ROAD TRIPPIN'

Many families have been taking vacations this month, getting those trips in before school starts. Our school starts later this week. At the beginning of August I watched my neighbors across the street packing their new camping trailer for their 2 week vacation to Montana. They have 8 kids and expecting the nine before long. I can't imagine taking that many kids in a camper! Plus they put several bikes and 2 kayaks in that trailer. It is 37 feet long, with two slide-outs, and the bedroom has a king size bed! I think this is called "glamping." The front end came with a set of bunk beds but that isn't enough beds for all those kids. That area is big for packing cargo, so they put together some smaller bunk beds for the little kids, and still had room for all those bikes. The kayaks went in through the bedroom door and I couldn't imagine where they could put them other than on top of the bed, but then remembered these trailers always have storage under the beds, and 2 kayaks probably fit under that bed.

Some time back I was going through some old photos and ran across the pictures I took on a trip to California with my parents and Mom's sister and her husband from Illinois. That was just before school started in the 1950's.

These pictures show what motels looked like in those days. At least these are the ones we stayed in, and they were not the familiar chain motels like Holiday Inn, Super 8, Motel 6. My parents always picked motels that had a kitchenette as we made our suppers and breakfasts at the motel. No eating at fast food places. They were few and far between in those days.

Here is one that we stayed in and it was pretty modern as it had a swimming pool.

This is another one. It doesn't look like there was a swimming pool here but at least had a nice area with lawn chairs and picnic tables.

And another one. Looks like Dad is loading the car, getting ready to get back on the road. Uncle Lyman is behind the screen door. I don't remember this but that looks like Uncle's car as we didn't have one like this.

Mom and Aunt Clara are either making supper or cleaning up after we had eaten.

Chowing down.

Hiding behind the wall is my dad, then my mom, Aunt Clara and Uncle Lyman.

Then it is time to wash dishes and clean up before getting some sleep, then repeat the next day. The only town I remember staying at was Cheyenne. Wyoming. There was a rodeo taking place behind the motel that night.

As we were driving through a larger city, my uncle was driving and he got pulled over by the police. He was careful to follow the speed limit so couldn't imagine why he was stopped. The policeman told him he was going too slow and impeding traffic! It must have been rush hour or something. At least he didn't get a ticket.

It's too bad that we didn't keep a diary of the places where we stayed like Mom did on their trip before I was born. I wrote about that  here. That is all I remember about that trip. I don't even remember the trip back home so it must not have been eventful.

TIME FLIES

The saying goes, "My how time flies when you are having fun." I am afraid time flies even when not having fun, although in bad times it seems like time can go way too slow. Or if you are waiting for something or someone who is late, or waiting for water to boil, the time just drags on and on.

Here we are in the middle of July already. I almost wrote June there. Schools will be starting again in about four short weeks. No doubt the kids think they just got out of school and summer should not be over so soon. I am horrible at making any advance plans like so many of you, so I just take things day by day.

Three weeks ago I had laser done on both eyes for what is commonly called secondary cataracts, which many people get after they have cataract surgery. It just means that the membrane behind the implant becomes cloudy. The laser zaps some slits in the membrane to let the light in and vision clears up almost immediately. I could really tell the difference as I drove myself home after it was done. It took a couple of days to become totally in focus. This week I saw my regular eye doctor to see if I needed glasses after the procedure, but my vision is again 20/20 two years after the surgery. I have found that most people end up with glasses after having cataracts removed, so I am very pleased. I just need cheap readers for close up work, which I bought at Walmart for $10. I have three pair - one by my chair in the living room, one at the dining table where I work on Bible studies, and is close to kitchen if I need to read a recipe or instructions, and one by my bed for reading in bed at night. I grab the kitchen/dining pair and put in my purse when I go somewhere where I expect to have read and/or sign something.

I had to make a splurge purchase earlier this week. My laptop has been showing me a blue screen on startup saying the SMART hard disk is failing. I did keep using it for a few days, but then decided I better get it checked out before it completely dies and I lose all my files. This laptop did not cost me anything as it was gifted to me by my niece when she got a new one. At the time I really had no use for a laptop as I had a good desktop that was very handy in my tiny house. But after moving here and the only place to hook up to the internet cable was in the kitchen and there is no room for a desktop where the outlet is. So the desktop, which I am using at the moment, is in the spare bedroom far away from the tv and everything else.  I had to get a thing to plug into the computer to make it wireless as the modem and router are installed in the garage, of all places! I don't know what "brilliant" mind drew up the plans for that, which doesn't make any sense to me. Maybe they think everyone uses laptops these days.

Back to my splurge. The repairs would cost me $300-350 and I would still have an old computer and something else could quit working at any time. Or I could buy a new, basic model laptop for $495. Basic is all I need. I don't do gaming, streaming or any of the other things the young people do with their computers so having that ability would go to waste anyway. The guy called his supplier for the cheapest they had available for $495 and they had one. He said the reason it is so cheap is that it is purple. Well, that is my color! I am totally happy with that! By the time the set up fee and transfer of my data from old computer, my total cost will be close to $700. That is a lot of money for me, but right now I do have enough extra in my account to pay for it, so this is a good time to make the change. God is good!

TOOTH FAIRY

The process of putting a used car in my mouth has begun. Had 2 teeth pulled, but the tooth fairy didn't show up.

It took awhile and some hard work for the dentist to get those teeth out, since one of them had the crown broken off at the gum line. Then he inserted the posts for the implants. Now I wait until things are healed up, and then the dentist will take impressions and have the crowns made, then installation.

I am very pleased with my dentist. I was comfortable the whole 1 1/2 hours in the chair, even though he kept telling me there would be pressure, etc. It was all painless. He warned me of swelling and bruising, but there was no bruising, and only a little swelling that first afternoon. And I only had to take tylenol right after the numbness was gone that evening. I was sure my jaw would be stiff and sore from having my mouth open so far and for so long, but that didn't happen either.

So the worst part is over, except for paying the bill, which will be the most painful!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD

One hundred and twelve years ago today, My dad was born. That is so hard for me to comprehend. He passed away at age 60, so he has been gone almost as long as he lived.

CIVIC DUTY

HERE COME DA JUDGE

I recently did my civic duty. I was part of the jury pool for January and February. I have never been on a jury or had to ever report. . . . until this year.

I had to report for a case toward the end of January. Thankfully my name was not called, not that I don't want to serve, but I would not be able to get into the jury stand because of steps and no room to put my walker. It was very interesting to see the procedure for picking jurors and the type of questions the judge asked them first, and then each lawyer asked questions. There were about 40 of us there and they called 21 people. Then one by one several were dismissed and replaced with another person. I got a bit nervous as there weren't that many of us still unpicked.

The case was a sexual assault by a Hispanic male against an 11 year old girl. It was 'merely' squeezing her butt on top of her clothes. I didn't find out the age of the girl until I read it in the newspaper after the trial was over. He was convicted and was to go to prison, a but he is an illegal so he never showed up when he was supposed to go in, and they still haven't found him. When found he will be deported after he serves his time, with the added charges of failure to appear. I would have liked to have watched the trial but was ready to go home when we were dismissed at 12:30.

After watching the jury selection, and seeing how difficult it would be for me physically, I went to the clerk of court office to ask for an excusal for the rest of the term. But, I didn't get one. So I kept calling in every Monday evening to see if we had to report Tuesday morning, and sure enough, we were told to report again on Wednesday morning, but to call again Tuesday night in case the case was settled out of court. It wasn't, so we all reported. I tried again to get an excusal but did not.

After waiting for awhile the judge came out and told us there was a delay as the lawyers were still discussing. That gave me hope that they were still trying to settle out of court. Then the judge postponed the case until the next Tuesday because the weather forecast sounded like freezing rain and snow coming the next day, which didn't happen until evening so we could have met.

We were told to call in again Monday evening to see if we still had to report, and we did. This time I was not so lucky. My name was finally called after the first twelve were called. After we were all quizzed the final 12 were called and my name was not one of them! I am sure the whole county heard my sigh of relief. The lawyers could see that I would not be able to serve without physical challenges and could hinder the proceeding.

This case was about a woman being charged with marijuana possession after the deputy was called to a home for a domestic dispute. A couple of the men who were called up did not have nice things to say about her as they knew her, so obviously they were dismissed. So she does not have a good reputation. But, since she fought so long to have a jury trial and not settle out of court, maybe she was not at fault. Again, I would have liked to sit in on the trial, but did not. I would have liked to see what evidence was given for both trials.

It was interesting that the jury selection was different than the first case. They only called up 20 people and did not select a thirteenth in case a juror had to leave before the trial was over. And there was no court reporter there like there was at the first trial. Also, the judge did not ask us all questions first.

Since our term is over March 1, the judge told us we were done and did not have to call in again, smiling as he knew that made us all happy. Both the judge and the prosecutor told us this term was unusually busy as most of the time there are no cases in the two month terms. I do think there will be some cases coming up after some of the things I have read in the paper, but it will probably be a long time before they get to court, and I hope I am not in the jury pool for those.

I have watched two trials in the past. The first one was when I still lived with my parents. My dad was custodian at the court house and he knew about a trial and asked if I wanted to go with him to watch. I don't remember what the trial was about. The second one is very memorable. The husband of my good friend had been murdered, along with his boss, both bankers in a small town in Minnesota. It made national news and a book was written about it, and a documentary tv show was made as well. I took my daughter along to court to see how the court operated. Even though it was a school day, the school allowed her to leave since it was a learning experience. She was in high school at the time.

The small court room was packed, standing room only. They finally had to lock the doors to keep spectators out. The defendant was found guilty, and later the prosecutor stated it was the first time he won a case on circumstantial evidence.

I could go on and on about that story, but this post is already long enough. I might talk about it in the future, mostly for my kids to remember as part of my life.

BUTTON BUTTON

 Last week my kids hosted an open house for my 75th birthday. They used a theme of sewing and buttons since I have always done a lot of sewing and needlework. I am sure they remember me sitting at the sewing machine a lot, and sitting in my chair in front of the TV at night knitting or crocheting some project for all their lives.

It may be a little hard to tell  in this picture but these mints look like buttons. My oldest daughter made them from the old standby recipe of cream cheese and powdered sugar and made the holes in the buttons with the prongs of a sweet corn holder. I had to ask her how she did it as I noticed the holes were so evenly spaced on every mint. She used a small lid to make the little button mints. She says she got ideas from Pinterest.

 The circles on the cake represent buttons as well. And notice the spool of thread with a needle at the end of the thread in the center.

 Here I am, testing the frosting and it was yummy cream cheese frosting. (I didn't really stick my finger in the frosting😃) The cake and frosting were yummilicious.

This is the photo table my family set up. You can see several of the sewing notions, and that huge basket of yarn that my son gave me later! He specified that the yarn be used for making hats and mittens for mission, which I did for several years.

 My younger daughter made the photo collages and put in transparent frames, then put a variety of buttons and papers with sewing/button themes at the top corners.

Every time she came here she went through all the old photo albums and took pictures with her phone camera of the pictures she wanted. Then each collage is made up by my age or period in my life. She did an amazing job of arranging to fit the pictures together and have them turn out so evenly. I will post about those later.

This is the box for cards my oldest daughter came up with, and the invitation is center front.

The party was a lot of fun as I saw some long time friends from high school and family friends that I had not seen for a long time. There were also a lot of church friends who stopped in as well. I have not been able to get to church for a long time so it was wonderful to see them too.

The whole weekend was very busy with all three of my kids and their spouses, and three of my five grandkids, with one grand son-in-law. All stayed overnight except for my son and his wife so it was a houseful! There were 5 people sleeping on the floor with air mattresses that they brought along. Just the 13 year old twins that had to sleep on the floor without mattresses. I would have never been able to do this at my former house.

That was Saturday night. Sunday morning I got up and put 2 pans of Grands cinnamon rolls in the oven for a quick breakfast before church. They were a huge hit and so easy.

Check back for more of the events.

ONE DOWN, ONE TO GO

First cataract surgery done. All went well with surgery yesterday, although the cataract was quite thick and a bit hard to remove. So I agree with everyone who said to get it done as soon as possible. What is supposed to be no stitches ended up being two. I did wait too long, but since I could still see quite well, I didn't see it so necessary to get it done before. Plus after going through all the other surgeries in the past 2 years, I was a bit preoccupied.

I have to say that this was a strange experience because they did not put me to sleep, so was well  aware of everything that was going on. But, with local anesthetic and some intravenous sedative, there was no pain. Darwin, the anesthetist, remained by my side the whole time and would add more sedative if things got uncomfortable. I didn't need it. He told me before I went back for surgery that he would be doing that. I told him I preferred not being able to remember everything but he said I needed to be awake as the doctor would be telling me what to do. When I protested he said he didn't lie. Well. . . then I really had to tease him and said he lied all the time. We must have a little laughter at times like these. He gave it back to me, too.

My eye was a little scratchy yesterday. It sometimes felt like there was an eyelash in my eye. But after a good night's sleep (a rare occasion!) the eye is very comfortable. Vision is fairly good, though it sort of comes and goes as far as clarity. It will take time for the new lens to settle down. So far it seems like colors are a bit faded, but white is very white. When I look through the eye that is not done yet, everything has a bit of a yellow cast compared to the new one.

Usually you have to go back the day after surgery for a post-op checkup but they did it about three hours after surgery yesterday instead. It seems the doctor was going to be at one of the satellite clinics today and would not be available. That worked out very well since it would have meant another 60 mile trip and needing another driver to take me. Another checkup is scheduled for Monday, and the following week is supposed to be another checkup, but that is when I have the other eye done, so I guess both will get done that day. Then there will be the followup visits for the next two weeks. I am so tired of checkup after checkup and trip after trip so I do hope this is the end of any major health problems for a long time. But at my age, that may be wishful thinking.

My friend Julie drove me yesterday and we had a very nice visit during all the waiting times. I don't think either one of us was quiet all day, even though she is more than half my age. It was a delight to have her along and I am thankful she was available to taxi me around all day.

One done, and one to go.

UPDATES

UPDATE: I wrote this almost a month ago and thought I had posted it. Shows how much I check my own blog. I talk about brain fog in this post, and evidently I still have it. :(


Goodness! Here we are more than half way through the first month of the new year and I haven't blogged since August. Really? I guess that is what moving, surgery ten days later, and a second surgery 2 months after the first one does to a person. At least it did me. I was also kept very busy with doctor and clinic appointments during this time.

First, brain fog. I think I heard one time that surgery or the anesthetic can do that to you. So barely recovering from the first knee replacement surgery the end of July, and having the other knee done the end of September completely deleted any creative thoughts. I did not blog because it seemed I could not put two sentences together, and did not feel like sitting at the computer. I did not crochet or any other hand stitching either.

Second, my three kids took turns being here during and after the surgery for the first 3 weeks, and did the same after the second surgery, which kept them busy trying to work around their schedules. It was truly a blessing that they could be here to take care of me and pamper me with their cooking, cleaning and talking. I was so spoiled after everyone was gone that it was (and still is) very hard to get back into a routine to get cleaning and cooking done again. So during that time there was no blogging or crafting done, though I did get a lot of reading done on my Kindle. The kids also did some more unpacking and trying to organize things for me after the move. I am still working on that, but very close to being done.

Both new knees turned out very well. Surgery went better than I expected, as did the quick recovery afterward. Physical therapy also went very well and was pretty easy. The therapists told me that I started out in better shape than most knee replacement patients, so that was good to hear. So I guess I did something right along the way. I have also lost over 40 pounds since the end of May so am feeling much better. I still have a long way to go but have a good start and hope to keep going downward and not gain it all back. Not easy!

I am finally starting to feel more 'normal' again and ready to blog again. I have also been crocheting an afghan for the church auction. I had a few other things planned for the auction but am fast running out of time! The auction is in two weeks. Help!

Many of my friends and fellow bloggers are doing pantry challenges this month. I have been sort of forced into doing that because of extra expenses last month and this month. I have already spent $430 for prescription meds this month. One good thing is that I have enough for 3 months, but it is a huge chunk of money going out at once for someone on limited income. I am hoping I can make my glaucoma eye drops last the rest of the month, but that is questionable. And that is very expensive too. I think I have met my deductible for the year already.

My fridge is suffering the most right now. I have about 3 apples, 4 Cuties oranges, almost a dozen eggs, 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar, 1/2 carton of vanilla yogurt, and less that one stick of margarine in the fridge along with many condiments and salad dressings. I do have dry milk on hand so have been making up 1/2 gallon of that at a time or making one cup at a time when needed. But the dry milk is getting pretty low and might get one more gallon out of what is left.

I have plenty of meat in the freezer but running a little low on frozen vegetables and I rarely buy or use canned veggies except green beans. I think I have two cans of green beans. I am down to one package of browned hamburger in freezer, plus about 6 hamburger patties. I have a whole chicken cooking in the crockpot right now so will have some cooked chicken to put in freezer soon.

Last week I cooked up a package of pinto beans and a package of great northern beans, both in the crockpot with chicken broth. I froze the beans in quart bags and use the liquid for soup base, which is also frozen.

As far as true pantry items, my pantry is small so I don't have a big stockpile to use up, but I still have plenty of pasta and jello. That doesn't make for a very good combination!

I ran out of bread some time ago and have made 3 loaves of bread in the machine in the last couple of weeks. It is too good! I eat too much of it, but often that is all I have for a meal, mostly because I am too lazy to cook, or just not that hungry. In the process I used up the last of my whole wheat flour and rye flour, and not sure I have enough white bread flour for another loaf, though I can use regular flour and add wheat gluten, too.

I am afraid my grocery cart will be piled high when I finally go to the store. I have not bought a single grocery item since December 12!

I am totally out of peanut butter, regular butter, sliced and block cheeses, jam, instant oatmeal and every other cereal, fresh veggies, and any other fruit that the few apples and oranges left. So I can't have a peanut butter sandwich or toast, nor a toasted cheese sandwich. I think I have one small can of tuna yet so can make tuna salad for a couple of sandwiches. So I am out of quick meal and snack items. I am also out of my favorite instant coffee mix and down to drinking only tea. Since I am out of the instant oatmeal packets I have been microwaving regular quick oatmeal with milk and adding my own things like brown sugar and walnuts. I usually add dried fruit but am out of that also. I find that using the regular oatmeal nukes as fast as the packets and much cheaper. I think it even tastes better.

So my favorite 'go-to' foods are gone and that means I actually have to cook!

Along with the pantry challenge this month, I am also going through old statements and other papers and shredding or filing, so am decluttering again. It has been a slow process since I have so many things I need to be working on at the same time. I have a long list of things I NEED to do and a long list of projects I WANT to do as well. I would like to get back to working on genalogy but that will have to wait awhile.

With that, this has gotten much too long and I really NEED to get back to work on other things for the day. I do hope to get back here more often. I don't think it will be daily yet, but am hoping that will come soon as well.

MOVING MAYHEM

 This is the back entry/laundry/closet/pantry room at the former house on moving day. It is jam packed with full boxes and this isn't quite all of them but couldn't get any more in here!

 Here the men who moved me are trying to put up the drapes from the former house. These drapes have quite a history with this being the 3rd house they have decorated. They were custom made for my husband's house after we were married. When I moved 10 years ago, the lady who made them was able to make them over to fit the windows in the living room there. And praise the Lord, they fit the windows here in the new house! It was quite comical watching 4 guys trying to figure out how to put up the rods. They took them down at the other house, so you would think they knew how to put them back up, right?

This is a view of the dining area taken from the kitchen.

 What a disaster! This is the kitchen right after unloading the trailers.

 Here is the living room taken from the dining area and looking toward the front door. The furniture did not stay arranged like this for a couple of reasons but it does look quite nice this way.

 A small glimpse of the bedroom ready for the first night sleeping there. I do want new bedding but will have to make do with the old for the time being.

 It is hard to see how big this bathroom is in this picture. Things look a little different now as I had management install grab bars on both sides of the shower. My daughter has also installed bars on each side of the toilet to make it easier getting up and down after my surgery. They have been a life saver, even though this is a higher than normal toilet.

 Here I am, totally worn out, in the 2nd bedroom/spare room, sitting in front of the computer desk and trying to get everything hooked up again. There are actually more unpacked boxes in this room right now because we moved some from other rooms that didn't need to be unpacked right away.

Another view of the dining area and kitchen taken from the living room.

I have since gotten the boxes of books unpacked and put on the book shelves and there are no more full boxes in there. I am anxious to get everything organized so I can take pictures again.

All these pictures were taken by my daughter on moving day.

I had told you before the move that I didn't know what was going to happen to the red swing on the front porch. It turns out my son has a spot for it on his front porch so he took it back to Virginia when he went home after helping me after my surgery. I am happy it is staying with family for now.

'Til next time. . . . . .

MOVED IN AND SURGERY IS OVER

The whirlwind move is over. I am so thankful for all the help from several men and women from the church. A couple of friends came and helped pack the day before moving, along with my daughter and her 11 year old twins. Even though I had already packed a lot of boxes, there was still a lot left, especially the last minute stuff in the kitchen and pantry, plus the garage.

I was able to declutter a lot in the garage since I don't need any garden tools at my new home. And there were a lot of things out there that I had not used in many years so out they went.

Thank goodness moving day was not too hot or humid like it was 10 years ago when I moved into the old place. The guys who moved things were very thankful as well!

I am loving my new home. Everything is new - all appliances included. I even have a dish washer now! I had one many, many years ago and like it but it got old and worn out and my ex didn't seem to want to have it fixed or buy a new one so I did without. When I married my second husband he was my dishwasher as he didn't mind doing them. And there was absolutely no room in his kitchen for a dishwasher anyway. It has been over 30 years since I had a dishwasher that worked. The one here is nice and quiet compared to the older ones too.

And the new washer and dryer is a matched set of new front loading machines. They work really well so far.

After the first night of sleeping in the new house I woke up and thought I was in a hotel room because it all looked so nice. The bedroom is not large and only has room for the queen size bed, long dresser with hutch/mirror top, and chest of drawers. No room for the computer desk like before, but that is a good thing. The computer and sewing desk are in the second bedroom along with several unpacked boxes and a few other odd pieces of furniture that used to be in the living room.

The bathroom is at least 3 times bigger than the old one. Previously I had to walk in and back out because it was so small. I could go on and on. I do have a few pictures of moving day but once I get everything in place I will take pictures again and share with you.

As for the knee surgery, that went very well. People, if you ever need joint replacement surgery, do the spinal if the doctors approve as it is so much easier than general anesthesia. You wake up feeling good, and have an appetite again as soon as they allow you a regular diet.

I had the surgery on a Tuesday afternoon and came home Thursday. I am so thankful that all three of my kids were able to each take a week to help me at home. They also did more unpacking for me, especially getting the kitchen done so that I didn't have to be concerned about boxes sitting around while using the walker.

Once home, that meant going to physical therapy here in town 3 times a week at first, then only twice a week for a couple of weeks. The therapists have been very pleased with my progress and further ahead than most knee replacement patients that they have worked with. So I only have two more session left and should be finished with that. Now I am ready for the second knee replacement, but that won't be for another 5 weeks.

I tried driving this afternoon for the first time and it went well, so I feel confident enough to drive myself to therapy and getting groceries when needed, even though it was my right knee that had the surgery. I was also able to walk to the mail box and back, with the walker, to get my own mail, which I have not been able to do for years. This mailbox is slightly closer than the previous house but I do have to go down a slight incline at the bottom of the driveway and was a bit leary about that, but it went okay, so I think I might be able to take my own garbage cans to the curb and back very soon. However, they are large and bit hard to maneuver while using a walker, so will see if it will work this week. If not, my friend will continue to stop by and do it for me for a while longer.

Besides not sleeping well at night, so take naps during the day and being just plain tired from the moving, unpacking and surgery all so close together, I have been watching most of the Olympics so I have not spent much time on the computer. As much as I enjoy the Olympics, I am happy that they will be over tomorrow so things can get back to regular schedule again.

This brings you up to date on everything happening here. I hope to get pictures taken soon and share them with you.

'Til next time. . . .

THERE'S SOME CHANGING AHEAD

Things have been happening fast here in the last couple of weeks.

Not only am I having a knee replaced in one month, but ten days before that I am moving!

I had put in an application to rent one of the new duplex units that are being built here in town as soon as they started taking applications. I just found out last week that I was approved, was able to tour the unit the next day and decided to move in by August 1. Unfortunately that is just a few days after my knee surgery, so they agreed to let me start moving in on the 16th, before the surgery. So I should be pretty well settled in time for surgery and following recovery.

So here I sit, very early in the morning with boxes and 'stuff' from the closet shelves, plus the kitchen table is completely covered with all the things I had on display above the kitchen cupboards and a long shelf above the doors. Everything is very dusty and spider-webby so it all needs to be washed before packing. Hopefully I will be able to part with some of the things as storage is a bit limited in the new place.

Yesterday my granddaughter and her husband from Omaha stopped  and brought me quite a few flattened boxes from her work so I have a bunch to fill for now. I do have to go buy some packing tape first. When I moved here I used duct tape as I thought it might be stronger, but found out it does not stick to cardboard boxes very well and bottoms started to come apart in the moving!

The kids got on the step stool and took everything down for me since I couldn't reach it, and am unable to use a ladder or step stool with my bad knees, and that was a huge help. So you know what I will be doing a little later this morning.

The unit I am moving to is a two bedroom so it will be nice to have the extra room to use as a sewing/ computer room. Hopefully by the time I get everything in there I will still have room for an extra bed for guests. I will also have a big shower with a low lip that will be easier for me to get into instead stepping into a deep bathtub which has become nearly impossible with my knees. There is also an attached garage that is drywalled! I have lived in several houses and none of them had finished garages like this. All new appliances come with it, including a dishwasher! Carpeting is only in the bedrooms, so no more carpet on every single floor in the house, like here, including kitchen and bathroom. I might wish I had the carpet this winter since I always run around barefoot all year long. But there are always area rugs I can put down in places if I want to.

My daughters will be here the weekend of the move, and I asked my church if they would be willing to move the big stuff for me like they did 10 years ago when I moved in here. They said yes! I am only moving one block north and 2 blocks east so it would be really expensive to hire a moving company.

One thing I am a little sad about is that I have no place to hang my husband's porch swing. It is an antique. And it was so handy when I had to give someone directions to my house. They just had to find the red swing in front. There is at least one other house on the block with a swing but it is white. Just can't miss that red! I just have to keep reminding myself that you can't keep things forever. It is too bad that none of my kids have a place for it either.

With all this happening, my blog posts will still be quite sporadic for awhile. But you have a pretty good idea what I will be doing. I will also be going to physical therapy two or three times a week after the surgeries so I have a feeling I will be taking a lot of naps as I will be worn out.

Until next time. . . . . . .

WEDDING BELLS

Now backing up to end of August and my granddaughter's wedding. It all went well, was very pretty and fun.

I went down to Omaha the day before so I could get situated in a hotel room with my oldest daughter. Then we went to the rehearsal and supper. I am so thankful my other daughter (mother of the bride) was able to get a wheelchair for me. My oldest daughter had the 'privilege' of being my driver, both to and from venues as well as pushing the wheelchair wherever I needed to be.  That wheelchair was a lifesaver for me because I would not have made it with all the walking and standing around. The morning after the wedding we went to the bridal couple's new home to watch them opening their gifts with some of the rest of the family and their close friends.

I so enjoyed getting to know my new 'grandson-in-law' (?) much better over the weekend. Even though they had dated for many years, and I saw him a few times, he was pretty quiet and I really didn't know his true personality. My granddaughter found a great guy!

Here are a few pictures of the big event.

 Can you read the sign next to the cake? 

"The best things in life are meant to be shared, especially cake."

 

What is a wedding without cake face smashing?!

They were nice about it, not like some that you see on Facebook where they can get a bit nasty.

The first dance

Grandma (moi) and bride

I guess I forgot to take a picture of the cross stitch I did as part of their gift. This one is the same design I did for someone else. Granddaughter teared up when she opened the box.

WHERE DOES TIME GO?

Where does time go? How many times to we say that in a year? The older you get, the more you say it.

I have a lot of catching up to do here since I see I have not posted since July. My granddaughter's wedding has taken place and we are already 1 1/2 months into a new year. I had no idea it would take me this long to even feel up to posting again, and then my procrastination set in as well.

After the wedding in August 29 (will post more on that later), I had a couple of doctor appointments the first few days of September. After that, my calendar was clear and I was more than ready for a good rest after the very busy summer.

I basically just shut down, both physically and emotionally, for over two weeks. Then I gradually began to work back to normal. I don't think I am completely there yet, but very close or you would not be seeing this post!

All I wanted to do is sleep and read romance books on my Kindle, or watch my favorite tv shows. The first few days I mostly slept. I ate when I got really hungry but did not cook. It was either frozen meals and the occasional meals brought in by friends, or just sandwiches or peanut butter toast and canned soups. I did not go out to get groceries, so had to do with what I had in the house, or ordered online and delivered to the door. Obviously, I survived quite well.

I will try to get a post or two done every week, and hopefully more than that, but will see how things go. We are back to our early Friday morning Bible studies again, so must work on that as well.

IN THE ZONE. . . . . . WITH CORTISONE

Life has been a little busy again and I have not had the energy to even think, much less write a blog. I have had a series of doctor and dentist visits the past couple of weeks and that wore me out.

My knees have finally become bad enough that I am ready for knee replacement, I think. They are just making life too difficult and painful, even the limited amount that I was still able to do, so it is time I do something. I have a busy summer ahead and am not sure I want to be recovering from knee surgery during those activities, a granddaughter's wedding for one.

So, I had decided to ask my doctor about cortisone shots to tide me over the busy summer when I went to see her for my 6 month med checkup. She doesn't give those shots so referred me to an orthopedic surgeon that does a specialty clinic in our local hospital. I had an appointment with him this past Wednesday.

I didn't get to see the surgeon, but visited with his PA instead. Since this was an initial visit I also needed to get x-rays taken. That was the hardest part of the whole thing! Why do they make you become a contortionist to get the pictures they want??? Here I am, barely able to stand any length of time - just normal standing - and now I am expected to strike all those poses while standing and bending very painful knees, and not only posing but holding that pose for an eternity! I was so thrilled when they finally said they had all they needed. I am very thankful they got good one on the first try and didn't have to retake any. I think there were about 8 in total.

Then it was back to the exam room. I was able to see the x-rays and saw how really bad my knees are. The PA was more than happy to do cortisone shots and said I can have as many as I want - forever - as long as they keep working. He is not sure that the surgeon will take me as a surgical patient because of my excess weight. I will find that out when I finally get to visit with him in 6 weeks.

But for now I am happy. I am able to rise from chairs much easier and without much pain, able to walk with minimal pain, and what is really nice is that I can lay flat on my back in bed and not feel like my knees are caving in, and without any pain. Now I am able to sleep much better, so am hoping I will have a little more energy and a clearer brain again.

I must still be very careful walking since my knees are still very unstable because of no cartilage at all and being bone on bone. That means my joint is very loose and the bones can slide around. But things are a whole lot better than they were!

I had heard that there is a limit of how many cortisone shots you can get, and you probably have too. So I asked him about that, and he said that is true IF you still have some cartilage left. It seems the cortisone softens the cartilage over time and ends up causing more damage and loss of more cartilage. So now you know in case you end up with bad knees some day.

I had also been told by others that those shots are very painful. So when the PA was ready to do them I asked if I needed a bullet to bite on. He just laughed and said it shouldn't be that bad, and besides, they were out of bullets. haha. I found the only painful part was when he started to inject the numbing med first. That stings for a second or two until the numbing starts. I didn't feel the cortisone going in at all. And then I was done, and happy.

TRIBUTE TO FELIX

FELIX

December 24, 2014

This is the day Felix crossed over the Rainbow Bridge.

A sad day, indeed.

He was very sociable

He was very affectionate

He loved to be on my shoulder and then hug my neck

He greeted me every morning, about the only time he would talk

He thought his purpose in life was to take care of me, which he did

He made sure I found the bathroom during the night as he would lead me there, and rub every corner on the way, then would not move until I flushed

He lived with me for 10 of his 15 years

About two years ago he started losing weight, drinking a lot of water, and peeing a lot

We are sure he developed diabetes as he soon began to walk like a cat having diabetic neuropathy

But he did quite well up until the last month

Felix, you are greatly missed!

Look at those long legs! He was a long cat - long body, long tail and long legs. He could stand on his back legs and able to look over the top of the dining room table.

WHAT HAVE I DONE!

I keep asking myself that question! I may have bitten off more than I can chew.

After visiting with some second cousins at my cousin's funeral this summer, we had talked about a family reunion. Actually I have been thinking of a family reunion for many years, but no one ever got one started. Another cousin and I had talked about it several years ago, but she is now gone and that means a lost opportunity for her.

There are only 5 first cousins left on my dad's side of the family, so it is time to have that reunion before we lose any more. None of us are very young any more, in fact the oldest is over 90.

A reunion was on my mind a lot recently, so I started things rolling by sending out a 'feeler' email of all the relatives I have addresses for, to see if anyone was interested in a reunion next summer. I asked them to give the information to all their families as well. I have only heard from a few and they are all interested. So I think there will be one, whether it be big or just a few of us. I am hoping it will be big, and I have lots of ideas of things we can include, but that means a lot of work.

If there are a lot of people that plan to come, we will have to find a place that can hold us all. And do we have it over a weekend or all week long? It would be nice if we have plenty of time to visit with each family, and there is a lot of catching up to do, and meeting relatives we have never met before.

I also would like to share the family genealogy that I have been working on, so that means getting that all organized, including pictures. More and more ideas keep popping up in my mind, but I can't begin to do it all myself! I am tired already. Pray for me!

FLYING HIGH

July 1 already?? Holy bejeebers! Where did the first half of the year go? For that matter, where did the last 10 years go? Zip-zip-zip, just like the NASCAR racers as they zip-zip-zip past the camera so fast that they are just a blur.

Around 1957 or 1958 my mother and her sister from southern Illinois flew to California together. I remember riding to Chicago with Mom and her brother-in-law, where we went to my cousin's home. She is the daughter of Mom's sister, who met as there. Then Mom and her sister got on a plane at O'Hare airport, and went to visit their parents in San Mateo, CA. I remember we ate over the many-laned freeway! Yes, there was a restaurant built above the highway.

I don't remember details, but I think Grandma might have been in the nursing home, the same one as Grandpa was in, by that time. So Mom and her sister were going to see them both for the last time, as Grandma died in 1959 and Grandpa in 1961. When they were there, they must have gone to their house and went through things before selling it, because Mom brought home a braided rug that Grandma had made. And that is probably when she got some of the old pictures. But you know, at that time I was busy in high school, and boys, and concerned about my own life, that I did not pay much attention to what was happening with adults.

One thing I do remember is that Dad and I had to 'batch' it while she was gone. I had never really cooked a meal before. I loved to bake and that was the extent of my cooking at the time. And Dad didn't really know how to cook either. He tried making pancakes one day, and he called them blow out tire patches. They were a bit, well a lot, rubbery. :o) I tried frying bacon and eggs. The eggs were crisp and the bacon soggy. I don't remember what else we cooked or ate, but I am sure it was not so great.

And speaking of food, below is the breakfast menu on the flight that Mom and Aunt Clara took. I know this was the first airplane ride Mom had, and probably the only one. The general public, unless rich, did not fly as much back then as we think nothing of doing today. So it was a big deal. Planes were a lot different then, too.

Can you remember not too many years ago when you got some fairly good meals on flights that were included in the price of the ticket? Now you are lucky if you get a meal at all, or else if you want to eat, you had to pay for it on the plane and it isn't cheap!

Back in the 1950's it looks like meals were quite a deal, even with a menu!

Interesting menu? I had no idea what Scrambled Eggs Hampshire or Potatoes Colbert were, do you? So I did a google search and did not find very much, but this is what I did find --

Eggs Hampshire is found on the menu of Benedict's Restaurants in Greenwood Village, Colorado, for $9.50. It is described as scrambled farm fresh eggs, diced ham, cream cheese and chives.

Interesting. I have never used cream cheese and chives in scrambled eggs, but it does sound good.

I couldn't find a recipe or description for Potatoes Colbert, but did find a Colbert sauce.  There is a recipe for Chateaubriand with clarified Colbert sauce. For that, small potatoes cut in olive shape are placed on each end of the meat. These potatoes are fried in butter. And then the Colbert sauce is poured over all.

The recipe for Colbert sauce is made with white wine, espagnole, lots of butter, and parsley and lemon juice. So what is espagnole, you ask? So did I! It seems to be one of the 5 important sauces used in French cooking. (la-de-dah). It is a brown sauce, and seems to be made similar to gravy using the pan drippings from browned meat. There are videos on how to make it, but they run well over 10 minutes and I am not going to take the time to wait for them to download and then sit and watch for another 10-15 minutes. I don't ever plan to make it so no reason to waste my time. But if that is something that interests you, please take a look.

I can't imagine anything so fancy being served on an airplane, can you? This was in the day before microwaves, so I can't imagine how well that sauce and the eggs stood up to time between cooking and being served on the plane, but they must have figured it out.

Times have sure changed, haven't they?

THAT'S MY STORY AND I'M STICKING TO IT

Everybody has a story. Many years ago, if I had been asked to tell my story, I would say that I didn't have one. There was nothing out of the ordinary in my life, or so I thought. Or I wasn't willing to tell my story when my marriage was in big trouble. I didn't want anyone to know what was happening behind closed doors. I pretended my life was good. I didn't want anyone to know that my husband had had an affair and was going to leave us. We all have secrets. Now, as you can probably tell, I am an open book. I have shown you some of my dirty secrets here. I mean real dirt. You saw my cluttered pantry. Then I showed you my clean and organized pantry. And now it needs to be done again, as well as all my other closets.

On one of Joyce Meyers programs she talked about when we have tough life problems and how we handle them. And we all have times like that. She told a story of parents with a lovely little boy who was so delightful and smart and showed videos of his story. Then he became sick with a genetic disease that destroys the nerves of the central nervous system. It was devastating. He soon lost his ability to walk well, and then couldn't walk at all. Later he lost his eyesight. I don't remember the age of the boy, but he was little. I would say he was between 3 and 5 years old. How frightening that had to be for him. It was tough. And it was hard on his parents.

As I was thinking about things Joyce had said, I thought about my story. I decided that I must have been meant to be alone.

First, I am an only child. Yes, I did have my parents, and childhood friends, but that is not the same as having siblings. Life is very different as an only child, some good, some not so good.

Then I got married when I was still 18, and had 3 babies within 5 years. Now I am no longer alone, but whew! I sure didn't know how to deal with kids and the problems they bring to the mix.

And then my parents died when I was 24 and 28 years old. And I have three kids that I need advice about bringing them up. No parents, no grandparents, no siblings to ask what I should do. And my husband was no help either. I had friends but not the kind I could ask those kinds of questions. Alone. And I tried to handle it all. . alone. I didn't do a great job, but I could only do what I knew at the time, and that wasn't much. Where was Dr. Phil when I really needed him? (or the internet)

Alone. A husband that was there physically, but not emotionally. A husband who decided to give his love and time to another woman for a time. Another huge problem that I had to deal with alone. No parents or siblings to take my problems to, and I sure wasn't going to go to my husband's mother or sister.

The marriage died and we separated after 25 years. The kids were now out of school and working jobs. Alone. I finally found a full time job, and after 2 years I was in danger of losing that job, not because of anything I did wrong, but what would I do if I didn't have a job so I could afford rent, etc.? No one I could go to for help. Alone.

Then I met a man who became my husband and we eventually married. No longer alone. Oh, but after 15 years he died of pancreatic cancer. Alone. His daughter and family no longer kept in contact once he was gone and the estate settled. Alone.

My kids are scattered all over the country - Wisconsin, Virginia, Seattle, and the closest at Omaha is 160 miles away. I don't see them very often, and they aren't here when I need help. Alone. I seem to be destined to be alone.

But since I was an only child, I learned to entertain myself. I developed several hobbies. Actually too many hobbies! I like to read books and watch television. And now that I have a computer, I can reach out and contact many people that I had lost contact with, both friends and family. I have made new friends online and that is wonderful. But I am still alone. Do I mind being alone? Sort of, but not really.

And I am not really alone. God is here. He is with me all the time. He has taken care of me. I see that as I look back on my life. He has guided me even when I didn't ask for guidance. He has a plan for me and He has worked out my life to get me to where He wants me. It hasn't always been pleasant. It hasn't been easy. But now I can see why things happened to get me to this place. I have no doubt why I am at this place.

I was always concerned if I would have enough money to live if I was alone and unable to work. But God has taken care of me in every way. He has seen to it that I have had enough money to survive. He has even seen to it that I received sums of money from unexpected places and people. He saw to it that there was the perfect house available for rent just at the time I was forced to move, and at lower rent than any other place available in town. People in my church have helped in so many ways. Many men and women saw to it that I got moved which was amazing! There has always been someone ready to help when I asked, and some have even helped out in answer to a prayer that I had not even uttered yet! Yes, God takes care of His people. Don't ever doubt it.

That's my story, and I am sticking to it!

PROM AGAIN

I thought you might like to see a picture from my senior prom in 1961. Too bad it is not in color, and too bad that we posed in front of those very busy drapes!

I loved, and still love, that dress. I loved it so much when I put it on in the store, but Mom said it was too expensive. I think it was between $90-100 and that was a lot for a dress in those days. At least it was for us. But I begged, and I promised I would wear this dress to both proms so they would not have to buy me a second prom dress. Mom finally gave in. And I did wear the dress both years - - - - - plus my maid of honor wore it at my wedding! In those days I sewed most of my clothes so this dress was very special in every way.

This dress was my favorite color,  a very pretty lavender with white lace overlay. The ribbon above the waist and the bow with long streamers was the same satiny lavender. For my wedding we did a minor change. We brought those long streamers up behind the bow and tacked them at the shoulders and across the back neckline so that it resembled a collar in the back. You see, my favorite color was also my wedding color. The prom was in May and my wedding was September the same year. I still have that dress tucked away in a box in the closet as I can't bear to get rid of it. (I just wish it still fit!)

Notice the wrist corsage. That was a good choice since there wasn't much of a place to pin a corsage on the dress.

PROM TIME (continued)

Last time we looked at Mom's junior year prom. Today we look at her senior year prom - 1927.

This time the cover was printed, not done by hand. They also included the date, which is nice. It is made like the previous one except that it is a smaller version. This time the ribbon is red so I assume that is the class color, but it is not recorded inside, nor is the class motto and flower.

The food again sounds like a regular meal one would get at home. Like the year before,  we start out with fruit cocktail. I am guessing this is the kind that comes out of a can, but maybe they made their own with fresh fruits, but it doesn't say 'fresh' fruit cocktail. This time the salad is just simply gelatine salad. Do you suppose it was made with the very popular chopped cabbage and shredded carrots in lemon jello, or did it have fruit in it? I am going to guess that it had vegetables in it since they already had fruit cocktail and the dessert follows. Dessert - angel food cake and cherry ice cream. Mmmm. That sounds good!

On to the program. It seems the theme has something to do with basketball. I reported in another post that my mom played basketball in high school. Maybe that year they had a winning team?

Now I wonder, the program is set up in 'courses' just as the menu is. Did they happen at the same time? While they were eating the first course, they were entertained with the 'first course' of the program?

It seems teachers were part of the entertainment since "Miss Gleason" performed a vocal solo, and "Miss Herrmann" played a "pianologue" during the main course. That sounds like it might have been continuous piano playing while they were eating the main course - dining music. That is a little more upscale, don't you think? And then we have "Mr. Comer". The year before "The Maelstrom" was a H. L. Comer. Probably the same person. Was he the principle, or superintendent?

I wish Mom were here to answer the questions! If your mom is still living, ask her what her proms were like while you still can.

I wish I had some snapshots of the proms and the dresses that were worn. But I did not find any. At least I have the programs and know that my mother attended her proms. They must have been special to her since she kept the programs. I also wonder if they had dates for proms back then, or if it was just for the class members? If they did have dates, who did my mom go with?