Procrastination!! God help us.

Always a big one for getting people to understand that unknown areas that grow on a person's body should be checked out as soon as it is found and it's big enough to see without a magnifying glass, I let a place on my face on the lower left side keep growing till it was @ 1/4 inch long. I thought it was a "keritosis" just like all the rest of the spots are all over my body. Turns out it was a squamous cell carcinoma that he took a whole inch to cut it out. Then he proceeded to stitch it up in two layers, inner tissue then skin. The numbing medicine was the worst part of the whole thing and the outter edge at the bottom where the "number" didn't reach.

Now it has to be washed with peroxide and have neosporin on for the next 2 weeks. plus "do not get it wet" instructions and a hideously long bandaid.

All of this has been said to say please don't let any place that comes up on your person go unattended for more than a few days.

We all put things go for as long as we can get away with it, but often we don't listen to the the smartest person we know~~ourelves. And that's how I remember it......

GIFTS THAT I RECEIVE

At some time or another I may have mentioned my scrawney little black cat whose called Jazmin. She is a smart kitty and very generous too boot. She has on separate ocassions brought in to me fine gifts~~uncountable lizzards with and without tails, some I could rescue and others she ate. Other times , two to be exact I've been awarded little soft gray moles with funny little feet and blind eyes. They weren't hard to catch, but I'm always scared that they might bite. I got those out alive.
Next came the small slithery things that are black-brown, aggressive, and mean when they get older and bigger~~baby moccasins. They were born out in the little depression in my back yard that most times has water in it. The first time she came in with one, Christopher was living here and finally woke up after I called and called him at the top of my lungs. I was standing by the bed holding the thing down by the neck with a thing that I pick up objects with. Good ole grandson~~he got rid of that one for me. The next time I was alone and had to do it myself. That was one dead smake!

The worst ones were the birds. I was able to cover the first bird that she dropped in my sleeping face with the sheet, jump and turn off the ceiling fan, put the cat in the bathroom and yell for Chris again. He took the little female cardinal out and she was frightened, but all right. The next time was not so easily done and she ate the thing.

Tonight, earlier that usual, she came in meowing loudly with a mouth full of large mouse~~proud as punch. I grabbed her and fortunately the lid was off the kitchen trash can for I took her to it and shook and bounced her till she dropped that thing. I got the bag out and sealed it and outside to the big can that was waiting for the truck in the am. I think it was already dead.

In order to make sure that the lady wasn't scarred by my ingratitude, I picked my kitty up and she is now holding court over my computer and keyboard at the present time. She doesn't seem to much worse for the wear. I guess this is just one more thing that I will remember for awhile~~a long while.

ALL CLEAR~~AGAIN

Well, made it through again~~arteries all clean. That was a big relief. After the procedure I went to recovery where I spent the next 5, count them 1-2-3-4-5 hours lying flat on my back with my right leg straight out not to be moved at all for those 5 hours. I got through that too.

I figured out how to wiggle around to check out the machines, how to get the apple juice after the nurse left and later how to eat a turkey sandwich, drink some more apple juice with only one hand to manage it and eat my piece of cake. I couldn't ever manage to get the peaches open and spoon them out of the juice and into my mouth. All those things flat on my back.

I had slept through most of those hours because I had not had much sleep last night. They got me up and had me move about for a few minutes and then I spent the last hour watching a John Wayne movie on DVD. That picture was made in the early thirties~~had to be. It had the hand crank phone, the horses ran funny and the bad guy got shot by his own men. Surely don't make them like that today.

Finally I got sprung and am at home till Thursday. It could have been much worse.

INTO THE "CATH LAB" AND THAT SKINNY BED AGAIN!

At 6 AM Liz and I will leave for St. Lukes Hospital where I will sign in for a Cardiac Catherization~~something I had about 6 years ago, and it was decided that I should have another on Thursday of last week. There are several things that all added to this decision,,but I trust the Doctor completely.

It really isn't a hard procedure, but it can be scary if you don't know what happens when and/or why. The only bad part is that darn skinny bed you have to be very still on for 45 min to 2 hours. Since I've seen many of them in the last many years and had one before, the thing that is a mystery is the result. If there is a blockage that has developed in the last 6 years, then he will do an angioplasy, (squish all the plaque up against the artery wall), if it won't stay open then he will insert a "stent" (sort of a bridge support that looks like a minature bic pen spring). That usually takes care of the most of any problems. There are other things that could be done, but they are more involved and could lead to surgery and I have no plans for that to happen.

My desire is for this is to be comepletely negative and I can be back to work by Wednesday. Keep me in your prayers please.

Tropical Storms, Hurricanes and all that Stuff

In 1948, had to be September, we were in the midst of a storm. My dad rarely took a day off from his job by history, but he must have taken one that fateful day. He drove an old black pickup truck (that normally transported all 5 of us there, there and yon), and came to school to round up my brother and me. That had never happened to us before.

When we arrived home it was through deep water. The canal that ran in front of our house was wide and probably 6 feed deep in a dry spell was full to overflowing. Our road was a dirt path, maybe a little wider was under water too. How Daddy knew the real road and the exact spot to turn into our drive was is beyond my little girl rememberance, but he did it. (At that time of our lives daddys were smart and knew how to do things and were there in the home every day and night because that was the way it was supposed to be.) He pulled in the driveway and up to the huge oak tree that stood just a few feet from our back porch. He lifted us one by one from the truck and carried us to the dry concrete because the water was too deep for us little ones to get through on our own. The water was lapping up over the top of the steps and to the edge of the porch~~the house was built on a three block tier because of the area they were built in and the style of the day for wood framed homes.

It ws an exciting time for us. Little did we know of the danger that hovered over and around us, but again we felt safe and secure becausde Daddy and Mother were there, we could cook on the porch on the new fangled grill we'd bought or if necessary in the fireplace. Yes, it was an option to cook in the fireplace. Still is as a matter of fact if push gets to shove.

As the years went by, we spent many times together with no power for days, no phone and goodness sakes, no cell phones, and sometimes took a good pounding from those tropical storms and hurricanes. After the winds and rains had passed, Daddy and my brothers would get out in the community with chain saws and a truck to move the trees that blocked the roads and helped people tht couldn't help themselves~~ and that's how I remember it....

Green,Green Grass~~the Sheep,Cattle and the Horses of England and Scotland

Buzzing around London was damp and cool. Edinborough was cool and damp as well. The winds blew in the highlands of Scotland, but oh my were those mountains beautiful. When the rains eased, we could see that the mountains were covered with heather--that lovely purple-blue flower that smells so good, just almost glowed. It wasn't just on the roadsides and up the hills bit. It was all the way up the mountain! When there were spots where the heather let up , the green, green grass grew. As it was in Ireland, in each little stone divided plot, the grass was a different hue of green. The weather in upper England and all of Scotland must not have been so bad according to the sheep, cows and horses. (It felt the same to me .)In Ireland, the sheep would all be lying down in the fields--very few of them up grazing. That didn't seem too odd, I don't know much from sheep tho. The cows in the field--alot of them were lying down too, some up grazing also. As we moved on down the way, lo and behold the horses were flat out supine in the field. I thought they were all dying. Horses don't lay down unless they are sick here in the south. I was told, when I sought a smarter answer than I had (I know that's hard for me to admit. ), I was told that they wanted to keep their beds warm and dry. That caused a chuckle and I still don't believe it. No one really noticed very much what they were doing this trip.



It was a great trip. It can be trying to get so many seniors together of varying ages from 55-187 for 16 days and keep everyone all happy, in one mind and accord. For the most part we did it. I've learned that one woman can order 1 bowl of soup, share 1/2 of my sandwich , and drink 1 and 1/2 cups of tea and do it in 1 hour flat. Me--eating the same meal was 15 minutes and done. I guess it makes a difference if you've been retired 30 years and I still work and scarff my lunch in 10-15 minutes~~most of the time thinking I've had a leisurely meal.



That was just one of the many wonderful things that I learned while I was away~~but that's all for another time...and that's how I will remember it.

Time's Awastin'

In just a little less than a week I will need to get a very large suitcase ready to take with me across the BIGGG pond to a short tour of England, Scotland and Wales. I'm really looking forward to it.

On Thursday past I had an injection of cortisone in my back so that the pain will be gone away enough to allow me to walk a lot more that I have been able to lately. Those injections have lasted 6 month, and 10 months. I really hope this one will last even half that much~~well, not really, it should last as long as the others.

I've got alot to get into a very small carry on bag too. They are down to measuring the darn thing too I think. I don't have to carry much makeup because my friend Kathy is a Mary Kay consultant and she has supplied me with the samples of everything I use and that will take up little space. Just need to get the trial sizes of the essentials, get my breathing thing ensconced in the case and talk with the airlines about how to safely carry it.

I've never had to worry about adaptors for electrical supply so I'll have to get that taken care of too. So much to do and you know I haven't even started. Yes I did, the laundry is done. That is definately a plus. With that in mine, my last load is dry now and I hang things as they come out of the dryer~~no ironing! Got to get going.

to just fix one little thing...

I just spent the better part of the last 30 minutes on a post and sent it to preview and ole smarty had to just move one thing and hit the wrong button. Do I feel bright! It wsn't the most interesting one I could have written, but it was almost finished. I suppose it just wasn't to be tonight tho I did a comment on one of my favorite persons earlier blog for the day. It was a pretty good comment and that's how I'm going to remember it...

A Time to Give and a Time to Receive

Monday nights have now become my night to teach 1-2 students. One of them is a "Learn to Read" student and the other is an "English as a Second Language" student. You must understand the first one is from a very disadvantaged background and the other one is from an Asian background. # 2 is very well educated in the birth language. She can read and write English, but cannot speak it. It is a "hoot" to listen to the "lazy southern country" speaker (#1) try to encourage the educated Asian in the method of getting an "l, r v, or w" to come out in a way that her tongue was never educated to produce. Sometimes it actually works. "Just say it fast, that's the way do get it out" .


Tonight I had just the one LTR student and the book "THE PRAYER OF JABEZ" was in his briefcase available to be read. He did pretty good and I was proud to see that he would tackle something like this. He will move into the 2nd level of the Laubach method of reading in the next 3 weeks. He has accomplished alot in a short time. His wife helps him at home alot and someone who cares, helps even more.

Sometimes it is hard to give each one time when alot of the time the work doesn't fit the both of their needs . They are so culturally different, it really gives me something to struggle with each time we meet. I often wonder if I am really the one that needs to be there. The thing is, I am the one there and the only one at this time willling to give up what I have learned in my 3 score plus years to the benefit of someone else. Guess that does give me some latitude. If it doesn't --oh well.

Many days later.... I put this aside the other day because I couldn't make much sense of it. After reading it over, it didn't need much editing. For those of you that might read this, please think of the time you might give to someone who could benefit from your knowledge and please, please give that time away. You will get everything you put into the time back in your life. There is a saying , the author I don't remember that says "There is a destiny that binds us brothers, none goes his way alone. All that we give into the lives of others, comes back into our own."

BUSTED!!!

Many times as I set out for hearth and home after work, I find that it is imperative that I leave the highway and find a place to stop and wake up. Most times I end up at Barnes and Nobles. After a few minutes --a cursive look around for a bargain and a cup of Starbucks , I walk out and get back on my way home. Then again, I think that I'm not really having that much problem and I thunder on and hit the bridge. That's what I did today. I got BUSTED! Not by the long arm of the law, worse by my own daughter.

I thought I saw her go by, but couldn't really be sure at the time and so I drove on. Little did I know that I was completely zoned out all the way across the bridge. Liz got my attention after we were slowing for the light at the 17 exit. I realized that I had strayed onto the little lane bumps once in while, but I didn't realize that I was slowing way down and speeding back up as my awareness waxed and waned. There was not bumps, dents or scratches on this trip, but I was made aware once again that "GOD takes care of fools and little children." I no longer fit into the latter part of that little saying.

I am grateful to my daughter for being right there at the right time and place to have me stop, get a drink and wake up enough to get home. It was my rare soda and ice and Liz got a Krystal burger for old times sake. Then we went on out and got on the scenic route alone the river. Yes, I did get a nap after I finally got home.

It was one of those times that I had to shake my head and say "Thank you" to Liz for looking after me and to the good Lord for his ever present hand keeping me almost safely home once more. that's how I remember it...

just a nother thought

I just looked at this first post and noted the time posted--my friend, it wasn't at 2:25 AM , only 5:25. It must be on California time, not Florida time.