Recovery is Sweet

We’ve beat the bug and are feeling human again. My husband and I still have an occasional cough, but are much better today.  I don’t know what the virus was, but for three days we were miserable.

Dick is now out cutting wood, and I just activated the replacement TracFones.   I did it online to avoid the process of trying to understand someone from India (see previous blog). They still aren’t working, but the message said it could take up to 72 hours.  I have a funny feeling about it, as if something isn’t right. I’ll wait and see and then call for assistance if I have to.

The nicest thing happened last night.  My daughter-in-law Patty stopped by and brought us chicken soup to make us feel better.  Just the thought made me feel better.  We are blessed, indeed, to have such a wonderful family.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those killed and injured at Fort Hood.  One of our church families has a daughter and son-in-law on the post.  He is a medic and was involved in the ambulance work. We pray that God will restore peace and safety to those who must live there.

 

Comparisons

Yesterday was  beautiful, a fall jewel.  We get so few, so I decided to get out and enjoy it, even though I had just worked 9 hours night shift, and felt like a zombie.  The only drawback was the wind, strong and chilly.  I double layered everything, looking a bit like my Thanksgiving turkey, plump and overstuffed.

I took the Mule all over the farm and adjoining trails.  The sky was an amazing blue, like the light on my Dish receiver.  Now that’s a nice blue.  White, fluffy clouds floated randomly from horizon to horizon, like whipped cream on hot chocolate.

On one trail, sided by a hill covered with oaks of all sizes, I was in a wind tunnel with leaves swirling in every direction. I had such a wonderful time, just like a child on a carnaval ride.

I gathered a few small pinecones to use with the larger ones I have already gathered.  When I find something of nature to take home, it’s like finding a treasure.  Once, in that same area I found an old ink bottle sticking out of a dirt bank.  It is sitting here on my computer desk.  There are probably other free gifts just waiting for me to find.

It’s in the 20’s this morning, and the sky is as gray as a battleship.  My husband went to work, even though he is not feeling very well, because there is no one to replace him.  I made him promise to come home if he gets worse.  Last night he had a temp of 102 and a congested cough. I keep wiping everything off, trying to kill any virus, waiting like a devilish imp to jump on me.  A slight tickle in my throat, suggests  I may have already been invaded. I hope it is my imagination.

Difficult Connections

Have you ever had one of those days that starts out gloriously and then spirals downward rapidly? This was one of those days.  Of course, I am exaggerating because not everything was rotten…just several hours. 

Now,  I will start at the beginning.  I purchased two TracFones for my husband and myself and then purchased two 1 year cards with lots of minutes.  This was going to save me loads of money on my cell phone, which is only kept in the car for emergencies.  My first mistake was canceling my cell phone before activating my new phones.  The second mistake was opening the packages.

My biggest mistake, though, was not being informed.  Did you know some TracFones don’t work in certain areas?  Well, I live in an area where my new phone is worthless.  When I tried to activate it via two rusty tin cans connected by an unraveling string of yarn from here to India, I started down the yellow brick road without even a brainless scarecrow to help me. 

If I understood the faint, mumbling, highly-accented voice on the other tin can, I am supposed to receive two replacement phones in 7 to 10 days. These phones are supposed to work with my zip code. 

My voice is weak from screeching things like, “What do you mean it won’t work?” and “Why do they sell them here if I can’t use it?” and “Please speak up, I can’t hear you!”  and “Repeat that!” and “Repeat that again!” and “What’s that number for?” 

And I’m sure my hair is falling out at an increased rate, following the burst of hormones that accompanied my difficult conversation.   TracFone will owe me a wig if this keeps up. 

My husband and my son Aaron reassured me everything would be all right.  They were probably alarmed by my bulging eyes and weakened condition.  Aaron explained he had once talked via rusty tin cans to India about his XBox and totally understood my frustration.

Well, that’s my story, and I can laugh now.  My hormone level has returned to normal and Glenn Beck is on reminding me there are more important things going on. 

Here’s the best part:  My husband said if the replacement phones don’t work, HE WILL CAll.   I just smiled and nodded.  Inwardly, I decided I am going to sell tickets if such an event occurs.  He is not a patient man, and the tin cans will definitely set him off.

 

God’s 911

It has been a busy 10 days around here.  Last week we were preparing for our annual party on Saturday.  Then, on Sunday my children gave me a wonderful 60th birthday party.  After I worked a nine hour shift Monday night, and with three hours of sleep, our family singing group had a practice session on Tuesday.  On Wednesday, our son Aaron had an interview for a job that he really would like to have, and my son Pete got the call he had been waiting for that offered him a new job. Tuesday night was bad for our grandson Noah and his parents because he had the croup.  If you know anything about the croup, you will understand what a terrible night they had.  I just talked to Christopher and they had a better night last night after the Dr. prescribed a steroid yesterday.

You can be sure the prayers have been flowing like a river heavenward around here.  With six married children and fourteen grandchildren, there are many things to be thankful for and many needs that only God can handle. Ps. 91 has been my 911 for a long time. It comforts me and reminds me to trust in Him daily. When I am weak, He is strong.

Six Decades: How Time Flies

I had a wonderful day today!  It was my birthday, but that isn’t what made it special.  Two of my sons, Aaron and Dick, were here to help prepare our annual spook trail, which we’ve been doing for at least 25 years. 

The weather was glorious, warm and sunny.  This day was like so many other long-ago days… except my sons are now married men instead of little boys.  But for just a few hours they once again belonged to me.

My husband bought me a 2004 Kawasaki Mule for my birthday, and the boys and I rode it around today, doing our spooky business.   They both took great pleasure in getting me to drive it up and down a hill that took 4-wheel drive…something I would not have done on my own.

My three-year-old grandson, Isaac, left me a sweet, telephone message this evening.  He sang Happy Birthday, which was a nice surprise, since he is usually stingy with his singing when it comes to Grammy. 

Well, I’ve made it to 60, and along the way, each decade has increased in speed.  It took forever to get to 10 and almost forever to get to 20, but from then on, the years have flown by.  I wish I would have kept my children in cages in the basement!

Frost and Catching Leaves

The first heavy frost covered everything with white last night.  Now the trees are dripping leaves like rain, and the black walnut is already bare. The huge maple tree is  almost half stripped of leaves, and it is still morning. It was 20 degrees when I got up, but the sun is pushing up the temperatures pretty quickly.  We’re supposed to make it into the 50’s today. 

When the kids were little, we would have stopped everything to go out and catch as many leaves as we could before they hit the ground.  If it hadn’t been so cold, I would have done that myself today. 

There is a great commercial out (but I don’t remember what it was advertising) that wonderfully illustrates how fast our children grow up. A teen girl is begging her father for the car keys, but he only sees her as a little girl.  When he asks his son (whom he sees as a little boy) where he is going,  the son replies, “I’m going to work.”

I would like all of my children to come home today so we can catch leaves and work on the spook trail.  They shouldn’t be working, paying mortgages, making car payments, and running children around. They were just kids yesterday.

Rise and Shine

We grownups sometimes take for granted that children understand our quips and comments.  Recently, my daughter Autumn awakened my ten-year-old granddaughter Madison by saying,  “Rise and Shine!”  Madison replied, “I’ll rise, but why do I have to shine?”  Autumm couldn’t help but laugh, even though it was early in the morning.

When Madison was about 4 or 5 and impatiently whined for something, her mother always told her, “Be patient, ” or  “Have patience.”  One day I asked Madison if she knew what patience was.  She replied, “It’s when you go to the doctor’s office.”  No wonder Autumn’s admonitions never seemed to work.

Words are important, and the meaning of words are important.  It’s essential to be on the same page when something that can change our country and our lives forever is being discussed.  Politicians (particularly career politicians) are experts at changing the meaning of words or renaming something to disguise its true nature.  You can call a skunk a pussycat from here to eternity, but it still stinks.

A Dark, Windy, Fall Day…Yuck!

What a day!  The wind is howling and the sky has been black.  So far, fall has been a real disappointment.  I’m glad we cancelled our corn maze and hayrides this year.  Our tent would be on the moon by now.

My son Aaron called and said a maple tree blew down along the road by his house.  That same tree was  struck by lightning several years ago and was hacked nearly in half by the township workers this summer.  Now it has suffered it’s final assault.  Some trees are just doomed, I guess. 

The wind is definitely playing havock today. My sunflowers are hanging on for dear life, but by evening, I expect them to be permanently pointing eastward. The greenhouse is being stripped and is standing out there like a naked skeleton.

I’m hoping there are still some, beautiful Autumn days on the calendar, with October blue skies and paintbox leaves.

Olympic Weigh-In

Sorry! Couldn’t care less!  The Olympics, like the dinosaurs, should be extinct.  Its time has come and gone.  Wasting billions of dollars and human resourses on something that could be handled with the world competitions already in place is nonsense to those of us in the real world. 

The push is on to bring the ancient artifact to Chicago, and we’ll have the answer in just a few hours. My mind envisions a whirlwind of money encircling a giant drain connected to suspicious organizations with tangled connections. 

Mrs. Obama’s nostalgic speech of Olympic memories about sitting on her father’s lap is just that…a lovely memory.  Times have changed. Isn’t her husband the leader of change.  Whoops!  I forgot. They only want to change the foundation of our country and our traditional values.

It’s been a long time since I’ve done any acrobatic stunts, but if Chicago gets the vote, I will take a tumbling fit across the lawn.

The Avon Lady’s Reminder

I was talking with my Avon lady today about regrets.  We were discussing camcorders, and I confessed that I never get mine out anymore and will someday regret it.  She also admitted that she had some of her own regrets…like not sitting on the porch with her husband when he asked her to join him.  She said he suffers with an incurable type of cancer, and those moments should be precious, but busy-ness sometimes gets in the way.

Isn’t that just the way it is?  The older I get, the more ‘wish I had done that’ thoughts come into my mind.

Today I am washing clothes and bedding for my sister, who just a week ago, was fifteen minutes from death.  Finally, the news is hopeful, and she is in physical rehab and, hopefully, she will be able to return to her home. As I fold her clothing I think of her and thank God for giving her more time with us.  I’m glad we customarily have told each other, “I love you.”  I want no regrets when her time comes.

I think I’ll dig out my camcorder and charge up the battery.  So many wonderful moments have slipped by.  Sure, I have them in my memory, but wouldn’t it be nice to play them over and over again and leave them for the next generations.

Thank you, Avon Lady, for the reminder.