April 26-April 30, 2010
Have you ever lost a week? Well it looks like I did with this week. Paul is going crazy with the end of term; I was staying out of the way and making sure that I don’t cause any more distress for him. That was our week. It was a long week; I spent lots of it sleeping. I spent quite a bit of time on line. We only went out a couple of times to shop. We paid bills on Friday. We kept Kathy overnight on Friday. Tom and Sandy were having a garage sale and wanted the time without checking on Kathy all day long.
May 1, 2010
Saturday morning Kathy and I got up to eat. We sat at the table. After she finished eating I sang to her. It has been a very long time since I could sing to Kathy. She was excited about Itsy Bitsy Spider, The Wheels on the Bus, If You’re Happy and You Know It. But her very favorite and she made me sing it over 30 time was Pop Corn Popping. I did all the hand movements and if I missed one, Kathy would stop me and say again now please. So there I was singing at the top of my voice, waving my arms around and having the time of my live.
We took Kathy for lunch at Dairy Queen. She didn’t eat her grilled cheese very well, but that ice cream cone; that was another story. She didn’t seem to feel well, so we spoiled her.
When we got to Wal-Mart I was completely exhausted. Grandpa and Kathy did the shopping while I stayed in the car. Kathy loves to shop with Grandpa. She directs traffic while shopping and I guess she is getting very good. She knows just where Grandpa needs to go.
May 2, 2010
Kathy had a very rough night. She was up coughing and asking for Reiki on her ear. I think she finally calmed down and went to sleep around 3 am. When 6 am came around and it was time to get ready for church, I decided that I would stay home with Kathy. Paul stayed home too. It had been a very short night. We went back to bed and Kathy slept until 10 am.
Tom and Sandy picked Kathy up in the evening. Kathy is still not feeling well, so she was a little clingy and ready to go home. I made spaghetti for dinner. We invited Tom and Sandy to eat before they had to run home and pamper Kathy some more. This was the first dinner I actually cooked by myself and served in a long time. It tasted really good. I made a huge batch, so Paul and I have some leftovers for next week.
May 3
Paul had a final at 11am today. As soon as he got home it was time to go see my primary care guy at the airbase. PA Byrd was very happy to see me. Well, he was very happy to see the changes in me. My voice is almost back to normal. I can sing children’s songs, not grown up songs yet. I keep yelling at everyone. I have been yelling for months and no heard me, now I have some volume. He was pleased that my legs looked so well. Now, I think I smile all of the time, but he was so happy with my smile this time. He said it included my eyes. He released me and told me to take baby steps and start walking. I walked back to the car with Paul, then we went to Wal-Mart, I waved at the welcomer. She came up and said, wow, you don’t need a cart today do you? I didn’t think I looked all that bad, but I know I am looking better.
Then it was time to get home and give Paul time to study for the next final.
May 4, 2010
Paul didn’t actually have a final today. He went to the learning center and worked on his math. I think he is making progress. Then tonight he had to continue to study for the Math test tomorrow.
I had Kathy for a couple of hours today while her dad ran some errands. She had missed two days of school. She was very agitated today. I couldn’t get her to calm down. So we finally went to the office. I played some meditation music. I could feel the tension slipping out of her body. It took over an hour but then Kathy was ready to explore. She knows where I keep my crystals and wanted to look at each one of them today. She is especially drawn to snowflake obsidian. When she had examined the entire contents of the box she asked to play with my tuning forks. Finally she was ready to just watch some Sponge Bob. I really do not understand what kids see in that cartoon. I let her watch a full episode on the computer in the office. Her dad came to take her home, and she reluctantly left. Paul missed Kathy this time. He was sad, but he did get a lot of work done today.
He drove me to a little park not far away. I wanted to walk on fairly level ground. I was going to walk to the Gazebo, but someone was painting it. So we walked and found a place to rest, then walked a little further. I probably was able to walk about 3 blocks. That is a little further than the doctor wanted me to go on my first day, but it was so pretty outside and no humidity. I really love this little park. The walk way is a circle so I can take baby steps until I can lengthen my stride.
May 5, 2010
Paul’s Math test, that seemed to relieve a lot of pressure today. When he got home he had to go to work on programming. He had six programs that had to be completed and turned in by noon tomorrow.
I fixed leftover spaghetti and feed Paul. Spaghetti is always better the second night it seems. While Paul was working on his programs, I washed dishes and did a load of clothes. That was all and I am exhausted. It seems like my steps are even smaller than baby steps.
May 6, 2010
Paul has his last two finals today. Yippee. He is finished with the semester. We finally got my red headed granddaughter’s present mailed off. We went to eat at the South Side Grill. It was in celebration of the end of the testing this week. Then we went to Wal-Mart. I did my walking in the store tonight. I know I walked more than 3 blocks. I did some more cleaning at home and that was the limit to my baby steps.
Kathy’s dad called. He took Kathy to the specialist and she is going to have her adenoids removed and tubes put into her ear. I hope that helps with the earaches.
May 7, 2010
Paul only gets three days off between spring and summer at school. The celebration today consisted of no alarm clock. Now, I got a little grumpy here today. I have been stuck in the house, and usually that was ok because of my limited mobility. But today, I wanted out.
Late in the afternoon it was clear that we weren’t going anywhere. I took the car and went to the park while Paul took one more nap. I have so much trouble getting the car in position to drive. It was made for someone with long legs, and my legs are very short (opps that is a secret) Anyway I left in a mad mood. But walking and drinking in nature is very calming. This little park has many irises blooming. There is a trellis with a rose vine growing all over it and you can see little buds forming. I actually was able to walk to the end of the circle and back. I took time to sit in the park and call a friend. She and I haven’t talked for a while. She couldn’t understand my gravel voice. We talked for about an hour. I felt much better going home, except that I had taken giant steps today and was very sore.
When I got home Paul wanted to go get something to eat, but I couldn’t walk anymore. So he went and brought home some yummy Quizmo sandwiches and we watched TV together.
We called my oldest grandson and sang him happy birthday. He sent a text saying thanks, but my birthday is tomorrow. Yep that is when I realized I had lost a few days lately.
May 8, 2010
We bought a video tower, a desk, and a storage cabinet at the first of the Spring semester. Paul had never had the time to put them together. Today he put up the video tower and I rearranged all the DVDs. We now have room for a few new ones. My man is really a movie nut. Then he put the cupboard together. I cleared the table and put things away that hadn’t been away since we moved here. The cupboard is almost full, it won’t take long to fill it to overflow.
I really did too much yesterday, so it was a quiet day for me. Paul decided that hamburgers sound really good and he was right. Hamburgers did sound good. So Paul went and bought them and we ate while watching a movie. They really tasted yummy.
Just before bed I started having trouble with my stomach. It was a sleepless night for me.
May 9, 2010
Happy Mother’s Day.
When I woke up at 6 am to get ready for church, my stomach went on strike. I was perplexed. I didn’t know why I was having trouble. Paul woke up with the same problem.
My sister called and took me shopping with her. I love these shopping trips; we get a lot of chatting done while she is in and out of stores. I was telling her about my poor old stomach. Wow, it always takes fresh eyes to see what is right in front of my tired old eyes. But my sister knew right away what was wrong.
Paul and I have changed our eating habits. We no longer drink carbonated drinks, sugar is gone. We eat very little red meat and I don’t usually eat bread. We are juicing more and just in general working on a healthier lifestyle. We have tried to lower our fat intake. What I didn’t see was that the meal we chose was very greasy and pretty unhealthy and boy did our bodies tell us about our bad choice. So I guess we now know, greasy burgers and fries will make us sick and so we will not eat them anymore. I really am going to miss those greasy things.
Each of my children contacted me today. I talked first to my son, the Fed Ex driver. He was in a very good mood. Then I called Sandy and thanked her for the text and my email. Then I called Tom and thanked him for the text and the facebook wishes. Then I chatted a while with my son the teacher on Skype. My daughter sent a facebook wish too. I also heard from my oldest grandson.
Paul fixed a great dinner, we had pork roast, potatoes and green beans. He also made me a smoothie for a snack in front of the tv.
Just before going to bed I got another call from my son, the Fed Ex driver. He had JUST found out that he and his girl were having a baby. He really sounded excited and she does too. This will be our thirteenth grandbaby. We are pretty excited, I love my grandbabies, but I thought that my kids were not giving me anymore. It was a happy surprise.
Tomorrow Paul start Summer term and I start walking the neighborhood. Little baby steps will soon become giant strides.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Time to recuperate
April 17, 2010
Today was a very quiet day. I spent the day resting and giving Paul space to work. He is really enjoying getting answers to his questions.
It was just then we received a Skype call. Mailing overseas is always interesting. My grandkids finally got their Easter boxes and wanted us to watch them open them. It was just before their bedtime so it was a brief call. It made me giggle to watch them shriek when they found their new treasures. The youngest son just kept coming back to the camera and showing me everything that was in the box. The call made our day. I asked my son about the effects of the volcano where they live. They were fine and there was air travel allowed there, but his in-laws were visiting from Germany and their return home had been delayed.
April 18, 2010
We got up early to go to church. It was really nice to go and refill my cup, for it was getting very low. I haven’t been to church for a while.
I was given a project to work on. I worked on the project to complete it with in a time limit.
April 19, 2010
My son had an appointment today so he left Kathy with me after her session at the University. Kathy and I made a great lunch and while we ate we discussed all of the interesting things she is learning. Now, one of the words she is having trouble saying is her name. No matter how hard we have worked with her she just wouldn’t say her name. After lunch we went to the living room and she saw a picture of herself on the shelf. She said that’s me, athy. I said oh you are athy. No, now was the time she took my face in her hands and let me know her name was kayaathy. I got it. Sometimes it is just so hard for a grandma to learn new words.
Paul had an appointment with the doctor and I was going to go with him. He called from school and I told him just to go ahead and go to the clinic without me. I would give Kathy a nap. Her dad came her to pick her up just as she was waking up. They left and shortly after that Paul got home. He was sad he had missed Kathy.
My voice is getting stronger everyday and slowly I am regaining the strength I lost. So tonight my gift was to be quiet for my husband while he studied.
April 20, 2010
After school today Paul had a doctor’s appointment on the base and I went along for the ride. Well, I actually had to fill my new prescription too. Paul always drops me at the door and then goes and finds a parking place. There is a large yard in front of the clinic and no place to park close. Since we were almost late I told him to just park and I would walk in with him. It would save Paul time and then he would be on time for the doctor.
When we got into the clinic Paul went to his appointment and I stood in line for the pharmacy. Now, when you are at the clinic military in uniforms are always priority. They always are to be given first service. A young officer came and stood behind me, I said for him to go ahead. He said No thank you. He said he wasn’t in a hurry and didn’t like that rule. I told him that I didn’t mind the rule; he did a lot more for me than I did for him. He laughed and said; Hey if I go first I wouldn’t be able to see the TV.
I was in the waiting room for quite a while, which is unusual. I told a mother baby just how cute he was. I chatted with a lady waiting also. The mother with the baby left the room to take care of the baby and they called her name. When she came back I asked her name. This was a give, but not the one I planned. I was told her that I thought her name had been called. She shook my hand and told me her entire name. She went to get the prescriptions and then came back to talk. She was new on base and no one had come to her to talk. So I talked. I think the wives of men in uniform should be priority. That must be a hard life.
Then Paul and I walked over to another building to get a referral for Paul. As we were leaving Paul decided I should sit and wait for him. That was his gift to me. I know he is worried that I will overdo, but really, my body isn’t going to let me do that. Little baby steps. I waited for Paul to pick me up.
It was a good day. I walked, I talked and I spent time with my favorite guy.
April 21, 2010
Kathy came over after her clinic today. My son had two appointments; both of them were not child friendly, so at the last minute I kept Kathy. Kathy was a little grumpy and clingy. She went to her room and got her little red chair from her room and brought it to sit right in front of me. I asked her what she was doing; she said very clearly, I need Reiki. So I sat behind her and gave her Reiki, along with a light massage on her shoulders. Then she was ready for bed.
She slept for a little while and then she got up and was clearly agitated. She climbed up into my lap and then threw up all over me. I calmed her down and cleaned us up. Then I called her dad to let him know what happened. He canceled his second appointment and drove here to pick her up. While she was in his arms, she threw up again, poor baby. She didn’t want to go home, she didn’t want to stay. She was very sad. They went home.
Paul arrived home just in time to say good bye. It was a long day Kathy. He hugged her and told her he loved her.
After dinner Paul worked on his homework and I stayed quiet.
April 22, 2010
I am just tired. I went back to bed for a nap, and I just can’t seem to get on top of things today. I had a fever and I have a bad cough. I am guessing that I might be catching what Tom, Sandy and Kathy have been dealing with. Sandy stayed home today because she was so sick. My appointment with the doctor is Monday. I hope if I am not better, he will know what to do.
Other than take care of what was necessary online, and that’s been taking a lot of time, I haven’t been able to do much.
Paul bought Avatar tonight. We are going to wait to see it until Saturday. If Tom, Sandy and Kathy feel better, then we will watch with them. I went to Walmart with Paul tonight. I took a cart and walked to do what little shopping I had to do. I have to do something for these Welcomers. There are about 4 of them that always checks on me to make that I am up to the walk. They even tell me if I get tired out to stand still and someone will bring me a cart. As I walked out of the store the welcomer on duty high fived me. I feel like I have my own little group of cheerleaders.
April 23, 2010
I thought that today was our appointment with Dr. Price. Paul took the day off his math class. We both took showers and got ready. When we looked at the paperwork we realized that we had been mistaken.
So Paul went to the learning center to work on his math, they have tutors there. I finished up a project I had been working on for about 3 months. Now I have to find something else to fill my time. I am playing, just playing with the idea of walking slowly around the neighborhood. I am going to ask my doctor first, then I am going to visit the lilac bush down the block.
I called my favorite ex-sister-in-law today. When did I get old? I have known her since high school. I knew her before my daughter was born 41 years ago. How did I get so old that I could have a friend over 42 or 43 years?
I was a teenager when we met. She was dating my brother. Her children and my children were born close together. I remember the time when we talked about if we would survive until our kids got into school. Now we chat about our golden years with the same ease. Friends really are the diamonds that brighten our lives.
April 24, 2010
My oldest grandson called. He is struggling and I just don’t have the words to help him. He just needed a safe place to vent. He didn’t ask for anything at all. Just went over his options with me. He thanked grandpa and me for being there when he need to talk. I wish I could do more.
Tom, Sandy and Kathy came to watch Avatar with us. We had pizza and Crystal Light for snacks as we watched this movie.
Kathy got bored with it, it is a long movie, so I kept her busy so everyone else could watch the movie. It was really good to see Kathy feeling so well. She had me do Reiki again, she gave me Reiki. She brought all of her imaginary playmates out for me to meet. When the movie was over Kathy wanted to stay here, but she needed to go home tonight.
Paul and I talked about our oldest grandson. We could help a little, so Paul sent a text to him and told him we would send a little money. Off we went to Walmart. As I was going down the stairs I turned to tell Paul something and tripped. I caught myself, but twisted my knee. Ouch. While Paul was going to Western Union I went to buy us a treat.
I got to talk to my sister for a while today. She goes shopping and I just go along for the conversation. It was good catching up with her.
At home we snuggled up on the couch, watched some TV and enjoyed our treat. My leg swelled a little and it is sore. But even with this set back my leg looks so much better than a few days ago.
April 25, 2010
When I got up this morning I could not walk on my leg. I ate breakfast and then laid down for a 3 hour nap. I got up in time for lunch. Then we watched Avatar again since I had missed most of it the day before.
Today was about keeping my leg up and resting. I still seem to need a lot of sleep. I am impatient with fatigue.
I wrote my second grandson a long letter, and I wrote to my mother-in-law. They both will go out in the mail tomorrow.
This is the end of a very long week.
Today was a very quiet day. I spent the day resting and giving Paul space to work. He is really enjoying getting answers to his questions.
It was just then we received a Skype call. Mailing overseas is always interesting. My grandkids finally got their Easter boxes and wanted us to watch them open them. It was just before their bedtime so it was a brief call. It made me giggle to watch them shriek when they found their new treasures. The youngest son just kept coming back to the camera and showing me everything that was in the box. The call made our day. I asked my son about the effects of the volcano where they live. They were fine and there was air travel allowed there, but his in-laws were visiting from Germany and their return home had been delayed.
April 18, 2010
We got up early to go to church. It was really nice to go and refill my cup, for it was getting very low. I haven’t been to church for a while.
I was given a project to work on. I worked on the project to complete it with in a time limit.
April 19, 2010
My son had an appointment today so he left Kathy with me after her session at the University. Kathy and I made a great lunch and while we ate we discussed all of the interesting things she is learning. Now, one of the words she is having trouble saying is her name. No matter how hard we have worked with her she just wouldn’t say her name. After lunch we went to the living room and she saw a picture of herself on the shelf. She said that’s me, athy. I said oh you are athy. No, now was the time she took my face in her hands and let me know her name was kayaathy. I got it. Sometimes it is just so hard for a grandma to learn new words.
Paul had an appointment with the doctor and I was going to go with him. He called from school and I told him just to go ahead and go to the clinic without me. I would give Kathy a nap. Her dad came her to pick her up just as she was waking up. They left and shortly after that Paul got home. He was sad he had missed Kathy.
My voice is getting stronger everyday and slowly I am regaining the strength I lost. So tonight my gift was to be quiet for my husband while he studied.
April 20, 2010
After school today Paul had a doctor’s appointment on the base and I went along for the ride. Well, I actually had to fill my new prescription too. Paul always drops me at the door and then goes and finds a parking place. There is a large yard in front of the clinic and no place to park close. Since we were almost late I told him to just park and I would walk in with him. It would save Paul time and then he would be on time for the doctor.
When we got into the clinic Paul went to his appointment and I stood in line for the pharmacy. Now, when you are at the clinic military in uniforms are always priority. They always are to be given first service. A young officer came and stood behind me, I said for him to go ahead. He said No thank you. He said he wasn’t in a hurry and didn’t like that rule. I told him that I didn’t mind the rule; he did a lot more for me than I did for him. He laughed and said; Hey if I go first I wouldn’t be able to see the TV.
I was in the waiting room for quite a while, which is unusual. I told a mother baby just how cute he was. I chatted with a lady waiting also. The mother with the baby left the room to take care of the baby and they called her name. When she came back I asked her name. This was a give, but not the one I planned. I was told her that I thought her name had been called. She shook my hand and told me her entire name. She went to get the prescriptions and then came back to talk. She was new on base and no one had come to her to talk. So I talked. I think the wives of men in uniform should be priority. That must be a hard life.
Then Paul and I walked over to another building to get a referral for Paul. As we were leaving Paul decided I should sit and wait for him. That was his gift to me. I know he is worried that I will overdo, but really, my body isn’t going to let me do that. Little baby steps. I waited for Paul to pick me up.
It was a good day. I walked, I talked and I spent time with my favorite guy.
April 21, 2010
Kathy came over after her clinic today. My son had two appointments; both of them were not child friendly, so at the last minute I kept Kathy. Kathy was a little grumpy and clingy. She went to her room and got her little red chair from her room and brought it to sit right in front of me. I asked her what she was doing; she said very clearly, I need Reiki. So I sat behind her and gave her Reiki, along with a light massage on her shoulders. Then she was ready for bed.
She slept for a little while and then she got up and was clearly agitated. She climbed up into my lap and then threw up all over me. I calmed her down and cleaned us up. Then I called her dad to let him know what happened. He canceled his second appointment and drove here to pick her up. While she was in his arms, she threw up again, poor baby. She didn’t want to go home, she didn’t want to stay. She was very sad. They went home.
Paul arrived home just in time to say good bye. It was a long day Kathy. He hugged her and told her he loved her.
After dinner Paul worked on his homework and I stayed quiet.
April 22, 2010
I am just tired. I went back to bed for a nap, and I just can’t seem to get on top of things today. I had a fever and I have a bad cough. I am guessing that I might be catching what Tom, Sandy and Kathy have been dealing with. Sandy stayed home today because she was so sick. My appointment with the doctor is Monday. I hope if I am not better, he will know what to do.
Other than take care of what was necessary online, and that’s been taking a lot of time, I haven’t been able to do much.
Paul bought Avatar tonight. We are going to wait to see it until Saturday. If Tom, Sandy and Kathy feel better, then we will watch with them. I went to Walmart with Paul tonight. I took a cart and walked to do what little shopping I had to do. I have to do something for these Welcomers. There are about 4 of them that always checks on me to make that I am up to the walk. They even tell me if I get tired out to stand still and someone will bring me a cart. As I walked out of the store the welcomer on duty high fived me. I feel like I have my own little group of cheerleaders.
April 23, 2010
I thought that today was our appointment with Dr. Price. Paul took the day off his math class. We both took showers and got ready. When we looked at the paperwork we realized that we had been mistaken.
So Paul went to the learning center to work on his math, they have tutors there. I finished up a project I had been working on for about 3 months. Now I have to find something else to fill my time. I am playing, just playing with the idea of walking slowly around the neighborhood. I am going to ask my doctor first, then I am going to visit the lilac bush down the block.
I called my favorite ex-sister-in-law today. When did I get old? I have known her since high school. I knew her before my daughter was born 41 years ago. How did I get so old that I could have a friend over 42 or 43 years?
I was a teenager when we met. She was dating my brother. Her children and my children were born close together. I remember the time when we talked about if we would survive until our kids got into school. Now we chat about our golden years with the same ease. Friends really are the diamonds that brighten our lives.
April 24, 2010
My oldest grandson called. He is struggling and I just don’t have the words to help him. He just needed a safe place to vent. He didn’t ask for anything at all. Just went over his options with me. He thanked grandpa and me for being there when he need to talk. I wish I could do more.
Tom, Sandy and Kathy came to watch Avatar with us. We had pizza and Crystal Light for snacks as we watched this movie.
Kathy got bored with it, it is a long movie, so I kept her busy so everyone else could watch the movie. It was really good to see Kathy feeling so well. She had me do Reiki again, she gave me Reiki. She brought all of her imaginary playmates out for me to meet. When the movie was over Kathy wanted to stay here, but she needed to go home tonight.
Paul and I talked about our oldest grandson. We could help a little, so Paul sent a text to him and told him we would send a little money. Off we went to Walmart. As I was going down the stairs I turned to tell Paul something and tripped. I caught myself, but twisted my knee. Ouch. While Paul was going to Western Union I went to buy us a treat.
I got to talk to my sister for a while today. She goes shopping and I just go along for the conversation. It was good catching up with her.
At home we snuggled up on the couch, watched some TV and enjoyed our treat. My leg swelled a little and it is sore. But even with this set back my leg looks so much better than a few days ago.
April 25, 2010
When I got up this morning I could not walk on my leg. I ate breakfast and then laid down for a 3 hour nap. I got up in time for lunch. Then we watched Avatar again since I had missed most of it the day before.
Today was about keeping my leg up and resting. I still seem to need a lot of sleep. I am impatient with fatigue.
I wrote my second grandson a long letter, and I wrote to my mother-in-law. They both will go out in the mail tomorrow.
This is the end of a very long week.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Catching up
March 10, 2010
Tom was laid off from his temporary job yesterday, so I didn’t have to go to pick up Kathy today. Tom is a little despondent. He was so excited that he would be working for a little while. He took Kathy to the clinic today and stopped by for a quick visit. I hope things start picking up for him.
When Tom got home he discovered that his court date is May 20th. He talked to the Guardian ad litem and his visit is going to be a phone interview on Monday. That is really interesting, all that money to have a guardian and no home visits.
March 11, 2010
Tom brought Kathy up to us today. He and Sandy have tickets for a hockey game tomorrow. We are keeping Kathy for a couple of nights. Paul rented UP. It was a fun movie. I didn’t expect to like it, but I was wrong. Kathy enjoyed the movie.
March 12, 2010
Kathy and I played while Grandpa was at school. Today is the last day of school before spring break. Grandpa gets the whole week off. Kathy doesn’t go to her class at the university next week, but Monday is her only day off of school. Spring break had to be shorten to make up for all of the snow days.
Paul and I took Kathy to Burger King for dinner. She ate very well and was ready to play. The playroom was filled with kids, all of them very nice. Kathy had a wonderful hour of climbing and sliding. She really is fearless.
March 13, 2010
Tom and Sandy came around 4 to pick Kathy up. Kathy was glad to see them. She likes coming here and she likes going home. I am really happy for that.
We had a nice visit with Tom and Sandy. When they left we watched 2012. I really enjoyed the movie.
March 14, 2010
It was so cold out I planned on not going to church. Paul stayed up too late and just couldn’t get up. I really am looking forward to warmer days and more time out of the house.
March 15, 2010
Paul did homework and I played on the computer. That was our day.
March 16, 2010
Picked up Kathy, Tom had Doctor appointment. Took Kathy to Burger King to play. She is learning to talk so well now.
Paul had a doctor’s appointment to set up a colonoscopy.
Tom picked up Kathy just in time for us to leave for our seminar on the Lap Band Surgery.
Left for the seminar, we got lost a little. About a mile from the hospital we had car trouble. Paul bought coolant and the car seemed to be ok, but we missed the seminar. We went to Hardy’s and ate. It was the nicest Hardy’s I had ever seen. It is pretty new. When Paul and I stayed in the area for Master training all that was around to eat was Hooters. Now there are many choices.
There was a lady there with three children. The little girl seemed to be about 7, her brother about 3 and then a six week old baby. The kids were very well behaved. As I walked by her I stopped to tell her how impressed I was with her children. I told her she was doing a great job. She caught my hand and told me that she had really needed to hear that. I continued on the way to the restroom and as soon as I had turned the corner, the baby started crying and the 3 year old became restless. But all in all they were really well behaved.
The ride home was restful. It was still daylight out and we got to enjoy the scenery. We usually go the other direction when we leave home toward Sedalia, but the seminar was in Overland Park, Kansas. So we were in a more populated area tonight.
March 17, 2010
I had to go visit with a therapist today. It is a necessary step to take before LBS. The weather is still cold. I feel so worn out. Paul dropped me at the door and then parked. The nearest parking is quite a ways from the door, and that is the handicapped parking. We checked in and went to the waiting room. The Dr. came in looked around the room a little confused. He called my name and I followed him and his intern to his office.
When we were seated he told me that he was confused when he went to get me. He was expecting an sixty year old lady. He was sure that I was younger than him. He just called my name thinking I must have been in the restroom. He figured someone would tell him where I was. That made my day.
I learned a lot about the surgery today. My mom always said pop made you fat. I drink diet coke w/splenda. Now, just how can that make me fat. Well, this guy answered that question. He was telling me that my stomach would be the size of a big thumb. I would only be able to put 2 ounces of liquid in at first. I would take sips of liquid all day long to get my nutrition. Later, down the round my stomach would be the size of a tennis ball. I will be able to eat, but I must always remember that food is fuel and make good choices. Then he told me that I could NEVER AGAIN drink carbonated beverages. There is a reason and he shared that with me.
The carbonation stretches the stomach. If I was going to go through all of that trouble and expense to get the surgery, I had to know that and agree not to drink coke. I can do that. I also can’t drink alcohol. That is not a problem. I can do that. I think he said I shouldn’t smoke, but since I don’t smoke I didn’t ask for the reason why.
I spent over an hour talking to this doctor. I am very excited now to be looking at the lap band surgery. The doctor gave me the ok I needed to have the surgery. He says if I follow the guidelines and work hard I could lose up to 180 pounds. He told me if I do exercise in the first six months the weight will melt off. The more I lose at first, the more I will lose all together.
He said that after I heal from the surgery I will have much more energy than I do now and I will not be hungry. I will have to force myself to eat the two ounces of liquid. He says I will be able to walk and play and sit on the floor with the grandkids. He said I would look ten years younger, then he said, but you really already do that. So, after healing and getting in shape I should look 40. HA HA HA.
After we left the clinic we went to Walmart. As we walked in I realized that I was already done. I told Paul that I would sit and wait for him. The minute the greeter saw me she said, your carriage awaits. So, for the first time I took the cart. I zoomed all around Walmart. That could be addicting.
We ate at Subway before going home to collapse. It has been a very busy day.
March 18, 2010
It was so nice today. We took a ride to Sedalia. Well, we were just going to go to Knob Koster. It was bright and sunny out. My sunglasses have broken so I was squinting. Paul just went right pass Knob Koster and stopped at Dollar Tree in Sedalia. We spent some time looking around the town. Paul’s heel of his boot is coming loose so we tried to find a shoe repair. Looks like we might have to go toward Kansas City to find one.
We took a different road on the way home. It was a nice day and the sun felt great. It was great to be out.
March 19, 2010
We had another great day. Paul and I drove south to Clinton today. We feel like explorers while we are checking out the area. Clinton is a pretty town, but there is very little there. We stopped at a Dairy Queen and ate. We won’t do that again. The service was questionable, the food just not up to standard. That is pretty scary since our standards are kind of low.
The missionaries stopped by again. I think we are on the way home and when they have extra time they stop. We have a new missionary from Wyoming. Well, he isn’t a new missionary. He has been out for 20 months. He is just new to the area. I told them I would try to come to church Sunday.
I gave Paul money from the car fund. He has to buy an external hard drive. He is having a lot of trouble with his computer and he is afraid he will lose everything. As he was transferring his files the
Spring break is coming to an end. I have enjoyed Paul being home, but we didn’t get anything done. Paul didn’t even get much homework done, although he did actually work on it a few times.
Paul’s computer started acting up.
March 20, 2010
This morning I sent Paul to the store for the things we needed. I stayed at home. IT IS SNOWING OUT. Paul realized that the hard drive he had wasn’t working so he went back to the store to exchange it. There was already quite a bit snow on the ground this morning.
Today was spent in the house watching it snow. Paul worked on his computer and I worked on the 29 gift site.
I told Paul, with all the snow, I wasn’t going to go to church. I am really worn out by all of the cold this winter. A few minutes later I got an email announcing that church was canceled because of the snow. It had snowed all day and was going to continue to snow all night.
Just before eight, Cami, the founder of the site emailed me. There was a huge problem and a lot of the content of the entire site needed to be edited. She is paying me $8.00 a hour while I address this problem. I started at 8pm and worked until 5am. I am about half way finished.
March 21, 2010
We are snowed in. We probably could get out, but who wants to go anywhere in the snow. It is still snowing and we have about 9 inches of snow. It is kind of hard to tell since it is drifting too.
I started back to work on the site and worked 9 more hours. I am almost done. It was a messy job. That was our day, Paul reformatting his computer, me working on a mess.
March 22, 2010
Paul is back in school today. All that snow and when he left today there was no snow on the drive way or on the porch, just had snow on the grass.
I worked another 2 hours to finish up my assignment from Cami. It is all finished now.
Tom decided not to stop by with Kathy. He wanted to get home and put her down for a nap.
Tom was laid off from his temporary job yesterday, so I didn’t have to go to pick up Kathy today. Tom is a little despondent. He was so excited that he would be working for a little while. He took Kathy to the clinic today and stopped by for a quick visit. I hope things start picking up for him.
When Tom got home he discovered that his court date is May 20th. He talked to the Guardian ad litem and his visit is going to be a phone interview on Monday. That is really interesting, all that money to have a guardian and no home visits.
March 11, 2010
Tom brought Kathy up to us today. He and Sandy have tickets for a hockey game tomorrow. We are keeping Kathy for a couple of nights. Paul rented UP. It was a fun movie. I didn’t expect to like it, but I was wrong. Kathy enjoyed the movie.
March 12, 2010
Kathy and I played while Grandpa was at school. Today is the last day of school before spring break. Grandpa gets the whole week off. Kathy doesn’t go to her class at the university next week, but Monday is her only day off of school. Spring break had to be shorten to make up for all of the snow days.
Paul and I took Kathy to Burger King for dinner. She ate very well and was ready to play. The playroom was filled with kids, all of them very nice. Kathy had a wonderful hour of climbing and sliding. She really is fearless.
March 13, 2010
Tom and Sandy came around 4 to pick Kathy up. Kathy was glad to see them. She likes coming here and she likes going home. I am really happy for that.
We had a nice visit with Tom and Sandy. When they left we watched 2012. I really enjoyed the movie.
March 14, 2010
It was so cold out I planned on not going to church. Paul stayed up too late and just couldn’t get up. I really am looking forward to warmer days and more time out of the house.
March 15, 2010
Paul did homework and I played on the computer. That was our day.
March 16, 2010
Picked up Kathy, Tom had Doctor appointment. Took Kathy to Burger King to play. She is learning to talk so well now.
Paul had a doctor’s appointment to set up a colonoscopy.
Tom picked up Kathy just in time for us to leave for our seminar on the Lap Band Surgery.
Left for the seminar, we got lost a little. About a mile from the hospital we had car trouble. Paul bought coolant and the car seemed to be ok, but we missed the seminar. We went to Hardy’s and ate. It was the nicest Hardy’s I had ever seen. It is pretty new. When Paul and I stayed in the area for Master training all that was around to eat was Hooters. Now there are many choices.
There was a lady there with three children. The little girl seemed to be about 7, her brother about 3 and then a six week old baby. The kids were very well behaved. As I walked by her I stopped to tell her how impressed I was with her children. I told her she was doing a great job. She caught my hand and told me that she had really needed to hear that. I continued on the way to the restroom and as soon as I had turned the corner, the baby started crying and the 3 year old became restless. But all in all they were really well behaved.
The ride home was restful. It was still daylight out and we got to enjoy the scenery. We usually go the other direction when we leave home toward Sedalia, but the seminar was in Overland Park, Kansas. So we were in a more populated area tonight.
March 17, 2010
I had to go visit with a therapist today. It is a necessary step to take before LBS. The weather is still cold. I feel so worn out. Paul dropped me at the door and then parked. The nearest parking is quite a ways from the door, and that is the handicapped parking. We checked in and went to the waiting room. The Dr. came in looked around the room a little confused. He called my name and I followed him and his intern to his office.
When we were seated he told me that he was confused when he went to get me. He was expecting an sixty year old lady. He was sure that I was younger than him. He just called my name thinking I must have been in the restroom. He figured someone would tell him where I was. That made my day.
I learned a lot about the surgery today. My mom always said pop made you fat. I drink diet coke w/splenda. Now, just how can that make me fat. Well, this guy answered that question. He was telling me that my stomach would be the size of a big thumb. I would only be able to put 2 ounces of liquid in at first. I would take sips of liquid all day long to get my nutrition. Later, down the round my stomach would be the size of a tennis ball. I will be able to eat, but I must always remember that food is fuel and make good choices. Then he told me that I could NEVER AGAIN drink carbonated beverages. There is a reason and he shared that with me.
The carbonation stretches the stomach. If I was going to go through all of that trouble and expense to get the surgery, I had to know that and agree not to drink coke. I can do that. I also can’t drink alcohol. That is not a problem. I can do that. I think he said I shouldn’t smoke, but since I don’t smoke I didn’t ask for the reason why.
I spent over an hour talking to this doctor. I am very excited now to be looking at the lap band surgery. The doctor gave me the ok I needed to have the surgery. He says if I follow the guidelines and work hard I could lose up to 180 pounds. He told me if I do exercise in the first six months the weight will melt off. The more I lose at first, the more I will lose all together.
He said that after I heal from the surgery I will have much more energy than I do now and I will not be hungry. I will have to force myself to eat the two ounces of liquid. He says I will be able to walk and play and sit on the floor with the grandkids. He said I would look ten years younger, then he said, but you really already do that. So, after healing and getting in shape I should look 40. HA HA HA.
After we left the clinic we went to Walmart. As we walked in I realized that I was already done. I told Paul that I would sit and wait for him. The minute the greeter saw me she said, your carriage awaits. So, for the first time I took the cart. I zoomed all around Walmart. That could be addicting.
We ate at Subway before going home to collapse. It has been a very busy day.
March 18, 2010
It was so nice today. We took a ride to Sedalia. Well, we were just going to go to Knob Koster. It was bright and sunny out. My sunglasses have broken so I was squinting. Paul just went right pass Knob Koster and stopped at Dollar Tree in Sedalia. We spent some time looking around the town. Paul’s heel of his boot is coming loose so we tried to find a shoe repair. Looks like we might have to go toward Kansas City to find one.
We took a different road on the way home. It was a nice day and the sun felt great. It was great to be out.
March 19, 2010
We had another great day. Paul and I drove south to Clinton today. We feel like explorers while we are checking out the area. Clinton is a pretty town, but there is very little there. We stopped at a Dairy Queen and ate. We won’t do that again. The service was questionable, the food just not up to standard. That is pretty scary since our standards are kind of low.
The missionaries stopped by again. I think we are on the way home and when they have extra time they stop. We have a new missionary from Wyoming. Well, he isn’t a new missionary. He has been out for 20 months. He is just new to the area. I told them I would try to come to church Sunday.
I gave Paul money from the car fund. He has to buy an external hard drive. He is having a lot of trouble with his computer and he is afraid he will lose everything. As he was transferring his files the
Spring break is coming to an end. I have enjoyed Paul being home, but we didn’t get anything done. Paul didn’t even get much homework done, although he did actually work on it a few times.
Paul’s computer started acting up.
March 20, 2010
This morning I sent Paul to the store for the things we needed. I stayed at home. IT IS SNOWING OUT. Paul realized that the hard drive he had wasn’t working so he went back to the store to exchange it. There was already quite a bit snow on the ground this morning.
Today was spent in the house watching it snow. Paul worked on his computer and I worked on the 29 gift site.
I told Paul, with all the snow, I wasn’t going to go to church. I am really worn out by all of the cold this winter. A few minutes later I got an email announcing that church was canceled because of the snow. It had snowed all day and was going to continue to snow all night.
Just before eight, Cami, the founder of the site emailed me. There was a huge problem and a lot of the content of the entire site needed to be edited. She is paying me $8.00 a hour while I address this problem. I started at 8pm and worked until 5am. I am about half way finished.
March 21, 2010
We are snowed in. We probably could get out, but who wants to go anywhere in the snow. It is still snowing and we have about 9 inches of snow. It is kind of hard to tell since it is drifting too.
I started back to work on the site and worked 9 more hours. I am almost done. It was a messy job. That was our day, Paul reformatting his computer, me working on a mess.
March 22, 2010
Paul is back in school today. All that snow and when he left today there was no snow on the drive way or on the porch, just had snow on the grass.
I worked another 2 hours to finish up my assignment from Cami. It is all finished now.
Tom decided not to stop by with Kathy. He wanted to get home and put her down for a nap.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Confessions of a Snowed-in blogger
December 29, 2009
Boy, I forgot to journal for a couple of days, so this is from my memory. Because of the frigid weather, our days pretty much run together. You would think being stuck in the house we would get a lot accomplished. But that is far from the truth. We just played on the computer, ate, and watched TV.
Tim called and went on Skype to watch the kids open their presents.
Well, OK I started taking down Christmas decorations, but that is about all aside from watching the weather.
December 30, 2009
Today Bev’s package for Christmas was returned. Paul had put the wrong address on and we were waiting for its return. Paul relabeled the package and sent it on its way
We went to the store today. We are to have Kathy on New Year’s Eve, so we bought the supplies for that and groceries for the week. Paul wants to do a veggie tray and dip, of course chips and a few other goodies.
As we were driving out of the parking lot we were able to see the moon almost full hanging in the sky. It was just getting dark and the moon was bright and orange. It was a beautiful sight.
We decided to buy 4 $5 movies to have something new to watch tomorrow night.
On the way home Paul treated me to KFC.
December 31, 2009
We felt pretty energetic today. Paul got the tree down and put away. We were excited to have Kathy tonight.
I got a phone call from Tom and they have decided to keep Kathy tonight. They will bring her over Friday and we are to take her home Sunday. Now we have to make new plans.
I put 15 beans on for dinner. I wanted to make a kind of chili with it. We left it on while we were out. I fussed about them all day. Finally I just let it go. I told Paul he was right, they would be ok and quit worrying about the beans in the crock pot.
We ventured out to pay bills. I had taken great pains this morning to write the checks that I needed to write, address the envelopes that were being sent out. I felt organized.
We went to the Post Office to drop the one we were mailing into the outside box. Then we headed to the landlord’s house to drop of his check. When we got there I handed Paul the check. It was then Paul discovered my mistake. I had put the rent check in the garbage envelope to mail. We went back to the Post Office, and there is a way to get your letter out of the box. Paul had to fill out a form and pay $10 to have them go out and search for the letter. I felt that was cheaper than any mistake that might have happened if we let the letter go.
Now we were back on track. Yippee. Back we go to the landlords. Paul was able to actually talk to our landlady and tell her about the horrid dog smell in the house. We are treating it with vinegar, but every once in a while, you still can get a whiff of dog. Yuck.
Next we’re off to pay the water. We mailed it last month, but there is suppose to be a pay station. We took directions, but we never found it, so this month will be mailed also, later.
Then we headed to Aarons, Paul went in to pay the bill there. He asked if there was a way to pay on line. He had to wait for the man to cash out of the register before getting a code number. Paul came back to the car and had me go in to wait and wait and wait. Finally we were given the code. It just needed to be printed out. I am not sure why we waited so long.
Then we headed to the movie theater to buy tickets to go see New Moon FINALLY. Our final stop was at Walmart for a few things and a Subway sandwich. After eating we had time to go home and gather some goodies for the show.
I fussed enough about the beans that we went home for a couple of minutes. The beans were fine, but we turned them off. Paul has taken over the chili and will finish it tomorrow.
Paul and I had made Twilight bookmarks for Christmas. We have several left over. I had a brilliant plan. We would take the bookmarks to the show and hand them out to Twilight fans. When we got to the theater a movie was still playing in the theater we were going too. We bought out popcorn and pop and sat at a high top table and waited for the time to go in. We finally got into our little space. We were the first ones there. I anxiously waited for someone to come in. After some time had passed a young man from the theater came in and I asked him if we were the only ones that were going to be there tonight. He said, Probably. Oh man, what of my brilliant plan.
Just before the movie started a couple came in, but it was already dark in the theater, so I decided to wait until after the movie to hand out the bookmarks.
The movie was wonderful. We really enjoyed watching it. We were very happy that we finally got to see it. When the lights came on we saw that there were two couples, besides us. One was already on the stairs and out the door. The couple we had seen coming in was still there, but they were fighting. We decided our gift to them, or maybe to us would be to give them privacy. I went home with as many bookmarks as I had left with.
Outside the Blue Moon was huge and beautiful. The air was crisp and frigid. Now there is one word I haven’t used yet is glacier. Now that is really a good description of this air that surrounds us right now. There are only so many ways you can say darn cold. With the moonlight the only reason you needed headlights was to be visible for the other drivers.
We got home just before midnight, watched a little TV and yelled at midnight. I got my New Year’s kiss. It had been a very busy day, one where we were out more than we were in.
January 1, 2010
We got things ready for our tea party with Kathy. I still had a couple of gifts that I hadn’t given Kathy yet. They were wrapped and ready for her to tear open.
Paul made a delicious dip for the veggie.
Kathy’s gifts were a tea set and a DVD named Spirit. It is an animated show about a wild mustang in the early days of the wild west. Kathy loved having the party using her tea set and she loved the movie.
January 2, 2010
Kathy was up early. I fed her breakfast, then Paul sent me to bed for a nap.
Movies and tv all day. Paul let Kathy watch Mama Mia today. I was kind of surprised, but we hadn’t seen it for a while.
Vanessa called tonight to speak to Kathy. Kathy was busy being a dog and didn’t have time to translate what woof woof meant.
January 3, 2010
Trina is 41 wow, how in the world did that happen?
Church was canceled again. We got a phone call first thing this morning.
Tom and Sandy came and picked up Kathy. They couldn’t get up the snowy driveway, so Sandy waited in the car and Tom came in to get Kathy.
January 4, 2010
Snow and cold
January 5, 2010
We went to get a few things at Wal-Mart. We could get out of the driveway, and the next snowstorm was going to be here at noon tomorrow. We decided to get a few things in case we couldn’t get out on payday. We got mail today, the first box that my mother-in-law sent for Christmas. We love the blankets, the jellies, the homemade goodies.
January 6, 2010
Paul got an email saying he has been admitted. Now, for the fun stuff, getting enrolled in time for classes to start on Monday.
We made it to Wal-Mart and we were able to get a few things.
Ate at Subway before we came home. It was great to get out of the house today.
Snow and cold
January 7, 2010
Paul called the school. He is going to try to get to the school tomorrow
My mother-in-law's second box got here today. We really love everything she sent, especially the card. When it is safe to drive long distances again, we will get Kathy’s gifts to her.
Cold, that is all that I can say about the weather. Paul is starting to feel better.
January 8, 2010
Paul got a letter in the mail, it is official, he is enrolled. He tried to go to the school today, but the car won’t start and we aren’t sure if it did that we could get out of the driveway.
Paul called the University and told them he wouldn’t be able to make it to the campus today. They said Monday is a walk-in day. He could come in then.
Paul called a friend and asked if he had a battery charger. The friend will be over tomorrow morning to help.
It is glacier cold today. We stayed home. We can’t walk anywhere so we are still stuck at home.
January 9, 2010
Our friend came over with his battery charger and 4 wheel drive pick-up. These guys worked forever on the car. Our friend finally took Paul to Wal-Mart to buy spark plugs. Once they got the spark plugs changed, the car started right up. Paul offered our friend money for fuel, but he wouldn’t take it. So he went off to rescue some one else and Paul went to the store. It was already dark and the temperature was getting close to wind chill of minus 20 so I stayed home.
January 10, 2010
Paul went out to warm up the car, and we had a flat tire. Well, it was very low, not completely flat. Paul took the car to Wal-Mart. It took three hours for the car to be seen. Apparently, nothing was wrong with it and he was sent on his way. The tire looks fine.
When Paul finally got home we ate the casserole that I made and spent the evening alone watching TV,
We just hibernated with the bears during this arctic blast. We ate, watched TV and played on the computer. We are waiting for our heat wave.
Boy, I forgot to journal for a couple of days, so this is from my memory. Because of the frigid weather, our days pretty much run together. You would think being stuck in the house we would get a lot accomplished. But that is far from the truth. We just played on the computer, ate, and watched TV.
Tim called and went on Skype to watch the kids open their presents.
Well, OK I started taking down Christmas decorations, but that is about all aside from watching the weather.
December 30, 2009
Today Bev’s package for Christmas was returned. Paul had put the wrong address on and we were waiting for its return. Paul relabeled the package and sent it on its way
We went to the store today. We are to have Kathy on New Year’s Eve, so we bought the supplies for that and groceries for the week. Paul wants to do a veggie tray and dip, of course chips and a few other goodies.
As we were driving out of the parking lot we were able to see the moon almost full hanging in the sky. It was just getting dark and the moon was bright and orange. It was a beautiful sight.
We decided to buy 4 $5 movies to have something new to watch tomorrow night.
On the way home Paul treated me to KFC.
December 31, 2009
We felt pretty energetic today. Paul got the tree down and put away. We were excited to have Kathy tonight.
I got a phone call from Tom and they have decided to keep Kathy tonight. They will bring her over Friday and we are to take her home Sunday. Now we have to make new plans.
I put 15 beans on for dinner. I wanted to make a kind of chili with it. We left it on while we were out. I fussed about them all day. Finally I just let it go. I told Paul he was right, they would be ok and quit worrying about the beans in the crock pot.
We ventured out to pay bills. I had taken great pains this morning to write the checks that I needed to write, address the envelopes that were being sent out. I felt organized.
We went to the Post Office to drop the one we were mailing into the outside box. Then we headed to the landlord’s house to drop of his check. When we got there I handed Paul the check. It was then Paul discovered my mistake. I had put the rent check in the garbage envelope to mail. We went back to the Post Office, and there is a way to get your letter out of the box. Paul had to fill out a form and pay $10 to have them go out and search for the letter. I felt that was cheaper than any mistake that might have happened if we let the letter go.
Now we were back on track. Yippee. Back we go to the landlords. Paul was able to actually talk to our landlady and tell her about the horrid dog smell in the house. We are treating it with vinegar, but every once in a while, you still can get a whiff of dog. Yuck.
Next we’re off to pay the water. We mailed it last month, but there is suppose to be a pay station. We took directions, but we never found it, so this month will be mailed also, later.
Then we headed to Aarons, Paul went in to pay the bill there. He asked if there was a way to pay on line. He had to wait for the man to cash out of the register before getting a code number. Paul came back to the car and had me go in to wait and wait and wait. Finally we were given the code. It just needed to be printed out. I am not sure why we waited so long.
Then we headed to the movie theater to buy tickets to go see New Moon FINALLY. Our final stop was at Walmart for a few things and a Subway sandwich. After eating we had time to go home and gather some goodies for the show.
I fussed enough about the beans that we went home for a couple of minutes. The beans were fine, but we turned them off. Paul has taken over the chili and will finish it tomorrow.
Paul and I had made Twilight bookmarks for Christmas. We have several left over. I had a brilliant plan. We would take the bookmarks to the show and hand them out to Twilight fans. When we got to the theater a movie was still playing in the theater we were going too. We bought out popcorn and pop and sat at a high top table and waited for the time to go in. We finally got into our little space. We were the first ones there. I anxiously waited for someone to come in. After some time had passed a young man from the theater came in and I asked him if we were the only ones that were going to be there tonight. He said, Probably. Oh man, what of my brilliant plan.
Just before the movie started a couple came in, but it was already dark in the theater, so I decided to wait until after the movie to hand out the bookmarks.
The movie was wonderful. We really enjoyed watching it. We were very happy that we finally got to see it. When the lights came on we saw that there were two couples, besides us. One was already on the stairs and out the door. The couple we had seen coming in was still there, but they were fighting. We decided our gift to them, or maybe to us would be to give them privacy. I went home with as many bookmarks as I had left with.
Outside the Blue Moon was huge and beautiful. The air was crisp and frigid. Now there is one word I haven’t used yet is glacier. Now that is really a good description of this air that surrounds us right now. There are only so many ways you can say darn cold. With the moonlight the only reason you needed headlights was to be visible for the other drivers.
We got home just before midnight, watched a little TV and yelled at midnight. I got my New Year’s kiss. It had been a very busy day, one where we were out more than we were in.
January 1, 2010
We got things ready for our tea party with Kathy. I still had a couple of gifts that I hadn’t given Kathy yet. They were wrapped and ready for her to tear open.
Paul made a delicious dip for the veggie.
Kathy’s gifts were a tea set and a DVD named Spirit. It is an animated show about a wild mustang in the early days of the wild west. Kathy loved having the party using her tea set and she loved the movie.
January 2, 2010
Kathy was up early. I fed her breakfast, then Paul sent me to bed for a nap.
Movies and tv all day. Paul let Kathy watch Mama Mia today. I was kind of surprised, but we hadn’t seen it for a while.
Vanessa called tonight to speak to Kathy. Kathy was busy being a dog and didn’t have time to translate what woof woof meant.
January 3, 2010
Trina is 41 wow, how in the world did that happen?
Church was canceled again. We got a phone call first thing this morning.
Tom and Sandy came and picked up Kathy. They couldn’t get up the snowy driveway, so Sandy waited in the car and Tom came in to get Kathy.
January 4, 2010
Snow and cold
January 5, 2010
We went to get a few things at Wal-Mart. We could get out of the driveway, and the next snowstorm was going to be here at noon tomorrow. We decided to get a few things in case we couldn’t get out on payday. We got mail today, the first box that my mother-in-law sent for Christmas. We love the blankets, the jellies, the homemade goodies.
January 6, 2010
Paul got an email saying he has been admitted. Now, for the fun stuff, getting enrolled in time for classes to start on Monday.
We made it to Wal-Mart and we were able to get a few things.
Ate at Subway before we came home. It was great to get out of the house today.
Snow and cold
January 7, 2010
Paul called the school. He is going to try to get to the school tomorrow
My mother-in-law's second box got here today. We really love everything she sent, especially the card. When it is safe to drive long distances again, we will get Kathy’s gifts to her.
Cold, that is all that I can say about the weather. Paul is starting to feel better.
January 8, 2010
Paul got a letter in the mail, it is official, he is enrolled. He tried to go to the school today, but the car won’t start and we aren’t sure if it did that we could get out of the driveway.
Paul called the University and told them he wouldn’t be able to make it to the campus today. They said Monday is a walk-in day. He could come in then.
Paul called a friend and asked if he had a battery charger. The friend will be over tomorrow morning to help.
It is glacier cold today. We stayed home. We can’t walk anywhere so we are still stuck at home.
January 9, 2010
Our friend came over with his battery charger and 4 wheel drive pick-up. These guys worked forever on the car. Our friend finally took Paul to Wal-Mart to buy spark plugs. Once they got the spark plugs changed, the car started right up. Paul offered our friend money for fuel, but he wouldn’t take it. So he went off to rescue some one else and Paul went to the store. It was already dark and the temperature was getting close to wind chill of minus 20 so I stayed home.
January 10, 2010
Paul went out to warm up the car, and we had a flat tire. Well, it was very low, not completely flat. Paul took the car to Wal-Mart. It took three hours for the car to be seen. Apparently, nothing was wrong with it and he was sent on his way. The tire looks fine.
When Paul finally got home we ate the casserole that I made and spent the evening alone watching TV,
We just hibernated with the bears during this arctic blast. We ate, watched TV and played on the computer. We are waiting for our heat wave.
Monday, December 28, 2009
My sister made me do it.
Today, December 28th I got an email from my sister. I had posted a blog on the 29 days of giving site on December 15th and it had been a long time since I post one here. Bev, this blog is for you
December 11-28, 2009
December 11, 2009
I was able to go outside today. The weather has warmed up considerably, the sun was shining and the wind was a gentle cold breeze. I wrapped up my muffler and leapt out into the sunshine. Well, leapt is not quit accurate, I limped out, but in my heart it was a leap.
We went to Wal-Mart. The first thing we did was have lunch. I kind of felt like a little kid I was so excited being out of the house. I chose the high table with the high chairs so that I could see over the partition and watch the people walk by. Our sandwich tasted heavenly. I finished every last bite.
Then we did our shopping. We spent way too much. I was spending like Paul was actually working. We finished up our meager Christmas shopping. My daughter-in-law would like to have some white chocolate chips sent over in the box so I bought those for her. It was sunny and bright when we walked into Wal-Mart. As we headed for home it was still clear, but only the stars were visible in the night sky.
I was very tired when I finally walked back through the door. The return through the door was not quite as triumphant as this afternoon, but I really enjoyed my time out.
We made plans to visit the grandsons and Trina on the 22nd while Ethel is here. Ethel was the lady that lent us the car while Trina was in our house in a hospital bed waiting for Andrew to be born. The boys and Trina have a special place in her heart. We will pick up Kathy the night before and then leave early in the morning for our Christmas visit.
We watched a movie and then checked our email and went to bed.
December 12, 2009
After lunch we left again to drive to Sedalia. That is where the nearest Dollar Tree Store is located. As we drove I drank in the scenery. I was awarded for my constant observation. On a post near the road, as if he had waited for me, was a regal red tail hawk. I love these birds. I saw several more hawks flying.
Both Paul and I are having mobility challenges right now. We made a deal. I would do the shopping at the Dollar Tree and he would run into Wal-Mart and take care of what had to be done in there. Dollar Tree was extremely busy. Their aisles are narrow and crowded, there is not room for two carts to pass with the extra displays that they have placed all over the store. I had to back up into a spot that was wider to allow someone to pass many times. But everyone was smiling. I saw a lady with wonderful lavender dangling earrings. I told her how much I liked her earrings. She told me why she bought them and that they were 15 years old. We had a nice chat in the aisle.
I was totally exhausted by the time I returned to the car. We drove back to town. The car was nice and warm so I was comfortable as Paul shopped. Paul bought some Kentucky Fried Chicken for dinner on the way home.
We ate dinner and it was good. Then Paul put the lights on the TV and I set the Santa on the table. I will finish the Santa scene and put up the nativity scene so it will at least look like Christmas. We get Kathy Monday so we will let her help trim the tree.
December 13, 2009
Today my baby is 32 years old. It really doesn’t seem possible that all those years have passed since Tim was born.
We just couldn’t get up and ready for church this morning. I couldn’t even blame the cold weather. It is clear up to 42, and it feels like 42.
Paul went to choir practice. It was the last one before the program. While he was gone I created the Santa scene in the living room. Every year this scene looks different. I use the same things in the scene every year. So now we have the tree up with lights and the Santa scene up.
Ethel’s niece called and made arrangements for us to meet in Liberty. We are very excited to have Ethel here for a while.
Another night of TV and computer watching.
December 14, 2009
Paul got up, got dressed and left for the campus to check on his enrollment. They still have not received the transcript from Portland Community College. He went to the school and came back before I even woke up.
Paul called the Portland Community College to find out when they would be mailing the transcript. They mailed it last week. So, soon this school will have it.
I took a nap. I was grumpy. When I got up I showered and dressed. We braved the cold and drove over to Tom’s to pick up Kathy. Tom is taking Sandy’s son to take the census bureau test in another town tomorrow and then Sandy’s office party is tomorrow night.
We stopped at Burger King to eat dinner and let Kathy play. The most bizarre thing happened when we walked into the play yard. A young boy about five started yelling at me. He followed me pointing his finger and screaming at me for being heavy. He yelled just look at your body. You are very fat. You have done this to your body. As he screamed and pointed his finger at me he just kept moving forward in a menacing way. I stood where I was and looked him in the eye. I said nothing but kept eye contact. This young child really has been exposed to some abusive behavior for him to be so aggressive toward a complete stranger. He backed down, no parent intervened. Kathy played on the maze until this child started to harass her, and then we took Kathy home. It was really sad to see what a home environment can do to a child.
When we got home Kathy made herself at home on the couch all cozy with a pillow and a blanket. She found my new book and wanted me to read it. So while she held the book, with no pictures, I told her all about the Princess from the Mystical Land of Zoray. She loved it. I must have told her three stories about the princess before she closed her new favorite book.
Bev called me very late tonight, well at 2:20 am, but my rule is it is still tonight until I sleep. We got a chance to catch up a little. I was awake and in the office when she called.
Kathy had a really rough night. She tossed and turned and cried out several times. I was up with her until after 4:30.
December 15, 2009
Kathy was up very early this morning. She was in a very good mood, even though her night was so short. I got up with Kathy and fed her breakfast. She spent the morning watching Sesame Street and having me read her the Adventures of the Mystical Land of Zoray. When I finally put up my book, she would grab anything, a piece of paper or a note book to have me read another adventure.
She found some things to go on the tree. I now have several bows on the tree, a Christmas stocking and a little train and a 6 inch piece of red garland. I haven’t found my tree ornaments yet, but Kath was very creative when she took on the chore of decorating the tree.
When Paul finally got up he told me I could go to take a nap since I had been up all night. Well, I did get about three hours sleep. But I wasn’t tired so I decided to take a nap when Kathy went down for her nap.
When it was time for Kathy’s nap she slept only an hour. I took that hour to check my email. I was really quite surprised that I wasn’t sleepy, I should have been.
And so the day went along. Kathy was totally engrossed in the Mystical Land of Zoray; I just kept making up stories for her. She was sad when I took a break to make dinner. She really appreciated the work though. We had chicken strips, mashed potatoes and veggies. She ate so well and was still in a great mood.
This evening she enjoyed a Christmas movie and then went to bed, covered up and was asleep before Grandpa could get out of the room.
I went to bed around 11:30, got comfortable, made sure I was covered and went to sleep. Paul read for a while, but I didn’t care. I was slumbering.
December 16, 2009
We were all awake pretty early today. Paul went to get a priority box for me for the Grandkids in the Azores. I had checked with Barnes and Noble and they had the book that I wanted for my seven year old granddaughter. I was ready to send their package out.
Kathy took a short nap today and then we left to meet with Ethel and her family. We stopped at Barnes and Noble on the way. They didn’t have the book tonight that they had this morning. I am so sad. I haven’t decided what to do about it yet.
We met Ethel and her family in Liberty and had dinner. Kathy took one look at Ethel across the table and said OH IT’S DADDY. She sat in her chair for a while, content to just talk to Ethel. But as the wait for the food stretched out she became impatient and wanted to go and sit on Ethel’s lap. Ethel has a new best friend now. It really was a nice dinner, great conversation, good food and of course having Ethel around was wonderful.
On the way home from picking up Ethel we dropped Kathy off at home. She went in and said Hi and then sat on Ethel’s lap. She was a very tired little girl, so Tom excused her and she went to bed. Tom said she was asleep before he was out of the room.
When we got home we visited with Ethel for a long time. We had special visitors that were anxious to see Ethel too. We all went to bed tired but content.
December 17, 2009
We were so excited to go outside today. It was 55, felt like 55 degrees outside. I took my muffler because we planned to be gone all day, but I didn’t have to use it.
We drove to Knob Noster, saw our dream house. This is a very old 5 bedroom house with huge rooms. We peeked in the windows before and today we walked all around the house. It is so large. In the basement is a one bedroom apartment. Paul and I have just fallen in love with this old house. When you walk up on the big porch you feel the peace that must have abide in this home.
We drove around the outside boundaries of the air base. We had never done that before. The base is very large. To go on the base we would have to go to the visitor’s center and get Ethel approved for entry to the airbase. None of us felt like getting out of the car just then.
We went to Sedalia and I picked up a book for the red headed granddaughter. We had lunch at Subway Took Ethel over to see the hotel that has the Christmas trees.
Trina called and we changed the day that we are going to go over to see her. Now we are going on Monday.
Back at home Paul picked up a Papa Murphy’s pizza for dinner. We were ready to sit and eat and watch Christmas movies. Our doorbell rang. We have never heard the doorbell before, we weren’t sure if it was our door or something on TV.
When I went to answer the door, no one was there but there was a box of food on the porch. Someone had given us a turkey, all the fixings for a Christmas meal and a $20 Wal-Mart gift card in a Christmas card. It really was a special surprise for us tonight.
I packed the gifts for the Grandkids in Azores. Paul and I worked on Bev’s gift. I wrote a few more adventures from the Land of Zoray for Kathy the next time she is here.
Bev called and we talked. She almost had a fire in her house today. She was protected, the second time this year, from a tragedy
I am off to bed, it has been a great day.
December 18, 2009
It was a very cold day. Ethel and I stayed home when Paul headed to the store.
It is always interesting when Paul goes to the store alone. I gave him a list and reminded him what the balance in the checking account was. I asked him to be careful. Silly me. He came home with three of everything. He bought two $5 movies, Adams Family Values and Footloose. He left a few dollars in the bank. Our plans for the rest of the week have been canceled.
We watched Christmas movies with Ethel tonight.
December 19, 2009
My fleece mask came and it is cold outside. I got to go out anyway. I look pretty funny in my new black mask, but my breath stays warm and I have a little bit more freedom when choosing to go out on a frigid day.
Ethel stayed home while we ran errands. When we got home we watched Christmas movies with Ethel. Ethel really likes her movies.
December 20, 2009
Today was the Christmas program at church. Paul sang in the choir. The program was wonderful. We stayed for the entire block today. It was a good day.
We went to Odessa to pick up Kathy. Tom loves to visit with Ethel. We had a quick but great visit at their house. When we got home we ate.
We watched Christmas movies with Ethel.
Went to bed early
December 21, 2009
We got up and got ready to leave for Brent’s house and then Trina’s place. We took the baby stuff for Drew’s new baby with us and bookmarks for the girls in the family and rubix cube for the boys.
Saw Brent at his house. He is looking very good. His brother, his girlfriend, her sister and her sister’s 2 year old daughter ended up without a place to stay. Brent let them move in to his house. His landlord has a bigger house that will be available soon, so they will be moving there soon.
Kathy loves Brent. She was very happy to see him. The bonus of a little 2 year old to play with just made her so excited. Ethel was glad to see Brent too. The last time she saw him, he was shorter than she was.
We always carry something to make sandwiches with when we travel here. So we made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and visited.
We gave Brent, the little girl and her mom their presents. I didn’t spend any money on Christmas this year. I had a few things put away and I found them just before. So everyone got a cheap little present.
Just before we left a friend of Brent’s came in with a huge pit-bull. This dog loves little kids. Now, Kathy was thrilled. She had her cousin Brent, a playmate, peanut butter sandwich and a dog. We let her play for just a little and then it was time to go.
Next we went to Trina’s. Brian, Drew, Jessica and Davie were there.
I had made Twilight Saga bookmarks for Trina and all of the girls. I was so excited about the present, I couldn’t wait. I gave the bookmarks to Trina. She loved them. She put her favorite on the refrigerator. I let all of the girls have their bookmarks. The boys had all gone out to check the river levels.
We had a great visit. Trina fed us all sandwiches to hold us until dinner. We watch a movie and visited with the kids.
When it was finally dinner time we enjoyed a great ham dinner. I had brought my pink cloud. That always makes everyone at Trina’s happy.
Just before we left we gave the boys their Rubix cubes. They loved them. They started playing with them right away and it kept them interested for quite a while.
Kathy had a very busy day and was asleep shortly after we left. Both Ethel and I dozed off and on all the way home. It had been a very good day.
We finally pulled into the driveway at midnight. We fed Kathy a snack and sent her off to bed, and we followed her example.
December 22, 2009
We were all very tired. Kathy slept until 10:00. I fed her and we got ready to take her home.
I actually had a teaching moment with Kathy in the office today. She came in and wanted to smudge me. I let her and then I smudged her. I told her to go smudge Grandpa. Then she wanted to work with the tuning fork. She just wanted me to be all better. I actually explained a few things to her and she took everything in.
We took Kathy home and visited with Tom a few minutes. Then we drove home. Paul went into Wal-Mart and got the few things we needed.
It was another night of TV watching with Ethel.
While I was meditating and getting ready to teach Ethel tomorrow I decided to lead a grief meditation. I read a few grief meditations on line, all of them excellent, but just not exactly what I needed. I finally took what I needed from 3 different meditations and added touches of my own.
December 23, 2009
Ethel asked for us to teach her Reiki level one, and today is the day. Ethel lost her husband 4 years ago. She has put up so many walls of defense that she just couldn’t grieve.
I lead a balancing meditation at the beginning of class. Paul does most of the teaching; I add a thought or ten when I feel I should. Then in the middle of the class I lead the grief meditation. It really touched Paul, but Ethel still has so many defenses up that I think she stopped participating in the meditation half way through.
All in all it was a good class. Paul took us out to eat after class. No one felt like cooking.
December 24, 2009
Ethel was excited to be going home today. Even though we stayed up late talking she was up bright and early. She got her laundry done and packed yesterday, so she was really ready to go.
We left about noon. Ethel treated us to lunch at Bob Evans. We all ate breakfast. The omelet’s there are, what is that word I am looking for, oh yeah, yummy.
Paul got a picture of Melissa and the girls from Michael on his phone. He and Michael chatted for a little while. It was a very good present for Paul today.
The weather was beginning to be menacing. The wind was whipping the flags around and temperature dropped. We took Ethel to the Visitor’s Center in Independence. Paul dropped us off by the door and parked the car. When he came in he told us that the hand rail had ice on it already. When we got inside my legs just aren’t working well, so I stayed in the lobby and rested while Paul and Ethel went on the tour. There is a small Christus, only about 15 feet high in the lobby. I just lost myself in the calm of the room and the peace that was there. It seemed to be a very good way to spend some time on Christmas Eve.
By the time the tour was finished the roads were getting icy. We had planned to go to one more place, but there wasn’t time with the bad driving conditions. We drove to the airport. We dropped Ethel off at the curb and then went to park. It was starting to snow. Paul went in to the airport to make sure that Ethel was all checked in and that her flight was going to be able to take off.
We headed towards Odessa and outside it was a full blown storm now. We drove 30-40 miles per hour along the freeway. The snow was blowing causing bad visibility. The road was icy with snow covering the ice. We saw many wrecks along the way
Just as we got about 15 minutes away from Tom and Sandy’s house, we pulled out of the storm. No snow or ice on the road yet. We decided that we could take a few minutes to stop and exchange gifts with Tom, Sandy and Kathy.
I had promised Sandy’s dogs a gift too. I know that sounds kind of funny but they come meet me every time I come into the house. I actually bought some dog toys for them but when it was time to leave today, I couldn’t find them. So I had a small present for each of the adults, but nothing for the dogs today.
Sandy had all kinds of goodies to eat. She made a lot of candy, and I love candy. She made fudge, and sausage and cheese sauce for chips. We had a summer sausage and crackers. We shared our feast when Sandy’s son came in and said that the snow had arrived.
We exchanged our gifts. Sandy and Tom gave us a certificate for 12 housecleaning days. We take Kathy and go somewhere with her, they clean the house. This is a very good gift. Then we took off for home. The trip home was ok, just starting to snow and the wind wasn’t bad yet. We pulled into Wal-Mart to get a few essentials, but it was already closed and wouldn’t open until Saturday.
We drove into the driveway and hurried into our warm cuddly house. We had been gone from the house for over 9 hours and we were tired, besides Santa was going to come soon.
Before bed Paul had to drag the garbage can down our steep slippery drive way. I was pretty worried, but the can was full, actually over full, and garbage was going to be picked up in the morning.
Ethel called when she landed in Portland. She was on the last flight out of KCI. She had no trouble in Denver and flew out of there on time. She was glad to be home away from the frigid weather, but she promised to come back sometime.
December 25, 2009
Today was Christmas. We had a WHITE CHRISTMAS. It also was a cold Christmas.
Tim called and told us that the kids wanted to talk to us on Skype. We spent about 2 hours chatting with the kids. They showed us what came in their stockings and some of their presents. This is a great gift to us, getting to watch the kids enjoy Christmas. The 5 year old boy got a scooter for Christmas and he demonstrated his skills right there on the kitchen floor. I am still smiling.
I put the turkey on to roast and we just spent the day watching Christmas movies and talking to the kids on the phone. Paul called Laverne and Violette.
It was a very good day. We were snowed in, but we were connected to our family. The snow is like a silencer. We heard very little noise from the street. I heard the garbage truck and only about 2 cars all day long.
December 26, 2009
Throughout the morning we watched the roads. A few cars went by our house. After the snow plow went by we decided to try to go to the store. This weather is supposed to last a few more days. We needed a few things, but mainly we needed to go out of the house.
Paul hazarded the walk down the driveway to get the mail and bring the garbage can back to our backyard. While he was out he started the car and got all of the snow off of the windshield.
He came in to tell me all was ready for our venture out of the house.
I really love my fleece mask, but I look pretty funny with it on. But it keeps my breath warm and it doesn’t fall off like the muffler does. It actually lets me go out in cold weather a little easier. The snow had drifted onto the back step and around the gate. Paul led the way and I followed in his footsteps to the car. The car was nice and toasty when I got in.
Going down the driveway was no problem. We made it to the store driving slowly. It was snowing again though. Paul and I ate at Subway before shopping. Then we got necessities for the next couple of days. When we were ready to leave the temperature had taken a drop and it was snowing. Paul took the groceries to the car and then brought the car to the front door of the store for me. This frigid weather takes a toll on my body. My legs just give out.
The snow was coming down pretty hard on the way home. When we got to the house Paul tried pulling into the driveway. We got into the driveway and could go no further. Paul backed straight out of the driveway and then tried again. We got most of the way up the steep slope. We could have left the car there on the incline, but Paul wanted to try one more time.
So he backed down the hill, straight out into the street and took a running start. At the top of the driveway we started to fishtail. I wasn’t really worried until the house was inches away from the car. Yikes. Paul managed to straighten up the car and we stopped on the level where we usually park. While we were still in the car we made the decision not to go to church tomorrow since it was going to snow all night.
When we got into the house we got a phone call from a friend at church. This man goes to Civil War Reenactments with Trina. He called Trina to get our phone number. He wanted us to know that church had been cancelled. The guilt for staying home on a snow day was removed with that call. This guy really went the extra mile to inform us of the cancelation.
I checked my email and I had an email with the same information. We were well informed even though we are so new to the congregation.
We watched TV and played on our computers. My sister text me and asked for Reiki. Paul and I sent that to her before we went to bed.
December 27, 2009
It was so bright out this morning when we woke up. The sun was shining on the white snow, everything was glistening. It had snowed during the night.
It was a very quiet day. I talked to Tom and Ted. Paul talked to Laverne. We watched TV. We sent Reiki.
Snow days are only exciting when you can go out to play in the snow.
December 28, 2009
It was so pretty today. We opened all of the blinds and let the sunshine fill our house. I have really little windows. To see outside, I have to stand by them. I can lean by elbows on the sill and watch the winter wonderland.
The road in front of the house was almost clear. We are on the corner and the road going along the side of the house was completely clear. The sky was a brilliant blue contrasted against the glistening white snow. All the trees are bare and stark. I can see several blocks down the street. This is view that is hidden during the summer by the leaves.
Paul and I checked the weather report. It is supposed to snow again tomorrow. So we took off to the store. It really was a necessary trip, but we wanted out of the house and that was a destination for us.
The store was packed. I guess we weren’t the only ones with cabin fever. We picked up a few things and headed for home. The moon was visible in the clear sky as we drove up the drive way. Paul brought the groceries in and I put them away while he was clearing off the backyard step and sidewalk.
In the back of the house, because we are near the top of the hill, we can sit at the kitchen table and see our neighbor’s house, the church on the street above us and traffic if there is any going by. As we sat eating lunch we watched as the clouds rushed in. Our glorious bright day changed to a gloomy dark day in minutes. We were very thankful that we were able to go out during the best part of the day.
I got an email from Bev. NO BLOG SINCE THE 15TH!!!!! I caught up my blog and now you are all up to date with me.
I got an email from my red-headed granddaughter. She said. I love you grandma. I will take the time to send her a nice long email.
Tonight Paul and I are going to watch TV, play on the computer and watch it snow.
December 11-28, 2009
December 11, 2009
I was able to go outside today. The weather has warmed up considerably, the sun was shining and the wind was a gentle cold breeze. I wrapped up my muffler and leapt out into the sunshine. Well, leapt is not quit accurate, I limped out, but in my heart it was a leap.
We went to Wal-Mart. The first thing we did was have lunch. I kind of felt like a little kid I was so excited being out of the house. I chose the high table with the high chairs so that I could see over the partition and watch the people walk by. Our sandwich tasted heavenly. I finished every last bite.
Then we did our shopping. We spent way too much. I was spending like Paul was actually working. We finished up our meager Christmas shopping. My daughter-in-law would like to have some white chocolate chips sent over in the box so I bought those for her. It was sunny and bright when we walked into Wal-Mart. As we headed for home it was still clear, but only the stars were visible in the night sky.
I was very tired when I finally walked back through the door. The return through the door was not quite as triumphant as this afternoon, but I really enjoyed my time out.
We made plans to visit the grandsons and Trina on the 22nd while Ethel is here. Ethel was the lady that lent us the car while Trina was in our house in a hospital bed waiting for Andrew to be born. The boys and Trina have a special place in her heart. We will pick up Kathy the night before and then leave early in the morning for our Christmas visit.
We watched a movie and then checked our email and went to bed.
December 12, 2009
After lunch we left again to drive to Sedalia. That is where the nearest Dollar Tree Store is located. As we drove I drank in the scenery. I was awarded for my constant observation. On a post near the road, as if he had waited for me, was a regal red tail hawk. I love these birds. I saw several more hawks flying.
Both Paul and I are having mobility challenges right now. We made a deal. I would do the shopping at the Dollar Tree and he would run into Wal-Mart and take care of what had to be done in there. Dollar Tree was extremely busy. Their aisles are narrow and crowded, there is not room for two carts to pass with the extra displays that they have placed all over the store. I had to back up into a spot that was wider to allow someone to pass many times. But everyone was smiling. I saw a lady with wonderful lavender dangling earrings. I told her how much I liked her earrings. She told me why she bought them and that they were 15 years old. We had a nice chat in the aisle.
I was totally exhausted by the time I returned to the car. We drove back to town. The car was nice and warm so I was comfortable as Paul shopped. Paul bought some Kentucky Fried Chicken for dinner on the way home.
We ate dinner and it was good. Then Paul put the lights on the TV and I set the Santa on the table. I will finish the Santa scene and put up the nativity scene so it will at least look like Christmas. We get Kathy Monday so we will let her help trim the tree.
December 13, 2009
Today my baby is 32 years old. It really doesn’t seem possible that all those years have passed since Tim was born.
We just couldn’t get up and ready for church this morning. I couldn’t even blame the cold weather. It is clear up to 42, and it feels like 42.
Paul went to choir practice. It was the last one before the program. While he was gone I created the Santa scene in the living room. Every year this scene looks different. I use the same things in the scene every year. So now we have the tree up with lights and the Santa scene up.
Ethel’s niece called and made arrangements for us to meet in Liberty. We are very excited to have Ethel here for a while.
Another night of TV and computer watching.
December 14, 2009
Paul got up, got dressed and left for the campus to check on his enrollment. They still have not received the transcript from Portland Community College. He went to the school and came back before I even woke up.
Paul called the Portland Community College to find out when they would be mailing the transcript. They mailed it last week. So, soon this school will have it.
I took a nap. I was grumpy. When I got up I showered and dressed. We braved the cold and drove over to Tom’s to pick up Kathy. Tom is taking Sandy’s son to take the census bureau test in another town tomorrow and then Sandy’s office party is tomorrow night.
We stopped at Burger King to eat dinner and let Kathy play. The most bizarre thing happened when we walked into the play yard. A young boy about five started yelling at me. He followed me pointing his finger and screaming at me for being heavy. He yelled just look at your body. You are very fat. You have done this to your body. As he screamed and pointed his finger at me he just kept moving forward in a menacing way. I stood where I was and looked him in the eye. I said nothing but kept eye contact. This young child really has been exposed to some abusive behavior for him to be so aggressive toward a complete stranger. He backed down, no parent intervened. Kathy played on the maze until this child started to harass her, and then we took Kathy home. It was really sad to see what a home environment can do to a child.
When we got home Kathy made herself at home on the couch all cozy with a pillow and a blanket. She found my new book and wanted me to read it. So while she held the book, with no pictures, I told her all about the Princess from the Mystical Land of Zoray. She loved it. I must have told her three stories about the princess before she closed her new favorite book.
Bev called me very late tonight, well at 2:20 am, but my rule is it is still tonight until I sleep. We got a chance to catch up a little. I was awake and in the office when she called.
Kathy had a really rough night. She tossed and turned and cried out several times. I was up with her until after 4:30.
December 15, 2009
Kathy was up very early this morning. She was in a very good mood, even though her night was so short. I got up with Kathy and fed her breakfast. She spent the morning watching Sesame Street and having me read her the Adventures of the Mystical Land of Zoray. When I finally put up my book, she would grab anything, a piece of paper or a note book to have me read another adventure.
She found some things to go on the tree. I now have several bows on the tree, a Christmas stocking and a little train and a 6 inch piece of red garland. I haven’t found my tree ornaments yet, but Kath was very creative when she took on the chore of decorating the tree.
When Paul finally got up he told me I could go to take a nap since I had been up all night. Well, I did get about three hours sleep. But I wasn’t tired so I decided to take a nap when Kathy went down for her nap.
When it was time for Kathy’s nap she slept only an hour. I took that hour to check my email. I was really quite surprised that I wasn’t sleepy, I should have been.
And so the day went along. Kathy was totally engrossed in the Mystical Land of Zoray; I just kept making up stories for her. She was sad when I took a break to make dinner. She really appreciated the work though. We had chicken strips, mashed potatoes and veggies. She ate so well and was still in a great mood.
This evening she enjoyed a Christmas movie and then went to bed, covered up and was asleep before Grandpa could get out of the room.
I went to bed around 11:30, got comfortable, made sure I was covered and went to sleep. Paul read for a while, but I didn’t care. I was slumbering.
December 16, 2009
We were all awake pretty early today. Paul went to get a priority box for me for the Grandkids in the Azores. I had checked with Barnes and Noble and they had the book that I wanted for my seven year old granddaughter. I was ready to send their package out.
Kathy took a short nap today and then we left to meet with Ethel and her family. We stopped at Barnes and Noble on the way. They didn’t have the book tonight that they had this morning. I am so sad. I haven’t decided what to do about it yet.
We met Ethel and her family in Liberty and had dinner. Kathy took one look at Ethel across the table and said OH IT’S DADDY. She sat in her chair for a while, content to just talk to Ethel. But as the wait for the food stretched out she became impatient and wanted to go and sit on Ethel’s lap. Ethel has a new best friend now. It really was a nice dinner, great conversation, good food and of course having Ethel around was wonderful.
On the way home from picking up Ethel we dropped Kathy off at home. She went in and said Hi and then sat on Ethel’s lap. She was a very tired little girl, so Tom excused her and she went to bed. Tom said she was asleep before he was out of the room.
When we got home we visited with Ethel for a long time. We had special visitors that were anxious to see Ethel too. We all went to bed tired but content.
December 17, 2009
We were so excited to go outside today. It was 55, felt like 55 degrees outside. I took my muffler because we planned to be gone all day, but I didn’t have to use it.
We drove to Knob Noster, saw our dream house. This is a very old 5 bedroom house with huge rooms. We peeked in the windows before and today we walked all around the house. It is so large. In the basement is a one bedroom apartment. Paul and I have just fallen in love with this old house. When you walk up on the big porch you feel the peace that must have abide in this home.
We drove around the outside boundaries of the air base. We had never done that before. The base is very large. To go on the base we would have to go to the visitor’s center and get Ethel approved for entry to the airbase. None of us felt like getting out of the car just then.
We went to Sedalia and I picked up a book for the red headed granddaughter. We had lunch at Subway Took Ethel over to see the hotel that has the Christmas trees.
Trina called and we changed the day that we are going to go over to see her. Now we are going on Monday.
Back at home Paul picked up a Papa Murphy’s pizza for dinner. We were ready to sit and eat and watch Christmas movies. Our doorbell rang. We have never heard the doorbell before, we weren’t sure if it was our door or something on TV.
When I went to answer the door, no one was there but there was a box of food on the porch. Someone had given us a turkey, all the fixings for a Christmas meal and a $20 Wal-Mart gift card in a Christmas card. It really was a special surprise for us tonight.
I packed the gifts for the Grandkids in Azores. Paul and I worked on Bev’s gift. I wrote a few more adventures from the Land of Zoray for Kathy the next time she is here.
Bev called and we talked. She almost had a fire in her house today. She was protected, the second time this year, from a tragedy
I am off to bed, it has been a great day.
December 18, 2009
It was a very cold day. Ethel and I stayed home when Paul headed to the store.
It is always interesting when Paul goes to the store alone. I gave him a list and reminded him what the balance in the checking account was. I asked him to be careful. Silly me. He came home with three of everything. He bought two $5 movies, Adams Family Values and Footloose. He left a few dollars in the bank. Our plans for the rest of the week have been canceled.
We watched Christmas movies with Ethel tonight.
December 19, 2009
My fleece mask came and it is cold outside. I got to go out anyway. I look pretty funny in my new black mask, but my breath stays warm and I have a little bit more freedom when choosing to go out on a frigid day.
Ethel stayed home while we ran errands. When we got home we watched Christmas movies with Ethel. Ethel really likes her movies.
December 20, 2009
Today was the Christmas program at church. Paul sang in the choir. The program was wonderful. We stayed for the entire block today. It was a good day.
We went to Odessa to pick up Kathy. Tom loves to visit with Ethel. We had a quick but great visit at their house. When we got home we ate.
We watched Christmas movies with Ethel.
Went to bed early
December 21, 2009
We got up and got ready to leave for Brent’s house and then Trina’s place. We took the baby stuff for Drew’s new baby with us and bookmarks for the girls in the family and rubix cube for the boys.
Saw Brent at his house. He is looking very good. His brother, his girlfriend, her sister and her sister’s 2 year old daughter ended up without a place to stay. Brent let them move in to his house. His landlord has a bigger house that will be available soon, so they will be moving there soon.
Kathy loves Brent. She was very happy to see him. The bonus of a little 2 year old to play with just made her so excited. Ethel was glad to see Brent too. The last time she saw him, he was shorter than she was.
We always carry something to make sandwiches with when we travel here. So we made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and visited.
We gave Brent, the little girl and her mom their presents. I didn’t spend any money on Christmas this year. I had a few things put away and I found them just before. So everyone got a cheap little present.
Just before we left a friend of Brent’s came in with a huge pit-bull. This dog loves little kids. Now, Kathy was thrilled. She had her cousin Brent, a playmate, peanut butter sandwich and a dog. We let her play for just a little and then it was time to go.
Next we went to Trina’s. Brian, Drew, Jessica and Davie were there.
I had made Twilight Saga bookmarks for Trina and all of the girls. I was so excited about the present, I couldn’t wait. I gave the bookmarks to Trina. She loved them. She put her favorite on the refrigerator. I let all of the girls have their bookmarks. The boys had all gone out to check the river levels.
We had a great visit. Trina fed us all sandwiches to hold us until dinner. We watch a movie and visited with the kids.
When it was finally dinner time we enjoyed a great ham dinner. I had brought my pink cloud. That always makes everyone at Trina’s happy.
Just before we left we gave the boys their Rubix cubes. They loved them. They started playing with them right away and it kept them interested for quite a while.
Kathy had a very busy day and was asleep shortly after we left. Both Ethel and I dozed off and on all the way home. It had been a very good day.
We finally pulled into the driveway at midnight. We fed Kathy a snack and sent her off to bed, and we followed her example.
December 22, 2009
We were all very tired. Kathy slept until 10:00. I fed her and we got ready to take her home.
I actually had a teaching moment with Kathy in the office today. She came in and wanted to smudge me. I let her and then I smudged her. I told her to go smudge Grandpa. Then she wanted to work with the tuning fork. She just wanted me to be all better. I actually explained a few things to her and she took everything in.
We took Kathy home and visited with Tom a few minutes. Then we drove home. Paul went into Wal-Mart and got the few things we needed.
It was another night of TV watching with Ethel.
While I was meditating and getting ready to teach Ethel tomorrow I decided to lead a grief meditation. I read a few grief meditations on line, all of them excellent, but just not exactly what I needed. I finally took what I needed from 3 different meditations and added touches of my own.
December 23, 2009
Ethel asked for us to teach her Reiki level one, and today is the day. Ethel lost her husband 4 years ago. She has put up so many walls of defense that she just couldn’t grieve.
I lead a balancing meditation at the beginning of class. Paul does most of the teaching; I add a thought or ten when I feel I should. Then in the middle of the class I lead the grief meditation. It really touched Paul, but Ethel still has so many defenses up that I think she stopped participating in the meditation half way through.
All in all it was a good class. Paul took us out to eat after class. No one felt like cooking.
December 24, 2009
Ethel was excited to be going home today. Even though we stayed up late talking she was up bright and early. She got her laundry done and packed yesterday, so she was really ready to go.
We left about noon. Ethel treated us to lunch at Bob Evans. We all ate breakfast. The omelet’s there are, what is that word I am looking for, oh yeah, yummy.
Paul got a picture of Melissa and the girls from Michael on his phone. He and Michael chatted for a little while. It was a very good present for Paul today.
The weather was beginning to be menacing. The wind was whipping the flags around and temperature dropped. We took Ethel to the Visitor’s Center in Independence. Paul dropped us off by the door and parked the car. When he came in he told us that the hand rail had ice on it already. When we got inside my legs just aren’t working well, so I stayed in the lobby and rested while Paul and Ethel went on the tour. There is a small Christus, only about 15 feet high in the lobby. I just lost myself in the calm of the room and the peace that was there. It seemed to be a very good way to spend some time on Christmas Eve.
By the time the tour was finished the roads were getting icy. We had planned to go to one more place, but there wasn’t time with the bad driving conditions. We drove to the airport. We dropped Ethel off at the curb and then went to park. It was starting to snow. Paul went in to the airport to make sure that Ethel was all checked in and that her flight was going to be able to take off.
We headed towards Odessa and outside it was a full blown storm now. We drove 30-40 miles per hour along the freeway. The snow was blowing causing bad visibility. The road was icy with snow covering the ice. We saw many wrecks along the way
Just as we got about 15 minutes away from Tom and Sandy’s house, we pulled out of the storm. No snow or ice on the road yet. We decided that we could take a few minutes to stop and exchange gifts with Tom, Sandy and Kathy.
I had promised Sandy’s dogs a gift too. I know that sounds kind of funny but they come meet me every time I come into the house. I actually bought some dog toys for them but when it was time to leave today, I couldn’t find them. So I had a small present for each of the adults, but nothing for the dogs today.
Sandy had all kinds of goodies to eat. She made a lot of candy, and I love candy. She made fudge, and sausage and cheese sauce for chips. We had a summer sausage and crackers. We shared our feast when Sandy’s son came in and said that the snow had arrived.
We exchanged our gifts. Sandy and Tom gave us a certificate for 12 housecleaning days. We take Kathy and go somewhere with her, they clean the house. This is a very good gift. Then we took off for home. The trip home was ok, just starting to snow and the wind wasn’t bad yet. We pulled into Wal-Mart to get a few essentials, but it was already closed and wouldn’t open until Saturday.
We drove into the driveway and hurried into our warm cuddly house. We had been gone from the house for over 9 hours and we were tired, besides Santa was going to come soon.
Before bed Paul had to drag the garbage can down our steep slippery drive way. I was pretty worried, but the can was full, actually over full, and garbage was going to be picked up in the morning.
Ethel called when she landed in Portland. She was on the last flight out of KCI. She had no trouble in Denver and flew out of there on time. She was glad to be home away from the frigid weather, but she promised to come back sometime.
December 25, 2009
Today was Christmas. We had a WHITE CHRISTMAS. It also was a cold Christmas.
Tim called and told us that the kids wanted to talk to us on Skype. We spent about 2 hours chatting with the kids. They showed us what came in their stockings and some of their presents. This is a great gift to us, getting to watch the kids enjoy Christmas. The 5 year old boy got a scooter for Christmas and he demonstrated his skills right there on the kitchen floor. I am still smiling.
I put the turkey on to roast and we just spent the day watching Christmas movies and talking to the kids on the phone. Paul called Laverne and Violette.
It was a very good day. We were snowed in, but we were connected to our family. The snow is like a silencer. We heard very little noise from the street. I heard the garbage truck and only about 2 cars all day long.
December 26, 2009
Throughout the morning we watched the roads. A few cars went by our house. After the snow plow went by we decided to try to go to the store. This weather is supposed to last a few more days. We needed a few things, but mainly we needed to go out of the house.
Paul hazarded the walk down the driveway to get the mail and bring the garbage can back to our backyard. While he was out he started the car and got all of the snow off of the windshield.
He came in to tell me all was ready for our venture out of the house.
I really love my fleece mask, but I look pretty funny with it on. But it keeps my breath warm and it doesn’t fall off like the muffler does. It actually lets me go out in cold weather a little easier. The snow had drifted onto the back step and around the gate. Paul led the way and I followed in his footsteps to the car. The car was nice and toasty when I got in.
Going down the driveway was no problem. We made it to the store driving slowly. It was snowing again though. Paul and I ate at Subway before shopping. Then we got necessities for the next couple of days. When we were ready to leave the temperature had taken a drop and it was snowing. Paul took the groceries to the car and then brought the car to the front door of the store for me. This frigid weather takes a toll on my body. My legs just give out.
The snow was coming down pretty hard on the way home. When we got to the house Paul tried pulling into the driveway. We got into the driveway and could go no further. Paul backed straight out of the driveway and then tried again. We got most of the way up the steep slope. We could have left the car there on the incline, but Paul wanted to try one more time.
So he backed down the hill, straight out into the street and took a running start. At the top of the driveway we started to fishtail. I wasn’t really worried until the house was inches away from the car. Yikes. Paul managed to straighten up the car and we stopped on the level where we usually park. While we were still in the car we made the decision not to go to church tomorrow since it was going to snow all night.
When we got into the house we got a phone call from a friend at church. This man goes to Civil War Reenactments with Trina. He called Trina to get our phone number. He wanted us to know that church had been cancelled. The guilt for staying home on a snow day was removed with that call. This guy really went the extra mile to inform us of the cancelation.
I checked my email and I had an email with the same information. We were well informed even though we are so new to the congregation.
We watched TV and played on our computers. My sister text me and asked for Reiki. Paul and I sent that to her before we went to bed.
December 27, 2009
It was so bright out this morning when we woke up. The sun was shining on the white snow, everything was glistening. It had snowed during the night.
It was a very quiet day. I talked to Tom and Ted. Paul talked to Laverne. We watched TV. We sent Reiki.
Snow days are only exciting when you can go out to play in the snow.
December 28, 2009
It was so pretty today. We opened all of the blinds and let the sunshine fill our house. I have really little windows. To see outside, I have to stand by them. I can lean by elbows on the sill and watch the winter wonderland.
The road in front of the house was almost clear. We are on the corner and the road going along the side of the house was completely clear. The sky was a brilliant blue contrasted against the glistening white snow. All the trees are bare and stark. I can see several blocks down the street. This is view that is hidden during the summer by the leaves.
Paul and I checked the weather report. It is supposed to snow again tomorrow. So we took off to the store. It really was a necessary trip, but we wanted out of the house and that was a destination for us.
The store was packed. I guess we weren’t the only ones with cabin fever. We picked up a few things and headed for home. The moon was visible in the clear sky as we drove up the drive way. Paul brought the groceries in and I put them away while he was clearing off the backyard step and sidewalk.
In the back of the house, because we are near the top of the hill, we can sit at the kitchen table and see our neighbor’s house, the church on the street above us and traffic if there is any going by. As we sat eating lunch we watched as the clouds rushed in. Our glorious bright day changed to a gloomy dark day in minutes. We were very thankful that we were able to go out during the best part of the day.
I got an email from Bev. NO BLOG SINCE THE 15TH!!!!! I caught up my blog and now you are all up to date with me.
I got an email from my red-headed granddaughter. She said. I love you grandma. I will take the time to send her a nice long email.
Tonight Paul and I are going to watch TV, play on the computer and watch it snow.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Warning, a very boring journal
December 1, 2009
Tom had an appointment at the University. He had Kathy tested there. Today they gave Tom the results of the tests. They think she would do well with special classes. So Kathy will start school at the University two days a week the same time that Grandpa starts.
Tom asked us to go and Sandy went. Paul, Sandy, Kathy and I sat in the waiting room while Tom went to the office. It is really cold today and would have been better if we kept Kathy at home. I will be the one that takes Kathy to class, especially after Tom finds a job.
We did bring Kathy with us while Tom and Sandy ran errands. We paid the rent and other bills and then took Kathy home with us. We fed Kathy lunch and she took time to hug her Santa, after we turned on his light. They stopped by to get Kathy about 4.
Tim called me on the computer (Skype). We had a great talk. We talked for over an hour. I love talking to him. Justin was the only kid still awake so I got to see him for a minute. We talked about everything tonight.
I have trouble in the cold with my asthma. It was pretty chilly out today, but I could control the air I was getting by using a muffler over my face. I hate that. I do it, but I don’t like it. Anyway tomorrow is going to be brutally cold with heavy winds, so we went shopping tonight so that we could stay at home tomorrow.
We ate at Subway before shopping. It was nice to be out of the house.
I ended up having to sit down while Paul finished the shopping. I was watching the young man welcoming everyone. A couple of young girls came in and he was very friendly and chatty with him. In my mind I said, typical. Ok, the next person in was a little old man and this young man greeted him as a friend. I watched as he greeted and said goodbye to all that passed his way. I was impressed. He left everyone with a smile on their face. So there I sat thinking, I should really tell this young man what I am thinking. Just at that point there was a break in the activity at the door and the young man was near to where I was sitting. I crooked my finger and signaled him to come over. Sweet kid did that. I told him my entire thought process about him and complimented him on a job well done. He was pretty happy to hear I wasn’t angry with him, for earlier that night there had been an anonymous complaint. He wondered if I would call the manager and let her know.
When Paul and I got home I called the manager. I could tell when I started she was a little tense and very stiff with me. I started at the beginning when the girls came in and finished with the fact he treated everyone with the same polite, friendly manner. The manager thanked me for calling, for identifying myself and leaving the compliment for the young man. I think that was my give for the day.
December 2, 2009
I prepared to stay at home all day, we are having waves of cold weather sweep over us here. I paid the rest of the bills that I could on line.
I knew I would spend some time on the 29 day gift site. I haven’t welcomed on there since November when I left the Welcome Wagon Group. I noticed that it had been several days since anyone had welcomed, so I welcomed everyone. I welcomed over 150 new members. That took several hours.
I fixed a yummy turkey roast dinner, with mash potatoes, green beans and cranberry sauce. Paul and I enjoyed dinner at the table, and then we went to watch a movie
December 3, 2000
Tom got a call today, Tom’s lawyer was disqualified. Tom still gets to use his original lawyer. But this will mean his divorce won’t be done until sometime next year.
It was Tom’s birthday today. We stopped at Wal-Mart, ate a sandwich at Subway, and picked up the ice cream. We took banana split ice cream over to his house.
Kathy wasn’t happy to see us, she wanted to stay home. I guess we don’t go over often enough when we just are visiting. She wasn’t coming home with us. When she realized we were staying she was happier.
December 4, 2009
Today we had the best surprise; a calendar was delivered from Tim and Michelle with pictures of them on each month. It was the bright spot in our day.
Boy I didn’t keep track of anything, I know it was cold. We watched the movie Star Trek XI tonight.
December 5, 2009
Pretty much the same thing, cold out.
We went to Aldi's today to check it out for Tim. It is like Canned Food Warehouse. Only found white bleached flour, no pastry flour like Michelle was interested in. You have to pay a quarter to get your cart, and then when you check out they take everything from your cart, scan it and put it into another cart. After you pay, you go to the front of the store. There is a wide ledge to work on. You pack you groceries there. It was kind of a mad house today.
December 6, 2009
Too cold to go to church, so we slept in today.
Tom and Sandy brought Kathy over for a few days. First thing she wanted was the Santa to be turned on. She was ok when they left this time.
Just as Tom and Sandy were leaving Tim called using Skype. Michelle would like some white chocolate chips if we could mail them in the next box to them. I can do that.
Kathy is so easy to keep. We watched the new Music Man. I think she really wanted to watch Bing again.
Paul put her to bed. She just goes in, and goes to sleep. I really love that.
December 7, 2009
Tom took a test to become a Census taker. That is why we had Kathy today. Because of his learning disability they gave him the test one on one. He passes and now he and 10,000 others wait to hear who will be hire.
Brutally cold here, Paul went to the store to get whatever we might need over the next few days. He took Kathy with him. She was really excited to go. I stayed home out of the cold air.
After shopping Paul stopped by Burger King and brought dinner home.
We let Kathy eat in front of the TV. We watched a Christmas show on TV.
December 8, 2009
The worse part of the cold will be tomorrow. I let Paul go and get Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. He went by himself. Kathy ate well all day and took long naps. She is learning to steal your nose and then she throws it away into the garbage. Kathy and Grandpa have a running fight over the noses.
Our bed broke early this morning. The ledge that holds the slates for the box spring unglued for some reason. Paul removed the foot board, took off the slates and put the box spring and mattress on the floor. I don’t have to climb on a stool to get into bed for now. Paul will be fixing the frame as soon as possible.
I made spaghetti for dinner tonight. I said to Kathy bring me the sauce. She brought me the applesauce. She loves to help. She really is our entertainment while we are stuck in the house.
December 9, 2009
Kathy slept late, took a long nap and cuddled most of the day. Just before Sandy and Tom got her to pick her up tonight she started to have diarrhea, poor baby. Her nose was all plugged up today and she is really grumpy. Well she is still playing the nose game with Grandpa.
Today she found a box in the office of food that I had not put on the shelf. She kept herself busy for over an hour getting everything in the box to the exactly right place. Once in a while she would look over at me and make sure it was the right place, and of course it always was. She did ask once where to put the marshmallow cream. I said by the applesauce. She could have never reached the third shelf where it belonged. She was very proud of her work.
After all that work in the office she picked up some stuff toys from the living room and took them to her room. Then she grabbed my hand and said come see. In her bed, nice and neat, they were all taking a nap. I told her she really was being a good mommy today.
We fed Kathy dinner before she was picked up tonight. She was very excited to see Sandy and Daddy. She was ready to go home and play with the real dogs. Tonight Paul and I watched Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.
December 10, 2009
I got up kind of early, especially since we were home alone. I could have slept in today. But my eyes opened and that was it. I think I was excited. The temperature was supposed to be warmer today and I thought I would make it out of the house. When I got out of bed it was zero, felt like -13. The high today was 24.
I just hung out in the office playing on the computer. I decided to put together a calendar for Laverne and Violette. I spent hours looking for pictures. Paul called his sister to have her email a current picture of her and her new husband. I warned her if it didn’t come, I would be using old pictures.
Paul’s glasses came in the mail. This afternoon Paul ventured out to go to the store and to get his glasses adjusted. I just couldn’t get myself pumped up enough to try to go outside, maybe tomorrow.
I did get an email from my 7 year old granddaughter. She asked me several questions and told me several things. Each question or piece of information she chose a different color of font. When I wrote back to her I answered the red question with a red font and so on.
Just as I had sent her email back to her I got a Skype call from my son, the teacher, her dad.
Paul and I ate dinner and then we watched TV. These types of days I am not very interesting.
Tom had an appointment at the University. He had Kathy tested there. Today they gave Tom the results of the tests. They think she would do well with special classes. So Kathy will start school at the University two days a week the same time that Grandpa starts.
Tom asked us to go and Sandy went. Paul, Sandy, Kathy and I sat in the waiting room while Tom went to the office. It is really cold today and would have been better if we kept Kathy at home. I will be the one that takes Kathy to class, especially after Tom finds a job.
We did bring Kathy with us while Tom and Sandy ran errands. We paid the rent and other bills and then took Kathy home with us. We fed Kathy lunch and she took time to hug her Santa, after we turned on his light. They stopped by to get Kathy about 4.
Tim called me on the computer (Skype). We had a great talk. We talked for over an hour. I love talking to him. Justin was the only kid still awake so I got to see him for a minute. We talked about everything tonight.
I have trouble in the cold with my asthma. It was pretty chilly out today, but I could control the air I was getting by using a muffler over my face. I hate that. I do it, but I don’t like it. Anyway tomorrow is going to be brutally cold with heavy winds, so we went shopping tonight so that we could stay at home tomorrow.
We ate at Subway before shopping. It was nice to be out of the house.
I ended up having to sit down while Paul finished the shopping. I was watching the young man welcoming everyone. A couple of young girls came in and he was very friendly and chatty with him. In my mind I said, typical. Ok, the next person in was a little old man and this young man greeted him as a friend. I watched as he greeted and said goodbye to all that passed his way. I was impressed. He left everyone with a smile on their face. So there I sat thinking, I should really tell this young man what I am thinking. Just at that point there was a break in the activity at the door and the young man was near to where I was sitting. I crooked my finger and signaled him to come over. Sweet kid did that. I told him my entire thought process about him and complimented him on a job well done. He was pretty happy to hear I wasn’t angry with him, for earlier that night there had been an anonymous complaint. He wondered if I would call the manager and let her know.
When Paul and I got home I called the manager. I could tell when I started she was a little tense and very stiff with me. I started at the beginning when the girls came in and finished with the fact he treated everyone with the same polite, friendly manner. The manager thanked me for calling, for identifying myself and leaving the compliment for the young man. I think that was my give for the day.
December 2, 2009
I prepared to stay at home all day, we are having waves of cold weather sweep over us here. I paid the rest of the bills that I could on line.
I knew I would spend some time on the 29 day gift site. I haven’t welcomed on there since November when I left the Welcome Wagon Group. I noticed that it had been several days since anyone had welcomed, so I welcomed everyone. I welcomed over 150 new members. That took several hours.
I fixed a yummy turkey roast dinner, with mash potatoes, green beans and cranberry sauce. Paul and I enjoyed dinner at the table, and then we went to watch a movie
December 3, 2000
Tom got a call today, Tom’s lawyer was disqualified. Tom still gets to use his original lawyer. But this will mean his divorce won’t be done until sometime next year.
It was Tom’s birthday today. We stopped at Wal-Mart, ate a sandwich at Subway, and picked up the ice cream. We took banana split ice cream over to his house.
Kathy wasn’t happy to see us, she wanted to stay home. I guess we don’t go over often enough when we just are visiting. She wasn’t coming home with us. When she realized we were staying she was happier.
December 4, 2009
Today we had the best surprise; a calendar was delivered from Tim and Michelle with pictures of them on each month. It was the bright spot in our day.
Boy I didn’t keep track of anything, I know it was cold. We watched the movie Star Trek XI tonight.
December 5, 2009
Pretty much the same thing, cold out.
We went to Aldi's today to check it out for Tim. It is like Canned Food Warehouse. Only found white bleached flour, no pastry flour like Michelle was interested in. You have to pay a quarter to get your cart, and then when you check out they take everything from your cart, scan it and put it into another cart. After you pay, you go to the front of the store. There is a wide ledge to work on. You pack you groceries there. It was kind of a mad house today.
December 6, 2009
Too cold to go to church, so we slept in today.
Tom and Sandy brought Kathy over for a few days. First thing she wanted was the Santa to be turned on. She was ok when they left this time.
Just as Tom and Sandy were leaving Tim called using Skype. Michelle would like some white chocolate chips if we could mail them in the next box to them. I can do that.
Kathy is so easy to keep. We watched the new Music Man. I think she really wanted to watch Bing again.
Paul put her to bed. She just goes in, and goes to sleep. I really love that.
December 7, 2009
Tom took a test to become a Census taker. That is why we had Kathy today. Because of his learning disability they gave him the test one on one. He passes and now he and 10,000 others wait to hear who will be hire.
Brutally cold here, Paul went to the store to get whatever we might need over the next few days. He took Kathy with him. She was really excited to go. I stayed home out of the cold air.
After shopping Paul stopped by Burger King and brought dinner home.
We let Kathy eat in front of the TV. We watched a Christmas show on TV.
December 8, 2009
The worse part of the cold will be tomorrow. I let Paul go and get Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. He went by himself. Kathy ate well all day and took long naps. She is learning to steal your nose and then she throws it away into the garbage. Kathy and Grandpa have a running fight over the noses.
Our bed broke early this morning. The ledge that holds the slates for the box spring unglued for some reason. Paul removed the foot board, took off the slates and put the box spring and mattress on the floor. I don’t have to climb on a stool to get into bed for now. Paul will be fixing the frame as soon as possible.
I made spaghetti for dinner tonight. I said to Kathy bring me the sauce. She brought me the applesauce. She loves to help. She really is our entertainment while we are stuck in the house.
December 9, 2009
Kathy slept late, took a long nap and cuddled most of the day. Just before Sandy and Tom got her to pick her up tonight she started to have diarrhea, poor baby. Her nose was all plugged up today and she is really grumpy. Well she is still playing the nose game with Grandpa.
Today she found a box in the office of food that I had not put on the shelf. She kept herself busy for over an hour getting everything in the box to the exactly right place. Once in a while she would look over at me and make sure it was the right place, and of course it always was. She did ask once where to put the marshmallow cream. I said by the applesauce. She could have never reached the third shelf where it belonged. She was very proud of her work.
After all that work in the office she picked up some stuff toys from the living room and took them to her room. Then she grabbed my hand and said come see. In her bed, nice and neat, they were all taking a nap. I told her she really was being a good mommy today.
We fed Kathy dinner before she was picked up tonight. She was very excited to see Sandy and Daddy. She was ready to go home and play with the real dogs. Tonight Paul and I watched Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.
December 10, 2009
I got up kind of early, especially since we were home alone. I could have slept in today. But my eyes opened and that was it. I think I was excited. The temperature was supposed to be warmer today and I thought I would make it out of the house. When I got out of bed it was zero, felt like -13. The high today was 24.
I just hung out in the office playing on the computer. I decided to put together a calendar for Laverne and Violette. I spent hours looking for pictures. Paul called his sister to have her email a current picture of her and her new husband. I warned her if it didn’t come, I would be using old pictures.
Paul’s glasses came in the mail. This afternoon Paul ventured out to go to the store and to get his glasses adjusted. I just couldn’t get myself pumped up enough to try to go outside, maybe tomorrow.
I did get an email from my 7 year old granddaughter. She asked me several questions and told me several things. Each question or piece of information she chose a different color of font. When I wrote back to her I answered the red question with a red font and so on.
Just as I had sent her email back to her I got a Skype call from my son, the teacher, her dad.
Paul and I ate dinner and then we watched TV. These types of days I am not very interesting.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Journaling November 22-30, 2009
November 22, 2009
We didn’t make it to church. Paul woke up and now he is not feeling well. He woke me to tell me he was staying home. My leg is bothering me so much that driving myself was out of the question, so we both went back to sleep.
We both got up later for breakfast. I played on the computer, wrote letters and read stories.
After a little while Paul had to go back to bed. I am going to go and read Cami’s book 29 days of giving. Today it finally dawned me that all three of us have been at various stages of some kind of flu. Kathy and I are starting to feel a little better. I still feel weak and tired, but I think it, whatever it is, finally hit Paul.
November 23, 2009
We went over to the single mom’s apartment to take her and her daughter to their appointment. When we got there the mom was waiting for the police to come and interview her daughter about a separate incident. We drove her to the school to pick up her little girl and take her to the apartments. I let the mom use my phone to call and let the officer know that she was at the house with her daughter. Then she called about the appointment that she had and got the address. It is in the same town that we went to for the dance a half hour drive away. We waited for the officer to come back until we had to go.
It was kind of a gloomy day, but the route to Sedalia is full of history and Civil War era homes so we passed the time away wondering about the history of those big old houses.
Paul and I stayed in the car while they went in for the appointment. The little girl was molested by a cousin. She doesn’t want to talk about it, and she has been acting out quite a bit. The officials are trying to prepare her for court, scary time for a ten year old.
After we finally got back into town we dropped them at home and came home. We watched TV. Then we played on the computer for a while and tried to go to bed early. It really didn’t work. By the time we were ready to sleep it was over 2 again.
November 24, 2009
We actually got out of bed at an almost decent hour. We had to go to the Airbase to try to get my prescriptions. I am almost out of everything.
On the way to the Air Base we saw a B-2 bomber taking off and one landing. What an awesome sight. I have always loved to see the Air Force fly and in this area I get the privilege of watching the newest and best fly.
We have to go through the security at the front gate. Both Paul and I have to show our military ID. We have gone to the clinic a number of times, but today was the first time we actually got things taken care of. We found out today by being enrolled we will be seen by a doctor at the clinic on base. The only time we will have to pay for co-pay is when we have a referral for something off base. I am pretty excited. I was assigned a primary care PA today and they told me that appointments are usually made in a couple of days. Wow. We have to go back tomorrow and see if Fort Leonard Wood will transfer my prescriptions. If not, I will see my new PA next week and get started with him.
We explored a little more today, getting to know the area that we are living in now. It has so much history here. I hope to be able to learn much about the history of this town and those surrounding us.
November 25, 2009
Paul had to be at the VA medical center today for an eye exam. It really was a pretty drive, very sunny out today but cold and blustery. It is about an hour away. We arrived a half hour early like they asked. Paul was seen by a young women doctor.
Paul’s eyes have changed very little and the diabetes has not affected his eyes at all. He picked out his frames. The frames will be mailed to our house in about 3 weeks. He is pretty happy to have new glasses coming. He got travel pay, enough to fill our gas tank and eat.
On the way home we stopped at Bob Evan’s to eat. We both chose to eat omelets for breakfast. Our waitress was very sweet and very good at service. It really was a treat
Today was payday. That used to mean a little more than it does now. We had the dues for our Tri-Care coming out of this check, so we are very short. A little grocery shopping, and we were done for the week.
We watched a movie and went to bed, but we were pretty tired. We had been out of the house all day.
November 26, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving. Our plans for today was to make our dishes to take to my son and his girlfriend’s house, enjoy time with family and come home.
Before the day even started Paul got a phone call from my son, Kathy’s dad. He received a text message that Paul was stranded in Nigeria and needed thousands of dollars to get make home.
My daughter and my sister called with the same message. Then I got an email outlining Paul’s dilemma and wanting money to be sent to him in Nigeria. Someone had hijacked Paul’s MSN account. He tried to get into the account the night before and he couldn’t. He immediately reported the problem, but still could not get into the account.
Then I got an email from a friend. She forwarded the same email that I got to me. I assured her that Paul was here, and that there was absolutely no way that he would mass mail asking for money. She already knew that.
Paul sent out an email to everyone he could think of letting everyone know that his email account had been compromised and he was safe at home.
A few of my friends received the same email and checked with me to see if I had indeed been left at home while Paul traveled. We finally just left for dinner at my son and his girlfriend’s house.
The drive over to their house was incredible. We were feeling quite picked on with the email hijacking. I haven’t seen many hawks since we moved, I hear one in the mornings often, but no sightings. Today on our 30 minute drive we saw no less than 6 different hawks flying in different fields all the way to our destination. The sight of one hawk always lifts my spirit, so by the time we reached the house I felt like I too was soaring.
Dinner was wonderful, ready as we walked into the house. Paul craved the turkey and we all sat down to a wonderfully prepared meal. We enjoyed our time with the family. Kathy came home with us for a couple of days.
When we got home we watched White Christmas with Bing Crosby. When he started to sing Kathy was memorized. She said oh who is he? I told her that was Bing and she watch every move he made the rest of the evening. We had to turn off the movie because it was past her bedtime. She went to bed with the promise she would get to see the rest of the movie tomorrow.
November 27, 2009
Kathy up early, around 6:00. I got up with her. We ate breakfast together and put a puzzle together. Then she watched some TV and played with her toys. I really think she likes the one on one time she gets here from each of us.
Paul got up much later. He sent me to bed. Can you imagine, he said I was a little grumpy? I took a nap. Kathy was able to have one on one time with Grandpa. She was very happy. After they played and watched a little more TV, Grandpa feed her and put her down for a nap. When I got up I felt much better.
We left for Sedalia in the early evening. It was still light when we got to the dollar store. While we were in the store Kathy found a Santa hat that she just couldn’t live without. We bought her the hat because she looked so cute.
From the Dollar Store we went to Burger King for dinner. Kathy wanted to go play. We had to remind her of the rule about eating first before playing. When she realized that we weren’t going to change the rule for her, she ate. This play yard was different than the one she plays on in our town. She had a choice between 4 different slides. She loves wandering around the maze and yelling down at us, making sure that we follow her progress. When we left she was sure it wasn’t time to go, but again, we got to play the boss.
Vanessa called and talked with Kathy. Kathy was looking at lights and chattering, but not really to Vanessa. We could hear Vanessa being coached by someone as to questions she should ask.
We stopped at the hotel that Paul and I went to last week in town. As we walked in Kathy saw 2 large nutcracker figures as tall as grandpa. She would have been happy if that was the end of the tour. But we had her look forward and pointed out a 7 foot tall tree that she could see from the door. She was excited about that, but then as she walked forward she saw two other trees in the entrance of the lobby. Then she turned and saw the big tree. She was so very excited. She checked out all of the ornaments. She saw their Santa figure and was ready to hug him. The lady at the desk had us take her up to the second floor where she could see the lobby from above. Kathy really loves Christmas trees and any Santa that is stuffed or stationary. I posted the pictures of the tree and hotel in a previous blog.
When we got home we watched the rest of White Christmas. It is official. Kathy loves Bing Crosby. She was a little upset when he kissed the leading lady, but she quickly forgave him when he sang one more song.
November 28, 2009
Realized I miscalculated the check book, we are $3.88 short. The check hasn’t gone through yet, but when it does we will be short. Paul has enough cash to cover my mistake, so Monday we will go to the bank.
Kathy loves her Santa hat. She puts it on and is who who whoing all over the house. We can’t get her to say HO HO HO. I have an animated Santa that is almost as tall as Kathy. She loves this Santa (live Santas are evil in Kathy’s mind. She screams if she thinks she has to talk to a live Santa)
When Tom and Sandy came to get Kathy she shared her Santa hat and the new Santa in my house. She asked what that was, I told her it was Santa’s beard. She noticed that Santa didn’t have any hair and asked about that. I told her that Santa was bald. She said oh and began to give Santa Reiki. This Santa in my house is the best loved animated Santa ever.
We cannot get Kathy to hold still for a picture, but when we asked her to hug Santa, she did and she posed for a picture. She spent several minutes posing for pictures and then looking at them with great delight.
They left and Paul and I spent the rest of the evening quietly watching TV. We actually went to bed early.
November 29,
I woke up to a strange dream. In my dream when I woke up my legs and ankles looked great. They were skinny. I thought, how did that happen? Then I realized that all of me was skinny. My friend from Oregon was visiting and Scar the Heart Warrior was visiting. I got out of bed and went to visit with my friends. They didn’t seemed surprised to see a skinny me.
Paul and I both were able to go to church. It was a very good meeting. We stayed for the entire time. Wow, going to bed early makes such a difference when you need to get up at a early hour.
None the less, we took naps after we got home. We really need to get on schedule, Paul will have to be getting up for classes soon.
I made a yummy breakfast for dinner. We spent the day quietly.
My friend from Oregon, the one I dreamed about called. She is going to come see us and spend a few days here. I am so excited. I tried to get her here when I lived near Branson. We would have been able to take her to a few shows. But we will have to find new activities here.
I heard from Scar, the Heart Warrior’s daughter. Scar went into the hospital for tests. They were afraid that she had another heart attack. I sent word to the daughter that I would be sending Reiki.
Now both of my friends that I dreamed about I heard from today. My question is does that mean I will be skinny someday? Now that is a change that I could live with.
I also sent Reiki to my son, the Fed Ex driver. He is going through a rough spot and feels pretty low.
November 30, 2009
We had to go to the bank and fix my mistake today. We drove to Lexington. It is a pretty drive to the bank and usually the traffic is nonexistent. Today we sat in a line of traffic. There was no cars coming toward us and no one was going forward. When we were finally able to move just up the road a bit was a small car totally burned up. I have no idea if anyone was hurt, but there was nothing left of the car except for charred metal.
On the way back to Warrensburg we stopped at a Wal-Mart in a different town. This was the smallest Wal-Mart I have ever seen. We decided to just go on home. Well, actually Paul drove me over to the Air Base. My prescriptions were ready. We saw several hawks hunting on this part of the trip.
We stopped to check with the single mother we drove the other day. She wasn’t at home, but I left her a message. She has been doing her laundry in her tub. We are trying to find a day that she could come and do her laundry at my house.
We got home and ate leftovers. We had a quiet evening. It had been a good day.
This is the last day of November. I have no idea how the year passed so quickly. We have seen lots of changes in our lives, mostly for the good. Just one more month and we will be in a whole new year.
We didn’t make it to church. Paul woke up and now he is not feeling well. He woke me to tell me he was staying home. My leg is bothering me so much that driving myself was out of the question, so we both went back to sleep.
We both got up later for breakfast. I played on the computer, wrote letters and read stories.
After a little while Paul had to go back to bed. I am going to go and read Cami’s book 29 days of giving. Today it finally dawned me that all three of us have been at various stages of some kind of flu. Kathy and I are starting to feel a little better. I still feel weak and tired, but I think it, whatever it is, finally hit Paul.
November 23, 2009
We went over to the single mom’s apartment to take her and her daughter to their appointment. When we got there the mom was waiting for the police to come and interview her daughter about a separate incident. We drove her to the school to pick up her little girl and take her to the apartments. I let the mom use my phone to call and let the officer know that she was at the house with her daughter. Then she called about the appointment that she had and got the address. It is in the same town that we went to for the dance a half hour drive away. We waited for the officer to come back until we had to go.
It was kind of a gloomy day, but the route to Sedalia is full of history and Civil War era homes so we passed the time away wondering about the history of those big old houses.
Paul and I stayed in the car while they went in for the appointment. The little girl was molested by a cousin. She doesn’t want to talk about it, and she has been acting out quite a bit. The officials are trying to prepare her for court, scary time for a ten year old.
After we finally got back into town we dropped them at home and came home. We watched TV. Then we played on the computer for a while and tried to go to bed early. It really didn’t work. By the time we were ready to sleep it was over 2 again.
November 24, 2009
We actually got out of bed at an almost decent hour. We had to go to the Airbase to try to get my prescriptions. I am almost out of everything.
On the way to the Air Base we saw a B-2 bomber taking off and one landing. What an awesome sight. I have always loved to see the Air Force fly and in this area I get the privilege of watching the newest and best fly.
We have to go through the security at the front gate. Both Paul and I have to show our military ID. We have gone to the clinic a number of times, but today was the first time we actually got things taken care of. We found out today by being enrolled we will be seen by a doctor at the clinic on base. The only time we will have to pay for co-pay is when we have a referral for something off base. I am pretty excited. I was assigned a primary care PA today and they told me that appointments are usually made in a couple of days. Wow. We have to go back tomorrow and see if Fort Leonard Wood will transfer my prescriptions. If not, I will see my new PA next week and get started with him.
We explored a little more today, getting to know the area that we are living in now. It has so much history here. I hope to be able to learn much about the history of this town and those surrounding us.
November 25, 2009
Paul had to be at the VA medical center today for an eye exam. It really was a pretty drive, very sunny out today but cold and blustery. It is about an hour away. We arrived a half hour early like they asked. Paul was seen by a young women doctor.
Paul’s eyes have changed very little and the diabetes has not affected his eyes at all. He picked out his frames. The frames will be mailed to our house in about 3 weeks. He is pretty happy to have new glasses coming. He got travel pay, enough to fill our gas tank and eat.
On the way home we stopped at Bob Evan’s to eat. We both chose to eat omelets for breakfast. Our waitress was very sweet and very good at service. It really was a treat
Today was payday. That used to mean a little more than it does now. We had the dues for our Tri-Care coming out of this check, so we are very short. A little grocery shopping, and we were done for the week.
We watched a movie and went to bed, but we were pretty tired. We had been out of the house all day.
November 26, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving. Our plans for today was to make our dishes to take to my son and his girlfriend’s house, enjoy time with family and come home.
Before the day even started Paul got a phone call from my son, Kathy’s dad. He received a text message that Paul was stranded in Nigeria and needed thousands of dollars to get make home.
My daughter and my sister called with the same message. Then I got an email outlining Paul’s dilemma and wanting money to be sent to him in Nigeria. Someone had hijacked Paul’s MSN account. He tried to get into the account the night before and he couldn’t. He immediately reported the problem, but still could not get into the account.
Then I got an email from a friend. She forwarded the same email that I got to me. I assured her that Paul was here, and that there was absolutely no way that he would mass mail asking for money. She already knew that.
Paul sent out an email to everyone he could think of letting everyone know that his email account had been compromised and he was safe at home.
A few of my friends received the same email and checked with me to see if I had indeed been left at home while Paul traveled. We finally just left for dinner at my son and his girlfriend’s house.
The drive over to their house was incredible. We were feeling quite picked on with the email hijacking. I haven’t seen many hawks since we moved, I hear one in the mornings often, but no sightings. Today on our 30 minute drive we saw no less than 6 different hawks flying in different fields all the way to our destination. The sight of one hawk always lifts my spirit, so by the time we reached the house I felt like I too was soaring.
Dinner was wonderful, ready as we walked into the house. Paul craved the turkey and we all sat down to a wonderfully prepared meal. We enjoyed our time with the family. Kathy came home with us for a couple of days.
When we got home we watched White Christmas with Bing Crosby. When he started to sing Kathy was memorized. She said oh who is he? I told her that was Bing and she watch every move he made the rest of the evening. We had to turn off the movie because it was past her bedtime. She went to bed with the promise she would get to see the rest of the movie tomorrow.
November 27, 2009
Kathy up early, around 6:00. I got up with her. We ate breakfast together and put a puzzle together. Then she watched some TV and played with her toys. I really think she likes the one on one time she gets here from each of us.
Paul got up much later. He sent me to bed. Can you imagine, he said I was a little grumpy? I took a nap. Kathy was able to have one on one time with Grandpa. She was very happy. After they played and watched a little more TV, Grandpa feed her and put her down for a nap. When I got up I felt much better.
We left for Sedalia in the early evening. It was still light when we got to the dollar store. While we were in the store Kathy found a Santa hat that she just couldn’t live without. We bought her the hat because she looked so cute.
From the Dollar Store we went to Burger King for dinner. Kathy wanted to go play. We had to remind her of the rule about eating first before playing. When she realized that we weren’t going to change the rule for her, she ate. This play yard was different than the one she plays on in our town. She had a choice between 4 different slides. She loves wandering around the maze and yelling down at us, making sure that we follow her progress. When we left she was sure it wasn’t time to go, but again, we got to play the boss.
Vanessa called and talked with Kathy. Kathy was looking at lights and chattering, but not really to Vanessa. We could hear Vanessa being coached by someone as to questions she should ask.
We stopped at the hotel that Paul and I went to last week in town. As we walked in Kathy saw 2 large nutcracker figures as tall as grandpa. She would have been happy if that was the end of the tour. But we had her look forward and pointed out a 7 foot tall tree that she could see from the door. She was excited about that, but then as she walked forward she saw two other trees in the entrance of the lobby. Then she turned and saw the big tree. She was so very excited. She checked out all of the ornaments. She saw their Santa figure and was ready to hug him. The lady at the desk had us take her up to the second floor where she could see the lobby from above. Kathy really loves Christmas trees and any Santa that is stuffed or stationary. I posted the pictures of the tree and hotel in a previous blog.
When we got home we watched the rest of White Christmas. It is official. Kathy loves Bing Crosby. She was a little upset when he kissed the leading lady, but she quickly forgave him when he sang one more song.
November 28, 2009
Realized I miscalculated the check book, we are $3.88 short. The check hasn’t gone through yet, but when it does we will be short. Paul has enough cash to cover my mistake, so Monday we will go to the bank.
Kathy loves her Santa hat. She puts it on and is who who whoing all over the house. We can’t get her to say HO HO HO. I have an animated Santa that is almost as tall as Kathy. She loves this Santa (live Santas are evil in Kathy’s mind. She screams if she thinks she has to talk to a live Santa)
When Tom and Sandy came to get Kathy she shared her Santa hat and the new Santa in my house. She asked what that was, I told her it was Santa’s beard. She noticed that Santa didn’t have any hair and asked about that. I told her that Santa was bald. She said oh and began to give Santa Reiki. This Santa in my house is the best loved animated Santa ever.
We cannot get Kathy to hold still for a picture, but when we asked her to hug Santa, she did and she posed for a picture. She spent several minutes posing for pictures and then looking at them with great delight.
They left and Paul and I spent the rest of the evening quietly watching TV. We actually went to bed early.
November 29,
I woke up to a strange dream. In my dream when I woke up my legs and ankles looked great. They were skinny. I thought, how did that happen? Then I realized that all of me was skinny. My friend from Oregon was visiting and Scar the Heart Warrior was visiting. I got out of bed and went to visit with my friends. They didn’t seemed surprised to see a skinny me.
Paul and I both were able to go to church. It was a very good meeting. We stayed for the entire time. Wow, going to bed early makes such a difference when you need to get up at a early hour.
None the less, we took naps after we got home. We really need to get on schedule, Paul will have to be getting up for classes soon.
I made a yummy breakfast for dinner. We spent the day quietly.
My friend from Oregon, the one I dreamed about called. She is going to come see us and spend a few days here. I am so excited. I tried to get her here when I lived near Branson. We would have been able to take her to a few shows. But we will have to find new activities here.
I heard from Scar, the Heart Warrior’s daughter. Scar went into the hospital for tests. They were afraid that she had another heart attack. I sent word to the daughter that I would be sending Reiki.
Now both of my friends that I dreamed about I heard from today. My question is does that mean I will be skinny someday? Now that is a change that I could live with.
I also sent Reiki to my son, the Fed Ex driver. He is going through a rough spot and feels pretty low.
November 30, 2009
We had to go to the bank and fix my mistake today. We drove to Lexington. It is a pretty drive to the bank and usually the traffic is nonexistent. Today we sat in a line of traffic. There was no cars coming toward us and no one was going forward. When we were finally able to move just up the road a bit was a small car totally burned up. I have no idea if anyone was hurt, but there was nothing left of the car except for charred metal.
On the way back to Warrensburg we stopped at a Wal-Mart in a different town. This was the smallest Wal-Mart I have ever seen. We decided to just go on home. Well, actually Paul drove me over to the Air Base. My prescriptions were ready. We saw several hawks hunting on this part of the trip.
We stopped to check with the single mother we drove the other day. She wasn’t at home, but I left her a message. She has been doing her laundry in her tub. We are trying to find a day that she could come and do her laundry at my house.
We got home and ate leftovers. We had a quiet evening. It had been a good day.
This is the last day of November. I have no idea how the year passed so quickly. We have seen lots of changes in our lives, mostly for the good. Just one more month and we will be in a whole new year.
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