Last Night

Hey, Y'all,
Well, we have had a wonderful healing stay here at The Terrace Estates, but like all good things, it has come to an end, and we will be leaving here tomorrow. We have made a lot of friends here and will be sad to leave them, but have promised to return and visit. As General MacArthur said, (and I quote) "I shall return".

Our grandson, Daniel, is on his way with his wife and four children, to visit for a couple of days and will be helping us move home tomorrow. We are excited about seeing them again. It has been a year since we saw them, and just can't wait. We will be seeing them in about three hours.

I will be relating in later blogs some of the stories of people here at the facility.

We are in the process of packing up our room in preparation for leaving tomorrow. Believe it or not, we have amassed a good bit of "stuff" while here for only five weeks and a half, actually almost six weeks. Where did it all come from? It just has seemed to multiply.

Other residents here have become used to seeing me with a paperback book in my hands, even in the dining room. After the first week, when I saw how long we sit waiting for the meal to finish being served, I thought, "I could be reading right now instead of just sitting here waiting." So I began to bring the paperback I was reading at the time to the dining room, and spent my time waiting in the pastime of reading.

We have several wonderful places to sit and read or chat with others. The front porch has rockers where we sit and enjoy the sunshine, but now the weather is a little cooler and you won't see many people out there. We also have a couple of courtyards in the back with patio tables and chairs, and rockers where residents can spend time with family. There is also a living room area, quite a large room, with couches and chairs and tables with a large television set and a piano. This is the room where we have muscians come in and lead us in music or play and sing music for us.

There is also an activity room where we play bingo and where (on Wednesdays) ladies can get a free manicure. We have an activities director who arranges the activities for us and drives a van like you wouldn't believe. She handles that van like it was a little car like mine. We have a beauty shop where we can get our hair done. Jennifer is the beautician and is a lovely lady who is a lot of fun to talk to, and who laughs easily. (She did a beautiful job fixing my hair for me, too). I will miss her, among others here.

We have a nurse's station right across the hall from our room. There is a nighttime duty nurse who comes in early each morning and tests Gramps blood sugar and gives him a shot of insulin when he needs it. The daytime nurse administers medications during the day, and does a dandy job of it, too. They have been wonderful friends to us as well.

We cannot praise the staff here too highly. They have been wonderful to us, all of them. The residents here have been so welcoming to us, too, and have expressed how much they wish we would stay and we appreciate their friendliness and graciousness to us. We have had wonderful care with the Home Health care nurses and therapists. We have never felt so well cared for.

Farewell, friends...we will miss you too. We know that if we need to return, we will be happy to be here.

This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for now. Much love to all of you. Bye for now. Next time I post will be on my computer at home. (this is my laptop that I am using now). Bye for now.

Preparing For Exodus

Hey, Y'all,
I don't really have a lot to say today, but wanted you all to know that I am still doing well here at our vacation spot of the south. We continue to have a really pleasant stay here. It is not many places that treat a person so well as this one: three great meals a day, plus snacks when you want them, laundry done during the night (maybe by little elves, who knows?) they come in at night while you sleep and return the clothes before you awaken and put them away quietly, beds made each morning while you have breakfast, fresh towels and washclothes as needed, a sweet wake-up call each morning, reminders when special events like music programs or bingo games are due to take place. Who could ask for more? Certainly not we!

This morning, after my therapy session with Howard (my therapist), he and I walked to the end of the building inside and then out around to the front, and decided to walk down the driveway (literally down, because it is a sloping drive since we are on a hillside, to the end of the hill,) then back up. I was pretty winded by the time we got back to the top where the fence began in front of the building. However, I made it pretty well, which convinced me that I am recovered quite nicely. Gramps and I will be factored out of the home health care here in Morristown on Wednesday of next week. Then Gramps will probably be factored back into home health care after he is evaluated by the company in Jefferson County. Howard says I have made marvelous recovery and he sees no problem with my not needing it any more. Thank you, Jesus!
(and Amedisys Home Health Care providers!) I could never have done it on my own.

There are a lot of wonderful lovely people who are residents here, and they are in varying conditions of health. A great many of them are cheerful in spite of their circumstances, and it is heartening to see them come into the dining room each day, speaking to each other and asking how was their night, etc. Many of them are led in by hand by the care givers here, others are pushed in in wheelchairs. We each have assigned seats. Not everyone is cheerful however, because it may never have been in their personality to be so, and just are themselves regardless of how pleasant other people are. We have one lady who seems to have trouble getting along with some of the other ladies. We call her Miss Kate. She was wont to kick the other ladies at her table and also to strike out at others. After a hair pulling episode the other day, she was moved to a table with a couple of men. It seems she is chatting pleasantly with them and so far, no trouble has ensued.

Laura and I played Scrabble again this afternoon, and just a word about Laura. She is 92 years old, and has arthritis in her hands, and is quite often very tired, so the fact that I defeat her at the game has no great honor to me, because of her condition.

Speaking of games, someone asked me the other day if I won any prizes when I won the games. Yes, I could choose hand lotion, body lotion, kleenex, chips, or small bags of candy. Naturally, since I had plenty of the first items, I chose the small bags of candy. By the time we came back from supper the next day, the candy in one bag was gone (courtesy of Gramps) and I was lucky one bag was left. ha ha.

We had a residents council meeting yesterday where residents have an opportunity to speak out on matters concerning residents. It was very eye-opening. Residents do have a voice in what takes place and I was pleased to see that.

Well, I did not sleep well this last night and my eyes are trying to close on me. I hope I can stay awake until my regular time for bed. BTW, our grandson,Daniel and his family are coming down on Tuesday and Wednesday and will be helping us move back into our little home in the country. We look forward to seeing them again.

That is about it for tonight...This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for today. Much love to all of you. Bye for now.

Bingo Taken Seriously Here!

Hey, Y'all,

Well, here it is Tuesday already. Today is going to be a full one. Yesterday was pretty well filled, too. Monday, Wednesday and Friday are therapy days, when Gramps and I both have physical therapy and with the help of the home health care therapist, Howard, have been strengthening our arms and legs. We really enjoy our time with Howard (who I think resembles Tennessee Ernie Ford) and who likes to joke with us and makes it a pleasurable time.

After therapy, it wasn't long until lunchtime. Mealtime here is an important occasion. Anywhere from 10 minutes to 25 minutes before the doors open to permit us into the dining room, residents begin to gather near the doors to await the opening of the doors for entrance. I am rather sure that mealtime is one of the things that are looked forward to each day. This is rightly so, since the food is so delicious!

Another activity that is always looked forward to is the weekly game of bingo that is played in the activity room. Believe me, the residents take the game seriously. We had a new player yesterday who apparently had never played the game (can you believe that?) and did not know how to cover the numbers with the poker chips. One of the other residents was helping her know what to do and they were speaking quite audibly, since many of the residents here are hearing impaired. Other residents then (also quite audibly) were complaining about the noise the explanations were making. It was a hoot! I was lucky enough to win twice, and the lady across from me was complaining that she hadn't ever won, so I said, "here, I'll trade cards with you, and maybe you can win with my card". We traded, and then a lot of the numbers on the card I got from her started being called. She said, "now, look at that! She is going to win on that card!" Brenda, the activities director, who was calling out the numbers got tickled and just chuckled. However, the lady did win a game on the card I had traded her. Yep, these residents take the game seriously.

Today, I am going to have lunch with some teacher friends of mine. I have been retired now for fifteen years, and have not seen them very many times since retirement. They are retired as well. A beautiful life, isn't it, ladies? I look forward to spending some time with them today. More on this later.

Well, that is about it for today. I continue to improve each day, my friends. This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for right now. Autumn begins today, and as you know, I had very little summer, but hopefully next year, I will be able to enjoy summer again. I have been blessed greatly, having been brought through my illness by His grace and goodness, and having such wonderful friends and supporters who have spoken to Him on my behalf, and kept me close to them in thoughts. I thank all of you again.

Love to all of you. Bye for now. More later.

What I Did Saturday (and other stuff)

Hey, Y'all,
Here it is Sunday afternoon, and it has been about 5 days since I posted and I offer my apologies to those who have wondered how I am doing.

Actually, I seem to be doing quite well. We had a fun thing to do on Friday afternoon following lunch. Some of the ladies who work in the dining room set up a Karaoke machine and did a lot of "the oldies" from country music. Patsy Cline, Kitty Wells, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, were among the artists whose songs were sung by the ladies. I wanted to sing, but didn't feel comfortable doing a song with the music in the background. I never know quite where to "come in" when the music begins and didn't want to make a bigger fool of myself than I already am. ha.

Instead, I chose to sing a song that my mama used to sing. It is a song called, "Little Mary Phagan" about a girl who worked at a pencil factory in Atlanta, Georgia in 1913. The story goes that she left home and went to the factory on a holiday to pick up her paycheck. When she arrived, the only one there was the owner, who raped and killed her and then hid her body in the basement. Later, the black custodian came and found her in the basement and called the police. He was accused but later set free and the owner was arrested, tried and sentenced to death. He was Jewish, and because a large contingent of Jews appealed his case and brought political pressure to bear on the governor, his sentence was commuted. Other Georgians became angy, and seized the convicted man, and hanged him. Mary Phagan became a folk hero, and songs were written about her. I am sure that mom heard the songs when she was just a young woman. She was twelve when Mary was slain. My mom loved to sing the sad songs, and we loved to hear her sing them.

Yesterday, our church ladies held their annual "Festival of Tables" where those ladies that choose to do so, choose a theme and decorate a table. They then invite seven other ladies to sit at their table and enjoy a delicious meal. At the meal yesterday, we had a delicous fruit cup, a menu of baked chicken, potatoes au gratin, a delicious roll, and muffins, with iced tea, and honey butter, followed by coffee and a really yummy slice of cheesecake topped with raspberries and blueberries. When the meal began, we were entertained with songs performed by Karen Stansbury, and following the meal we heard and saw a monologue drama by actress Dorothy Giles, called, "The Mother of Jesus". Dorothy played Mary, mother of Jesus. It was a moving dramatization of how it must have been to be His mother.

My friend, and honorary daughter, Allie, came and picked me up at the Terrace Estates and took me home so that I could get dolled up for the Festival. Aren't friends wonderful? Speaking of friends, it was wonderful to get to the church and be welcomed by so many of our friends and to be told many times, "I have been praying for you". Such a warm feeling it gives one to hear those words, knowing that they are true and not just words carelessly spoken.

This morning, I enjoyed chatting with daughter, Teresa, who lives in Alabama. We try to chat online every weekend. I was telling her that one of the dining room servers was relating to me that when Gramps was up here before (while I was in the hospital and later recuperating) that the ladies here were disappointed to find out that he was married and had gone home to be with his wife. ha. Well, he is good looking, you know, and they may have been looking at him as prospective husband material. Sorry ladies, he is already taken.

Well, that is about it for today, and so, this is Blabbin'Grammy signing off for now. More later. Love to all of you. Bye for now.

Activities and Other Stuff

Hey, Y'all,

As I mentioned in an earlier posting, this is National Assisted Living Week, and we have been having some activities in relation to this, along with other regular activities.
Yesterday, we had some singers come to entertain us, and they were really good. One thing I have noticed, a lot of the same songs are always sung, among them are "I'll Fly Away", and "Amazing Grace".

Yesterday we had the opportunity to have our toenails trimmed (not one of the activities associated with this week), and it was an interesting experience. The doctor was supposed to be here at 1:30, but was delayed because she was late finishing toenails at Heritage Nursing Home. Dub and I had pre-registered a couple of weeks ago and our names were on a list. We went to the waiting area around 1:30 and we were told it would be around 2:30 or 3 before the podiatrist would be here. We left and went back to our room to wait. When we returned to the waiting area, we were informed by one of the residents that we would be seen in the order in which we came in to wait. He was quite adamant (and vociferous) in informing everyone in what order everyone had come into the waiting area. I observed that pre-registering had nothing to do with who would be seen when. Many of the residents were wheeled into the doctor's presence ahead of those waiting in the waiting area. Hmmmmm. Anyway, we were all seen and trimmed and clipped before the supper hour. One thing I will say for the doctor, she was very adept at her task, and was quick with it. The resident who was so argumentative needed not to get his shorts in a wad over the whole thing. It is very interesting to observe seniors. They seem to be not any different than children many times.

This morning we were told that there would be singing in the living room area at 9:30. Gramps (Dub) and I went down to participate. One of the staff here plays the piano and sings, so she led the music. When I went in, another resident (a lady), asked who was going to sing and what. I put my arm around her shoulder and began singing, "The Farmer in the Dell" and she started singing it with me. Ha. We all had a great time singing hymns and as we sang, I thought about the words we were singing and how so very many of those singing could very well not be here at this time next year, and would likely be singing with those who have gone on before them. The singing was beautiful, a blending of voices that was a paean to the Lord.

This afternoon, we had a young medical resident to come and speak to us about how to care for our skin and the kind of problems that are common to seniors. It was quite interesting and informative.

Today, my home health care nurse came and checked my incision and told me I could leave off the bandage now. That was great news, and I will begin taking showers without worrying about covering the incision with a bandage.

I sat outside this evening and visited with a niece of another resident (and the resident). The niece had her 5 year old son, (Elliott), with her and he was having a great time riding his bicycle up and down the sidewalk. Then another resident's relative came out with a remote airplane (made of styrofoam) and he and Elliott had a great time playing with it. It was a lot of enjoyment watching them.

Well, that is about it for today. I have Dub's cold, of course, but am taking benedryl to keep the sneezing and snorting at bay as much as possible. I have been invited to the
Festival of Tables at our church next Saturday. Allie is coming to pick me up, since she is going as well. As some of you may know, I usually decorate a table and invite 7 people to come, but that was not an option this year. I will take pictures though, and post some when I can download them on my home computer in a couple of weeks.

I am also looking forward to having lunch with some school teacher friends of mine on next Tuesday. Isn't it wonderful to have good things to look forward to?

Well, this is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for tonight. Love to all of you. Bye for now. More later.

A Long Night

Hey, Y'all,

Sometimes you just have a long night to get through and last night was one of those. I watched one of my favorite television shows at 9 p.m. - "Monk" which is in its last season, and part of "Psych", and decided to turn it off when about 15 minutes were left. I knew I could catch it in reruns later.

Gramps has a bad cold and is still snorting and blowing his dripping nose, and I am trying very hard to keep from catching it. I gave him some cough depressant to help him sleep without being bothered with coughing. Well, apparently he was sleeping too well to wake up to use the bathroom, and we wound up changing his sweat pants that he sleeps in three times. I was changing his damp bed at about 3 a.m. this morning. Bless his heart. Consequently, I was sitting up for awhile after 3 and reading for awhile, because I just couldn't go back to sleep. The night time nurse said they would just do all our laundry including the sheets I had removed from the bed.

I finally went back to bed about 4 a.m. and got up about 6:20 and cleaned up and got dressed. I changed the huge band aid on my incision and cleaned it with the anti-bacterial wound care liquid and a sterile q-tip. It is looking good and very close to being closed.

The other day while on the front porch, I began talking with a gentleman and he told me he had driven over a million miles while he was a policeman in Morristown. I told him I have probably driven close to that in the forty three years I have been driving, with all the times I have driven to Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Virginia, Arkansas, and a few other places, plus the driving to work and home and just around the local area. Then we began talking about swimming, and he told me he had been in the Navy Seabees during the Second World War and he had to be able to swim in order to serve there. He served in the Pacific Theatre of Operations and I told him my two oldest brothers had served in the Pacific as well. We had a very interesting conversation. I think he is in his 80's.

Another gentleman that I have talked with several times grew up in New Market, and graduated from New Market High School in 1946, just five years before I did, and of course, had the same teachers I had when I was going there. In fact, my two daughters had a couple of the same teachers when they went to Jefferson High School 15 -20 years later. Of course, the teachers were close to retirement when they had them.

I get an opportunity when I sit outside on the front porch to talk to the other residents here and hear some really interesting stories. Everyone here has a story to tell, you know, and I hope to hear a lot of them before we leave in three weeks.

I am reading a very interesting book, loaned to me by my friend, Phyllis, who came to visit me the other day. It is called "The Time Traveler's Wife" and a movie was made from it which has come out recently. I have not seen the movie and probably won't until I can rent it. We don't go to the movie theatre any more because of the expense.
Speaking of expenses, I have not even thought of the expenses I have incurred over the summer with hospitals and doctors. I have gotten a couple of statements, but no bills yet. GULP! ha.

One of the things that many of the residents here look forward to is mealtime, and I was thinking about how sad it is to only have mealtime to look forward to. Of course, they have other things to enjoy such as playing bingo, going places, and programs of music and church services and Bible study. However, I know there are some who do none or very few of those things. Many of the residents are only temporary for reasons of recovery from illness such as I am. We are thoroughly enjoying our time here at Terrace Estates and seem to be fitting in very well. We appreciate all the kindnesses and good care we are receiving while here. Someone, I don't know who, placed an Autumn decoration on our door. Thank you, whoever you are! How very thoughtful of you!

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

A Surprise Visitor

Hey, Y'all,
Time is flying and I have been here for almost 3 weeks. It doesn't seem possible. One third of this month is gone and we will only be here for 20 more days. I think Gramps has a bad cold and I am trying to avoid catching it. He doesn't need it and I certainly don't either, fer shure.

I was delighted this morning to see a friend of mine that I had not seen in many years. A fellow teacher, Phyllis E., came to visit me, bearing gifts. She brought me some paperback books to read, but even more important, was the visit from her. We had a wonderful time talking about events in our lives since we had last seen one another. She has been reading my blog and keeping up with my illness and recovery periods. How wonderful to have all the support I have had over the past few months.

The other morning, I was on my way to the dining room and had the pleasure of meeting another of the residents, whose name is Lois. We got to talking about names and she said she had a friend named Ruby, and we spoke about how our mother's had named us each for aunts and how when they spoke our whole name, we knew we were in trouble. We went on to talk about when we got a whipping it was with a hickory switch and how we had to go get it ourselves to bring back to our mothers. She went on to relate how her sister, when she was going to get whipped, would run around the oval-shaped dining room table shouting, "Jesus, Master, Jesus, Master".
I thought that was really humorous.

Quite a few of the residents today went to Asheville to Biltmore to see the grounds there, and I am sure the grounds are quite beautiful. I will talk to some of them tomorrow to see how they enjoyed the trip. They left at 9 a.m. this morning and were not back by 6 p.m. and I am sure it was a long day for many of them. Gramps and I decided we did not feel up to the long drive and long day, so we did not go. I am glad we didn't because we would have missed the visit from Phyllis.

Meals have been wonderful, especially breakfast! Yesterday, I had a small bowl of gravy, a biscuit, a small bowl of grits, scrambled eggs, 2 strips of bacon, a small bran muffin with fruit and nuts in it, a large glass of orange juice and a cup of coffee, and enjoyed every bit of it. No appetite problem now, friends. I have regained 6 pounds of the 32 I lost over the summer and am feeling wonderful. The incision is slowly closing up and is still looking good. I just praise the Lord for all His watchcare and wondrous love.

Tomorrow is the first birthday of our great granddaughter, Alyssa Faith, daughter of our grandson, Andrew and wife, Julia. Happy Birthday, Alyssa! To see her picture, go to the link at the left, of Julia Bennett's blog. Andrew and Julia are also expecting a second child (which they just found out about a few weeks ago). Congratulations to Andrew and Julia!

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

Visitors Always Welcome

Hey, Y'all,

Well, we are still doing fine here at Terrace Estates. Yesterday was Labor Day Holiday, so there were no therapists or home health care nurses (whom I am always pleased to see), so it was very quiet here. Last night we were fortunate enough to have visitors. We were so very pleased to see them, too. Our niece, Pam, came with one of her two granddaughters, Hannah, who is seven years old. Hannah has a twin, Hayley, who was at a picnic.

Hannah is a charmer and never runs out of things to talk about. She is so fascinated about this assisted living facility and how it is run, she has decided that she wants to run one when she grows up. She knows about almost every facet of what goes on here.

They took a picture of Gramps and me, but I can't get it to download into my computer. So it will just have to wait until I can get home to download it. I wanted to show how much better I look than a few weeks ago. I guess you will just have to take other people's words for it. Ha. (Everyone who sees me says I do -those who knew me before my illness, that is )

I don't have a lot to say today, because not a lot is going on. I did get a chance to play Scrabble with my friend, Laura, yesterday afternoon, and we had a lot of fun doing that.

A few mornings ago, a couple of the ladies who sit at the table next to us in the dining room, came into the dining room and one of them had some bruises near one of her eyes, and a cut with stitiches. She had fallen out of bed the night before, and had to go to the hospital to get it stitched. She told us she was going to sleep as close to the wall as she could from now on. Her name is Joyce. The other lady is also named Joyce and she had fallen the night before as well, but she hit the back of her head and didn't have to go to the hospital, but had to put an ice pack on the back of her head. Apparently, it was a bad night for people named Joyce.

Another resident here who has become a friend, is named Mildred. Mildred is also a lovely lady who has a problem with her lungs, and is quite weak much of the time. She is a kind and gentle soul who lost her husband to Altzheimer's several years ago after a long marriage to him. Everyone loves Mildred because she is such a lovely person and caring of others around her.

We also had visitors the other day that we were really pleased and happy to see. Mark and Allie have returned from a long trip to Michigan where they were conducting their business and also taking time to visit Mackinaw Island and have a little relaxation as well. We had really missed them and had a nice long visit with them.

Well, this is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for today. More later. Love to all of you. Bye for now.

A Great Morning

Hey, Y'all,



It has been a lovely morning and getting on towards noon hour now. On our way to breakfast this morning, I noticed one of the residents slowly pushing his way in his wheelchair towards the dining room. I asked if he would like me to push him and he said he would appreciate it, so I did. Then when I pushed him to where he sits, another resident motioned for me to get him some additional table napkins, so I did that. Gee, it felt good to be helping someone else!



After breakfast I went out to sit on the front porch and grab some rays of sunshine. I sat out there for about an hour and a half, then came back in and chatted with one of the other residesnts who likes to play scrabble. If she feels like it, we will play some this afternoon. Her name is Laura.



On my way back to my room, I saw another resident who needed a push to her room and took her back. Then I noticed an open door and I knew the resident who lives there and knew she had not made it to breakfast this morning. Her name is MIldred and she is a lovely lady. I found out she was not feeling well today. She has a problem with her lungs and is often not feeling well. I spoke to her and she said she would not be out of her room today.



After I got to our room, I got out my computer and got comfortable and had a chance to chat online with my daughter, Teresa. We had a lovely time talking to one another and now it is almost lunch time. I will probably eat anything that is not nailed down. Ha. I have regained 6 of the pounds I had lost over the summer. Not too bad, but I am going to have to watch the desserts they serve for lunch and supper. I will probably watch them while I eat them . Ha ha.



I think Gramps is probably already down in the dining room. ha. I had better go find him. This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for today. Love to all of you. Bye for now. More tomorrow. Oh, yes, my incision is healing well and probably will be closing up soon.

Sunshine In My Soul Today

Hey, Y'all,

After breakfast today, I went outside to sit in the sunshine and soak up some rays with a couple of other residents. Actually, I took a walk circling the facility a couple ot times for exercise and then sat down in a rocking chair to enjoy the sunshine. I turned my face to the sunshine and thought of the old hymn, "Sunshine In My Soul Today" and began to hum it to myself. I realized how very thankful I was for the peace I have felt since being here without the stress of the past few months.

I began to whistle and spoke to one of the ladies, Hallie June, about whistling and we had a little contest of whistling like the whipporwill and the bob white. Then we talked about the poem that goes, "A whistling girl and a crowing hen always come to some bad end. The whistling girl never gets caught, and the crowing hen winds up in the pot." ha.

After awhile, we began talking poetry and how we memorized them when we were in school, and how children don't seem to do that anymore. We also talked about beginning school in the Primer Grade (first half of first grade) and how we learned to read from charts about Baby Ray.

We also sang some songs (very quietly) and talked about how we got our given names. It was a bery pleasant couple of hours that we passed, and I was grateful for the comraderie we shared.

This afternoon, we received a visit from my sunday school teacher, Charlene. She came bearing gifts and we were pleased to get them, but also very pleased for the visit. It was really great.

I have met some lovely people here at Terrace Estates, and I am enjoying getting to know them.

The Home Health nurse is continuing to come twice a week, and checking on me and my progress. I truly appreciate their care.

Well, not a lot more to report today. This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for today. More tomorrow. Love to all of you. Bye for now.

Visit to Vanderbilt

/Hey, Y'all,
Early this morning, Ina Ray and I arose from our slumber and got ready to travel to Vanderbilt. We were on the road by 6 a.m. and stopped on the way about 7:30 for biscuit and gravy at a Hardee's. Yum! I am so glad my appetite is back!

We arrived at the clinic about 9:15, just in time to take advantage of the valet parking, and proceeded upstairs to the clinic in time for my appointment. We spent a few minutes with a nurse who checked my vitals (I was vital, by the way) and then we were shown into the examining room. A couple of doctors came in and checked my two incisions, yes, two. I didn't know until today that there were two of them. You see, I hadn't really seen them since they are on my side, and I have never watched the nurses changing the gauze packing in the incision.

There was an incision where the drain had been placed several weeks ago, and then removed, and that is the one that was being changed each day. It is about an inch long. Below that incision is one that had been made when he cleaned out the infection and it was several inches long and had sutures in it.

The first doctor who came in removed the sutures and placed steri strips on it. Then he removed the gauze that was packed into the upper incision. It was still open, and Dr. Wright, who had come into the room checked it and said it doesn't need packing in it anymore and would close up on its own. He placed a gauze pad over it to catch any drainage that might come out of it in the next 24 hours and told me I could shower and just clean it with soap and water. I could hardly believe it. I guess I will find out. I will just have to take his word for it right now. I told him the other incision looks like it would pop open in one place. He said, "no it won't" and Ina said, "she doesn't believe you," and he said, "I know".

I said, "Okay, if you are sure". I said, "I am one of your favorite patients, aren't I?" and he said, "yes, you are". He told me to come back in about a month. I believe I will be able to drive myself back then. I have an appointment on October 7, to go back and see him and get bloodwork done once more to check the bilirubin level. He also said that if I have any problems between now and then to contact his office, and that he is always glad to see me. I gave both the doctors a hug and a kiss on the cheek. I appreciate them so very much.

Ina and I were soon on our way home and we stopped in Crossville at an I-Hop and had breakfast for lunch. It was a treat and so very nice! We arrived back in Morristown in time for supper, and Ina took her leave and headed back to her home in Knoxville. Dear Ina! What a wonderful friend she is! I can never express what a joy it is to know her! We have been friends for over 20 years, and I value every moment we have spent together.

While we were gone today, someone asked Gramps where I was and he said, "halfway between here and Nashville, I guess". Ha. They thought that was so cute.

It is wonderful to be in a place where so many people care about what you are doing and how you are feeling! We are extremely happy and content here. As you can see, I finally got my internet connection here at Terrace Estates. Yippee!

Well, it has been a long day, and I need to head for bed soon. This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for the night. Thank you again, each of you for your prayers and support! I have felt them and I know God was listening. Love to each of you! I am feeling so much better day by day. I have been getting marvelous care from every one here and from the Home Health staff who come to visit me and change my dressings in my incision. Good night to all of you. Bye for now.

Hello, Out There!

Hey, Y'all,
Yes, it is me coming at you again, and it is good to be able to read my blog again! Thanks to Teresa for keeping you all up to date. Thank you for all the well wishes coming our way! I am at home this evening, in preparation for going to the Vanderbilt Clinic tomorrow. My good friend, Ina Ray, is here tonight to spend the night so we can get an early start in the morning. My appointment is at 9:30 Central time (10:30 am Eastern).

My good neighbors who live up the hill from me came and picked me up at the Terrace Estates this afternoon, so that I could get home this evening. I am so blessed to have such great friends!

I am hoping to have my internet connected tomorrow at the facility so that I can continue doing my blog and keeping up with those I read regularly. I have really missed reading them and keeping in touch.

Teresa has done a really good job of keeping it up for me and telling a lot of the stories that I have related to her. I don't have a lot of time tonight, because I do need to get to bed and get some rest. I have gotten some cards from out of the blue that were completely unexpected and so very welcome.. I was really touched by them. One came from a lady who lives in Ohio, who apparently has been reading my blog and another came from a former school teacher who taught with me several years ago.

I also received a bunch of cards that were handmade by children at my church, and a vase of flowers and a card and a visit from some of the youth group at church. How very wonderful to be so honored! They were all so much appreciated.

As Teresa said, I have my appetite back and will probably have to soon start pushing back from the table and not eating everything that is not nailed down. Ha.

Well, I gotta close this down and get to bed. Hope to be back online soon. This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off and my love to all of you. Bye for now!