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!