Bless Me Blog-Father...

for I have sinned.  It has been 2 months and one week since my last confession blog entry.  I haven't even been reading any!  Just an occasional peek at a few.  Blogging just doesn't hold my interest like it once did.  I try really, REALLY hard and I do think about it a great deal, but never quite make it here.  So many of my old blog buddies don't write any more and some of them are on FaceBook, so we keep in touch there.  That's not the same.  FB is a whole different ball of wax and shouldn't replace blogging, by any means. 

So, I'm here today but might not be here again for quite awhile.  Who knows.My life is so helter skelter.  I have no real (or reasonable) routine and it's hard for me to function and accomplish much of anything this way.  But I can't seem to find my groove.  And every time I try to establish some sort of routine to my days, if it gets interrupted, I get all flustered or even resentful of the intrusion.  Like....what the hell does it matter?!?  I'm hopeless. LOL

I do have some amazingly good news to share! Which is one reason I have been drawn to my blog. I am getting together with  2 of my bestest buddies in the whole wide world in March!!  My Senior Moments, Terri T and I will be flying to San Diego to spend a week with Poolie!  We met in the World of Blog and have had several get-togethers.  Always an adventure and always great fun.  I can't wait to spend time with them and I can't wait to just get away from it all for a few days! 

I will also be heading to Alaska for a month at the end of April or first part of May.  Haven't got that pin pointed yet, as it is pending pinning down the dates of a trip Chuck will be taking in the spring.  He'll be going to Wyoming with Dixie.  A guy he knows has a cattle ranch there and he wants to be in on Spring Round-up and Branding.  If he had a bucket list, I guess doing something like this would be right at the top, so good for him :).  I'm just enjoying a peaceful easy feeling of knowing that he doesn't mind my month long trip to Alaska again.  Last year was so awesome and this year will be even better! 

I think for now, I need to get off of here and go to some X-Mas decorating and stuff.  Chuck has been busy all week getting ready to have Dixie and her buggy in a local Christmas parade and so he only got all my decorations out today.  Puts me a bit behind schedule for trying to get my X-Mas spirit mustered up, but better late than never!  TTFN, if anyone is out there!  LOL

Election Day in Alaska

Today is a big day for my family.  My awesome SIL, Michael is running for a second term for Borough Assembly.  Here's one of his ads.  I love that he is so well spoken, but then he wouldn't have been so successful in the radio industry if he wasn't, and certainly wouldn't have his own radio talk shows!  And that lovely voice at the end of the ad?  Yep.  My lovely daughter, Terri, who also has a great radio voice and used to do a lot of ads :)
https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=2257025436426

Hope that link works okay so you can see/listen.  His opponent is  a lawyer that is a serious snark.  He even had a newspaper ad that stated one of the reasons to vote for him is because 'he is NOT Michael Dukes'.  He has taken pot shots at Michael because of his size as well as his adamant support of the 2nd Amendment.  Like either one of those things has anything to do with the local Borough government.  He's a low life scum.  Michael will win by a landslide.  Heh.

At 6:30 AM Alaska time, I sent Michael a text to wish him luck and let me know how many points he wins by.  LOL  He texted me back and said he & his supporters were already on downtown street corners waving signs.  Gonna be along day.....for all of us.  Sure wish I was there to help!  I would keep the donuts and muffins coming and the Lattes and Sludge Cups flowing. 

There is always something exciting going on with my wonderful Alaskan family.  Riley got herself new skates.  Custom ordered.

I am LOVIN the green wheels, but the main 'custom' part is the pink leather.  Pink and black are the team colors.  She saved her tips for EVer so she could order these, bless her heart!  Some of her team mates have this brand and others are drooling :).  Regardless, she got them on Friday and has been counting the minutes until derby practice Tuesday PM so she can seriously get her skate on with these new babies!!  Like her Mama said.....it must be as exciting as waiting to drive ones new car.  Hee hee.

I've had a couple people mention problems with my comments.  I wonder what's up with that?? Let me know if it continues to be an issue {via FB or email.  Time to run errands so I can get home and knit :)

Priorities

I can never seem to get my priorities straight.   Why is it so hard for me to keep up with this whole blogging concept when it really is important to me?  I have a bad memory for details, like dates and timelines of particular events and I've counted on being able to refer to my blog for the bits missing from my wee little brain.  I think about things that I wanna blog about every day, but they don't materialize.  And yes, I make notes and jot things down and they get lost in the shuffle of grocery lists and reminders for other things and eventually just get purged from the clutter.  Then, of course, is the realization that I FaceBook with most of the few readers I have, so what I write is redundant. But I can't refer back to FB now can I?  So I need to do this for ME.  Heh.  There are a lot of things I need to do for me. So, I am just going to go forth with some photos and highlights and see what I can accomplish before my darling spouse demands something.  LOL

First. My adorable eldest grand-daughter and our Roller Derby team, the Midnight Sun Roller Girlz, had their 1st big Scrimmage against an opposing team, The Denali Destroyer Dolls, on Sept 24th.
Prior to the scrimmage, they had a photo shoot at a car dealership that is one of their sponsors.  Believe it or not, this is my little "Muffin Girl", aka Riley who is now know as "Boom-Dot Saint".  Boom for short.

Isn't she something?!?  A local Vintage clothing store let them pick outfits to use and she sure did good!

Here's a good shot of her during the scrimmage, slipping by the blocker (in the white shirt, that should have stopped her. heh)and helping to clear the path for the Jammer of the moment.  The MSRG won the scrimmage by an astronomical score of 149-15!  The team has been working SO hard and OMG, did it ever pay off!!  So proud of all of them!  Best part?  No serious injuries.

Next up is the news that I have rented a booth in a local antique shop, called Betty's Attic.  I have so much Depression Glass and other collectables that I really need to get rid of and what better way?  I rented the booth a week ago or so, but it won't be available until Oct 25, so that gives me lots of time for pricing and gathering my stuff.  I have no place to properly display my treasures and many of them are still packed away in boxes under the house.  I will keep my family treasures and a few other things and sell the rest. I'm starting with a fairly small booth and can always move up if need be.  If it goes well, i will buy more stuff to resell.  If not, no big deal.  This is my soon to be area (not my stuff in it, obviously)

I can paint, put up shelves (which I must do) add tables, etc.  Chuck is in charge of that, of course :)

And speaking of Chuck, he bought a buggy and has been training Dixie to pull it. She's a fast learner and eager to please.  Mission accomplished.

 The one above is them returning from about a 3 hour trip around the back roads yesterday.  She was a very good girl!

This, however, is how my Sweet Susie acted up  the whole time they were gone!  Actually she just paced and whinnied the whole time, only rearing up when they finally got back.  So anxious when her kid is out of her sight!!  And so excited to have her back :).  Dang horses are worse than kids. Well, actually, she acts like a typical mother!  What am I thinking?  LOL


Let's see, what else.  About a month ago I had a perm.  Bound and determined to have curly hair again.  It's been a couple years that I have been doing the straight thing after many years of spiral and piggy-back perms.  It came out good.  My wonderful Hairstylist did a great job. But.....I hated it.  It's just not "me" anymore.  SO.....last week she tried a new straightening process on me!  I had to leave it in for 72 hours.  Could not wash my hair for 3 days, which is bad enough on it's own, but the stuff she used was kinda icky.  My hair felt like it had been over moussed and gelled.  Dry and stiff and icky.  But now that I can wash it, which I did 3 times Friday pm, at the exact moment that the clock struck the 72 hour mark (6:58 PM) it is fairly straight and best of all....silky and shiny again!!  Yay!!  I love my Becky, like Poolie loves her Joannie.  She's a terrific gal and an awesome stylist and colorist.  We have a lot of fun with my hair and I trust her with my beloved locks!

As I was typing this, I was thinking that I wish I could get my s&%t together and chronicle everything via photos (with details) on Flickr.....like our lovely Karyl does.  I SO need to organize what pictures I have and need to be taking lots more!  One of my biggest problems is that I am not working and also that some days I am able to do more than other days, depending on my pain level.  I used to have such 'structured days' and I deffo function better that way.  I just can't seem to get a grip on this new way of life and make the best use of my time and resources.  I hate the intrusion of having to schedule anything, and yet I find I can't accomplish what I want unless I do!  Ah, well.....as one of my former blog buddies used to say (and probably still does!) "It'll all work out in the end. It always does!".  LOL

Holy Cow!

Another week, another post.  Can't keep up the daily thing, although I regret it because I like having a reference to things and after so many days have passed, I forget most of what I wanted to write.  I even made some notes......they're around here somewhere....... LOL

My last post was  in regard to trying to de-clutter and reorganize "My Room".  Well, some of it is done and some is not.  No big deal.  It will happen.  Actually the knitting bug that bit me back in May has been taking over and I've been a knitting fool, with some occasional reading tossed in the mix.  Why I've even been in the kitchen more and much to Chuck's delight he has recently consumed 2 batches of cookies and a cake! He's been like a kid, so excited that I have felt like baking again.  LOL

During that time frame my PC was in the hospital.  A bad storm and power outage zapped my network adapter and the  apparently my battery back up was dead and I didn't know it and the abrupt shut down corrupted my OS and blah, blah, yada, yada.  The poor battery backup is about 12 years old and was located in an out of the way place so that I never noticed that the lights were off and that it was simply functioning as a $150 power strip!  Got a shiny new one, and it's placed right where I can see it!  I found a great local repair shop and at first I was not pleased with them because they 'missed something' but they went above and beyond to make it up to me, so all is well.  I had my laptop, but am rather limited with what I can do on it (with my photos, bookwork, etc.) thus I had more knitting time.

I have several knitting projects I want to complete before December and a sewing project or 2 as well, but I am just not as enchanted with sewing as I once was.  Once I get a table cleared off and my Embroidery Machine stuff put away, I can get working on a couple quilts as well.  Chuck keeps reminding me to not be so hard on myself for the things that I can't do around the house and do just relax and let myself DO and ENJOY the things I want to do, because for all intents and purposes I am 'retired'.  I think it's beginning to sink in.  I have spent far too much time simply lost in thought trying to come to terms with all the changes in my life and wasting too much energy on the negative.  I think I'm on the way back up the hill out of my black hole.

*************************
Well, heck!  I started this like, Wednesday I think, and never finished or posted it.  Duh.  I was just about to start a new post, but will toss this out there and write one later.  I'm off to get ready to go shopping with Victoria!  My 1st outing of it's kind.  Let's hope I hold up.  My Vicodin is going into my purse as soon as I hit the Publish button :)

Clearing the Clutter

Well, I started with my computer area and now I'm making a sweep of the whole room.  Cleaning out and attempting to organize.  I tend to 'accumulate' and I never seem to have the 'proper place' for some of my accumulations.  Of course, it was too easy to let things pile up while convalescing from 2 major surgeries.  Just trying to keep the kitchen and dining table looking decent, resulted in a lot of things ending up in "My Room" to be taken care of later.  Ha!

I have to be in the right mood to do this sort of thing, because a lot of 'stuff' just needs to be tossed and it's real hard for me to just toss stuff.  I tend to hoard......like my Dad did :). Today was a pretty good day for it.  But I also have a lot of good stuff that I can't simply toss.  I need to donate it, or box it up for a yard sale or something.  That involves more thought.

So far I have cleaned off the pillows and bears that were living on my nice oak rocking chair and I bought a foot stool, so I have a nice little corner in My Room to sit and read or knit.  I bought that rocking chair 19 years ago, so that I could be a proper Grandma and sit in it and rock Riley when she was born.  I think I did that 2, maybe 3 times.  LOL  It just wasn't comfortable to sit and rock in, but it works good now with a foot stool.

Now for the rest of the room.  My 12 year old Babylock Embroidery machine and the multitude of stuff that goes with it, takes up a good portion of the room.  It's crazy that I have it set up and ready to go on this big ass table in front of my huge bow window and I haven't even turned it on in at least 3 years.  But I'm afraid if I put it away.....I won't ever use it.  How silly is that?!?  The first few years I had it, I embroidered everything I could get my hands on.  I'm sure I got at least 1/2 a life time worth of use out of it! 

My sewing area is way too small, and I really need to put away all the embroidery equipment and make room for that so that I can have room to more easily work on quilts.  I'm far more interested in doing that than I am embroidering.  I've had a quilt in progress for Timmy for EVER that I need to finish, I have the pattern and fabric for a quilt for Riley, and a pattern all set to go for Maggie, plus many others....but those come first.  After my back surgery, I couldn't sit at the sewing machine and do all that reaching forward and such {therapists orders...plus it hurt like crazy} so I just lost my mojo.

Now the knitting fever has struck and I'm acquiring yarn and patterns and have no place to put it.  Well, I have lots of room for it, as we have a huge house, but I have no 'proper place' for it.  I won't even mention the stacks of books tucked here there and everywhere {cuz my huge bookcase is full}

Then there is my computer area, with printer, scanner, copier, fax machine and the dreaded Eagle Construction bookwork stuff!  AGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!  Because of my {boring} limitations, I am only really able to do a little bit each day.  And sadly, I have to admit, I have been dealing with my 'physical problems' for so long that in the past 3 years I have just spent WAY too much time uninspired and had no incentive.  Just couldn't make myself work on any projects, read any books or do much of anything.  It's been crazy!  I am coming out of it, but still have my days. 

If only...........But in the meanwhile, I need to TRY to make the best of what I have, where I am.  And I do try......but I'm lost without my family.  It's been 8 years this week.  It was supposed to be 2 years.  And that's all I'm gonna say about that. 

Is There Such a Thing

as "Collector's Anonymous"??  I sit here in my domain and look around me and find I am surrounded by various collections of various things.

There are my Boyd's Bears, of which I have 200+.  Probably about 30 of them are out and about in this house, but in Alaska they were all out.  Tucked here, there are everywhere! Except for the motor home bears, of course.  People would get a kick out of spotting bears in all sorts of places.  And I have furniture for a lot of them.  When Maggie & Emily were wee little lasses, they would play with them {ever so carefully, with Grammy's bears!} and have little tea parties and picnics with them.  Sweet memories :)  But now that I am past my phase of collecting bears, what do I do with them all?  I thought about selling some of them on eBay.  I looked the other night and there were over 18,000 Boyd's Bears listed.  Seriously!  I don't think I need to bother even trying to sell any of mine.  A few very rare ones that I have, are ones I wouldn't want to sell anyway.

Then there are my chickens.  Glass, hens on nest dishes, hand painted artware.  I only have about 30 of those.  One was my Great-Grandmother's and I think that is what inspired me to start collecting them one day.  Some were acquired on eBay, but most were collected from Antique shops around the country whilst we were traveling.  I would probably buy more chickens if I saw some that I really loved, but I haven't even been to an Antique Shop in ages and we used to hit them all frequently.

Then there's my Depression Glass collection.  Holy cow!  I've seen people with more than I have, but only a few.  I am lucky to have some pieces that were my Mother's and my Great-Grandmother's.  Those I will cherish, but what about the rest?  I probably have 20 vintage vinegar cruets, 15 sets of vintage salt & pepper shakers, a lot of Westmoreland Milk Glass in the grape pattern, many Fenton pieces in various patterns; bowls, glass baskets, vases, cake plates.......Almost a complete setting for 12 of Indiana Glass Madrid pattern dishes in Amber and several pieces in Clear.  So many pieces gathered up all across the states from PA to Florida to Indiana to Arizona.

The Amish area just south of Elkhart, Indiana used to be one our favorite places to spend time and it was there that I would pick up most of my table linen collection.  Table clothes and dish towels galore.  I love them all!  I still pick one up now and then on eBay :).  It was also in that area that Chuck would find HIS collection addiction pieces.  Cast Iron Trivets.  Well over 100 of them.  He learned all about them and knew just what to look for.  We would have so much fun!



Then there's my Whimsiclay Cats

And my Alley Cat Figurines

And I must not forget my Mary Engelbriet Tea Pots and other little goodies

This is a really crazy post and I'm not even sure what the point is.  I think I'm trying to tell myself that it's time to decide the difference between my true 'treasures' and the junque and get rid of some junque!

Good God..........does this mean I'm getting......ya' know......old?!?

Shopping Online

I was supposed to have a rare shopping opportunity with my BFF yesterday and it didn't work out.  While posting my complaint about it on FaceBook, my buddy Terri @ myseniormoments suggested that since I always get the short end of the stick when we have vehicle problems, I should just shop online.  Well, I'm here to tell you......I do plenty of that!  Here are some of my recent acquisitions

This first picture is a Photo/Panting done by the Photographer that took Riley's senior portraits.  She is quite the artist and has many talents.  When I saw some of her Photo/Paintings, I just knew that we had to have one of the horses!  I found some pictures of The Girls and sent them to her and we finally decided on this one.  The overall size is 30 x 30 and it is stunning!! 

What happens is this.  I had a 20x30 photo printed of this picture and had it shipped to her.  She actually tears the edges (in this case to make it about 19x19) then she affixes it to a canvas.  In this instance, she did an abstract border in colors to complement the picture. The wonderful thing IS, we didn't actually discuss colors and it just so happens this will look perfect on our green living room wall!!Another awesome aspect of this painting is that the sides of the canvas, where it wraps around the frame, are painted as well.  That gives it a wonderful unique finish and I don't have to frame it :).
If you'd like to see some of her other work, go here Christina-M-Ehlinger~Artist for starters.

I had planned to give it to Chuck for X-Mas, but she got it done so quickly and I received it last week.....and our anniversary is this coming Friday (the 12th)....soooooo.....I'm giving it to him for our anniversary!  I can't wait!!  We don't always exchange gifts and usually just treat ourselves to an "All we can eat Lobster or King Crab fest" at home.  He'll be so surprised and I know he's gonna absolutely flip over it!  I can't wait to get it on the wall, as we have a perfect empty spot behind the love seat that has just been waiting to be filled for about 6 years now!  Next weekend I'll get to post photos of it on the wall!! I can't wait!  Squeal!!!!!!!!!

The next picture of online acquisitions is just one box of many that I have been buying since I went to Alaska in May and acquired serious knitting fever.

Not only did my lovely daughter, Terri, get me to finally take the 'knitting plunge', she also gave me the bug for only the finest yarns!  When I did alot of crocheting, I always preferred some of the better brands (such as Lion and Bernat over Red Heart), but oh, she had to get me into using wool and wool blends and alpaca and all sorts of beautiful colorways in scrumptiously delightful spun yarn! 

And I have found a couple of WONderful websites that often have WONderful sales on this sort of delightful yarn!  I will give you an example of what my new passion is doing to my checking account.  I found a sweater pattern, using Noro yarn, similar to that in the above picture.  The color  I selected is darker hues, but still multi-colored.  Anyway, the pattern calls for 11 hanks (sort of a skein)so I ordered 12 to be safe and I found it for a terrific sale price! Normally $20 a hank for $14.00!  Weeeeeeeee.........Adds up tho', as do the many other great finds I have found......but they were all on sale!!  So that makes it okay, right???  Right???

See what happens.  Make me get a new bionic hip and keep me house bound for 6 weeks with a desk top, a laptop and an iPhone.  I can search, find and order from any room in the house!  When I have to explain the piles of yarn and my lack of $$......I'll blame the Percocet.  Buwahahahaha

Beasties in the 'Maters

There are about 10 Hummingbirds flitting about, feeding or waiting their turn, at the 2 feeders on my front porch.  Murphy is sitting on the table by the windows, just trembling!  I'm not sure if she is trembling with delight or despair!  LOL  She's chattering, too which is something she usually does when she is curled up near me and is seemingly content......not sure what it means in this case.  God, I love that cat!!


I had a rather horrifying experience with my patio tomato plants today.  I've wanted my own tomato plants on the back patio since we moved into this house.  For some silly reason, this is the first year I have actually gotten any for myself.  I have/had? 2 Husky Cherry plants and 1 Grape Tomato plant.  I've been tending them carefully and they've been doing so well.  Especially the Grape Tomato.  In fact, after Chuck left for work this AM I had intended to go back out and take pictures of this robust, healthy plant with it's awesome clusters of Grape Tomatoes on it.  But, alas, I got distracted by my pot of Kick Ass coffee and FaceBook.....then laundry, then baking.  In fact I was right in the middle of melting my butter and white chocolate (for my Raspberry White Chocolate Blondies...yum!) when Chuck came in the back door and gruffly demanded to know what the hell I did to my tomato plants! 

Me: Nothing.....why??
Chuck: Well, all the leaves are gone off the plants!
Me: yeah, right.  Bull shit! I'm trying to bake here.
Chuck: SERIOUSLY!!!
Me: WTF?!? They were fine when you left this AM.
Chuck: Well, you better come and look at them now.


2 of them...stripped 90% clean!.  Bare stems and only a couple tomatoes that had started to ripen.  All leaves and green tomatoes GONE! Between 9 AM and 2 PM.  5 Hours. So there we were, circling the tomato plants, scratching our heads, when suddenly I saw the biggest, ugliest, fattest green worm I have EVER seen in my life! Well camouflaged , wrapped around the last green Grape Tomato!  SOOOO disgusting!!!!!!!! Chuck plucked it off and stomped it, while I kept finding more and more!  Between the 2 plants he plucked and stomped 9 or 10 of those beasties.  Upon Googling them, I found out that they are Tomato Horn Worms.  These suckers were like 4-5" long and as big around as my pinky finger!  Nasty, nasty, nasty.  So nasty that I won't even post a picture here. 


There aren't any (yet) on Chuck's tomato plants out in the garden.  I sure hope they'll be spared.  We're having enough trouble keeping them going in all this hot weather.  What the weather hasn't ruined, the resident Armadillos have been digging up.  Sad gardening year around here, I'll tell ya'.


I keep little weather icons on my desktop.  One for here in Rogers, AR and one for North Pole, AK.  104 here today and 58 and sunny there.  You ALL know where I wish I was right now!  And not just for the weather.  I know I just missed out on 2 yummy birthday cakes!  


Sure wish I had more input on my last post about my cookbook.  Of course, since I started this new blog after not having written much for so long, my readership is down so I guess I can't expect much feedback.  Ah well....and so it goes.  All y'all will be sorry when me and my cookbook make the big time.  Just sayin'.

I'm Gonna Be A Writer!!!!!!

Well, sort of a writer.  I have finally decided to do something that Chuck has been trying to get me to do for years.  I'm gonna write a cookbook!!

Years and years ago, I had found this awesome program {Kitchen Gourmet} that I could enter all of my recipes in.  It had a great layout and made a nice presentation.  One year for Christmas, I printed it all out, put it in sheet protectors and made a nice binder cover for it and presented it to Terri for a gift.  Through the years and several computers and operating systems later, I can no longer use that program, but I have all of those recipes printed out and many more added to it.  Occasionally, Chuck will mention to someone that I "wrote a cookbook", like it was some big deal.  They always end up asking for one and I have to explain that it's just my personal collection of recipes from friends and family.

The past few days I have been looking at different cook book software, trying to find a replacement so I can get all organized again, and found one I tried and liked= Incentive #1.  A dear friend has just written a book and is about to have it published= Incentive #2  A couple of close friends have mentioned that they would love to have access to some of my recipe collection and I thought how they would really make great gifts= Incentive #3 And the last time I saw the one I made for Terri, it has been well used and could use freshening up=Incentive #4.  So, I have decided to embark on this mission and hope that, if nothing else, I will come up with something that my friends and family will enjoy!

I'm excited and hope I can make it work!  I have recipes that were my Great-Grandmother's, my Mom's (both of whom were amazing cooks).  I have some of Terri's, Chuck's Grandmother and many from numerous friends.  And along with the usual categories, I plan to add an Alaskan specific category. And mayhaps even a "Derby Girl" category! There will be foot notes about the friends and family, as well as some photos, I hope.  I plan to put as many photos of the food items in that I can, as well.

So, if any of you dear ones would care to suggest any recipes or SEND me some of your favorites, I will 'test' them and add them to my book :) .  My original was simply called "Family & Friends Recipes", s0 I will be thinking on a unique name for this as well.  Any and all suggestions are most welcome!!  So, send recipes, title ideas and so on.  I will eagerly await your input!

Aside from the fact that my 6 hummingbird feeders are constantly surrounded and require refilling each day, not much else is happening.  I may have to sneak off to Lowes and get a couple more feeders!  They are so fun to have flitting around my front and back windows!

Why Do I Need a Title???

It's so friggin' hot here. Still. And more triple digits predicted for next week.  We need rain SO bad!  Our lawn and the pasture is so dead and dry that even Gus, our Cocker Spaniel, leaves a little cloud of dust behind him when he trots across the pasture!  You should see the cloud of dust the horses raise!!

In this shot, you can see how badly poor Gus needs a hair cut, and I took this a couple weeks ago, so you can imagine his hairy curly self now.  Also alot less green on the ground than that now, as well.

He does get to go to the groomers tomorrow, now that I can get out and about, so he'll be all sleek and fast and COOLER!

I'm happy to say that my hip is feeling great, most of the time.  It even feels normal.  Sure wish I could act and move like it's normal.  sigh..... It's really hard to keep myself from just 'doing things' when it feels normal.  But I'm not all healed yet and it's not ready to have me do all this normal stuff like bending or sitting comfortably or dancing thru the living room to the Boondock Saints theme song.  Sucks, I tell ya'!  But I try to stay focused and I improvise a LOT.  I just wish I had longer toes so it would be easier to pick up stuff that I drop.  hee hee

We've got 2 birthdays coming up this week.  My 2 baby boys, Tim and Xander!  Tim will be 11 on the 3rd and Xander will be 6 on the 5th!

Here's a great shot Terri got of them yesterday with a couple of Storm Troopers at AlaskaLand.  Pretty awesome huh?

So funny....Terri said to Xander "they look pretty scary....what if Darth Vader is near by".  Xander replied, "Mom, they're just guys in suits."  He's just so damn logical all the time, I told her she mayhaps should have named him "Spock".  LOL

Oh, yeah....an update on our toilet disaster the other day......they are fixed and all is well, however we now need to replace the ceiling in the Living Room.  I am so thankful I am married to a Contractor that has spent his whole life doing such things!  I figure it will only take him 2 or 3 years to get around to it. :-p

Doctors, Tires and Toilets

I woke up this AM fully expecting to have a really great day.  I had my 1st follow-up appt with my surgeon, after which I was going to Sears to get much needed (and long awaited) new tires for my Tahoe and THEN, I was/am supposed to get my hair color done this afternoon.  That's about 2 weeks over-due.  Ick!  So, here's how it went......

Went to the DR, didn't even get to see HIM, but  saw one of his PAs, which is fine.  My X-Rays looked good, my progress and healing is all exceptional, but.........none, as in N.O.N.E. of my restrictions are lifted, except driving.  For 3  (THREE) months more!  I was crushed.  This DR is so over cautious.  I guess that can be a good thing, but man!  I did tell them that some of these restrictions (like the way I have to sit) are a wee bit hard on my back.  His reply was that if I was to dislocate my hip, I'd forget I even had a back!  Well, allllrighty then.....

So I go to Sears, so not in the mood to wait for tires and they tell me it will be a 2 1/1- 3 hour wait.  WTF?  No way was i gonna even attempt to sit there that long, even with my Nook in my purse!

Now, let's go back to last night......when I went to the potty and the toilet plugged... I plunged and plunged til I could plunge no more and called called upstairs for assistance.  By the time it was all said and done, BOTH toilets upstairs were backed up as well as the bathtub in one bathroom and the shower in the other.  Thank God we have a toilet downstairs....and it works.  So HE was supposed to have an early day of it today and be able to meet the plumber here this aft.  But NOOOO.  I just get a call and he told me the plumber (friend of his) is gonna try to be here before 2:00 (hair appt time) and for me to just let him in, show him where to go and it's okay to leave him..........Good grief.  It's 1:45.  He better be getting here!  Only takes me 4-5 minutes to get to Becky's, but still.

I'm thinking it might not be a good day to get my hair colored, but then again I am optimistic that she will make my day!  **sigh**

Oh, and BTW.  When you have one Brand New Hip and the other one NEEDS to be Brand New, it can make ones sex life......shall we say, a wee bit interesting......not!  Just sayin'.  Thought all y'all needed to know.

Time in a Bubble

Well, the time has come for Chuck to either put me in a bubble or lock me in my room.  My COBRA health insurance expired on July 21st and I am not eligible for any other health insurance coverage until April 2012.  8 or 9 months with NO coverage.  Pretty scary.  Especially since the 4 prescriptions that I take tally up to about $900 a month without insurance.  That alone is enough to make me need to double up on 2 or 3 of them!  LOL  God forbid that I have any illness or injury that requires much medical attention.  That's a long time to hold my breath and keep my fingers crossed.

Oh, yeah.....and the new deal about how insurance companies can't deny you because of "pre-existing conditions"?  Well guess what?  They have a way around that.  Surprised?  Not me.  I was denied by several companies because of "height, weight, blood pressure and age".  I know that it's pretty sad that I didn't lose 10 or 20 pounds for each of the 4" in height that I lost because of my back issues and subsequent surgery.  It's also sad that I have had high blood pressure forEVer, but it is perfectly controlled by one itty bitty pill I take every day, and I am certainly not clear on why it's not okay to be my height and weight with controlled blood pressure at age 59....but hey, what do I know?!

One insurance agent told me about something Arkansas has called State Pool Insurance and they will provide medical insurance to anyone that has been denied insurance coverage for any reason.  It's great......but the premiums are out of this world, with astronomical deductibles etc..  So we've decided to wing it and hope for the best!  Then in April I will be eligible for Medicare through my Social Security.....BUT, I won't be able to get any supplemental insurance to go with my Medicare until I'm 65!  What a mess.

This also means that my left hip better hold up better than my right one did, for another year!  I won't even be able to get injections in my left hip to carry me over, cuz I believe they are about $1,000 plus a pop.  Ah, well......hopefully it won't be an issue.  This is something I must maintain positive thoughts on!!

Yesterday was the Golden Days Parade in Fairbanks and my girls, The Midnight Sun Roller Girlz, were in the parade!  They all looked awesome (from the photos I have seen), but my Riley (Boom-Dot Saint) was looking especially SaSSy!  And it was reported that she was SUPER sassy and showing off some trick skating for the crowd.  How I wish I coulda been there!

Golden Days is a really big deal in Fairbanks that entails a week long celebration of the discovery of gold by Felix Pedro in 1902.  Everyone gets involved one way or another and it's great fun for all!  I'm so glad that they had such great weather and a nice sunny beautiful day for the parade this year! :).  I was trying to find a good link to the parade so you could see some of what it's like, but didn't have much luck.  I'll wait and post some pictures that the girlz took, I guess!  They should be good, good stuff!

I Don't Know........

Don't know why I haven't written for a few days.  Time has just slipped away, I guess.  Who knows!  But I am just certain that I have lots to report on.

The roof is done, thank GOD!  It's quiet and Murphy is happy once again.  All is well in her little kitty world :)

I've been out driving on my own, even tho' the Doctor said to wait 6 weeks.  It felt SO good!  I love driving, even if it's just to go on errands or even if it's just to drive!  Mostly I love road trips, but it's been a coon's age since I've been on one of those! (and NO, that's not a racial term).  Racoons tend to live quite awhile, unless some poor boy that has a pet coon also has a little sister that feeds them poison berries!  In a case like that, they don't live long....I'm pretty sure he knew I didn't mean to kill his coon.

Anyway, I have driven to town to pick up a prescription and to visit the newly remodeled Dolla@r General nearby.  Boy, are they ever cleaning up their act!  Wal*Mart has started opening new little stores called Wal*Mart Express that is supposed to be similar to Doll@r General stores so I guess they figured they better re-group and they have done a damn fine job of it, right down to the new staff at this one!  Anyhoo, I also drove to Missouri (about 20 miles round trip) to get cigarettes (yeah, I'm still smoking....whatever) and that went well.  I don't like the angle that I have to adjust my seat in order to be sitting properly or that I have to be quite so far back so I can keep my leg as straight as possible, but after next week I think I should be able to sit normally and can readjust my seat.  I'm just glad that the seats are electronic and can be adjusted in so many ways!

A week from today is my follow appointment with the Surgeon and I can barely wait!  I hope he thinks I'm doing as well as my PT guy does and lifts a bunch of restrictions.  There are some changes that can take place at the 6 week mark, but many of them have to wait until 3 months or 6 months.  I'll take what I can get for now, tho', but I won't do anything I'm not supposed to do until he says it's okay.  Well, except the driving thing.

Roof, PT and DERBY....Oh My!

This AM I still have men banging around on my roof!  All week this has been going on and all week, my poor kitty, Murphy, has been in hiding.  She is terribly unimpressed by the noise.....as am I.  They 'say' they will finish up this AM and I sure hope so.  Murphy & I want our "little piece of quiet" back!

I thought that yesterday was my last day of Physical Therapy, but NOooOoO.......PT Dude says that I am doing so well and so far advanced with my progress, for only being 3 weeks and 5 days post-surgery that he wants to give me some more challenging exercises.  Joy, joy, happy happy. :) So, he'll be back 2 more times next week, after he checks with the good Doctor to report on me and get authorization to 'step it up'.  Actually, it's all good, especially since I'm doing so well because I'm so "young"!  Weeeeeeeeeee.  Gotta love THAT!  {and I DO.  Truly, indeed, I do!}  I ditched my walker at least a week ago and am using my cane.....when I don't walk off and forget it.  Have I already told you this?  Probably.  Sorry :-D.  I no longer have much hip pain at all.  Mostly some discomfort when I over-do it.  My back bothers more than my hip, at this point, but I am hoping that the continued exercises will strengthen my ab and back muscles and help with that.  I'm pretty sure that since I'm 1 year 4 months post spinal surgery, that my back is pretty much as good as it's gonna get.  But I am so thankful to be able to walk again, that I will deal with it!  Trust me!

I'm so anxious to get in my trusty Tahoe and drive......just go somewhere, anywhere.  Being cooped up 24/7 since June 20th is grating on me.  But it IS a bit better now that I am able to do more besides "sit" and "lay down".  I mean, I can do laundry (except for the carrying), I can cook, I can sweep and mop (carefully and not perfectly, but, hey...it's something!).  Best part is, I can take showers by myself now, but I sure do miss having Chuck scrub my feet! {cuz I still can't bend over and he was SO good at it!}

Okay, enough about me....let's move right along to my latest favorite subject, Roller Derby!!!! Yay!!!  Gonna share some great photos of the last couple practices.  I sure wish it was me there shooting the pictures, but alas......I must enjoy the pics taken by others and be thankful that I get to see such great new shots every week!

First up is my sweet Xander!  Yes, folks.  The little man is on skates and determined to be a referee for the Midnight Sun Roller Girlz.  hee hee.  That's Camo Cazi helping him and my Emily (Emma Lee the Strange) in the background.

 He went down....but look at that smile!  How fun!

 This amazing action shot is the girlz practicing jumps over a skate board, in this case.  {They'll jump over anything...or anyBODY, for that matter!} We have my Riley (Boom-Dot Saint) on the left, Chelsee-U-Inhell in the middle and Camo on the right.  I really don't know why Riley looks like she just swallowed a frog.....If I coulda been there, maybe I'd have more insight.  Hmmmm

 This one is of Boom-Dot and Raggedy Andi doing 'Chariot Rides'.  Tough workout for the lead dog!

 And last, but not least is another awesome shot and it's of Camo and Raggedy Andi doing 'Leg Whips'

Aren't these girlz spectacular!!  But wait!  There's more!
Next up is Maggie {Morbid Maggie} getting her 'skate on'!!  Woo Hoo!! 

 And Emily {Emma Lee the Strange} getting HER 'skate on'!  I'm so proud of all my girls.  They are so gonna rock when they get a Junior Team going!!

Well, that's it for today.  I hope ya'll have a great weekend :)

Where Do Your Loyalties Lie?

Friendship and loyalties......how deep should they run?  I've always had a problem with this regarding both friends and family members.  So quick to go to bat for someone dear to me.  Always too quick to stop and think first.  I just jump right in, defending, supporting, protecting.  I figure if I care about someone, then I should put my 'outspoken' self to good use when I think they are being abused or attacked or otherwise mis-used by someone.  A person should really think it over before getting out their "Poison Pen" {or, these days, their "Poison Keyboard"  LOL}  Because, when the dust settles, just who do you think it is that ends up getting screwed without a kiss, and left wondering........

The first time that I got out my Poison Pen was at least 35 years ago.  My Mom and my Great-Aunt Ethel got into it over something.  God only knows what, because I can't remember to save my life!  But Aunt Ethel was really, really good at stirring things up.  The more hurtful and hateful, the better.  I just remember that she had my Mom SOOOOO upset, that my Dad was about to step in and give Aunt Ethel a piece of his mind (which was totally not my Dad's typical scenario).  So.....I decided to take Poison Pen in hand and I wrote her a letter that would have scorched the Devil himself.  When I got done verbally butchering her for the issue at hand, I tossed in few more of her devilish antics for good measure.  End result?  She and Mom made amends, actually because of some of the things I pointed out in my letter. But Aunt Ethel would have nothing to do with ME til the day she died, several years later.

I really think that was the only family member involved but it has happened numerous times thru the years and my loyalties usually leave me with being the bad guy.  Odd man out.  Go figure.

One of the worst cases was actually a little different scenario.  In an attempt to aid an 'acquaintance' and offset a potentially dangerous situation, myself and a dear friend jumped in right up to our ears.  Round and round it went.  Tons of people involved, twisting and turning and dredging until the original 'cause' was lost in the shuffle and in the very end, friend and I were hung out to dry.  Eventually and ultimately by the 'acquaintance'!  WTF to the max!  Epic Fail..........

Another time, I apparently looked at a long time buddy (with whom I had much in common) cross-eyed one day and she literally tore me a new a$$-hole on the world wide web!  I have never been so humiliated, had such vile, hateful things said about me in my life! And such lies.  That was the worst part.  I'm so not perfect.  In fact, much less so than most people, but really........Okay, so I look back on that and, obviously, realize that this person was never a friend and a thing like that can make you start to look around you.  If you were me, would you feel 'set adrift' if close friends commiserated with you, but went on to continue their relationship with this 'buddy'.  Would you feel hurt to see them together?  Would you think that maybe they believed all the BS and doubted you? How would you feel?  If the shoe was on the other foot, I am the sort of friend that would tend to back away from the buddy for having been so cruel and unjust to my friend.  Probably gotten out my "Poison Keyboard" and made it worse.  But that's just me.  How deeply should the loyalties of friendship go?

I am quick to anger and quicker to hurt, which is a very bad combination, indeed.  I am also quick to trust, but I'm learning.  I need people in my life that I can feel good about and trust with anything and that I know I can count on.....always.  And I have that in my wonderful little family.  I am ever so blessed to have Terri & Mike and all of my wonderful grand-babies!  Without them, life is bursting with insecurities and uncertainty.  I DO have a lot of amazing friends out there, but I am learning that it is a rare, rare friendship that will ever be unblemished.  I am learning never to expect that of others.  It's just not the fair or right thing to do.  But my family????  They better toe the line!!  LMAO

Hot & Crispy

Wow.  It was 102 here yesterday and they are calling for 104 today. Ugh.....  That is just wrong! So, I shall light a candle and say a prayer for the man that invented Air Conditioning and stay inside and let my Bionic Hip heal, while the electric meter spins in a wild frenzy to keep me cooool............I think some knitting might be in order today.

Chuck rounded up a couple of strays young men in the neighborhood to help him get hay for "The Girls".  The guy we buy it from grows the most awesome weed free Bermuda and he was baling

yesterday, so Chuck headed over for a couple of loads.  208 bales of fresher than fresh, yummy hay for our babies.  They were sure happy last night to get that treat, since their pasture is all dry and depleted.  We need rain SOOOO bad!  It's been weeks upon weeks since we've had anything significant.  But what a miserable day to have to get the hay at 102 degrees!  With hay, it's all about the timing and ya can't take a chance and wait, so that hard working man of mine was hard at it yesterday!

Between the heat and the Japanese Beetles, my poor rose garden is looking pretty sad.  I do believe that Chuck finally got the Beetles under control and with plenty of watering, the roses finally seem to be making a come-back.  I'll be so glad when I am able to get out in the yard and take care of some of this stuff.  All of my flower beds and plants need a lot more TLC than poor Chuck is able to give them when he gets home at night.  Hopefully, it won't be long and I can get out and do more. {and hopefully, it will be cooler by then too, so this Yankee doesn't melt!}

Today is the half-way mark to being able to get back to doing some normal daily activities.  It's been 3 weeks today since my surgery and there are so many things that I can't do for "6 weeks".  My follow-up appt with the surgeon is the 28th and I can't wait!  The incision has healed 'nicely' and I'm finally able to leave it un-bandaged and I'm past the point of any risk for infection, so that's a plus.  They actually "glued" the incision, so I haven't had to deal with those nasty staples, like I did for my back (all 24 of them. yuck).  There has been so much improvement the past week or so, I am finally able to get a feel for how much better off I am going to be. I am feeling better in general, but also gaining in strength and stability each day.  The Physical Therapy is rather rigorous, but so very beneficial.  I have gone from my walker, to using only a cane and half the time, I walk off and forget that.  Chuck is paranoid that I'll fall and 'disrupt my ball joint" as he puts it.  LOL  Actually, as time goes by it IS getting harder to keep from doing the things I'm not supposed to do.  This last 3 weeks might be tougher than the 1st 3 weeks.  Still can't bend over (but I 'can') still cant get my leg past that 90 degree point, still can't sit in chairs too low, still can't 'twist & shout', but......Boy Howdy, can I walk!!  Not for miles and miles, yet, but a hellovalot further than I was able to!  Still can't drive, tho'.  Some surgeons say 2 weeks, mine is all about waiting 6 weeks.  I could understand that while I was dependent on Percocet to keep me pain free, but I'm down to Vicodin now and much less often.  Anyway, I'll be a good girl and wait for his okay, but I am sure antsy to DRIVE!!!!!!!!!!!  Places to go. Things to do. People to see.  Primarily......lunch with Victoria!!!!!

Well, me thinks I shall go check on some blogs, check in with FB and tend to my knitting!  See ya'.

NEW BLOG~I'VE MOVED!

It seems like a good time to make some changes and start a fresh new blog! Hopefully I will remain inspired to get back to my blogging and make a go of this! You can find me (Mama Monroe), here "Mama Monroe"

1st Official Post

Well, I've pretty much got the new place set up the way I want it, so I'll go ahead and write an entry!

I'll start by explaining the Title, "Mama Monroe".

As many of you already know, my daughter, Terri and eldest grand-daughter, Riley are both in Roller Derby. To be precise, they belong to Midnight Sun Roller Girlz.  Okay, so I had been hearing about this group and the girls joining for MONTHS and was totally caught up in the excitement expressed by both of them, that just kept growing in leaps and bounds!  I couldn't wait to get up there in April for my visit and see what this Roller Derby thing was all about.

Well, here's a little sample of what I found:

In this 1st shot, they are scrimmaging during practice.  Riley {aka Boom Dot Saint~her Derby name) is to the right and has a yellow star on her helmet.  In this scrimmage she is the Jammer and it's her job to get by the rest of the pack, twice.  Right in the middle, in blue, is Raggedy Andi.  She's watching for Boom Dot to come around so she can grab her hand and "whip" her forward faster, past the other skaters.

 The second one is a shot of one of the most amazing women I have ever had the pleasure to meet and befriend.  It's the great Camo-Cazi!!  Yay!!  Sadly, in this shot, she is being sent to the penalty box....which I'm sure now explains to you the expression on her face.  LOL

This is just a random shot of Boom Dot cruising the track.  She has learned and developed her skills so quickly and we are all so proud of her!  She is totally dedicated and extremely focused and oh, how I love to watch her!!

 And here is Riley.....I mean Boom Dot with Emily (aka Emma Lee The Strange and Maggie (aka Morbid Maggie).  They are all learning and all loving it! 

And here is my Terri aka (Marilyn Makeumoan Roe).  Sadly, she bit the dust and that is Camo coming to her rescue.  She found out later that she blew out her knee and actually had to have surgery on it whilst I was there, so no skating for her for awhile longer!

Okay, so now that you've had a glimpse and I have disclosed everyone's Derby names, I can go one to tell you about the name of my blog :).  I just loved it all so much and all the members of the team are so awesome and it was all just so exciting to witness, even if I couldn't participate.....well, one thing led to another and I was dubbed "Mama Monroe" (since Terri's name is a spoof on Marilyn Monroe and I'm her Mama...get it?? Thought so.  Figured I'd explain anyway.)  AND............the paperwork is in the process for me to become an official team member!  YES!!!!! Since I am unable to actually skate, I will be an NSO (Non-Skating Official) but that's not to say that I might not just get my butt on some skates one day!!  LMAO

So this new blog will have some fresh material involving some of my new interests.  Roller Derby, knitting and a new "lease on life" after finally having surgery that has resulted in me being well on the way to being ever so much more physically mobile than I have been in about 3 years!!  Things are looking up, I'm feeling good and it's all up-hill from here!  Weeeeeeeeeeeeee...............

New Blog

I've been faltering in the blogging arena for quite some time now and my good friend Terri, from Indiana, has talked me into starting 'fresh' to see if this helps get me back in the groove. I thought I'd start this AM with a short post, that will help me to get my template set up and then I'll write more later. I'll be sending invites out to my old and faithful blog buddies to let them know about my new spot in life and hope that there are still a few that are interested and/or blogging themselves!

Alaskan Adventure Post #1

Well, I've been here for a few days now and figured that I better take the time to update. We've been having a wonderful time together and I have much to report on.

I'll start with my trip up here and get that crap out of the way. My flight was a disaster from the very beginning! When I went to check in to leave Arkansas, I found out that my flight out was delayed. This was caused by the bad storms south of us causing an incoming flight delay and that was the particular flight that was to start me on my journey. Sooooo.......I spent over an hour {quite literally} while the gal at the American Airlines counter tried to reroute me and still get me to Alaska.

First, let me explain that I made this reservation in January. I spent hours finding the best flights, with the fewest stops and shortest layovers, while still managing to get into Fairbanks at a decent time for a change. (I was supposed to arrive at 4;15 in the afternoon, which is unheard of. I usually have to arrive and depart around the midnight hour). I also was attempting to stick with Alaska Airlines so that when I did have to change planes, it would be in the same concourse. And of course, I had my seats all selected. I prefer window seats as I don't have to be scrunched between 2 people. Well, all that careful planning got all shot to hell! I ended up with a 6 1/2 hour lay-over in Seattle and didn't get into Fairbanks until about 11:00 PM.

AND.....even tho' I had arranged for 'assistance' off the plane and from gate to gate.....it didn't happen. I have a serious beef with the American Airline personnel at the Chicago Airport and they WILL hear about it! I actually didn't have much better luck with Alaska Airlines in Seattle; got pissed off and took it upon myself to attempt to make my way to my next gate. It wasn't too horribly far, as airports go, and would have been a piece of cake for a person with no walking issues. I managed because, #1) I was pissed off!! #2) Sheer determination and stupidity. #3)There were lots of places to sit every few yards or so and I had lots of time.

All of my seats on this revised trip, were center seats and one was in the bulkhead row. To say I was uncomfortable the whole time is a gross understatement. My legs ached so badly on the last segment from Seattle to Fairbanks.....I just wanted to scream! No way to get comfortable or even have room to stretch my legs out. I was never so glad to get off a plane in my life!! The absolute best thing to happen was seeing Riley's face from the top of the stairs as she was watching for my familiar suitcases to appear, out of one eye and watching for me out of the other eye! We grabbed each other and it was just OMG!! I made it!!

In view of the discomfort of my trip up, I called today to see about upgrading my seats to 1st Class for the trip home. Well......good thing I did, cuz guess what?? My return reservation had been cancelled because I had never been checked in on the outgoing flight. I can just imagine arriving at the airport on May 28th and not being able to go home! But, I got it all squared away today, except for the 1st Class thing. I have to upgrade when I check in, if seats are available. I don't get that, but will make the best of it and hope there are seats available.

I think that's all for now. I have lots more to tell you and will update later today or tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Ready to FLY!

In 23 hours I will finally be boarding the plane for my month long visit to Terri & The kids! Yay! I'm nervous about the trip and how well I'll fair, but I did suck it up and made arrangements for a wheelchair to get me from the plane to my next gate and each segment of my flight.

As for my need for a wheelchair, I'll update you on my recent medical issues. My back surgeon finally sent me for X-Rays and finally looked at them and deemed my spinal fusion a total success. All had healed completely and properly and he doesn't feel that my leg pain/issues are connected to my back surgery at all. He has forwarded me to an Orthopedic specialist. Of course, the back surgeon's office screwed around for so long that I can't see the new DR until I get back from Alaska. So walking will continue to be a major issue for my entire visit, but we will all deal with it! AND! My GP, bless his heart, gave me some Vicodin to make the trip a little easier.

And so, I start all over with a new set of issues to deal with. sigh.....I swear that someone (or several someones) out there has a voodoo doll with my name on it and is busy sticking pins in it!!

I do still have some back pain but it all blends in with the leg issues and I often find myself wondering WTF I even had the surgery for to begin with! My GP feels that I had what is referred to as a "Failed Fusion" and that the surgeon (of course) wants me to think that his work was no less than perfect. We shall see, I guess. If the Orthopedic guy can't help me. or thinks I need more surgery, I will put that off as long as possible by going the Pain Management route. All speculation, at this point. I'll have to wait and see what June brings.

On top of all of that, my Cobra insurance ends July 31st and my Medicare won't start until the following March so in all reality, it may be another year before I can really accomplish much of anything. Lovely....just f&%$ing lovely!

Around here it has been raining for 40 days and 40 nights with much flooding of the area. Roads washed out, gigantic hail storms, tornados zipping around our heads, touching down NEAR us, but luckily not too close. And so, I shall leave the mess in Arkansas and go to 'break up' in Alaska, where there is much mud, many pot holes and melting of snow, layer by layer. The awakening of Spring in the Great Land is really lovely to behold. In a couple of weeks, it will be beautiful beyond measure.
But for me, the faces I see tomorrow afternoon will REALLY be what is beautiful beyond measure!!

I will sink into that welcoming home, full of love and comfort and enjoy and absorb every snippet of it! And there will be much celebrating while I am there! My birthday, Mother's Day, Terri's birthday and Riley's graduation!!! So much fun to be had! Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Fusion Anniversary

Well, Wednesday was the 1 year anniversary of my spinal fusion surgery. I went Thursday for my X-Rays and will see the DR next week. I spoke with his nurse Tuesday about some issues I've been having and they are of some concern, so I need to be checked out. I actually thought he needed to see me at then end of a year anyway, but she told me that he had 'released' me because my healing was so well progressed on my 6 month X-rays. I think I missed that, but I'm glad I called because my legs are giving me trouble that can, apparently, occur when a 3 or 4 level fusion is done. {Mine was a 4 level}

So anyway, I still have trouble walking. As a rule, on a daily basis, it just starts bothering me when I walk too far {which isn't far at all} or stand too long. My legs get achy and just don't want to 'go' and my lower back starts getting achy. Some days I can get a lot accomplished, other days, I just can't do it.

Personally, from my research, I have an idea it might be nerve damage. I'll just have to wait and see what he says next week and go from there. I have to learn to accept my limitations and make the best of what ever cards I've been dealt! But I'm not done looking for help, either.

Something just caught my eye, out of my front window, and I got looking and realized that it was my neighbors 2 cats running across the roof of their trailer house. How funny! I know how it sounds to have a squirrel playing around on the roof of our motorhome, so I can imagine the noise 2 big old cats make on their roof!

Gads. I've been blogging so irregularly and yet my head is always full of little tid bits I wanna blog about. I really should make notes, cuz I open up a page to write a new post and they all escape me. Doh! I wish I could be like our dear Poolie and have something fun and interesting to write about everyday.

I have been trying to remember to take my Nikon with me and get some pictures of various "Spring Things" around here, so I'll share some baby cows from down the road with you. They're so cute (and clean-lol)


A couple of babies.

*****************************************************************************

"Hey, Lady. Whatcha doin'?"

*****************************************************************************

"OMG! RUN!! She's got a camera!!!!!"

The Blessings of Life ♥

And this, my friends, is a collage of my greatest treasures. The true blessings of my life. Timmy♥Emily♥Xander♥Riley♥Terri♥Maggie♥

37 DAYS!!!!!!!!

It seems like I made my reservations eons ago, but it's down to 37 days until my trip to Alaska to visit my babies and see my Riley graduate!  Weeeeeeeeeee...........  The next month will go ever so fast!

I sure haven't been here for awhile and just when I was getting sorta regular about blogging.  Damn.  And I am ever so behind on reading blogs, as well.  I've got a lot of catching up to do. My excitement about signing up with WildBlue for satellite internet service was a big farce. Long story short, I spent most of the last month running on dial-up speeds and it would take forever just to leave a comment or 2 on FaceBook, so I didn't even bother trying to do much else. We are taking it in the shorts big time to get out of our contract {almost $300} but in the long run, we will actually save a lot more.  The phone company gave us a great deal for signing back up for DSL, so in the end it will all be good.

I spent much of that time going through my photos {of which there were like 4,900 plus}.  I sorted, organized, deleted and am down to about 3700.  Still need to go thru and delete a bunch more, but at least now they are all categorized in my Adobe Photoshop and it will be easier to do all the now.  I also got some old, old files cleaned out.  I mean really, just because I have room doesn't mean I have to keep every little thing!

Another sore subject.....Next week will be the 1 year 'anniversary' of my back surgery.  I am not even CLOSE to being where I thought I would be at this point.  The good news is that I am not in almost constant excruciating pain, as I was prior to the surgery.  The bad news is, I DO still have a lot of pain and the promises of being able to do things after 8-12 months had passed, was all just a dream.  Even tho I try to keep exercising, I can't get to the point where I can walk very far or for very long at all.....depending on what day it is, of course.  I sure as hell know there is no sense even attempting to ride Susie.  At this point, I am working as hard as I can and praying for the fortitude to just get my sorry butt through the airports so I can make this trip to Alaska!  Hopefully the electric carts will be in the vicinity when I need them, because NO.....I am way too obstinate to request a freaking wheel chair to transport me from gate to gate!  Nope.  Nada. No way.

The last year has been such an emotional and physical roller coaster.  There are some things, little things that actually continue to improve, but the fact of the matter is, I have been left with limitations that I never expected and I'm having a hard time accepting. Never in my wildest dreams, did I expect to be a 'crippled old lady' at 58!  And most days That is my worst struggle.  So I lapse into this funk of "why did this have to happen to me", for awhile.  Then I pull myself up and tell myself to just deal with the cards I've been dealt and make the best of it!  And I do...........for awhile......then I fall again.  Yeah, sometimes literally, because when I least expect it a leg will give out on me....but usually I fall figuratively, into the funk.  I know it could be worse.  Doesn't matter what anyone's situation is, it could always be worse. Some days it's just hard to see past my own current situation.  Selfish

I am praying that this month in Alaska with my sweet Terri and Mike and the kids will be just what I need to help turn me around.  I mean, the best part of this past year was when Riley and Timmy were here.  It was magical and I'm so anxious to soak up some more of that magic from ALL of them!! 

And that's it for this dreary entry.......yawn.....

Another Revolting Development

The world of computers can be SO complicated and confusing sometimes.  Why is it that some people just go thru their life never having to give their computer, or what they do on it, a second thought and yet it seems that I am always in a jam, of sorts?

A month ago, I was delighted to be changing over from DSL with my phone company to WildBlue Satellite Internet service.  It was a package deal with DirectTV and the end result is that we are saving $50 a month.  The part about replacing Dish Network with Direct has been awesome.  The thing with WildBlue??  Not so much. 

Now, trust me when I say, I research the living crap out of things before I make any changes or decisions or buy much of ANYthing.  So......yes, I read that WildBlue has limited bandwidth usage {due to fed regs regarding satellite usage..blah, blah} but I was getting the Pro Plan, which has the highest speeds and usage, so surely little ol me wasn't gonna come close to the limits and certainly not exceed them,  right??  Wrong!  Oh, I was so very wrong.  I hit my download limit in a week!  They gave me a one time courtesy reset back to 40%.  I watched my usage like a hawk and it mysteriously creeps back up daily.  As we speak, I am at 99% which means that before the day is over, I will be on "dial-up speed" until my usage drops. *Sigh*  A lot "should" drop off today, or tonight, or whenever.  It's on a 30 day roll over thingy.  At the end of your 1st 30 days, they take an average of your usage for the last 30 days and adjust your totals accordingly....every day.  So, 30 days ago today I downloaded {in my ignorant wisdom} 2,997,738 KB which is 2,927.47 MBs.  My limit for MB downloading is 17,000 MB {which I NOW know is freaking unbelievable!}so at some point, in the next 24 hours, my level will drop and free up some space. 

Most of that 3 GBs was from downloading a trial of PhotoShop Elements 9.  I was, at that time, totally ignorant of the 'rules'.  I download programs all the time.  No big deal, right?  Order a disc for 'just in case' and go on about my business.  Won't be doing that much anymore!  I love the new version of PS 9, tho' and can't wait until I have enough bandwidth so I can watch the tutorial videos....ahem.

The 1st thing I found that I can no longer use, is my beloved Carbonite for online backup.  I love Carbonite and it has been a God send on 3 or 4 occasions!  But, my last back up was 41 GBs.  SO....even tho my daily backups of whatever pictures and documents I might have would still be doable, there's no way I would ever be able to restore my backup!  Had to go buy an external hard drive for backing up everything and I don't trust those.  I had a defective one once and lost everything, which is when I switched to Carbonite.  And of course, I just paid my annual membership a couple months ago :(.

So I am now suffering from BSD {Bandwidth Stress Disorder}.  Not reading emails, not reading blogs (there are 233 unread blogs in my Google Reader....eeeep), not looking things up at random, not doing much of ANY thing!  I'm afraid that every little thing is going to put me over the edge! 

I guess I can't even watch the TV shows on my computer that I have recorded on our new DVR from Direct!  But I'm not SURE because I don't wanna waste the usage to research it!!  I know I could call, but I feel really stupid asking.  Not sure why.  I am thinking that since it is all tied together via my router, that it wouldn't actually be 'downloading'  and therefore not using any bandwidth, but if it counts as 'file sharing', then it will.  AGHHHHHHHHH. 

So, Chuck saves $50 a month and is pleased as hell with his TV and I am totally screwed with my computer!  And, no, I haven't told him about all this yet.  I'm pretty sure his head would explode if I tried to explain it and the explosion would be followed by a reprimand for not checking it out more carefully.  {Like I haven't beat myself up enough over it!}

Oh, yes.....one more thing.  Please DO beware of contracting BSD {Bandwidth Stress Disorder}.  It seems that it causes an unnatural craving for Skittles, which leads to a serious addiction.  It's BAD, people.  Very, very bad!!

Life is Too Short

A dear friend lost his brother in a tragic accident last Thursday.  He was cutting trees at their parents house, when one bounced back and pinned him under it.  Their 86 year old father stood helplessly by and watched his youngest son slowly die before the EMTs could get there.  Big brother arrived at the same time as the EMTs; they were all too late to help him.  He was non-responsive at that point and pronounced dead at the hospital.

He was only 52 years old.  Actually, he would have been 52 yesterday.  His family couldn't have his funeral on his birthday, so it is today.  After a couple of failed marriages, he finally met his perfect match about 6 years ago and they have been married about 5 years. Thankfully, his last few years were happy ones and spent with someone that he could enjoy a rich full life with.

My heart aches for my friend, to have lost his only sibling. Sadly, I have 1st hand experience. They were very close and involved in so many things together.  But even more, my heart aches for their parents.  To lose a child is the greatest pain and loss a person can experience.  To witness it and be helpless to do anything? Even worse.

It's a grave reminder that life is too short, and can be even shorter when least expected. 

And all I can do is pray for all of them.  How I wish I could do so much more...........

Holy Crap!

I can't believe it's been 2 weeks since my last bloggage! And I was doing so well, too, damn it all. I've certainly had a lot of stuff whirling around in my wee little brain to write about. And I've got a lot of new blogs to read, too, and haven't done that!

A couple of the highlights of the past 2 weeks have been a couple of snow storms, one of which we are in the midst of as I write; the switch over from Dish TV to Direct TV, which keeps getting postponed because of the weather; switching over from DSL with our phone company to WildBlue Satellite internet, which barely made installation between storms; my legs pretty much quit working for about a week.....let's see....what else. 3 people I know had babies.....awwwww. My cheap ass router that is 5 years old took a dump, so I got a NICE new one so that if we EVer get Direct TV set up (which will include a DVR...yes, I've been living in a DVR/TIVO-less world) I can watch stuff on my computer whilst HE watches reruns on the Western channel.

I guess the best part of all this stormy weather is that Hubby didn't work for several days and we both survived him wandering aimlessly around the house with his mouth running like a whippoorwill's ass in chokecherry season. There was a day, many years ago {seems like a life time ago} that I would have loved to have been snowed in with him! But....unless you live way out in the bush, Alaskans simply don't get snowed in! In fact the schools are out for weather only when it hits 40 below. The schools are still open, but your kids don't have to go. As for me, I would take Terri to school myself rather than take a chance on the bus breaking down at those temps. Anyway, Chuck has been to work the last couple of days and now he's home....doing that aimless thing again! AGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! Or he stands for {what seems like} hours, in front of my computer desk, staring out the window at the horses or whatever. I'm sorry, but it totally messes with my concentration when someone is hovering. How the hell can I write a blog or read anything?! I did just ask him if he was going to stand there all day and he got all huffy, put on his coat and boots and is outside shoveling! Hahahaha. Worked for awhile, as long as he isn't in a pissy mood when he comes back in. Then I'll be sorry I opened my big mouth!

Poolie wanted some pictures of Gus in the snow, so here are a couple I took of him and some others I snapped today of the snow.

CAN WE GO HOME NOW????

I have mentioned on previous posts that I have been working on Hubby's tax info. As background for some of you, he has his own small construction company. His original plan, when we came to Arkansas 7 1/2 years ago (eeep) was to start a construction company, build it up, sell it and we would return HOME to Alaska. At that time he figured it would take about 2 years. So, we packed up all his tools and equipment on his flat bed truck, loaded the motorhome and headed for Arkansas in August of 2003. {side note....Morg@n Stanley had lost most of our retirement funds for us and this was his "fix" for that)

He did really well, but things took a bit of a different turn than I expected. Anyways, after a year and a half of living in the motorhome I finally told him that he had to "shit or get off the pot". It was my hope that he would 'get off the pot' and we would just go home! But NoOoOoO.......He decided to take a dump! Told me to start looking for a house. The one time in allllll these years I stand up to him and it back fired!

After searching and searching and spending all my spare time driving around the country side looking at houses (wish I'd had my iPhone with the GPS then!)I finally found this one and it was perfect!Out of town, but not too far. 5 acres, with lots of room for the horses he has always wanted. And a nice, well built, well laid out home......so. Here we are. Sold our dream home in Alaska (that we planned and waited so many years to build....sigh) and bought this place. Am I happy? Not usually, but most days I try to make the best of it. I miss my Terri and the kids SOOOO much! And I miss Alaska and the unique and awesome lifestyle. And I miss my friends. {Don't even need to get into missing the 70 degree summers and how I hate 100 plus with dripping humidity} Don't get me wrong. Chuck misses Terri and the kids, too. A lot. Alaska, not so much (the dork), but he calls himself a "realist" and this is the way it has to be. What he thinks is the right thing for us. OK.

Anyway, Hubby is happy. Doing what he loves and he is very successful and has a great business and a terrific reputation. He's all hands on but has 2 people working full time and a couple of part timers come and go. We are surviving nicely, in these bad economic times and are VERY fortunate!

So, back to our tax info. I was totaling up everything and when I was done, I turned to him and said, "OMG! You grossed over $237,000. last year!!" He said, "Holy crap! That's almost a 1/4 of a million dollars!". I got up, walked over to him, put my arms around his neck, looked into his eyes and quietly asked........."can we go home now?". The SOB laughed. But only until I wapped him upside the head!

I tried. What can I say? Never hurts to ask.

I do have to say that he is pretty amazing. He is 70, going on 50, I'd say. High energy,{pain in the ass}, hard working,{superior attitude} ambitious,{BIG ego}, healthy, generous {show off}......we are very fortunate, indeed. Gotta take the bad with the good and just let it go.........LOL

But seriously. 1/4 of a million dollars! The 1st year {2004} he did about $89,000. I think. It's been growing ever since, but then so does the overhead. Hell, just his materials this year came to almost $100,000., sub-contractors were $80,000, payroll, equipment, maintenance, vehicles, hay and horse feed! There's no end to it! So, yes....while we are pretty comfortable, his gross is NOT what we live on! I wish!! I'd be flying to Alaska every month!!

We've had some rough times since coming here. Things that put a huge wedge between us, when for over 30 years we had what I thought was the "perfect relationship". Things that made me resent him.....that I may or may not be 'over'. My Mom died in a damn Assisted Living home before I could get her down here (if she could have even made the trip). He put me in a precarious situation that turned around and bit him squarely in the ass, but I'm the one that suffered for it. Went thru the whole I filed for divorce thing and survived that, but the aftermath has been rough. I think my surgery was a big turning point for us and although our relationship is very different than it was, it's pretty darn good right now! Guess that's a story for another day......maybe.

PURPLE HAIR

027
Originally uploaded by YankeeChick

There was some mention of purple hair over at K-Lo's blog today and a couple people seem to think "why would anyone want purple hair?" This is why! It's purty. And it's fun and I get compliments everyday! Probably because I have balls enough to do it, more than anything. Hahahaha

That's all..............just wanted to share my purple chunks :). Carry on!

BOONDOCK SAINTS DAY

Ahhhh.....the Boondock Saints! Where to start...

First, I will say right up front that some of you dear friends of mine will be appalled that I love these movies, these boys and what they are all about. There are serious guns involved and some very creative and down right delightful killings that go on in these movies. The MacManus Brothers are Irish Vigilantes and they kill incredibly vile and perverted and disgusting sinners, of the most horrendous kind!

My very own sweet little Irish Lass, Riley, introduced me to these movies while she was here this past summer. She had been telling me about them for AGES and couldn't wait to share them with me. One of the best things about getting together with my Riley is that we always stay up after everyone else has gone to bed, and she shares her favorite movies with me. We stay up into the wee hours eating chocolates and popcorn and chips, drinking coffee or Pepsi and Diet Vanilla Coke, curled up under a cozy afghan together sharing her beloved movies. She prepares me for the ultimate scenes, so that I don't blink and miss something! And she recites lines right along with the characters. I love it more than I can tell you! It has become our ritual and main plan of events in planning our visits with each other. The most amazing thing to me is that my 18 year old grand-daughter still considers me her best friend and likes to cuddle on the couch and watch movies and do fun stuff together. And we can also sit and drool over the same guys! Weeeeeeee!!!!

Okay, so back to Boondock Saints! Riley and Terri bestowed upon me the most awesome of Christmas gifts by sending me the movies. The Boondock Saints and Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day. And tonight I am going to officially introduce Chuck to these awesome movies! Riley and I watched each of them about 4 or 5 times, but I haven't seen enough. They are on my list of movies that I could watch over and over and over (along with all the Die Hard movies and Indian Jones, to mention a couple from my rather short list).

The movies are full of amazing music and I have put my favorite on my side bar, along with the "Prayer" they recite prior to shooting their victim. I love to have this playing when I am doing certain things at my computer and the best part is, it makes me feel like my Muffin Girl (Riley) is right here with me. The fun part is, Murphy LOVES it! When ever I play it, she comes running from where ever in the house she is; jumps up onto my computer desk and enjoys it with me. And well she should, since I named her for my favorite MacManus brother :)

This COULD lead me into how terribly I miss her....and Terri and Maggie, Emily, Timmy and Xander-Man. How my heart aches for them sometimes......most times. The light in my heart flickers so low, so often. It literally pains me to not be a daily part of their lives, as I once was. But things change. That is life. Shit happens, blah blah, yada, yada. I hate it.

BUT! Little things like the love of movies and music shared, fan the flicker into a flame and make it okay....for awhile.