I was called a little girl today which seems pretty ridiculous since I am only a couple months shy of my 60th birthday! Of course the person calling me "little girl" was a gentlemen in his 80's or 90's.
I better start at the beginning. I had a very busy day planned today so I headed out bright and early to a Wal-Mart. Upon arriving the parking lot seemed quite empty. I ran in and got what I needed and was hurrying to get back to my car for the drive home. A car backed up without looking and hit me! I didn't fall down or anything and the man driving the car was the above mentioned gentlemen. He had what I am supposing was his wife with him and she was hollering at him. And she was crying after he hit me. He was crying too! I felt so sorry for them. He kept saying "I'm so sorry little girl, I'm so sorry. Are you sure you're alright little girl?" I guess when you are in your 80's or 90's someone my age must seem like a "little girl". If my left knee didn't feel as if it were on fire, I might have thought of the referral as a compliment!
After reassuring them both that I was fine, I gave them a wide berth to finish backing out of the parking spot and head for wherever else they might be going......hopefully home to park the car!
Tonight the outside of my knee, well actually just slightly above it where that muscle is, is swollen and is starting to bruise a little.
If the driver and his wife hadn't been so upset by the whole ordeal, I might have actually been a little angry. But, they were really quite nice about the whole thing.
This is, however, why I believe that elderly people should not be given driver's licenses without taking a new road test!
But this "little girl" is now going to head off to bed! Nighty-night!!
Monday, March 27, 2006
Thursday, March 23, 2006
A good kind of busy!
I have had a very busy and hectic week so far. I'm glad that it's Thursday night and the week is almost done.
Monday I spent the entire day at the hospital with my cousin. She hadn't been feeling well and scheduled an appointment with her primary care physician who in turn contacted a cardioligist who scheduled a nuclear stress test that didn't come out the way everyone had hoped. As a result, the cardioligist scheduled a heart cath and my cousin requested my presence since I have experienced this myself. This cousin is the daughter of my beloved most recently departed aunt. How could I tell her "No"? The heart cath didn't go well either. They had to transport her via ambulance to a larger Heart Center to have a stent placed in an artery that had a 90% blockage in it. She begged me not to leave her, so I went to the Heart Center with her. The results of the stent placement were excellent. She came through with flying colors and seems to think that my being there made all the difference in the world! I keep telling her that the knowledge of the Doctors with the guidance of GOD are what made the difference, nothing I did or didn't do. She agrees with that assessment, but still thinks somehow I made a difference.......I have given up trying to convince her otherwise.
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are filled with watching Drew for M & G. He is a delightful little boy with an infectious smile and a laugh loaded into a body that is perpetually in motion! He can make me tired just watching him move. However, I find it necessary to get on the floor and play with him. Even though it physically exhausts me I find the interaction with him well worth it. I wish everyone could hear him laugh....it starts somewhere in his toes and works its way up and out and I can't help laughing too when I hear it! Since both my parents passed away before they ever saw any of their grandchildren I feel so fortunate to not only have lived to see fourteen of them so far but also that I am in good enough health to still be able to get on the floor and play with them.
I am a very lucky woman!
Monday I spent the entire day at the hospital with my cousin. She hadn't been feeling well and scheduled an appointment with her primary care physician who in turn contacted a cardioligist who scheduled a nuclear stress test that didn't come out the way everyone had hoped. As a result, the cardioligist scheduled a heart cath and my cousin requested my presence since I have experienced this myself. This cousin is the daughter of my beloved most recently departed aunt. How could I tell her "No"? The heart cath didn't go well either. They had to transport her via ambulance to a larger Heart Center to have a stent placed in an artery that had a 90% blockage in it. She begged me not to leave her, so I went to the Heart Center with her. The results of the stent placement were excellent. She came through with flying colors and seems to think that my being there made all the difference in the world! I keep telling her that the knowledge of the Doctors with the guidance of GOD are what made the difference, nothing I did or didn't do. She agrees with that assessment, but still thinks somehow I made a difference.......I have given up trying to convince her otherwise.
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are filled with watching Drew for M & G. He is a delightful little boy with an infectious smile and a laugh loaded into a body that is perpetually in motion! He can make me tired just watching him move. However, I find it necessary to get on the floor and play with him. Even though it physically exhausts me I find the interaction with him well worth it. I wish everyone could hear him laugh....it starts somewhere in his toes and works its way up and out and I can't help laughing too when I hear it! Since both my parents passed away before they ever saw any of their grandchildren I feel so fortunate to not only have lived to see fourteen of them so far but also that I am in good enough health to still be able to get on the floor and play with them.
I am a very lucky woman!
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Keeping fingers crossed....
in the hopes that "blogger" stays up and running so I can post something new today. I have tried to access the site for 2 days now with no luck and even earlier today I was unable to post even though I could get to my blog. It wasn't just mine, there were several of them that were affected by the ongoing problems of "the blog world". Let's hope that the problems are now solved and things can function normally again.
A fellow blogger dedicated his most recent post about his grandmother to me. I feel very honored that he did this and I understand his reasons for doing so. Thank you, Stephen, for knowing that I would understand your feelings.
Friday, my usual granddaughter turned 11 years old. She didn't come to our house this weekend.....busy celebrating her birthday with her girlfriends, but she will probably come next weekend and we will have a small family celebration for her then. She wants to go to the "Build-A-Bear" store for her birthday present so we will most likely take her there and she can build her own bear. One of my other granddaughters did this and had a blast so it should be fun for her too.
In honor of her birthday, I am posting a picture of her with my dog. Many of you have asked what kind of dog I have and I have told you she is a mixed breed with her mother being a pure-bred boxer and her father a "sneaky neighborhood dog" although I stongly suspect he may have been at least part german shepard. She is unique in appearance and is a great companion for the usual granddaughter and her fur is just the right length for soaking up the tears of a young girl when grandma must on occasion say "no"!
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Winter Returns!!
Well, I'm glad I got to get outdoors and enjoy the nice weather while we had it. Winter has returned here. After temperatures flirting with 60-some degrees and bright sunshine and blue skies the weather is now cold (30 degrees not factoring in the wind chill) and snowy. I can't believe that just yesterday we were under a "tornado watch" and the winds were gusting to 60-70 mph and the night before last we had a terrific thunderstorm. I guess it was ushering in a cold front that has now arrived and is most unwelcome!
I finally have finished our taxes and hubby is pleased that we are getting a refund from both state and federal. I hate gathering all the info together that I need to do the taxes even if I do keep it all in one area....I still have to sort through it and it always stresses me out somewhat. But it's done now and I don't have to worry about it for another year!
I received a sad phone call the other day. A friend and neighbor from a previous neighborhood passed away. She was 57. Way to young. She had stopped by to visit me a couple weeks ago and we drank coffee and visited and laughed and caught up on each others lifes. It was a great visit and it lasted about 3 hours! She leaves behind her husband, one son and two daughters and at least 10 grandchildren. She didn't feel well and went to bed Friday night and had a heart attack in her sleep and passed away. No pain, no suffering....very peaceful. For that we can be grateful. Life is short and we never know what it holds for us or our loved ones. I will miss you my friend!
I finally have finished our taxes and hubby is pleased that we are getting a refund from both state and federal. I hate gathering all the info together that I need to do the taxes even if I do keep it all in one area....I still have to sort through it and it always stresses me out somewhat. But it's done now and I don't have to worry about it for another year!
I received a sad phone call the other day. A friend and neighbor from a previous neighborhood passed away. She was 57. Way to young. She had stopped by to visit me a couple weeks ago and we drank coffee and visited and laughed and caught up on each others lifes. It was a great visit and it lasted about 3 hours! She leaves behind her husband, one son and two daughters and at least 10 grandchildren. She didn't feel well and went to bed Friday night and had a heart attack in her sleep and passed away. No pain, no suffering....very peaceful. For that we can be grateful. Life is short and we never know what it holds for us or our loved ones. I will miss you my friend!
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
I AM GOING TO LIVE!
Well, I actually think I am recovering and I will live! I still can't talk much beyond squeaking but some words are audible and understandable. Woohoo!! Progress is wonderful. On the down side of getting well, I found out that naive and hubby and 14-month old Drew, are all sick. Drew has bronchitis like me, and naive and hubby have the flu, according to their doctor. I personally think he is crazy and they have bronchitis too since they sound exactly like Drew and me! But, he has the degree in medicine not me, so who am I to tell him differently.
I am feeling considerably better than I had been feeling and since today was so "springy" I decided to spend some time outdoors. The sun was shining and the temperature was into the low 50's and it was very pleasant. The meteorologists are predicting strong thunderstorms for our area starting sometime tonight and lasting a couple days so I wanted to enjoy the nice spring-like weather while I had the chance.
The trees are beginning to bud. Off to the right outside my back door is a maple tree and the buds on it are very large and red. They almost look like red velvet and I wished I could reach up and touch them to see if they felt as soft as they looked! To the left of my door is an area that contains day lilies and I could see that there were several of them poking up through the soft brown earth relishing in the warmth of the sun like me. It was so nice that I hated to see the day end and am not looking forward to the upcoming storms. But, without the rain we can't have the flowers and without the bad weather we would never truly appreciate the good weather.....so I guess we will take the bad along with the good and hush up about it.
I am feeling considerably better than I had been feeling and since today was so "springy" I decided to spend some time outdoors. The sun was shining and the temperature was into the low 50's and it was very pleasant. The meteorologists are predicting strong thunderstorms for our area starting sometime tonight and lasting a couple days so I wanted to enjoy the nice spring-like weather while I had the chance.
The trees are beginning to bud. Off to the right outside my back door is a maple tree and the buds on it are very large and red. They almost look like red velvet and I wished I could reach up and touch them to see if they felt as soft as they looked! To the left of my door is an area that contains day lilies and I could see that there were several of them poking up through the soft brown earth relishing in the warmth of the sun like me. It was so nice that I hated to see the day end and am not looking forward to the upcoming storms. But, without the rain we can't have the flowers and without the bad weather we would never truly appreciate the good weather.....so I guess we will take the bad along with the good and hush up about it.
Friday, March 03, 2006
Azithromycin Pak (Super Anti-biotic)
Went to the doctor this afternoon and he was almost positive that I had pneumonia so he did some chest x-rays. NOPE! Not pneumonia......Bronchitis. He said that by all the squeaks he could hear in my lungs he was surprised not find any fluid there. He also said it was a good thing that I came in when I did or it would probably have progressed to pneumonia and he would rather treat bronchitis than pneumonia! This is my primary care physician and it is the first time he has taken a chest x-ray since my bypass surgery almost 4 years ago. He made an attempt to be a comic by saying, and I quote, "look at all that wire in there; it goes right through your sternum. There's more wire in there than in the fence in my backyard!" Very funny doctor (rolling eyes)!
So I took two of these pills this afternoon when I got home and I will only have to take one a day for the next four days and that should take care of it. Hooray!! He said this anti-biotic remains in your system for about 10 days so it keeps on working.
My ribs and muscles are so dang sore from all the coughing that I can hardly move in certain positions......like laying down and getting up hurts! And I am trying really hard to not cough......that's the worst. Even sneezes are a pain. I think that I will sleep half sitting up in the recliner tonight to perhaps stop the coughing as much as possible. Besides, I don't want to keep hubby awake since he has to work tomorrow.
So, I am feeling a little better and I should be fever free tomorrow morning.....woohoo! That will seem nice.....and I might even feel like taking a shower and getting dressed! Maybe I can even see Clew and Naive tomorrow when they return from their overnight scrapping party.
Thanks to all of you for your thoughts and prayers. They are appreciated! ;) Now I'm heading off to try and get some rest.
So I took two of these pills this afternoon when I got home and I will only have to take one a day for the next four days and that should take care of it. Hooray!! He said this anti-biotic remains in your system for about 10 days so it keeps on working.
My ribs and muscles are so dang sore from all the coughing that I can hardly move in certain positions......like laying down and getting up hurts! And I am trying really hard to not cough......that's the worst. Even sneezes are a pain. I think that I will sleep half sitting up in the recliner tonight to perhaps stop the coughing as much as possible. Besides, I don't want to keep hubby awake since he has to work tomorrow.
So, I am feeling a little better and I should be fever free tomorrow morning.....woohoo! That will seem nice.....and I might even feel like taking a shower and getting dressed! Maybe I can even see Clew and Naive tomorrow when they return from their overnight scrapping party.
Thanks to all of you for your thoughts and prayers. They are appreciated! ;) Now I'm heading off to try and get some rest.
Thursday, March 02, 2006
DOCTOR DOCTOR
When should a grown up result to calling the doctor? When is it justified? After 4 days of running a fever between 100.3 and 101.7 and feeling like crap I am debating on if I should call the Dr. or wait until my scheduled appointment on Monday for my semi-monthly TUNE-UP! I hate to go through the whole weekend sick and not having any medicine to take if needed for this crap.
At first, I thought it was just a cold, but I have never run a fever with just a cold! I had a flu shot last October so I shouldn't have gotten such a severe case of flu, if indeed thats what this is. Although after several bouts with pneumonia over the years I'm thinking that is what it feels like. As long as I take ibuprophen every 4 hours the fever stays down and I don't feel too bad. Except of course from the sore muscles and ribs from coughing so violently which causes me to toss my cookies! I know, gross, but there isn't a nice way to say it.
I have tried taking Coricidin HPB Chest Congestion and Cough pills (that's the only medicine over the counter I can take for these symptoms due to heart disease and hypertension and the prescription drugs I am on) but they don 't really seem to be helping at all.
I guess I will call the Doctors office first thing in the morning and let them make the decision of weather or not I need to be seen. After all, what's another Dr. bill, huh?
At first, I thought it was just a cold, but I have never run a fever with just a cold! I had a flu shot last October so I shouldn't have gotten such a severe case of flu, if indeed thats what this is. Although after several bouts with pneumonia over the years I'm thinking that is what it feels like. As long as I take ibuprophen every 4 hours the fever stays down and I don't feel too bad. Except of course from the sore muscles and ribs from coughing so violently which causes me to toss my cookies! I know, gross, but there isn't a nice way to say it.
I have tried taking Coricidin HPB Chest Congestion and Cough pills (that's the only medicine over the counter I can take for these symptoms due to heart disease and hypertension and the prescription drugs I am on) but they don 't really seem to be helping at all.
I guess I will call the Doctors office first thing in the morning and let them make the decision of weather or not I need to be seen. After all, what's another Dr. bill, huh?
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
No time to post....
I have been so busy lately that I haven't had the time to think of anything creative to post. And now I have been sick for the last two days ~ running a fever and hacking and coughing and aching, etc. I have visited all my favorite blogs, but haven't even had the energy to type any comments.
So until I feel better and have a spell of creativity this is all there is. And now I am exhausted and I'm going to nap. ZZZZZZZZZ
So until I feel better and have a spell of creativity this is all there is. And now I am exhausted and I'm going to nap. ZZZZZZZZZ
Thursday, February 23, 2006
More Arctic Cold?!
While searching through paperwork looking for information to complete our tax filing I came across this poem. I don't know who wrote it......it was scribbled on a piece of old notebook paper. With the approach of a couple Alberta Clippers in our area and temperatures about to plunge downward to some pretty cold air I thought this would express how I'm feeling about this whole winter weather scene!
It's Winter in Michigan
And gentle breezes blow,
Seventy miles an hour,
At twenty-five below.
Oh, Michigan how I love you
When the snows up to your butt.
You take a breath of winter
And your nose freezes shut.
Yes, the weather here is wonderful,
So I guess I'll hang around
I could never leave Michigan,
Cause I'm frozen to the ground!
It's Winter in Michigan
And gentle breezes blow,
Seventy miles an hour,
At twenty-five below.
Oh, Michigan how I love you
When the snows up to your butt.
You take a breath of winter
And your nose freezes shut.
Yes, the weather here is wonderful,
So I guess I'll hang around
I could never leave Michigan,
Cause I'm frozen to the ground!
Monday, February 20, 2006
The Amazing Human Brain
Our brains are so amazing. I received the following in an e-mail and was pretty amazed that I could read what it said despite the jumbled letters. Makes ya feel kind of smart! Read on and see for yourself!
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty
uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The
phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde
Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the
ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit
pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty
uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The
phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde
Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the
ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit
pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Arctic Blast & Tribute To Energy Workers
Man it's cold here in Michigan! I think when any other state says they want some cold, cold air we can ship it to them from Michigan. It's 2 PM and the outside temperature is now a big whopping 9 degrees. When I got up this morning at 8 AM, it had already warmed up to ZERO!! I'm glad I'm able to stay inside where it is warm. Hubby went to cut more firewood. He left about 1/2 hour ago but I have a strong hunch that he won't be gone very long today!
Last night in the surrounding counties the news said that there were still 100,000 homes without electricity. And this morning there were over 50,000 people still without. Those poor people must be freezing without any way to stay warm! I don't know of any kind of heat (excluding a wood burning fireplace or stove) that doesn't use some form of electricity to either start the furnace or blow the heat through the house. I checked with all my extended family members to make sure they all had electricity and weren't freezing and was happy to hear that they were all okay.
I would hate to be an energy worker this week. They must be getting a lot of overtime in trying to restore everyone's power. I guess the money would be nice but I bet they are all mighty cold having to work outside for longer periods of time to try and get everyone's service restored.
They deserve a special round of applause for their efforts alone.
Last night in the surrounding counties the news said that there were still 100,000 homes without electricity. And this morning there were over 50,000 people still without. Those poor people must be freezing without any way to stay warm! I don't know of any kind of heat (excluding a wood burning fireplace or stove) that doesn't use some form of electricity to either start the furnace or blow the heat through the house. I checked with all my extended family members to make sure they all had electricity and weren't freezing and was happy to hear that they were all okay.
I would hate to be an energy worker this week. They must be getting a lot of overtime in trying to restore everyone's power. I guess the money would be nice but I bet they are all mighty cold having to work outside for longer periods of time to try and get everyone's service restored.
They deserve a special round of applause for their efforts alone.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Winter White
This picture was uploaded off a website and it looks like what we were supposed to be getting.....but didn't!
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Winter Storm
We are expecting the worst winter storm of this season to hit us beginning tonight. Usually I dread the thought of any winter weather but this time it is different. I don't know why but I am looking forward to this one.
I know the roads will get terrible and the snow will blow and pile up and school will be cancelled and driving will become treacherous. It is supposed to snow, sleet, blow and we will get freezing rain mixed in to boot. Maybe I don't mind because I have plenty of groceries in the house, the usual granddaughter is here with me so I don't have to worry about picking her up for the weekend and I don't really have to get out in it. Poor Hubby will have to still get to work though. But he is always very cautious and he is a good driver. And he has 4-wheel drive!
I think we will just be lazy and have a pajama day tomorrow and watch movies and read books and do puzzles. That should keep us busy and entertained while we wait for the winter weather to abate.
I think it is ironic with spring just around the corner now, that we should finally have some winter weather and some of the coldest temperatures enabling the ground to finally freeze. But it has been said about the climate that I live in...."you don't like the weather, wait a few minutes, it will change!"
I know the roads will get terrible and the snow will blow and pile up and school will be cancelled and driving will become treacherous. It is supposed to snow, sleet, blow and we will get freezing rain mixed in to boot. Maybe I don't mind because I have plenty of groceries in the house, the usual granddaughter is here with me so I don't have to worry about picking her up for the weekend and I don't really have to get out in it. Poor Hubby will have to still get to work though. But he is always very cautious and he is a good driver. And he has 4-wheel drive!
I think we will just be lazy and have a pajama day tomorrow and watch movies and read books and do puzzles. That should keep us busy and entertained while we wait for the winter weather to abate.
I think it is ironic with spring just around the corner now, that we should finally have some winter weather and some of the coldest temperatures enabling the ground to finally freeze. But it has been said about the climate that I live in...."you don't like the weather, wait a few minutes, it will change!"
Thursday, February 09, 2006
My Cat Phobia
In my senior year of high school my dad was killed in an auto accident. That was in October. In January, I was a passenger in a car driven by my boyfriends mother that broadsided a car that turned in front of us. No fatalities occurred with this accident but we were all in pretty rough shape for a while. I required surgery on my knee to repair the damage.
After having recovered from the surgery and with fading scars, our cat attacked the same leg!
She was part Siamese and all black. And she could hiss like no cat I ever heard.....hateful, scary hiss! She had babies, 2 adorable kittens. We also had a dog. Medium size...a Springer Spaniel/collie mix. I loved him a great deal. Actually, he was my Dad's dog so after my Dad's death, he sort of became mine.
Anyway, one day the kittens ran across the dog's food dish while he was eating. Now, the dog did love the kittens and had always allowed them to climb all over him and lick him and play with his tail. I don't know if it was instinct or just a little warning, but when the kittens ran across his food, he gave a gentle growl. He didn't make a move for them or anything.....just a gentle growl the same as when he played with them. This brought the mother cat to the kitchen immediately to check on her babies, who by this time had run into the living room to play with something else. The mother seem highly agitated and I thought that if I put the dog outside on his cable run the mother would have a chance to check out her babies and calm down some.
The house we lived in was set up so that you could come in the back door into the kitchen and pass through the kitchen to a vestibule with a large arch into the living room and upon turning right another large archway into the dining room with a swinging door back into the kitchen. After putting the dog outside and returning from the door back into the kitchen, I heard this terrible hissing noise behind me. The next thing I feel is this terrible pain in the back of my right leg. I glance down and discover the mother cat has latched onto my leg wrapping her paws around the front and sinking her teeth into my calf and twisting her head back and forth! Needless to say, I am feeling a lot of pain and was no where near as calm as I appear to be in the telling of this tale. In the meantime, I am running around the above mentioned description of archways and doors in our home and screaming.
Eventually the cat decided to let go; perhaps she came to her senses or decided she didn't like the way I tasted. It didn't matter to me why she let go......as long as she let go.
I immediately ran to the upstairs bathroom and locked myself in. My mother was at work at the time but both my sisters were home (1 younger and 1 older) and the older sister's boyfriend was also there. He finally persuaded me to come out of the bathroom and looked at my leg. Being older, my sister and her boyfriend thought it best to contact our mother at work who instructed them to take me to the ER. So, off we went against my wishes.
After arriving at the ER and being seen initially by the nurse, we were given a small examining room to wait for the Dr. After a short wait, the Dr. came in and looked at my leg. He was fairly young and quite good looking to my 17 year old eyes! He smiled up at me at said "What happened here, honey, did your razor get away from you?" I was so embarrassed and I'm sure I was blushing. Not to bore you with anymore details about the hospital visit, I shall just go on to let you know that all ended well and I was released to go home with antibiotics and instructions of what to watch for.
And that folks, is why I am afraid of cats to this day!
After having recovered from the surgery and with fading scars, our cat attacked the same leg!
She was part Siamese and all black. And she could hiss like no cat I ever heard.....hateful, scary hiss! She had babies, 2 adorable kittens. We also had a dog. Medium size...a Springer Spaniel/collie mix. I loved him a great deal. Actually, he was my Dad's dog so after my Dad's death, he sort of became mine.
Anyway, one day the kittens ran across the dog's food dish while he was eating. Now, the dog did love the kittens and had always allowed them to climb all over him and lick him and play with his tail. I don't know if it was instinct or just a little warning, but when the kittens ran across his food, he gave a gentle growl. He didn't make a move for them or anything.....just a gentle growl the same as when he played with them. This brought the mother cat to the kitchen immediately to check on her babies, who by this time had run into the living room to play with something else. The mother seem highly agitated and I thought that if I put the dog outside on his cable run the mother would have a chance to check out her babies and calm down some.
The house we lived in was set up so that you could come in the back door into the kitchen and pass through the kitchen to a vestibule with a large arch into the living room and upon turning right another large archway into the dining room with a swinging door back into the kitchen. After putting the dog outside and returning from the door back into the kitchen, I heard this terrible hissing noise behind me. The next thing I feel is this terrible pain in the back of my right leg. I glance down and discover the mother cat has latched onto my leg wrapping her paws around the front and sinking her teeth into my calf and twisting her head back and forth! Needless to say, I am feeling a lot of pain and was no where near as calm as I appear to be in the telling of this tale. In the meantime, I am running around the above mentioned description of archways and doors in our home and screaming.
Eventually the cat decided to let go; perhaps she came to her senses or decided she didn't like the way I tasted. It didn't matter to me why she let go......as long as she let go.
I immediately ran to the upstairs bathroom and locked myself in. My mother was at work at the time but both my sisters were home (1 younger and 1 older) and the older sister's boyfriend was also there. He finally persuaded me to come out of the bathroom and looked at my leg. Being older, my sister and her boyfriend thought it best to contact our mother at work who instructed them to take me to the ER. So, off we went against my wishes.
After arriving at the ER and being seen initially by the nurse, we were given a small examining room to wait for the Dr. After a short wait, the Dr. came in and looked at my leg. He was fairly young and quite good looking to my 17 year old eyes! He smiled up at me at said "What happened here, honey, did your razor get away from you?" I was so embarrassed and I'm sure I was blushing. Not to bore you with anymore details about the hospital visit, I shall just go on to let you know that all ended well and I was released to go home with antibiotics and instructions of what to watch for.
And that folks, is why I am afraid of cats to this day!
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse!
Sitting in my computer room last night I had the feeling that I was being watched. This is not a new feeling.....I've felt this way often in the last few weeks.
The ceiling in this room is a drop tile ceiling and the room is on the lower level of our tri-level home. The lighting is a ceiling fluorescent light with the usual plastic tile to cover the light while letting the light shine through.
I was stretching and glanced at the ceiling and much to my surprise was being watched intently by a small mouse. Now, I don't really care at all for mice or any kind of rodent and being that it surprised me, I gave a scream which promptly brought hubby running to see what the matter was. After he was able to stop laughing when I explained what had happened he decided to look for some mouse traps. Unable to locate any, he said he would buy some at the local hardware store the next day and not to worry because that little mouse was more scared of me than I was of him. WANNA BET? Of couse by this time, the little critter was most likely frightened and had disappeared......or so I thought.
I returned to my paper and computer work and then I hear above me a lot of small scurrying noises. I look up and see it again, but don't feel the need to scream this time. I'm now starting to wonder if this is how Mickey Mouse came into being. I thought that I had read somewhere that Walt Disney was working on drawings and this little mouse was watching him and that is where Walt got the idea for the Mickey Mouse cartoon. In any event, I'm no cartoonist and I still don't like mice! I hurry through my work so I don't have to be in the same room with it any longer than necessary.
Tonight when hubby came home from work he had the mouse traps.....they come 4 to a pack. He put peanut butter on two of them and placed them above the tiles. We had an early dinner since hubby had to leave to help his uncle work on a car. After dinner we both went about our tasks. He left and I finished cleaning up the kitchen and folding the laundry.
Upon his return, he went into the computer room and called to me to come and have a closer look at my mouse friend. Well, he had checked both traps and my little friend had a friend of his own. Both traps were triggered and contained the critters.
If the story is true about how Mickey Mouse came about, he certainly fared better than the mouse in my house who spied on me!
I've been tagged!......
I have been tagged by Clew and am happily playing along:
Four jobs that I have had:
1) Billing clerk at a large retail store
2) Accounts Payable Clerk in a Loan Company
3) Telephone Operator for a Phone Answering Co.
4) Employment Counselor for a Temporary Employment Agency
Four movies that I could watch over and over:
1) The Sound of Music
2) Dances with Wolves
3) Winn-Dixie
4) The Bear
Four Place in the US that I like:
1) Michigans Upper Peninsula
2) Denver, Colorado
3) Cumberland Falls, KY
4) The Grand Canyon
Favorite Places I have vacationed
1) Copper Harbor, MI
2) Yellowstone National Park
3) Mackinaw, MI
4) Black Hills of South Dakota
Four Favorite TV shows:
1) Trading Spaces
2) ER
3) House
4) Animal Rescues
Four sites I visit daily:
1) My blog(s)
2) ABC News
3) Friends blogs
4) Mailbox
Since everyone has been tagged.....it ends here!
Four jobs that I have had:
1) Billing clerk at a large retail store
2) Accounts Payable Clerk in a Loan Company
3) Telephone Operator for a Phone Answering Co.
4) Employment Counselor for a Temporary Employment Agency
Four movies that I could watch over and over:
1) The Sound of Music
2) Dances with Wolves
3) Winn-Dixie
4) The Bear
Four Place in the US that I like:
1) Michigans Upper Peninsula
2) Denver, Colorado
3) Cumberland Falls, KY
4) The Grand Canyon
Favorite Places I have vacationed
1) Copper Harbor, MI
2) Yellowstone National Park
3) Mackinaw, MI
4) Black Hills of South Dakota
Four Favorite TV shows:
1) Trading Spaces
2) ER
3) House
4) Animal Rescues
Four sites I visit daily:
1) My blog(s)
2) ABC News
3) Friends blogs
4) Mailbox
Since everyone has been tagged.....it ends here!
Monday, February 06, 2006
Tune-Up Time!
Later this morning I will visit my doctor for what I refer to as a tune-up! He will hook me up to a machine that looks an awfully lot like an EKG but gives him much more useful information, or so he tells me.
He says the machine can actually tell him what the fluid level is inside my body, my blood pressure and how well the interior walls of my heart arteries are moving the blood through. With this information he insists that he is better able to prescribe meds for me and keep me healthy......as healthy as can be expected for (and I quote him) "someone of your age who has had 3 heart attacks and quadruple bypass and has at least a 10 year history of elevated BP readings." Thank you so much for the tactfulness with which you delivered that statement! Hopefully he won't be changing my meds again. My cupboards are starting to look like a pharmacy themselves with all the half finished meds I am storing in there. Normally I would throw them away, but as quickly as he changes my meds, he often goes back to the one he originally had me on and I need to save money wherever and whenever I can so I don't want to waste them by throwing them out and then needing them again. They do the same thing to hubby, so we spend an average of $210. per month just on our co-pay for prescriptions! Yikes!Sunday, January 29, 2006
A Different Time and Place
I awoke in bed...empty except for me and the still strong smell of his cologne. As I lie there warm beneath the covers wondering how I am supposed to face the day, I hear the soft noises arising from the other bedrooms. Calling my name....Mommy, mommy, mommy! Oh yeah, I have to get up....I have to go on! But how will I do it, how will I cope. And how on earth do I tell these three little ones that their daddy will never walk through the door again? God give me strength and wisdom to help them somehow because I can't even help myself right now.
As I gather them together and herd them to the living room my thoughts are confused......they are all so young, how will I make them understand what has happened. They know he's been sick and has been in the hospital for a few weeks now but the boys are only 2 1/2 and not quite 4. How much will they grasp? And how about our only daughter....she's 7 now. Old enough to know and understand. It will be hardest on her at this point. She was always such a "Daddy's Girl".
I look into their little faces and their eyes so full of trust in me that for a few minutes I just want to run away and not face them and the questions that will come. If not now, in the years to come. My throat starts to close up.
I sit them down in a semi-circle on the floor around me. I tell them that their Daddy was very, very sick and couldn't get better no matter how hard he tried. And God saw how sick and how tired Daddy was and took Daddy to live in heaven with him where he would never be tired again or sick again. And Daddy would not be coming home to us ever again; that Daddy's home was now in heaven with God. Daddy is now an angel and will be watching over us all.
The boys don't fully understand, I can see it in their eyes and on their faces. It's just what I expected. They will have more questions in the months and years ahead. Perhaps I will better be able to deal with it then. When it isn't so new to me too. Will we survive that long?
I turn my gaze to our daughter. The pain I see in her little face and in her eyes makes me wish that I could have died rather than inflict this pain on her when she is so small. She crumbles into my arms and sobs. I tell myself "don't cry, be strong for her"! It is all I can do to not break down and fall totally apart and I pray for someone else to be the strong one and take over......but there is no one else. It is my job....and there is no one to help. How I wish my folks were still alive. I wish I was a little girl myself and they were here to comfort me and handle it all. But they aren't! So I try to compose myself and pull myself together and be there for my children. Be the strong one for them.......they need me now more than ever. "Buck up girl," I tell myself, "you can fall apart later if you need to but for now put on a show for them." Let them know that everything will be okay even though Daddy isn't here.....we are still a family and you will be there to care for them.
Although it is sometimes hard to remember......GOD is with us!
As I gather them together and herd them to the living room my thoughts are confused......they are all so young, how will I make them understand what has happened. They know he's been sick and has been in the hospital for a few weeks now but the boys are only 2 1/2 and not quite 4. How much will they grasp? And how about our only daughter....she's 7 now. Old enough to know and understand. It will be hardest on her at this point. She was always such a "Daddy's Girl".
I look into their little faces and their eyes so full of trust in me that for a few minutes I just want to run away and not face them and the questions that will come. If not now, in the years to come. My throat starts to close up.
I sit them down in a semi-circle on the floor around me. I tell them that their Daddy was very, very sick and couldn't get better no matter how hard he tried. And God saw how sick and how tired Daddy was and took Daddy to live in heaven with him where he would never be tired again or sick again. And Daddy would not be coming home to us ever again; that Daddy's home was now in heaven with God. Daddy is now an angel and will be watching over us all.
The boys don't fully understand, I can see it in their eyes and on their faces. It's just what I expected. They will have more questions in the months and years ahead. Perhaps I will better be able to deal with it then. When it isn't so new to me too. Will we survive that long?
I turn my gaze to our daughter. The pain I see in her little face and in her eyes makes me wish that I could have died rather than inflict this pain on her when she is so small. She crumbles into my arms and sobs. I tell myself "don't cry, be strong for her"! It is all I can do to not break down and fall totally apart and I pray for someone else to be the strong one and take over......but there is no one else. It is my job....and there is no one to help. How I wish my folks were still alive. I wish I was a little girl myself and they were here to comfort me and handle it all. But they aren't! So I try to compose myself and pull myself together and be there for my children. Be the strong one for them.......they need me now more than ever. "Buck up girl," I tell myself, "you can fall apart later if you need to but for now put on a show for them." Let them know that everything will be okay even though Daddy isn't here.....we are still a family and you will be there to care for them.
Although it is sometimes hard to remember......GOD is with us!
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Life is GOOD!
While driving through the city the other day hubby and I happened to see several homeless people. Some of them looked pretty cold and miserable. And seeing them reminded me of pictures I have seen of our military in the mountainous regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan. And these images started me thinking about how lucky I am.
I have a house to live in. My family is close by. I am able to heat my house (even though the price of heating is high) I am still able to remain warm which is far better than a lot of people. I have food to eat every day plus food in my refrigerator and cupboards. I have clean clothes to wear and a place to wash them when they are dirty. I have an inside toilet and a shower and tub that I don't have to share with many people. I am free to come and go as I please anywhere I choose. I have the ability to sleep relatively peacefully at night without the sounds of gunfire or bombs going off nearby. I have the freedom to speak what I am thinking without the fear of arrest or prosecution. I have the freedom to attend a church of my choice.
I believe the next time that I think I am having a bad day I will come back and re-read this post.
I have a house to live in. My family is close by. I am able to heat my house (even though the price of heating is high) I am still able to remain warm which is far better than a lot of people. I have food to eat every day plus food in my refrigerator and cupboards. I have clean clothes to wear and a place to wash them when they are dirty. I have an inside toilet and a shower and tub that I don't have to share with many people. I am free to come and go as I please anywhere I choose. I have the ability to sleep relatively peacefully at night without the sounds of gunfire or bombs going off nearby. I have the freedom to speak what I am thinking without the fear of arrest or prosecution. I have the freedom to attend a church of my choice.
I believe the next time that I think I am having a bad day I will come back and re-read this post.
Monday, January 23, 2006
My mother came from a family of 13 children. I guess they didn't have birth control back then. She was the third from the youngest. A girl and a boy were born after her. My mom and her younger sister were very close growing up and in the years following after their marriages and births of their children. They did a lot together........shopping, celebrating holidays together, talking and sharing secrets on the phone, etc.
In fact, they were so close that one would pick up the phone to call the other one and she would already be on the line without the phone every having rung! They used to laugh about this and tell us that they were so close that they must be communicating telepathically and just thinking of each other would make them both want to call each other at the same time. That is the explanation they always gave for this phenomenal and frequent happening! Whatever the explanation, they did seem to sense things going on in the others life without being told.
I remember when my mother had been hospitalized for the last six months of her life with something the doctors could never figure out or give a name to. My aunt, my cousins told me, was napping on the couch in her living room about 10 miles away from the hospital when she sat up on the couch as if someone had pushed her to a sitting position and announced to them that my mother had just passed away! Needless to say, they thought she had been having a dream. I called their house a few minutes later with the news and the time of my mothers passing. I tell this fact so you will better understand my sorrow.
I received a phone call this evening at 8:33 PM. My cousin was on the phone. She wanted to tell me that her mother, my aunt, had passed away tonight at 7:55 PM. She was 86 years old last July. She lived a long and happy life! She is now reunited with her husband, her parents and all of her siblings! What a joyous reunion that must have been! To be greeted at the entrance to heaven by those you love, and to see the faces of your brothers and sisters once again. I can only imagine the feelings of love and happiness that my aunt and mother must be experiencing this night.
I have mixed feelings as I deal with this news. Part of me is very happy for my aunt and my mother. Part of me is feeling very sad. You see, this aunt kind of filled in for my mother (it was an understanding they had between them) after my mother's death. She didn't become my mother....no one can ever replace another human being.....but she became a "stand-in" mother to my two sisters and me. And since our families were extremely close emotionally to one another and we spent every holiday together and lots of vacations together I am having some trouble. As I watch the fire in the fireplace I am reminded of the camping vacations and being outside in the evenings watching the fireflies flitting through the night like the sparks now rising up the chimney.
If I close my eyes I can hear the laughter and smell the marshmellows roasting over the open fire. And then I am transported by my memories of Aunt Annette's pumpkin and pecan pie at Thanksgiving. No one could make pecan pie like Aunt Annette! And the Christmases spent with her. And how she searched and searched to find just the right gift for each of us and if she couldn't find exactly what she was looking for, she would make it or craft it herself! I remember when my first child was born and how Aunt Annette came to the house when I came home from the hospital with this beautiful baby girl in my arms so unsure of what to do and being reassured by my aunt that my instincts would take over and not to worry!
I remember the way she held me up after the death of my first husband, the father of my children. The strength she was able to give me.....that feeling that said "I can go on"!
So, to you Aunt Annette......"we can go on" and we will! But my dear Auntie, we will miss you!
In fact, they were so close that one would pick up the phone to call the other one and she would already be on the line without the phone every having rung! They used to laugh about this and tell us that they were so close that they must be communicating telepathically and just thinking of each other would make them both want to call each other at the same time. That is the explanation they always gave for this phenomenal and frequent happening! Whatever the explanation, they did seem to sense things going on in the others life without being told.
I remember when my mother had been hospitalized for the last six months of her life with something the doctors could never figure out or give a name to. My aunt, my cousins told me, was napping on the couch in her living room about 10 miles away from the hospital when she sat up on the couch as if someone had pushed her to a sitting position and announced to them that my mother had just passed away! Needless to say, they thought she had been having a dream. I called their house a few minutes later with the news and the time of my mothers passing. I tell this fact so you will better understand my sorrow.
I received a phone call this evening at 8:33 PM. My cousin was on the phone. She wanted to tell me that her mother, my aunt, had passed away tonight at 7:55 PM. She was 86 years old last July. She lived a long and happy life! She is now reunited with her husband, her parents and all of her siblings! What a joyous reunion that must have been! To be greeted at the entrance to heaven by those you love, and to see the faces of your brothers and sisters once again. I can only imagine the feelings of love and happiness that my aunt and mother must be experiencing this night.
I have mixed feelings as I deal with this news. Part of me is very happy for my aunt and my mother. Part of me is feeling very sad. You see, this aunt kind of filled in for my mother (it was an understanding they had between them) after my mother's death. She didn't become my mother....no one can ever replace another human being.....but she became a "stand-in" mother to my two sisters and me. And since our families were extremely close emotionally to one another and we spent every holiday together and lots of vacations together I am having some trouble. As I watch the fire in the fireplace I am reminded of the camping vacations and being outside in the evenings watching the fireflies flitting through the night like the sparks now rising up the chimney.
If I close my eyes I can hear the laughter and smell the marshmellows roasting over the open fire. And then I am transported by my memories of Aunt Annette's pumpkin and pecan pie at Thanksgiving. No one could make pecan pie like Aunt Annette! And the Christmases spent with her. And how she searched and searched to find just the right gift for each of us and if she couldn't find exactly what she was looking for, she would make it or craft it herself! I remember when my first child was born and how Aunt Annette came to the house when I came home from the hospital with this beautiful baby girl in my arms so unsure of what to do and being reassured by my aunt that my instincts would take over and not to worry!
I remember the way she held me up after the death of my first husband, the father of my children. The strength she was able to give me.....that feeling that said "I can go on"!
So, to you Aunt Annette......"we can go on" and we will! But my dear Auntie, we will miss you!
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