Bummer

Now it seems the automatic announcer that BLOGspot is supposed to have, isn't working on this BLOG either.  Well, you all will get an e-mail and I'll tell you to check it every day or two.  I seem to have a lot to say these days, since they're stay-inside days now.

The cool weather has arrived.  The trees are bare (almost).  And I think we're now officially into the season of Cincinnati Gray.  That's the time of year when we get weather patterns of six days of cloudy weather, sometimes with precipitation, and one day of sun.  I do NOT like this time of year.  The bright side being, however, that Christmas is coming and I can throw myself into the hustle and bustle of the holiday.  Parties, just a couple.  Decorations, galore.  Shopping, with my fingers. 

There you have it.  My schedule until January, then the gray really gets to me and I start thinking about heading south to visit family in Florida.  Not this year.  Alan says not, but by the time we have our sixth week of dreariness, he'll be ready to go. 

He really doesn't have to do anything except pack his bag.  I do all the rest.  Loading the car.  Making the hotel reservations, etc.  He just has to show up, basically.

He's in his annual "November Weakness" mode.  I have to make him walk.   So, we have a fight everyday until I get him up and moving.  I hate that.

Well, today is just beginning and I'll probably have more to say later.

ttfn

Add on:  October 30, 2009

I lay me down to read for a while, but soon drifted off into la-la land.  I heard the book I was reading go "thunk" onto the floor, woke up long enough to remove my glasses and rolled over.  I realized I was cold, so I tried to get the cover over me in a better position.  I drifted off again, dreaming I was cold.  Woke up about an hour later, still cold, but unwilling to rise from the cocoon in which I had placed myself, hoping I would either drift off again, or I would get warmer.  Then it came upon me with such swiftness I was kind of startled.  The heat -- not warming up, but heat, like sunburn, and I knew, OH NO NOT AGAIN.  Yes, another fibro attack.

It's 5 p.m.  I took the medicine quite a while ago and I'm still aching.  Phil is coming tonight to watch the Phillies' game (notice I didn't mention the other team) and he's bringing a couple of his children.  I love my grandchildren, but right now I'm not up for any of them, nor am I ready to receive my beloved son.  Oh well, God is awesome and He will help me through this day.   To God be the glory.

ttfn again.

I held Jack

Jack, my youngest grandchild (pictured here) is a little over seven months old.  Where did the time go?  I held him right after he was born for a few minutes. Then time just went by and I hadn't held him again until yesterday. 

He's such a sweet little boy, and he looks like his mama did when she was his age.  If I had any pictures of my third child at that age, I'd put them side by side for comparison.  Well, I do have one, teeny, tiny picture, but scanning it in is not an option.

Why is it few pictures are taken of the second, third, fourth, etc., child?  Well, I'm making sure my daughter has pictures of her youngest two to remember their younger years, just in case, she's too busy to get those pictures of them.  You see, I recall that it was the busy-ness of life that prevented me from getting pictures of my younger children, my girls. 

Why is holding Jack so important?  Well, I don't think I even held Ellie except in the hospital. I've been too crippled with arthritis, or maybe afraid of dropping her, to hold a baby.  But yesterday, I was feeling so very good that I thought, why not?  So, I asked to hold Jack.  And wonder of wonder, he didn't even cry. 

I have a bad effect on babies.  They cry when I look at them.  Yes, even my grandchildren.  But Jack just stared, stood up when I encouraged him to do that, and I babbled a few words to him.  Oh, I didn't hold him for long, but I DID HOLD HIM.  That's what's important. 

Jack is crawling and pulling himself up on furniture already.  He steps out when encouraged.  Poor Cyndi, I think Jack's going to be a early walker.  But as she said, she'd rather have him walking by Christmas, than crawling around and putting stuff in his mouth that he gets off the floor.  I can see her point.

I did notice that without the walker yesterday I was really wobbly.  I felt like I was drunk and was probably walking like it as well.  But I didn't hurt, so I left cane and walker in the car.  It was a very good day.

And yes, we're already talking about Christmas!

ttfn

Alive

Just thought I'd update this to let you all know that I'm still alive.  Not that I was near death, that I know of.  Actually, I've had two fairly good days, physically.  Weather-wise, one.

I tried and tried to update the link info on Runnemede Remembered to let you all know that it's been less than 4 months since I updated the remembrances, but to no avail.  So, I guess you all will just have to click on the link everyday to find out if I've updated it. 

The only thing I can figure out is that about four months ago I wrote in RR that I was THINKING about dropping the BLOG because I was out of material.  Now, that I wrote the words "dropping the BLOG" this one will probably not update the notification either.

Today is great.  I'm going over to Cyndi's later this afternoon to take her a birthday present -- a few days late, but it's really nice, at least I think it is.  And I'll take a few pictures of Jack and whoever else is around and will let me take pictures.  Tori is getting a little camera shy, I guess because of the braces.

Feeling good.  Made inroads into getting us on the boat in a few weeks, so I feel good.  Also found a piano tuner.  Yippee.  Now, I've got to get moving on lunch.  Yes, I know it's very late, and I've been up since 7 a.m., but when I get doing things on the computer time flies and I forget to do other things.

ttfn

Gardens

I can't believe it's been two whole weeks since I wrote in this BLOG.  I guess that explains the downturn in readership this past week :). 

The topic is gardens.  And I chose that topic because -- well, because I am loving my large garden -- the garden that the landscape committee has made available for the residents of my community.  Second, I just read a book by Francine Rivers, entitled "Loeta's Garden."    It is happy and sad and, yes, I cried a lot while I was reading this book.  First, because it so well describes the plight of a person with arthritis, but because it also made me aware of how unkind I've been throughout my life, so I shed tears of grief while asking God for forgiveness for how I treated my own mother and father, unintending to be unkind, but seeing my rush to do things and control things as being so very unkind to them in life and in death. 

How wonderful it is to have a forgiving father!

I do recommend the book, heartily.  But be prepared for some heart searching and lots of tears.

There is one part of the book that I want to remember for years to come, and since I read so many books, I thought I'd write it down.

Ms. Rivers says about gardens:  Man fell in the Garden.  You (meaning our Lord) taught in a garden.  You (the Lord, Jesus)prayed in a garden.  Your passion in a garden.  You were betrayed in a garden, You arose in a garden.  Then she adds: I love this garden, for wen I sit out here, I see the wonder of  Your creation.  I smeel the earth and flower-scented air, and it soothes me.  It reminds me taht Your hand is in it all.  I heard the voice of the Lord in the garden, calling to me.

I know that might not impress a lot of people, but it impresses me.  I always loved that my mother had a garden and she loved that garden, and I know I did as well.  I imagined here, for the many later years in her life when she was ill, that she would take one last walk in her garden and God would take her to be with him.  Sadly, that was not the case, she died in a drug-induced sleep, but I know where she is now.  And I still imagine her in her healthier days, walking in her garden, conversing with her Lord.

Walking in the garden in the morning when the dew was on her roses.  And I know she was listening for her Savior's voice as she walked among her plants.  I have a daughter who used to walk in our yard and do that same thing.  She'd walk and talk with the Lord and come in refreshed from those times of communion with Him, the Savior of her soul.  She, my daughter, still remembers those walks.  Her time will come again, when the hustle and bustle of child-rearing is over, and she can once again, go into her own garden and meet with her Master.

I have a sun-room.  That's where I go to commune with Him.  And from that room and I can view the garden where I live.  It is especially beautiful this year, more beautiful than I can ever remember the October garden being.

Thank you Lord for your creation.

ttfn

The fat lady hasn't been doing much singing

Well, with my sister being at my house, I wasn't singing much, but I was talking a lot.  I was talking so much that I got a sore throat.  But that's okay.  We had a wonderful, blessed time together, as we always do.

She came last Wednesday.  On Thursday we got reacquainted.  For those of you who see your sisters frequently, I know you can't relate.  And while Deb and I talk on the phone once a week, we still have to get "caught up" so to speak when we get together again.  So that's what we did on Thursday -- got caught up.

Now, my sister is someone who has to be "doing" all the time.  So, she cleaned and cleaned and washed dishes (I have a dishwasher) and would have done more if I hadn't practically sat on her to stop her.  I mean, she was supposed to be getting rest.  Her idea of rest is "doing" for others.  I, on the other hand, know the meaning of rest!!!!

Friday, we went out to Becky's and spent the day with her and her children -- and we stayed a lot longer than we had originally planned, but we were having so much fun with the kiddos, that we just didn't want to head back home.

Dan's missing from the picture.  When I took it, he was headless.  Why does that happen?  He looked fine on the screen, then when I downloaded the picture, his head was missing.  I hate when that happens.

On Saturday the sun came out around 10:00 a.m.  I was going to sleep in (I only slept until 10), but when I saw that it was sunny out, I wanted to see if the porch was warm enough for a little bit of coffee-time on the old veranda, so to speak.  The weather forecast was so bad that the church picnic was cancelled.  So you can imagine my glee and surprise when the sun was out in the morning.  And it stayed out for the rest of Deb's visit, which was great, because the leaves on the trees are so pretty right now.

As you can see, the trees are just wonderful this year.  On the other side of my house, however, the trees are bare -- that's the north side, as if that makes a difference.  Actually, the trees that have been denuded are the ones on the street between the buildings where the north wind blows down the street and through the alley regularly. 

So, we enjoyed God's beauty for the rest of her visit.  The porch was our abode for hours each day, until it got too cold to be out there. 

On Sunday, Deb got sick -- she started with a headache and she got worse as the day went on.  But on Monday, she was better, weak, but better.  I, on the other hand, had a terrible fibromyalgia flare-up.  One of the worse ones I ever had.  It lasted through most of today.  I'm fine now, though. 

She went back home today, or did I already say that?  And I slept most of the day.  Because of the pain from the fibromyalgia I was a little sleep deprived and so the sleep I got today was needed and appreciated.

So, for now that's the catch-up of where I've been and what I've been doing the past week.

ttfn

For today.

I was listening to some songs sung by an artist named Cynthia Clawson this morning, and one of the YouTube videos (the link is too long for me to link to it for you) contained this song.  The words are so timelyl and precious to me.  I hope they help you and uplift you as well.


O Love that will not let me go,

I rest my weary soul in thee;

I give thee back the life I owe,

That in thine ocean depths its flow

May richer, fuller be.



O light that followest all my way,

I yield my flickering torch to thee;

My heart restores its borrowed ray,

That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day

May brighter, fairer be.



O Joy that seekest me through pain,

I cannot close my heart to thee;

I trace the rainbow through the rain,

And feel the promise is not vain,

That morn shall tearless be.



O Cross that liftest up my head,

I dare not ask to fly from thee;

I lay in dust life’s glory dead,

And from the ground there blossoms red

Life that shall endless be.

ttfn

Rosie is Ten!

Our little Rosie is now 10 years old!  She was born just after Alan's first round of chemotherapy.  We didn't make it home for the birth, but were there two days later. 

Rosie has always been a cute, precocious child.  She's so very smart.  And she's tender.  She has turned out to be very sensitive to others who need help. 

She is a very talented actress.

I found out that she is wanting to wear dresses to school now.  But, she doesn't have many dresses.  So, I decided that I would get her some dresses.  I was hoping Macy's would have one of their really, really good sales so I could get her several.  My goal was to get her five new outfits, one for each day of the week. 

Well, I got five outfits, but the one in the picture, as you can see, is not something she can wear to school.

In fact, her sister, Rachel thought it was just something I bought for them to play with and to put in the dress-up bin.  Well, it's a very well-made dress, originally priced at $88.  I got it for -- wait for it -- $5.  Can you believe that?  I couldn't believe it either.  I saved $224 in all for the things I bought, about 7 times what I spent.  I was so glad to be able to get her some new clothes.  I mean brand new -- to her, as to most of the children in our family -- hand-me-downs are new.  But that's okay.  I mean kids go through their clothing so quickly they might get three or four wearings before they outgrow them.  So hand-me-downs are nearly new. 

Rachel was disbelieving when she was told that Me-mom had told Rosie she could take the dress home and wear it whenever she wanted to.  You can see how pretty the dress is.  And it was made oh so well.  I just loved it.  I didn't take pictures of all the things I bought her, but you can see THE DRESS.

Happy birthday, Rosie!

ttfn