Bone Idle

We are moving forward and healing. Not much action but that's ok. It's been cold for a few days. The pellet stove ran non-stop at night. We woke to frost and the news reported 27 degrees at sunrise. Thanks be to Global Warming or we would have been frozen solid in our sleep.

Today is a beautiful Fall day. The sun is blazing and the sky is BLUE! yes, it screams blue. We are driving to our other house, the one I want to clean out and sell, the one that is always on my mind, the one that overwhelms me with stuff to move and throw out and give away. When will I dig in and make it happen? I just sit and stare when I should be moving. Now, of course, I have my husband's recovery from surgery to ease my guilt of idleness. He's making great progress and I am developing anxiety over what I can blame next for not doing things on my to do list.

I just want to be rooted. Sooner or later I will be planted but I would like a spell of contentedness before that. I keep reading the Bible. Paul says that we should be content whatever our circumstances. Faith in the Lord will bring that peace. It seems to elude me. I must try harder or just give it up and let God do it for me. Trouble is, I have to try to give it up and there I am again.

Oh, bother. I will go shower and get on with my day of errands. It is a beautiful day and I must hold on to that.

Every Day In Every Way

Do you remember that phrase from years ago? We used to say it in kindergarten. I suppose that kindergarten doesn't even exist any more. Today this phrase would be called a positive affirmation to increase the childrens' self worth. Every day in every way I'm getting better and better.

He is doing that by the way. Still plodding along the road to recovery. We went for a walk day before yesterday, all the way to the beach and back. It really was a hike for a man who is walking like Tim Conway did when he played that old man part. Shuffle is more the word. Yesterday we recovered from the walk. He said he had more aches and pains than he knew he could have. Today? A little better. Tomorrow? We check in with the surgeon and he gets the staples out and all his questions answered. Or, perhaps I should say, all my questions answered. At least we haven't killed each other yet. In his case it's only because he can't move that fast so I can get away. Me? I am a saint and saints don't kill their patients. Do they?

And We Settle In

Well, we both lived through the first day and evening home. He sneezed once and that was unexpected and with a stomach incision it was most jarring and painful. The rest of the evening went quietly. Cooked a chicken, my brother-in-law arrived with a couple of requested items just as the chicken was done so the three of us sat down to a very welcome meal. My husband savored every morsel. He is on a low fiber diet and it flies in the face of the low carb diet we have been trying to follow. I guess the smaller quantities of that low fiber stuff will avoid weight gain. Maybe?

Coming Home

He's coming home today. Oh Lord! Now I really have to get to the rest of the house cleaning. I have been using the old, "Got no time, have to get to the hospital." and now that one's gone. I guess now I can say, "He's napping and I can't disturb him." or something of that sort. Gotta rush now and buy ear plugs so I can't hear the, "Honey, I just need one more thing....", 75 times. I think 10 or 20 is sufficient.

Good News - Not in the Press However

It's over and he is just fine. Prayers are still requested as the healing begins and we wait for the biopsy results. The surgeon feels confident that the news will be good but as he says, you never know with 100% knowledge until the report is returned. The surgery went really well and although the incision is larger than was anticipated it is still not a full incision. Now we wait for the bowels to wake up and hope all works properly and home he will come. Then the prayers will be for me to have strength and patience to deal with a man dealing with healing. Remind me of how much I want that right now.

Thanks again. I will be reporting in on progress here. Have to get ready to head to the hospital.

Prayer Request

My husband is going in for surgery today..thus the early posting. All prayers are most welcome.

Down is Up

Once I see a theme in the news, I just keep seeing it. Roman Polanski, anyone? Word is that raping a 13 year old who is under the influence of the drugs you have given her is only a crime if no one knows who you are. Oh. Also. If the victim says, 30 odd years later, "I'm okay and wish it would go away/" As long as you are a well know artiste, crowds of similar known people will scream for justice. Justice in this case is to let it go.

One more thing. The leader of the pro justice for Polanski is Woody Allen. Well, we know who HE is and by golly lead on Woody.

This subject makes me want to take a shower. As the character in the Wizard of Oz said, and I guess she would now be the heroine of the piece, victimized by a teen whose hormonal rage was evident throughout the film, "What a world, what a world."

Have Mercy

Reading headlines again....Dennis Kucinich evidently is in a minor flap. Note the word minor. Since he is a Congressman all flaps will be deemed minor until forever. The flap concerns a letter he wrote to a judge to essentially intervene in a case. He sent the letter through a District Attorney I believe. The letter is a violation of a set of rules written by the House to prevent this sort of intervention from occurring. The Congressman states that the rules must be made clearer since he operated in the spirit of the rules as he interprets them. His legislative body writes the rules, he claims he follows the rules and then he states the rules are not clear and must be rewritten. By whom? Well of course by him.

I guess this only works when people know who you are, right?

Do You Know Who I Am?

Just a quickie. Reading the headlines only and I am struck by these two - paraphrasing here, Michael Jackson died heavily in debt, this was followed by, Michael Jackson's estate will pay his mother and children $1 million a year for living expenses. How can that be? Where will the money come from? Will that million be paid out before the debts are paid? Didn't think that could happen. I don't live in that world I guess. You know. The world where the law and rules are tossed aside. I'm in that world where when you say, "Do you know who I am?", the answer is a resounding, "NOBODY".

I remember a long time ago I was late filing my taxes. Not too late but late. I owed about a thousand dollars. I was fined more than I owed. My name was not Geithner or Rangel. I was just me. I know that my father died and his meager estate had to pay all debts before any distribution could be made. The taxes on that estate by the way, onerous and burdensome, had to be paid first and then the rest of the bills. His name was not Michael Jackson or Ted Kennedy.

I figure that we, the little nobodies of the world, we work and earn and are taxed and fined and triple fined so that they, the bigshots everyone knows, can grab and cheat and let slide and live large and ride the big ride. I guess that's the world as it's been from the beginning of time. I find it amusing that those bigshots want to redistribute the wealth. Not theirs of course. I figure they want to find a way to get even more of what little they have left us and redistribute it to themselves. Oh Yeah. I know who they are.

AAA Roundup

I said there would be pictures and such but all pictures are on the husband's computer to which, he says, I have access but I try and try and no luck. We had such a wonderful time. His ex family and children are so swell! I know. My mother would be saying, "You just don't think before you jump and you don't know who these people are and." Blah Blah Blah.......maybe so. But they are all so nice and we had such a great time and his daughter is what anyone would want a daughter to be and his son, (ok, he has some troubles but) he is such a good kid, (the operative word is KID), that it is hard to go wherever there is.

Later and there will be a later, there will be pictures of the landscape at least. We went fishing and caught HUGE fish and got great tans.

What fun..

And, by the way, Gulfport was pretty much devastated thanks to Katrina. Anyone hear of that? Yeah. I thought you didn't. Also by the way. Every one we talked to there...and we talked to a lot of non-family people... Every one had nothing but good words for GW and FEMA....imagine that? Hmmmmmm.....wonder why there is such nasty talk about both when Katrina is discussed. Also....New Orleans damage was due to the broken levees...after the storm passed. They weren't hit by K like the areas to the East. This country is being so manipulated.

On the Road

Tomorrow the husband and I hit the road for a long overdue reunion with his children. I think I have blabbed this earlier but he was married very long ago when he and his bride were barely out of high school. Two children very quickly and he was in the service and away for long stretches. It didn't work. The split was not friendly and he has not seen or heard from or contacted the children in well over 30 years. Yikes.

They have made contact obviously and he and his daughter talk very frequently. He and his son are not quite so connected but friendly and circling, you know how that is. We are going to them and will spend 10 days getting to know them and them us. Pray for peace and gentleness. Patience will be a good thing too. Somehow, after all this time, my husband thinks it should all be fine. He has trouble with the slowness of his son's connecting. I keep saying "Baby steps", I love that movie..What about Bob?

Pictures and stuff along the way since I am bringing the computer. Now I must pack.

Letter to Obama

Dear President Obama,

Could you please put down that Saul Alinsky playbook and read something about how to be a President?

Thank You,

Gemma

To My Dad

To my Dad -- his birthday was August 28th, he would have been 97, instead, he's been gone for 10 years. I miss him every minute of every day but not as much as years go by. Not as much is nuts. The pain is less but the loss is the same. Yes. Mother. I miss you too. But now is the worst time for me. It's the end of summer and you are all gone. I am alone here, in the place where summer was forever. I remember after my mother died, I was here with my dad and it was the first time since I was 20 that I had been here for more than a week end. My dad was so done in with the loss of my mother. I wrote;

I see him there now
standing in the bathroom,
Curtain in his hand
Looking out the window,
forehead leaning on the pane.
Oh. The Pain!

The journey is so difficult,
the traveling companions few.

The way is strewn with obstacles,
we often go forward rather than around.

We forget we can't climb up and over
anymore or maybe we can't see it till we get there.
Our eyes aren't what they used to be either.

But once we see that hurdle, we
sap the little strength we have proving
We can still move on the way we choose.

How can it be otherwise? If it were
it would mean we must retrace our steps..

Go back and correct the mistake?
Oh! No!

Who is there to see us do so?
The way is set and there is no turning back.

Who Made That Rule??

Who Could that Have Been?

He must not know the Father I know
Who welcomes you as you return from that journey
unwisely planned and foolishly attempted.

Not admitting an error
Not turning back to correct.


I Love You Dad and You Too Mom!!

Sometimes a Joke is a Joke

I always hate when people say vague things about something in their lives that is having deep and lasting influences on them. They hint at dark secrets coming to life or events from the past, which may or may not have been hidden, rising to the top to overwhelm everyday happenings. I hate that. I am living that. Why does God always put us into situations we have always hated and we have to change? Why? Is this some kind of joke?

Now you have to admit. You must hate this too. You do. I can say no more. I can offer the following words and say "Now this? This is a joke."


A man walked into a bar and sat down, and ordered a beer. As he sipped the beer, he heard a soothing voice say "nice tie!" Looking around, he noticed that the bar was empty except for himself and the bartender at the end of the bar. A few sips later the voice said "beautiful shirt".
At this, the man called the bartender over. "Hey...I must be losing my mind," he told the bartender. "I keep hearing these voices saying nice things, and there's not a soul in here but us."
"It's the peanuts," answered the bartender.
"Say what?"
"You heard me," said the barkeep. "It's the peanuts ... they're complimentary."

God is on His Throne

When all the nonsense in the news drives me beyond distraction I have to think, "God is on His throne and in the scheme of things the big O and his gang are not even specks of dust. All will be well."

Some Heavy Lifting

Well, time goes by and brings with it more and more stuff. Last week was a blur of heat and haze and lots of places to be and heavy lifting to do. Thursday and Friday were crazy. We sold a building, the last piece of the family business to go and I am so grateful that it's gone. The basement of the building was filled with the previous five years of old stuff never getting out to the dumpster or shredder. The end of this month all must be out and so, off to the city in the heat and humidity and down to the cellar I go to open boxes and sort out and supervise a removal company as they moved all this stuff to where ever they move it to. I can assure you that on Friday evening I slept like a rock.

This week we return to remove and store all the cartons of company records that must be maintained for the next 7 years or however long they must be maintained. Once that is done - - it is done. Oh. By the way? Yes. It is hot and humid and hazy this week too.

Buh bye for the moment. Here's where I will be wishing I were.

Thank You God

Well, we have recovered from the colonoscopy and the news that a polyp could not be removed and had to be BIOPSIED! Man oh man, start the music. We went through two days of yikes to - thank You Lord - good news. Nothing but a polyp too large to remain so surgery will be scheduled. We are in a heap of relief and gratitude. God is good as we knew He would be no matter the news. He would bring us through but I am so relieved and grateful beyond words that He decided we would take this road instead of that one. And now we are just moving slow through the hazy hot and humid August days we are experiencing.

We appreciate this weather because we remember this



and so we thank God for summer while it's here.

Another Day Another Colonoscopy

Off we go to another colonoscopy. Three days of clear liquids and my poor husband is unable to think straight. Everything he looks at resembles food. As for me? I have been sneaking bits of whatever doesn't have a food like aroma so I have about had it with lettuce and tomato. Hopefully this time the coast will be clear and all will be viewed. Meanwhile I think we could all use a laugh and I found this somewhere and it amused me. Enjoy

A Day at Swan Lake

So it's a pond, not a lake. They're certainly swans and we had such a wonderful visit. My Father-in-law lives in the house the family always summered in and yesterday the whole gang got together for a cook out. It was terrific. Of course, I am always staggered when one of the nieces shouts out her age. I think they're all still 12. How did all this time fly by? Rather than think about that I will turn my attention to the swans and their habitat. How serene and lovely.

A Lovely Cool Place

Here she is, my girl has found the source of cooler air. Now that she has found relief the weather is changing and who needs it anymore? That large dark object her nose is almost touching is a very large fan. I'm surprised her ears weren't blown back since it is quite a wonderful air moving machine, although I must say, the air doesn't go very far with her in front of it as she has been. The humidity seems to be lifting a bit. Sssshh! Don't speak too soon.