurse telling us he had done well but had to stay in recovery a bit longer.  Finally, around 1:00 p.m. they let us know we could pick him up.  He was groggy but basically doing okay and we drove him back to our house to stay for the initial recovery time.

After we got home, he casually mentioned to me “You know a robot did my surgery.”  I stopped what I was doing and said “A what did your surgery?”!  Sean thought it was rather cool that his surgery was done by a robot.  Yes, I have heard of that being done these days, but somehow I had not expected it.  I was glad he didn’t tell me that before the surgery as I think I would have been much more worried! 

This is the type of robot that was used.*

                          

Apparently the surgeon he had and the hospital he was in are well know for their robotic surgeries.  I looked up the hospital and read about this type of surgery and I must admit it sounded good.  They say there are many benefits of this type of surgery including greater surgical precision, increased range of motion, improved dexterity, enhanced visualization and improved access.  There is also less pain, less risk of infection, less blood loss, less scarring and faster recovery.  Sean said the surgeon sat at his head at a computer with a screen showing the magnified view of the surgery. 

The doctor sat at a console similar to this.*

Sean is sore and tired but overall doing well, thankfully.  Advancements these days continue to amaze me.  But you know, I’m still glad he didn’t tell me it was a robot until after it was over!

* Credit for photos:    By Cmglee - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0,              https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=39437443       

 

It’s That Time of the Year

 

Every year about this time I become more acutely aware of the change of seasons.  The days are colder and the nights are longer.  I like the changing of seasons because it keeps me in touch with that part of our world that continues on as it has all my life.  It reminds me that there is something bigger in life that moves forward despite us.

A Squirrel eating one of those hedge apples I mentioned in my last post. 

Saturday was a nice day here with temperatures in the low 70’s, windy but warm.  I spent the day outside doing yard work and getting ready for the winter months.  We have a redbud tree in the front yard that badly needed trimming and I got that done and bagged.  It felt good to be outside in the fresh air especially knowing that we would not have many more days like this.

Saturday night we were able to spend a few hours with our oldest son, Chris, just visiting and enjoying the opportunity to be together for a bit.  We don’t get to see family very often and it is special to us when we do get together.

This past week has been busy with a lot of the basics of life.  I saw my eye doctor as my vision continues to challenge me.  I was given a prescription for new glasses and I got a new pair picked out and ordered.  I look forward to getting them as the pair I have been wearing has not been doing me as much good as they did at first.  This time I ordered the kind of glasses that get darker in the bright sunlight.  I’m supposed to wear sunglasses but I rarely do as they are such a pain when you wear glasses.  I don’t want to carry two pairs of glasses or try and put sunglasses over my regular glasses.  So, I will give these a try and see how they work out. 

Winter was beginning to feel much closer on Sunday when instead of temperatures in the low 70’s our high was in the low 40’s and it was damp and cloudy.  I was glad I had done my outside work on Saturday as this was a day to stay in with the heat turned on.

When it gets cold Zeus always heads for the covers!

This new week will be busy with the usual variety of appointments, grocery shopping and such.  Also on Friday our younger son, Sean, is having outpatient surgery and we are taking him to the hospital for that.  He is not married so we help him out with things like that.

It has been fairly routine days around here.  Many bloggers I know write about their day to day activities but I’m not so sure there is much of interest in my days!  I hope everyone is well and having a nice 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

Do You Remember Your First Car?

I would guess that most of us remember buying our first car.  It is usually one of those occasions that we have waited, dreamed and worked hard to make it happen.  As I remember, it was a major rite of passage when I learned how to drive and got my first driver’s license.  You had to be 16 to take the test in order to get your license.  I took that test on my 16th birthday.  When I first had my license, I only occasionally drove my Mother's car but I loved the independence.  The summer after I graduated from high school, I got my first full time job as a waitress in a restaurant.  I wasn't crazy about the job but I saved every penny I earned so I could buy my own car. 

When I had saved what I hoped was enough money my Dad and I went to a used car dealer.  I found a 1964 Pontiac Tempest convertible and I was in love!  This was in 1970 so the car was six years old and in excellent shape except it needed new tires.  I paid $500 cash for the car and I still had enough left to buy new tires.  

1964 Pontiac Tempest 

I owned that car for eight years and it served me well.  When I left home it took me from central Arkansas to Memphis, Tennessee.  What an adventure it was being a small-town girl in a big city.  I rented my first apartment and found a job doing office work.  A year later I drove my car to California where I got married and lived for three years.  I still had the same car when I moved to Colorado for a year and eventually to Kansas City, Missouri where I currently live in a nearby small town.  When I was just out of high school the $500 I paid for my car seemed like an awful lot of money but it was a good car and I think I got my money's worth out of it.

What was your first car?  Do you have special memories about how you got it or how you felt when you got it?  Did you have any adventures with that first car that you still remember?      

Alexa Joins the Family

A few weeks ago we received a gift from our son, three Amazon Echo Dots or Alexa, smart speaker/virtual assistant.  I must say there was a time that I would not have one of these in the house.  I was not too sure about something that could be “spying” on you and listening in to what you say.  After learning more about it and seeing how friends and family enjoyed it, I have changed my mind. 

You don’t have to have more than one of these little speakers but if you do you can use them in different rooms plus, they work together as an intercom.   Our house is small and we would normally never need an intercom but with Tom’s hearing getting so much worse this has been very helpful.

 

We have only started learning some of what this can do but already we are glad to have it.  I have it set up with access to a calendar I have on my computer and Alexa will remind us of appointments or I can ask if we have any plans on a certain date and she will tell me.  We can ask anything you would ask Google and she’ll give us an answer.  We can make phone calls through her and she keeps a shopping list for us.  If we receive an Amazon delivery, she tells us when it arrives so we don’t have to worry about it sitting outside.  My favorite use for Alexa is in playing music.  You can request any kind of music and she will play it.  There are many things you can do with it involving controlling lights, heat and other such things but many of those require special plugs, etc.  We are working up to that!  

We’ve also just had fun with it.  We were joking around when we first got it set up and Tom (with his little boy humor) said “I wonder if Alexa farts?”  Immediately she began making farting noises!  Anytime you say her name first, it wakes her up and she does what you asked if possible.  If you have children you might not want to teach them this Alexa ability because I know when my boys were young this would have gotten old fast!  Alexa will also play quiz games and such with you.  She likes to tell jokes but they are usually bad and I don’t recommend you let her sing either.  One of our cats, Sophie, is fascinated with Alexa.  I think she is trying to find the person that goes with the voice. 

I just realized this post sounds like an advertisement for Amazon Echo but I promise you it is not.  I had been curious about this speaker for so long and wondered what it could do so I thought others might be curious too.  Is it a necessary item?  No.  It is a fun convenience plus as I said, ours was a gift.  Maybe our kids are trying to keep us up to date with the new gadgets, or possibly just keep us busy and out of their hair!   😉 

A Pleasant Walk

Three days a week I take Tom to his cardiac rehab appointments at a small hospital not too far from our home.  The hospital has a very nice walking trail on the grounds for use by both the patients and anyone else interested in a short or long walk.  I've been enjoying walking on this trail to pass the time while he is busy with his appointment.

We are just beginning to see a bit of Fall here and the weather is perfect for walking outdoors.  The trees have not quite started turning yet but I hope to catch them changing soon.  The world has become so crazy this year that I often feel the best when I can be alone with nature, even if it is in the middle of a busy city.  It can be good to turn off the rest of the world even for a short time.

We did have a nice opportunity to visit with Chris and Kristi (my son and daughter-in-law) yesterday.  We usually see them once a month or so as they live in a nearby town and stay busy with their jobs and other activities.  They had us over for dinner and a chance to have some relaxing time together.  Kristi served dinner on their screened in back porch as the weather was so nice.  It was so good to catch up with them, especially since these days it is rare for us to see anyone other than people at medical appointments or the grocery store.

I hope everyone in blog land is doing well.  I enjoy seeing the season change from all the different blogs I follow.  So many of us are in different stages of the changes leading into winter.  Before we know it the holiday season will be here and although it likely won't be quite the same as previous years, I expect to stay busy with the simple preparations I do for my family.  I send my best to everyone here! 

  

  

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!

Cousins

 

One of the few pictures of all of us together at my Grandmother's house in 1954.

  Top row, middle is my brother Charlie, second row, far right is my other brother      Jerry and I'm the little one in front.  We've lost three of the group.
  

I have so many wonderful memories of time spent with my cousins when we were young.  My maternal Grandmother had three children and each of them had three children, so when we were all able to get together there were nine of us kids.  We all lived in different cities in Arkansas but despite that, all or part of us managed to get together on a regular basis. 

My Grandmother's house in the 1950s.

We would often go to my Grandmother’s house on holidays or weekends.  Although my Grandmother and her house are no longer here, it was my favorite place to go throughout my life.  I will always remember playing outside and digging in the dirt with my cousins at her home.  We had a few special toys we played with in the dirt making roads for tiny cars and creating new worlds.  Do kids even play in the dirt anymore?  The meals were always wonderful at her house and there would be a special “kid’s table” for the younger children.  I was the youngest grandchild so I was always at that table and that was fine with me.  

Cousins in 1948 before I was born.

  

Sometimes all or part of us would meet at a lake or creek in the summer and have a big family picnic.  I grew up going to these family picnics.  We would go swimming or play in the water and then share a big meal.  There would be all kinds of different food and always at least one big watermelon.  

One of many picnics.

I’m pretty sure I took those days for granted and did not appreciate how special they were for all of us.  Now those of us that are left are spread to the wind all over the country and we never see one another.  I do keep up with most of my cousins through email and Facebook.  In fact, that is the only reason I keep a Facebook account – to keep up with my cousins.  I was talking to one of them the other day about how much has changed in so many ways.  Those days when we got together we were kids and always into mischief.  Now all of us “kids” are the elders in the family.  How in the world did that happen?

 

A Simple Post

I’ve been busy all week but not with anything anyone wants to hear about in a post.  I’ve had doctor’s appointments and medical tests four out of five days this week.  Between Tom and myself I suppose the doctor’s office and hospital have become our August.  You do what you have to do.  Other than that, I have only gotten a few basic things done around the house.  I vacuumed yesterday – boy did it need it!  I’ve cooked every evening as usual, roasted veggies over rice last night and lasagna tonight.  I’m not the best cook but we don’t go hungry.

My Favorite Cup

I was drinking my coffee this morning and wondering what I could write about after a week like this.  I looked at my coffee cup and thought “Why not?”.  A post about my coffee cup.  It’s a special cup to me as every coffee cup I’ve ever had has been special.  As long as I can remember I have always attached myself to one particular cup for my morning coffee.  It starts my day every day.  I probably have not had all that many “morning coffee cups” over the years because when I find the right one, I stick with it as any loyal friend sticks with their best friend.  Eventually it gets broken and I’m at a coffee cup loss for a while until I find another “perfect cup”.  I often drink a cup of tea in the afternoon but that’s a different cup and it can be one of several as we have many.  It’s only the morning cup that is special. 

Do you have a favorite cup?  I’ve known a few others that felt like I do.  Tom is the same way with his cup but he has a couple of favorites.  When you get up in the morning and reach for a cup of coffee or tea do you always reach for the same cup?  If it is not available are you just a little disappointed?  Am I crazy?  (I know, probably) 

I just love this little guy hiding in the bottom corner!

I hope everyone enjoys the rest of their Sunday.  After a stressful week I think I am going to finally start a jigsaw puzzle that has been waiting a long time for me.  Take care everyone.

 

 

  

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.

Another Year Older

As of yesterday, August 9^th, I am yet another year older.  I have caught up with my husband, Tom who celebrated his birthday this past June.  We are both now 68.  I am quite sure that when I was younger I never thought I would ever be so old!  My age has never actually bothered me though and I’ll gladly tell it to anyone.  It is some of the things that go along with age that sometimes bothers me!

This year for the first time I didn’t really want to celebrate my birthday.  The past month has been a hectic one with Tom being in the hospital and us handling his health problems.  Then on top of that I have been having some increased trouble with my blood pressure.  I’ve taken medication for it for years but suddenly it has been running entirely too high.  I am betting it is stress related but I did see my doctor to be safe.  He increased my medication and will see me again in a couple of weeks.  So much has been going on recently, not to mention me being behind on a lot of the regular things that demand my attention, I decided I’d just skip the birthday this year.

However, my son Chris and his wife Kristi invited us over to their house this past Saturday night to have dinner and celebrate my birthday.  Kristi is an excellent cook and baker of cakes and she made me a Hummingbird cake for my birthday!  A Hummingbird cake is a traditional southern spice cake with bananas and pineapple and a delicious cream cheese icing. 

                                                                  

Hummingbird Cake

It was a wonderful evening spent with family and a perfect way to enjoy my birthday.  It is a gift to me these days just to see my grandchildren and grown children!

Last night (on my actual birthday) Tom and I went out to eat, which is something we never do anymore thanks to the pandemic.  The restaurants are open at a reduced capacity and following the local Covid requirements.  We had a nice and relaxed dinner and I especially appreciated not having to cook!  

 

  

Fun Times at the DMV

It’s that time again – time to renew my driver’s license.  This year the U.S. has something new called a Real I.D.  It takes the place of your driver’s license and is required if you want to fly any airline within the U.S.  You can still get a regular license but it will not allow you to board planes and fly anywhere.  Of course, there is much more paperwork involved for the Real I.D.  Since I had to renew my license anyway, I wanted to get that type of license as we do occasionally book flights within the states. 

I knew the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) was a stickler for paperwork so over a month ago I studied up on all the requirements.  Most of the paperwork required was fairly basic: two proofs of residency, Social Security card and birth certificate.  However, if you ever had any change of name you have to show certified papers proving the name change.  I have been married twice so I had to have a certified copy of both marriage licenses and a certified copy of my divorce decree from the first marriage.  When I checked all my papers, I had everything I needed but for some reason my copy of my current marriage license was not certified.  Well, Tom and I were married in this county so a few weeks ago I went to the county court house and obtained a certified copy.  That was not too bad, and then I was ready to get my license.

Dept of Motor Vehicles

I called my local DMV to try to set up an appointment and found they were closed for two weeks due to someone employed there having Covid.  Great, that put me close to the expiration date of my license.  Keep in mind the DMV was already behind since they had been closed for over two months during the lockdown.  Today was the first day they were re-opened so I was there bright and early before they were even open.  Guess what?  About 45 other people were also there at that time.  That made for quite a long (socially spaced) line wrapped around two buildings.  I knew there would be a wait and I had to get my license.  I waited over two hours outside in the hot sun and then another hour and a half inside when finally, they called my name. 

People waiting in line

I pulled out all my paperwork and the clerk said it looked like I had everything I needed.  Then she looked again at my first marriage license and told me it wasn’t correct.  What?  It was a certified copy but whoever certified it 50 years ago had failed to stamp a file number on it!  They could not accept it and I could not get my Real I.D.  Arrrg!  I now have to contact an office in another state (California) in order to get a certified new copy of a marriage license to someone I have not been married to for over 40 years!  My driver’s license expires on my birthday this coming Sunday, so I went ahead and got a non-Real I.D. license for now.  I will have to order the new ex-marriage license copy and then go through all of this again sometime before the deadline for the Real I.D. which is October of 2021.  What a mess!

Sorry this post is so long, but maybe it will help someone in this country that is trying to get their driver’s license.  Many of you have asked me about how Tom is doing and I can happily tell you that he is doing very well.  He starts Cardiac Rehab this Friday and will continue with that for 12 weeks.  Thank you all again for your kind thoughts and messages!   

 

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!

The Butterfly Bush

When my granddaughter Annika was very young she, along with her parents and younger brother, moved into a house they had purchased.  While she was playing in her new backyard, she discovered a beautiful shrub that her mother told her was a butterfly bush.  She was fascinated by the fact that there would be a plant just for butterflies. 

                                                        Butterfly Bush

I must tell you at this point that our family has always been great pranksters.  Joking around with one another has been a good-natured source of much fun and happiness in a well-meaning way that we all understand.  Annika, like most children, was a child full of curiosity and questions.  The butterfly bush was something new to her that raised many questions in her curious mind.  In his usual serious but joking manner, my son told her that if you left a slice of bread on the butterfly bush and came back later the butterflies would have buttered the bread for you.  Well, you can imagine what this did to the imagination of a child!  Annika immediately ran to the kitchen, got a slice of bread and ran out to place the bread carefully on the butterfly bush.  She then came in and went to her room to play while she waited to see what would happen.

Yes, you guessed it, this was more than her parents could stand and one of them went outside with some butter and buttered that piece of bread that Annika had left on the butterfly bush. 

Later in the day Annika went outside to check on the bread.  You can imagine her excitement when she discovered the bread had indeed been buttered!  She was thrilled and brought it in to show her parents.  I’m sure she enjoyed that piece of buttered bread more than any other bread she had ever eaten!

Now of course they later explained to her that it was them and not the butterflies that had buttered the bread.  She understood and laughed along with them, even though she had enjoyed the temporary thrill of believing the butterflies had buttered her bread!  Our family will now always tell the story of “The Butterfly Bush”!

 

                                                        Annika & Gavin

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”?  

Fourth of July Through the Years

Now that our boys and our grandchildren are grown we don't do much to celebrate Independence Day.  However, when they were young we always had a big family celebration.  Everyone would come over to our house and we would make homemade ice cream, have watermelon and barbecue something special to have for dinner along with homemade potatoe salad and lots of other goodies.  One of the highlights of the day was the fireworks.  There would be a few special daytime fireworks for the kids such as parachute rockets and poppers, all done safely by an adult.  When it got dark we lined up our outdoor chairs in the front yard to watch the nighttime fireworks.  Most of our neighbors also did fireworks so we all got to enjoy a shared neighborhood show. 

1998 - Annika testing out the homemade ice cream

2001 - Tom spraying the ribs with apple juice as they were being smoked

2003 - Gavin gets his first taste of barbecued ribs

2008 - Annika, her friend Becka and Gavin enjoy watermelon

2016 - Shish Kebabs on the grill

 

We don't do a big celebration any longer since it will just be Tom and myself here.  I do plan on having watermelon though as that is my holiday favorite!  We will also grill some steaks and have a nice dinner tonight.  Today is also a special day for my older brother, Charlie, as it is his 80th birthday!  Happy Birthday Charlie!

Happy Independence Day to all who celebrate it!

Graduation!

Gavin and his girlfriend, Skye

My grandson, Gavin, graduated from high school this past Saturday.  Gavin and his older sister Annika were home schooled through a Home School Co-op.  During Gavin’s final two years of high school he also attended a Technical Career School majoring in automotive collision work.  He loves to work with his hands and also loves working with cars.  Gavin graduated with honors, is a member of the National Honor Society and is an Eagle Scout.  Due to his achievements at the Technical School he obtained a full-time job as soon as he finished all of his classes.  We are very proud of him and were so happy to be able to see him graduate! 

                                   My son Chris, daughter-in-law Kristi, grandson                                                         Gavin and granddaughter Annika. 

 

                              

 

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.