Tests- Second Verse

Hey, Y'all,
Well, yesterday was the second day of my cardio tests and I thought they would be finished, but guess what...the right hand didn't know what the left one was doing, and when the tests were scheduled, they didn't order the chemicals that would be needed for the second half of the pictures that were to be taken. Sooo, I did another part of testing that had been scheduled that didn't need drugs. I go back on Monday afternoon to do the photography of my lovely inner heart workings. Ha.

What we did do was pressure checks on the circulation in my legs. The way this test is done, they put pressure cuffs on the upper thighs and calves in the lower legs, and they are inflated individually and pressure is checked individually, and believe me, they hurt! However, it was only for a minute or so, so I withstood it without too much protesting. Thank the Lord I have a fairly high pain threshold. She also used a sensor of some kind measuring the circulation while the cuffs were inflated, placing it on my ankles and various places on my legs and feet. It was quite interesting. After that part of the procedure, the cuffs were taken off and I walked on the treadmill for five minutes. Then I lay down on the table again, and she measured the circulation in my ankles again, which didn't take very long.

So, today is Saturday, and I have a day to "play" and I will probably use it for that. Ha. I haven't had breakfast yet, but I plan on making some French toast with a strip of bacon to accompany it. I have been trying to figure out how to program the heat/air conditioning and it kind of escapes me. I am sure Carol will fix it for me tomorrow afternoon. In the meantime, I have it on heat, and I can smell the heat as it comes through the registers. It has been a little cooler in the mornings and it is wonderful to know that cooler weather is here.

The leaves are beginning to fall in the back yard and they are going to be soon covering the ground, and we know for sure that Autumn is here and Winter will soon be on its way. I really love this time of year, and I can remember being a young child and kicking the piles of leaves and enjoying their rustling sound, breathing in the crisp air in the mornings on the way to school.

You should see me dosing out my medications once a week...bottles of pills, and my pill minder. Keeping them straight is quite a job, but I'm up to it. I have seven prescriptions and several over the counter supplements. This morning was the day for dosing them out, so that was what I was doing at 6 a.m. here in my computer/work room. The other day, the nurse told me that taking Benedryl daily for sleeping was not the best thing to do, and reiterated what a doctor told me last year...that it can cause seniors to lose memory, so I decided night before last that I would no longer take it as a sleeping aid. That night, I was awake every hour but went back to sleep each time. Last night, I slept for about four hours before waking, but awakened from leg cramps, probably from the walking on the treadmill yesterday. I may very well take a nap sometime midday today.

Well, breakfast is calling to me...."Ruby, Ruby, Come, come and eat." ha. This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for now. Much love to each of you. More later. I continue to thank each of you for your prayers on our behalf (me and my family members). Bye for now.

Stressful, For Sure

Hey, Y'all,
Yesterday was, indeed, a stressful day. First of all, it was a very long morning, waiting until afternoon to go have the stress test. Waiting...waiting...waiting...you get the idea...time to think about...were they going to be able to get an IV into my hand or lower arm (small, rolling, moving veins here in my little old body)...would they find a lot of plaque in my arteries (still don't have the answer to that one).

By the time that I got there, and then had the echocardiogram which takes about thirty minutes and then the carotid artery test which takes another fifteen, besides telling them about my husband's passing, my blood pressure was really up - 170/90 and they said, "oh, the stuff we are putting in will take it down". Well, guess what, it didn't, and when they sent me out into the waiting area after the five or ten minutes of the chemical injection, it was still up. I went out to wait for 45 minutes while the chemical was coursing through my veins (a radiation to show up on the pictures to be taken after 45 minutes). My head was literally pounding, and they asked did I have any advil or tylenol in my purse to take, and I replied that I don't carry that kind of stuff around.

Anyway, after the 45 minute wait was over, I went back into the area and lay on my back for twenty minutes with my arms over my head and had pictures of the tracer activity in my heart taken. Then I had the IV needle removed and went home. When I got home, I made myself some food, and as I sat there eating it, and drinking the caffeine (coffee) they said would help my headache to disappear, it did go away, and almost immediately, I felt what I thought was sinus drainage dripping from my left nostril, and put the paper napkin to my nostril and it was blood. Apparently, the high blood pressure had caused a small vessel to burst in my nose. I thought, "what now? What should I do?" So, I took a small piece of paper towel and rolled it up, and put it under my upper lip, pressing it against my gum, pinched the bridge of my nose, and within a minute or so, it stopped bleeding.

Have you ever tried to eat and keep a rolled up piece of paper in place between your lip and gum? Well, I can tell you for sure, it is not easy, but it can be done. Ha. I am certainly going to tell them today about the nosebleed. I go back this afternoon for the second part of the stress test, but it will not be stressful today, because now I know they can hit the vein (that girl is good), and the injection will not give me a headache. Also, I can have as much breakfast today and also lunch before I go to the appointment this afternoon.

Well, that is about it..The Rangers lost the ball game last night (I didn't watch the game but heard the score before bedtime). My nose seems to be okay today, so that is good. No headache right now. Just about time for breakfast right now, so I guess I will close this one out for today and get back to you later on. This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for today. Much love to each of you, my friends. Bye for now. More later.

Wednesday Doings

Hey, Y'all,
Wednesday is Bible Study morning and so, after listening to the radio buzzing me awake (I was trying to outlast the sound, seeing how long it would keep up before stopping), I finally got out of bed. I didn't need it to wake up, but I was afraid I wouldn't awaken again after being up to visit the John at 4:30 and going back to bed, and be awake in time to get my shower and get out of the house by 8:25.

Anyway, I got up and took the shower and dressed, came in and farmed a little at my computer, and left in time to pick up another class member who doesn't drive and take her with me. We had a really good session today all about how real is our Christianity. The verses were the last two in the first chapter of James.

After I dropped my classmate, Vicky, off at her home, I went on down to a local restaurant, LePeep and had a senior portion of catfish, green salad, carrots/peas, a small dish of fresh fruit, and a dinner roll. It was very good, and then I walked on down to Kroger's and did a little grocery shopping and then headed home. I only live a couple of blocks from Kroger's but naturally I drove because i had my car with me. Ha ha. When I got home, I put the groceries away and sat at my computer for awhile.

Last evening, I got out the little machine that I bought before I moved here that I ordered from Nancy's Notions, that cuts cloth into strips of several different widths. I had to change the cutting wheel in it, which took some doing, (of course - nothing is ever simple, even though they claim it is) and finally got it changed to the one that cuts straight. One can also cut paper with the machine. It is electric and is operated with a foot like a sewing machine uses. I don't really like using a foot pedal and I was wondering if maybe I could strap it to the inside of one of my knees and just press my knees together when I wanted to operate it. Do you reckon that would work or would it be dangerous? I'll bet it would be easier than using the calf muscles to press it on the floor. My sewing machine has the button on the machine head that operates the needle. It is so much better than using a foot pedal.

Tomorrow, I have my first half of the cardiology tests that I have to do, and of course, they will have to insert and IV needle into my vein to do the test. That is the part of any medical procedure that I dread more than any other, even surgery. Can you believe that? It is true, because my veins are difficult to find and to hit. I would never make a good "junkie" ha. The nurse is supposed to call me this afternoon some time to let me know what medications to take and ones not to take tonight and in the morning. I wish she would go ahead and call so I could take a wee nap. Now that i am sleeping better, I can't seem to get enough sleep. ha ha. Isn't that always the way of it?

That is about it for today. I have to eat a light breakfast in the morning before 8 a.m. and that will be it until after the tests are over for the afternoon. Ah, the nurse just now called me and we discussed all that concerned me about the IV sticking to be done. She told me to begin hydrating right now and to continue for the next sixteen hours, so that is what I am going to do. I just don't want to float away. Ha ha ha. A glass of water every two hours should be enough.

Now for a little nappy poo. This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for today. Much love to each of you, my friends/family. Bye for now. More later.

And They Just Keep Coming!

Hey, Y'all,
What just keeps coming? Why, the adventures, of course! This morning, I was supposed to go pick up Carol at her house and take her to her work car, because she didn't have her car at home. Emily and Ben supposedly had it, but last night it was returned to her without her knowledge. She went out this morning to carry out the trash (today being a trash pickup day), and saw her car parked in her driveway.

So, at about 6:30 this morning, she calls me and says don't bother to come because I have my car now. So, then a few minutes later, a text message, why don't you meet me for breakfast at McD's near work. I drove over to meet her at 7 a.m. and we had a lovely breakfast (as lovely as it can be at McD's). What makes it lovely is having it with someone you love. We had a good time talking and laughing about stuff. In fact, I was laughing so loud, I was afraid I might be thrown out (just joking - they don't throw you out unless you are causing trouble I would say).

Anyway, after I left and headed back home and Carol had gone on to work, the sun was in my eyes (I mean REALLY in my eyes) so badly that I couldn't see the road which is a busy one at that time of the morning with people headed for work. One part of the drive, I couldn't see the road and wound up in a turn lane (these turn lanes can be dangerous) and then I could see where I was and there was no one behind me, so I pulled back over into the driving lane. The sun visor was no help because the sun was shining below the visor. I just kept praying for guidance and less sunshine in my eyes and finally made it home.

Later today, after a really good talk online with Teresa (today is one of her good days), I decided to go to Walmart and then on to Hobby Lobby to get some cloth. I picked up some sunglasses that fit over my glasses at Walmart, and then went on to Hobby Lobby. New adventure getting to Hobby Lobby. I knew what side of the road it was on, but not exactly where on that side it was. I turned down a side street and discovered I was on the wrong side of the street, because it was one of those streets that had a really wide wide median, and fortunately for me, I only saw one car headed my way and it was on the left of me. I quickly got over and then drove till I saw where Hobby Lobby should be (the area) and parked my car in the large parking lot. I have decided that my Guardian Angel has probably had his hair turn gray over the years from taking care of me, also that my heart must be in fairly good condition to take the stress I place on it with my "adventures". Wouldn't you say so?

I found the material for the background cloth for Teresa's quilts that I am going to make for her over the next few months, and also a really nice place to eat. I had lunch at a place near Hobby Lobby called Bayley's Cafe. I had a giant croissant along with a dish of fresh fruit. It was really yummmy.

As you know, maybe, I hate the turnaround that they are putting on Glade Road, and if I go to the shopping area on Glade, I either have to go out the access road to it, or I have to go on Jackson to get to Glade and use the turnaround that connects Jackson to Glade. Well, today I went out the access to the Glade shopping area, and decided to go back home via the turnabout and Jackson. When I got to the turnabout, I didn't go far enough on the turnabout and wound up going farther out Glade, so I had to really turn around and go back to the turnabout and do the right hand turn to get onto Jackson. Suffice it to say, I hate the turnabout!!!! It is too confusing.

So, I am back home...Oh, yes, if any of you shop at Hobby Lobby, you know they have the percent off coupons that you can print off the internet. I found out today that if you have a cell phone that has the internet access, you can pull up the coupon and show it to them at the register, and they will get the number from the coupon and give you the percentage off. Isn't that great??? I got forty percent discount on the cloth I bought. Cool, Huh?

Oh, yeah, I wanted to tell you about the lady from the prescription place that I talked to for nearly 30 minutes last week. She called again yesterday and we chatted some more. I don't know if I told you or not, but she saved my life, literally. One of the medications that I was taking and got a new prescription to replace it, I thought it was the same thing as what I was taking and was just going to double up on the pills that I had, and she said, "NO, don't do that." I was taking a timed release form of the medication and the new one I was getting filled from them was not a timed release. It would have made me very sick, maybe even unto death, so she saved my life by calling me and discussing it with me. I am so very grateful...I know that God was the engineer of that call to me. Of course, it was last week that she told me about the difference between the two tablets, so it was told to me in time to save my life.

Well, that is about it for today. Except yesterday was the birthday of Granddaughter, Whitney. Hope it was a really happy one, my dear. This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for today. Much love to each of you, my friends and family. Bye for now. More later.

At top is a picture of quilt I made for Mae's great great granddaughter, Alli, not born yet, but due any day. I made the two sides of the quilt different. Excuse poor quality of pictures. My hand shakes sometimes when I am trying to get a good picture. Bye for now.

My Sister

Hey, Y'all,
I just had to sit down and write about a dream I had last night. Three years ago at this time, my sister had fallen in her apartment and had broken her leg in three places. Now, she already had trouble getting around and was using a walker. She had arthritis in her hands and couldn't grasp some things sometimes. Margaret was a care-giver, almost from the time she was old enough to do anything helpful. By the time that I was six years old, she was fourteen and because Mom didn't want to send me to the country school with only an older brother going, she decided to have Margaret repeat eighth grade, so she could keep an eye on me....and she did, much to my chagrin. It was a little country school with only one room divided into two classrooms. I couldn't get away with anything, even though as an older student she was in the other classroom.

Anyway, to get back on track, she has been the caretaker of our family for years, going on to help me in Indiana when I had my two babies, and then later to care for Carol and Teresa when we moved back to the farm and I had to go to work, then to college. She also cared for John, my younger brother, when he returned home from California to the farm, and for our ailing parents in later years till they passed away. Later on, she became a paid caregiver, caring for seniors in their homes. All during her life, she baby sat for people who worked and had no one to care for their children. In fact, that was a job she had when she was only about seventeen and we were living in Knoxville.

In my dream last night, she had come back from heaven, (She passed away almost three years ago, on the last day of 2007) and was helping me to adjust to life in my new home. She was cooking and cleaning, and talking to neighbors, and all at once, I realized, "Hey, Margaret died several years ago, what is she doing here?" And then, just as quickly as that, she was gone. I knew then that she had only come back to help me. Same old Margaret... doing what she could to help without expecting anything in return. You can hardly beat that for love, can you? (Well, except for what Jesus did for us...don't forget that!) She was a true example of Christian love.

Well, this morning is a time of thanksgiving, especially for life, and for the rain we had yesterday, and for the love we all have for one another in my family...the tie that binds us all together. I thank God for my friends as well, and for what they mean to me in my life.

This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for today. Much love to each of you, my friends and family. More later. Bye for now.

Another Saturday

Hey, Y'all,
Yeah, another Saturday and I really tried to sleep in this morning past 5 a.m., but it just didn't happen. I went to bed at 10 p.m. last evening, and by 5 o'clock this morning, I had already had 7 hours of sleep and that seems to be about the best I can do on a regular night. I got up at 5 and came into my computer room for about 45 minutes and then went back to bed, but just couldn't drowse off again. I know this is extremely interesting to those of you who visit my ramblings on this page (ha ha). Anyway, last evening I had a very enjoyable visit with some new friends of mine.

One of the ladies, Tricia, from the Bible Study group that I attend on Wednesday mornings came over with her son, Levi, who is an adorable one year-old sweetie pie, and with her friend, Heather. Ii had invited them over for pizza and salad, and an evening of just getting together for some fellowship. I had made a home-made pizza and also some chocolate eclair dessert. We had a really fun time, and Levi slept part of the time while we were eating, and then when he woke up, he enjoyed running around in the living room and carrying my crocs and his mother's flip-flops around. He is really into shoes (carrying, not wearing). Levi has an adorable smile and dimples in his left cheek, just like his mama's dimples. Her husband, Zach, had been planning on coming, but was deep into a construction project, so he couldn't make it for supper. I sent him some pizza and dessert, so he wouldn't miss out on the food.

This morning, I washed up the dishes from last evening and then made my breakfast and ate it. I looked out at my beautiful yard that Carol and Daryl came over and mowed and edged for me yesterday afternoon. I appreciate them so very much for all that they do for me! I have a hole in the fence in the back yard caused by a couple of boards having come loose, and I was just going to nail some short boards and affix them to the loose boards, and Carol said, "no, Daryl will fix it for you right". I would have been perfectly happy to have repaired it like that but she said it wouldn't make them happy to do it that way. So, I said, "Okay, I'll let him fix it however he wishes." Works for me.

I met a very nice lady on the phone yesterday afternoon. She was from the Prescriptions Solutions place out in California, and she was calling to consult with me on a new prescription that my new cardiologist wrote for me. Would you believe that we talked for almost 30 minutes? Carol said, "I'll bet you didn't talk about medicine that length of time, did you?" I replied that she was right, and that I had given the lady my blog address. Carol said, "Ah ha". I told Carol that we had talked about a lot of things, and that I really enjoyed talking to her. Carol knows how much I love to talk and meet new people. That is just how I am.

Well, I have just about talked out what I have to say for right now, so this is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for today. Much love to each of you, my friends. More later. Bye for now.

A Busy Day

Hey, Y'all,
I decided before I got up this morning that there were some things I wanted to get taken care of. So, I got busy, and after doing about an hour of Farmville, I went into the kitchen and had the leftovers from yesterday's lunch at LePeep for breakfast. It was actually a breakfast type of meal. Then I decided I needed to make a trip to the post office and mail a couple of packages, so off I went to do that. I dried a load of laundry (in the dryer, of course) and washed another load, and then dried it. They still have to be folded and put away.

When I returned from the post office, on my way home, I stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few items, and then headed home. After arriving home, I knew it was time I got busy with wet mopping the floors, so I got the 3 bedrooms done and one bathroom, leaving the rest for the late afternoon. I made a meatloaf for later today and also maybe to share with Carol and Daryl for their supper, and decided I needed to trim back a bush that I want GONE, but found I was not strong enough to cut the lower portion of it with the loppers that I bought a few weeks ago, so I will leave that task for one of my lucky grandsons who is feeling strong. Ha. I cut every twig and branch off of it that I could manage. That took a good hour. I came back in and wiped the sweat from my brow and face, and came back in here to rest and blog. I feel almost like I have done a day's work. Ha. I feel too, kind of like the little farm girl on my game. Ha ha ha.

In the morning, I'll clean the bathrooms and do some dusting, and the house will be clean. Ah, such a lovely feeling! Isn't It? I had some strawberries and cream cheese and crackers for lunch, and I guess I have a meat loaf sandwich for supper, and maybe a little bit of cereal before I hit the hay and feed my nightmares. ha (old joke).

I have good intentions of getting my workroom in more order soon, so I can get back to quilting, and using my sewing machine. I have some tests coming up next week on Thursday and Friday, (a chemical stresstest, an echocardiogram, a carotid scan, and anything else they want to do, I guess, to tell if I am on my way to the Happy Hunting Grounds anytime soon) I say Happy Hunting Grounds since I have some Cherokee blood flowing through these old veins of mine, and everyone knows that is where old Indians go when they die. ha. But, I have a sweetie waiting for me, when I get to Heaven some day, and that's no joke.

The boxes I mailed today were almost the last of the things that he left behind, and that is good to be getting done. I have only two more things to send, and they both go to Arizona. That will be taking place soon as I can get them boxed up.

I reckon I will be having supper with Carol this evening, and taking the meat loaf with me for our meal. There is no way to get a package of ground beef for just one person, and it is not as good if you freeze it as it is when you use it fresh, so there you have it. I always look forward to eating with them.

Well, I have a few more rooms to do, so I guess I will get that done as soon as my body rests a little more. This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for today. Much love to each of you, my friends. More later. Bye for now.