Friday, July 31, 2009

I "graduated" today from physical therapy on my knee. They gave me a T-shirt with the name of the place I went for therapy. I don't wear T-shirts, but will give it to my granddaughter.

Had to pick Bill up and dash off to the foot doctor 60 miles away from here. Afterwards, we checked out this place that has all kinds of wonderful things in it. Bill found a mug that he wanted, but said it was too expensive. I told him to get it and count it as a gift for the anniversary, 37th, that we both forgot last week. I didn't have any money so he bought it himself. He is always so generous to others, that he deserved to be generous to himself.

Off then to Catfish Junction. Fantastic tea, had onion rings, and I got the seafood platter. Yummy, yummy!!! He got catfish. We may just have to take our friend down there for supper tomorrow night if we have already taken her to the lake for seafood. I could eat seafood of one kind or other at least one meal a day. As much as I eat fish, I am beginning to believe someone lied when they said that fish was brain food. If I am 64 and have been eating fish my whole life, how much longer do I have to wait to become a real brainy person? Yep, someone lied about that, I believe!!!

Got home and ended up catching up with a friend I haven't seen in about 4 years on the phone. She wants to come to the wedding and said she would try very hard to make it. I must remember to tell my daughter to add her to the list. We are cooking up some time to visit this next month. She lives 2 hours away if you speed (I must remember that speeding earns you big money-spending tickets), so I guess it will take me about 2.5 hours to get there if I do the speed limit. I laughed so hard at what one of her baby granddaughters said and did when a new baby arrived at her house that I lost my breath. Kids are the best.

My friend will be here after lunch tomorrow and if I don't get off here and into the bed, I won't get the bed stripped and the floors done and there won't be anyplace for her to sit at the table. Why do I always leave things to the 99th hour? Must be a Jane thing.

Later

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Read email and bloghopped a bit before going off to therapy. Nothing unusual happening there today except one of the therapist is leaving in the AM to get married in Alabama on the beach. We had to remind him that he had to buy the bride a gift and pay for her bouquet. He is clueless and apparently his mother is too. He is a really nice guy and is so excited.

Made a trip the big W for some elastic. Thought I would make the headband for Zoey to wear to the wedding. I saw some flowers in brown I had bought to make a surprise wedding scrapbook for my granddaughter and they inspired me to do the headband. I thought it would be so cute to sew some of the flowers in a cluster on the band. Made my first and last headband. It took forever to turn that tiny little thing and of course I had to rip out and redo since I didn't notice I had turned one end over. It looked like a Mobius strip with the seam on one and then the other side. Had to get that corrected.

When that was made, I came into my room to get the flowers to sew on and had decided to do some beads in the middle of them in yellow. Well, the flowers weren't silk like I thought. They are paper and that idea had to be shelved. I refuse to go back to the big W tomorrow after therapy to find some silk flowers like I want. That is the first and probably last headband I want to make. I will leave that sewing job to someone who has more patience than I have. That baby is going to be one cute little thing at the wedding.

I am so excited!!!!! I already know what I want for Christmas this year - money. Why that? There is this artist who does incredible work who will be about two hours away this next February. Her classes are small, like 10-12 people small, and I am going. I have already contacted her and have my name on the list. Just told my daughter on the phone that I wanted money since the kids always ask what I want, which is usually a gift card to one of the two hobby shops in the city. I am going to learn this lady's method and knock socks off with the cards I make after learning her secrets. Hurry up February and get here. I haven't been this enthused since my first surgery in September of last year. Just love learning new things.

My grandmother always said to never pass up an opportunity to learn something new. I have lived by her words. When I taught, I went to learning conferences as much as I could. Now I can do the same, but with my artwork. WOW!!!! How exciting.

Have to go to bed early tonight - translated means before 6 AM like this morning - since I have to be at my last therapy session at 11 AM tomorrow rather than 2:30 like usual.

Later

July 29, 2009

Where has time gone? I thought it has been just a couple of days since I had been here and find out it is nearly a week that has gone by.

For one thing, I am back to my old habits of staying up until almost dawn and then sleeping half the day away. There is the physical therapy that has to be tended to which is 22 miles away and is three times a week and this is the last week. Can you hear me shouting songs of joy from this hill I live on?

Monday I will see my surgeon who should release me. My range of motion is great and I am ready to have my time back to myself. I do have to ask him about some kind of therapy for the shoulder pain though. He will just have to understand that as much as I trust him, I cannot go back to the hospital to replace the shoulders like he says needs to be done. I don't even think a herd of wild horses could drag me back into a hospital. Too many bad memories that haven't faded. Will they ever fade? I just don't know when I look down at my knee and see that hole there. I just don't know. Hopefully, he will say there is some kind of therapy that will relieve the pain and also give me back some flexibility. Before you know it, I will either have to have someone dress me or run around naked all day long. That would scare even the devil off. Probably scare me to death too. My dogs would run away too, I think.

What have I been doing with my time? For one thing, I did turn on the TV on Sunday after not turning it on since the last day of March when I went back to have my other knee replaced. Just couldn't bear to watch or do anything at all after that went south. I was at my daughter's house Sunday evening and they were watching the Hallmark channel. There were a series of programs on that followed one another - a serial of love sagas. I stayed up after I got home to finish watching them and also thought I would see the one I missed. All of them were wonderful, but I still didn't get to see when Willie the sheriff got killed. All night long these pieces of the story went on and on and just when I thought the one that I missed was coming on, Murder She Wrote came on. I was a bit miffed spelled like pi**ed and haven't turned it on since then.

Zoey's dress is finished for the wedding. I had to tell my granddaughter, the bride, that she wouldn't be the standout that night. It will be Zoey. The wedding colors are chocolate and ivory and since the bride's brother and his wife are in the wedding, he said that Zoey will be on his arm. Keep in mind that she will just have turned six months when the wedding takes place. Is he smitten or what?

My daughter is inviting his MIL to the wedding so she can tend to Zoey, but he said absolutely not. She was going to the alter with him. That is why I had to run to the city on Monday of last week and purchase material and ribbon to match what the wedding girls are wearing. Can't have my great-granddaughter up on the alter not matching. The dress is a pillowcase dress and turned out darling. All I have to do is have her name monogrammed on the hem and she is set.

This is an outdoor wedding and horror or horrors, the ladies are going barefooted in dresses that are above the knee. The bride has a dress with a train so her feet won't show. All of them are having pedicures and have them painted in that French style. After Zoey goes to sleep, they are going to do her toes in the same fashion. Lordy, lordy!!!!! Since Zoey will probably be teething then, I have bought a lacy, girly bib and plan to dye it ivory and if that won't work, then chocolate brown and have her name done on it too. I tea dyed it thinking it would be just the right color and it looks like some ancient tea dyed dolls I have. Awful, awful, did I say awful? I bleached the color out and have had to buy two dyes. Can you find chocolate or ivory dye if you live in the sticks? Nope you can't. I have tan and dark chocolate and will have to try to mix them to the color I need. If it is as ugly as the tea dyed was, then I will bleach it out again and if it doesn't fall apart in the process, I guess we will just have to keep it in a pocket until after the ceremony and she will have to be tacky and wear a white bib.

Last Friday night I cooked and took it out to my DILs sister's house for my youngest grandson's birthday. We had eaten with my son twice the weekend before and I felt it was my turn to give them kitchen duties off. It was supposed to be a surprise birthday party, but the other granny accidentally asked where the cake was and of course he heard and it wasn't a surprise. Talk about a cute cake for a baseball player. It was a round cake and on the side of the cake were vertical blue pin stripes on white that looked like his baseball pants. Green grass on the top with three bats made of fondant that said Happy Birthday Gunnar with one word on each bat. Then, right in the center was a round cake that was decorated like a baseball. He will begin playing football this year so I wonder if he will have a football cake next year. Since he excels in all sports, just one of those kids who is an athlete to the max, and he is an especially good golfer for a 12 year old. I told my son to forget the baseball, football, and basketball and let him concentrate on golf. Lifelong sport that you can earn a living playing. I believe I need to keep my mouth shut since that went over like a lead balloon. If he is good at all sports and loves playing all of the games, then that is what he will do.

Saturday night we met some friends at our other friend's house and had a feast. I made my potato salad that everyone loves and I cannot begin to remember what all they had BBQed. They could have easily fed Cox's army. We told the hostess that next time, please don't cook anything. She always has the best things to eat while you are waiting to eat. By the time supper arrives, there is no space left. She comes up with the best dips I have ever put into my mouth. She had made buffalo wing dip which was made with canned chicken. She had also made a Ruben dip with sauerkraut and beef out of a jar. Those two things alone would have been more than enough. I have got to get those recipes. Bet the wings one will make my artichoke dip, that my children and grands think has to be at every function, take a back seat to this new dip. 5 stars to Karen and Curt for their cooking and friendship.

Sunday was a day of doing nothing. Read the paper, which I have decided not to take any more. Why? It has gone up another $3 for nothing. They don't even put the Michael's ad in there anymore. I can read it online for free. I might miss out on something, but not much. I will save a tree or two in the process and I like that. Since that just took a few minutes to read, I cut out Zoey's dress and this little holder for my daughter's cell phone.

Talking about that, I delivered it to her tonight. I believe I told you that someone stole her I-phone off her secretary's desk and I told her I could make something that she could wear around her neck to hold it and unless they choked her down, it wouldn't be stolen again. She loved it. She loved it so much she asked me to make some more for her. Then she started naming and including her friends that would want one as well. I see a business opportunity on the horizon. LOL If she will purchase the material, cording, trim, and thread, I will make her as many as she wants. Retirement money doesn't stretch far enough to make everyone at the school board office one of the carriers. It really did turn out cute. Why do I think about wanting a picture of something like that after it has left my house? Fading memory.

That makes me think of making my grandson and his wife change of address cards. I freehandedly cut out little houses out of fabric, each one different. Cut out a door and two windows and a chimney all in one fell swoop. I had envisioned making them about 20 of them. By the time I cut out 8 of them, glued them onto the blank card, colored in the yellow light in the windows, made window panes, colored in the door and put a gold door knob on each door, I decided they would only get 8 of them. I have a tendency to bite off a lot more than either I can chew or more than my short attention span can tolerate.

I want to finish reading The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder by Rebecca Wells tonight and guess I need to quit trying to make up for a week of silence all in one night. Ya'll have a great day.

Later


Thursday, July 23, 2009

July 23, 2009

There is always a first time for everything, right? I am 64 and got my first speeding ticket today in Natchitoches. I was taking a back street in a hurry, had XM radio on Broadway and was singing along. The fuzz buster went off and I spotted him. I put on my brake, but he pulled out behind me and turned on his lights. I pulled into a bank's lot and told him this was my first one ever. He said I was doing 40 in a 25, but he wrote it as if I was doing 13 over the limit. He also said it was fine with him if I got it fixed. I have to call tomorrow to see how much it is and if it is a lot, I guess I will go to see our DA in Many and see if he can do something with it. LOL He said at least I didn't run from him like someone else had done earlier. I have had this one coming since I was 15 years old. Just took a long time to have one get me.

I figured when I got one it would be from really driving fast, but this was so slow compared to what I was doing on my way to therapy. No traffic, no rain, and good music equal a lead foot. I have always told Bill to expect one giant ticket if I ever got stopped. I am careful if there is any traffic, won't pass unless there is nothing coming, drive slow if it is raining, but if those things aren't present, it is the pedal to the metal. I am just so fortunate that this was a really nice cop and I wasn't going that fast. He would have stroked had he been on the road to Mansfield today when I looked down and was doing 80 in a 55. I must learn to use my cruise control and leave early. I push it up to the second to get someplace.

Your chuckle for the day. Have you ever gotten one and was it a bad one?

I attended something called Ladies Night Out which is a quarterly thing at one of the churches in Natchitoches. It is always uplifting and today's church always has the best program. They send out darling invitations asking you to pay ahead, which I do, so they will know how much food to prepare. When I got there, that was after the ticket and I was driving slowly, everything was gone except for a bit of potato salad and a piece of garlic toast. They prepared for 400 and 500 showed up. No problem. I ate a sandwich when I got home. They put on a darling skit and the music was grand. I didn't win a door prize, but that was fine too. Lovely evening out except for the speeding ticket.

Slow down Jane, slow down!!! Learn to leave in plenty of time to get someplace, Jane. The list could go on and on. Just let me finish one more thing before I leave. Have to change my way of doing things around here. I don't want that ticket that will equal the national debt and horror of horrors, have my license taken away from me. I don't know if they do that, but that would be terrible.

Slow down friends if you have a lead foot too.

Later

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

What it is with people who have no power over you telling you that you "have" to do this or that? Today at therapy for the umteenth time, my therapist said to walk the track. As usual, I told her that I wasn't going to walk the track. "You have to," she said. I told her that yesterday the other therapist didn't make me and that I would not be walking the track today, tomorrow, or any other day. I explained to her once again, I am getting tired of telling her the same story day after day, that it makes my hip hurt. I said that after a lot of therapy several years ago we finally found a therapist who was able to diagnose the problem and more or less solve it. There is no way I will jeopardize that hip.

"Well, I will have to tell ***** that you are refusing again." I reminded her that yesterday I refused to walk it for him and he didn't harass me about it. I began my exercises and she went into the office with him and shut the door. Like, duh, why the door shut? When she came out, we didn't mention the track again and I did all of the other assigned exercises. At the end of the session she told me that when she writes the report to send to my doctor, she would have to say that I didn't complete my therapy since I refused to walk. Keep in mind that my doctor never did write down anything about walking. I told her that was find and that when I see him, which will be before her report gets to him and it doesn't really matter if it gets there first, I will tell him I refused and why. My doctor is a reasonable man and with the arthritis I have, he won't have anything to say about it. It made me think of someone saying that they would tell my mother I had been a bad girl or something. Shucks, I am 64 years old and believe I know my body and what it will take better than a therapist, who by the way, isn't one of those who had to go to school forever to become one. Just one of those kinds who is a tech.

After that, off to the dentist and woooooooo, I have four new back teeth. I can chew again. What a blessing. Had to get one filled in a different place, but it was okay. I love my dentist and he lets the dental hygenist give the shot and she is so easy with it you rarely know she has even given it. Love that girl!!! Love that dentist!!!!! Coming from someone who would cry before a dentist would even touch me up until several years ago, that is a "high compliment."

My son and his family will be in town again Friday night and will leave for home Saturday after his son's birthday party. I have decided to cook for them along with his married son and wife, his sister and mother-in-law. Good old pork ribs, potato salad, green beans, and garlic bread. Nothing like southern food.

Later

Monday, July 20, 2009

Today I ran to the city. I want my great-granddaughter to match her parents in my granddaughter's wedding in September. I bought the chocolate fabric with ivory satin ribbon for the ties. A pillowcase dress will be the easiest to make so that is what my plan is. Just have to find the time now.

Also bought black fabric and cream lining to make my daughter a cell phone holder to wear around her neck. I figure black will go with anything. There was the prettiest braid that was basically black with different colored intricately woven tiny squares with gold around them that I got to stitch across the bottom. They had the neatest twisted, thin cording in black that will be what she can wear around her neck. Her job provides her with one of those phones that connects to the
Internet. The other day she laid it, a coke, and some crackers on her secretary's desk, ran back into her office to get something and when she came back, only the coke and crackers were there. This young lady who was in the office at the time had "mysteriously" disappeared. Go figure where the phone went. Her phone was replaced, but now it won't leave her body when she is at work.

I was hoping my granddaughter would go with me today for another day of memory making, but after calling everywhere, I found her in Arkansas at her older brother's house. She just had to go see that darling niece of hers. Once school starts again, she won't have time to come up for air. She is a nursing student at a university in the city and commutes. Her "to be" works most days about 18 hours and won't miss her not being there right now. He is good about letting her do what she wants - the only kind of man to have.

Bill and I drove up at the same time. That was good because that way he could bring in the groceries.
heehee It is hard to walk on a crutch and carry a sack of groceries and since I shopped at Sam's, there wasn't even a sack with a handle to drape across my arm.

We ate leftovers that were delicious. Around here you eat leftovers until they are gone or grow mold on them if they get
accidentally pushed to the back of the icebox. Boy did I want 2nds, but I have to be extra careful that I don't put back on the weight that I lost when I was so ill. That was the hard way to lose weight.

I have
bloghopped for hours. There are so many creative people out there who so graciously share how they make things. One of these days I want to share like that. Of course, that would mean staying off the computer to get something made. Maybe when I get Zoey Elizabeth's "wedding" dress done and her name embroidered on it, I will take a picture of it and share. I will try to remember to do the same with my daughter's cell phone necklace.

Later

Sunday, July 19, 2009

July 19, 2009

I have been either away from home or too busy to blog. I will try and fill you in on my activities.

On Wednesday I went to Natchitoches for a doctor's appointment and then on to Alexandria for a doctor's appointment on Thursday. I stayed with my parents and had a great time. I have this little book of questions written my Melody Ross, the author I couldn't remember the other day. I got some time alone with my dad and made it through 10 questions with him. He reminded me of a book he wrote and self-published just for the family about his life. I learned a lot more about him and he seemed to enjoy the interview.

Later on, I intervied my mother and got 10 questions done with her as well, plus a lot of information that weren't related to the questions. She has the most brilliant memory of things like what a little dress of hers looked like when she couldn't have been more than three years old. We stayed up very late talking. I had a wonderful time with them.

I took them out to eat at a fantastic and quiet Italian restaurant. We all ordered the same thing, but I had mine served on angelhair pasta. There were fried in bread crumbs eggplant medallions topped with a Newburg type sauce with some cut green onions and huge shrimp. We were so stuffed that we couldn't even order any dessert. We saw two of my dad's doctors there and a dear family friend and her husband. We visited with them for 30 minutes before we ever ordered. We just never get to see and visit with them. They are the ones that suggested the meal. If you are even in Alexandria, Louisiana, try Bellino's Italian Restaurant on Jackson Street extension. It is on the left next door to Mac's Market. You won't be sorry. Oh, they had the most delicious bread and butter before the meal that must be baked by them daily. Nice dining experience.

On Friday my granddaughter's wedding gown had come in up in Minden, Louisiana and I took her for her first fitting. I bought her the most elegant veil. She wasn't going to wear one, but I got the lady to bring out a few and she picked the first one she tried on. She is going to be one gorgeous bride!!! We went out to eat and made the obligatory visit to Walmart as I needed one roll of ribbon to finish the fans I am making for the wedding. There was a bride and her mother there also getting fitted and we had the best time with them. Lots of laughter and the bride ended up getting a different gown after hers had already been altered. These people that run the shop are incrediblely nice. If you need a gown and live in the area, give Hers a try. I think you will be more than pleased. Save plenty time for your fitting because you will need it. Also, if you need to buy a veil and haven't done that in 43 years, then be ready for a price tag that matches the national debt. LOL

Friday night our son and his family were in town from Conway, Arkansas, and they invited us out to his sister-in-laws for supper. DELICIOUS and we enjoyed their company so much. Then they invited us to their place in Grand Cane for supper on Saturday night. Another fantastic meal like we all love: purplehull and zipper cream peas mixed, hot water cornbread, and succotash. Boy can you hurt yourself eating that kind of food. He has to go to Houston for the week and his wife has some things the children have to do in Conway, but we are all going to meet up again next weekend when both of them return to their place in Grand Cane. It has been miserable for me since they moved 4.5 - 5 hours away one year ago in August. I was used to them being two blocks away for so long.

My daughter works from sun up to sun down and I can't see how she does it, but she manages it so well. She had to fly to Boston on Saturday morning until this next Thursday for a conference with her job. She also had to work last Friday and that is why I got a memory making day with her daughter. I am sorry she couldn't be there, but on the other hand am so happy I was free. Well, I did have to cancel my therapy on my knee, but who cares. I had a much better time with my granddaughter.

My son and his family stopped by after church this AM and he is off south to Houston and his wife is off to the north to Arkansas. I thought it woud be a good idea to use this afternoon to catch up on my blogging and reading email that I have neglected.

Oh, my "Puppy Boy" is really going downhill fast. I am beginning to believe we are being selfish in wanting him to stay around. He has to be picked up now as his back legs won't get him up. Once he is up he can get to his food bowl and water bowl. On most days he can get down the steps to go outside to potty, but has to be carried back up the steps. He has arthritis in his back end and nerve damage, but he sees the vet every three weeks and Jeffrey says he still eats well and had a strong heartbeat. We are relying on him, the vet, to tell us when it is time to put him down. I tune up like right now everytime I even let that thought enter my mind. He is such a loving dog, loves his treats, and what really breaks my heart is how embarrassed he looks if he has an accident. I am going to really have to pray about the reasons we are keeping him with us.

Later

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Today I just couldn't get up and make myself to go therapy. I was sore and didn't get but two hours sleep. I have got to find a way to fall asleep without having to toss and turn for hours.

Bill made Blueberry muffins with the fresh blueberries one of the grandsons picked just for that. He wanted "real" ones and not the ones made out of the "blue package." I should never have eaten the first one because they were like potato chips. I couldn't just eat one. Now I have indigestion and is serves me right.

Mostly today I have blog hopped just looking at other people's artwork. So much inspiration out there. Now, I just need to get up off it and do some creating.

I found the book I had misplaced and wanted to take to my parent's house with me tomorrow. It is a very thoughtfully written that is filled with interview questions. It is already packed or I could give you the title and author. I will have to do that later this week. I want to try once again to get some family history before I regret not taking the time and also insisting it needs to be done.

In the morning is a doctor's appointment with the family doctor who will probably want to look at the healing hole in my knee. Then the next day it is time to see the ENT doctor in the city to try and find out why the vertigo comes and goes. I still believe it is tired to the two knee surgeries since I never had it before then. What a hard way to lose weight, but the nausea from the "spinning" just makes you want to never smell, see, or hear about food for the rest of your life. At least it has gone and I hope it never comes back.

Thursday is when I return and I will see ya'll then. Have a happy rest of the week.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Monday, July 13, 2009

Since it was nearly 4 AM when I last looked at the clock this morning, I had a hard time getting with the program when I woke up. I had to be at therapy at 1 PM which put me in rush mode.

I liked therapy last time much better. This time I have to walk the track first to warm up which always leaves my lower back and hip hurting. I wonder if the saying, "No pain, no gain" is true. I had weights put on my ankles for the first time today and have this sneaky feeling that it will be hard to get my legs in motion tomorrow morning. I stretched and pulled things I didn't even know were there. A new exercise is for the ham strings because I have been trying to have cramps in that area lately. I had better keep my whining to myself or they will find something else for me to do.

Stopped and picked up Chinese food for supper so Bill could have the evening off. Have I told you that I have a gourmet cook for a husband? Well, I do and he has taken over the kitchen. Suits me just fine. He cooks, I do the dishes which means at times I load the dishwasher, or other times when the dishwasher hasn't been unloaded, I wash them by hand. Bill puts up the washed things. He forgets that there are things in the dishwasher. Since I don't have my new kitchen cabinets yet, that is a good cabinet to store clean items inside of. Am I fortunate or what?

Not much happening on the email scene today and since I will be away from the computer Wednesday night, I thought I would journal tonight instead. I am going down south to visit and spend the night with my parents since I have a doctor's appointment in their city on Thursday. I need to do that more often since they are the ripe old ages of 89 and 84. I do have to say they can run circles around me though. They are two Energizer bunnies!!!

I am going to give it up early tonight and read a new book I bought the other day. One of my favorite writers has just come out with a new book and it is one of the few hard back books I have ever bought other than craft and text books. She is Rebecca Wells and hails from my hometown. She may write fiction, but I know some of the characters in her books which makes them even more special. If you have never read her YaYa Sisterhood books or Little Alters Everywhere, you are missing some good reading.

Later

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Today was a lazy day to start with. I just lay in the bed thinking of what all I needed to do.

First on the list was to wrap a gift for a wedding shower that was from 2-4 PM this afternoon. I had the gift for days and of course put off wrapping it until the last minute. Got that done, ribbon attached and card taped on. Put it in my chair so I wouldn't go off and leave it. My memory isn't what it used to be.

Read the Sunday newspaper, but there wasn't that much and now for months there hasn't even been a Michael's ad with a coupon in it. Hobby Lobby didn't have a coupon either. Didn't know anyone in the obit section, thank goodness,. Didn't know any of the babies born either. Didn't know any of the brides in that section. Maybe all of the people my age have their children married off by now.

Showered and forgot to brush my wet hair until I got inside the truck. Good that I had a brush in there. If my kids find out all of this
forgetfulness, they might say it is time to find a new home for me, one with 24 hour care.

I had used
MapQuest to find where the shower was as it was "out in the country," as if where we live isn't rural enough. Thank goodness I remembered the house number because I passed up the driveway on the dirt road and spotted 926 and knew I had arrived. Backed up and went up the driveway. Only two cars were there which made me think maybe the shower was next Sunday afternoon, but recognized them as my friend and also her mom's car. Whew!

The shower was at the new home of a former student of mine and it is gorgeous on the inside and outside as well. The bride-to-be had her own chair and you could tell because there was a veil on the back of it. Cute touch! Lots of ladies, most of them I didn't know. The bride is marrying my friend's son and he is also a former student of mine. They received so many lovely gifts. The food, cake, and drink was so tasty. Nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

When I got home, I got out of my newest dress and put my pearls back into their box and changed into a "house dress". I only wear dresses now that I am retired that have a yoke and hang down from the shoulders. Makes me think of a funny story about one of those dresses, but I will tell you about that one another time.

My daughter wanted me to run over to her house, 12 miles away, to see the things she had purchased for her daughter's wedding which is in September. She has been one busy bee along with working full time, being a mother to the last chick in the nest, keeping a spotless home, and spending time with her husband. He is definitely a wonderful man.

The last chick asked if Papa, my husband, could make "real" blueberry muffins. He is the resident cook around here because he will try just about anything and I cook things like roast with rice and gravy. His sister's "to be" has some blueberry bushes at his house and it is between our town and my daughter's town. He said if so, he would go and pick some and send them home with me. We made a B-line over there and he picked a ton of fresh berries. Bill said he would make some muffins for him if he could wait until Tuesday. Blueberry muffins will be ready on Wednesday if anyone is in this neck of the woods.

Now I have returned home and to my computer and decided to give you a run down on my day thus far. I still have to look for one more roll of ribbon that I know is somewhere amidst my stash and finish preparing the charms that I have to attach to the
sandalwood fans for the wedding. You see, it is an outdoor wedding in September and in Louisiana, you can melt during that month if you stay outside for very long. My idea to get fans for everyone and have them on the seats when people arrive. The ceremony isn't going to last long, but 2.5 seconds is long in our humidity.

Later!

Saturday, July 11, 2009

About

I am a retired school teacher with 32.5 year’s service. My husband is a teacher who is still teaching. We live in a “one horse town” that sports a flashing light at the crossroads of two highways. Our town is dying on the vine. We have one mom and pop grocery store, several churches, two branch banks, a private phone company, a doctor’s lab, one filling station, two small places to grab a burger, fire station manned by volunteers, and heaven forbid we ever lose it, a K-12 school. We are extremely rural and have to drive somewhere to do anything. The major industry in our parish (that is a whole ‘nother story) is logging.

We have two children who each have three children. Our daughter and son-in-law are both educators. They have a married son who is in the Air Force and whose wife works at a bank. They have given me my first great-grandchild, a beautiful little girl. Their only daughter is getting married in the fall of this year, 2009, and who is studying to become a nurse practioner. They have one son left in the nest that is a senior in high school and thinks he never wants to leave home. All three children are avid fishermen/woman and hunters.

Our son is a directional driller supervisor and his wife is a stay-at-home mom, who is really a taxi cab driver to the children. They have one married son who works in directional drilling and his wife is a stay-at-home wife. They haven't started a family yet. His next son is the athlete and plays traveling baseball year round, basketball for his school's team, and this will be his first time to play football and be on the school’s golf team. His daughter is the youngest and is a dancer, all girl, and has the most expressive face and way of talking, usually with her hand on her hip. You can tell we all have Cajun blood because if you were to tie any of our hands behind our back, we would become mute. They have a place near here, but have recently moved to Arkansas so our son could accept a promotion with his company.

We have two dogs. Bisquit is elderly and won't be around too much longer and I cannot even imagine that. He is a rat terrier. Pepper is a lab mix and came from the shelter. He is a great watch dog, if not sound asleep. He needs to be a hunting dog because he is the most patient stalker of squirrels and birds in our yard.

I am a retired school teacher with 32.5 years service. Married to a teacher who is still teaching.

We ha
ve have two children who each have three children. Our daughter and son-in-law are both educators. They have a married son who is in the Air Force and whose wife works at a bank. They have given me my first great-grandchild, a beautiful little girl. Their only daughter is getting married in the fall of this year, 2009, and who is studying to become a nurse practioner. They have one son left in the nest who is a senior in high school and thinks he never wants to leave home. All three children are avid fishermen/woman and hunters.

Our son is a directional driller and his wife is a stay-at-home mom who is really a taxi cab driver to the children. They have one married son who works in directional drilling and his wife is a stay-at-home wife. They haven't started a family yet. His next son is the athlete and plays traveling baseball year round, basketball for his school's team, and this will be his first time to play football. He is also a golfer. His daughter is the youngest and is a dancer, all girl, and has the most expressive face and way of talking. You can tell we all have Cajun blood because if you were to tie any of our hands behind our back, we would become mute. They have a place near here, but have recently moved to Arkansas so our son could accept a promotion with his company.

We have two dogs. Bisquit is elderly and won't be around too much longer and I cannot even imagine that. He is a rat terrier. Pepper is a lab mix and came from the shelter. He is a great watch dog if not sound asleep. He needs to be a hunting dog because he is the most patient stalker of squirrles and birds.