Saturday, May 30, 2009

Social Butterfly?

Hey, Y'all,
Have you ever thought about all the social events we are a part of? Do you like to visit with people or are you a stay-at=homer? I happen to like to visit with people and it doesn't matter if I go see them or if they come and visit with us. I just love to interact with people. I love to do things for others, and get a lot of pleasure from that. I guess you could honestly call me a social butterfly. Ha.

I love having people in to eat with us and either visit or play games. Tomorrow we are going to church, then to Knoxville to take our two sisters-in-law out to eat lunch. Then we are coming back home and will be traveling with our friends, Gene and Judy, over to visit with Mark and Allie in their new home. Allie is cooking supper and her daughter, Tanya and her two children will be there for they are visiting from California. Maybe Jessie, Travis and their baby and Rachael and her husband and children will be there as well. It would be nice to see all of them.

Monday, we are having our neighbors, Scott and Laurie and their children come down to have supper with us and then we will play dominoes. Tuesday, I get to go to Knoxville at St. Mary's and have my gall bladder removed. OH JOY! ha.

Well, i purchased a new granny rocker yesterday that I can keep indoors and the man delivered it today. It is going to be nice to be able to rock inside!

My neighbor, who is a builder, installed a new door in the wall to my carport, and it really looks great. It has a window glass that can slide up and down very easily.

My roses have about 25 blooms ready to burst forth on one bush and a whole bunch on the other one. I look forward to seeing them. I will probably cut some of them to put in the house when they all bloom. Gramps and I have been enjoying watching the birds eat at the seed feeder.

Well, that is about all I have to say today. This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for now. More later. Love to all of you. Bye for now.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

A Quiet Thursday

Hey, Y'all,
Yes, we have had a very quiet day today...I am still feeling well (no gall bladder attacks, thank the Lord). Gramps got up this morning around 10:30 a.m. and got dressed. I went in to check on him and saw he had taken several of his belts from his belt drawer and had them on the bed, also had his ditty bag (where he keeps his traveling shaving stuff) and I asked him why he was doing that. He said he was getting packed to go home and I told him we were at home, where did he think we were...He asked if we weren't in Jefferson City, and I said no we are at home in New Market.

He had been confused during the night thinking we were visiting somewhere else, so now he knows we are at home.

We sat on the front porch some this afternoon, watching the birds eating from the bird feeder that our neighbor, Scott, put up for me out in the yard under the shade of the trees. It is going to be a lot of fun watching them. I also saw a hummer whiz by and was elated that they are back. I look forward to seeing them drink from the hummingbird feeders that we have out for them.

I just finished a 3-story book that was given to me for my birthday by my next door neighbors. It is called "The O'Malley's" and contains the books: The Negotiator, The Guardian, and The Truth-Seeker, and chronicles the search for Jesus in their iives. It is written by Dee Henderson. It took me a week and a half to read the three stories. I look forward to reading the other 3 books in the series.

For supper tonight, I prepared chicken thighs, baked sweet potatoes, and steamed summer squash with onions. I placed some aluminum foil inside a dutch oven, then put the 4 chicken thighs in, about a cup of water, sprinkled some extra spicy Mrs. Dash, and then put a small amount of low sodium soy sauce in and folded the aluminum foil down and covered the dutch oven with the lid and cooked it slowly. YUM! We each had one of the thighs with our baked sweet potatoes, and divided the squash, and then feasted. I threw away the skin of the thighs before serving them.

We can have the other thighs for supper tomorrow. We are planning on going out for breakfast in the morning, but I will eat carefully to prevent any problem with my gall bladder.

I am putting the fifth row on the quilt for Will, and that just leaves one more row to add on, but a lot of handwork is left to finish it up afterwards. I just work on it when I really feel like it. I am not pushing myself. I sent him a note the other day and told him I hope to get it finished before he gets a gray beard. Ha ha. He is quite young (23), so you can see what a joke that is.

Well, that is about all for today. This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for now. Love to each of you. Bye for now.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

A Call Back - AT Last

Hey, Y'all,
Yes, I finally got a call back from the surgeon's office (after Barbara at the family doctor's office called spoke to the office manager at the surgeon's office). She (Shirley) told me that the doctor was looking at his schedule and she would call me after he saw whether or not he could move my surgery up. Shirley called back an hour or so later and said they moved it to June 2nd (2 days earlier than it had previously been scheduled) and I thanked her very much for her trouble with no mention of her failure to call me back on Friday or yesterday. I refuse to be rude in return for other people's rudeness. It profits me nothing to behave that way, and if they gave a flip it would surprise me.

I was up this morning at 6 a.m. and went to the grocery store so I could get some milk and other stuff that we needed. I was back by 7:30 and ready to have my breakfast. Then I realized that I needed to go to Walmart and get some diabetic test strips for Gramps, so I headed out again about 9:00 a.m. and was back by 9:45.

For supper, I put some finely chopped beef stew on the stove to cook and added some good spices and water, and just let it simmer until a few minutes ago.I had to go out to the New Market trash dump and take our trash over there. When I got back, I added no salt canned tomatoes and frozen soup vegetables. It will make a big pot of soup that we can eat out of tonight and I will freeze some of it to heat and use after my surgery. I know it will taste good then, too.

Well, not much else shaking around here right now. I will probably work on Will's quilt some after while. I need to check my e-mails too right now. This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for now. Much love to you all. Please keep us in your prayers, and also my daughter, Carol and her husband. She is still recovering from pneumonial cough and infection, and Daryl has caught her infection and he is fighting cancer so his immune system is very low. Bye for now.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Nothing Yet

Hey, Y'all,
I called the surgeon's office this morning and "left another message" for the doc's scheduler. NO call back. I just hate being treated like I am of little or no importance, not deserving a call back. It is pure torture waiting for a doctor's office to return a call. I had also called my family doctor asking them to put in a good word for me to have my surgery moved to an earlier date. They called after lunch and discovered that the scheduler had left at noon. When I called my family doc's office this afternoon, and they gave me that news, but said they would call and speak to the office manager in the morning. I am getting fed up with the surgeon's runaround. If they don't want to reschedule for an earlier date, all they have to do is tell me. Sheesh!

I have had a pretty good day today. I did a couple of loads of laundry and put them away, cleaned the bathroom, mopped the bathroom and kitchen, made supper for us and our neighbors (chicken pot pie), and they brought dessert (Laurie made smoothies for us...YUM!)

My neighbors stayed awhile after supper and I got out the jigsaw puzzle that my friend, Judy, gave me for my birthday, along with a mat to roll it up in so I could put it away before it was finished. We got a whole lot of it put together and will work on it again one time when they come back for supper.

I worked some on Will's quilt last night and this morning. I will be carrying off the trash tomorrow morning, and going to the grocery store some time tomorrow.

Imazo left this morning for Ohio with her sisters and is planning on staying for about a week, but her sisters are only staying a couple of days. I hope they will have a great time! I look forward to hearing about her visit with Lois.

Well, it is about my bedtime. I am a little tired and sleepy. This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for tonight. More tomorrow. Love to each of you. Bye for now.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Memorial Day

Hey, Y'all,
Today is Memorial Day and it used to be called Decoration Day. It is a day that we remember those brave men and women who served our country in the United States Armed Forces and many who died protecting our rights to be free and worship as we pleased. Our hearts reach out to them and their families. I had four brothers who all served in the army and were proud to do so. They have all gone on to be with the Lord. Two of them served during the World War II in the Pacific Theatre of Operations. The third served during the Korean conflict in Germany as part of the Occupied Services. The youngest served in Massachusetts during the late 50's and early 60's before the Vietnam War.

For those of you who are wondering about my upcoming surgery, I know no more today than I did on Friday. I called the surgeon's office this morning and found out they will not be in today (of course!), so I will follow through tomorrow with my intent to contact my family doctor and get her to call and push through the appointment for the surgery to be updated to an earlier date than June 4. This is my best option, I think. Please understand I am not eager to do the surgery, but I understand the need to do it.

We had a very quiet day yesterday, and only spoke to my two sisters-in-law in Knoxville and I am sure today will be a carbon copy of yesterday. We did not make it to church yesterday, and I was in my nightgown all day long. I am still in it this morning but I will have my shower and change after while. I will probably make a trip to the grocery store after while. No hot dogs or hamburgers for us to celebrate Memorial Day. No cookouts. Just a very quiet day.

I am working on Will's quilt again and have just added the fourth row of six to it. Maybe I can get the fifth and sixth rows added before I go for my surgery. It depends upon when the surgery will be. My energy levels are quite low these days, but I am sleeping well. It seems my anemia is worse than it has been, so that is probably why my energy level is so low.

Well, that is about it for today. This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for today. More tomorrow after I get more info on my upcoming surgery. Love to all of you. Bye for now.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Waiting for Tuesday

Hey, Y'all,
Now I am just waiting for the next working day to come along, probably Tuesday, so that I can go into my family doctor and ask them to handle the rescheduling of my surgery for me. I tried to take care of it for myself on Friday, and although I got the office of the surgeon, the scheduler refused to return my call. I say that is so very inconsiderate of her. It really made me quite perturbed. I waited all day patiently for her to return my call to no avail. Now I must wait until the offices are open after the long holiday weekend. Believe me, it is no holiday for me! ha.

Yesterday was a lot of fun, though. Gramps and I went in to Knoxville for our Movie Day with Imazo and Mae, my two sisters-in-law and dear friends. We went to O'Charley's and had a late lunch, then back to Imazo's for the movie. As I said the other day, it was a teeny-bopper chick flick and Gramps suffered through it cheerfully and I think even enjoyed it. He did request that the next one be a western or crime movie. I will see what I can do to honor that request.

I am hoping that I can be through my surgery before the next one. I am going to be counting on my neighbors and friends to be a lot of help during this upcoming surgery, because I know Carol won't be able to spend many days here if she gets to come. She is still recovering from pneumonia and its complications. I am quite blessed to have so many friends and family here.

I received a call from my family doctor while I was in Knoxville (on my answering machine) and she told me that if I get to feeling worse to mosey on over to the hospital and get my gall bladder out. I really don't think I can just go over and tell them to removed my gall bladder and they would do it. For one thing, I want a little control over who does it and where it is done. Anyway, I am not figuring on having any more episodes if I can help it. I am being very cautious.

Today, I visited with Kelly and Jim, my neighbors who own and live in the house that once belonged to our family. Jim was recently diagnosed with MS and he has begun taking the shots that are the treatment for the disease. He seems to be doing well. I had recently acquired the deeds that John, my brother in Arizona, who passed away in December of last year had in his possession. They are of no particular value except to contain the history of the land that we owned until 1986 when John sold the rest of the property and moved to Arizona with his family. When Imazo was out there visiting her son and his family, Darlene (John's widow) came to visit them and brought the deeds and other papers with her and gave them to Imazo to bring back to me. John had promised them to me several months before he died. So anyway, I took the deeds down to Jim and Kelly since they now own some of the original property. They were pleased to receive them and I was happy to take the deeds to them.

I am hoping to go to church tomorrow morning and then on to Knoxville to spend some time with Imazo and Mae. I am also hoping that Gramps will go with me. Imazo is leaving on Tuesday to go visit her family that lives up in Ohio for awhile. I hope she has a really good time with them.

Well, that is about it for today. This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for today. Love to you all. Bye for now. I hope you have a lovely day tomorrow and that you get to go and worship the Lord with your fellow Christians. bye for now.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

A Summary of Today

Hey, Y'all,
I had a new experience today...not bad, but interesting. I went to the family doctor to give some more blood (for testing). It seems the doctor is quite concerned over what seems to be a low grade infection in my blood, because it is reacting in a funny (not ha ha) way in the recent blood tests she has taken. She also says my color is not good, and she wants me to not wait too long to have the gall bladder yanked out (well,not really yanked, but removed). She took another couple of vials of blood, but had to do the removal of the blood with a syringe from a vein in my foot, because they just couldn't do it with the butterfly from the back of my hand. My veins in my hand were not cooperating.

Anyway, after I left, I got to thinking and decided to call her back and tell her that if she wants me to move up the date on the surgery to do her part and I would do mine on my end of the deal. Her assistant in the office, (Barbara) called me later and gave me the number to call to move up the surgery date. She had tried to call and reschedule but the assistant who does the scheduling for the surgeon in Knoxville had left for the day, and so I will call in the morning to reschedule sooner if possible.

So right now, it is kind of up in the air, which is kind of how things are here quite often. haha. Tomorrow, Gramps and I are going into Knoxville for our Friday movie day with Imazo and Mae and are looking forward to it, of course. I have just previewed the movie. It is kind of a chick flick and ends on a great and happy note. Just what we need. It is called Aquamarine and is about a mermaid and two girls who are having to part because one of them is moving away and they befriend the mermaid. Really cute and funny movie.

Gramps and I went out to eat supper tonight and I was very good in what I chose to eat. Steamed broccoli and a piece of catfish. Well, this is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for the evening. More tomorrow.Love to all of you. Bye for now.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Two Weeks Away

Hey, Y'all,
Well, I finally vacuumed out my car this afternoon (not before it needed it, by the way) and it just about wore me out. I had to lie down and rest awhile after I finished it. But it does look good. I will wipe out the dash and all that maybe in the morning.

This morning I got up early (6 a.m.) and had my shower and then sat down to eat my cereal and milk and read for awhile. I headed into Knoxville for my 9 a.m. appointment with the surgeon who is going to do the laparoscopic surgery on my gall bladder. It will take place on June 4th (two weeks from tomorrow) probably around 9:30 or 10 a.m. I have to report at the hospital at 8 a.m. I asked the dr. how soon I could drive after the surgery and he said for most people he says 7 to 10 days, but maybe after 5 days I could if I were really careful. He said, "I'm thinking you are probably a tough little lady". I said, "I have been told that."

After I left his office, I went on over and picked up Mae and then on to Imazo's and we got her and went on down to Shoney's where we ordered breakfast instead of eating at the "hog trough" bar. I ordered a soft scrambled egg and wheat toast and decaf coffee. I knew that for lunch I would only have some strawberries and fat free cool whip (which I did).

Following our trip to Shoney's we went back to Imazo's and sat at her dining room table where many conversations have taken place and just visited for a couple of hours. Then I took Mae home and came on back to my home. Gramps was up by the time I got home and had had his breakfast.

Later this afternoon we sat on the porch awhile (the weather is perfect) and then I cleaned out my car, and then we came in and I lay on the couch to recuperate from my exertions.

Supper is cooking right now, and we will be eating salmon loaf, mixed greens and hash browns (not fried in grease or oil, but some buttery flavored spray).

That is about it for right now. This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for now. More tomorrow. Love to all of you. Bye for now.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Well, Did You Ever?

Hey, Y'all,
This could go under the heading: Stupid Things I Have Done....Yeah, just when I thought I had it all together...Yesterday afternoon about 5 p.m., Gramps decided he wanted to go out for supper. So we got ready, which meant I got his cane, his sunglasses, and his cap for him, picked up my purse and locked the back door, and out we went.

We had no sooner shut the back door than I realized I didn't have my keys in my hand,, that they were still hanging by the inside near the door. Too late, I realized it just after he closed the back door. What to do??? I realized Mark had a set of our keys (as the landlord), so I called him ( on my cell phone) and of course, he was in Sevierville, about 40 minutes away. He said he had to go by his house to get the keys, and it would be an hour before he could get here. We sat on the front porch and waited. About an hour and fifteen minutes later, down the hill came our neighbor, Laurie, and two of her children, Olivia and Gabe. She said Mark had called her and asked if she could help me open one of the windows and Gabe could call through to the inside since he is small. I mentally hit myself in the forehead and thought: "Why didn't I think of that?" If one of my daughters had been here they would have thought of it right away. Duh! I just wasn't thinking clearly.

After the window was opened and then the door, we decided to just go back in and we had scrambled eggs and toast for supper. Gramps said, "well, we saved some money that way, didn't we?" We probably saved my eating something I shouldn't have, too.

This morning I went to the dentist's office and had my teeth cleaned, then came home and Gramps was still in bed snoring away, so I had some salad with tuna on it, and then some fresh strawberries with cool whip for lunch. Then I left for my appointment with my family doctor. She told me I definitely need my gall bladder removed, and she had the technician, Michael, draw five or six vials of blood for testing. So I can say, "I gave at the office." Ha.

While in Jefferson City, I passed the city swimming pool and thought of Teresa. I saw they were getting the pool ready to open for the summer. They close it down each year at the end of summer and the beginning of the school year. The reason I thought of Teresa was that every summer I bought her a season's pass to the swimming pool for her birthday when she was a youth. She learned to swim at the pool and spent a lot of happy summers there with her friends, Joy and Connie.

Tonight we are having baked sweet potatoes, grilled tilapia, and spinach for supper.
Tomorrow I go to see the surgeon about my upcoming surgery. I plan on stopping by to visit with Mae and Imazo after I see him. We may go out to eat a late breakfast or early lunch. I talked with Imazo today and she was telling me about her wonderful week with David, Andrea and Steven, and about Darlene and Mark visiting with them too.

I am sleeping pretty good once again without pain in my belly and it is good. I am waking up without groaning when I move. I am so very thankful, but dread going through it again following the next surgery. Whine.....

The flowers on my porch are blooming beautifully and those in the flower bed are as well. The weather has been a little cool over the past couple of days (blackberry winter you know) but is warming up nicely again. Rain on the weekend again..

Well, that is about it for today. This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for now. Love to all of you. Bye for now.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Monday in New Market

Hey, Y'all,
Yesterday was a beautiful day and I enjoyed the weather and the day. It was a little rainy in the morning but it had stopped by noon. I got up and went to church, and left Gramps behind because he didn't want to get up and go. I really enjoyed the service and then came home to check up on him. He had gotten up and had his breakfast. Then I went on into Knoxville to take Mae to lunch and visited with her for awhile. It had been some time since I had seen her. It was very enjoyable and I had missed her.

This morning I was up with the birds and had my breakfast, then went on into Knoxville for my followup visit to the dr. who had performed the laparoscopic surgery a month ago. He pronounced me good to go, so I left. ha.

I went on to the jeweler who was resizing my wedding rings a size larger so that they would be comfortable to wear this summer if my fingers swell in the summer heat. They look really great (they had cleaned them as well, so they really sparkle and shine).

Heading on back home, I stopped and upgraded my cell phone to one that is completely digital (no antenna) and it just happens to be purple. Ha. my favorite color.

Tomorrow I have a dental appointment for cleaning, and then in the afternoon, I go to see my family doctor and see what she has to tell me (if anything). It is a follow up appointment to one I had two weeks ago.

I had been planning to have my neighbors in for supper this evening but Mitchell, the oldest, is not feeling well, so that has been cancelled. I am gotng to take a nap right now. This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for the day. Bye for now. Love to all of you.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Birthday 2009







Hey, Y'all,

Yes, today I am celebrating my 76th birthday. It has been a lovely day, too. No rain, only sunshine. It could not have been more perfect! Well, maybe....I could have celebrated it with all my grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and children around me and that would have made it more perfect. But I did hear from grandson, Daniel and heard singing from his and Whitney's children, so that was the next best thing to having them here.
I had breakfast with our honorary granddaughter, Jennifer, and Gramps over at Perkins' Restaurant, courtesy of her parents (thank you, Jean and Daniel!). I had calls from my two daughters and spent a good amount of online time with Teresa. I had a "happy birthday" call from niece, Tanya, and a visit from our neighbors, Scott and Laurie, Olivia and Gabriel, and a visit from our friend, Judy, and also a visit from Mark. There were gifts and cards and hugs and kisses. It has been a lovely day. I feel quite loved (actually, I always feel loved).

I have posted some pictures on the blog today. The top one is of the flowers that Mark and Allie brought me for Mother's Day, the next one is of the flower bed that Laurie, Gabe, Olivia, and Mitchell replanted for me, and the lower one is of the shamrock that Judy brought to me. I also received a book, a jigsaw puzzle, a quart of fresh strawberries, a gift card, some key lime pie, a frame with pictures of Jennifer, Nelson, Gramps and I, some wonderful body lotion for my really dry skin, a check to help pay for the new flowers in the flower bed, and this wonderful computer, several birthday cards, and as I said, lots of hugs and kisses. Never too many of those to suit me!
It has been a lovely day! Thank you all who sent me cards and called me to make this a special day! Thank you for the gifts as well. I feel so very blessed to have such wonderful family and friends!!
Well, this is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for today. We hope to be going to church tomorrow. I thank God for the freedom to go to church and worship Him openly with fellow Christians. We plan on going in to Knoxville and taking Mae to lunch. No, I won't be eating big tomorrow. I am trying to be good and careful of what I eat...don't want any gall bladder attacks. Love to all of you. Bye for now.





Thursday, May 14, 2009

Busy Morning

Hey, Y'all,
Up this morning at 7 a.m. after a good night's sleep (but with some really weird dreams), and then on outside to water the flowers and fill the birdbath with fresh water. I filled the water kettle and sat on the porch for awhile waiting for the kettle to whistle for me. It was another beautiful morning, and I decided that I would go into Jeff. City after breakfast and do a little shopping.

Gramps actually got up this morning by 8 a.m. and ate breakfast with me. It was really pleasant to have him sitting there at the table with me. After breakfast, I got his insulin shot ready and he took it, then I got the trash ready to carry off and told Gramps that I would be gone for a couple of hours. I went to the local trash dumpsters and left the trash with them.

I headed for the drug store to drop off a bottle to fill, then on to the gas station fill up, and then on to Walmart. Sometimes, walking around that big store is like a surrealistic experience, people ignoring one anothet, except to say excuse me when one is in the other's way in the aisle and needing to be gotten around. You see people pushing buggies around, looking for only God knows what (they certainly don't seem to know), and probably taking home goods that they ask themselves why about when they get home.

Well, after wandering around for close to two hours, I left there and headed on to the Food City store where I bought a few groceries. One of the things I bought there was yellow and green squash. Both squash were the same price and so I put them both in the same plastic bag, and what do you know....the clerk opened the bag and weighed them separately. It seems that since they were the same price, it wouldn't make any difference, but apparently it did. They had to have each item rung separately. Duh!

Leaving there, I went on to the drug store to pick up my scrip and then with my car windows down, and the wind blowing through the car, I headed home.

By the time I got back home, three hours had passed and after I unloaded the car, I put some soup into the microwave for Gramps and then fixed a snack crackers lunch for myself. I had purchased some spicy imitation crab spread at the supermarket, and put some on some vegetable thin crackers and had that, with some water.

We went out onto the front porch a little later, but it was getting too windy to be comfortable out there,so we came back inside. For supper tonight, I bought a couple of talapia fillets, so I will be baking those and having some squash and boiled corn as side dishes. Hmmm sounds pretty good to me. Thank the Lord I am beginning to feel like having some good food. Right now, I am having trouble keeping my eyes open, and will probably take a wee nap after while. So this is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for the time being.

Much love to all of you. More later. Bye for now.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Better Today

Hey, Y'all,
Well, I woke up this morning feeling a little better with some hope in my heart for better days ahead. I was up at 7 a.m. after having slept in my own bed for about 6 and 1/2 hours, and throwing on my red housecoat, I went into the kitchen and made a cup of hot decaf green tea. I took my first medication of the morning and went out to sit on the front porch in the fresh morning air. I sat there in my rocker, watching the birds flit around in search of their first worm or insect of the day, or stop to take a drink of the water in the birdbath. It was so quiet and peaceful as I sat there reflecting on the beauties of nature. Then I took a walk down the driveway and checked out the flowers that had been planted in my flower bed, and I stopped to smell the roses and deadhead those that had bloomed and wilted.

After a while I came back into the house and had a bowl of cereal and milk, reading as I ate, and then took the balance of my morning meds. I woke up Gramps and he got up and had his cereal, milk and coffee. We went into the living room for awhile and he sat reading his Bible while I sat on the couch and watched a little tv and drowsed a little bit. Then we got his shower and he got dressed while I did my getting ready for the day. We decided then to go to the Cracker Barrel for a late lunch (my first foray out to eat in a week and a half). The food was really good, and I had a portion of a chicken pot pie, while he had country fried steak, okra, carrots, and cole slaw. He also ate a cornbread muffin and a biscuit. While I drank water, he had coffee. I ate mine very slowly and read my book as I ate. It was quite pleasant. Now I am just waiting to see if I have any ill effects from my meal.

We came back and have been sitting on the front porch watching the traffic pass by and the birds flitting from tree to ground to wires, etc. Their songs are quite beautiful and pleasant to listen to. He is still sitting out there. We have just spent the last couple of hours out there, and I had to come in and sit inside for awhile. I got quite sleepy sitting out there in the warm sunshine and fresh air. I am getting about all the rest I can handle. I want to look for a bird feeder tomorrow when I am out and about. I would like to feed the birds so we can watch them eat.

Well, this is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for the day. My friend, Marion, is feeling better and hoping to come home tomorrow. They have decided she doesn't need a pace maker. I am so glad for her. it would just be something else she would have to become adjusted to at the age of 90. Much love to all of you. Bye for now.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

A Good Night's Sleep

Hey, Y'all,
A good night's sleep can never be over-rated. I actually slept last night without any pain. Thank you, Jesus, Amen! I am not yet sure how I feel today, but I am thankful for that good night. I began my night on the couch in the living room, and got up once to make a usual trip to the John, then awakened again at 5 a.m., and decided to try the bed. It is now a little past 7:30 and so I had a couple of more hours of sleep. I still feel a little nauseous (sp?) but other than that, pretty good.

My neighbor brought some really delicious soup and homemade biscuits for our supper last night. We really appreciated that. Gramps really smacked his lips over it, and did it more justice than I could.

Later today, I am going in for my eye doctor's appointment, and will probably wind up getting a new pair.

I talked to my friend, Judy, yesterday and she told me that her mom, my friend, Marion, was taken to the hospital and would be in there for a few days. She had been throwing up and was just literally 'sick as a dog'. They seem to think it could be her heart and are considering a pacemaker. I will let you know more as it develops. She is a charming lady and a good friend. I certainly hope and pray that she will soon be out and about again.

This afternoon, Mitch, Gabe and Olivia are going to be removing the flowers that are in my flower bed and replanting with the ones I bought yesterday. They will remove while their mom, Laurie, supervises and while I am at the eye doctor's. When I get back I will tell them where I want each flower placed and they will do that for me. Of course, I know I am going to have to get my hands into the dirt at least a little bit.

My Piney Roses (Peonies to you who grew up not calling them piney roses) are getting ready to burst out in bloom. I dearly love to smell them. I never knew their proper name until a few years ago, because mom had always called them piney roses, the old southern colloquial name for them. The hawthorns and honeysuckles are blooming all along our fence rows. This is my very favorite time of the year when all the spring flowers do their very best to show their beauty to our eyes.

I think I will make me a little chicken noodle soup today, very mild with little spices so as not to annoy my gall bladder. (keep that little sucker happy so it won't bother me) I have some chicken breast in the freezer and it will make a perfect noodle soup. I will have to put a little salt into it, or else I might as well not even bother to make it. I must remember to buy some noodles to go into it.

Well, the man is still asleep and I think I will go take my shower and get dressed for the day, maybe even wear a dress so my stomach won't feel confined. I have several everyday dresses that are not constrictive. I have lost close to ten pounds since I got sick, and it sure would be nice to lose another 15, but don't want to do it this way. Anyhow, you can't tell it by looking at my face (still round as can be). ha.

I hope each of you has a good day. My innards are growling around ( a wonderful sound, btw) and I guess I got stuff to do today. I am sure Imazo is enjoying herself with family out in Arizona. I certainly hope so. She is a dear friend and I love her.
She and my other two sisters-in-law, Mae and Darlene have been very faithful in checking on me. I am most fortunate to have such good friends as they are.

Mark and Allie came over to spend some time with us on Mother's day, and brought me a beautiful planter with wave petunias in it. They are purple. I would post the picture here, but I am not doing something right with downloading the picture from my camera (new computer) and I don't know yet what I did or didn't do. It will take several times and some help from my 'puter experts.

Well, I need to go and have breakfast and then get my shower and ready for the day. Much love to each of you. This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for today. More later. Bye for now. Thanking God again for the good night's sleep.


Monday, May 11, 2009

Update on Stuff

Hey, Y'all,

After a bad night last night, I got dressed and headed out to Jeff. City to call at my doctor's office. I went in and asked to see the report on my gall bladder test. Barbara said, "Just a minute, I need to see if she has signed off on that." So she went back and got my file and said, "looks like you are going to be heading for surgery". I thought, "yep, doesn't surprise me" and said, "you gotta be kidding! After 8 or 9 major surgeries in my lifetime and now another one." She asked me if I had a preference of surgeons, and I said I didn't have any idea.


Barbara called a group in Knoxville that works out of St. Mary's and made an appointment for me to see the doctor for the initial visit on May 20th. So....tomorrow I see my optomitrist to be fitted for eyeglasses, Monday I go to see the surgeon who did the laparoscopy, Tuesday I go to the dentist and later to see my family doctor, and Wednesday to the gall bladder surgeon. If it weren't for doctor's appointments, I guess I'd never get to go anywhere.. ha ha.

While I was in Jeff. City, I went on to Lowe's and picked out a bunch of flowers to put into my flower bed. My little buddies from up next door are going to come tomorrow and clean out my flower bed and plant the new flowers. I am hoping to attract some hummers and butterflies with the new flowers. I will post a picture when we get it all planted. I am going to take some pictures of them working, too and post some of them.

Laurie is making some vegetable beef soup for supper for Gramps and me. I am looking forward to tasting it. She is bringing some homemade biscuits with it. I am also hoping to sleep better tonight, but I have my doubts. From the little niggling pains in my upper chest, I am expecting to wake up the same way I did this morning. It is difficult to feed Gramps properly when food turns my stomach literally.

By now, Imazo is in the bosom of her son and his family out in Arizona (or pretty near so) and I know she was excited about the trip. We will be looking forward to hearing about it from her.

I began a small amount of work again on Will's quilt this morning in the wee hours, and will continue as I can. I am learning a lot as I work on the quilt, and have done so on each quilt I have made. Sometimes I say to myself, "Hmp. Don't want to do that again". The quilts I make from now on will have much smaller squares. But I am expecting this one to turn out well anyhow.

Well, that is about all for today. This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for now. Love to all of you. Bye for now.

Saturday, May 9, 2009

To all Moms Out There- Happy Mother's Day
















Hey, Y'all,

Sunday, May 10th is the day we will be celebrating Mother's Day. I would like to salute all the moms for the hours of care and love that they gave to their children- for all the hours they sat up with a sick child, praying for healing, cleaning up after their illness, and cooling their fevered brows...for all the worrying about their children's choice of friends...for teaching them about God's love and tender watchcare over each of us...for listening when they really had stuff to do, but knew the child's confidences were more important than the 'stuff'...for caring when a child's heart was breaking...for always being grateful for little gifts offered (like a bouquet of wilting wildflowers or a dandelion brought in a hot little hand).

We thank them for the hard work ethics they instilled in each of us, giving us the tools we would need to make it through the hard times, and the freedom of laughter when our lives got tough or challenging. The laughter and the perseverance have helped me make it through my life. I always look for the fun or humor in life's situtations and make jokes so that others can laugh with me. All my siblings were quick to laugh and make others laugh. I can still remember my mother's laughter.

Part of the learning we got was from our dad and mom interacting. She could be very serious and all at once he would be teasing her, and she would laugh.

We thank them for teaching us the importance of honesty. My mom was a great believer in always telling the truth (unfortunately, I enjoy embroidering the truth sometimes since it makes the story more interesting).
Mothers know that they don't get everything across to their children that they would like, so they concentrate on what they consider to be the most important lessons, and trust that their children will learn the rest along the way. I selected a few pictures of my mom and her interaction with others to post today. I hope you enjoy them.

One is of my mom hoeing in the garden after we first moved out here to New Market in 1947. Mom and Dad had six children and worked hard all their lives to provide for us. They were honest to a fault, and spent their lives teaching us the lessons of life. They loved us and we loved them. One of the pictures is of Mom reading her Bible.

Mom always prayed by her bedside just before she went to bed. That picture is engrained on my memory. There she would kneel and talk to her Lord and Saviour, making intercession on our behalves (and we knew it). That picture in our heads influenced each of us, I know.
Another picture here is of Mom looking out the back door of the house we built in 1956. That house still stands on the old homestead grounds just down the road from Gramps and I. The old house to the left is the one we lived in for 9 years or so before we started the new one.
Another picture is of my Mom in her very early years of marriage. She and dad had just begun their family. Isn't she beautiful?

My mom had beautiful hair, and she only cut it once in her life, when she was about 30. It was the fashion during that time, and someone convinced her that she should be 'up-to-date' like everyone else. She regretted cutting it and was afraid that she would die before it would grow back. She always said that she never wanted to go meet her Saviour with short hair, that she would be too ashamed. It took her awhile to get it to grow out again. The picture here is of her before she had it cut. ( I believe)
There are many more things I could enter here, but this is not intended to bore you all. I honor my mom and all the moms out there.

This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for the day, and posting this so each of you can read it tomorrow on Mother's Day. Love to each of you. Bye for now.

A "Slow-Moving" Day

Hey, Y'all,
Well, it has been a slow moving day around here, I being the major slow-mover. ha. I got up this morning after having had a somewhat strange night (a lot of dreams, punctuated by dreams of having a baby....hmmmm, wonder where that feeling came from, must have been the feeling of pain when I moved.) Anyway, I finally awakened for the day around 7 a.m. and got up for the day. I went out and walked around for awhile, enjoying the fresh air and sunshine, and the singing of the birds. Then I sat on the front porch and rocked for awhile.

My friend, Judy, stopped by to pick up my trash that I haven't felt like carrying off to the local dumpsters this past week. We walked around the yard and picked up branches that had fallen from the trees last evening during the storm and we smelled the roses that are blooming profusely in my front yard. While we looked around, she called her husband, Gene, and was telling him about the vines that were growing over my electric wires coming into our house.

A little later, just as I was about to sit down to my scrambled egg and piece of raisin toast, Gene and our friend (his fishing buddy), Ellis, came by to look at the yard, and I talked to them for a while. Then I came in to my breakfast, and did my best to eat the toast, egg, and Jasmine tea. It was gone in a few minutes and then they came into the house to visit for a few minutes.

As they were leaving, they asked about the little white flags and yellow wire that surrounded our neighbor's property. I told them that it was for an electric fence that they are installing to keep their new puppies (who are really growing, btw) from running everywhere. I told them about walking early one morning in my nephew's subdivision out in Tucson, and coming upon a dog that I thought was going to just eat me up. I am afraid of dogs, and make no bones about it. I happened to see a lady come along riding a horse, and she told me that the dog had one of those electric fences around his house, so he wouldn't come out and attack me.

Then Gene told me about this friend of his that has one of those little yappy dogs, and it was out in the yard alone, when a coyote came in and grabbed the dog. He thought he was going to have a good juicy meal, but when it hit that electric fence, the dog's collar was activated and the coyote turned him loose in a hurry and took off running. The dog was safe and probably was never threatened by that coyote again. No matter the situation, Gene almost always has a story to fit the occasion.

For lunch today (late) I had a good portion of an eggroll that I found in my freezer. I fixed one for Gramps as well, and also a salad for him, along with a baked potato. I did well to eat most of the eggroll. I don't know what I will eat tonight.

I called my pharmacist this afternoon to ask him some questions about taking my antibiotic and also the gas I still have in my abdominal cavity. I asked if it was unusual to have it last this long and he said, "no, it takes a long time for the body to absorb the gas they use, and each person is different". So I guess I am just one of those people who is going to take a long time. I might as well accept it and be done with it.

I am planning on going to my family doctor's office on Monday and look at my records. I have patient's rights, I know. I intend to exercise them. I guess I need to exercise something. ha.

I may stretch out on my bed after while and exercise my right to rest. ha. This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off. Love to you all. Bye for now.

Friday, May 8, 2009

No More Bellyaching Here

Hi, Y'all,
Well, the post heading is not exactly on the spot, so don't be hip-hooraying yet. I just decided when I got up this morning that I am thru being a whiny-baby and am going to kind a' take Charge. I am trying to put a good face on and go with the flow. I had a small helping of cereal for breakfast, did the dishes in the sink, dried a load of laundry, put another load into the washer, dried it, and folded both of them. I worked on getting some of the air out of my body, and succeeded somewhat, but there is more to go.

I called my family doctor's office yesterday afternoon to see if she had gotten the report on my gall bladder test, and the sweet lady who answers the phone told me that the doctor had gotten the report and was going to look at it that afternoon, and if she saw any thing significant in the report she would call me. No call from the doctor, so all I can assume is that my problem is just trapped gas (which I thought from the beginning)

I baked a white potato for lunch and ate most of it (didn't really enjoy it, but at least I am eating something). I haven't come up with an idea for supper yet.

We got Gramps into the shower while ago, and I know he must feel better. I will feel better when I have mine after awhile, I am sure.

I did a lot of a.m. research on the computer in the wee hours this morning looking for answers to getting rid of the air that is pumped in for laparoscopic surgery, and found a few answers. One is chewing sugar free gum, another is doing a lot of walking around and moving around, and I won't speak of the others on this. I know it hurts to burp, but it is a necessary evil. Don't ever let anyone tell you that Laparoscopic surgery is a snap. I have had a LOT of surgeries, and every one has had its drawbacks. This one is no exception.

I am looking forward to pain free nights and days ahead. I know they are out there. I just have to take it on faith.

Well, I am going to go take a shower and then a nap. Thanks for all the suggestions and words of encouragement. This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for the day. More later. Love to you all. Bye for now.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Still Struggling

Hey, Y'all,
Yes, I am still struggling with appetite, pain, and all the other stuff. I scrambled an egg this morning and had half of it, but couldn't "stomach" the rest of it.

Gramps was up early this morning. He couldn't sleep so he got up just after I used the bathroom (about 2:30 a.m.). He went into the living room to read the Bible. I had to get up and turn on the light for him. He was asking me if the lady had left yet. I t0ld him that I was the only lady in the house. He asked if I was the lady of the house and I said yes. I asked if he knew my name and he said, "I am afraid I'll say it wrong if I try to say it." I told him it was spelled R-U-B-Y. So then he knew who I was.

About 3 hours later, I heard him moving around and asked where he was and he said in the kitchen. He was eating breakfast. It wasn't too long before he was back in the bedroom, getting into bed. He was still confused, but finally went back to sleep.

Life never gets boring around here. ha. I got up about seven o'clock, hoping to feel better, but it was not a lot better. Haven't heard from the gall bladder test, but am not real hopeful.

Gramps got up again about 11:30 and went into the kitchen, and ate breakfast again. I don't know what I will give him for supper, maybe some soup. Something easy to fix.

Carol called me a few minutes ago and suggested I use a heating pad to relieve the pain in my sawdust. I will do that if I can find the microwaveable heating pad. Will let you know if it helps. She also suggested that I rock back and forth on my knees. I hope I can do that. After all, these legs and knees are over 3 quarters of a century old. ha. I am not even sure I could get down or get up, afterwards.

Well, I need to do something....I guess anything would be better than doing nothing, eh? This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for the time being. Love to you all. Bye for now.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Latest Update

Hey, Y'all,
Well, today I went to Jefferson Memorial to have my Hida test for my gall bladder to see if it was causing my latest problems. What an experience...my neighbor, Laurie, came to take me to the hospital and do the test.

When we got there, I headed back to the lab and got ready to be stuck several times and of course, I was not disappointed (well, actually, I was because I was hoping they would get it with the first try). They didn't. It took 5 tries, and one of the times, aartery was hit. OOOPS.\ An emergency room nurse hit the vein on the first try. Thank you, Sandra! Please know it was not their fault. I just have difficult veins.

I was in there for about 3 and a half hours for a two hour test. By the time they were finished, they had not been able to find the gall bladder. A radiologist is going to read them tonight, and then get the report to my family doctor. I told them that I wanted a definite yes or no. I am planning on calling the doctor who did the last surgery and find out if he by any chance removed the gall bladder when he removed the ovary. It is possible, isn't it?

Right now I have no appetite, and am still in a lot of pain. I will be taking a pain pill tonight before bed. I hope to get a good night's sleep.

That is about it for tonight. This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for tonight. More later. Love to all of you. Bye for now.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Update...

Hey, Y'all,
I just got back from the doctor's office and she did a couple of tests, (blood work) and urine specimen. She told me that the sample the other day at the hospital showed I had a bladder infection and advised me on taking one of the antibiotics the emergency room doctor had written for me, but that I didn't need the other one.

She has scheduled a Hida gall bladder test for me to be done at our local hospital tomorrow afternoon. She also said that the pain I have been having could be from some residual air that was pumped into my body for the surgery from two weeks ago when they did the laparoscopic surgery. I guess I will know more later.

Well, I didn't have much for breakfast this morning, so I guess I will have a sandwich for lunch in a while. I am not really very hungry, you know. I feel more sleepy than anything.

More later. Bye for now. This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off (again). Love to you all.

A Foolish Move or Two?

Hey, Y'all,
Sunday we went to the Golden Corral to have lunch with our friends, Dick and Lou Ann, and Judy and Gene. Judy offered to pick us up and so we went in their van. I was feeling great, we had been to church and had a wonderful service. Their van is one that I have to pull up by the back of the front seat in order to get into it. It is a possibility that I pulled a muscle. After we got to the restaurant, I ate too much, and so when we got back home, I lay down for a nap. Two hours later, I was hurting in my stomach, and so I called Judy and asked if she could take me to the emergency room.

I had been online chatting with Teresa, and she told me to get to the emergency room right away. When Judy and I got there, the waiting room was full. (you have to realize that it is a small community hospital). They told us that they were having a lot more people than ususal. I considered it must be because people are obsessing over the Swine Flu. Four and a half hours later, I finally got back into the emergency room and sat on a gurney in the hallway for quite some time, rocking back and forth with pain.

After telling them that the pain seemed to be moving behind my back, they put me into a cubicle that belonged to someone who was out having x-rays done, hooked me up to an ekg and did that procedure. The other person came back and I was back out in the hallway. A little later a cubicle became available, and they hooked me up to a heart monitor, then I finally saw the doctor, answered a lot of questions, went through some examining with him asking where does it hurt (pressing on my stomach, etc.). I then was taken down to have a ct scan done, he came back in and said that everything seemed to look clear. He prescribed some antibiotics for me and advised me to see my family doctor soon, they gave me a couple of percocets and sent me home. They had already given me some demoral in the vein where the iv thingy was. I was given a small bag of what I guess was a saline solution. So, seven hours after I got there, I was sent home. He sent me home with a couple of antibiotic prescriptions, but I haven't taken them yet. I was researching them this morning and will ask my family doctor about them.

Yesterday, I took a couple of percocets during the day, and then late last night, another one, and slept like a baby. Wah wah wah. Ha! a joke.. Actually I slept very well.

I called the doctor's office yesterday, and have an appointment for today. No percocets today. I am still sore, but not in the kind of pain of the other day. The pain seems to be more localized in my upper right side.

Well, that is my saga for right now. More later. This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for now. Love to you all. Bye for now.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Puzzles

Hey, Y'all,
There are all kinds of puzzles, and I like to work a lot of them. I especially love doing crossword puzzles, I like to read mysteries and try to solve them before the end of the book, and I really love doing jigsaw puzzles.

I learned about a lot of things while doing jigsaw puzzles. My mom was an inveterate jigsaw person. We spent a lot of long winter evenings working on them. We would spread it out on the dining room table on a drawing board so that it could be moved when we ate. I am sure I developed my love for doing jigsaw puzzles from my mom. The whole family would gather around and look for pieces to fit into the puzzle. One thing we learned to do was to work together and we would help one another look for a piece that fit in a particular place.

Another thing I learned was about how colors blended together to form a shape in the picture. I also learned that sometimes a piece would fit where you would never expect it to. Sometimes we realize that something comes into our livcs that we would never expect to fit into it, but find that it fits very well.

I learned that fun doesn't have to be a noisy happening, but can be very quiet and peaceful. We had some really peaceful times putting those jigsaw puzzles together. Some people would, I am sure, think that would be an awfully boring pastime, but it was not for us. We laughed, talked, and generally enjoyed those times together.

Sometimes we would work by ourselves looking for a piece to the puzzle. I learned that I can enjoy being by myself and do not have to have someone always with me. I can enjoy my own company and feel comfortable. I never expected to ever make quilts, which in my case is a solitary thing, but I can do so without any problem.

I learned the joy of completing a project. It was great fun to put in the last few pieces and then to appreciate the completed puzzle. It was not long before we were looking for another one to put together. Many times we would take it apart and on another long winter day, take it out to put together again.

I learned to love the challenge involved in solving a puzzle. I love to play jigsaw puzzles now on my computer. I'll admit, they are much easier on the computer, but still fun to do and to enjoy seeing the finished product. As you may guess, I have been playing games on my computer today, some of them jigsaw puzzles. It has been a very quiet day today, and Gramps has already gone to bed. I will follow in a few minutes.

This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for the evening. Bye for now. Love to you all. Have a good Sunday.

Friday, May 1, 2009

Happy May Day

Hey, Y'all,
It was a beautiful May first day today, although we had some rain early this morning, it had cleared up mostly by the time Gramps and I left for Knoxville. We stopped at Hardee's on the way in and had a sausage/egg biscuit with coffee. When we got to Imazo's we went in to visit awhile and then Imazo and I left Gramps to read the paper and watch television, while we went to the mall to shop for a pair of new shoes for her. She said it had been a long time since she had bought any new dress shoes, and she wanted a pair to take with her to visit with her son, David, his wife, Andrea, and to see her grandson, Steven, graduate from the university. She is going out to Tuscon to see him graduate, and is so very proud of him. (I am too, of course).

She and I walked all over the mall in the search, but alas, found none that would do, so we left after a couple of hours of looking, and I know we got our exercise in for the day. We stopped by Mae's house to pick her up and then we went to Imazo's and I switched cars to her bigger one, and the four of us went to the Cracker Barrel to eat a really great lunch.

Leaving the Cracker Barrel, we went back to Imazo's and settled down in the television room and I put the movie into the dvd player, set it up and we watched the movie, "Ratatouille". I think the dinner had gotten to Gramps and Imazo, and before we knew it, Mae and I were the only ones awake for awhile, but they rallied and we all watched the major portion of the movie awake. I think they enjoyed it, too. Gramps is not really wild about animated movies, but he endures them with a smile. The grandkids like to remind him occasionally of having gone to sleep in several animated movies that we attended with them. (Smiles inserted here).

We just came back home a few minutes ago, and he is in the living room doing his Bible reading and I am in here blogging. We are hoping to go to church day after tomorrow. I look forward to it.

BTW, I am feeling just fine these days, and all but one of the steristrips have come off of my incisions (for those who are interested, that is), and all three incisions have healed nicely, thank you very much.

It seems that we have rain scheduled for the next 8 days or so. It will certainly make the flowers grow and the grass as well. It just means the grass probably can't be cut until it stops raining. I picked a couple of irises this morning and put them in a glass of water. They looks so very pretty on my kitchen counter. I love their fragrance, too.

Well, this is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for today. Teresa got home safely yesterday and called me to let me know. I think she was flying low, because it didn't take her very long to get there. I am thankful that she made it okay and then called me. I know she was glad to get back home and that her family (Tom and Shadow) were glad to see her, too. Bye for now, see you tomorrow some time.