Mom time...

Today I took Mom to Shreveport for a periodontist appointment. Afterwards, we went to Chick-fil-A for a sandwich. On the way back to Minden, I remembered that her walking stick needed new tips on the feet, so I took care of that. While I was in that store, she noticed that her inspection sticker was about to expire, so I took care of that. Then we went to pick up her meds at Wal-Mart. This is the reason I moved to Minden. In all this time she never had to get out of the car except for her dental appointment!

Hot as HELL!

The temp on my computer says 104. I believe it is located at Barksdale AFB which is about 20 miles from me. The thermometer in my gargage (with the door open) says 100. The temp on my AC says 73. I'm staying inside!!!!!!! Well, at least until around 8 when I will get out and mow the front yard. Last night I got out after 8 and mowed the backyard. Then it will have to be watered. MWF are my watering days during the water restrictions, but it helps more to do it at night so it doesn't just evaporate.

I am such a SUCKER!!!

I got suckered into letting some young kids come in and show me a Kirby vacuum cleaner. Now I only have 2 rooms with carpet; all the other is ceramic tile, but they managed to worm their way in and show me how dirty my brand new carpet in my brand new house was. I must admit that he kept changing the little white filter and showing me what was in my carpet and it really was dirty. How can that be??? Unfortunately, the vacuum was $2000......do you hear me.....$2000. If I owned a hotel chain, I would sooooooo buy this vacuum, but not for my two little rooms of carpet. I could buy new carpet a couple of times for that amount!!!

From the depths of slothdom...

The last two days have been brutal. Right now at 8:30 P.M. it is 95 degrees. It just makes me not want to do anything, but vegetate in the recliner. Finally, late today I emerged into the heat and went to donate blood. I was turned down immediately after giving them my SSN. I'm sure the info is still there from 15 years ago when I last attempted to give blood and was denied because some hepatitis antibodies showed up. I had my doctor re-check and it came back negative, but that never got into the Blood Center's computers. They said I could call the blood center and find out why, but I declined. I just won't even attempt any more unless someone I know needs blood donated.

As I was nearly comatose in my recliner this morning, I saw a mouse come up on my patio. I sprang from that chair and armed myself with the broom and went to take on the mouse. He fled rapidly when I opened the door. I am afraid that mice could be a problem in the winter because there is a field behind my back fence. I keep it mowed behind my fence, but my neighbor doesn't, so I am sure they live in the tall weeds. I just don't like varmits of any kind that can move faster than me....and, duh,....that's all of them at this point in my life!!!

A great big ZERO>>>

If yesterday was filled with energy and activity, today was just the opposite. I went to Mom and Dad's for some tomatoes and ate lunch with them. Came home and piddled away another day. I did fry up some fresh white perch and cut up a watermelon from Dad's garden and take supper to my aunt at the assisted living facility. I felt bad for her yesterday when I took her some peaches because she didn't want whatever they had for supper there. It was going to be a long time until breakfast if one doesn't eat what's offered for dinner. I guess she ate peaches for dinner last night.

Very productive day!!!!

Every once in a while, I surprise myself with my abundant energy. Today was one of those days. I was up early and accomplished a lot and never ever took a little nap.
My accomplishments:

• washed 4 loads of clothes
• changed sheets
• mowed yard
• edged
• used the blower
• watered the yard
• trimmed the impatiens in the hanging baskets
• cooked lunch (fresh corn,chicken,tomato,cucumbers)
• went to a peach orchard to get peaches for my 90 year old aunt
• took them to her
• vacuumed
• cleaned the tile floors
• went to the bank

Full recovery?

I took all my dad's prescriptions that he came from the hospital with to him today. He was in the garden planting cucumbers for me because I love them so much. I already ate all the first ones we planted. I assumed he was much better since he was doing that. He is getting breathing treatments at home. This afternoon he and my brother went fishing and caught 44 white perch in 2 hours, so now he is healed!!! I knew fish were good for us, but I didn't know catching them was good for us!!!

On another subject, my brother and I are set up with signature cards so we can sign our parents' checks. I got one of their checkbooks so I can get stuff for them at Wal-Mart, which is near my home. Here is what troubles me.....I didn't even have to sign the check. They sent it through a machine and it is automatically electronically deducted. They ask for no ID. What if someone else gets one of their checks? They keep a lot of money in this checking account. Now I am scared to have their checks with me!!! How can this be safe? I don't get it. Technology has passed me way up and left me eating dust!!!

Dad is home...

I went over early this morning to the hospital. Two doctors had already said he could go home, but the other one had to sign off on it, too. We waited and waited and waited and waited....get the picture? As patient as I am, I was losing it this day. We did not get released until 1:30. That was a little more "dad time" than I needed. I felt myself turning into him.....highly impatient! That is the one trait I dislike most about his personality and I do not want to be that way.

Blurred days..

This week has been filled with my dad and his health. Monday my dad went to his GP here in town, who wanted to put him in the hospital. Due to the fact that he thinks the hospital here was instrumental and the death of his brother last year, he didn't go. He did begin some breathing treatments. Yesterday his breathing was very labored and he had some chest pain. My brother took him to the ER in Shreveport where his cardiologist is. I met them there and they sort of ruled out lungs due to clear chest x-ray. Today they did a lung function test that does indeed show a very diminished lung capacity. 1 liter when it should be 2.5 liters. The cardiologist is fairly certain it is not his heart, but lung disease, which, of course, is not nearly as treatable as the heart would have been. I will be going over early tomorrow to try to be there when the pulmonologist comes around and has seen the results of the lung function test. The hospital is about 40 minutes from me. Dad got really depressed when he found out it is most likely his lungs.

When my brother called yesterday to find out where I was and to let me know he was taking Dad to the ER, I was in Lowe's and had already purchased a trunk full of centipede sod. When I got home last night from the hospital, I took the sod out of the trunk. I was up at 4 A.M. unable to sleep so as soon as there was enough light I was in the yard preparing the ground and putting down 20 squares of sod. I had it all done and had been to the carwash to vacuum the dirt out of my trunk by 7A.M. No wonder I am so tired!!!!

Happy Birthday, America!

I am so proud to be an American!

It's in the genes, I guess!

My mom called at 8 this morning and told me she was taking my dad to his doctor because he cannot breathe. He tried to set out a couple of tomato plants and he could not do it. I met them at the doctor's office and the doctor wanted to put Dad in the hospital to determine the cause of his extreme shortness of breath. Dad would not go! He gave some lame excuse about wanting to eat fish at my brother's tonight. This doesn't make sense because he is never excited about eating any kind of food. He and my brother have been catching lots of fish lately and Stewart is cooking some of them at the lake house tonight. Tomorrow is Dad's family reunion, which he always looks forward to, unlike the rest of us!!!!:) Doc did an EKG, but he needs more tests to determine if it is his heart or his lungs. We have an appointment with the lung doctor on July 19th, but the doctor took me in his office and told me he was not OK with Dad not going to the hospital right now. I told him, "Now you know what we deal with on a daily basis!" I also told him we would NOT hold him responsible for whatever happened to Dad!! We have orders to get him to the ER if he does not feel better after using a breathing machine that he sent home with Dad. I sure hope I didn't inherit his hard headedness!!!

God and Country

Tonight I attended the God and Country Celebration that is held every year in Minden. Small town America is just the epitomy of God and Country. These are the people who hold this country together. It is not Washington or NYC or LA, but those awesome small towns in middle America. This was just a beautiful patriotic and religious program presented by the community choir and orchestra. Our military was honored, our firefighters and law enforcers were honored, our veterans were honored and our God was honored. It was beautiful! Pray for our country!

Back from Texas

I had a very successful trip back to Orange and Beaumont. As things worked out, I ended up getting a hotel room in Beaumont. I forgot that my friend where I was supposed to stay had a cat and I am highly allergic to cats. The dander specifically affects my eyes the most and since the purpose of my trip was to have a procedure done on my eye, I could not take that chance. There are lots of other places I could have stayed, but I would have had to call them and ask to stay with short notice. I refuse to do that. I also managed to see a lot of my old friends who happened to be at the Country Club where we went for lunch. They were really surprised to see me because no one knew I was coming. It happened too fast for me to contact people I wanted to see.

I also managed to squeeze in a trip to my hairdresser and my tire man. Got a new set of tires which should last several years since I am not driving nearly as much as I used to. It was a good trip, but I am glad to be home taking care of my yard and plants. I had a CK procedure on one eye, so I can't get out in the heat and get busy mowing for a few days, but at least I can keep things watered so they don't die!!

Wonderful, glorious day in JUNE!

I emphasize JUNE because this morning at 5A.M. it was 60 degrees. I went out on the patio and just sat and observed nature as it awakened. To those in other parts of the world, this might be standard temps, but not in Louisiana in June. The whole day was one of absolute majesty. I haven't really done anything, but I wish I would have taken advantage of the day and played golf.

I just came in from sitting outside looking at the sky and watching the birds. The same pair of bluebirds raised 2 families in my bluebird box. Two of the fledglings have come out of the box, but the other two are not so brave, so their mom and dad are still feeding them bugs. They don't like for me to go too close to the babies, so they dive at me if I get too close. I yell at them, but it doesn't help. They are very protective of their young. I have done my part to help the bluebird population this year. That's 8 babies right here in my box.

New profession

I guess I need to be a car mechanic as well as a lawn mower mechanic. Yesterday after church my AC (air-conditioner for all you Yankees) wouldn't run. My mechanic showed me how to bump the housing for the fan motor to get it going again several weeks ago. Well, this time the bumping didn't work and I can't take any more chances of not having an AC since I have a road trip back to Orange this week. I got it fixed to the tune of $245. Ouch! Now my car and my lawn mower are working....no thanks to ME!

More incompetence....

One would think that ExxonMobil could afford to hire competent people. I moved in February. I sent in the change of address form before then to ExxonMobil.....you know where it says on the bill...change of address? Don't even believe that. No one, apparently, reads that. Since then I have called 5 times because they keep sending my bill to Orange, TX. I am fed up with the morons. I went online and looked at my account, but the address is correct there. I have told them that if the next bill goes to Texas, I will immediately cut the card up and never use it again. The only reason I use that gas is because of their participation in the Upromise program where they put one penny of every gallon into an account for the grandchildren. My patience is running out!

Lesson learned...

When one owns machinary, one must be a mechanic. I'm learning. I mucked up the spark plug on my lawn mower turning it on its side. The plug was very black, therefore, not getting a good connection. Dad cleaned it up and the air filter....who knew lawn mowers had air filters!!!!! Runs right once again until I do something else stupid!!

One of life's little annoyances...

A brand new lawn mower that won't start!!!!!.........Ok...it started and I finished the front yard, but then it ran out of gas. I filled it up again and it hasn't started since. That was hours ago. I just tried again a few minutes ago...no luck. I messed the thing up, I'm sure, when I tried to clean the grass from underneath it. I now know that the spark plug must stay on top when looking under the deck. I had turned it on its side before, but now I don't do that anymore now that I know not to. Fact is that I have used it many times since then, but it hasn't run right since then. I guess I'm going to have to ask my brother for help......I hate when that happens!!!!! He probably does too!!

Praying for sleep...

Since last Saturday when I heard that Mary Nell died, my sleep has been less than restful. In an attempt to overcome that now that the funeral is over, I have made the best preparations I can to sleep:

• Put my favorite clean sheets on my bed
• Taken a warm bath
• Swallowed 2 Tylenol PM's
• Turned the AC down to cold
• Brushed my teeth with my favorite Lemon Ice Crest
• Rubbed down with my favorite Tutti Dolci Lemon Merinque moisturizing souffle
• Put on my favorite soft, old, Texas A&M sleeping t-shirt
• Turned on the ceiling fan and the oscillating fan

Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep............

Yet another highly emotional day...

My brother was a pall bearer so I had charge of taking care of Mom and Dad during the funeral. The funeral was here in my town because they needed a bigger church than Mary Nell's own church, so my brother brought my parents to the church and I met them there. This was so hard for my dad because Mary Nell called him her other daddy after her own father died. I had to hold on to Mom every step, even though she had her cane, because she is just so unstable. I also had to go to the church an hour early so I could get a parking place close to the church since I had to take Mom and Dad to the cemetery. Mom cannot walk very far. Needless to say this entire day has been focused on the funeral and the gathering with the family after the funeral where refreshments were provided. It has left me physically and emotionally drained.