"Oops" Day

As mentioned in my previous post, I finally got Ryan's shoes dry enough to get the sand out of them with a toothbrush. Today, I tackled his socks. Got all of the sand off the outside...then decided to turn them inside out just in case. Oops! More sand!

Went to the local supermarket to pick up a few things. Got to the checkout lane and had everything up on the belt when I went to get my debit card out of my wallet. Oops! Left it at home after the Schwan Man came. Back home to get it, then back to the market. Sheesh.

Pulled in the drive. Neighbor Fred yelled across the street, "Is that your grandson's basketball under that car over there?" Oops! The basketball had been at the corner of the house since February, but apparently today's wind put it on the move. Fred helped me get it retrieved. It's INSIDE the house now.

Back at the supermarket. Was buying a bottle of wine when the cashier asked to see my ID. Oops! What's up with that?? Apparently Indiana is changing its rules and is going to card everyone who looks younger than 50. The cashier was a trainee. I WISH I looked younger than 50, but she was just doing her job, I guess.

In the back yard, was on my hands and knees pulling up moss. Oops! I need grass seed NOW in order to start the overseeding process while the ground is still roughed up and moist. Off to the hardware store for grass seed.

Decided to figure out WHY my living room TV wasn't working. It would come on, but no picture. Oops! Even though I always press the "All On" and "All Off" button, apparently the digital box was out of sync with the TV and wasn't coming on when I pressed the button. It does now!

I got a call from my daughter this afternoon. "Who is Cesar Chavez? And why are county offices closed because of him? We don't have Cesar Chavez Day in Indiana!" Oops! Guess that comes with living in California. She was trying to turn in documents to the Social Security Administration because of her new name. Oops! Maybe next time!

Got some laundry done and some yard work done, but it is never enough. My next big house project (beside the obvious necessary cleaning) will be to get a new storm door put on the back door. I miss being able to have the door open for a breeze! We may break temperature records tomorrow. Supposed to get to just over 80 degrees. No "oops" there!

Adjusting

On Sunday, my choice, I did NOTHING.
On Monday, my choice, I didn't do much. I did go out for a late lunch/early supper with friends, and finally unpacked the suitcases, but accomplished little. I snoozed a bit. Still trying to catch up on sleep from the week on California time.

Today...let's see...I sorted laundry (but didn't do it). I finally got Ryan's shoes dry enough to de-sand them. I have a list going for the weekend of fun and games of the children's baptisms and Robin's First Communion.

Since the sacrament services aren't taking place until LATE on Saturday, I have reserved a motel room in Muncie so I can be there for the service AND the Easter dinner/Sacrament party the next day. I have a list going of things to take up. Packing for a road trip is a whole lot different than packing for a flight!

The weather is beautiful today. I need to shift gears and get active enough to get some things done in the house and yard. The wet weather we had last summer/fall/winter has caused a lot of moss to take over my yard. Need to do something about all of that! I'm slow to get moving, ya know?

Already beginning to plan the children's next trips to California. Meg and I are negotiating. We'll see how things transpire...

Ciao!

Home to the House-on-a-Slab

Thanks be to God, the children and I arrived safely at Indy International a few minutes earlier than scheduled. Their father and stepmom were at the cell phone lot waiting for us. As soon as our bags came in, we called and they were there to pick us up just a few minutes later. Back home again in Indiana! When we got back to my house and transferred things, they drove off and left me to my lonely little existance. At this point, I don't mind.

Thursday was Megan's 31st birthday. Robin was so excited! They had mailed a homemade pinata complete with candies, etc. We couldn't find a way to hang it, so we decided to drag it on the ground with someone in control of the dragging so that the blindfolded person couldn't get it. Didn't last long. In short order, the box was opened and we adjourned to the apartment. We had made a cake. Megan got some cash and some needed things for the apartment. It was all good.

On Friday, we drive 2.5 hours to Pfeiffer Beach at Big Sur for the wedding. What an absolutely gorgeous location! Everyone looked lovely and dedicated. The children, of course, only wanted to play at the ocean! We retired to the Lodge at Big Sur...had good food and a nice wedding cake presentation.

After we got back to Meg and Denis's apartment, Denis found a time to call his parents on Skype when they were just getting up...an 11-hour differential. They don't speak English and we (obviously) don't speak Russian, but with his translation, the children and I met Denis's parents. The world becomes smaller and smaller! They seemed delighted to meet the children and me. Mama Luda will be arriving in May for a month-long visit. It should be interesting...

I never did manage to adjust to the time differential. So now, I am ready for bed, big time!

Yesterday

We spent a chunk of yesterday shopping. Needed to get presents for Megan's birthday and for her marriage to Denis. When finished with that, the kids went swimming in the pool. (Ya know, I didn't think it was warm enough to do that, but there were other people in the pool...and no one seems to notice that it's not all that hot out. Of course, there was the hot tub...)

With kids comes clutter. The children have received presents all week that consist of things to do and play with--most of which will have to stay here for their next visit this summer. Thus, there have been pieces and parts all over the apartment (which is small to begin with)...and with clutter comes irritation. Megan was crabby last night, but she did manage to do my income taxes for me. (Thank you, Meg!)

Today is my daughter's 31st birthday. The night she was born, it was snowing in our part of Illinois, with at least an inch on the ground and more coming down for our hurried trip to the hospital. When we got there, I was ready to deliver. Huh??? I thought first births were supposed to take hours and hours! She arrived four weeks before the doctors had told me she was due...and she's been impatient ever since!

Lots to do today. The wedding is tomorrow...and then we depart very early for the San Jose airport on Saturday for our trip home. I will have a couple of very tired grandchildren, but they have had a great time!

California, Here We Are!

This is the first chance I have had to sit down and see if I could post on the blog since arriving in sunny California. It is still early here. The troops are all still asleep...except for me, of course.

We arrived on time and without a hitch on Sunday. (Well, there was a tiny hitch in Indy where the curbside computer said we didn't have flight reservations, but that was resolved INside, thankfully.) The flights (Indy to Minneapolis and Minneapolis to San Jose) were smooth, and the children were good as gold. I called Megan from the plane as soon as we were on the ground. She and Denis were almost to the baggage claim area where they were to meet us. The kids were happy as little clams to see their mother and soon-to-be stepfather. Robin curled up on Megan's lap on a bench and cried as we were waiting for the bags to come. I lost it....had to leave the company to go dab my eyes. I don't think anyone has any idea how all of this has affected the child, but all was well thereafter.

Megan and Denis's apartment is nice but really small. We had it trashed in no time!

Everything is beautiful and in bloom here....gorgeous flowers everywhere. We hadn't been in the apartment for ten minutes before the children wanted to go swimming in the pool...so we did that. Denis swam with them; I watched; Meg went back to the apartment to finish the dinner she was preparing. The children's Aunt Rhoda (their father's sister) was coming to visit. She is such a delightful person! She arrived; we had dinner; then Denis went to the commons area and hid plastic eggs--so the children had an early Easter egg hunt. It was a really pretty day!

After Rhoda departed, Ryan and Denis stayed at the apartment to play video games while Meg, Robin, and I went across the street to a park/pond area and fed some greedy ducks, a few Canada geese, and a lone Muscovy duck with a disability. By then, it was getting dark, and the children and I had been up for MANY hours. Everyone got in their jammies to watch a movie--except for Grandma who got in her jammies and fell asleep!

Monday, we packed a picnic lunch. After dropping Denis off at work, we drove to a spot in the mountains to eat our lunch, then went to Big Basin State Park to see some redwood trees. I lived in southern California as a kid, but the redwoods don't grow down there...so I'd never seen the big trees. Oh, my! They are HUGE, majestic, and certainly something to behold! Many of them are hollowed from fires--but still standing. We walked the Redwood Trail and enjoyed the day, then drove along the Pacific Coast Highway and stopped at a beach. It was WINDY and quite cool, although the sun was shining. The children picked up "treasures"--one of which had to be thrown out because it was unidentifiable and rotting. Back on the road, we stopped at Pigeon Point Lighthouse to take some pictures, then headed back to Sunnyvale via Half Moon Bay. We saw deer, birds, and unbelievable flowers. I had quite forgotten how ruggedly beautiful the coast is... By the time we got back and collected Denis from work, it had already been a very busy day. The boys played video games, then Megan loaded our pictures of the last two days onto the television from her computer. We had some good laughs at the pictures, then gratefully conked out for the night.

Yesterday was another heavenly day with sun and temps. Denis had to be at work a little early and would be a long day for him. The rest of us drove to San Francisco. Our first destination was the Golden Gate Bridge (and gift shop, of course). Then we headed to Fisherman's Wharf--or rather, Pier 39. SF certainly is an interesting city for us flat-landers to visit. Parking one's car on the hills becomes a routine of "curbing" the wheels, parking in gear, and using the emergency brake. I still have to wonder how many cars run off in that city!

At Pier 39, we observed sea lions sunning themselves on some abandoned docks, ate lunch at Bubba Gump's Shrimp Company, took a boat ride past Alcatraz and under the Golden Gate Bridge. The kids rode a carousel. We walked around looking at all of the sights and sounds, then started back for Sunnyvale. Meg had only been to SF twice. I was quite impressed with her ability to get us around without really knowing where she was going. The GPS helped a little, I guess, but we didn't always do what "Linda" told us to do. When we got back to the apartment, it was 7:00 PM PDT (which would be 10:00 PM EDT, which is the time my body is on) and we were tired. Still, we have had very little by way of bad behavior on the kids' part.

Today, we have a list of things to do, but none of them entail traveling. We are just going to relax and enjoy the day! It is overcast this morning. Can't see the Santa Cruz Mountains because of that. Maybe the sun will peek out later? I hope so. The kids want to swim...

We are having a great time!

What Was I Thinking??

Left for Muncie just before noon today to pick up the grandchildren. Everyone was outside talking to a neighbor. The kids saw my car coming so got their little bags, got in the car, and waited there for me. No fancy good-byes. No hanging back to show me things. Just "What took you so long to get here?" I don't think I was there fifteen minutes before we were back on the road for Plainfield...and once we hit the driveway, Ryan didn't even come in the house. He went immediately to JACK'S (the neighbor boy). I let him go. Figured it would give me a little time to keep packing. Well! An hour later, he came in covered in mud--pants, shirt, shoes (Crocs), and socks. I found him something dry and sent him back out with an admonition to stay out of the mud. (I'm not sure where they found mud, anyway?) After a bit, Robin also came in with some mud. Ugh!

Grandma Judy came over with a top that she had purchased for Robin, wanting her to try it on. Ryan also had to try on some pants that we'd bought--way too big. Off Judy went to exchange one pair while I fed the kids. After she came back and left again, we headed to Walmart to exchange the other pair, as well as pick up some other things that were needed. (Like black socks. I had at least three pairs of black socks for Ryan here, but they apparently have gravitated to Muncie and never come back.) By the time we got back, it was already getting late. I fed them dessert and sent them off to get pajamas on...but there was Ryan eating a packet of blue powder candy that you eat with a stick. You know...the kind that turns your tongue blue? (And, if you are Ryan, your chin and nose, too.) I wasn't able to get all of that off him. Maybe it will wear off by morning?

Honestly, the kids came to me clean. I thought they'd stay that way between this afternoon and tomorrow morning. What was I thinking????

Everything is packed except the outfits we are wearing tomorrow and our cosmetic items. The Nintendo DSs are on charge. The muddy clothes have been washed and dried. The one houseplant has been watered. The police and the neighbors have all been alerted to watch the house while we're gone. The E-tickets are in my purse, as are the kids' IDs...and mine. Kids, unfortunately, aren't asleep yet...but everyone is down (which I should be, too). The wee hours of the morning will come soon!

Wish us luck. I will write on the blog IF it will let me. Sometimes it doesn't recognize a different computer and won't allow me on. See ya!

Panic Mode

So...today is the last non-kid day that I had in order to get ready for the trip.
Money? Check.
Greeting cards? Check.
Clothing? Mostly check.
Snacks, activities, paperwork? Check...or mostly, until tomorrow when I pick up the children.
If things don't go right, it won't be because I didn't plan properly! All I need now is God's grace and lots of mercy!

I will leave in the AM to retrieve the children for the trip. Things will get dicey after that. I need to be doing more RIGHT NOW, rather than writing on my blog!

Please pray for me and the grandchildren. I know, I know...it's safer in the air than on the ground, but I still worry. I want to come and go safely, but I also want the children to have a great time with their mommy. They haven't seen her since just before Christmas. I can't imagine...

Uh...

After having recovered from my intestinal problem--medicine induced--from the day before, I spent St. Patrick's Day with a friend who took me out to lunch at my favorite restaurant for a belated birthday. I feel bad about that. He is unemployed and had no prospects, but I respect his willingness to treat me!! What did I eat? Corned beef and cabbage, of course!

I have been going nuts getting things ready to pack for the trip to California. Never knew I was such a control freak. I have stacks of thing to pack: Robin's clothes, Ryan's clothes, my clothes...checked baggage. Then there is the stuff that will keep them occupied in carry-on. I'm still trying to figure out the cell phone. I have 24 hours to figure it all out!

I will travel to Muncie on Saturday early afternoon to pick up my babies. We'll go from there. I expect to come home exhausted. Wish me luck!

Peg

What Next??

A few weeks ago, I developed toothaches in broken teeth on BOTH sides of my mouth. Had a puffy cheek, so the dentist prescibed Amoxicillin, then made an appointment for me to have the teeth pulled. Done...or so I thought.

Then, because of the antibiotic, I developed a yeast infection. More medicine. Got better, but it took a week.

THEN, yesterday morning, I woke up at 5:00 AM with my right eye so irritated and red that it hurt both open and closed. The eyelids were puffy and red. The eye watered like crazy and hurt even more. How was I going to function?? Off to the Immediate Care place down the road. The doctor checked for eyeball scratches with dye, but none were seen, so he diagnosed blepharitis. More medicine. Antibiotic eyedrops. The bottle holds 3 ml--that's TINY, boys and girls--$25! By the end of yesterday, the eyeball looked normal, even if the lids were still a little puffy. (Today, you can't tell that I had a problem at all.)

Went to bed last night, as usual. Along about 3:30 AM, I was up with a bout of severe diarrhea. Between 3:30 and 5:00, I had made at least six trips to the "porcelain god" but had to take a tub with me because I ended up throwing up, too. Ugh! This is the second time in recent weeks that this has happened, and there have been a couple of other times that I've just had the diarrhea. I'm convinced it is my cholesterol medicine that causes this because I take it at bedtime, and the attacks take place in the middle of the night. I never have a fever, and the effects don't last into the next day. (Although today, I postponed a lunch "date" with a friend of mine because I was feeling a weak and dehydrated.) I stayed up until 11:00ish, then went back to bed for a snooze and slept until 1:00 PM. That kind of kicked the slats out of the last two days when I needed to be busy getting ready for my trip!

So now I'm wondering "What next?" I'm just about ready for anything!

I am doing some last minute shopping for the trip. There are some things from the house that are going with us, plus things for the children to do/eat on the plane(s). Megan is worried that the kids will be bored. I maintain that it will work out. So much to think about! This is a sort-of shoestring budget wedding. No one will attend except the children and me, but it should still be made somewhat special. Megan will have a beachy-pretty wedding dress and something in her hair. She will carry flowers. She has ordered a small cake which we can carry in to the Big Sur Lodge where we will eat after the noon ceremony on the beach. (Please pray for good weather! If it is raining, we will be under umbrellas!) The photographer will be Grandma Peggy using Megan's fancy new digital camera. Wish me luck!

I'm not used to Daylight Savings Time, yet. My body is still operating on the old time. Then I'll have to adjust to Pacific Daylight time...then back to Eastern Daylight Time again. Help!

Radio and Church and Other Good Stuff

Although I was to be the net control station for the SAROF net on Saturday morning, band conditions on 20 meters were bad. I could only hear ONE station. There was someone on the frequency taking check-ins, so I acquiesced to let him run the net. Not my plan...but what could I do? Then I changed bands for the 40 meter nets. What a difference! I could hear everyone! I didn't run the nets, but I could at least be there (for the first time in years) to check in and talk. I got my feet re-wet on HF, so next time will be better.

By the time the nets were over, I had been sitting in my chair from 9:00-noon. By that time, as usual, I had lost my momentum to do things. I hate when that happens! I think the day-long rain had something to do with it...

Saturday evening, I drove to Monrovia (where I used to teach) to watch the spring play. I always intend to go to those things but usually talk myself out of it. This time, because I told some of my former students on Facebook that I would be there, I had to appear. I knew everyone in the cast, so it wasn't like I was going to watch strangers perform! The minute I got there, someone stuck his/her head out of a side curtain (which is a no-no) and yelled, "Ms. McNary, come back here!" I did as I was bidden, and there was the whole cast waiting for me! I felt like an absolute celebrity! I got hugs, admonished them not to embarrass their director by throwing things in that weren't rehearsed (which is typical for a final performance), and told them to break a leg. The rest was up to them. The show was cute. They made me proud!

After I got home, I hunkered down at the computer...and before too long, I realized that I needed to change the clocks for DST. Ack! Suddenly, it was late! Went to bed. Got up in the dark this morning--thanks to Daylight Savings Time--and got ready for church.

Attending church and Sunday school has been a HUGE part of the healing process for me in an effort to climb out of the horrible abyss that I have been in since August. Little by little, I am getting better. Don't know if I will ever be "normal" again, but I have worked very hard to get at least this far.

Will be stepping up trip preparations this week. It will go fast. Please pray for good weather, no geese, no terrorists, sober and experienced pilots, and functioning aircraft!

Housework Day

I slept in a little bit today because I was up late last night. Hey...8:00 AM is late for me!

No sun today. Just clouds and rain later in the day. I stayed in and worked on the house. Understand that the kitchen table had become a receptacle for things from the patio that I wanted to keep, so I found places for those. Cleaned off other kitchen surfaces. Did a load of dishes in the 'shwasher. Folded one load of laundry and washed three more. Started piles of things that I want to pack for the trip. That kind of thing...

One Friday night per month, my church has a thing called Snack 'n Craft. It's sort of a ladies night out for those that want to get out of the house and work on their craft projects. They used to provide babysitting, but Megan and I were the only ones who ever needed it. When Meg and Nathan moved to Muncie, Meg didn't attend at all...then when Meg and the children all moved here, Meg was never available because she was usually driving the children to Muncie to visit their father for the weekends. ANYWAY, I used to go with a stack of papers to grade. (There was room to spread out and dedicated time to work on them.) Tonight, I decided to go in order to do some mending that was mounting up. I took two boxes of thread organizers with me along with two sewing materials boxes. After I got the mending done, I spent my time cleaning and organizing the boxes...something that has needed to be done for years. Why? I haven't done much sewing for centuries...but I couldn't have found anything even if I wanted to! Now, I can.
It also gave me a chance to visit with a couple of ladies from the church. Good people.

And now it's time to hit the hay. Have to be alert for the SAROF net tomorrow since I am the new national NCO. God help me!

Again

Didn't accomplish much today, but I did go back out shopping for clothes for me. This time, I just focused on casual things, and once again, I was devastated at how bad I look in things. It's quite obvious to me that I have been wearing clothing that hides my body...and also quite obvious that I have been looking at myself with rose-colored glasses! I mean, I am still 25 pounds down from what I was two years ago, but it's not enough. So...I did buy a top which will become a pool coverup and two undergarments (buy two, get one free). Still have a few bucks left on my gift certificate. I'll go back again until I can get it all spent. I have been trying to eat more fat-free and low-cal, but it's time to get serious!

I've been watching shows on the Discovery Channel about 9/11 and the Christmas Day attempted plane hijacking. Am I nuts?? I should NOT be watching this right now!

Starting tomorrow, I will step up my to-do list requirements. Guess my Social Security came through yesterday. I can never be entirely sure when it will show up. Some months, it is closer to the 15th. This time, it showed up on the 10th. Hey...I'm not complaining! Now I'll have the $$ to get a few more things before I got to CA.

It's late for me to be up. Nightie!

Who'd A-Thunk It?

Based on my posts of just a couple of weeks ago, who would guess that it would be in the 70s today and sunny? I didn't do too much on the patio today because the garbage cans are full, but a friend came over and took off the storm door to the patio. It's a house "original"...ugly as sin, and a little broken. After spring break, I will scrape up the $$ to replace it. Long needed!

What an absolutely gorgeous day! I have the windows open in my bedroom for the first time ever. Can hear the robins arguing outside, and I love it!

Have to step up my efforts to get ready for the spring break trip. It's a tall order. So much to do that I've had to make a list. Also have to go shopping for clothes for me. (Thank you, Megan!) I look forward to being in California for the first time since 1974, but I'm a nervous flyer. Hope the weather continues to cooperate, both here and there. I will have the grandchildren with me. Please, God...get us there and back safely!

If You Have to Spill Paint...

...spill it on old dirty concrete. Last fall, I knocked over a can of latex paint on the patio near the back door. The lid wasn't on tight, so it spilled all over the concrete. I did nothing to clean it up then, deciding to wait until it dried so I wouldn't end up smearing it all over. Today, I started peeling. Most of it came right up! I'll still have a little work to do to get it 100% up, but it's a start. (My next step is to use a hair dryer to soften the remains up a bit.)

"It's a start" is my motto right now. Faced with an absolutely gorgeous pre-spring day today, I went out to continue my efforts to clean up the patio. The first thing that I did was go out to buy an outside broom. (The last one gave up the ghost last fall.) Thereafter, I just worked on one little spot at a time. I cleaned out the flower pots, swept up the leaves/trash, discarded stuff that had been ruined by two years of exposure to weather, and got rid of junk that had outlived its usefulness. I tried to take off the patio storm door which is probably a house "original" and will be replaced this season, but that will have to take stronger hands than mine. Strangers would probably be appalled at how messy the patio still is, but **I** can see a big difference today. It's a start.

I should/could be working on the INSIDE of the house or getting ready for the California trip, but I had to take advantage of the dry, sunny day to feel better about my previous source of relaxation...the patio. It's supposed to rain for the next few days, in spite of warmer temps, so I probably won't get to work out there again for awhile. I'm getting an earlier start than usual because there is so much more to do than usual! All tolled, I think the patio is one-fourth cleaned up. I will keep working as weather (and garbage pick-up) permits.

The plan for tomorrow is to shop for things for ME for the trip. I got the bills paid last night, finally. There is always too much month left at the end of the money, but I have been spending more this month than normal. I hope God gives me enough time to FINALLY organize my household and enjoy what's left of life in a good way. Pleeeeeeasse??

The Sabbath

When I left for church this morning, there was frost on the windshield and it was cold. When I came out after Sunday school, the sun was shining and it was warmish. Nice! A friend came by to visit for a little bit, then I spent the rest of the day considering my options. Clean the patio? Take a nap? Clean the patio? Take a nap? Decisions, decisions... By this time, it was starting to cloud up and was getting cooler, so I decided to work on the patio while I still could, but if I got too weary, I could come in and take a nap. Whew! Glad I solved that problem!

The mess on the covered patio has been there for 2-3 years. It started with kid toys that would get dirty in the sandbox or the mud puddles--too dirty to bring inside. Then the day the garage remodel project started, the workers and I dragged everything that was in the garage--and there was a LOT--to the patio. I would take care of it all shortly. (Yeah, right...) What's out there? Toys, tools, radio stuff, gardening stuff, a couple of children's bicycles, kitchen window screens, a couple of old vacuum cleaners, patio furniture (buried), camping gear, a fake tree-plant, old blankets that were used to help move furniture. You name it: it's out there! I have promised myself faithfully that it would be cleaned off THIS SPRING. So today, I went out to work on it. I managed to gather up one large garbage bag of junk and brought in storage tubs and storage tub lids to be cleaned. That's all I did before the rains came. But you know what? it's a start.

Last summer, I had a horrible infestation of earwigs...those horrible-looking bugs that plagued the patio and found their way into the house. I couldn't figure out why they were so bad. I know now! They love dark, damp places. I cleaned off enough collected leaves and trash from just one little spot on the patio this afternoon to house a zillion earwigs! That won't happen again (she says, hopefully).

I know how ridiculous it sounds to talk about having a restful sabbath afternoon when ALL of my days could be that way, but I did enjoy this day. We are supposed to have rain for several days now, but the temperatures are supposed to stay up, so I'm happy!

Old Age, The Sequel

In my last blog entry, I talked about the indignities of getting older, but I left some things out. Herein lies, as Paul Harvey would say, the "rest of the story".

1. There are parts of my body that I haven't seen in awhile. I make it a point not to look in mirrors when I'm naked, but sometimes mirrors are required to see areas of concern. Imagine my total surprise when I try on clothes in a store dressing room! This is part of the reason that I don't have a decent wardrobe. It's too painful to try on things when I have to see the reality of my older body!

2. There are also parts of my body that I can't reach very well. It's not unusual to shave my legs, then go outside in shorts and feel the missed hairs vibrating in the wind. Awful! And why is it that toenails become so misshapen and hard when we get old?? Cutting my toenails is an issue. I can only do it after I soak in the tub for awhile...and then try to find a position in which I can REACH my toenails and trim them without losing my wind from bending over. Ugh! (When Megan still lived here, I asked her once if she would trim my toenails. She flat-out refused. Heck, I changed her diapers and cleaned up her vomit when she was a kid. Why couldn't she trim my toenails??) It's hell to get old.

3. OH...and this one is a total puzzle to me. God gave me good eyebrows. I have never had to pluck or shape. In the last few years, they have thinned out and there are some white ones mixed in...but the real shocker is that there are some that stick up now. I pluck the white ones, but if I pluck the ones that stick up, I lose more. Why, God? Why??

That's about it. If I think of other things, I'll be sure to post them. Society laughs, but it's not funny!

I went shopping for clothing for the grandchildren with Grandma Judy today. Kohl's was having a big sale, and Penney's did too. We spent some $$ to have springy clothing for the kids here and for the California trip. I still haven't found stuff for me but have two weeks to worry about it.

Today was a bee-you-tea-full day. I'll take a LOT more of these!!!!

Another Lovely Day!

Once again, I was awake for good in the middle of the night. My body has decided that five hours of sleep is enough, I guess. I don't even get weary during the day, usually. Go figure!

My mother tried to prepare me for motherhood, but she never prepared me for old age except to say, "It's hell to get old". She was right; it is. There are a zillion "Maxine" jokes out there, but it really is demoralizing to find oneself in the throes of undignified existence.

Okay...here is my reality. Laugh if you must, but it's not funny!!

1. If I cough or sneeze, I need to head for the bathroom. My "grip" isn't as good as it used to be. And since I no longer have any sense of smell, I don't know if I have an odor or not!

2. I love the water, but being in a pool in the summer isn't a good idea. Why, you might ask? Well, first of all, I now take medicine that says I will be "sensitive" to the sun. (I take that to mean that I will sunburn easier.) Then there is the fact that swimming requires a swimming suit that would expose sagging/fat body parts...and the fact that I have to wear a hat. WHY do I have to wear a hat? Because my hair is so thin that my scalp gets burned. If the sun filters through my hair, one can see right through to my scalp and I look bald (which I basically am). The scar from the craniotomy didn't help that. Hard to cover the scar with so little hair. And once I put a hat on, I can't take it off because my hair is smashed flat until the next time I can wash/style it. Oh...there is also the fact that I have had two skin cancers on my face and lots of wrinkles. I've been warned that I have "that" type of skin. I love the sun, but it doesn't love me!

3. My "girls" aren't quite as low as my waistline yet, but that's only because I don't have a waistline! (Never have. I'm just built that way.) Finding an underwear fix is a joke. There is nothing out there that can "lift and separate" big saggy blobs! (I find this only minorly amusing. Before my daughter came along, I had no breasts. Two prunes on an ironing board. Now this!)

4. Before I retired from teaching, my students were getting tattoos on their ankles, etc. Over the last ten years, nature has provided me with my own tattoos. My right leg is so full of spider veins and varicosities that I don't like to expose my legs anymore. Looks just like bad tattoos! Ugh!

5. Why is it that what God took off my head, he provided on my lip and chin? Every day...EVERY day...I do Whisker Patrol. Over the last few years, I have done everything from bleaching, waxing, plucking, and shaving. None of that guarantees success. I have already alerted my daughter that, when I am on my death bed and people are visiting, she needs to tell me where the whiskers are that I missed!

6. Skin "thingies" are all over my bod. Tags, mole, pappilomas...you name it, I have it. One nasty-looking cosmetic deal on the lashline of one of my eyes has been removed three times now. And just when I thought I looked okay, another "thingie" popped up on the bridge of my nose. There is no end to this!

7. I've lost enough weight that I can now bend over and pick up stuff without losing my wind, but it hasn't always been that way. I still have to pull my legs up with my hands to put on my shoes and socks...and I step into my underwear by holding onto surfaces first. In the mornings, I have to balance myself before I start walking, and it takes a few minutes before my eyes wake up.

8. Speaking of eyes, I get totally frustrated sometimes because I can't see well in dim light and need my glasses to do most anything that has to do with detail. OH! And then there is the hearing deal. My right ear has been problematic for years. I've had tubes put in it twice, but the last time, the ear plugged up before the tube even came out. A doctor told me that the eardrum was shriveled up. Have I done anything about it? No. Why? Because between the ruptured aneurysm and the heart attack, I've had more medical bills than I can handle. A couple of weeks ago, I had two teeth pulled. Haven't even BEGUN to look at what it will take to restore chewing surfaces yet! Then there is the yeast infection I got from taking the antibiotics for the tooth thing. Geez...

Have I missed anything? Probably. I haven't mentioned how hard it is to get up off the floor when I have to get down there to do things. I didn't mention that every little pain, cough, or palpitation scares me because I am alone. I haven't mentioned that I put a plan in place if the grandchildren are here and something goes wrong. Have I done enough? No!

Are you still laughing? Keep it up! YOUR turn will come! HAHAHAHAHA!
God bless.

Big Mistake

It was a pretty nice day yesterday. The sun was shining and it was in the 40s. In the early afternoon, I decided to go to Fashion Bug to see if I could spend some of my birthday gift certificate on clothing for the California trip. It should be noted that most of my so-called wardrobe consists of cold-weather clothing based on the fact that most of my teaching career took place in fall, winter, and early spring. During the warmer days, I made do with just a few short-sleeved tops added to the slacks I wore during the winter. Pretty drab! In the summers, I have worn shamefully outdated and threadbare clothes that would hide as much as I could and still be comfortable. Of course, there are parts of my body that I prefer to hide these days due to sagging things and spider veins, and I'll even admit to FAT. (Say it isn't so!)

Okay...so I got to the store and decided to try on a couple of bathing suit selections, both of which had little skirts on the bottom. Also found a top or two that I thought could augment my Easter outfit. Oh, my! BAD idea! One look at myself in the dressing room mirror convinced me to return the merchandise to the racks, turn tail and run! Needless to say, I didn't buy anything and felt somewhat hopeless. So what did I do? I went to Olive Garden for dinner with a couple of friends and ate Chicken Fettucine Alfredo! YUM! I could feel my arteries slamming shut from the sodium and fat in that dish. I came home from that feast with the understanding that TODAY, I will start eating lean again. Something's got to give!

We Hoosiers have begun to notice that the daylight hours have lengthened enough for people to be able to go to work and back in the light. It makes all the difference in the world! The snow has all but melted. (There are still snow mountains in parking lots which might eventually melt by...say...July Fourth.) So what does everyone do when the temps go up to 40 after this long, cold winter? They work outdoors, of course! It will be in the 50s this weekend. I'll be doing stick patrol in the yard. About time!

Birth Date X 63

Okay...so today is my birthday. Whoop-de-doo! I was anticipating just another day in the life, but it turned out fairly well.

Virtually everyone checked in. Even Robin (my granddaughter) called...(I'm sure nudged by my daughter). Couldn't talk to poor Ryan because he was being punished for bad behavior at school...

Megan sent me a VERY pretty flower arrangement (pink roses and daisies) AND a very generous gift card to a local clothing store.

I had Facebook wishes from former students and distant friends. Even my childhood sweetheart and his mother remembered me! My sister, my nieces, my friends...my former son-in-law's parents... I feel so blessed.

Aside from that, I spent much of the day preparing things to be shipped off to various corners of the country....GS cookies, a TiVo unit...checks for my grandchilren's Math-a-thon for St. Jude's Children's Hospital. Every time I crossed things off the list, I felt good. More to do, of course, but I keep trying!

Tomorrow, I am going to Indy to meet with Salvation Army Disaster Services people. Thursday, I am having dinner with Bonnie and Ryan Holly--good friends.

Today was an absolutely stellar day, weather-wise, which helped to pump my mood. It was sunny and 40 degrees. Come on, spring! More of this!

Did I have a nice birthday? Yes, I did. I didn't expect it to be anything more than a hugely disappointing day, but God had other plans. My granddaughter sang into the phone, "Happy Birthday to you; Happy Birthday to you; You look like a monkey; And you smell like one, too." So I took a bath!

The only scary part of the day was when I stopped at a gas station and left the car running. When I came out, I discovered that the door was locked...and the spare key was inside the car in my purse. I don't have a clue how that happened. I was immediately in panic mode, but went to the rider's side door to find it unlocked. Whew! I didn't even think that the door could be locked from the outide with the car running... Don't know what happened there, but will never again leave my car running without a spare key in my pocket!

Hope your day was as good as mine. Tomorrow won't be nearly as nice as today, but we are promised 50-degree weather by the weekend. Yeah!

Gosh...

Here we go...
My sister sent me an email on Saturday saying she and my bro-in-law would like to be here to help me celebrate my 63rd birthday this week. Of course, it threw me into a cleaning frenzy. The only double bed in the house is mine...and my bedroom has been the depository of everything that has no other place in the house. Then Shari wrote to say it might be just her, so I slowed down the frenzy a bit and concentrated what used to be the master bedroom. Then, just this morning, she wrote to say she wouldn't be coming due to circumstances at home. I was a little disappointed, but also a little relieved. I keep thinking there will be a better time...but I'm not sure. I can NEVER match the magnitude of their wonderful house and grounds...and food!

Tomorrow is my 63rd birthday. I'm not very happy about that, but there is no way to stop time. I just hope I will still be around to escort the grandchildren to California and back. Haven't been in that state since 1972 or so...

Hope you all had a pleasant day. I did. Had help cleaning up the TV situation in the living room (long story), but I think it has all resolved to my level of technolody. Grrr....

Lots of loose ends to tie up tomorrow. Will be out and about. I hope!
God bless.