Mixed Reviews!

Hello again!

Lots has happened this week.  We went to Gilda's Club Tuesday night, and had our cancer support group meetings.  Our Gilda's has gotten a lot of publicity in the media this week.  That is great.  So many people don't know that they can get help and support for themselves, children and family and friends when they are dealing with cancer, or have had cancer or know someone that has. It's difficult to explain things that cancer does to you emotionally as well as physically, and only someone that has been there , done that , can know what you are going through, and can help.

Wednesday, was my mother's 88th birthday.  She never wants anything since she has no space or need for things.  We sent her a big arrangement of spring flowers, that will hopefully last a while.

Wednesday of course, was income tax day. There were still tons of people waiting in line to get them sent in. I know I like to procrastinate, but I don't think I could wait til the last hours to pay Uncle Sam.  Knowing my luck, my returns would be lost in the mail.

Thursday, I met a dear friend for coffee at a local Heine Brothers shop.  Coffee made right here in town.  Great conversation, but much too short a visit.

I came home and started setting up things for a dinner party we were having for a few of our friends on Friday.  I like to have the house and things all ready, way ahead of time.  Good thing I did, as you will learn later down the page!

Friday morning, we got up and took the dogs to the vets for boarding for the night .  They are not the kind of animals you want around at a dinner party.  They would love you to death, because they want constant attention. The more people , the better.

 Barley was due for his yearly physical anyway, so we got two things out of the way.

I came home and started cooking, while Ben finished mowing the grass. Around  1:00, I was slicing onions on the mandoline, and it slipped, and I sliced my thumb instead!  I applied direct pressure, but it kept bleeding.  Sooo, we made a trip to the immediate care center, where they got it cleaned up, and numbed so I could get eight stitches.  Not pleasant.  I had cut a vessel, but not any nerves.  The doc said it almost went to the bone. Yikes!  That would have been a perfect set up for infection. Anyway, they got me sewn up, and bandaged, and we headed home.

  I had to finish cooking, so I had to wear latex gloves over my hand.  Of course it was my right thumb, and being right handed, not an easy task. I finally finished cooking, and the medication for numbing was wearing off quickly, so all I felt was throbbing if I didn't keep my hand elevated.

Somehow, the party managed to get put together, and everyone helped out with the serving, and cleanup.  We all had a great time. The throbbing lessened with a few glasses of wine too!  Got to bed around 1:am.  It was so quiet with just the two of us , and no dogs climbing all over our bed.  Slept like a rock.

Saturday, we got up, and went to get the dogs.  They get so excited when they hear our voices in the waiting room as they are being brought out. I do think you should be able to deduct your animals on your taxes, like  child deductions, since they are your 4 legged children.  We had to pay an enormous amount for a  years supply worth of medicines, for flea and heartworm protection. Wish I had the patent on those.

Got home with the beasts, and I started the laundry for all the dinner linens.  Ben got ready for his bike outing to train for his cycling challenge in two weeks. He and a friend were going to go ride some big hills, since the challenge is a three state , three mountain, 100 mile event, and Ben needs to get more strength in his legs for the long duration of ups and ups before the downhill part comes.

  The weekend Ben will be gone is Derby weekend here in the Bluegrass State.  The Kentucky Derby occurs here every year, the first Saturday in May.  It is quite a celebration that starts several weeks before, with games, boat races, balloon races, parties, lots of parties, and just about anything you can think of.

 Today is Thunder Over Louisville, where there is an air show over the Ohio river, where there are all sorts of hi-tech military planes, stealth bombers, etc.  They come in right over the river downtown, flying really low over the interstate.  Looks like they are coming right at  you. Tonight, is a gigantic fire works display by the waterfront.  People are always jam packed downtown, and traffic is a nightmare.  People arrive very early to claim their spot.  There are all sorts of other things going on, chow wagons, other food, and exhibits. You can imagine what shape some people are in by the time the fireworks start, when they have been drinking beer and standing in the sun all afternoon.  The fireworks don't even start til 9:30 at night. Glad I will not be anywhere near that area tonight.  We will be at home watching it all unfold on TV.

My son in Colorado just phoned.  It has been snowing like crazy, and still coming down.  He said there is a four foot drift in their yard.  He is sending me pictures that I will try to post.  Yesterday, he and my grandson made an igloo in the yard.

Not much more happening.  Guess I should try to press all the linen napkins if I can hold the iron securely with this bum thumb.  I sure don't need a burn too!

Have  great weekend!

Mary

It's About Time !

Well, here it is a whole month since I last posted anything here. I really don't know where the time went, but I obviously was doing something else, or nothing at all!  Since I last wrote, I have made the trip to Nashville to see my neurologist who treats my migraines.  According to the migraine diary I always keep, I have really improved in the number and severity of them, since beginning trigger point massage, and injections.  I was supposed to have been approved to get botox in my neck and back for my migraines, but the nurse didn't get the message to get it approved with my insurance company.  So, that is on hold til the next time I go back.  I did get several trigger point injections though.  That really relaxes the muscles. It is also expensive, but well worth it not to have excruciating migraines.  I checked out the price of the botox injections, and I may just forgo those since that runs into the thousands to get it. I am not sure yet what percentage the insurance will cover, but I know, I don't want to get any huge bills, especially in this day and time.

The day I went down, I stopped by my mother's new room in the nursing home.  She has one of the larger rooms, but still quite cramped.  The closet isn't handicapped accessible either.  Moma uses a scooter, and it won't go through the closet door.  She now has to use her walker to get in there to choose her clothes. She was really upset that the aides there, were choosing her clothes for her, and she wanted to do it herself.  My mother is not the typical nursing home patient.  Her mind is still very sharp for an 88 year old, but her body is failing her, so she needs help getting from place to place.

The staff is not used to people questioning what they are doing, so my mother gets quite upset at them.  She has been sick for almost the past three weeks, and is on her second round of antibiotics.  She was supposed to be getting breathing treatments 4 times a day, but she hasn't gotten any.  Apparently her doctor's orders never were charted in her file, after she came back from seeing him. Hopefully, that will be taken care of today! She gets to see two of her doctors today, and they are going to call the nursing home with the orders again.

Anyway, while I was down there, we all had lunch.  My two brothers and nephew came and joined us.  After they left. I helped  Moma sort out her clothes, and got a big bag to take to Goodwill.  I helped her transcribe her old address book into a new one.  She remembered peoples addresses from way back, and even some of the telephone numbers.  Quite a memory bank. Amazing!

 I spent the night at my nephew's house.  I took him and his wife out to eat at our favorite Mexican place. Yumm!  The margaritas were good too! I got up early the next morning, and they both left for work, and I headed downtown to see my doctor.  I got there very early, but I got in right away, and was out of there before it was even time for my appointment!  That is most unusual.  I got lots of injections in my back for trigger points.  I stopped and got lunch afterwards, and headed back up the road for home. I got home exhausted, but no back or headache.

Later in the week, our Dave Ramsey teacher had our class out to her house for dinner, and then we went to see the Passion that was put on at one of the churches here.  It was a huge production, complete with real animals, camels, donkeys and such. While the actors were onstage, it was also being shown up above, on three huge IMAX screens.

The next couple of weeks were taken up with our Gilda's Club support group meetings for cancer survivors and their family and friends.  We also had more of the Dave Ramsey classes in Financial Peace University. They have been so helpful in keeping us on a budget, and discerning between wants and needs.  I am very impulsive! I needed that!

 We took pizza and beer to a friend's house for dinner, instead of them coming to ours.  They have four little children , and it was easier to take dinner to them, than having the hassle of babysitters.

 I took another serger sewing class later in the week, and that night, went to the ordination to the priesthood of one of our friends.  She will now be the assistant priest at our church.

  I went for a trigger point massage the next day, and the following Sunday, participated in the worldwide "light's out".  Monday, we went to another friend's house for dinner.  She is the chaplain at the Episcopal Church Home, where my husband and two other retired priests have been hired as part time chaplains. Her son, who was friends with my youngest when they were growing up, was there, and joined us for dinner.  He is 30 years old, like my son, and really cute.  I hadn't seen him in at least 20 years, and it was quite a shock to see him all grown up!

  Later in the week, I went to a computer class to learn more about mine. There is so much it can do that I have yet to find out about! On Palm Sunday, our class all graduated from Financial Peace University!  I won the prize for having cut up the most credit cards(11).  I got a t- shirt for that, and a copy of Dave Ramsey's newest book.

 Easter was a beautiful, sunny day, and for our dinner, my husband and I cooked out and had wild Alaskan salmon for dinner.  It was so good!

 Yesterday, we went to Lowe's to get some plants to put in the flower beds, and later on, into the vegetable garden.  After we planted what we could, it started pouring rain, and it really got dark with lightning and thunder, and HAIL!!!!! Fortunately, it didn't damage anything.  We were under a tornado watch, but unlike the week before when there were terrible tornadoes, we didn't get anything that came near here.

Now that I think about it, I really have been busy. No wonder I haven't found time to  post anything!

 Now I have to go feed the beasts, and get ready for Gilda's tonight. 

 Talk later! Mary