The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong in the broken places.
Ernest Hemingway
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SAME OLD . . .  SAME OLD

4/23/2015

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LIFE IS A JOURNEY, AND IF YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH THE JOURNEY, YOU WILL BE IN LOVE FOREVER.                   
                                                                                    Peter Hagerty


Yes, life is same old thing, which I find refreshing.  It is comforting not to have drama or crazy things going on.

It is definitely going to be another "sunflower" year.  I went outside the other day and glanced down at the two metal sunflower yard ornaments that Nina had planted amongst my real sunflowers last year.  Only there were three there!  I asked Lon if Nina had brought another one and stuck it with the others. Yup.  Thank goodness  . . .  I thought that they were multiplying on their own.  :)  Also, the family was going through Little Ma's glass cruet collection and I found the one that I had brought her from Oxford, England about 16 years ago.  It is a beautiful piece that was made in the 1930's.  How fun it was, when I took a good look at the design cut into the cruet, and discovered that it is a lovely  . . .  wait for it . . .  SUNFLOWER!   Love it.

I was looking at my special-dates book and saw that Saturday the 25th, will be Mother's 87th birthday.  She has been gone almost eleven years. 

Next Wednesday will the first anniversary of Dad's death.  Remember what chaos we were going through a mere year ago? Dad had just broken out of the Home and took a taxi to the farm, without any of the people from the nursing home even knowing he had escaped.  What a guy!  I am so glad that he had one last hurrah and a little bit of an adventure.  It was a nightmare for the family, but he had fun.

 It is really surreal to drive out to his farm and see the house gone (demolished) and the fields plowed right up next to the road and driveway. I remember working out there, after he had passed, and I was wearing Roschelle all the time, and going through chemo.  What a difference a year makes.  I told my Dr. Beck (who's husband is going through chemo for a brain tumor) that 2014 was the best AND the worst year of my life.  She responded that she hoped that she could look back and say the same thing about 2015.   It's been a rough road so far, but I would love it if everything turned out wonderfully for her and her family.                                GO BECKSTRONG!!!

I was busy in the office today, officially letting several government offices know that we are closing our business and I won't have to send in reports.  WHOO WHOO! 
I am so tired of keeping records and making deposits and such.  But I shouldn't complain.  I took over the job from Hazel, and SHE didn't have access to computers and typewriters and copy machines, etc.  Everything she did, was using an adding machine and handwriting out things while using carbon paper to make copies.  She had it really tough!

Hubby is getting my lawnmower prepped for the season.  He always fusses at me about how hard I am on the rider, but he forgets that most people mow their lawn in 45 minutes to an hour, and when I mow everything I have to take care of, it takes eight hours every week.  That's just the mowing, not counting the weed whipping and trimming. I used to like to mow, 'cause it got me away from the phone and I could just be alone with my thoughts, but now it is just a big chore that needs to be done.  Anyhoo, I like how things look when they are  neat.  Jenna is very much like me when it comes to her yard. She has two push lawnmowers, and when one was not working last week, she got out the other one which happens to be a self-propelled one.  However, the self-propel part wasn't working so good, so she pushed it.  She said it was like pushing a small car around her yard, but by golly, she got the job done.  Dad was always a fanatic about a well-groomed yard, and that is why Jill and I mowed for hours every week, after he passed, because we knew he would be mad if it didn't look good. 

LATEST NIECE HEATHER REPORT:  Unfortunately her Power Port keeps getting blood clots in the tube,
so they have to keep flushing it out.  The last thing she needs is to get infection in that thing, so I am glad that
they are keeping on top of things.  She is still high spirited and upbeat, which is really going to help her get through this ordeal


                                               GOD BLESS YOU ALL

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JUST CALL ME 'OLD MA"

4/14/2015

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"I'VE LEARNED THAT PEOPLE WILL FORGET WHAT YOU SAID, PEOPLE WILL FORGET WHAT YOU DID, BUT PEOPLE WILL NEVER FORGET HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL."

                                                                                                                Maya Angelou


I had an interesting experience yesterday.  I went to town with sisters-in-law Zonna and Nina.  When we were in Menards, a man that knew Zonna came up to her and started chatting with her.  He acknowledge Nina and me and asked Zonna if she was out shopping with (a nod toward Nina) her sister and (a nod toward me) HER MOTHER!!!!!!!!!!     Let me just mention here that even though Zonna looks wonderful, she IS SEVEN YEARS OLDER THAN ME!!!!!!!!!!! 
Needless to say, it hurt my feelings and I guess it's time to pull on my "Big Girl"  rubber gloves and get that dye job.  I know, I know.   I really harp about my gray hair, but SERIOUSLY!!!!!

(uh . . .  sorry about getting carried away with all the capital letters and exclamation points.  
                                                                                                                                                                            Anyway, I think he was a stilly, old fart . . .  SO THERE!!!!!!!

I am feeling much better.  I am no longer walking to the right . . .  right . . .  right with the Vertigo problem.  Yah!   Glad to have that gone.  Did I mention that I had to use Hazel's  (Little Ma) cane to attend that funeral Saturday so that I could keep my balance and wouldn't be weaving all over the place?  The church is right around the corner from my house, and so I just walked there.   However, it was so sunny out, I almost put on my sunglasses, but then realized that all the neighbors would probably think I had gone and went blind, on top of everything else.

I snapped some more not-so-very good selfies to show you that the sproutlets are starting to go gangbusters.  It looks like my real hair is about as long as Roschelle, the wig, was. I know my real stuff is actually a little thicker than she was. Sorry about the no-do look.  My curling iron can't make curls with my stubborn, getting really straight hair.  Whatever.

IMPORTANT NOTE:  YESTERDAY WAS NIECE TINA'S BIRTHDAY.  WHOO HOO!  She's still just a young chick.    :)

                                                                    GOD BLESS YOU ALL




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AROUND AND AROUND SHE GOES

4/10/2015

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HOPE IS THE ANCHOR OF THE SOUL, THE STIMULUS TO ACTION, AND THE INCENTIVE TO ACHIEVEMENT.
                                                                                       UNKNOWN

Have you ever had Vertigo?  You know, that horrible affliction complete with severe dizziness, vomiting, and pooping your insides out.  Uh huh.  Nasty.  Well, I happened to get it around four years ago and it lingered with me (even after the really nasty part subsided), for approximately four months. Well, my condition just came back - not as bad as the very first time - but bad enough.  I hate being dizzy, with my eyes spinning in sixteen different directions, and the nausea that continues until you have the dry heaves.  Yuck! The only thing that really helps is a technique called the Eperley (?) Maneuver which requires a doctor's prescription, to send you to the hospital for physical therapy, and unfortunately all my doctors were booked solid or out of the office.  So I am managing as best as I can.  Lon and I tried to do the maneuver ourselves, but it only made me more nauseated. So, I guess I am left to spin until I can shake this stupid condition.  Around and around she goes!

I remember years ago when we took the kids to Disneyworld when they were seven and five.  Of course, Jenna wanted to ride the spinning teacups.  She and I rode that ride for a long time, spinning, and spinning, and . . .  gulp . . . .spinning.  I didn't get terribly sick from it (possibly because I was in my 20's at the time) but I remember having a dull headache and a bit of queasiness the whole rest of the day and into the evening that we were there. Hate that spinning!!!!


Hey, wasn't Easter great this year?  What nice warn weather.  Dan and Tammy came from Minnesota on Friday and had the girls here on Saturday.  We all went to town to order the dresses for the girls to wear to Dan's wedding.  They each picked out a beautiful long dress in different styles which fit their individual bodies perfectly. The color they are wearing is black, which looks so classy and chic. We all had to laugh when Abby who is only eleven, firmly declared that SHE was not going to wear a strapless gown.  Sadly, we had to break the news to her that the only way she would be able to wear anything strapless at this point of her life is with the help of lots of double-stick tape.   We had supper at my place and then the girls played board games with Dan and Tammy.  Yipes, but they are all so competitive.  Since the girls had to go home Saturday night, I sent some filled Easter Eggs for Cate to hide for Abby on Sunday morning, since she likes our egg hunts.

On Sunday, Jenna and Alec came out for Easter dinner.  Nina and Larry also joined us, since their kids and grandkids were all sick or just plain not feeling well.  We had a good time.  I always give the grandkids an Easter card with money in it.  This year, I put a bunch of one dollar-bills in Alec's, since he had his very own wallet now and likes to take it to Wal-Mart and play the claw machines.  When he saw the bills, he whooped,  "WHOO WHOO!" Then Jenna  went out and hid eggs for him to have his own little "hunt". Fun!

COMMERCIAL COMMENT:   I really like that new TV commercial for some Health Medical Services.  It shows a stout/chunky built lady and man standing in their kitchen.  Suddenly, "their" song starts to play on the radio.  I HAD THE TIME OF MY LIFE from the  Dirty Dancing movie. The man makes the mistake of turning  his back to the lady just as she takes a running start and leaps into the air, intending to land in his arms like in the good old days and  just like it showed in the movie. Unfortunately, he was not paying attention and the lady crashes into him and the kitchen table, smashing him and the table flat.  Then when consulting their doctor over Skype on the computer, her explanation for their injuries was simply,   "I came in too hot." There was some warning at the end of the commercial about Avoid Wild Dancing and other Rythmic Activities. I say, GOOD FOR HER! If she is not self-conscious about her body size and wants to dance like she is still 18, so be it.  However, she just might want to give her husband a heads-up that she is racing toward him.  You know, a little warning may save a trip to the Skype doctor.

Sister Karen sent me a letter yesterday, and included in it was a birth notice that they used to put in the newspaper around here. She must have found it amongst Mom and Dad's old papers that she is going through.  Anyhoo, it says "Announcing       A new daughter       At St. Luke's --- Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Paul, Central City, a daughter July 7". (that's me).

Karen sent it along with a note of explanation. "I found this little announcement in the papers, so you can be sure that you are REALLY our sister!"   The story my three older, incredibly mean sisters always told me when I was little, was that years ago the family was traveling down south in some God-forsaken area and they came across some poor white folk who had too many kids to take care of, so they gave Mom and Dad one of theirs.  ME!!  Whenever the girls told this tale,  I wailed to Mother "Is that true?", she would simply answer, "Don't be ridiculous!"  Somehow, a definitive YES or NO would have probably been easier to take.  The niggling little doubt in my mind lasted for years.  Perhaps, it is possible that my real name is something like Elsie Mae Lulabelle Magillstrap.  Yup, that is definitely another piece of the puzzle as to why I am the way I am. 

HAIR REPORT:  I don't a current photo to show you, but the old hair is actually growing. I like to comb it straight out from my head when I wash it, just too see how far out it sticks.  If I use a curling lotion, it actually looks somewhat curly when it dries. 

I know you are going to hate me for this, but one last note.  Yes, I went to another funeral today.  We had this lovely lady who lived right next door to Little Ma. Deb was about my age and was the sweetest lady.  She had been fighting leukemia for the last four years, but then developed pnuemonia a few weeks ago and finally passed away last Saturday. Another wonderful soul has left us.

I guess it is time for me to wrap up in a nice warm blanket and sit back and watch the room spin.

                                                                       GOD BLESS YOU ALL
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Darn Vertigo

4/8/2015

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hi all, Jenna here. Mom is dealing with a bout of vertigo today and sounds like as long as she lays still in bed and doesn't move, the overwhelming urge to worship the porcelain God is at bay.
I talked to her for just a little bit today, and it makes me wish I could find a way to help her. Its funny how I've become somewhat of a parent to her, always worrying that any little bout of not feeling well is something to keep an eye on. The dizziness has been pretty constant, even at "mild" levels, all throughout her breast cancer treatment. And she has been doing SO well, I truly don't ever want her to feel lousy.

She has been an amazing source of strength always, but particularly the last year and a half. She's the one I mainly talk to about faith, and finding strength - because she's just been so strong through diagnosis, surgeries, chemo, her fathers failing health and then death, Lil Ma's diagnosis, failing health and then death, and just the everyday "stuff" that can weigh a person down. Funny how when I was younger I didnt always appreciate it, but after becoming a parent myself her wisdom and support is what I've relied on and turned to when there were so many questions.

Anywho, shes feeling cruddy, so if you could send some good vibes her way, please do!! Maybe dont call right now - she needs quiet and rest.

God Bless You All
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    Janene...

    ... was diagnosed with breast cancer on November 11, 2013. This is a place for all of the people who love and care about her to get the information about her treatment and her personal experience of kicking cancer's ass, (sometimes from her daughter's perspective). It's hard to stand by and not be able to do anything to help. Writing gives my mom an outlet and allows both of us to share information during this time. Therefore, we blog :) 

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