CRAZY!

Since my brother took Dad again yesterday for his treatment, I took Mom's car and got it washed, oil changed, inspected, etc. Dad has to see me every day, so I was there this morning to stay with him while Mom went to get her hair done in her shiny clean car. After I got them all taken care of this morning, it was time to take care of my own car. Took it to be washed, but didn't get back in time to get the oil changed. I have to keep busy or I just get crazy thinking too much and wondering how bad it will get before it kills Dad. I just don't want him to suffer. Not one tear today!!!WooHoo!

Nice people ROCK!

After a much needed nap tonight, I went outside and found my yard mowed, edged and blown off. I was going to do it tomorrow since the weather is supposed to be cooler. Turns out my neighbors have already lost their parents to cancer and they know the pain I am in facing with this. Not only did they mow my yard, but they brought me dinner as well. I am not worthy!!  BUT...I am grateful! My neighbors carry me when I am down!

Cancer sucks!

My brother has taken over Daddy duties yesterday, today and tomorrow. I was going to take him today, but my brother called last night and told me he wanted me to go meet my regular Thursday lunch group for lunch, so I did. It was nice to be able to think about something else for a few minutes. Since Saturday I have had a popping in my jaw when I chew. It is driving me crazy. My buds told me today that it is from clenching my teeth at night while sleeping. Didn't know I did that and I probably didn't until this week. They said the stress causes it. I see my dentist soon, so I hope he can get me some relief. It doesn't hurt, but it is annoying.

Today some of our friends went to Mom and Dad's with their huge lawn mower and mowed everything there. Wow! What a relief to not have to worry about that. He said he will continue to do it as long as we need it.

Crying session over for today!

I am back from my crying session today. When I got to Dad's, he just hugged me and told me he was waiting to see me. He cried and I cried and then he went to his room to try to take a nap. We got today off from doctors. Actual treatment starts tomorrow and I will take him to that. I did some cleaning in their house and sent Mom off to rest. Brother was going to try to take Dad fishing today, but he decided Dad didn't feel like it. All kinds of people brought food to their house last night, so I guess I will not worry about making sure they eat. Mom has to eat or she will have a low blood sugar. Dad just eats sugar!!! He's not interested in nutrition, but he weighs 138 pounds, so he is fine. He can eat whatever he feels like eating and all he ever feels like eating is sweets.

Thanks...

Today I have cried a river of tears with my dad. He cries when he sees me and when he cries, I cry. Then when I found out that my brother couldn't eat last night and sat in his chair and cried for 2 hours, I cried even more. He never ever cries. I'm a wuss and cry all the time. I can cry over a TV show. Mom and Dad gave us each $5000 today. They usually do that at Christmas, but I guess he thinks he won't be here at Christmas and he wants us to have it now. A special thanks to all my email and blog friends who have sent their love and prayers to me. I am so grateful. Thanks for the phone calls and cards as well.

I'm sad!

Spent all day today in doctors' offices with Mom and Dad. Radiation will start tomorrow, but the prognosis is 3 to 6 months. Radiation doctor thinks he can improve quality of life, but not quantity. That's all I want. I actually want him to die in his sleep without having to go through any more....tonight, please, God!

No sleeping in!

On Thursday, I had to get up early to take Mom and Dad to get the CT scan. Yesterday morning Dad called and woke me up asking me to take him a few places. Today he just called again and woke me up, but this time he wanted to tell me he had a good night of sleep and he could put a sentence together this morning. The steroids must have reduced some swelling....anyway, I am grateful that he feels good enough to call me.

Uh-0h!

My weigh in at Shake Those Pounds today is going to be skewed. One week since I started the program, but today I haven't been able to keep anything down. That's why I am up at this time of the night...throwing up bile because there is surely no food to come up. I'm predicting about 8 pounds gone this week, but I know it is mostly water weight!!!

Well, I'm just a mess!

Took Dad for a brain scan this morning. By noon, my brother had been contacted by the doctor with the news that there has not been a stroke, but his cancer is back in the form of a half dollar sized tumor in his brain. I certainly had feared that, but had not voiced it. My brother had done the same thing. Dad was a bit relieved because it gave him a reason for not being able to form his words and say things right. Dad is worried about Mom, my brother and myself, but he is not worried for himself. He is ready to go to his heavenly home. Monday, we go to the oncologist. He will radiate the tumor as treatment this time. I know that because my cousin, who is a doctor, has already called the oncologist and talked to him. It's nice to have a doctor in the family!!! Our cousin also gave Dad some steroids to help him through the weekend with some reduced swelling. I wish he had given me some!!!

I knew it!

After describing Dad's symptoms to the office nurse at the doc's office, the doc wanted to see him this morning. He agrees with us that Dad has probably had a mild stroke. Tomorrow morning he will get a CT scan of his brain to see if they can confirm this, but in the meantime, we will fill a script for a blood thinner.  I should have gone to medical school!!!:)

So, so Tired!!!

I am physically, emotionally and mentally drained! We did all the mowing at Mom and Dad's this morning while Mom took Dad to see about his hearing aid. The audiologist says there is nothing wrong with his hearing aid. His hearing is not going to be any better and he cannot hear anything. Mom thinks that he has had a small stroke that affected his hearing (the little he had left). We know something has affected his mind and his speech. His words are slurred and he has trouble getting them out. It's just so, so sad to me that I cry every time I leave there. Mom says he tells her he is just not good for anything anymore...and it's true. She thinks he would commit suicide if he could. I told her that he can't because he doesn't own a pistol and he doesn't have enough strength to rig up a shotgun. I told her that I wish he could just drop dead and be with his Maker and that's what she wishes as well. It's what he wishes as well.

Mom is pretty well all banged up and pretty sore. Her expensive new glasses are all bent up, but I have them with me to take and see if someone can fix them. She's wearing her old ones now. The home health nurse is seeing about getting her a new walker and checking with the physical therapist to see if there is anything she could do to help prevent these falls.

Everything is pretty much a wreck in my world right now!!

Just another manic Sunday...

I think the song is Manic Monday, but for me it's Sunday. Before I even got home from my brother's after having lunch there with the family, he called me to tell me he had to go pick Mom up again. That's twice this week she has fallen and had to use the button around her neck to call for help. The people who monitor the button call my brother and he goes to get her up. Earlier this week she fell on her walker and broke it. We are getting it replaced. She must have really good bones, but she has never been a milk drinker. She won't touch it!!! She gets bruised up, but so far has not broken anything.

My dad is just so pitiful. He is going to go back tomorrow and see if something can be done about his hearing aid. He didn't eat any lunch and just wants to die. I wish he could because I just hate seeing him so miserable. It's just too sad for me to see.

Wracked with pain!

Someone sent me a power point presentation today entitled " Our Parents" and I cannot get it off my mind. It made me cry because it was all about how we must not lose patience with the elderly. It reminded us of how they took our hands as children and took such good care of us and cleaned up after us when we made messes and wiped our mouths when food was stuck on our faces. It reminded us that they took our hands teaching us to walk so that we would not fall. We owe all the same deep, abiding love to them now that they gave us. It reminded me that they are no longer living, but just existing. This is so, so true. I feel so sorry for my dad because he is legally blind and nearly deaf. That is not living! He is so ready to be gone from this Earth and I do not blame him. The presentation said that we should not tell our parents that they already told that story......remember how they would read the same book over and over to us when we were children...just because we asked!!! My mom may tell me the same thing that she just told me five minutes before. Thankfully, I never tell her that she just told me that. I just listen and go on. It is sad and although I try to do the right thing, sometimes, I am afraid that I fail. Now I am feeling guilty for things that I might have done in the past. I cherish my parents and the life they gave me. I owe them everything.

Redneck Ingenuity!

Soup for lunch!

Went to get my teeth cleaned and to check to see why one tooth is hot/cold sensitive. Was there 1 hour and 45 minutes. Doc filled a cavity and due to my complaining about my new crown getting food always stuck around it, he removed it and is making a new one. CRAP! I wasn't expecting all that. Haven't had a cavity in years, but I have had root canal and crowns. I'm thankful he wants to make it right for me even though I hate going through this again. He could not get the crown off the regular way, so he cut it off. He was going to just add some porcelain to it and make it better, but he ended up breaking it all apart....soooo..now a new one will be made...all, of course, at no cost to me. It's always something!!!!

Just pure laziness!

No words needed!

Krewe work day!

Our krewe is building a new building to house our floats and today is a work day at the new building. Since I don't know a thing about bolting boards to steel and concrete or putting up plywood, I took them some Krispy Kremes and came home. After that "manwork" is done, there will be plenty of things I can do to get everything all moved from the old building and get the new building ready for the ribbon cutting in October. Time is short and, of course, the same few people keep showing up to work. Some don't show up til party time. Lots of stuff has to be done before the Mardi Gras season, but there are always those who just come to party...forget the work involved!!! Fortunately, we have a rule that you have to put in some hours of work or you will not be allowed to ride in the parades..

Holy Moly!

My brother, sister-in-law, and I spent the morning working in Mom and Dad's yard. Something is always needing to be done there. We got everything mowed and my brother got a water leak fixed in the yard. Dad's health is really bad. I am afraid (as is Mom) that he has had a little stroke. So often, his words are slurred and he is so weak that he can't do anything. I stayed and ate lunch with them and he couldn't say the blessing that he has been saying for 60 years...always the same one. I would not be surprised if he dropped dead any time. Actually, I hope that is how he goes because then he wouldn't have to endure a miserable illness. Mom sees him more than any of us and she said something is bad wrong with him.

Today has been the first day that I could mow my own yard because it has been raining so much. I finally got the front yard done, but  it was a major task. In fact, I had to stop and raise the deck on the mower because I could not push it through the thick grass. I'm just a wimp, I guess, but I am the only 66 year old in my neighborhood that mows my own yard with a push mower!! So there!!

Note to self!

WooHoo.....3 1/2 inches of rain!

Went down to the garden this morning to try to see what needed to be done in between the rains. Brother had already cut the okra this morning and most of it was too big to use because we had hadn't cut it since Saturday. With the rains, more will be ready tomorrow, but it is supposed to rain again tomorrow, so we may miss that cutting as well. I tried to pick peas, but kept bogging down and losing my balance, so I gave up. There are blooms all over the peas since the rains yesterday, so we still may get a lot of peas. Got very few tomatoes. They aren't putting on any new ones. I am loving all the rain, but I sure do get lazy and sleep a lot. And.....I spend way too much time playing Bejeweled Blitz on the computer. It drives me crazy! I don't even know why I put this frog graphic on here. I hate frogs!!!! And.....I must be ADD judging by the way this post is all over the place!!!!:)

Yet another rant!

Due to inclement weather today, I have spent a lot of time reading blogs and on Facebook. It amazes me how many people misuse "your" and "you're" and "their", "there", "they're" and "its" and "it's". I know the previous sentence is poor sentence structure, but I am just frustrated with people today. My last few years of teaching English, I made it a point to just harp on these words over and over. Obviously, I failed because a lot of the people I follow on Facebook are my former students. It just drives me crazy and a few of them are teachers now and making these elementary grammar mistakes. Actually, at least one is an English teacher and it takes every ounce of restraint I can muster to not correct the errors....especially on those who are now teaching!

No explanation needed!

Be afraid...be very afraid!

CRAP!

More aphids....not on any of the things they sprayed last week, but I just discovered them on my althea and some of my flowers in pots. The man sprayed everything but the althea. Don't know why he didn't spray it. I wondered why the leaves were not looking healthy and there are very few blooms. Now I know after inspecting it closely. It's always something!!!!

I need counseling!

I didn't know it, but Obama's health reform bill (which he hasn't read) will insist that since I am 66 and about to die, I need counseling to prepare me for the medical care that I am NOT going to get to save my life! What a CROCK! Our nation will not survive this MORON!

It's over!

The gardening is winding down. This morning I picked the last of the corn and tomatoes. Okra will keep making for a long time, but there will not be tomatoes to go with it. I may have to go back to the Farmers' Market Tuesday afternoon and score me some fresh tomatoes. I cut off enough corn to cook today and gave the rest to my sister-in-law. I hate to see it end because I enjoy it so much even though it is hard work. I will have a few more peas to pick and my brother has some sweet potatoes growing, but for the most part, it's over for this season. I will look forward to planting a fall garden which will include broccoli, cabbage, turnip greens, and carrots.

My view...

I was completely oblivious to the fact that my town was hosting a little tykes baseball world series this weekend. Imagine my surprise when a friend called and asked if I would drive her in a convertible in the parade. Well, yeah...I can do that. She is the krewe captain and our queen for last year came and rode and threw some beads. Many states were represented and the weather was 10 degrees cooler than yesterday. Still 90's, but bearable. Short 20 minute parade down the main streets and we were done. Cute kids!

WooHoo!

Finally, got some very beneficial rains tonight just after I finished mowing. Lost power...which is highly unusual in my neighborhood. It wasn't off for long, but long enough for me to figure out that I cannot find the cute little flashlight that my brother brought to me from one of his trips. I just used it a few weeks ago while down under my desk hooking up the computer. I cannot find it anywhere! Of course, it is going to bother me until I find the damn thing!

Fingers crossed......problem solved!

Looks like the aphids are dead! Of course, I had to hire the big guns to do it, but since they were sprayed this morning, they seem to all be dead. Now I have to wash the dead ones off the leaves and wash the "honey dew" off the tops of the leaves. Also, since the yard was treated yesterday, the bahai is dying, the crab grass is dying and the other weeds are dying. I'll be a happy camper after I get it all mowed and start watering again. Next week, we are supposed to get a break in the weather after 10 days of over 100 degree heat and no rain. The highs will be in the low 90's instead of the low 100's!!!

WooHoo!

Well, OK! Just maybe my faith has been restored in my yard company. The dude with the big truck was here at 8:30 this morning spraying my crepes and azaleas. He promises that this will work. Of course, I am the eternal optimist and always believe, at first, that it will. I didn't even know they had a tree spraying program, but next year I will make sure to include that service in my program.

Now I have the rest of the day to do as I please. I may even go to a movie since it is too hot to do anything else. I've been told not to mow or water the yard for another day and I did all my duties at Mom and Dad's yesterday, so I am unleashed! Look out!

All hope is not lost!

The dude finally came to take care of all the weeds in my yard today that should have never been there in the first place. He used one spreader of granules and two different backpacks of liquid. Something surely will kill the bahai and crab grass. While he was here, I asked him if he had anything for the aphids on my crepe myrtles. He said he did, but it was on his truck with the big sprayer. He will call Randy on the other truck and tell him to come spray for me. He says it will definitely kill aphids. Of course, this is the same guy who told me last week that he would be here in two days, so I don't have much faith. We will see, but now that I know there is something that may work, I will keep calling until someone comes and sprays.

Giving up!

This morning I spoke with my plant guru about the aphids on my crepe myrtles and he said there is basically no sure way of getting rid of them this late in the year. He starts treating the ground around his in January, so I guess that's what I will do next season. I actually started spraying the leaves as soon as they started putting leaves on this year, but that did nothing to solve the problem. Now the leaves are turning yellow and falling off. An acquaintance bought lady bugs through Amazon, but they are dying due to excessive heat in South Texas. Heat would be an issue here as well, so I'm not ordering any.

Awww, Man!

I screwed up! It's been so hot this week that I have not been to Mom and Dad's at all this week. Today I went there to check to see if peas were ready to be picked, but before I checked on them, I swung by the little okra plants to see if they were putting on okra. Turns out there was okra everywhere and nearly all of it was already too hard to use! Damn! I love me some okra and tomatoes, but I didn't get much okra I can use. I will be checking it much more frequently now.

My brother and I got all the mowing done at Mom and Dad's, but it was majorly hot and dry. I got the peas and tomatoes picked before I had a complete melt down. We don't have many peas or tomatoes right now, so that part was easy, but HOT!

Backyard nature

While I enjoy watching the hummers, I am not quite so fond of the mockingbirds. They get on my very last nerve because they constantly fuss while I am outside trying to work. I know they are just being protective moms, but, please, just shut up!!!! There must be nests with babies all over the place because there is never a quiet moment. Apparently, it was time to kick some babies out of a nest in my backyard today. I watched some babies fall out of the tree and walk around on the ground for a while. Then one made his way to my patio and stayed there forever. I wasted half a day watching to see how the mom would get him to fly and I still missed it. I saw the mom bring a bug to it a couple of times, but I missed how she got it to leave. That baby will be riding the short bus! She had to invest way too much time on that one!!!

Maybe the best cartoon ever!

For your viewing pleasure!

Just playing with graphics...

WTH!

Since moving to Louisiana 3 years ago, I have used the same doctor. He's wonderful. He has (had) a lab person that never hurt me when taking blood. A few days ago, there was a report on the news that a woman had been sending nude photos of herself to a 16 year old boy. Turns out it was the lab person from my doctor's office. She is now in jail! People are just freakin' CRAZY! I don't understand this kind of mentality!

I need RAIN!

Apparently, the areas all around me got a shower today. I, however, did not get a drop. I dread seeing my water bill because I do have a green lawn. We did have a break in the heat today. Enough so that my brother and I got our parents' yard mowed and I even got my own yard mowed when I got done with theirs. Thankfully, it was not oppressively HOT and I didn't mind doing it at all. I also picked a 5 gallon bucket of tomatoes. The bucket was so heavy that I had to go get Dad's truck to bring it back to their house.

I got corn!

I harvested, shucked, silked, cut off, and packaged 62 ears of corn this morning. My sister-in-law did the same thing to 87 ears yesterday. My brother set a trap for the coons and hung plastic Wal Mart bags over random ears on the stalks. It looks like redneck heaven, but looks like it worked for one night. Tonight might be a different story. My cousin came by and told us to put marshmallows in the trap. That's how he catches the coons in his barn. Mom had some, so I guess we will try that tonight. Mom cooked some of the corn I picked this morning along with some peas, cornbread, and fresh tomatoes (which I also harvested this morning). Add some iced sweet tea to that and it doesn't get any better.Life is good! Hot as hell, but good!

Summertime....and the living is HOT!

I guess it's serious business when there is a "heat advisory" plastered to the TV set all day just like they do when there is a storm coming. That's reason enough for me to stay inside and vegetate. I still have to go out and move the sprinklers around, but it's ok because I just walk right through the water and cool off.

The coons have found my corn in Dad's garden. They got all of the ones that are my favorites....the butterfruit! I did not get one ear of it. Now, they have found the corn down closer to the house. My brother picked 33 ears this morning, but that may be all we get. It's impossible to scare coons off.

Sorry, Peeps....I can't help it!

I am getting better at this and I am pretty proud of this one. Fresh peaches turned into a cobbler again. I don't need this, but I enjoy making a cobbler once in a while...mostly when the fruit is fresh picked and not frozen.

Technology ROCKS!

Well, CRAP!

If I had just called to check my phone messages at home, I would be in Houston right now instead of at home. My jury duty was canceled and it's the only reason I came right back home. If I had stayed gone another day though, everything green here would have died. It almost did anyway, but I have the sprinklers (all 3 of them) going now.

The reunion was great fun. It was so nice to see all these old students from 20 years ago. Now, I have already received a facebook message from the class of 90 that I have to come to theirs next year and the class of 91 that I have to come to theirs the next....dang....I'll be pushing 70 by then!

After I got all the way back to Shreveport, I remembered that I did not get the hanging clothes from the closet in the hotel. CRAP, again! I have called them and they are sending them to me. That's not the first time I have pulled that sort of nonsense!

Road trip!

Tomorrow I am taking my first brief road trip in about 2 years. I am headed back to Texas, where I spent many years teaching school, to attend the reunion of the class of '89. Fortunately, they invited me to come and I am looking forward to visiting with them. Many of them I have already re-connected with on Facebook, but I am looking forward to seeing them in person for the first time in 20 years. Well, many of them, it's been that long, but there were a lot of them at my surprise retirement party in 2002. I love me some Texas, but I have not been back to the area since most of the homes were lost to flooding by Hurricane Ike. I would like to be able to swing through Houston and go to Central Market on my way home, but it is just too far out of the way and I have to be back on Sunday. Jury duty is on the agenda for Monday.

'nuf said!

Click on image to enlarge

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Yummo!

 

Well, I don't know how it tastes, yet, but my house smells divine! Peach cobbler with fresh peaches from the farmers' market. Update to follow as soon as it cools enough to eat!

UPDATE: It is delicious!