In The Middle ~ Mad Hatter

Deer season once again!

m.belka@att.net (martie) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 03:17:00 +0000

It seems like 'deer season' rolls around all too fast lately. Tom has left this evening for the U.P. and his annual 2 week deer hunting trip. Although I wonder why he goes every year since there are way more deer in the lower peninsula due to the wolf population in the upper peninsula killing off a lot of the deer. I suspect it has much more to do with he camaraderie with the guys than the actual shooting of a deer!

This year it was much harder to watch him go than the last few years. It is probably due to the fact that he was in the hospital just a couple weeks ago with a 95% blockage in his right coronary artery and they also found an aneurysm that they were also able to fix. The doctors gave him a clean bill of health to go, yet my mind has trouble wrapping around the fact that he will be okay after such a short recovery period. I can't believe a person can be at deaths door one day and two weeks later be okay to travel 12 hours away into a remote area with no easy access to health care if needed. I know I worry too much, but after burying one husband, I am not really looking forward to having to do it again. And for whatever reason, this year I feel more alone than ever before. Perhaps because the kids are all busy with their own families, and the grand kids are growing up and not wanting to come and stay here like they use too. I have the two dogs, but they seem more work than company of late. Probably because one of them is 11 months old and still a puppy and a lot of work. And she pesters the older dog until she gets upset and barks and that drives me nuts. Maybe I am just getting too old for all of this stuff. Plus working part-time most weeks and full-time some weeks, just seems to get me down and depressed to the point of not feeling like doing anything at all. It even seems like a chore to get on the computer and type most nights.

Well, enough complaining...................going to go and read a bit and see if that helps. Until next time.....................

October 26, 2009 ~ Drew's 5th Birthday

m.belka@att.net (martie) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:58:00 +0000

Last time I wrote was around the middle of September and I was talking about some of the leaves already having changed color. Well, here it is toward the end of October and many of the leaves have fallen off the tress already while still in the summer color of green. The wind and the rain has caused them to fall before they even had chance to transform the trees into a beautiful shade for us to enjoy! My best guesstimate would be that half the trees are half bare already. The ones with most of their leaves still hanging on them, are very pretty though. The reds, yellows, oranges, Burgundies and gold ones still mixed with some of the green ones make a very pretty picture to see! I happened to see a tree on Saturday while running errands that had all if not most of its leaves still on. What was so interesting about this tree was that along the top and upper branches, the leaves had begun to turn different colors. Some were gold, some were orange, some were red, etc. All on the same tree with the solid green below it just struck me as being strange, yet beautiful in it's own way. I may just go back and take a pic of it so You can all see what I mean!

Work seems to be going okay............I may be taking my Tuesdays back and giving up the half day on Friday. My co-workers husband has found new employment and they just sold one of the houses they had been fixing up to help make extra money. It had only been on the market for 2 weeks and it sold. I'm happy for them, so she may not need that extra day of Tuesday's that I gave her. I'll talk to her and see what she thinks about it.

Well, if I am ever going to get this computer room organized, now is the time I should be doing it..........so that is what I am off to do. I'll be back..........eventually!

Almost Autumn

m.belka@att.net (martie) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 15:32:00 +0000

Well, I have been very busy.......doing what exactly I don't know. Just working and family stuff mostly. I can't believe that it is almost fall already. I feel as if I have missed the summer season again this year. Not that summer was really very summer like this year. It was a tad bit on the cool side for summer in Michigan. Plus the fact that Amber nor as many grand children came to spend time with us made it seem like school was still in session........sigh! And now that school has started up for this year, they will all be busy doing their own things and we will see them even less. But that is life.............children and grandchildren grow up and actually become people with lives of their own and interests of their own and friends of their own. They are busy just growing up, and that is what life is about after all! Sort of that 'one season following another' type thing. Life follows patterns just as the seasons do.

And speaking of the seasons, I am really looking forward to enjoying this fall season. The trees in Southwest Michigan have begun to change colors........not all of them, but some are beginning to and I am ready to watch and see what kind of a masterpiece the Lord will paint for our enjoyment this year! I love the cool, crisp feel to the air too. To me it just has a different smell to it. But then each season in Michigan does have it's own smell.............and that is one of the reasons I love living here so much. The only thing I would ever change would be the snow. Now mind you, I love to look at it, and even go out and play in it still............what I don't like about it is the accumulation on the road where I must try and navigate to work, the grocery store and anywhere else my errands take me. If we could just do something about keeping it off the roads I would have no complaints at all about the winter time. And now that I've said that, it seems like a good time to close and go outside and enjoy what is left of the beautiful weather that Michigan has to offer.

m.belka@att.net (martie) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 03:36:00 +0000

Well it is happening. Amber is growing up so fast, she is outgrowing us! I know that is the way things go as they become teenagers, still it is hard! It is like letting go of another child and realizing that a part of the relationship you once had is gone and nevermore to be! I just hope she can get the guidence and support that she still needs at her age from her mom or another female figure who is a big part of her life! I miss her so!

My daughter the photographer.............

m.belka@att.net (martie) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 21:17:00 +0000

does an awesome job. She is not a professional, at least not yet, but in my opinion is good enough that she could and should be one!

She took these photos of some of our family, her children, our grandchildren,including some fantastic shots of Amber.

Puppy

m.belka@att.net (martie) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 20:06:00 +0000

Here are the more recent pictures of the pup....although she is only a pup in her actions. She is way too big to be considered a puppy any more. These pics were taken within the last couple of months.
In fact, these first two were taken just last night. She had just finished tormenting us and the other dog, Prancer and was looking for more mischief to get into. I wanted to get some of her before she went to the vet today to be spayed. We both took her so she wouldn't be mad at just one of us. Much to our chagrin, we needn't have felt too badly about it. She went with the vet technician happy as a lark, with tail wagging and never even so much as a glance over her shoulder to see us. I thought she would have looked rather forlorn as we left her with strangers but obviously I thought we were more important than we really are! Although, I am thinking that by the time we pick her up tomorrow morning she will be plenty glad to see us and more than happy to return home. At least I'm trying to convince myself of that!

And this last photo needs an explanation. It is a little dark and I apologize for the lack of photo retouching before I posted it. She had discovered her own reflection in the glass fireplace doors and was jumping at the doors and barking rather furiously at the other dog staring at her. We had a pretty good laugh while she was carrying on. She even took it to the next level of hilarity when she spotted hubs reflection in there too!

Weddings and Graduations

m.belka@att.net (martie) — Wed, 27 May 2009 16:43:00 +0000

Here it is, the end of May. Memorial Day weekend is over and the unofficial start of summer has begun. And with it come the many weddings and graduations that take place in the month of June. My work has been busy helping brides and grooms order wedding invitations and graduates graduation invitations. It is always a busy time of year for that.

I, as you may know, have been filling in for a gal at corporate headquarters the last few weeks while she recovers from her surgery. The time spent there was quite educational really. I learned a lot of what goes on that we don't see while working in a satellite office. I know now that we must be more detailed in taking classfied ads from walk-in customers and those that call on the phone. Classifieds is a very demanding and busy part of the paper I work at. And though it's been educational, I am exhausted from working the extra hours. The position I am filling in for is full-time, and I usually work part-time. I know it's only two more days per week than my usual work week, but it seems to take it's toll. But I will be returning to my office Tuesday, June 2 and it will almost seem like a vacation. I will work the rest of this week and Monday of next week at corporate and then back at 'my' office amd my regular schedule. I have accumulated comp time and am planning on using a couple days in late June. My baby sister is coming home for a visit from Denver and I will take some time off to spend with her and my older sister. I am looking forward to having a good time with my only two siblings!

I had planned on posting some new photos of our pup, Cocoa, but something is wrong with the transfer process from camera to computer. I have some more recent ones than are already posted, but I wanted to post the latest ones too so all could see how much she has grown.

Sunday - the beginning............

m.belka@att.net (martie) — Mon, 04 May 2009 02:51:00 +0000

October 2008 - Grandma and Hub at Grandma's 90 Birthday Party

of another work week. I am supposed to be ironing something to wear to work tomorrow. I seem to be putting it off as long as possible. Perhaps my thinking is that if I don't do it, tomorrow won't come! In all reality I know that won't happen, but in my mind I don't seem able to accept that concept!

It has been a rather ghoulish week for us. Hub's 91 1/2 year old grandma passed away on Monday April 27Th about 4PM. We arrived at about 4:20PM thinking we would be able to say our goodbyes. Grandma couldn't wait........weeks ago she told me that it was 'taking just too damn long to die!' She was more than ready and last summer the doctors informed us that she probably wouldn't see another winter. What did they know? Grandma fooled them all.........she probably stuck around just to embarrass them.....that's the kind of stubborn she was! But she was a dear old lady and I loved her. Coming into the family only 19 short years ago, she didn't have to accept me as a grandchild......yet she did. And she accepted all my kids as great-grandchildren and my grandchildren as great-great grandchildren. She was a classy lady and I learned a lot from her.....too many things to list here. Oh, they weren't things like knitting or any kind of needlecraft.......it was things about life that she had learned and just listening to her I learned. Go in peace Grandma, have that dance with Grandpa Joe in Heaven. I can picture the look upon your face when you met our Maker face to face!

The day of visitation at the funeral home wasn't too difficult for the older ones, but the younger ones......say early 20's and under had a hard time with it all. The only hard time us older ones had was when an old and dear family friend came to pay her respects and dropped dead of a cardiac arrest two feet from Grandma's casket. She wasn't pronounced dead at the funeral home. They took her by ambulance to the nearest hospital but I know she was dead before she even hit the floor. So the day after Grandma's funeral, we had to go back to the same funeral home and the same room to pay our respects to our old and dear family friend.....the only thing we can say about it is that she passed away fast and didn't suffer with friends near her and we were able to contact her family right away.

I have several drafts started and never finished because I ran out of time. I will get to them in the near future I hope, and now I must go and iron, and then turn in for some much needed sleep.

"Cocoa ~ The Not So Magic Magician"

m.belka@att.net (martie) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 02:46:00 +0000

Cocoa is growing every day. Soon she won't be a puppy any more and I'm thinking that might be a good thing! The other day while I was doing dishes and she was laying underfoot once again, she got up and wandered into the dining area. I did have a rather tall round table covered nicely with a floor length table cloth and sitting on top was a lovely plant that had been sent to me by a friend after my open heart surgery 6 years ago.

It's a miracle that I kept it alive and thriving for that long. It WAS the only live plant in the house!

Out of the corner of my eye I saw movement that resembled a magician pulling a table cloth out from under a table set with dishes and silverware. Only this wasn't any magician, it was Cocoa! The plant didn't stay on the table! This is what it looked like.........
........and this is Cocoa after I was done scolding her.

As you can see, she wasn't terribly upset with the scolding she received. She promptly went to sleep and left me to clean up the damage! I hope this isn't going to be a "Marley and Me" type of happening. She doesn't seem to be catching on or at least she is leading me to think that she is not catching on! I really do think that she is highly intelligent and she is manipulating me! Prancer is taking an interest in her. Albeit, it may be an interest that is being forced upon her by Cocoa. Prancer plays with her now and shares her water bowl even though Cocoa thinks she needs to swim in it or wade through it. Prancer just looks at her as if to say "must you put your feet in here when I am trying to drink?"

I keep hoping that Prancer will help train this unruly pup! She has already let her know that she is the alpha female dog and Cocoa has been the recipient of several roll-overs and nips that have made her yipe. Mind you, she has deserved every chastising Prancer has doled out..........and many more that Prancer has let slide! She is learning........but I think she will be in the puppy stage for at least a year and a half no matter if she attains her full growth by then!

But she has captivated our hearts and we wouldn't give her up for anything.........unless.......NO, I mustn't think that way. Here is a photo of her from two nights ago..........see how big she is getting!

Geese flying

m.belka@att.net (martie) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 19:17:00 +0000

Geese flying
Originally uploaded by groovyholly

While driving to work the other morning, I spotted a formation of geese flying north. A sure sign that spring is on its way! As I travelled further down the road, I saw another group in the same 'v' formation heading in the same direction. There are other signs too. The maple trees in my backyard are beginning to bud. I haven't seen any growth of my flowers that come back every year, but I am sure they are just lying dormant, waiting for the mositure and sun to coax them into pointing their little heads up for all to see and rejoice in.

It has been a very long, hard winter in Michigan, as well as elsewhere, I'm sure. And I imagine that every one of you is as anxious for spring to arrive as I am. I even heard one of our local meteorlogists say that he was tired of winter and ready for spring!

It is beautiful outside today. The thermometer says it's only 43º out there but I was out sitting in just my jeans, shoes and sweater keeping an eye on Cocao and Prancer and it certainly felt warmer than that in the sun. In fact, I'm wondering what I am doing inside on such a nice day off? So I will end this and head back out to the great outdoors and enjoy it while I can!

Keeps me laughing.........

m.belka@att.net (martie) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 03:23:00 +0000

this new puppy of ours! She is so funny to watch. She finds so much fun in every day things. Playing with an empty tissue box, an empty paper bag or a door stop. You know, the ones on a spring that are behind the doors to keep them from hitting the wall when you open them.

And she found herself in a mirror this morning while I was getting ready for work and I stopped and watched her growl and jump at herself and begin to bark as if she were some huge ferocious beast! I couldn't help but laugh at her antics. She thought she was so tough. And all the while, you could tell that she was actually afraid of whatever she saw in the mirror.

Prancer still is not fond of her, but is growing more tolerant of her with each passing day and sometime while outside together she will even play for short periods of time with Cocoa.

Hopefully some day, Prancer will like her! Keeping my fingers crossed on this one!

Here Cocoa is in one of her quiet spells.............they don't last for very long!

Another 4 legged fur child!

m.belka@att.net (martie) — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 23:08:00 +0000

Well, we've had a stretch of some warmer weather and sunshine and it spoiled us and made us want more. Mother Nature played a dirty trick and sent a cold snap and more snow to replace the snow that had basically all melted away. When we woke up this morning we had around 3 inches of snow on the ground, but a lot of that has compacted as it sat, so there is maybe 1 1/2 inches left. And that will soon melt away. I know that spring is just around the corner and everyone is anxious for it to arrive. It has been one long, cold and snowy winter!

Amber is here for the weekend. She came Thursday evening so I could take her to her orthodontist appointment yesterday morning. And when we came home, we called and Drew came and spent the night while his mommy and daddy had a night away with friends. They have since picked him up and Amber has gone with Bumpa to take our newest puppy back to her momma. She was over here for a visit to get acquainted with Prancer and the surroundings. It didn't go to badly. This was her second visit and Prancer actually played outside with this little pup for a short time.

These pics are of her on her first visit here last week just before all the snow melted. We are naming her Cocoa and she is 3/4 Lab and 1/4 Australian Shepard. We are hoping they will become companions and fast friends and enjoy one another! We know we will enjoy both of them. Cocoa has already caught on to which door she should go to when she needs to go 'potty'. She seems really smart and with Prancer's help, I'm hoping she will be as easy to train as Prancer was. Sometimes I wonder about the brilliance of getting a puppy while I am gone three full days a week, but she will be in a kennel in the house while we are gone until she can be trusted. Perhaps my judgement is getting worse as I get older! Ha-ha-ha!

And I almost forgot this, but my good blogging friend Smalltown RN presented me with this award. And she was given the award by 'Peppylady'. It's her "Encouragement Award" Whenever Peppylady visits a blog she ends her comments by saying "Coffee's on". Peppylady says this award represents the encouragement people provide her and that the coffee is on and are ready to listen, encourage and even advise. Thank you Smalltown RN for giving it to me. Now I must think of those that I will give it too. This is most difficult as there are many who are great listeners and really deserve this award. I will have to chose:

Pearl at Cameo and Lace

Lori at Thoughts of Laurel

Renee at FroggieMom

And it's not as if these are the only ones who have earned this award........there are many out there who have offered support and encouragement to many over the years. Now I leave it to these three to pass it on to those they find deserving.

One day closer to Spring!

m.belka@att.net (martie) — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 17:42:00 +0000

As this is the last day of January and the end of the first month of 2009, the snow keeps piling up. The only thing, at this stage, that keeps me going is to awaken every morning thinking "we are one day closer to Spring"!

I think we have had more snow this 2008-2009 season than we have had in years. This could end up being one of the coldest and snowiest winters on record for the state. Not that I'm looking forward to setting any new records for that. As far as I'm concerned, the sooner the temps rise above the freezing mark(and they haven't at all this month)and this snow begins to melt I will be considerably happier!

Of course, by the time summer gets here with it's high humidity, we will be trying to cool the inside of the house down to a lower temp than we are trying to raise it to now! Seems like a crazy thing to do, doesn't it? If only we could channel some of this frigid air to use in the summertime.........ah, now that would be ideal!

I have discovered one good thing about winter though. The lack of bugs! No mosquitoes, no bees, no ants......well except for the occasional stray one that finds it's way onto my kitchen floor. Oh yes, and the spiders that somehow seem to survive as uninvited guests in my home. I feel the need to squash them both like.........well, like bugs!

Christmas traditions

m.belka@att.net (martie) — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 03:32:00 +0000

Christmas traditions at our house mean a lot to us. There has only been two years since I was 23 that I have had to decorate the tree alone. My children use to partake in this activity until they grew up, moved out and had their own tree to decorate and their own traditions to establish.

This year I was lucky enough to have the pleasure of Amber's company here to help decorate the tree. Here is a photo of her hanging up an ornament on a partially decorated tree. The next photo is one of "Bumpa", Amber and Drew warming their feet by the fireplace. This isn't a tradition, but Bumpa thinks we should make it one! Bumpa thinks any time he is laying down in front of the fireplace should be turned into a family tradition! In all fairness to Bumpa, he has been working 6 and 7 days a week lately, so I'm sure laying down anywhere, anytime feels good to him!
We also make several different kinds of cookies for the holidays. This year we baked peanut butter, oatmeal, chocolate chip, snickerdoodles and sugar cookies. We even decorated the sugar cookies, but with little ones helping with the frosting, I think more cookies and frosting were eaten than decorated.

Something new that Amber and I did this year was to make a Gingerbread house and decorate it. It came as a kit, but let me tell you they are not as easy as they sound. We both got a little frustrated but she did most of it with minimal supervision and this is the finished product......... I don't think it turned out too badly, do you?

Opening Day of Gun Season in Michigan!

m.belka@att.net (martie) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 15:28:00 +0000

Deer hunting fast approaches...............
........and we are right back to being so busy at work and hubby volunteering for overtime (read working 10 hour days, 6 days a week) that we have no time for each other. And this is the part I hate about him going deer hunting to the U.P. for just over 2 weeks. I can deal with the 2 weeks he is gone. In fact it's kind of a vacation for me....less laundry, no cooking if I don't want too, etc. But it's the preparation before he goes and the many hours he feels he must work that take time away from 'us', that really pisses me off. I have told him angrily, and told him pleadingly, and told him nicely. And HE. JUST. DOESN'T. GET. IT! Is it possible for a man to be so dense in the head? I guess the answer is a resounding YES.......makes no sense to me!

I'm going to try!

m.belka@att.net (martie) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 03:59:00 +0000

I mean really hard, to post more frequently. I miss it and the camaraderie that I get from blogging. But there just honestly hasn't been time. I'm working more hours than I had ever planned on when I went back; 25.5 hours per week actually. Yes, it's still part-time and I have a long 4-day weekend every week with Monday and Friday's off, but it still is hard to meet all the obligations I want too.

So on the first day of this month, I am going to try and post at least once a week. But don't hold your breath just in case!

I'm back but only briefly, I...............

m.belka@att.net (martie) — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 02:37:00 +0000

don't want to let my good friend Winter down. She tagged me to list 5 random things about me. So here goes:

1.) Both of my parents died before I was 21 years old. My dad was killed by a drunk driver when I was 17, and my mom died 3 years later.........both were 49 years old. I was in college then and was going to go into elementary education, but I had to quit to take care of a younger sister who was still in high school and make money to support her so she could continue her education just to graduate from high school. It was a tough time for both of us........we grew up quick and made it in this big old world!

2.) My first husband passed away from malignant melanoma when I was 29 and my children were 7, almost 4 and 2 1/2. I remained single until I was over 40 and was lucky enough to find a good man to take on a ready made family with the same beliefs I had. We blended his two children and my three and it WORKED! He is very similar to my first husband, and he is my HERO!

3.) I have just been blessed with my 20th grandchild, a boy. Only 19 are living as we lost one in a premature delivery to stillbirth. The more the merrier I always say!

4.) I have had 3 heart attacks, one angioplasty, a quadruple bypass surgery and one stent placed in my heart..........and I feel fine!

5.) I love it when I can gather as many children and grandchildren together for a special occasion, such as Christmas, or the 4th of July or Thanksgiving or some other fun holiday!

Now, I am supposed to tag 5 others, so I tag Janeywan, Yvonne, Lori, MaryAnne and Clew!

I'm fine...........

m.belka@att.net (martie) — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 13:58:00 +0000

but I think I need a break from the world of blogging. Thought I had better leave a message for anyone who is a regular reader so as not to worry anyone. I will be taking a break..........I don't know for how long. Knowing me, it could be a long time or a short time such as a few days to a week. But please don't worry...........I think I will be back eventually!

m.belka@att.net (martie) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 23:42:00 +0000

The past week hasn't been much different than the last few weeks. Some of the family obligations have been reduced a tad, but not eliminated! As a matter of fact, one of Grandma's daughters and the sister of the uncle who was in the Veterans Facility in Ann Arbor was in an awful accident a couple days ago and rolled her vehicle. She has several upper body injuries, including both arms and has already had surgery to try and repair the damage. Both arms are broken, the left is much worse than the right and is broken in several different places. The uncle has been release from the Veteran's Facility and is now home and learning to cope with his disabilities on his own. Grandma has been released from the hospital, after fooling the doctors, and making a good recovery for someone who will be 91 on October 13th. She is in a lovely nursing facility doing physical rehabilitation to gain strength so she can return home. They are talking about letting her go home this coming Tuesday. She has already asked me if I can be there. I can't. Tuesday is my normal day to work, and I would rather be at work. I know that sounds terrible of me, but I can't help it. I have done so much already, that I just want to return to my normal life. And Uncle Jim has asked me to take him to the Doctors Monday morning and I have already told him 'no'. I do have to work Monday afternoon and am not sure I would be back in time anyway.........so that was a break for me.

Now here's a coincidence for you. I have a dear friend who I have talked with about learning to say 'no' to people. She volunteered to e-mail me daily with the word "NO". Anyway, I just received an e-mail from her with exactly that message in it. Thank you, my dear friend! I guess I need her to look out for me and perhaps she was thinking about me and sent me the message to assure me I was doing the right thing. So that about sums it all up for now. I want you all to leave a thank you for my guardian angel, Shawny!

m.belka@att.net (martie) — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 04:15:00 +0000

This week has been busy for me with working and running around for grand children and babysitting. I wouldn't change any of it though.

Only had to work one day this week plus go in early one morning for a staff meeting, but the fun part has been keeping busy with two of the grand children.

First, I got to pick Amber up at 9:30 AM Thursday in Muskegon to take her to her orthodontist appointment. We had a lovely day together in spite of her mouth being a little sore from having work done on her braces! I hadn't seen her in several weeks and I had been missing her. Her mother okayed for her to miss school on Friday and spend two nights here before returning her to Pentwater Saturday around 1 PM in order for her to cheer in the football game. She only ended spending Thursday night and all day Friday with me before she asked if she could go spend the night with her daddy. What am I going to do .........tell her 'no'! Not! So I took her 15 miles south to her dad's house tonight and she had supper with him and he will bring her back in the morning in time for me to take her back to Pentwater......a 101.2 mile trip......one way!

Plus we had Drew today. He is such a funny little boy! He just cracks me up. He went home around 5 PM, but they called and were in a bind and asked if he could come back around 6:45 for about an hour. I told them yes, of course! So when they dropped him off, I was in the process of making supper. Once that was out of the way with, Bumpa proceeded to fall asleep in his recliner which was the perfect opportunity for Drew to find some stickers and 'decorate' Bumpa with them! This photo shows what a good time Drew was having!

This next photo shows Bumpa waking up after he had taken a look at what Drew had done. As you can see, Drew was pretty proud of his art endeavor! Gotta love the work of an almost 4 year old!!!!

Not enough hours in a day.........

m.belka@att.net (martie) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:36:00 +0000

to get everything done! I've been working extra hours at work, filling in for the gal that got married and thinks she needed a honeymoon. Imagine that!!! Trying to keep up with all the normal housework and meeting extended family obligations has not afforded me much time to do anything else or anything for myself. I was barely able to fit in a haircut a week or so ago!

Hub's 90 year old grandma has been in the hospital since sometime last month and was not expected to make it. She has since been moved to a nursing home temporarily so she can get some physical rehab to regain some strength before she returns to her home to live out what ever time she has left. Of course, the entire family is being asked to make adjustments in their daily life's in order to accommodate and have a family member with her at all times. This will prove to be a difficult feat to manage. Those of us who have always been there to help, will continue to do so, but those who haven't taken the time to even stop in for a short visit the last few years will be absent as usual, putting the responsibilities on the rest of us!

And if that isn't enough, hub's uncle who has been in the Veterans Hospital in Ann Arbor is coming home today. He's been there since May 12Th. I went to his apartment last night and cleaned it once again, so he would have a clean environment to come home too. They actually wanted me to go to Battle Creek and pick him up today at 3 PM, but I told a little white lie and said I wouldn't be out of work in time to get him. Truth be told, I didn't have to work today, but didn't feel I could go and help him into my car, fold up his wheelchair and walker and put them in my car without hurting my own back. But I think I've really done enough!

Sweet Lady!

m.belka@att.net (martie) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 17:28:00 +0000

This is a photo of my hubby and his Grandmother at her 90th Birthday Party, October 2007.

My hubby's grandmother is in the hospital.........intensive care heart unit. She is almost 91 years old and is so ready to go. She is losing her sight due to Macular Degeneration in both eyes and can no longer drive her car, which she did up until a few months ago. She has had to become dependent on others and that has grated on her ever since, in her words, 'she's been grounded'! She has been in the hospital for a few days now and they have unhooked all IV's and monitors except for oxygen and pain meds to keep her comfortable. She tried ripping all the IV's out Sunday night and telling them that it was just taking way too long. Instead of trying to sustain her life they are just going to let nature take it's course. I totally agree with them. As long as she has all her mental capabilities about her and has plainly told them her directives about life support, they should just let her go. We will miss this dear, sweet lady, but it is time for her to go 'home' to her maker and her loved ones who have passed before her. Rest peacefully, Grandma, until the time comes! I love you!

August 6th

m.belka@att.net (martie) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 03:47:00 +0000

I notice that none of the usual bloggers have been blogging as much as in the past. I think we have all gotten busy with 'real life'.

Things have been in an uproar for us. I was expecting Ame and her girls to come for a visit this summer, but unfortunately it didn't work as we had planned. I miss them, but perhaps there will be a better time for them to visit. My door is always open....!

Sunday hubby was in the local ER and was admitted to the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. He hadn't felt well all day and by the time he told me, even I could tell by looking at him that something was wrong and he needed some immediate medical care.

He did not have a heart attack according to the heart enzyme blood work, but his EKG was showing some significant changes from his last EKG in Jan. after his stress test. They did a heart cath procedure the next day and found nothing unusual. So after resting and recovering for about 3 hours, he was released and I was allowed to bring him home. I have made follow up appointments with his PCP and the Heart doctor so we can get to the bottom of all of this. This is what I mean about 'real life' getting in the way!

Hope things are good for everyone else out there!

Happy Birthday!

m.belka@att.net (martie) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:46:00 +0000

Here it is, the first of August once again. And my late, first husband's birthday. Today he would be 67 years old. I can't even imagine what he might look like. The picture I have of him in my mind is that of a healthy 34 year old man who was strong physically and had a gentle heart. He has spent more birthdays in heaven than he spent on this earth and I know he is happier there than he ever could be here!

And I received a present today! It was a call from my present hub, telling me that after one week on second shift, they are putting him back on first. They have created a new position and he was offered it first. It is a labor grade 10 and he was a labor grade 9 before, so it will mean more money for him. He will have to be trained and qualified for this position and that will take 90 days. So we are at least guaranteed at least three months on first shift this time. They told him that it will only be a first shift position, but we know they have lied to him before so we know that the possibility of having to return to second shift will always remain in his future. But we will take the 90 days of first shift and enjoy it while we can.

What is Normal?

m.belka@att.net (martie) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:08:00 +0000

Well, that didn't last long. Hub got to spend three weeks on first shift and they are telling him that as of Monday he must return to second shift once again. Seems the job he signed for was only temporary as the gal who had it was off on disability. Would have been nice if they had been up-front about it and told him at the get go. He never would have signed for it and accepted it knowing it would only be a short time and he would be required to return to second shift. That stuff is hard on a body always adjusting sleep habits, timing of medications that he needs, etc.

It's hard on all of us. I must once again adjust to being a married woman who attends every single family function that is held in the evenings (except on Sunday) as a single woman. Always the fifth wheel and driving by myself. It also limits the timing for having the grandkids spend the night and or a few days with me. It's not so bad for the older ones, they are fairly quiet and can still do it. But the younger ones who tend to be loud and cry much more frequently when they don't get their own way, it becomes next to impossible because their noise in the morning has a way of disturbing hubs' sleep and wakes him up before he has had enough sleep to go to work on again for that night.

We are both unhappy about this, but we must accept it. Besides, he still has a job! Not like a lot of people in this state who are laid off, or the companies they worked for have moved to another state or just closed their doors. So I guess, even though I'm complaining about it, and I'm still not happy, I will try to make the best of it and thank the good Lord that he is still gainfully employed and bringing home a paycheck every week.

BTW, the above photo is part of the process of manufacturing office furniture which is what hubby does for a living.