Blog Archives

Endings

Mar 10

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     She’d become so thin and frail that she was hardly recognizable.  She smiled at him when he last saw her.  They buried her alongside her husband at two o’clock on Wednesday afternoon.  Above her shrouded in gray the sky shed tears over her.  Her son wept.

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Is this my house?

Mar 9

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     DH got plenty of rest last night and was almost cheerful.  The pups behaved themselves.  It worried me. 

     Over the last two or three years, this was not normal for our house.  I’m used to DH being cranky because he’s stressed out and overtired.  I am used to the dogs pulling stunts that only a pair of Bull Terriers is capable of doing.  I am no longer used to a tranquil household.

     I wondered if perhaps, I had awakened in a parallel universe. 

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March is National Multiple Sclerosis Education and Awareness Month

Mar 7

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     My husband was a police officer forced into an early retirement because he has Multiple Sclerosis.  He was a police tactical firearms instructor and is a great and willing resource for me.  He always encourages me to keep writing.  We will celebrate our thirty-eighth anniversary in July of this year.  His MS has gone from relapsing remitting to secondary progressive.  Although walking is difficult for him, he still tries to do some of the yard work, thank heavens for riding mowers.

     He had Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS) for a long time.  His diagnosis changed several years ago to Secondary-Progressive MS (SPMS).

     This is Bayer Health’s description of Secondary-Progressive MS (SPMS).  In SPMS, symptoms worsen more steadily over time, with or without the occurrence of relapses and remissions.  Before disease-modifying therapies became available, historical studies indicated that about 50% of people with RRMS progressed to SPMS approximately 10 years after their first diagnosis.  Long-term data are not yet available to determine if treatment significantly delays this transition

 (The picture of him at the top of this post is a few years old.)

Posted in MS related, Writer, Writing

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At first it was a quiet afternoon

Mar 6

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     DH and I spent yesterday recharging our batteries.  We were both tired.  He had a good nap in the afternoon while I curled up in my chair with my Kindle and read a couple Wizard of Oz books.  I have 15 of them on the Kindle. 

     Patty snoozed on the couch and Gavin snored in his chair.  All was quiet and blissful until around four when Gavin’s belly alarm began to go off.  He got up, wanted out, and then Patty did the same thing.  I wasn’t allowed to settle back into the chair.  Gavin stood in the kitchen, stared at the counter, and barked.

     “It’s not time yet!”  I picked up my Kindle.

     Gavin barked again.

     I put my Kindle down.  “Quiet or you’ll wake your Daddy.”  I chased him out of the kitchen and put the gate across the doorway.

     Patty decided it was time to bug Gavin.  She grabbed his collar and began to drag him across the room.  He freed himself and jumped on her.  She escaped his clutches and leaped to the couch where she proceeded to do a bully run from one end to the other.  The house rattled.

     I heard movement upstairs.  “Alright you two now you’ve done it.  Daddy’s up.”

Posted in Dog related

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It was not a good day yesterday

Mar 5

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     DH and I went over to the nursing home for their “care conference” and, once again, they had the “conference” in her multi-patient room.  At least this time they were ready for us because I made a rather loud remark at the check-in desk about how they screwed up last time.  As we walked to the elevator, we heard the receptionist page them to the phone.  It was amazing to find three staff members hovering over Mom when we came into the room as if they’d been waiting for us.  I might have believed it if we weren’t early and if two of them weren’t a bit winded.

     They hate it when I come in with DH.  I pull out my notebook, “Before we start I want your names.”  Then I make a point of checking my watch and putting the date and time in my notebook before they speak.  All the while they are talking I take notes.  It drives them crazy and keeps me happy and sane to do this to them.

     It’s rough on DH and brings me to tears.  Mom is not there mentally and these past few weeks she’s gone rapidly down hill physically.  They finally have the DNR on her chart.  We feel that as far-gone as she is, it isn’t fair to her to have them prolong her agony.  (I swear I am going to have ‘DNR’ tattooed on my chest!)  

Posted in Misc

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Make it quick for me

Mar 4

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     This afternoon we are going to what we angrily call a ‘no care conference’ at the nursing home. They had us come to one of their “care conferences” last month and it was pure BS with a topping of crap. (Yes, those are air quotes, people.)

     It seems to me that if they want to present a professional front that they’d actually hold these “care conferences” in an office. Oh, hell no. Last time, even after confirming the appointment with us TWICE, they “forgot” we were coming in. Then they had us stand in the middle of a four patient room and gave us a trough of horse crap about nothing to do with the MIL’s care. (OMG and this place has a US Government ranking of three and a half stars higher than the one my Mother was in!)

     If the day comes, that I am mindless and dying a slow death, I hope that one of my friends will have the kindness to push me in front of a speeding bus or put a bullet through my brain. I want a quick death not a lingering one.

Posted in Misc

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Things not to say when…

Mar 3

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     If you are trying to sell, give away, or junk a huge chest freezer, you don’t tell people it will easily hold six bodies.

     A cop pulls you over, you don’t ask him A. Where is the nearest bar?  B. How fast was I going?  C. What’s your favorite drink?

     Yes, that’s all I can think of this early in the morning.  I haven’t gone to bed yet and I am beat from another Wednesday of clearing the crap out of the MIL’s house.  The brain isn’t functioning at 100%.  Maybe if I have another cup of coffee…no, too wired as it is.

     Y’all have a good day.  I’m going to bed.

Posted in Misc

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EEKS I went and did it.

Mar 2

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     For those of you that don’t already know, I finally took the plunge and joined Facebook.  I have been very reluctant to do so for many reasons.  However, with the possibility of books going to publishers in the future, I’m told that it was a wise thing to do.

     Those of you who are wise in the ways of FB will have to excuse me for a while as I learn the ins and outs of it.  (Shut up, Dave.)  I spent most of the night last night exploring and testing things out.  I’m sure I’ll make many mistakes, but what better way is there to learn? 

     I will now post simultaneously on WordPress and FB.  If you are reading this on FB, come over to my WordPress site and look around.  There you will find a few samples from my works in progress.  I have pictures of our dogs and gardens in there too.

     Today I am going over to the MIL’s house and work again.  Wish me luck on dealing with the house of horrors.  I truly dread going back into the garage (AJ and I were in there on Sunday); there are far too many spider webs in there.

Posted in Misc, Writer, Writing

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Signs of spring

Mar 1

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     We begin a new month.  We’re closer to spring now, oh joy! 

     When I took the dogs out today, I saw crocus and daffodils poking out of the ground in the gardens and they were over an inch high.  The day lilies, iris, and many other flowers are awakening too.

     For the last week, huge flocks of geese have flown over our house every day.  Some of them are so high you can barely spot the Vs but you can still hear them honking.

     The robins haven’t appeared yet but they can’t be far behind.  Birds are beginning to hang around the feeders in larger groups and the crows in the cemetery are practicing their aerobatics.  They swoop low over the tombstones and grass racing each other to the tallest spires.

     I’ve had to chase suet raiding squirrels out of the yard several times a day.  Yes, spring is arriving.

Posted in my garden, Weather related

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There was a surprise in the cans of china

Feb 28

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     As promised, here are the pictures of the other set of china and a surprise.  When I sorted through china in the lard cans, I found several pieces to a third set!  See the top two pictures.  It’s made by Ostrow China and is called Princess Anne Golden Dusk.  It’s lovely.  The last picture is of the Homer Laughlin Colonial Kitchen.  (All of the china pictured above is for sale.  Contact me here in a comment or by e-mail)

     Today was G’s anniversary so she didn’t go over to the MIL’s house with me.  AJ arrived around three, she was a big help and good company—I do hate to be there by myself.  She helped me load the lard cans full of china into my van.

I managed to clear off and clean the kitchen counters before AJ arrived.  It was quite a chore since the MIL had them completely covered with junk and I don’t think she’d cleaned it in years.  By four o’clock AJ and I were ready to leave.  We carried out three bags of garbage, a completely filled paper recycling bin, and an over filled can and bottle bin.

***Notice to all this was posted in 2011. Dishes are long gone.****

 

Posted in Misc

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One shuffle down and more to go

Feb 26

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     Friday afternoon I ordered a mattress and box spring from Sleepys.  This was for the bed frame that belonged to DH’s Grandfather that I brought home from the MIL’s house on Wednesday.  The mattress and box spring arrived Saturday at a little after noon.  Wow, that was quick! 

     We hadn’t removed the futon or set the bed frame up yet when they came knocking on our door.  Consequently, before one o’clock I’d notified the neighbor who wanted the futon for his daughter that he’d better come and get it NOW.  We grabbed another neighbor to help him take the futon mattress and frame.

     In the meantime, the new mattress and box frame were standing in the hallway upstairs waiting for the bed frame.  ACK!  DH couldn’t help.  I lugged the bed frame from one room to the other and with a minor struggle—read this as many cusswords went flying when the frame wasn’t cooperating—I finally had it together. 

     The other neighbor (see the second paragraph) returned and put the box spring and mattress in place.  Geez, I do love having brawny guys around that I can beg to help me with heavy things.  Then I remembered I needed to wash sheets for the bed since all the full sized sheets are stored in a bag in the basement.  We now have a lovely old bed with a new mattress and box spring that towers almost thirty inches above the floor. 

Posted in Misc

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A mixed bag of vintage and antiques

Feb 25

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     Today I called many antique shops and auctions in our area and not one of them is taking china.  Just my luck.

     The vintage scarves, dress gloves, and that adorable hat are now sitting in a consignment shop.  The owner thinks they will sell quickly and she’s very interested in the beaded purses.  I need to make up my mind as to which one I want to keep.

     Sunday I’ll bring home a piece or two from the Mojen china and post a picture on Monday’s post.

     Since we’re having a very windy and rainy day today, I am cleaning and putting together the antique desk for my room.  Of course, this means having to move some furniture and rearrange a few things.  That’s fine with me I’d rather keep busy than mope over not being able to get out of the house.

     Y’all have a good one.

Posted in Misc

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