The Appointment

Yesterday morning I headed to Nearby City for a dental appointment. Mother has been staying with me a bit as a post-hospital adventure. I told her to tell her friends that she has been in rehab here. She laughed. Before heading to Nearby City, I took my house guest to her home as she had packed and declared her readiness to go.

I was checking my time and had everything orchestrated to arrive for the appointment a few minutes early. I hate to be late. I'm hardly ever late. I figure lateness is rudeness, so manage to be on time. I allow a bit for travel to Nearby City. One never knows what new construction or issues will be encountered. Much of the way there is no passing, so a driver who is more into scenery that actually arriving at a destination can put a kink into the whole being on time thing. Therefore, allowing a little extra time is sensible.

I deposited Mother at her home, then headed down the road to Nearby City. I needed to be there for my 10:15 a.m. appointment. I made wonderful time and arrived a little earlier than I'd planned. I didn't really want to cool my heals too long in the waiting room of the dental office, but there was no time for anything else either. I approached the office window, signed in on the clipboard, smiled at the receptionist, and said, 'I'm a little early, I know.' She typed a few things into the computer and looked up at me with a smile. Then she said, 'Well, I must be confused as have you down for a 2:00 p.m. appointment. Perhaps I made a mistake.'

I learned years ago that I MUST write things on my calendar. I do that automatically. I then transfer things into my computer calendar. My computer calendar had alerted me to my appointment, and here I was.... on time.

I reached into my purse and retrieved my calendar, found April and looked at the notation in square 28. OH NO!! There it was.... plainly marked on my no fail calendar. Dental Appt. 2:00 p.m.

I'm sure realization must have been read plainly on my face. I'd crossed over. I can't be responsible for myself. I had arrived early.... way too early... almost four hours early. I stated the obvious to the smiling receptionist. 'Well', I said, 'I guess I have finally done it. I can't believe I've actually done this!' Then I did the shameful thing.... really shameful.... I played the Blame Game. I heard myself offering excuses for my craziness. From somewhere a quiet little laugh surfaced and I heard myself saying, 'I've had my mother living with me all week and I've crossed over.' I confess it. I actually said that. I blamed my mother. Shame!!! I guess I just thought I needed an excuse of some sort, and this one seemed to work.

Thankfully, the receptionist didn't launch into a lecture about timing and blaming. She just smiled quietly and said, 'We actually have a little time, so let's just let the dentist look at your tooth now. If he can manage to repair it now, fine. If not, you will have to come back at 2:00 p.m.'

I then began to pray that my tooth could be easily fixed. I had found a little chip and figured the dentist should be informed. He would know how to deal with it. It didn't hurt, and it didn't bother me, and it wasn't sensitive. 'Please, Lord!!! Let him just be able to put a little stuff in there and call it good. No drilling, please!!! Also, please forgive my blaming stuff on my mother.'

I waited in the waiting room thumbing through the latest edition of 'Better Homes and Gardens' while I made my requests listed above. At 10:20 a.m. I heard my name. I put down the magazine, heisted myself from the chair, and followed obediently into the recesses of the dental office. I climbed into the chair and settled in for whatever would follow.

Soon the dentist came through the door and asked me what was up. I told him that I just loved him so much and had to come see him again. He laughed. He knows that isn't true at all. It made him smile. I like for my dentist to be in a good mood when he is about to take a drill to my mouth. I sure don't want him in a bad mood. I don't mean that I've ever suspected that he was in a bad mood. I just want insurance and I figured a little levity wouldn't hurt.

Then he got down to business. He peered into my mouth, spotted that little chip, and inserted a dental mirror and a pointy instrument. I said, 'I phougt u mite ust fut sumn n ther n call it goot.' He smiled again. I'm glad I'm so entertaining. Then he issued a few instructions to his dental assistant. They were music to my ears. He smiled at me... oh joy! 'We are going to patch this and hope it holds. If not, we will have to do a crown.' Patch! A little enamel, a little light to cure it... no drilling with shots needed!

He grabbed the drill and gave a light touch to the tooth. He put in some of that wonderful enamel and bonded it with that light thingie. Then I was OUT OF THERE. No muss, no fuss, no drilling! Thank you, Lord!

The rest of the day was a joyous time of shopping in Nearby City knowing that the dental appointment was over and nothing really serious had to be done. I managed to get my list of things done and was even home by mid afternoon. I hope not to have to go back to the dentist anytime soon. He is a fine dentist, but I really don't love him enough to ever want to see him again. Tah Dah.

Nothing Much

I'm not sure what I've been doing this past week. Mother is recuperating here and I've just been hanging around doing this and that. She is doing well and seems to be enjoying her change of scenery and a bit of company.

I-Needa has been painting. It is her NEW thing, and she is having a grand time. I know that I'll be wanting to do that too at some point. I-Needa's crafting ideas seem to rub off on me sooner or later. I resisted card crafting for years, but it finally caught up and I became addicted. Fortunately, I didn't become obsessed, so can push away from it for awhile. Unfortunately, I sometimes let things cool too long and have problems getting back to them. I do love seeing what I-Needa is doing. Yea.... digital cameras and e-mail!!! I love instant communication!

My mind has been in a sort of blah state this week. I'm feeling a bit like this frog sitting in the middle of nowhere for awhile. Things will change, and I'll be infused with vitality and fresh ideas at some point. In the meantime, I'm going to count on Daughter I-Needa to be the crafty vibrant one. I love her frog. I can see some personality there. She is talking about learning to paint cattails and grass so she can do a bit more for froggy. He makes me smile just as he is, and I hope froggy makes you smile too.

Here

One of the blogger laws seems to be to do it every day. Right. Personally, I'm not sure how the really dedicated bloggers do it. I'm beginning to think of myself as a potential failure in that department. I imagine another law is not to whine on the Internet. So...... I'll move on.

I've been doing the hospital thing with my mother. I'm extremely grateful to still have a hospital in our small town. I can't imagine living where there is no hospital nearby. Over the years, our community has declined in numbers, and our hospital has less service now than when I was young, but we still have a hospital. Other small communities have had to close their hospitals. I'm grateful to still have one with open doors.

I'm also grateful for caring health care workers. There is NO nurse in me. Not one iota! NO nurse in me... period. I can take a room full of children and organize and teach them, but I can't be a nurse. Actually, I believe I've covered that thought, so will move on.

We've had warmer temperatures lately. I noticed that it was a tad warm in Mother's hospital room, and she didn't have her covers on either. She did mention that she was too warm. The nurse immediately turned on the air-conditioning controls in the room. Unfortunately, they didn't seem to be working. A building maintenance man was summoned immediately. He checked a few things, then came back and said that he would install a window unit for her.

I'm wondering if you are as amazed as I was at the previous statement. The man just said that he was going to go fetch a window air-conditioning unit and install it because Mother was a little warm. I couldn't believe my ears.

He proved good on his word, and soon a window unit was installed and she had cool air. Amazing!

I know that working in a hospital can't be easy. Patients need things, sometimes all at once. Buzzers ring and patients want to see a nurse immediately. Sometimes response times seem to drag on and on. To one in need, response time can be frustrating.

Perhaps that is why I was so amazed at the response of our little hospital. When a nurse was called, she was there immediately. Amazing! I'm sure I'll never get over the speed of installation of the air-conditioner.

Thankfully, Mother was released from the hospital. She is with me for a bit until she feels secure enough to go to her home. I'm NOT the nurse, but I'm just here. I can do that. I'm wondering how good I'll be at providing in a timely manner. I do believe our tiny hospital set standards for me to live up to.

I-Needa's New Addiction

It all started with Daughter I-Needa's neighbor. Billie loves to paint, and does it well... REALLY well. Lying dormant within I-Needa is an urge to paint. She gets it from her mother, Me.

So, I-Needa went last Saturday to paint with a little group in the neighborhood in Billie's kitchen. Life was good. I-Needa came home with this little painted clay pot. As you see, it didn't take long for her collection of brushes to be rescued from the closet. I'm sure there must be some new ones mixed among them as well.

It didn't take long for I-Needa to beat feet to good old Hobby Lobby to stock up on acrylic paints. After all, one cannot paint without paint. They were a bargain as well. ON SALE!! One must save money buying on sale. Some of these were in her closet, but some are new.


Her first work of art was a mushroom she found in a book. It is the look at it and see if you can do it too method. It looks pretty good to me for her first try.. or any try. I certainly know what I-Needa is going to be doing in her spare time for awhile. The problem is: I usually decide that I have to try things too. I guess I'd best go dust off my brushes and think about doing a little tole painting. I did that for awhile... years ago. Unfortunately, I didn't have a Billie around to help me with the little tricks of painting.

Actually, I think I'd be money ahead to just enjoy I-Needa's work for awhile. I have my own card crafting thing going on.

Queen For The Day

I’m in the process of my morning routine: sipping a bit of coffee and contacting friends and family through e-mail. It is a good start to the day. Today I’m using a new mug that was a thank you gift from a friend. It says, ‘You are special today.’

My mind has been wandering around the idea of our specialness lately. It has been one of those little humor thoughts that just keeps playing around in my head. I think it started the other day with my trying to find a way to celebrate my mother’s 94th birthday.

It seems that birthdays are days when we expect to be special.... at least a little. In truth, we are special every day, but the challenge of expressing that on the one day, our birthday, is sometimes a bit awkward.

I know that finding something fun and different to help another celebrate a birthday is becoming more and more of a challenge. I took that on last week with Mother. I would dearly have loved to have taken her out somewhere special and treated her to a lovely dinner. Unfortunately, she just can’t do that. So, what should I do? I thought about having some of her friends over and fixing dinner for them, but her lifelong friends have mostly passed away or moved away. I crossed that idea off the list.

It ended up that her special day celebration was filled with cards, phone calls, a deli purchased German chocolate cake, and a Sonic burger with fries. I’ve told a few of my friends about that and they have all given me ‘the look’ or just chuckled.

In my own defense, we don’t eat Sonic burgers on a regular basis, so they are a treat. I don’t bake cakes. Trust me, the one from the deli was much fluffier and tastier than any I could have whipped up in my kitchen from scratch. I will not apologize for deli cake.

My own birthday celebrations have calmed down over the years. I’m quite content with the simple as well. I like the cards, phone calls from friends, and just keeping it simple. I’m delighted with deli cake. I always get something cute from Daughter I-Needa. I usually try to warn Son Right Back that my birthday is coming. That way he can remember to at least say ‘Happy Birthday.’ He isn’t big on birthday celebrations. As a matter of fact, I usually try to remember to remind him when it is HIS birthday. Usually I have to prime him a bit to get him to offer a little celebration spirit on my special day.

My mother and friend JuJu have birthdays two days apart. That makes it easy for me to remember JuJu’s birthday. We always send cards and call each other on birthdays. JuJu has moved to be closer to one of her sons and the grandchildren, so a little wine, cake, and dinner together with friends is now out of the question.

I called JuJu on her birthday, and we had a nice conversation. At the time I visited with her, one son had called to wish her happiness on her special day. She was also busy with her baby sitting routine. She has stepped willingly into the gap to help with all the running around that the busy life of three active children brings. The perk is that she is there and a real part of their lives.

I laughed with her for awhile and asked her how it was going... this being queen for the day. I think she was far too busy to be feeling like a queen. I reminded her that she had special powers on her special day. She was to be waited on and her every wish granted. We both laughed at that one. Oh, sure.

I heard from her by e-mail the next day. After her full day of kids and soccer games, the family had arrived bearing deli cake (Go, them!) and a gift certificate for a little indulgence. The arrival came shortly after settling in to watch Dancing With the Stars. That is one of the favorites these days. With quiet existence now put on hold, the fun began. There were hyper grandchildren, laughter, chat, and a recognition that it was JuJu who was queen for the day. When the celebration ended and JuJu settled back into the depth of her easy chair, she discovered the remote was missing. A diligent search under chair cushions, furniture, and in the toy box yielded no remote. Finally a call to family and a mamma’s little chat with the youngest gleaned valuable information. The remote was carefully hidden smack dab under the middle of the dining room table. Quiet was restored and the queen went to bed... another one over.

Yes, I’ve been thinking about those special day celebrations. The next one will be in July, when I-Needa is queen for the day. I have time to think and ponder that. I’m sure it will involve deli cake. Perhaps a little something special purchased to eat. I might consider a little adventure and hiding her remote. Perhaps not.

A Favorite Photo

This is a photo that just makes me happy. I took it last spring or summer at JuJu's house. JuJu loves to garden and always has pretty flowers about. I was busy snapping pictures in her back yard, and these just appealed to me. I'm going to have to ask her again what they are called. I call them flowers. I'm no gardener. Really, I'm not. I appreciate pretty yard things, but I've no real stamina or desire to keep up with the weeding process. On the other hand, JuJu is always pulling weeds or watering something. I guess that's why she has a pretty yard and I don't.

I just had to share and hope you like these too. You might even know of something to call them besides flowers.

Times Have Changed

I've been busy digging through old family photos with the idea of making a book. I found some software on the Internet and downloaded it. I create the book, then will upload it to be made into a soft or hardback book. As I mentioned yesterday, I want to do something with the family history. I love doing scrapbooks, but this will be something that I can give to all the family members, and it will be something they can have for posterity.

I just loved this picture of one of my now long departed aunts in her baby carriage. She is two months old in this picture. I think of all the things that are now required to cart a baby around, and it just makes me smile. There is certainly nothing collapsible about this. I think it is a work of art and love looking at it. I can almost picture my grandmother walking her around the block in this beautiful wicker carriage. Imagine what one of these would cost if you found it in an antique shop!

Starting the Project

I've been glued to my computer chair today working on pictures. I decided a long time ago that I wanted to make a book of our family history. That is a huge undertaking, one of which I have only started. I scanned many pictures awhile back, then found that the resolution wasn't high enough to really print well in a professional book. Oh, my!!

Today I started taking digital pictures of pictures and then doing a little editing. I hope I finish sometime in the next decade. Mercy!! I'm sure the end product will be worth the wait, but I'm also sure the wait will be long.

If you dropped in on me at the moment, I'm not sure I'd be a very good conversationalist. My mind is fairly shot from all this thinking and doing. I believe I'll just carry on and be back soon.

Puddle Stompers

It rained buckets yesterday. My nifty little rain gauge is broken, so I don't have any idea of how much rain we actually got. It was A LOT!

We were fortunate as didn't have the magnitude of problems that some around our fair state have suffered. My last post talked about the storms. They raged on.

Of course, the TV stations were alert to the fact that I needed to see the damage. They were out again. Storm Chasers were replaced by reporters standing deep in the flood waters that they caution people to avoid. One reporter's jeans were muddy to the top of his legs. He pointed out that you couldn't see his feet. He had on wadding boots, and he needed them.

I-Needa called this morning before heading off to work. She made the comment that the 'puddle stompers' were out. I thought that was funny and quite a good description. I'm afraid it is going to stick with me and I shall always in the future refer to them as puddle stompers.

Stormy Night

It was a dark and stormy night. I believe I might just write a novel. Hum.... The first line sounds like a novel. Hum....

Well, it was a dark and stormy night. It was STORMY... again. Remember, it is spring and we seem to have to pay for each day of nice weather. The temperature rises and the storms begin.

I'd signed up the other day for Weather Call. It is now provided in our area and for a mere six dollars a year, I can be called when there is severe weather in my immediate area. I wondered about the definition of 'immediate area'. I hoped that didn't mean anywhere in the state. Thankfully, it didn't.

I woke last night to a wild lightning show accompanied by very noisy booms. There was wind, lots of that, and rain... heavy rain. It sounded rather 'severe' to me. Then I heard the jingle of the phone.

I picked up the receiver knowing it would be my Weather Call. At least it had better be my weather call. It was 3:30 a.m. and it was storming.

I knew it would be automated, but felt obligated to say something. I said the obvious 'Hello.'

It was the recorded voice of the chief meteorologist of the television station sponsoring the Weather Call service. He sounded quite perky. He identified himself and let me know that the National Weather Service had issued a severe thunderstorm for my 'immediate area'. The message suggested I remain indoors. Trust me, that wouldn't be a problem! Even if it had been daylight, I would have definitely remained indoors.

My Weather Call ended, and I hung up the phone. I was then curious as to what the radar looked like. I argued with myself for awhile as the nice warm bed felt really nice. Curiosity won out.... I'm a 'visual' and needed to see for myself. I headed toward the living room and turned on the TV for a look. It was festive: lots of colors and swirly circles advancing across the state. I turned the TV off again and padded back to my nice warm bed.

I turned over and was once again thankful that it wasn't worse. I hoped I didn't get any more weather calls for the evening. I'm signed up for tornado information as well. I certainly didn't want to hear about that.

I know I sometimes find humor in strange things. I began to think about trying to make a voice recording to send for storms and tornadoes. It can't be too scary. One couldn't say ' Oh, Gussie, there is a horrid storm coming your way... run for your life!' That wouldn't do at all. The voice really needs to state the facts calmly.

I'm not sure overly perky would do either. 'Oh goodie, we're going to have another one of those storms that meteorologists find so exciting. We hope you enjoy the show! You might want to remain indoors, although we've sent all our people out into the thick of it so they can send pictures back and tell us what they see first hand. If you would like to send your application in to be a storm chaser and get training, you might contact the station in the future. Otherwise, be sure to stay inside away from the doors and windows. Don't forget to stay away from plumbing and phones as well.'

My mind wandered around with thoughts like this for awhile, then I drifted blissfully back to sleep. Unlike all the people who manned the stations with uninterrupted weather monitoring and reporting, I didn't miss much sleep. Had I stayed up and watched, I'm sure I would have noticed the chief meteorologist begin to tire. I've seen the show before and know that continuous reporting begins to wear on the system. Actually, I'm glad they are there and paying attention. I'm also glad they have initiated Weather Call. At some level, I think I feel better knowing that they will ring me at any time day or night to let me know when things seem to be getting out of hand. I also believe they understand the concept of 'immediate area.'

One of THOSE Days

I'm afraid my Saturday was one of THOSE days. I suppose we need THOSE days occasionally to remind us of the preciousness of the ordinary days.

I was really enjoying life on Saturday morning. I finally had gotten to my craft room to make some cards. I was on a roll and even managed to make about four cards. Then I decided to head to Mother's house to check on her and take along my new cards. She loves to make cards, so is always an appreciative looker.

While visiting with Mother, she mentioned that one of her lights didn't seem to brighten, and the microwave would barely go. Now, that just didn't sound good. I called Son Right Back, who came right over and checked the electric current with man meters. He ended up calling the electrical department of our small city and they came out to see about it. They ended up having to pull her meter. Oh, joy! No electric on a Saturday! That is rather like getting sick on Friday as soon as the doctor's office closes. Good old Right Back got on the phone and managed to get a licensed electrician there. Imagine! On a Saturday!

I had been worried about Mother's food, so managed to drag most of it to my place. Now the laws of nature would say that if I managed to get all the food moved, she would get the electric back. If I didn't move it, she would be without electric all weekend. I opted to err on the side of getting electric, so moved food.

Thankfully, after waiting around for the electrician, then waiting around again for the City employee to return with the meter, power was restored. That was a joyful moment. I had envisioned that Mother would be my guest for awhile and knew that she would much prefer to stay put in her own home. We all have our little schedules and such. Company and a one bathroom house can be a challenge at times.

While I was on a roll, I managed to get all the food returned as didn't want to put off what I could do that day.

The second thing that played around with my afternoon peace was the little trick my computer decided to play. At one point, as I was running through the kitchen, I noticed that I needed to do updates. I clicked 'ok' and typed in my password. Later, as I was sailing through the kitchen with food, I noted that it was time to restart the computer. As it came back up, I saw that the screen was barely lit.

You must understand that my computer and I have a thing about each other. I care for it and it is happy with me. Why it had a dim screen after rebooting, I have no idea. I think it will forever remain a mystery. I just know that it was another thing to cram into my already full Saturday afternoon.

With the electrician adventure closed, I decided that I had to do something about the computer. I searched around on it for awhile, but could barely see what was written on the screen. I knew the computer was working, but I just couldn't see it. I opted for a call to George, a man who loves Apple Computers and has been the techie sort for years.

Thankfully, George wasn't busy and came right over. Thank you, Techie George!! I really really hate to admit how stupid I felt when he went right to the problem and with a click and a slide brightened the screen. I'd been there too and didn't see that little slide to brighten the screen. I think my mind was just warped from too many other things that day. After all, it had been one of THOSE days.

I'm telling you that I was more than glad when the clock said I could go to bed. It had been a full day with my Mother's electric and my computer. I was just glad to be able to close my eyes knowing that all is well that ends well. She had electric and I had a bright screen. I began my prayers with 'Thank you, Lord,...............zzzzzzzzzzzzzz' I'm sure He understood.

QVC Confession

Okay, so I was lingering near the TV and just happened upon good old QVC. I will tell you now that I'm NOT addicted to QVC. I will admit ordering a few things once in awhile. I order a few things each year... almost... emphasis on 'few'.... really.

I just had to sit in my craft room and make some cards today. That was a must. I couldn't find anything on TV, and had seen that QVC was having a show on Birkenstock shoes. I do enjoy those shoes.

Funny how I never cared much for shoes as a kid. My mother always said that I would be perfectly happy with the shoe box, and didn't care a fig about the shoes. I guess I've done a flip flop as now like shoes and purses.

I've never liked thong style shoes. JuJu and Grace finally got me to buy some of those. They shamed me into it and I found out that I was right in the first place. I walked around the house in pain just trying to tell myself that everyone else wears them, so I should just tough it out and be fashionable. I can't believe I just called thongs fashionable. What I should call them is mighty uncomfortable. I tried them and hate them. That's all there is to that.

Now, back to my confession: I did purchase shoes. I was BAD and purchased two different styles. Oh, why did I take my eye off my crafting and let myself be lured by the view to comfortable shoes? I guess the best explanation is that I just wanted them. Period.

Now I can look forward to having Mr. Brown (UPS) arrive with my new fashion statements for summer. I'm going to tell myself that all those childhood years when I didn't care about shoes should balance out my sudden zest for fancy things to dangle from my feet. I may even treat you to a picture of them when they arrive. I'm sure you'll be impressed too.

By the way, confession makes me feel better. I got it out of my system and think I can live with it. Tah Dah!

Spring Birth Pangs

My goodness! I can't believe the week is flying by so quickly and I've been missing around this blog. I'll blame it on things to do and the weather. That sounds good to me.

There are days that I question the 'whys' of all the spring storms. It saddens me that all the lovely bursting forth of leaves and flowers and pretty things must also be accompanied by severe weather. Perhaps aligned with the birth pangs of humans, we seem to be destined to suffer from high wind, hail, and tornadoes as spring is born. I know it is just the nature of things. All that clashing of warm and cool air, and we get big storms here in Tornado Alley.

I'm grateful for all the sophisticated technology that we have available. At least we can be warned most of the time. That is, for many, a life saver. I will admit that I like to at least be informed.

I-Needa woke up up at 3:00 a.m. the other night. She started with 'I just wanted you to know that I'm okay.' Yep, that's every parent's desire in the middle of the night. She added, 'I've just got to go to bed now, but thought you should get up and pay attention to the super cell that is possibly headed your way.' Yep, that's another one of those must have pieces of information in the middle of the night.

So, I was up watching all that sophisticated technology in action on the TV screen. It was continuous coverage for a good reason. After much time, I decided that the hook part of the super cell was not going to reach us, so headed off to bed again with my weather radio in hand.

As for I-Needa, she was blissfully spared the tornado part of the night as well. Part of her city was hit and there was damage. For some, the aftermath of the storm was not so good. I-Need felt blessed for not having any damage.

Yesterday I took the time to sign up with Weather Call, an online service now offered in our area. For only $6.00 a year I will get a call on my home and cell phone and an e-mail if any severe weather or tornadoes are in my area. That is a little peace of mind. At least I might sleep through the night without so many interruptions.

I must get around as am taking a trip this morning to Nearby City for a meeting. Of course, severe weather is a possibility. I've been debating on skipping the meeting, or not. Right now it is a 'go', so will pray the weather holds for everyone's sake. We will all be happy to be spared today's spring birth pangs.