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Sorry I have not been here to post in a long time.  Long story short, my husband is in hospital for the 4th time this year (and twice in nursing home/rehab facility for rehab for 3 weeks).  We hope he can come home again tomorrow.  Last time he was in Amarillo hospital for almost two weeks.  So – my time is not my own these days, and it would be easier to handle except for having a bad back situation that cannot be fixed.  But I know that nothing is impossible with God.  And we do have a little help from Home Health. 
I would appreciate your prayers for both of us as we try to get better again.  Thank you.

Al, I hope your vision is much better tomorrow.  I had my annual eye exam last Friday and I have slow growing cataracts, and macular degeneration.  (Have had that diagnosis for over 2 years). 

Blessings,
~Janice

Hi everyone.  We had a delightful day here yesterday weather wise as it wasn't so hot and the humidity was low.  Last evening Pat and I went to Golden Corral for dinner so she wouldn't have to get a meal.  It was good.  We came home and watched "The Closer" and "Izzoli and Isles" that we had recorded from Monday night.  We enjoy both of these programs.  Today is Bible study this morning and then choir this evening and that will be plenty.

Carol, I really think Pat is going to have to have knee surgery at some time but it will be when she decides the pain has become too much. 

Janet, glad you were warned about the undercoat needed for the red.  I think we put on about 5 coats before we got it solid and not streaked.  Crown molding really does dress up a room.  We had it in several rooms in the big house we had before we retired.  Hearing the speaker hopefully gave your mind a break from the concerns of your remodeling. 

Al, hope your are able to read this much more clearly than before.  However, give your eyes a few days to adjust as I think that is quite normal. 

Etta Sue, I really like Il Divo as well as they have beautiful voices that work together so well and still have solo quality.  I agree with you in wanting to drive.  In the last few years my father was alive he always handed me the keys when we went together.  Just be honest with her on your concern and hopefully she won't be offended and will understand.  Like Janet, we watch quite a bit of the news as want to know what is going on in the world.  After all, how would my coffee drinking friends and I solve the problems of the world if we didn't know what they were? 

Marilyn, hope your website work went well yesterday.  Glad your pain went away for awhile.

Gord, it sounds like fall is finding you.  We are still several weeks away from it appearing here in Georgia.

Al, I think your posting was in another board as I just read it.  Hope you are seeing better this morning.  Remember your eye drops.

Janice, this has been a year of great struggles for you and your husband.  Do hope he is able to come home tomorrow.  Sorry to hear that you struggle with a bad back.

Thanks so much for your help Carol.  This morning it's some better, but not as good as I expected.  However, we're supposed to go in for a post-op checkup this morning, so then I'll hopefully find out more.  Thanks for your help.

Al, try to be patient and give your eye a little time.  The results are not instant!  And, as Carol said, do ask your doctor any questions you have  so they can explain what to expect.  Glad it is done, as I could tell by your postings you were quite concerned about it.  And why not?  We only get one pair of eyes!

Janice, so good to see you posting.  Sorry your husband is having such a tough go of it and hope he does get to come home soon.  Take care of yourself and try not to do too much and make your back worse.  (((hugs)))

Gord, no, we are FAR from getting finished with the repair/renovations/remodeling on the house!  Sigh.....  But the wood floor in living room is almost completed.  The guys will be gone the rest of this week and all of next, doing promised work for Lon's Aunt, then his Grandpa.  We will tear out the tiled shower during that time so he can put in the new Onyx one while we are away for a few days.  Nope, the end is not in sight yet!

Larry, the little break was nice last evening.  We chose the carpet for the bedroom so it can be ordered, went to Abby's open house at school, then attended church.  The speaker does a lot of ministering in the Holy Spirit, and he said at one point that there were three people there who have been struggling with sleeping (or not sleeping!)  I immediately raised my hand, and two other ladies and I went to be prayed for.  He spoke some really good things over me, I cannot remember all of them, so will get the CD of the service.  I do remember he said I have had a lot of struggles during the past year, and that sure hit the nail on the head!  But he said my life is now "on a roll" and will continue to get better, and that I will be a blessing to many people, which is my daily prayer.  So of course I am more than glad we went last night! 

The guys only have about a two foot wide strip the length of the living room to finish with the wood!!  YEA!!

Must run....see you later!

My daughter in law's father works with us and about two weeks ago he went in for cataract surgery(I never saw him so scared)-He laughed an hour later when he realized how simple the procedure was and he felt great--two-three days later he is saying-I wish I went sooner now I can't wait for the other one to be done.

THey just did the other one and that is taking longer to get the results he would like..But doctor said relax all is well.

dear, Al, take the advice and ask your doctor EVERYTHING that is on your mind...It will be a comfort while you wait for your sight to become brighter and brighter.

Prayers still being sent your way....

Kitty called last evening saying that her Excel is only printing two pages. She graduated from high school in 1961 with a lot more classmates than her husband and I in 1960.  I emailed her the Class of 1960 roster on Excel for her to use as a template for her class by deleting my information and putting her information in.  She was all done with it but it only printed two pages.  I don't know Excel...just trial and error.  But I told her I would be right over.  I saw some other problems and fixed them and finally got it to print all the pages by Print Layout or something.  Kitty is a happy camper now. 

Then Bob came in and we all went to a restaurant on a lake.  It was fun eating on the deck and watching the one boat!  Yes, only one boat on the lake!  It got a little chilly so we came back home, probably because of drinking a diet coke.  A good evening.   

I also got a phone call saying the wedding is on for this weekend.  My g-nephew is in the Navy at Groton, CN.  He had to pass two tests before they would give him a 3-day leave so he could go home and get married.  He passed the two tests!  Ivalou and I will leave Friday morning.  The wedding is Saturday evening and then we will come home Sunday.  It's about a 7-hour drive away at Big Rapids, MI.  It will be great to go to a wedding AND be away from home a couple/three days!

Today I am doing some laundry.

email from Pat:  They are driving to Yellowstone today and we will be in touch either tonight or tomorrow with plans still on track to meet this week.  I told her to take the time to take in the sights in the park.  There are some interesting spots and maybe a bear too.  So, we have been working at setting aside visiting time and that will be wonderful. 

Janice:  You have had a tough time and so sorry for your back problem adding to the stress.  We are all glad that you took the precious time to come in and chat for a minute.  Praying for you!

Al:  I just get upset when the doctor's office or hospital doesn't give you all the information - was a hospital volunteer years ago so I know the drill.  Do wish I could have been there to help.  How is Marbeth doing through all this?  Blessings to you two. 

Janet:  Did you sleep better?  I was told years ago to visualize a heavy sack of concerns/problems and then visualize throwing them all into the air for God to take care of --- it works. 

   Good afternoon to all.   It sounds like everyone is very busy and doing many different types of things.

Carol:  If you meet up with Paul and Pat will you give my big sis a big big bear hug from me and tell her that I wish Noreen and I could meet up with you all.

Al:  It sounds like things are getting better with your eye but I know quite a few people that have had this done and it seems that every person heals a different way so just keep trusting in the Lord and he will answer.

My wife and I are of the hook today for babysitting as my daughter has been able to have a young girl from across the st come in to help so we were able to sleep for a good long rest.  My other oldest son has just purchased a new house  so now we will have to help in that area starting this weekend so Janet I will get my share of painting.

To all others in C.P. I hope that you all have a great Labour day weekend and you mothers will get a rest if you have young kids as they go back to school. God's richest blessings  Gordon and Noreen.

Check my blog for a full report of my doctor appointment today. You can get there by clicking on the  little world under my photo.

I am having a lot of trouble sleeping again, guess the old enemy doesn't want me to believe the Lord has taken care of that problem.  But I am believing this is only for one night!  I have been up so many times I have lost count.  I know I have been overworking, my back and legs are telling me so! 

Yesterday, Darrel and I moved our home canned goods off the shelves in the canning closet so he could take off the wood panels in the back of the closet which cover the pipes and shut-offs to the shower and lavatory in our bathroom (on the other side of the wall.)  Then we removed some cabinets in the bathroom.  This is all preparation for tearing out the tiled shower so the new onyx one can be installed while we are away.  We leave on the 12th for a 5 day trip to Branson, Mo. with the senior group.  We hadn't planned to go, but Lon needs us out of the way while he does the bathroom.  We will tear out the shower ourselvs to save money.  At $45 per hour, it adds up with lightning speed--after all, this isn't TAXPAYER money! 

I took some Tylenol for the leg pain and feel sleepy again so will go back to bed and hope to sleep a couple more hours.  See you in the morning!   

I'm sorry you had rouble sleeping Janet.  Perhaps the time away will give you some much needed rest.  Take advantage of the time and remember there is nothing you can accomplish by worrying while you are away..... It is in the Lord's hands. 

We have the beginning of a few heavy days today.  It has been busy but today starts the visitation.  Saturday the funeral then recouping before the beginning of a new week, and a new school year.

Hi everyone.  I am looking forward to today as my calendar is clear in terms of having to go somewhere.  I hope to get a number of things done at my desk and will generally take it easy today and again tomorrow unless something comes up.  I hope to stop at the gym this morning and walk some rounds as have been neglecting it with other commitments.  We had a nice choir practice last evening and got our Christmas Cantata books and listened to some of each of the pieces on a rehearsal CD.  Each voice range will get practice CDs with the voice range emphasized.  We have had these the last two years and it makes private rehearsal a lot of fun as you get to sing with a professional choir and orchestra. 

Just back from coffee and then another fellow and I walked about half a mile at the gym.  Brought on arm pain so had to stop after 10 rounds. 

Al, glad to see you have a bit of improvement from the day before with your eye. 

Janet, I know by the time this is posted your wood floor will be in place.  I bet it is beautiful.  Glad you were able to get a little break and felt the prayer was helpful to you.  This is September so expect your book will be published sometime this month.  That should certainly be a highlight as well as seeing your house being put back together.  Sorry to read of your restless night.  It sounds like you and Darrel are really pushing yourselves.  Remember you need Janet time as well as work time.  Glad you have a trip planned to get away in a few days. Have you been to Branson before?

Judy, I will be thinking of you all as you go through the visitation and funeral

Joyce, I wish my wife would consider having knee replacement surgery but know she is scared of the idea because she told me so last evening when I carefully brought up the subject.

Etta Sue, I expect the reason her Excel was printing only two pages was that was what had been set before she added your information.  You  found the problem when you defined the print area again.  It sounds like you are looking forward to the wedding.  You will have a nice opportunity to have your new car out on the road for a longer trip.

Carol, I know of people who create a God Box and write there cares and concerns on slips of paper and put them in the box giving them to God.  In some of the literature I read there is a simple story about a person with a backpack who picks up rocks.  At first it is no problem but as time goes on and more are added the burden becomes to much to bear.  One by one the person removes the rocks by handing them over to God and the burden becomes lighter.  I love this story as it so well illustrates what you were discussing.

Gord, glad you were able to get some extra rest from babysitting.  It also sounds like an exciting time for your oldest son.  Is this his first house?

Mariilyn, are you glowing in the dark from all the x-ray exposure?  It sounds like you had a full day.

Glad that Carol is meeting up with Pat and Paul.  What a great visit that will be.  Have you met before?

Glad that Gord and Noreen could sleep in today.  I almost...almost feel guilty for how long I can sleep in the mornings.  I didn't do that until I started taking Zyrtec so I am blaming it on that!  I used to sleep to 8 something...now it seems 9 something unless I have to set the alarm for an earlier time!

Janet, when you are in Branson 5 days you will not have time to think of any problems back home.  Tip:  Leave your cells phones turned off.  Only turn them on for your calls out!  And enjoy your time away and all the shows!

I am sure it will be a happy time and a sad time at the visitation and funeral.  Judy, just remember, your loved one can't come back to you but you can go to her!

Larry, I am sure that the reason Kitty could only print two pages was because my Excel roster was two pages and Kitty added on to it.  But there was no way I could explain to her what to do on the phone even if I knew how to fix it.  So the trip to her house was due.  I love challenges and this one was for me.  But I got it fixed and printed all 4 pages.  And yes, I am excited for the trip to Michigan AND the wedding.

Today Ivalou is having her first pool rehab.  She goes one more land rehab and another pool rehab and then turned loose.  If she feels the pool helps her, then she can do maintenance like me for $5 a trip or $50 for 12 trips.  I know I am tired when I get out of the water and I worry about Ivalou driving after being in the pool.  I am afraid her legs will be too tired to drive.  So I will let her know to be very conscious of that today and think if she could drive or not.  We can go together but I want to do the driving...my car or hers.

Then the rest of the day will be packing.  We are to have internet in the motel so I probably won't be online until I am in Michigan tomorrow!! 

Miss me, okay?

Larry I forgot to ask Keith if I was glowing int he dark.   
I went to he pet store to buy the critters their food for the month and took the dogs to the groomer to have their nails trimmed this morning, this afternoon I have shampooed my hair and taken the dogs for their walks. I am just about  done with my packing for my trip tomorrow. I am looking forward to church, visiting with Willa and going out to Gilbert's house and of course stopping in to see Al and Marbeth.

Etta Sue I sure hope  Iva Lou lets you do the driving. Have you made oneof the dishcloths without the holes yet?

I want to thank you all who have given me info/advice relative to the cataract surgery.  You were all correct.  Today, if I take my glasses off, I can actually see BETTER in that one eye!  Doc says everything's ok, and, when I finally get new prescription lenses in my glasses, it'll be great.  But that'll be a while, 'cause the eye needs to settle down first, which takes a little time.  Anyway, it's going great.  Thanks be to our Lord for His mercy. And I want to pray for you, Janice, and your husband.  I pray our Father will strengthen you and enable you to get through this.  And I pray for your husband, that he'll be able to get home and stay home - with comfort very soon.  I ask our Father to do all this for you through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Guess who is coming to stay overnight? 

Gord:  I printed your note & will hand it to Pat. 

Larry:  You always enjoy your singing and the Christmas cantata will be so special this year. 

Al:  Great report from you today. 

Hi, friends,

I had a very busy day, which culminated in a huge headache that is now beginning to ease, thanks to extra strength tylenol.

Big Sky, I, too, agree that when I neglect my Bible reading and private time, my entire life seems to suffer. Thank you for coming to join our group - it won't be long until we'll worry about you if you're away.

Everyone else, it's good to catch up with your messages.

Marilyn, you're doing a great job with your blog and web pages.

Judy, I'll be thinking and praying for y'all this week.

Larry, please encourage your wife to go ahead with the replacement. Yes, the pain in the first few weeks after surgery is difficult to bear, but the relief (if she's able to keep up her physical therapy visits and her exercising later on her own), --- my goodness! It's difficult to explain how much better it is.

It's good to hear that various loved ones are in place following the bad storm on the east coast. Those storms strike terror into my heart, for certain.

May our Lord rest with us as we sleep. It is so much easier for me to be alone since I realized "Behold, He who keepeth Israel never slumbers nor sleeps." It's so much easier to leave it in God's hands and sleep, knowing he ever watches over us and cares for us. What a wonderful comfort that is for me.

Love to all,
Ruth Ann

Hi everyone.  Another hot day here yesterday but was able to stay indoors most of the day.  Only one thing special to do today and that is get some blood drawn in preparation for an upcoming physical exam later in the month.  Then have the rest of the day to work on some other projects here at home.  It seems the days really zip by with little accomplished. 

Etta Sue, have a nice safe trip and enjoy the wedding.

Marilyn, have a great trip and enjoy your visit with your son and his family as well as Al and Marbeth and Willa.

Al, glad each day is seeing improvement in your eye.  Do you have to have the other eye treated as well?

Carol, I wonder who your guests will be?  I bet I know.    Enjoy the visit.

Ruth Ann, it wouldn't do any good for me to suggest Pat have the knee replacement.  I know my wife very well and she will do it when she makes up her mind and can't stand the pain any longer.  She was back to using the cane yesterday. 

Larry you are right most likely.  Paul and Pat arrived last night after driving through construction and so much adventure.  They look great.  We chatted until someone realized it was after midnight and they had not slept very well the previous night.  Thankfully, we had a cooler night and this is more like the first day of fall, which is usually in August.  We will contact Jenny this morning - she had a knee replacement and has therapy going on this morning. 

Thanks for asking Larry.  No, I don't have to have the other eye done.  The only additional thing that needs doing is the optometrist's exam for new lenses in a few weeks.

I pray everything settles down well for you Al.

I will be leaving for Ca  about 10:30-11 as soon as i talk to the vet about the dosage on Happy's new allergy pulls.

We are in Big Rapids, Michigan!!  We got here and in the room by 3:50pm.  Around 275 miles.  We left around 7:30 but ate breakfast and lunch out and a couple of pit stops.  Nice room but we are both plum tuckered out!  We have seen one niece but she didn't see us.  The rest are probably at the Mother of the Groom's home.  We would just be in the way since the reception is to be in their back yard tomorrow after the wedding. 

The only problem I had is my TomTom GPS quit on me!  So I navigated here by Droid.  I could have used OnStar but that is only voice commands.  I like to see the tiny map.  But it was easy.  I got on Indiana SR13 about a mile and a half from home.  Stay on it until the Michigan Line and it turned into Michigan SR131.  Then we exited at 134 and there is Country Inn & Suites right next door to Meijer's!! 

I didn't sleep well last night.  I saw 2am on the clock and hadn't been to sleep yet.  I was up for the small room in the house after that but didn't look at the clock! 

I was here and posted earlier, but before I could post, we had a BIG lightning strike somewhere close, and our power went off.  It was raining really hard, the most rain we've had in ages, so we watched it for a while, then I told Darrel I wanted to go eat at the Pizza Hut, so we waited for a lull, got in the car to go, and.....couldn't open the garage door without power!  (He could have unhooked it and opened it by hand, but it wasn't that important.)  So we waited a little longer, then decided to go out to the other garage and take the other car.

I have a living room again!!!    But we are afraid we are really going to dislike our beautiful hardwood floor.  Whenever anyone walks across it, you can see every footprint!  I was wanting something easier to keep, not harder!  But it's in and that's that.  We will drive to Wichita and get a big area rug for the middle of the room, and some runners.  And when this construction is done so there isn't so much dust, it will probably be all right.  It cleans easily with a swiffer or similar, but I don't want to have to do it every time a person walks on it!

Our workmen won't be back now until a week from Monday, so we will have a little break.  Then we are also leaving for Branson that day....so Lon will come before we leave to get final instructions about our bathroom.  The big tile shower is torn out, and it had more problems than we were aware it had, so it's just as well we are doing this now.  Once the onyx one is in, we should never ha ve leaky shower problems again!

After the guys left, I swept and scraped and mopped in the bedroom, trying to get up all the dust so it won't track into the living room.  Sure feels good to have one room sort of back in order.  I don't have my paintings back up or the stuff in the curio cabinets, window, etc, but will work on that a little at a time.  Then I will ask that they put plastic up between the living room and kitchen when they start working in the kitchen and laundry room.

Guess what?  I am tired!

And guess who is not coming to dinner?  It would have been wonderful to see Pat and give her a huge hug, meet Paul and have a nice visit, but they decided there were too many miles between Ulysses and Denver.  Well, maybe another time.  I would so have loved to go to Denver and meet them and Carol!!  And we would have if we weren't in such a mess here at home right now.

Okay, that's all!  Goodnight, folks!

Janet:  Pat took a ton of pictures - I think she deleted one of me that was just hysterical - I looked shocked/scared or whatever - it was a wild one.  Jenny just burst out laughing.  We had fun & a good visit.  Back to normal here & a lot of thunder & lightning - trying to send rain your direction.  Cool - it is FALL. 

Janet have a good rest.


Carol I'm glad you had a good visit.

Well, today was another busy one for me - physical therapy first. I found a message on my cell phone from my oldest ston. The apartment next to his had a fire today and all his floors are soaking wet. So, maintenance plus Serv-Pro did the vacuum water from carpet/turn on high speed blowers to dry the carpet, and he said the biggest dehumidifier he has ever seen.

Our poor Bourbie, the 'fraidy cat kitty, had a terrible time. He was lying on the floor and got his fur soaking wet, then he's been hiding in fear from the noises in the normally totally quiet apartment. My son said he tried to find him to evacuate him in his pet carrier during the alarm sounding phase with firemen and other emergency workers swarming all over the floor (his apartment is on 10th floor), but Bourbie couldn't be found. Finally, after looking literally every other place, my son turned back the covers on his bed, and found Bourbie, still damp, quivering and quaking with fear completely under the covers. By that time, the alarms stopped sounding. (WHEW!)

And then a friend in my apartment building pounded on my door frantic because certain R_x's had not been delivered yet and the pharmacy was about to close for the day. So, I problem-solved with him, and then had to spend about an hour & a half to let him answer my cell phone, for his had to be charged.

When that situation was resolved, he was so relieved he bought me a diet coke and took me to dinner at a buffet-type steakhouse.

Guess who's tired down here in Tennessee!

G'nite, friends.

Ruth Ann

Hi everyone.  It was a very hot day here yesterday.  I managed to stay home all day and in where it was cool.  I prepared some reports needed for a meeting next Wednesday evening and did some other chores here at my desk.  Last evening I watched part of the Baylor/TCU football game.  Today I have a busy morning but then the rest of the day is mine and I plan on watching a lot of football, especially this evening when Georgia plays Boise State.  It should be a good game.  Pat went to see the movie "The Help" yesterday afternoon with two friends and they all really enjoyed it.  I have a request in to Netflix to get it when it becomes available on DVD.

Carol, I was happy to see that you all were able to get together for a visit.  The pictures of you three ladies that Pat posted on her Facebook page was super.

Al, you are fortunate not to have to have both eyes operated on.  Pat did hers about six months apart.

Etta Sue, glad you had a nice trip to Michigan.  I wonder what happened to your TomTom GPS?  I have not tried the GPS function on my phone yet as haven't needed to do so.  Would OnStar have given you step by step assistance all the way on the trip?  I have never had it on a car.

Janet, sorry to hear that you may be unhappy with your new hardwood flooring.  The rugs should help and you are probably right about the dust that probably continues to settle out of the air from the construction work.  What is an onyx shower?  You certainly have reason to be tired.  Hope you had a restful night.

Ruth Ann, is this your son that has the headaches that had the water problem from the fire?  It sounds like you had quite a day.  Your friend could have used his cellphone by simply connecting the charger as it works while charging.  Nice that you helped him and that he showed his appreciation by taking you to dinner.

Today is the funeral. THis has cost us an additional $800 over the cost of the prepaid plan  that she had, and that does not cover the normal out of pocket expenses.   It will all work out in the wash.  God is in control

The weather is HOT, and this afternoon during the funeral it is supposed to be raining.

Heather has been an awesome support for John and I.  She hasn't left out side since we left North Bay.  Thank you Heather for that.

I can't get to the pictures - am searching how to add Pat as a friend. 

Wonderful walk - no snakes as it has turned cool. Yea