OUCH!

I AM NOT WHAT HAPPENED TO ME.  I AM WHAT I CHOOSE TO BECOME.

                                                                                                                              Unknown

Well, it's been about a month since I posted. Life has been quite hectic lately. I've been trying to keep up with all the mowing, trimming, and working The Woodbridge Building. And now, Hubby and I are getting SERIOUS about clearing things out of this house! Yeah, yeah, I have probably mentioned that before, but this time stuff is definitely "leaving the building". We have decided to take baby steps, and not exhaust ourselves by working marathon periods of time. That only makes us sick of cleaning, and then, we . . .well . . . stop. So far, it's working quite well and is all very satisfying, but time-consuming. 

A few weeks ago my friend from high school, Jodi, came from California for a visit. Her big brother was having his class reunion, and traditionally, after the honored class has their official dinner, people from other graduating classes show up to crash the party. Well, as much as oldsters can crash.

On Thursday night, some of us met at the local quaint bar and grill in our tiny home town and had food, drinks, and lots of laughing. I think we ran some of the bar's regulars out because we were so loud with our talking and laughing. Too bad! I guess we forget exactly how old we are. It must look odd to see some "senior" citizens cracking up and acting like teenagers. What a blast.

On Saturday night, some of us met at Cheddars for a nice meal and then went to the official party. It is not surprising that I head a lot of conversations about open-heart surgery, cancer, and other ailments. Some lucky ones were discussing their fishing cabins that  they have.  Lots of talk about grandkids. That's what is happening in our lives. Oy vey!

Then, Monday, a bunch of us met at a local deli for breakfast. I picked Jodi up in Dough Boy, my little white work truck (you know, the one that beeps as it back up). Jodi's a good sport and just laughs about my truck's noises. Hey, I think she was the one who had a car way back during our teens, that had a horn that would start honking whenever she made a right turn!  Anyhoo, at the breakfast there were even more people that I hadn't seen since high school. Lots of fun! Unfortunately I gained three pounds from Thursday to Monday. Rats! Too much dining out. It was wonderful visiting with all the old gang. Did I mention that we gathered at 9 AM and I got home at 2 PM? Time flies.

I've been spending a lot of time with grandson Alec lately. His regular daily caretaker is also his high school's cheerleading coach, so her time is being divided between that and Alec and I am filling in whenever I'm needed. Yesterday we ran a few errands and then stopped at Little Caesars and grabbed a pizza for lunch (uh oh . . .  again more eating out). Then, we proceeded to continue packing up his thousands of VHS and CD movies. We are getting organized at his house, too. So far, we've packed up 12 large boxes of movies and have them stacked in his "man cave" in his basement. He has a fascinating collection. When he buys those darn movies, it doesn't make any sense . . .  until you see him fit them into his previous purchases. Then it all becomes clear. There is a definite pattern to his collections. 

A week or so ago, I had Alec with me at Woodbridge. He has helped him mother with mowing their yard in town, so I thought he might like to try helping me. I got on the John Deere and mowed a big square, then told him to just cut in that area. He did a really good job, until he got a little cocky and went rogue on me. He gave me a huge grin and began to take off to another big section of the property. He wasn't doing anything reckless. He was just into the moment. You know, he was driving! After all, he is 18. All mainstream boys take driving for granted. Since he will never be able to experience that kind of driving, he was making the most of riding the Deere. 

I have also been devoting a lot of time to my writing. I've got to get cracking if I ever want to check some of my goals off my Bucket List. One of which is getting something published. You never can tell. I have experienced so many miracles in my life, it just might happen. We'll see.

And . . . how are you all faring with the onslaught of political stories? Yipes! I have got to wean myself away from the cable news. It is all so depressing and worry-some. I still can't get believe how awful things appear. Sure would like to have some normalcy again. Just a bit. I was shocked about an incident that occurred last week. I'm not going to divulge when or where it happened, but someone who I like and respect made a uncalled for slur about one political party. In front of a group of people who are supposed to be unbiased in the situation that we were involved with at the time! And several in the group laughed at his comments and nodded. I really felt like I was odd man out in that group. Weird. I am verbal enough about my political feelings in my own home (to the point that Hubby gets grumpy about my ramblings) and in discussions with a few hand-picked friends and family. But I DO NOT express my opinions in any groups anymore. I truly respect others' thoughts and am proud that they can have a different outlook than me. That is America, people! And as long as we have the right to belong to different sides, it is still America. But I am also not looking to upset anybody by bringing up my different thoughts. I have read some things on Facebook from people I like, that are quite angry and poisonous. Sometimes I think, "Wow, I didn't know that she was such a Mean Girl!" Or some guy will pop off with such foul language to make his point. Uh uh. I'm staying out of their way.

​I have officially stopped wearing my wigs. I know I had said I was stopping before, but I chickened out lately and slapped on a "hair cap" knowing I would see old friends and didn't want to shock them. The new hair is really gnarly looking, but it is getting long enough that it is difficult tucking it all into a wig cap, so I am going au natural. Finally. For good.      Maybe.

This post's title is OUCH. That is because I continue to fall. Took a header yesterday. I can trip over absolutely nothing. This morning I went out to the mailbox, and skidded on the wet grass. That was a tad bit alarming. It happens so quickly. I didn't break anything, but I was a bit soar. The pain in legs has extended to my ribcage and now arms. ???? Can't figure out what it is. 

I got a letter from my oncologist stating that my next PET/CT scan is scheduled next month. Goody. I am not going to dwell on that. I just hope nothing "sparkles" on the X-ray. Sparkles are NOT good. But when you think about it, there is not a darn thing I can do about the results, so I am not going to worry.

​Sorry I have no pictures to share with you this time. I can't (again) find my camera and I still don't know how to download pics from my smartphone. Whatever.

                                             GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND GOD BLESS OUR COUNTRY