LAKE BLAIR RISES AGAIN

As I write, we have been having a terrific thunderstorm capable (so the report says) of 60mph winds, cloud to ground lightning, and nickel sized hail. I didnt' see much lightning, but the wind blew hard for a while and the rain came straight down and has filled Lake Blair to capacity+.. and it's still raining. Wonderful wet rain.

It reminded me of one of the Psalms I have been reading..
Psalm 147:7-8
"Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make music to our God on the harp.
He covers the sky with clouds, he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills."

We are so blessed to have a loving God who sends rain and makes the plants grow.

I had a kind of rough day today. I thought I had PT this morning and the rest of the day to myself. Ahem...I was mistaken. One of my routines I do every morning is look at my calendar to see what I have scheduled for myself. Good thing I was faithful about this today. I had a dental appointment at 11:20am, and PT scheduled for 2:15pm. I went to the dentist and had my teeth cleaned. Oh, that has to be the best feeling.. She said I had a minute cavity on one of my teeth that she wants to correct. That'll be in September. She's a busy dentist. Then, we discussed the 2 teeth that have chipped. Not badly, but chipped nonetheless.. and I've decided to go ahead and have them crowned. My insurance is fabulous and pays for nearly the whole thing. With retirement coming up in January, I figure I'd better get this done before they give out in February next year. The hygenist mentioned to me that it is always so nice when I come in for cleaning.. she has little to do. I am very good about flossing several times a day and brushing at least twice a day.

I got out of the dentist's office at 1pm. We had just enough time to get home and get a sandwich and go to PT. We made a plan to help Amy get her van.. everything in order. But on the way home, my stomach started to complain, and by the time I was home, I was feeling rather ill. We got in the car before dry heaves changed my mind about going to PT.. I called them even as I sat in the car. It was 30 minutes before my scheduled appointment. I was hard pressed to know what to do, but one thing sure.. I didn't want to puke in the PT office.
So I cancelled and went directly to bed. I must have been there 45 seconds when the phone rang and I had to get some needed information out in the kitchen for the office.. and then back to bed for another 45 seconds till I had to get up and put the windows up in my car when I heard crashing thunder... Wendell asked Jane to watch the grandkids while he took Amy to get the van. Boy,.. I was bummed. I really wanted to see the kids today.
But I didn't want to pass to them what I guess I got from Wendell, as he was sick yesterday.

I'm feeling much better tonite.. the nausea has passed totally. I ate supper.

Tomorrow is office and it is a busy schedule. I am looking forward to it and have paperwork to complete tonite before I go in. All the patients have been called and alerted to their appointments. I look forward to seeing them all.

I'll be moving along now. The storm seems to have passed. I can blow out my storm candle.

Oh.. one more item. I have a new blog called Jemit Kids.. it's all pictures of our children growing up and even now. I like the idea. I tried to put the photos on the one called Our children , but apparently I gave it another password, and can't re-access it. So the new blog and the old are both there. Enjoy ! Leave comments if you wish, but remember they are moderated by me, so they don't appear until I say they will. It protects the blog from spam.. and I had a lot of it at first.

Have a great evening bloggers!
Pray for our congress that they make the right choice against amnesty. and Pray for us too..
_

9pm TUESDAY RAMBLING..

It's been a really fast day.. I got up at 6am and here it is 9pm already. I can't believe it went as fast as it did. I was not gainfully employed today , but did have errands to run and groceries to purchase, and PT too.
I started out by getting a grip on the office schedule for tomorrow. I'm learning who I can infuse and who I can't when the dear doctor isn't in the office. I've been doing it wrong all this time and didn't know it.. and he's losing money over it. So sorry.. I can only plead ignorance of insurance laws,.
When that was all settled, I took Wendell to the bank and then to brunch.. stopped to pick up another bottle of Strattera, and when I pulled away from the pharmacy, he said he was sick and thought he'd puke. So I took him back home. He's okay tonite.. just a queasy tummy I suppose.
I had done some decluttering in the living room before we left.. that's the room that will get most of the emphasis this week. When we came home, Mandy and John had been shopping and the evidence was there in the living room. Well, till we have a real pantry, that's the way it will be... not really a problem.. but could be better.

I went to PT for a 4pm appt, and was having some degree of pain in the small of my back and over into the right hip.. My PTA worked on it with TENS,ice, ultra sound and then massage.. but it hurt still.. It wasn't till he physically pulled both my legs to the left that the SI joint popped and I had immediate relief. Amazing. What I need is a live-in PT/PTA to do that when it pops out.

So the routine stuff is almost done.. still have to lay out tomorrow's clothes and then read my 6 chapters of Psalms. I am so enjoying that. I've already brushed my teeth, made tomorrow's coffee and , of course, shined my sinks, and layed out new clean towels. Ah... that's the ticket!

Tomorrow is another day- more PT in the morning and then concentrating on the living room getting it cleaned up.. hitting the hot spots. Perhaps a couple of 15' hot spots in the bedroom, and I'm not going to try to do much else. I may start going through some boxes of pictures to send on to other family members who will appreciate them like I do.. no, no one appreciates them more than I do.. but they will love them too.
In the mean time, I will be posting more to the IMM-BEST CONNECTION blog, so keep watching..
Remember to pray.. and to pray for us. We do so appreciate that.
*

PHOTOS

I have added more photos to the IMM-BEST CONNECTION. Take a look... *smile*

ABORTION STATISTICS

The question was raised regarding where my statistics on abortion came from.. please read on:

http://www.abortionno.org/Resources/fastfacts.html


The following is a list of useful abortion statistics as well as some facts on abortifacients. All abortion numbers are derived from pro-abortion sources courtesy of The Alan Guttmacher Institute and Planned Parenthood's Family Planning Perspectives.


WORLDWIDE

Number of abortions per year: Approximately 46 Million

Number of abortions per day: Approximately 126,000

Where abortions occur:

78% of all abortions are obtained in developing countries and 22% occur in developed countries.

Legality of abortion:

About26 million women obtain legal abortions each year, while an additional 20 million abortions are obtained in countries where it is restricted or prohibited by law.
Abortion averages:

Worldwide, the lifetime average is about 1 abortion per woman.
© Copyright 1999-2000, The Alan Guttmacher Institute. (www.agi-usa.org)


UNITED STATES

Number of abortions per year: 1.37 Million (1996)

Number of abortions per day: Approximately 3,700

Who's having abortions (age)?

52%of women obtaining abortions in the U.S. are younger than 25: Women aged 20-24 obtain 32% of all abortions; Teenagers obtain 20% and girls under 15 account for 1.2%.
Who's having abortions (race)?


While white women obtain 60% of all abortions, their abortion rate is well below that of minority women. Black women are more than 3 times as likely as white women to have an abortion, and Hispanic women are roughly 2 times as likely.

Who's having abortions (marital status)?

64.4%of all abortions are performed on never-married women; Married women account for 18.4% of all abortions and divorced women obtain 9.4%.

Who's having abortions (religion)?

Women identifying themselves as Protestants obtain 37.4% of all abortions in the U.S.; Catholic women account for 31.3%, Jewish women account for 1.3%, and women with no religious affiliation obtain 23.7% of all abortions. 18% of all abortions are performed on women who identify themselves as "Born-again/Evangelical".

Who's having abortions (income)?

Women with family incomes less than $15,000 obtain 28.7% of all abortions;Women with family incomes between $15,000 and $29,999 obtain 19.5%;Women with family incomes between $30,000 and $59,999 obtain 38.0%;Women with family incomes over $60,000 obtain 13.8%.

Why women have abortions

1%of all abortions occur because of rape or incest;
6% of abortions occur because of potential health problems regarding either the mother or child,
and 93% of all abortions occur for social reasons (i.e. the child is unwanted or inconvenient).

At what gestational ages are abortions performed:

52% of all abortions occur before the 9th week of pregnancy,
25% happen between the 9th & 10th week,
12% happen between the 11th and 12th week,
6% happen between the 13th & 15th week,
4% happen between the 16th & 20th week,
and 1% of all abortions (16,450/yr.) happen after the 20th week of pregnancy.

Likelihood of abortion:

An estimated 43% of all women will have at least 1 abortion by the time they are 45 years old.
47% of all abortions are performed on women who have had at least one previous abortion.

Abortion coverage:

48%of all abortion facilities provide services after the 12th week of pregnancy.
9 in 10 managed care plans routinely cover abortion or provide limited coverage. About 14% of all abortions in the United States are paid for with public funds, virtually all of which are state funds.
16 states (CA, CT, HI, ED, IL, MA , MD, MD, MN, MT, NJ, NM, NY,OR, VT, WA and WV) pay for abortions for some poor women.

77 Degrees here.. should be 83 for a high.. sunny.. partly cloudy..with a chance of a thunderstorm.. well.. that's business as usual. It's a lovely day..
I've already dusted the entire living room in less than 15'.. good job! I'd pat myself on the back, but I'd likely get hurt in the process.. so suffice it to say.. I'm proud of myself.. My AM routines are done and I'm relaxing.
Gainful employment awaits me this afternoon.. the last one of the weekend. I'm tired. I seemed to have so much energy yesterday.. but it started to dwindle down about 7pm.. but 11:30pm.. I was feeling exhausted. Must be my wild schedule I keep. No complaints here though.. just comments... I'm doing fairly well keeping my end up.
It really is a good thing I'm planning retirement-( 221 days today) I just can't seem to be alert enough after 9pm. I'd go to bed with the chickens if I could.. but then, no, I wouldn't. I'd be up reading or something else interesting to me.

The upstairs bathroom is on it's way to being refurbished. John has been working hard on getting the tub leak fixed and then the shower prepared. Mandy waited up for me last night to tell me she'd finally gotten a shower upstairs yesterday. She was so thrilled. It has been years since the leaky drain was fixed and John did it in good style. My leaky kitchen sink drain is repaired too.. no more leaks! AMEN.

On to other things.. Wendell is doing well aside from a little arthritis in his elbow and shoulder for which he takes Celebrex. It seems to help. I've got PT 2 days this week again and look forward to it.. it also helps and my back is holding up. AMEN again!

Not much newsy going on today.. so go out and enjoy the sunshine.. it's a great day!
Pray for us...

JEMIT'S IMM-BEST CONNECTIONS

Okay.. on a whim.. I have posted to the Imm-Best connection. It's a full genealogy of both families.. Imm first, then Best (saving the Best for last????) oooooo...hhhhhh .... bad joke.
Anyway.. click on the right side of this blog on "IMM-BEST CONNECTION" and you'll see what I'm referring to.
Have fun! And as always, feel free to comment or make corrections at any point..Marilyn

IT WAS A LONG DAY

Saturday was a very very long day. I got up at 6am. It's now 1am Sunday. I wanted to post the best picture I had of my brother and sister in law.. This is me with Carol and Bill before we left this morning for the funeral.
They left for Indianapolis right after the service. We enjoyed having them.. just wish my schedule hadn't been so tight. We shall hope to make a trip north in the near future..

I wasn't late for work, but got there with time to spare. We had lunch at the VFW in Lower Burrell and Jane and I got to chat a while over salad, chicken, and the delicious fare put on by the women there. We were so glad to be able to visit with family, though, as I said once before, I wish it were for some other occasion.
Jane took pictures at the graveside.. she has a number of them.. very good. Hop on over to her blog to view them.. I'll not be posting them here.

Work was tedious and seemed to go on forever. I was so tired and weary. I'll likely sleep in till 9am tomorrow.
My sinks are shining. The clutter is starting to creep up, so next week I'll be hitting that a bit harder on my days off.. 15' at a time.
Gotta go to bed.. pray for us..

QUIET DAY

It's been a busy but quiet day. This morning I went to PT and did my exercises with mostly ease. There is one that causes my left hip to complain, so I do very few of them, but all the others are in good form.
I worked on my office schedule too, and when Mandy got up she wanted to go to the funeral home and needed us to go along.. which we did. It is so good to see so many of the family together, though I'd prefer a wedding or happier occasion.
We stopped at a favorite pizza place in Natrona Heights to have an early supper, and then on to home- Mandy had to work.
I finished getting my schedule straight for next week, and then decided to go outside and sit on the swing.. It was then that I went for the camera and decided to take a walk around the yard..It ended up a walk around the perimeter and I did well. I took photos of the wild life here and the flowers..

This is actually a flower box at the end of the house.. These beautiful littlel gems are supposed to love a lot of sunlight, but they are in the shade most of the day. They seem to be thriving .. The green leaves right up front on the picture is my peony plant. I only have one, and every year it blooms one flower. Mandy doesn't like the plant because it has to have ants to open the bud up.

On the porch is a pot of plants given to me by my boss for National Nurses' week.. It was in a much smaller pot when I brought it home, but it grew so fast it needed a bigger pot not long after.


Pansies.. aren't they just the cutest things? They are also in a pot at the other side of the porch. I think their faces are so sweet.


At the end of the driveway is a huge tractor tire with our house number on a rock in the midst of it. Behind it is a trellis and the climatus grows there. This is the first flower of the season. It's a beauty.

On the picnic table sets 2 more pots, but these ones are salad tomatoes and the 2 plants are loaded with them. It's hard to wait for them to turn red.

A WALK AROUND THE PERIMETER

I took a walk around the perimeter. Flowers are blooming and are so beautiful. Spring/Summer is so wonderful, don't you think?


These are day lilies.. they line the driveway at the trailer.. so lovely and thick.


This plant is called Purple Foxglove, aka, digitalis plant. It's a toxic one. It is used for heart problems.. of course, we don't use it for that purpose- but just to admire the beauty of the plant.


I think the Brown Eyed susans have such personality.. they almost look like they are trying to communicate..
"Pick me!! Pick me!!


Bachelor buttons grow on the far end of the garden. Sometimes I see them growing wild along the road.

This is the beginning of what will be a spectacular garden I'm sure. I had the sun behind me so my shadow is in the picture too.. but you get the idea. All the cages are protecting the tomato plants from preditors- deer mainly.
Off in the distance is the briar patch where the groundhogs live..

COOL DAY

From my spot on the swing, I watched the wildlife.. The groundhog slipped by so fast I couldn't get a picture of the big burly mass of fur. But I did catch a shot of a robin sitting in the yard..



One of Charlie's girls wandered over to see what I was doing. Very curious little animals they are..

Oh, these were cute.. frolicking bunnies down by the swing set. They are cute, but they do damage to the garden..

OUR ANNIVERSARY

This was taken so many many years ago behind the church we yet attend.
Kathy Sailor, Steve Blair, Bucky Riggleman, Lucinda Riggleman.. and Dick Riggleman taking a picture while our photographer snapped this one.
It was a warm and sunny day in June.. really beautiful day for a wedding. I do remember that well. It was an indoor wedding however, and guests numbered somewhere around 250. Lots of guests!

Today we celebrated by going out to lunch with my brother and sister-in-law .. it was a wonderful time! I thoroughly enjoyed every moment. The food was so good. Wendell asked me if I remembered what we had for supper the evening of our wedding.. I did .. I had chicken (easy guess) and he had steak.. and we had done it again for lunch today. I had a chicken mandarin salad and he had chopped steak. Yummy!

PT followed shortly thereafter and Wendell said he wished he'd thought to go home with Bill and Carol. We had a horrendous downpour moments after I entered the building while he stayed in the car to read. He said it rocked the car as the wind blew.
When I got out, things looked pretty dry again.. and we headed for home. It wasn't long after we arrived at home that the storm caught up with us again. This time the clouds looked so very ominous, and we had hail.
Carol and Bill came over afterward and we had a good visit again watching our family dvds.

Supper came.. I didn't have anything made yet, and then JJ and Keith wanted to take us out for Father's Day and our Anniversary. So we ended up at Ponderosa- Wendell's pick for today. I had grilled shrimp and Wendell had steak again. He says he gets enough chicken at home. We got home around 10pm..
Thanks JJ and Keith.. we really enjoyed the time we got to spend together.. and the food was super!

I got nothing done at home today other than dishes and my routine things.. but that's okay. This was a special occasion day for us. It's not often we get the honor of having the Imms here and then get to take them to lunch and have the conversation all to ourselves with them. I'm so happy we were able to do that. Bill and Carol have invited us to their place in August for their anniversary and dinner.. hehehehe.. sounds like a plan. I hope we can do it!

It's been a long day for us.. I'm very tired now and need my bed and some sleep. Tomorrow is another day.
PT in the morning.. and then .... well.. it's still up in the air what the plan will be after that.
Pray for us.. and thank you for your continuing prayers. We love you all for that.
*

JOE LEAH OBIT

Joseph E. Leah, 71, of Lower Burrell, died Tuesday, June 19, 2007, at Allegheny Valley Hospital.
He was born Sept. 21, 1935, in New Kensington, a son of the late Joseph R. and Marie (Best) Leah. Joe wasa 29-year veteran of the U.S. Army and retired as a sergeant major in1982. He served in many locations during his military career, including Germany, Italy and Korea, as well as U.S. bases such as, Ft. Sill, Okla., Ft. Knox, Ky., and as a recruiter in Queens, N.Y. He also was known locally for many years as the U.S. Army recruiter in New Kensington.
Joe was a member and former commander of VFW Post 92 in Lower Burrell, a member of American Legion Post 868 in Lower Burrell and a member of F&AM Lodge 577 in Leechburg.

He was a graduate of Arnold High School and after retirement from the Army, he earned his master's degree in human resource management from LaRoche College.
He was an avid hunter and loved the outdoors.
Besides his parents, he was preceded in death by his sister, Annabelle Uckert.
He is survived by his wife, Arlene; two brothers, Kenneth and David Leah; a son, Joseph S. Leah and wife, Claudia; daughter, Jill A. Leah; his wife from his first marriage, Janet Leah-Landis; three granddaughters, Grace, Natalie and Sophie Leah; stepdaughters, Susan Sabotka and husband, Ted, and Cathy Richard; a stepson, Anthony Bishop and wife, Jeannie; and a stepgranddaughter, Amy Sabotka.
Family and friends will be received from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday and 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Friday in the FRANK F. GIGLER FUNERAL HOME, 2877 Leechburg Road, Lower Burrell, where a service will be held 11 a.m. Saturday.
Interment will immediately follow the service at Greenwood Memorial Park, Lower Burrell.

MY, HOW WE'VE CHANGED

To celebrate our anniversary this year, we are going out to brunch.. We've changed a lot in all these years, don't you think?

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY VALENTINES

HAPPY 9TH ANNIVERSARY
TO THE VALENTINES,
WENDY AND CORY
MANY MANY MANY MORE TO YOU
JUNE 20, 2007

BUDDY

I guess I wasn't even born when this was taken.. Ken, Bill, Bud, Annabelle.. at the camp in Emlenton.

COUSIN JOE...

I grew up calling my cousin Buddy.. we all did. He never grew out of the name, but later we called him Bud.
Here he is in 2000 .. big 4th July picnic..

None of us could forget the camp at Emlenton on the Allegheny River..
Bud, Ken, Annabelle, and Bill

1990 .. Bud with Mom

JOSEPH E LEAH

It was while I was at work I got a call from my sister Jane who told me that our cousin Joe was critically ill and not expected to live through the night. Sadly, she called again later Tuesday evening to say he had passed away.
It's hard to give up a piece of your life like that- but everyone has to go through it at one point or another.
Joe was the brother of Annabelle who died June 25, 2005 of primary peritoneal cancer. Seems like yesterday.
I'll post the obit when it's published.

I just finished reading headline news. Our ever so slanted media are making a big deal about the 7 Afghan children who died in a combat area. For them and their families, I am sad.. but it occurs to me that in our own country there are hundreds of thousands of defenseless babies murdered every day by abortion.. Where is the news coverage here?

Sunny and warm today.. no snow, no ice.. yippee!!! It makes me glad.
I've finished the morning routines and we had breakfast. Then I swept the porch and the walkway- I see the chickens have been here and left their signature. UGH! Charlie has been tilling the garden, so I'd think they'd want to survey that area with overturned soil.. but no.. they like the flower beds better..????
I swept down some cobwebs from the siding on the house and displaced a couple of spiders. I try not to disturb the ones who hide well, as they do keep the insect population down. But to try to walk in the front door with a little spider above my head gives me chills.

So I've been reading emails and blogging on my break.. and the next item on the agenda is 15' in the bedroom decluttering. It's going to take all week, but I don't mind. Every thing that is removed or put in it's place is an improvement and signifies progress. That's what it's all about anyway. I've been thinking about how God has things planned in His perfect timing. This week my assistant requested that I let her work Wednesday and Thursday and that I work next week for her instead. Perfect! I will have lots of 15' decluttering sessions this week, and this is the room that is going to be my biggest challenge. I agreed to this schedule before I knew that this would be 'the week'.
First place I'm going to hit is the closet. I have to have somewhere to put clothes that are folded neatly on my bed waiting to be worn. I have many old things I'm going to dispose of.. things no one would wear even if they had the chance. They have been in the closet over a year. .... likely dusty too.

Gainful employment is on my agenda today too. I will have plenty of time to get ready for work after my 'sessions' this morning. I think I'll hold that linen closet shelf for tomorrow.
Yesterday I cleaned off the kitchen table again.. a real hot spot in the making.. and then put a small bouquet of wild daisies on it in a vase. So pretty. Of course, there are other 'hot spots' that need attention throughout the house , but on the whole, things look peaceful and clean. That's a plus.

My back is not bad this morning. All the pain is in the one SI joint again, and not too bad. It's tolerable.
Pray for our country and leaders..for renewed hearts that turn away from evil and acknowledge the Lord as saviour and king. Pray for peace in the mid-east and in our country too. Pray that God's will would be done swiftly. Pray for us...
.

It was 86 today..sunny..hot.. lovely. The air conditioners are getting a work out.
It's now 83. Nice and comfortable out in the shade of the front yard. I love having all the trees around us.. they create a draft or breeze and that cools things down quite a bit.
I'm feeling a lot better now. The pain that awakened me at 3am and kept me from going to church is now calm.. the spasms are settled. I thank the Lord for that little bit of mercy. The pain was pretty bad this time, and I ended up taking more Baclofen and then Tylenol 1000mg. I haven't taken the Tylenol for a long time- I needed it today.
I felt good enough after supper to take a walk to the end of the driveway with John and Mandy while they watered the flowers. No pain even on the way back. Amen.
We've had no rain either.. and the weather report still says isolated thunderstorms- 30% chance.

Perhaps more later.. perhaps not... I'm going outside now to sit on the swing and enjoy the rest of the evening.
Have a good one.. Pray for us..
.

A TALE OF TOOTHPASTE

Sometimes I amaze myself. I really do. Yesterday I did a 15' clean up of the linen closet- 1 shelf. It was the worst one. I had cleaned the medicine chest this past week, and somehow lost my toothpaste. Not to worry, I had another in the linen closet. But last night when I was ready to brush my teeth, my newest tube of toothpaste was gone, and yes, it had been on that shelf I cleaned hastily. Oh, brother..... Not again!?
I'm not about to search through trash to find it. It's a loss. I had filled a black garbage bag with trash and excess clutter from the closet- I suppose that's where it is.
On the positive side, the linen closet is coming along, and looking a lot better.
I did spend 5' on the kitchen table too.. it was becoming a hot spot. I'll be working on the bedroom this coming week, though I have several shelves in the bathroom to finish yet. They need a once over 15' apiece decluttering session, so I'll give some attention to that also this week.
My bedroom is a formidable challenge. I am ready to face that challenge now. No matter how bad I've cluttered it up, it'll be okay. I can do this.

I have gainful employment on Monday and PT on Tuesday and Wednesday. Office fits in there somewhere, though I won't have to be there on Wednesday and Thursday.. I do have to attend to making sure everything is there for my assistant.

It's almost 4am.. I've been up since 3am with a nasty back-ache.. spasms from my 'wings' down to my tail. I'm going to apply some ice in a few moments, and the TENS to try to get it slowed down so I can go to church this morning. The Baclofen doesn't seem to be working. Wendell says his elbow has been aching badly, and Jane also is having a back problem.. so I'm guessing it's the weather and expect rain. I am careful not to overdo these days..and really didn't yesterday. I seem to be accomplishing a lot - progressing nicely, but am so careful to not do the bending and lifting that causes me distress.

It's now almost 5:30am.. I need to go back to bed with some ice for a while..
Enjoy the day.. Pray for us..
.

Tomorrow is Father's Day. I thought it would be nice to have Paul and company over for a picnic. We had beautiful weather. We grilled hot dogs and burgers.. and I made the kids Angel Food corn dogs which they loved- I put them in the fryer to cook.. yummy! Then I fried some popcorn chicken.. it was pretty good too.
I decided to make special salads today.. My usual macaroni salad, and then one special macaroni salad for Wendell who doesn't like eggs in it.. hmmmm I had called Wendy earlier in the day to get the recipe for asparagus salad.. whoa.. so easy.. and I had fresh asparagus. It was really very good. The dressing was fresh lemon squeezed over asparagus and tiny tomatoes.. mmmmmmm...good! The other salad was made with sliced cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, a few slices tomatoes, and tiny chunks of mozzarella cheese. The dressing was a splash of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.. again.. yummy !! Icy cold watermelon and lots of Jane's home made pizelles made the dessert. Later, we had ice cream cones, of course.



David found the bag of blocks in the extra room.. He and Joyce played with them building whatever they could..
I was delighted when they picked them all up when they were done, and put them away.. great job, guys !


I seem to have a hard time getting Daniel to sit still enough to take his picture.. he's on the move constantly, and before I snap the picture.. he's gone... this one made him sit still for a little bit.. when he asked to hold Annabelle for a while. He did a good job with her.

Here she is in close up.. she is still teething.. 2 little teeth are erupted, but she bites on whatever is available. I saw her tonite biting the picnic table.. ouch !!! That really is hard.

BLATHERING

Oooo Ooooo... Check it out! The little train above has moved another inch down the track!!!! 231 days left as of today !!!!! Hot doggies !!!!
I get excited over the nuttiest things. To you, the almost imperceptible move of that little train isn't even a notable thing.. to me, it is a future lined with gold ! I'm so thrilled with even the slightest move of that little engine. I can remember a month ago wondering if it would ever move at all...maybe I set it up wrong? But no, it's now on the move and I couldn't be happier. Every day I check it out to see the new number posted for days left, and when I tell others I'm retiring, I tell them.. 231 days to go.. they always look at me strangely and then laugh. I laugh too, because I realize that they can't say the same. Hehehehehe

It's a sunny day here in WPA.. a glorious morning to wake up to. I'm feeling mighty good after a slow day yesterday. I always seem to wear myself out when I do the office work, but I still love it so much. I guess it's worth the tiredness after. I got little to nothing done yesterday here at home. I did make sure the routine stuff was done morning and evening, but supper? Every man for himself I'm afraid..
Wendell and I sat out on the swing for an hour or so.. watching the wild animals that were around us. Groundhogs boldly walking out into the garden.. Bunnies hopping across the yard happily.. and then the hawks above us.. There were 3 of them .. and one tiny little bird who gave the one quite a beating in mid-air. That was one spunky little bird! He attacked that hawk relentlessly until the hawk moved on after taking several tumbles.
Amazing creatures..The day was beautiful and sunny.. fluffy white clouds.. big ones.. and it was nearly breathtaking to observe the hawks soaring so high against those white clouds.
We were noticing all the birds.. tiny little ones flying by us .. couldn't even identify them. And the robins busy in the yard picking up food and flying back to their nests. We can almost figure where their nests are by watching.
One pair of robins hopped within 6' of me as I sat on the swing.. didn't seem frightened at all.
We listened to all the tweeting and singing and the clucking of Charlie's girls next door. We spotted a female cardinal..perched on the swing set in the yard. Never saw any male.. but I'm sure he was around.
It was all so relaxing. I'm glad we live in a rural area. One could not observe all the wildlife in the city.
I'm so impressed by the greenery.. something I can still remember longing for last winter. The flowers are changing again.. The new ones will be blooming soon. It's such a pleasure to watch the changes.

Later I went inside and found that my energy levels were still sapped, and I had no strength to do anything for even 5 minutes.. so I sat down and rested inside too.. sometimes you just have to rest and relax to get re-energized.
I'm gainfully employed today. I have errands to run, but will do that on my way to work today. I am slowly getting my strength back.. and though routines have not been started yet.. I have put away laundry- 2 baskets of clean clothes and towels. It's something that has needed done and I've avoided it for several days.
Right now I'm enjoying my coffee and reading the email. It's a slow start day, but I'll get moving when I'm done here.
I think today's hot spot will be the kitchen table.. it's starting to look cluttered again and needs attention. Then on to the bathroom again for 15 minutes of cleaning.. I'm tossing the old bathroom rugs. I'll be looking for some smaller new ones in the next couple weeks. Of course, the linen closet needs attention too.. I'll check out what I can do and perhaps pitch the clutter there for whatever time remains. I like to take the big waste basket from the kitchen with me when I do that kind of decluttering.. I can pitch into a black plastic bag and then tie it up so I don't go back to see what I've tossed out on the spur of a moment.. Nothing I'd miss for sure.. except my toothpaste, of course.. I still don't know how I did that.

On to the day..... have a wonderful one... pray for us, our nation and those in power.
*

PATRIOTISM

We love our country. Many of us have felt the impact of the sacrifices of our individual families for our freedom and the freedom of other parts of the world. These are patriots.. people willing to give their very lives for the love of family and freedom in our land. We are also patriots and must remember the single act of patriotism that has made our country the great nation it is, and that is prayer. These United States were founded and grounded on prayer and thanksgiving to God who provided it and the idea of freedom.
Our present day historians may try to block this out of history books, but they cannot. There will always be a remnant that remembers what they were taught in elementary school. Many will not remember Bible reading and prayer in classrooms.. I do. It was a sad day when God or the very mention of His name was banned from our schools. Our patriotism started to deteriorate at that point. No longer are our children taught to pledge allegiance to the flag of our country. They are not taught how to respect the flag or the country which they will inherit one day.
They are not encouraged to have the well earned respect of veterans from all the wars before.. those men who made this country great and strong- so that they have the freedoms that they do. Much is forgotten when it is not made a part of daily teaching.

A pleasant day to you all.. pray for our nation and the President and his congress... pray for us.
.

FLAG DAY

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America
and to the republic for which it stands.

One nation under God
Indivisible
With liberty and justice for all.

He covers the sky with clouds,
He supplies the earth with rain.
He makes grass grow on the hills.
Psalm 147

The rain came.. hard and from the east, an ominous sign of a bad storm.. Hail the size of nickels was predicted..but none seen here. I watched the trees out the front door.. bending this way and that. The wind was furious. Then the rain pelted down bending over one of Mandy's tomato plants. It fared well.. not broken. But it was quite the storm.. and then it ceased and the rain came straight down and gently. It's over now.. We surely needed some moisture..After the storm.. such peace and lovely moisture on the ground. The temperature dropped from 82 to 67. Comfortable.. coolish.

It's been another wonderful day here in WPA. Too bad the rest of the world can't enjoy life as I am. No one would argue or fuss or fight or have any major disagreement.. peace reigns.
It's a wonderful feeling and very relaxing.
This morning after daily routines were done, I went to PT.. did the usual and came out walking with no pain once again. The SI joint is my trouble spot- a small spot, but it can reduce me to frozen in my shoes when it flares.
I haven't had that sort of pain for quite a while. Let's hope it stays that way.
I went straight home after with the thought of getting started on some of my planned cleaning... and in 15 minutes, I had the cabinet under the bathroom sink totally cleaned and just the barest necessities replaced. Looks good.
I went outdoors and took my trusty 'outdoor broom' with me to sweep the porch and the walkway. It has to be done every day because the chickens come over every morning/afternoon and scratch all the mulch off the plastic on the flower beds. It's a mess.. then they leave little piles of chicken doo on the walk like they are signing their work. Oh, well.. Charlie loves them, so what can I say? I just keep sweeping up after them daily.
On to the kitchen after a break... ah.... the counters.. still looking so cluttered.. so I cleaned out the cabinet I hadn't finished yet and relieved the area of spices, extra salt and a couple of boxes of green tea.. Then I started moving items around and found the waffle iron fit perfectly in that cabinet along with the spices.. Not a final home, but good for now. The mixer went on a top shelf.. I scraped the pizza stone, bagged it and put it away too. Now I was getting somewhere.. Straightened up the surface area, cannisters, etc.. and discovered I have 4 5# bags of flour unopened.. (Told you it was horribly cluttered).. and one half opened. By the time that 15 minutes was over, it looked amazingly.....uh....can a counter look relaxing? peaceful? It's in order and it makes me feel less stressed. I wasn't sure I could do it, but it's done.
Anyone have any idea what to do with 8-10 boxes of cereal? They are atop the refrigerator now.. Rick would be so proud of me with 10 boxes.. Really, it was just that I didn't know what I had and they kept showing up.. full boxes of cereal.. and then the 3-4 empty ones someone replaced on the refrig.. now they are gone.

That was my plan for the day, mission accomplished. Tonite I have paperwork for the office that needs filled out so there isn't so much to do tomorrow. It's going to be busy- 9 patients.
It there is still time, I plan to remove all the pictures from the refrig and all the magnets.. my, we have so many!

Looking forward to a great evening.. Hope your days are as good as mine have been..
Pray for us..
*

It's after 3am.. I am awake after just 2 hours sleep. I'm not sure just why. No pain, feel good.. when I woke up , I hoped it was morning so I could get up.. I'm sitting up..and it's morning.. but too early to start the day quite yet.
Gainful employment yesterday was busy..very busy. I had the normally slower side of the hall, but they kept me hopping all evening. So why am I awake?

We could use some rain. Things are dry here. Not dust bowl dry, but dry nonetheless. There is still a puddle outside from the last rain.. it's not big, but there. The temp was in the 80s today.. it's 64 right now. Wednesday there is about a 30% chance of a thunderstorm- in the 80s again. When I came home last night, there was lightning.. no thunder, no rain. But it was behind the clouds and quite beautiful actually.. sort of a pink flash.

I'm still honing my organizational skills and doing my routine things every day. I am working on the kitchen yet and starting in the bathroom. Mandy got a shower cleaner that you push a button and the entire shower gets sprayed.. it's supposed to keep it clean without scrubbing. I showed her what I did today in the medicine chest.. I pulled everything out including shelves and scrubbed them all.. and replaced only the items which we use. Trouble is, I've lost my toothpaste in the process.. Did I mention I'm not perfect? I told Wendell I'd stop at the dollar store for new toothbrushes for us.. I guess I'll be getting toothpaste too. Today I'll work on the cabinet below the bathroom sink.. it's not been cleaned for some time. No telling what might be in there.
When I came home tonite, I took Mandy to the bathroom to show her the medicine chest..and she showed me yet another new item she got for that room- a spray deodorizer on the wall. It automatically sprays every so many minutes. Kinda nice, and the bathroom smelled so fresh. I was impressed.
Can't wait to hit the linen closet. Now there is a place that is so hot it scalds!

It occurs to me that perhaps I need a snack.. perhaps that's why I'm awake. I'm gonna pursue that thought and say good night for now.. er.. good morning.. whatever..

ONE TIRED COOKIE

Yep.. that's me.. one tired cookie. It's been a long 3 day weekend of gainful employment.. but I made it and it's over. YIPPEE!!! I seem to lose so much sleep on these stretches. I end up exhausted at the final evening. I put my name in for on call/ off for today, but, alas.. I was the only one scheduled again. And of course, it was busy.
The charge person told me I could leave at 10pm if we got no admits by then. There was no night secretary, so I had to stick around to see what would happen. Wouldn't you know.. 10pm on the nose.. they called an admit. Well, my best layed plans were thwarted, but I'm sure God had good reason for it.
I did leave at 11:10.. just a few minutes early. I got home and made coffee, shined the kitchen sink, decluttered the kitchen table and headed to the bathroom. I'm skipping the dishwasher tonite as there aren't enough dishes there to warrant running the machine. So I'm ready for bed now and just wanted to sit down to blog a bit.

It's a beautiful evening. A starry night with a few light clouds.. lots of shining stars though. They are so beautiful- God's handiwork. He says He has named them all. That reminds me of ads I've seen that ask you to send money and they'll name a star after you. I don't think there are any left after God has named them all. Don't waste your money.
It also reminds me of the Psalm that says 'the spacious heavens declare the Glory of the Lord'..
Tomorrow is going to be a super busy day.. getting up early, routines and then to the Pain Clinic by 11am. Following that I'll have to grab a quick lunch and head to PT for some ice/TENS/ and exercise. It'll be worth it.
I also have to get some prescriptions filled and then on tot he grocery store for some water and other essentials.
By the time I get home, it'll be nearly time for supper.. not sure about what we are having for certain. I'll think about that in the morning as I plan out the rest of the day.
The bathroom is my goal this week.. and finishing up the kitchen so I can start the bedroom again. It's never ending, but I'm enjoying it all.
235 days to go.. Pray for us..
*

What a lovely day is in the making.. even if I'm gainfully employed. I've been up and moving since 8am, showered, dressed, face on, hair done, and we have had breakfast. The dishwasher is ready to receive the dirty dishes, and I've wiped down the shower, commode, and sinks. Not only that, but I've also boiled some eggs for an egg salad for my supper, and then went outside to sweep the porch and the walkway. It's time for a cup of coffee and blogging. I have read my Psalms for the day. It's 61 degrees today and the high is to be 77.. lovely spring day. Sunny too.. chance of precip is only 10%. Things are looking so lush and green.. Mandy has little tomatoes on her 2 plants.. lots of them.
Flowers are looking so beautiful. I love spring !
We gathered the asparagus this past week and had it for supper one evening.. oh, fresh asparagus is soooooo good! I made a cheesecake one day this past week also.. it's about gone.. I think one piece left. I was very good. I had only one small slice about an inch at the widest part. It's nice to know it's appreciated. I should make one every month..I may add that to my agenda.
Iced tea.. I think it's time to make a pitcher and use the ice tea maker. It does such a good job. I used to make sun tea.. Hot water in a jar and a few tea bags and let it set on the counter in the sun till it turned brown. It was very good, but I like the machine made tea too. I don't add sugar.. one has to do that to each glass. Wendell is diabetic and I try not to make things that overload him with sugar.
I've worked on the kitchen for a week.. it needs another week.. but I may just move on to the bathroom. It looks good at first glance, but needs some deep cleaning and decluttering of the linen closet. That's on the agenda for next week. I'll continue working on the counters.. one at a time. Cleaning as I go.
It feels great to have such good organization .. it's clear in my mind what I intend to accomplish, but if I don't... well.. there's always next week or tomorrow. I also have glassware to pack up for moving. It will take up one medium sized box.
My plan is to buy new dishes.. new home.. new start.. new dishes. I'm looking at Corelle.. we've used it for years and have been well satisfied with it. But I won't need service for 12 or 16 as we have now. Nor do we need 12 cups for just the 2 of us. Cutting down is hard for me. I'm still in serving 8 mode.. hehehe
So I've gotten rid of all but 6 coffee cups and kept the special mugs. Mandy and I bought flatware some time ago.. each bought one set of good stuff. I'm taking mine with me, and she can either keep the rest or we'll just share..when the need is there. I have a good deep frying pan.. one that can be used for almost anything.. with a lid.. I'll need a few pans/pots yet. I had bought all the pots and pans in sets before. I believe I would like to just by what I like and will use..piece by piece. We have pie pans and cassarole dishes..bakeware. We won't need any new ones there.
The hallway here has big boxes full of things packed for our new home.. one is mostly Christmas stuff. I have craft supplies boxed too. Those will go in my office.
One big box of winter clothes..packed.. ready to store. and I have a tub that I may continue to fill with family history things.. or perhaps any left over winter clothes.. not sure how to best use it.
Family history is in tubs.. about 5 downstairs and the kneewalls hold much more.. it's gotta be sorted before the move. Lots to do here. Moving along slowly but surely.
The table awaits me.. I'm going to clean it off completely today before I go to work. It needs it . We tend to drop things there. Then I'll move on to the glassware and get it ready to be stored. Each piece has to be wrapped carefully and then packed away.

Have a wonderful day.. get out and enjoy the cool air and sunshine.. Pray for us.

Consider it pure joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have it's perfect result,so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
*

It looks like another beautiful day coming up.. it's already 78 degrees and it's not 9am. The high is to be 86 today with a chance of scattered showers. It's grand.
Today begins the 3 day weekend of gainful employment. It's all good. I can do this. I looked at my little train above that keeps track of my days left before retirement, and it's moved again. For others, it's just a nearly imperceptible move.. to me, a giant leap! It means I'm still heading for retirement and it gives me encouragement.
One baby step at a time.. inching along, but moving toward my goal nonetheless.

I read my 6 (actually 7) chapters of Psalms this morning. I am learning a lot each time I read these words. Today, it has occured to me that I do a lot of praying all day long. I pray over this and that and ask for so much. And I believe that it is what God wants us to do.. keep communication lines open and talk with Him. It's more than that.. There are promises in his Word. Promises for me and for our future.. the key to unlock the promises is prayer. I guess I knew that but never thought about it in those terms.
Prayer is the most powerful tool we as Christians have. It is powerful. I have a feeling that there are people who pray because it's expected of them, but deny the power thereof, not directly, but indirectly. Praying with the knowledge that God is alive and well and hearing every word and responding is something of which we should be constantly aware. Believing that there is power in the words we pray.. and expecting to have answers.
Do we act like He is going to answer directly? I'm praying every day over a new home for Wendell and me. My action? Do I believe? I'm packing. I'm packing and planning a move. I believe it's God's will for us.

God provides 'bumps in the road' along life's way..some are simply devastating to us, but these are well planned by Him to draw us closer to Him. Left on our own, we would have no purpose in our lives and lose our way.. for eternity. Just as a child runs to his parent when they are in trouble, scared, or fall down.. we should be running to our Father in heaven to ask forgiveness when we fail, when we feel frightened, and make requests known to Him. He's a loving Father.
Praising and thanking the Father for all the gifts he gives us daily should be a matter of correct response. You receive a gift from another person.. the response is "thank you" or to write them a note of thanks.. it indicates your gratefulness. How much more do we owe God who supplies all our needs .. if we but ask?
I wonder how much you believe in the power of prayer? Do you really believe it has that power. I can personally attest to the fact that it does. I don't think I 've even begun to see what power there is in that tool.
But I know it's there.
We live in a world that seems to have evil at every turn.. it seems as though evil has been unleashed upon the entire world.. that man thinks that good is evil and evil is good. It causes me some amount of confusion to think that way. What has happened ? I pray that God will turn the hearts of these wicked men in powerful places.. either that, or to confound them so that they cannot think at all. Either way.. I pray thankfully that God controls the world even yet. He knows what is best. There is a remnant of those who love Him and serve Him.
We are commanded to pray for our leaders.. those in power. How else can God function in their lives when they are in such denial of His existance.
Some of the most frequently used words in scripture are "fear not".. but we fear. Just like children. What to do?
Pray. Earnestly pray for God's peace and guidance. Know for sure that He is in control and loves and protects his own.
Practically every day I ask you to pray for us. I do that even today as I'm writing in this blog. It's an important part of our lives. Just to be mentioned before the throne of God daily by someone brings me joy. I know there is healing and peace there.
Gotta get on with the day.. it's a glorious one.. did I mention that before. Praise God for the day.
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
*

ROOSEVELT ON IMMIGRATION

Theodore Roosevelt's ideas on Immigrants and being an AMERICAN in 1907.
"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin.
But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here.
Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all.
We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."
Theodore Roosevelt 1907
My note: does this mean one should not be "Irish- American" or perhaps even "Afro-American"?

Good morning.. it's nearly 6:30am and I'm up, showered, face on, dressed, and ready to start my day. It's office day today. I only have 3 patients to see today as 2 cancelled. It'll be short and sweet, I'll do planning for the next couple of weeks today, then spend the rest of the day at home doing some scheduled cleaning.

We are having pork chops tonite. I'm putting them in the crockpot before I leave and turning it on 'low' setting so they don't overcook too badly. By supper, they should be just right.. add to that some veggies and a salad, and we should be just fine.

The temperature this morning is 55 degrees.. should hit nearly 90- different from the past couple spring days when it hovered around the 70s.. so very pleasant.. anything other than ice and snow is wonderful!

I'm off to empty the dishwasher, get breakfast and take my meds.. then slip in one 15' task before going to work.
Last night I took 30' to empty the cupboard with dishes, sort and pitch, and then put all the dishes remaining in one cupboard, leaving the first one for pantry items that had been on the microwave stand. It looks good. All the cupboards in the kitchen are wiped down- I was shocked at the amount of grime they had accumulated.
So today after office is over, I'll be cleaning out some kitchen drawers and again pitching all the nonsensical items we have saved for a rainy day... hmmmm... seems like we've had a few of those, and still haven't used anything out of the drawer.

Have a super day.. Pray for us.

I will honor you, my God, the King. I will praise your name for ever and ever.
*

SETTING GOALS

Today I began with a new goal for June. I'm reading the last 6 chapters of Psalms every day. These are Psalms of praise to God. They are uplifting. In times when I feel there isn't time.. I can sing them. I've known them most of my life. Committing these words to memory by repeating the reading.. and praying the reading is pleasing to the one who is my Lord and Saviour.
Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord.

D-DAY

The Battle of Normandy was fought in 1944 between Nazi Germany in Western Europe and the invading Allied forces as part of the larger conflict of World War II.
Operation Overlord was the codename for the Allied invasion of northwest Europe, which began on June 6, 1944, and ended on August 19, 1944, when the Allies crossed the River Seine. Over sixty years later, the Normandy invasion still remains the largest seaborne invasion in history, involving almost three million troops crossing the English Channel from England to Normandy. Operation Neptune was the codename given to the initial assault phase of Operation Overlord; its mission, to gain a foothold on the continent, started on June 6, 1944 (most commonly known by the name D-Day) and ended on June 30, 1944.
The primary Allied formations that saw combat in Normandy came from the United States of America, United Kingdom and Canada. Substantial Free French and Polish forces also participated in the battle after the assault phase, and there were also contingents from Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Greece, the Netherlands, and Norway.The Normandy invasion began with overnight parachute and glider landings, massive air attacks, naval bombardments, and an early morning amphibious phase began on June 6. The “D-Day” forces deployed from bases along the south coast of England, the most important of these being Portsmouth. The battle for Normandy continued for more than two months, with campaigns to establish, expand, and eventually break out of the Allied beachheads, and concluded with the liberation of Paris and the fall of the Falaise pocket in late August 1944.

Article from Wikipedia- Normandy

A.D.D.

ADD.. Attention Deficit Disorder.
Interesting that as an adult late in life I'd be diagnosed with that problem. So a lot of things that weren't clear before are now quite clear to me. Like .. why I had such awful tantrums as a child..( I was the original poster girl for 'the strong willed child') ..and my anxieties and phobias.. and my inability to concentrate and be organized at home..
Well, these are some of the things I experienced and have all my life.. I just didn't have a name for it.
Typically, according to some experts, ADD is not recognized by the adult who has the problem. People like me find it difficult and sometimes impossible to be organized, complete a task, remember appointments, or even get dressed without some degree of stress in the morning.
I often wondered why it was that at work I was so well organized, and yet many times relatively unfocused. Aging didn't seem to help.. in fact, things were getting a little more difficult. I was working 4 times as hard at my job to do what the others did with relative ease. At home, it was even worse. At work, things had structure and routine. I could do this. At home, I had little structure, and once on my feet in the morning, it might have taken me till nearly noon to get to the point where I had my shoes on my feet. I was distracted at every turn. I was becoming more and more forgetful of important things, and lived shoulder to shoulder with stress.
I could read a book or an article and then remember nothing of what I'd read. The frustration of reading something over and over was getting overwhelming. I couldn't follow simple directions. Bills got paid late because I couldn't remember to pay them.

It was a couple of months ago when with much pushing, I finally discussed my inability to focus with my doctor.
He was certainly understanding, and suggested the drug Strattera to help me get a little more focused. I agreed to take it and see what happened. If you've read this blog, you know that drug has some nasty side effects.. like nausea for instance.. but to tell the truth, I have become much more focused, and the nausea is worth it if that's where the changes start.
I did some reading on organization and how to get moving on those skills. The internet is full of helpful sites. I copied some of the structured plans, and decided to put them to work. I had nothing to lose.
The key word here is structure.. something that people like me need desperately, but don't realize it. Wendy has been telling me this for years.. and I just didn't get it. Another thing I needed was a daily routine to get my day started. So I put these things together, made myself a list of things to do every day- morning , afternoon and evening too. Now, it seems to me that I took some bit of ribbing about my 'lists'.. I have so many of them.. but perhaps it was my subconscious attempt to organize my thoughts and add some structure to my existance. Sometimes it worked, and other times not. No one is ribbing me now. The results of having a detailed plan are startling and very positive. I no longer dread getting going on the day wondering what to do next. And I'm showered and dressed and done with my morning routine within 40 minutes of waking. My list for the morning includes such things as "brush teeth", "shower", "put face on".. Then I'm looking at my journal to see what I have planned for the day. The family has been urging me on with their positive feedback. Their support is the incentive to keep on doing the routines and then the daily tasks. The list of tasks looks formidable, but I know that I don't have to do it all in one day, but each small task makes an improvement over yesterday.
Too bad I didn't know about routines and structuring years ago. It would have made such a difference, and perhaps I wouldn't have ended up on medication to help me get focused. I have that focus now.
One more thing that is startling to me is my attitude has changed and my energy levels are high. Without the clutter all around me, I'm feeling more calm and comfortable.. relaxed. It's like a chain reaction. Wonderful. Of course, there is so much more to do, and I look at my bedroom and wonder if I'll be able to meet the challenge, but , yes, I will. I don't have to do it all right now. I can take small areas and improve on them and just keep working at it one small piece at a time. It may take months.. but eventually, it'll be done.
So the medication was a good thing. The organizational reading was a good thing too. I was ready for it. God gives us everything we need in the right order and at the right time.

WATCHIN' THE TRAIN

Nothing much happening today.. it's cloudy and coolish..60 degrees.
241 days till I can hang up my hospital hat.. woohoo ! I didn't think that little train on my header would ever move, but it's moving.. slowly.. ever so slowly in the right direction. I can hardly wait for retirement to come around. I've been really enjoying being at home and then going out when I want to.. and just sitting down when I want to. It's so relaxing.

Today I started my day by checking the living room for things out of place. There are a few things there that can't be moved yet.. but one day soon they will be gone. Then outside for me.. I swept the porch and walkway and policed the very front yard. Not much there today. I must have done a good job last time.
Next on my list was cleaning the refrigerator - inside. Only one bad goof.. I told everyone I wasn't perfect.. Mandy had a package of salad chicken on the door. I thought it had been there for a month. so ..out it went. She just bought it last week.. worse yet, it wasn't even opened. Oh, forevermore. Well... on to other things.
PT at 1:30 today.. got out at 3pm and Wendell and I went for a leisurely lunch/early supper. It was pretty good.
Then on to groceries.. and some supplies we needed.. and to makings for a cheesecake for John. Shoulda gotten some for Mandy too after I tossed her chicken.. I feel kinda badly about that.
Maybe John will share his cheesecake. No? Well.. I'll find something else she'll like.
John and Mandy did the laundry today.. nice fresh towels to put away. Mmmmmm.. nice !
Tonite if I have the urge.. I may attack the top of the refrigerator. Now, there's a hot spot if ever.. Bob Pata , where are you when I need you? I'll have to find a good high chair to climb up on. I'm pretty short. 5' 2" just can't reach that high.
With no real "pantry", where will I store the cereal? Hmmmmm another dilemma.

We went for a ride this morning to look at the modular homes.. small ones..like less than 1500 sq ft. .. to get some good ideas for our next residence. Boy, those modulars are full of storage spaces.. one thing I wanted in our next home. I'm anxious to see a few more to see what else there is available. Wendell wants to go out again and look tonite.. I'm game. Sounds like fun.. so.. off I go!
Have a super evening and enjoy your day.. Pray for us.. we have many needs.
*

ANOTHER LOVELY DAY

It's muggy today.. likely from the rain of last evening.. Lake Blair has not made an appearance yet. I know this because I walked out the driveway and brought the empty garbage can in. Everything has a moistness to it now including the flowers.. and I forgot to put holes in the bottom of my cakepan when I planted my parsley, so it was a bit soppy.. I dumped off the excess. The warmth of the day should help dry it up some. The flowers are loving it!!

Today's efforts were first toward decluttering and picking up the living room.. done. I set my timer and finished long before it went off. Then I moved on to that cabinet that held miscellaneous items.. I'm almost embarrassed to say what I found in it.. and wouldn't mention it if it didn't amuse me so.. Sometime last fall, I put the extra raw potatoes in a plastic container, slipped it into my canner, and closed the door on the cabinet. They didn't rot.. no odor at all.. but what happened was that they put out roots and entwined themselves through everything in the cabinet which, thankfully, wasn't a lot. I had to toss them, but found it quite incredible that I'd not opened that cabinet for some time and then found what I did. The cabinet is now cleaned out and the new home of baking pans and cooking pots, cassarole dishes, and the like. I kept my favorite deep frying pan out and it's home will be off the stove and into the oven where I can grab it in a hurry.
I found about 6 2 liter bottles of sugar free soda in that cabinet too. At one time we kept the drinks in cans and bottles there.. The bottles were just pushed to the back of the cabinet when I put the canner in. Either the canner will go to the basement until needed, or under the kitchen sink. Not sure at this point.

Another job for the day was sweeping the ceiling.. well.. not the whole ceiling, but the cobwebs that had crept in since the last time.. not a lot.. a few.. I must have done this fairly recently..

Question of the day is .. where do I put the crock pot and the waffle iron.? We do use them frequently.. the crockpot at least once/wk and the waffle iron at least twice a week.. They sit on the counter now.. Where can I put them out of sight but close enough to grab when I need them?

I got an email this morning that told the story of a woman who had a 'thing' about how toilet paper was put on the holder.. I found this story most amusing and I could have been the author.. at one point in my life (for many years actually) I could be a raving maniac over just that one thing.. I had no control over anything in my life but a dopey roll of TP that I wanted hung the way I wanted it... It was a real hard struggle raising children who thought it humorous to put it on just the opposite, stand back and watch Mom's face turn as red as her hair.
One day in a fit of pure rage over just this one issue, I threatened to ground JJ for a year if she but dared defy me again.. how absurd. I look back at these things and laugh.. I was a perfectionist over a roll of toilet tissue!
HAH! I do put the paper on the way I like it yet, but if someone puts it on the opposite way, I'll not be upset or angry.. I simply remove it and change it to suit my preferences. No more rage..
I am learning now that I dont' need to be perfect in what I do.. I just need to do things.. and when I do, there is progress.. not perfection. It's a good thing.
The weekend brought us pots, pans, baking dishes, etc all piled up on the stove.. I couldn't get to the thing to do any cooking.. thankfully we grilled out yesterday. This morning, all those items have a new home.. all clean and shiny. I stood back and looked.. yep.. not perfect, but progress..

Have a wonderful day bloggers.. Remember to pray.. keep up your communication with the Lord who made you and controls every facet of your life.

WE DID HAVE A PICNIC

The picnic this evening was very nice, but dampened by some rain that just wouldn't hold back. There were a few of us who decided to sit it out and we got wet. Oh well.. I think everyone had a good time anyway.

David and Joyce

This little princess looks like she might be a red-head.. She is quite the adorable baby.

Joyce .. ready for ice cream !! Woohoo!!

THEY'RE BAAA-AA-CCKK!!!

Yep, there they were last night.. about 3-4 groundhogs frollicking in the front yard. Despicable little creatures they are. They have taken up residence once more in the briar patch just like Br'er Rabbit. Trouble is, they think they own the place, and Charlie's garden is their dining room.
John says he's taking out the briar patch.. but will wait until we harvest the black raspberries first. Who knows what he may find in the patch.. we know there are building supplies there somewhere.
We have one extremely bold little beast who is in the process of digging his entryway inside the window well against the foundation of the house. The plan is to discourage him..by any means necessary- extermination if need be.
This miserable critter has partially filled the window well with dirt he's been excavating. It's one thing for them to live in the briar patch away from the house, but when they plan an invasion this close.. well... one has to do what one has to do to remove them..
There is reason to be glad here.. at least it's not the skunk family that moved into the neighborhood a couple of years ago and frollicked in the front yard at sundown.

RAIN

It rained last evening .. 3" in 2 hours north of us.. I heard it coming down last night, but didn't look out to see how much came down here.. things look damp but not too wet today. Mandy and I watered the plants last evening and that should have brought a nice rain.. She has little cherry tomatoes on her plants.. bunches of them.

We plan to grill this evening.. a picnic. I love picnics and we tend to do that a lot in the summer. Hope the rain holds out for today.

Yesterday's cleanup started out pretty good. Porch swept, walkway,swept down cobwebs left over from winter, and then polishing and cleaning the picnic table.. followed by policing the area. I was on a roll.. took a break and started on a drawer in the kitchen. One drawer cleaned out totally and replaced with utensils that were in a carousel on the counter top. I have other ideas for the carousel. It was about then that I noticed a puddle on the floor and went for my mop to clean it up. I found another puddle later and then another ..
Hmmmmm.. something was leaking. Oh, I hope not the dishwasher. It wasn't.. it was the drain from the sink.
Okay.. so now I switched directions and aimed all my efforts at cleaning under the sink to find the source of the leak. I spent the rest of the day cleaning everything that was under the sink- pitching things I hadn't used for a year or more.. and just getting rid of "stuff". The plastic runner that I'd put under the sink was full to capacity with water .. and the puddles were overflow. So, now it's cleaned up and a bucket sits under the slow drip.
I'm thankful I had enough foresight to put the plastic liner there. I'm still not sure why I did, but this made for a good reason I think.
So today, out of necessity, I will be reorganizing one of the lower cabinets to hold the items that I had under the sink .. and only plastic bottles will be replaced there from now on. That will reduce clutter in other places in the kitchen. Oh, this is fun. I'm feeling so much more organized.. thinking clearly, and with purpose.

Time to hit the shower.. church today.. yippee! 2 weeks feels like a long time to be away from church.. I would encourage you to go weekly. Prepare your hearts and minds for the week ahead. You feed your body daily and need to feed your soul daily too.. but the Sabbath is a major refueling stop. I long for retirement so that I can be there every week.
Pray for us daily.. thank the Lord for your health- no matter what level He's given you. Be thankful for troubles in your life- these bring you closer to Him and make you more aware of your total dependence on the Saviour.
Remember that you are loved.
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SURPRISE !

I had planned on being gainfully employed today.. SURPRISE !!! I got everything together and went out to my car and sat down, belted up, closed the door, and turned on the ignition.. the cellphone rang.. it was from my department at the hospital. "Would you like to take call for the whole evening?"... why, YES! I WOULD!
I can do this once in a while rather than take just 2-4 hours in a pay. Wonderful! I'm in shock. I came inside, put my lunch/supper away along with my little thermal bag.. put my purse on a chair in the living room so if I do get called I can scoop it up as I go out the door. I came into the bedroom, turned on the computer, and here I am.
AMAZING ! Well ! I have a 30 minute job of decluttering I'm about to start in the bedroom.. it's in front of my closet. I'll be doing that presently. It's been nagging at me.. it just is such an eyesore...and I have that "bull in the china shop syndrome" so I'm knocking things down all the time.
The really nice thing about being off today is that I also am off the weekend.. WOOHOO!!! A 3 day weekend off!
I can scarcely believe this.. and on a Friday too. I'm not going to question this any further.. but I do thank the Lord who has provided this day off for me. It is such perfect timing. But then, everything the Lord does is in perfect timing. I'll not waste the time.

It's 84 degrees outside.. I have been a busy little bee today already. I've watered the plants outside since we didn't get the rain that threatened last evening... and the laundry is picked up and ready- JJ says she'll come for it tonite. I decided to not do any declutter today since I had to concentrate on getting myself ready for work.. that's physically AND mentally. So after lunch I sat down and worked on my planning journal. I added phone numbers to the back of the book.. and after my declutter session this afternoon, I'll work on the address section too. Everything in one spot. Organized and doing my routines.. everything in order. I'm feeling very good about this. I feel like I am being successful in everything I do.
The tub in the bathroom has had a rough time- it gets rusty looking and it's a real killer to remove. So 3 days ago I got myself some super duper cleaning stuff, and each day and evening I apply it to a small section, and lo and behold, it's working. My little spot of 1 square foot has increased to 2x3 feet and I'm still working on it. It'll take a while.. maybe even a few weeks, but little by little, it's coming off, and what is there is nice and clean looking.

So, off I go.. have a super day, bloggers.. I'll connect later..

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