WE LEARN SOMETHING FROM EVERYONE WHO PASSES THROUGH OUR LIVES.  SOME LESSONS ARE PAINFUL, SOME ARE PAINLESS . . .  BUT ALL ARE PRICELESS.

                                                                                               Unknown




Again, I am going through a wonderfully drama-free, simple, easy-going period, which means that there's nothing really interesting to talk about.   However, I have been noticing some little things that have caught my attention.  Nothing earth shattering, just little tid-bits of interest.

I find that I get the biggest kick out of some of the new commercials on TV.  Have you seen the one for Mr. Sketch markers? The question asked, is how do Mr. Sketch markers get their great fragrance? Then they show a purple-bluish ball (perhaps a grape?) sitting on a chair, and it suddenly, well . . . passes gas, putters, breaks wind, okay okay, I'll just say it- - -  it farts.  YES, FARTS! A bluish puff of . . .  fart . . . floats in the air, goes into a tube and then is injected into a blue marker and therefore makes that marker smell like grape.

I also like the commercial showing the pig sitting by a pool, in a beach chair, (some credit card company or travel booking business), and he starts to say "BOOTS AND PANTS AND BOOTS AND PANTS" over and over again.  Every so often I look at Cate and start saying it, 'cause she's as looney as me, and likes it, too.


While getting groceries today, Alec  insisted that we buy a tomato and a cucumber. Since I was getting salad stuff, I didn't think too much about it.  Well, when we got back to my house, I observed that he had propped them up on the counter against a watermelon, and was calling them Bob and Larry.  Uh . . .  if you have been around little kids, you might recognize these things and their names. They are part of the Veggietales stories. It took me a while to realize that Alec wanted the tomato and cucumber to play with, not to eat! 


When attending a wedding shower at neice Tina's house on Saturday, I observed her giant, beautiful sunflowers. That's worth smiling about. (I have a feeling that her farmer/fireman husband has a special kind of fertilizer that she puts on her plants, 'cause her yard looks like something out of a magazine).  I just checked MY plants, and lo and behold, a few of the sunflowers have survived the wind storm, the trees falling on them, and the machines running over them.  They are like the Phoenix rising from the ashes - well, not quite that dramatic, but still a nice little surprise. 


I was going through more of Dad's papers, and found a real treat.  Dad's uncle, who was born in 1902, had written a manuscript about his life up to age 79. We all see old pictures of our relatives, but to have an opportunity to read about their intimate life, things that happened during their lifetime, and what their personl thoughts were was amazing. He was one of the few people of that generation (in our family) who had an extensive education, and traveled the world several times. His description of growing up on a farm near Central City, one of nine children, with such loving, fun parents, was a joy to read.

One last observation I have made lately is simply this. As weird as it may sound, regardless of the trials and tribulations we've gone through the last eight months beating the crap out of cancer, and then losing Dad, I have the unique feeling that this has been the happiest time of my life. 

I know it is hard to understand, but like when we go for a drive, the countryside looks so much more beautiful than I  remember it ever being before. I have become fascinated at looking at the gorgeous clouds (why, I have no clue). I have improved my relationship with so many people, and learned how much I truly care for THEM. I have found satisfaction and comfort writing on "Jenna's" blog (which I have pretty much latched on to and have taken over the reins) and been able to write things that perhaps I wouldn't say out loud. Things that seemed so important before really don't mean that much to me.  Material things are nice, but in the whole scheme of things, I can take them or leave them. Don't even begin to think that my life is perfect and I skip around and sing and dance throughout each day, 'cause that ain't a'happening.  It's just that my perspective has changed and . . . I kinda like it that way.  When I get messages from my "peeps", the words really touch my heart and make a huge difference in the way my day is going. So, in other words, it's all good.

When we got the new about the breast cancer, I really didn't cry all that much at that time, simply because I was afraid that once I started, I wouldn't be able to stop.  Now, a touching piece of music, an inspirational book such as "THE SHACK" that I am reading now, or a news story about hardships around the world, tend to make me tear up, but in many ways, that is good. Nothing is ever going to be perfectly perfect. But learning some hard lessons has made me so much stronger in different ways.  I love it.

 Just a few general observations.   :)

                                                                          GOD BLESS YOU ALL






                    

DON'T TELL ME THE SKY'S THE LIMIT WHEN THERE ARE FOOTPRINTS ON THE MOON.

                                                                                            Paul Brandt

Lon was talking to a guy this morning, and found out that this  man's wife was a 24 year survivor of breast cancer. However, that woman had EVERYTHING removed. But she's still alive and that's what counts.

I am pretty much in one piece.          I am still so lucky.

Did anyone see that show FRONTLINE on PBS last night? It was a documentary called "Poor Kids" about three families in the Quad Cities area. One little girl was so upbeat even though she was "frickin' poor" (her words). Her brother was saying that when he did get to watch some television, he would  watch the cooking shows and wish he could step through the screen and eat all the food because he was so hungry all the time. The little girl had canned carrots for supper one evening because that is all they had. Another little girl said her school had a "Nutrition Club", which handed out a small bag of individually packaged food portions  every Friday afternoon, supposedly to feed that person over the weekend. They announced over the school PA system at a certain time, that the kids in the Nutrition Club should come to the office to pick up their bags. Of course, it was a loud and definite announcement that these club members were kids so poor, that their parents couldn't afford food for them. Talk about being singled out!

When I got up this morning, I wasn't really interested in breakfast, but needed to eat something to take my "very expensive pills"  (which I am so lucky to be able to get). I could have had my choice of cereals, bagels, toast, eggs, juice, doughnuts, and so forth.  I finally decided on a banana.  The point is, I had a huge selection to choose from, and HAD to pick something to eat.  These poor kids dream about regular food.  One chunky little girl said that her family ate a lot of the five-for-ten-dollars cheapy frozen pizzas.  She was smart enough to know that a poor diet was a major factor in the fact that she was overweight. She said she would sometimes scream at herself, because the kids at school made fun of her appearance, and there was nothing she could do to help herself.  She is nine years old, and she is analyzing what is going wrong in her life and knowing she is helpless.

I am still so lucky.

This morning, I was straightening up my closet a bit. (Don't tell Lon that I was using my arms!!!!) Anyway, I had to make some decisions about what clothes I was going to have to give away, because I have too many clothes to fit in my three closets. That really makes you open your eyes and realize what you really have in your life. I am not quite the shoe lover that Nina is, but I still have several pairs. And oh my gosh, the purses!!! Probably around 40 purses. Is that just nuts or what?  Those children on the documentary each had a few pieces of clothing which they carried in a garbage bag, from one shelter to another.  One little girl's dad was losing the sole of his tennis shoe and it was flapping around as he walked!

I am still so lucky.

My new furniture that I ordered, is coming next week.      I am still so lucky.

Talked to family and friends on the telephone yesterday.    I am still so lucky.

Wrote out bills and mailed them.          I am still so lucky.

Think about how darn lucky you are in your life.  I'll bet you'll be amazed about how fortunate you are.

                                                                GOD BLESS YOU ALL

FIND ECSTASY IN LIFE.  THE MORE SENSE OF LIVIING IS JOY ENOUGH.

                                                            Emily Dickinson




Hey, everybody! This has been an interesting week, with getting one more major development out of the way. I am feeling pretty darn good and really can't complain about being too uncomfortable. Fortunately, I didn't end up looking like my alter-ego "Chesty Lafontaine". I am still looking like old Grandma "Jane", like before. I was amazed at the amount of fluid they must have pumped into me during the operation (or else the implants are very heavy) because I gained six pounds without eating anything. I think some of that is gone now.

Surgery went very well. I like the fact that the nurses knock you out, and you don't even know what is going on. I prefer it that way. I got in, got it done, and got out.  I have been  laying around taking it easy today, even though it was  gorgeous outside and I would have loved to have been picking up limbs and twigs and working on clean-up in the yard. But I am going to take the smart route, and go slow, so there isn't any complications just when we are getting to the end of this particular journey.

It looks like my social calendar is going to be busy for the next few weeks. I've got a wedding shower next week-end, with the wedding reception in August. I am looking forward to a get-together with some of the "kids" from high school on August 2nd. The class of 1969 is having their 45th!!!! reunion. Around 8:00, anyone from any of the other graduating classes are invited to come and join in the party. I got word that friend Jodi Mclean would be here, from California. She and I were recently reminiscing via e-mail, about some stupid skit we performed at sister Judy's senior prom. I have no recollection how or why we were asked to act out this dumb routine as part of the entertainment, but we were game for anything back then, and probably thought we were all that AND a bag of chips, as the saying goes. I do remember Judy's face when Jodi and I walked into the banquet and began to act out our skit, since it had been a secret and she wasn't aware that we were doing such a thing. (I don't think she was very happy to see little sister there, embarrassing her).

Anyway, it will be fun to see some of those people that I haven't laid eyes on in . . .  well . . .  decades. (gulp) I know Betty C. from Missouri  will probably read this, so, Bet, you and Doug jump in the car and come join the festivities. That would be a hoot!!

I may have to go shopping for a new "hair-do", maybe a longer style so it looks like my hair is actually growing. I did remove Roschelle today to show Jenna my new growth. Surprisingly enough, it is starting to come in a salt-and-pepper color. She thought the growth looked very cute, but I am not going around without some kind of head covering for quite a while. I still kinda look like Dennis Rodman.    Whatever.

                                                          GOD BLESS YOU ALL

Talked to dad about 1:00 and he and mom had just gotten home. He said surgery only took about 45 minutes, and they were in recovery for a couple of hours. Apparently there was a shortage of nurses today, otherwise they probably would have been home sooner. 

He said mom seemed to be doing really well, considerably less pain than the last surgery. He was having issues with getting her to NOT use her arms though :) She was sleeping when I talked to him, and he said that after she slept a while and got some food in her, she might feel like giving me a call. I told him not to worry about it, I would call after I got home after work.

So...the gurrrls are in and Madre's going to be rocking the tah-tahs in no time! :) I'm so glad this is done. Now to finish out the Herceptin, remove the port - and it's all done. 

Thanks to all of you for thinking about Mom today and sending well wishes her way through all of this. It is very much appreciated!

God Bless You All

Jenna

IT CANNOT CRIPPLE LOVE

IT CANNOT SHATTER  HOPE

IT CANNOT CORRODE FAITH 

IT CANNOT DESTROY PEACE

IT CANNOT KILL FRIENDSHIP

IT CANNOT SUPPRESS MEMORIES

IT CANNOT SILENCE COURAGE

IT CANNOT INVADE THE SOUL

IT CANNOT STEAL ETERNAL LIFE

IT CANNOT CONQUER THE SPIRIT 

                       Unknown


All of the above are true.


Guess what?  I've got EYELASHES!   They've come back. I am going to have to take a close-up picture of them to document this momentous event. True, they fall between stubletts and normal size in length, but at least they are comin' along just fine.   :)

This day went by quickly. Went to town with Nina to buy gifts for nephew Matt's fiancé, Kristin's, bridal shower.
Then attempted to straighten the house as best I could, since my doctor said "NO MOVING YOUR ARMS FOR A FEW WEEKS!"  How in the Sam Hill is that gonna work? Alec came to my house about 1:30 and kept himself busy. Talked to sister Sandy and then Sandy R. from Georgia and later, Little Ma. Then quickly mowed our yard (or what is left to mow that isn't all covered with tree limbs) and did the shop land. Fixed some steaks and we ate supper about 10:00!!  I'm not supposed to eat or drink after midnight, but I cut it kinda close.      Now ii is time to get ready for tomorrow.

I am not a bit nervous about it. Like I have said before, I will be unconscious so I don't know, nor do I want to know, what exactly is happening. I think they said I will have to spend a night in the hospital, but hopefully not. This is not supposed to hurt as bad as the first surgery, since the cut that they made taking out the tumor and removing the breasts, has healed. Also, before, they had to cut the chest muscles to put the expanders in, and that was really a doozy feeling, but that is not necessary this time.  So all will go fine. No problem. 

Thanks for all the good thoughts, all my wonderful peeps.  We're heading down the home stretch.

I'll get back to you with the results of how easy this new procedure goes.    :)  Going to bed now.

EXTRA NOTE:  Congratulations, Amanda and Jimmy, on your marriage!

                                                                  GOD BLESS YOU ALL

THE HUMAN BODY ESSENTIALLY RECREATES ITSELF EVERY SIX MONTHS. NEARLY EVERY CELL OF HAIR AND BONE DIES AND ANOTHER IS DIRECTED TO ITS FORMER PLACE.  YOU ARE NOT WHO YOU WERE LAST NOVEMBER.

                                                                      Donald Miller




Uh, I'm not sure what Donald is talking about. Doesn't seem possible, does it?  I know I am not the same person mentally, that I was last November, 'cause on November 11th a whole different ballgame began for me.

What's with this chilly weather? Last time I checked, it was JULY, People. This year is getting wackier and wackier.

Did the doctor's appointment today, and got my pre-surgery check-up. Dr. Beck says I am exceptionally healthy - low blood pressure, slow pulse, even my temperature is always a little bit below normal. I guess my metabolism is reaaaaalllllyyyyy   sloooooowwwww.  But it's full speed ahead for our little adventure Friday. Boobies, here I come!!!!  

In the COMMENT section of the last post, I got some info from friend, Sandi F. My dear friend, or WONDER WOMAN as I am going to call her in the future, has just gone through an amazing chain of misadventures and fantastic moments in her life - all combined together.  Take a peek and see what one woman can endure and keep on going.  Sandi, you are my hero!

Good news for the decorating fashionistas out there!  I have just purchased a new sofa, chair and recliner. Yup, all of them matchy matchy (which is what Lon wanted since - remember - he said our current stuff makes our living room look  like it was decorated by Goodwill - which still burns my cookies that he is insulting our beloved Goodwill Store).. Anyhoo, they are a neutral color and have very clean, simple lines. I got the Flex Steel brand, because I remember years ago, Aunt Pat Paul and Uncle Short bought some of their products and they said what a great furniture line it was.  So, after all these years, I am following their advice. I get it in two weeks and I can hardly wait. Lon actually mentioned replacing the carpet since it is about 20 years old and is a highly unfashionable blue-gray color. That's a really fun color to work with . . .  yuck. We'll see. I haven't decided what to do about flooring.

Lon and nephew Tracy B. worked their butts off this weekend and salvaged some of our old decking and put it on posts, so we are able to get in our front door without walking on a narrow plank. No lie, we have been tiptoeing over a piece of wood, with a lot of space below it.  I am going to have nightmares about that someday.

Well, I think I will pull on some flannel jammies and go to bed. Autumn sure came early this year.




                                                                                      GOD BLESS YOU ALL

BEING SINGLE DOESN'T MEAN YOU'RE WEAK.  IT MEANS YOU'RE STRONG ENOUGH TO WAIT FOR WHAT YOU DESERVE.

                                                  (UNKNOWN - I JUST THOUGHT IT WAS FOOD FOR THOUGHT FOR YOU SINGLE GALS)

What a time we had Saturday. With the weather report saying that it was going to rain buckets, we were really nervous about how things were going. We finally decided that what would be - would be. Well, we were blessed with the gift of dry weather. All went fairly smoothly and we managed to get through one more of these final steps to finalizing  Dad's business. We had a large crowd show up. There were trucks and cars parked on the road in both directions, as far as the eye could see.

Something that was found in the old basement was a real memory stirrer. Does anyone remember those green dishes that the grocery store gave away free with purchase? There were different pictures on each plate or bowl,  ie: spinning wheel, fireplace hearth, old wooden fence. Mom had stored them away, and Jill dug them out and washed them up. I remember eating off them when I was very young. They must be around 55 years old!! Sis-in-law Nina happened to buy a box of glassware specifically for one item, and then realized that those dishes (which I had told her about), were in the bottom of the box. So, they are still in the family.

Little Ma was admitted to the hospital Thursday with an infection in her leg (mersa). Gratefully, she got to come home today, and is doing much better.

I went out and mowed Little Ma's yard, the Front Drive property, and a lot of the shop land. Periodically, I had to stop and pick up limbs and sticks. When I was at Front Drive, the STOP sign on the corner was gone. It had blown over during the windstorm so the County guys had stopped out and taken it away. However, they neglected to remove the base for it that was sticking out of the ground, and WHAM, I hit it with the mower and it stopped the blade from  turning immediately. Later when I doing the shop, the belt broke, so I couldn't finish everything that I wanted. I'm trying to get caught up with my outdoor chores before Friday, when the reconstructive surgery is being done. Dr. Andrews warned me that I will NOT be moving my arms much at all for quite a while, until the dreaded drains (you've all heard my complaints about those darn things) come out.

Hey, I've talked and talked about my obsession with sunflowers since Jenna started this bog and put that neat picture of them on the masthead. Weeelllll. . . I think my plants that I was so hopeful about, are not going to make it.  They sure got crunched by tree limbs and then the backhoe tracks. This just makes me more determined to have a bumper crop next year!! 

Storm clean up is coming along. I can't even begin to thank Jenna, Mike, Nina, Larry, Tom, Deb, Delaney, Jerry Mc., John , Ken M., Dan R. and others for the fantastic help and the hours they spent here. WOW!!!  One of our neighbors has a wood-burning outdoor furnace, and he asked if he could come over and cut up and haul away, all the trees in our backyard. OF COURSE!!!  What a lucky thing to happen. He just lives a few houses away, so it is really convenient for him.

Thanks for your good thoughts, Betty C.  It made me smile to read that you were drinking your coffee while reading the post.   Loved that.

HAIR REPORT;  Stubletts are getting a tad longer, so now I look like I have a white net cap on my head.

                                                                    GOD BLESS YOU ALL

THE BEST WAY OUT IS ALWAYS THROUGH

                                                 Robert Frost




Hey, everybody, I am waving to ya and dancing the happy dance. What a time getting back on line. FYI both Nina and I each called the cable company this morning, asking why we weren't hooked up yet (it's been nine days). My customer service girl said that her records showed that we had already been reconnected, but since we evidently weren't,  they would try to get someone here TODAY. Nina's person said they could get to her abound the 16th of July!!!!!! Fortunately, Lon saw the cable company hooking up our neighbor and asked them about our service. They said their work orders only allowed work on the above mentioned neighbor's house. After a little this and that, they got the okay to get our cable, internet, and phone lines working.   YIPPEE!! Back to civilization.

I am so glad that Jenna put some pictures on the blog. It helps explain what a mess we are in, but better times are ahead. Our insurance adjuster was here yesterday, and he said he was putting in the report that  the entire house should be resided and that patio furniture, and 2 storm doors, and a bunch of other stuff we never dreamed would be covered, should all be replaced.

I am sure that anyone that lives around me has their own story about the storm, but here's mine.

Monday June 30th (sister Karen's birthday) I was talking to sister Sandy on the phone. Suddenly, she told me that she had her TV on and that it looked like a tornado was heading right for Toddville.     Then the phone went dead. As everything started to get dark, I got Alec a Coleman battery operated lantern, and I got a big flashlight. Then the wind picked up and rain came crashing against my living room window. Leaves and twigs were slamming into the house, and I told Mr. Al, "Let's head for the safe room (my office on the lower level). I am so proud of him. He didn't give me any trouble, he just trotted down the stairs and into the office. We shut the door for a little while, and when I opened it, I could see out the window in my family room. The storm was pretty much over, but the wind and rain were still coming down pretty good. I called Lon and told him that I thought we had been hit by a tornado. While I was talking to him, I opened the front door and saw that a huge tree had crashed into our deck and tore it away from the house. If I had stepped out of the house, I would have fell about nine feet onto the concrete slab that was the floor of our closed-in patio below. Lon couldn't believe it when I told him our big deck was gone, and so were a lot of our nice trees that we had watched grow over 40 plus years. He came back to town, but couldn't get down our lane because of some big trees blocking it. He went to our shop and got the Link Belt and spent  3 hours moving trees so he could get to the house.

Meantime, Alec and I were trapped. The front door exit was gone, the lower level sliders were closed off by the broken deck parts, and our side backdoor was hit by a big tree and wouldn't open. Jenna came out and finally made it on foot, to our place, and pulled some limbs away so that we could get out of the house. Since no one got hurt, I figured it was ALL GOOD! Everything that is messed up is fixable. So there.  :)

I don't remember if I mentioned that we sold Dad's farm. That went quickly. We found out that same day, that good friend Nancy Neustel who lived on the next farm, passed away at the age of 91. In one of the June posts, I talked about how she helped Mom in her younger days.  I went to her funeral today, and it was extremely touching. 

 As far as the farm goes, the family is still busting their buns keeping up the yard work (Ken and Jill), and sorting tools and household stuff for the auction this coming Saturday. What a ton of stuff to go through. There's a 40% chance of scattered showers that day, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that we don't get hit too hard.

Hey, went and had a echocardiogram (?) done today, 'cause I get to get my reconstructive surgery a week from Friday. The end of that tunnel keeps getting closer and closer. Yay! Anyway, just have to have a few more tests done in preparation, and everything seems to be going smoothly.

HAIR REPORT: The white sproutlets are coming along nicely. I finally started going to bed without a sleep cap. I figured Lon would have to see how awful I looked eventually, and I was getting tired of always wearing a cap or scarf or wig (uh - I mean "Roschelle"). He doesn't think it looks bad at all, but then we have been together so many years, nothing scares him anymore. (He was the wonderful husband that just laughed and went about everyday life when I got THE HAIR PERMANENT FROM HELL!!) Several years ago, I made the mistake of telling a new hairdresser that my hair was hard to curl when getting a perm. Well, that woman took me at my word, and I ended up looking like a sheep. My curls were so tight, I couldn't get a comb  through my hair for a month. No lie! I almost called in sick to work the next day, because I was so embarrassed.

Hope you don't mind me rambling here. I need to get back into the swing of things. Anyhoo, got to go for now, but will be back soon.

                                                                              GOD BLESS YOU ALL

Mom asked me to let you all know she is still "off the grid." They have had electricity restored (on Wednesday? I think) but she still doesnt have internet.

We've made a LOT of progress on clean up, but theres still a lot to do. Most of the trees immediately around the house are cleaned up and the yard is looking pretty good, despite where the grass has been torn up from fallen trees and machines moving back and forth. For those of you who know Madre, it drives her nutzo to not have the yard mowed and kept up...but we got the majority of it mowed yesterday and she seemed to feel better about how things were shaping up.

"Ger's" auction is next weekend and shes been busy working on getting things cleaned up for that, and then every three weeks her Herceptin infusions. Next week she pre-registers for surgery (BOOBIES!!!) and meets with the plastic surgeon AND has an echocardiogram. I know Ive slacked on her appointments/procedures page and hope to get that updated soon. But  Madre is doing REALLY well...seems to be feeling well, her tastebuds are recovering, her hair is starting to grow back - and life is moving forward. Shes had a pretty full plate with this cancer thang, and then her dad getting sick and passing. But shes been such a trooper. No real complaining when she really had every right to. Amazing.

Anywho, just wanted to let y'all know what the scoop was. Please forgive any typos as Im doing this on my phone.

Hope you all had a great Fourth of July and are enjoying your weekend!!

God Bless You All