HOW DID THE MONTH GO SO QUICKLY?

 

Hello, friends!  Happy Saturday.  The weekend is here, although it isn't the same as when I was working full time.

Things are just so busy around here.  And I am so tired all the time.  I have been sleeping a lot.  I realize I am certainly not the same person I was when I bought this house 44 years ago.  At that time I could run up to the third floor and down to the basement with no problem.  Now I have trouble walking around one floor.

To make life easier we have been cleaning out the house.  Our friend John has been helping us.  We worked in the basement this week and threw out six huge bags of trash.  We had no idea there was so much down there.  And we had no idea that a lot of it was destroyed by mold and water.  I lost a lot of things that I would rather have kept.  Expensive things too.  Joe was surprised at how many tools he had.  He had missed them and then just bought new.  Oh my!  What happened?  How did we get so old?  There is a lot more to go, but we have made a huge dent in it.

I am so tired that I haven't been cooking a lot.  Yesterday I got out some ground beef, but was so tired that I slept from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.  Joe called out for dinner so that I didn't have to cook.  But I didn't want the meat to go bad, so I put together a meat loaf and put it in the refrigerator for tonight.  You don't know what a relief it is to know that when dinner time comes, all I have to do is pop it into the oven.  It is even in the pan to put into the oven.  All I have to do is put a frozen veggie in the microwave and cut up some fresh strawberries for dessert.

I think a lot of my tiredness comes from my heart.  I haven't seen my cardiologist in awhile.  I really don't like him that much.  It is his way without listening to anything I am saying.  So I am looking for a new cardiologist.  He can't be the only one in Philadelphia.  This has to be a priority for me.

It has been very hot here.  It was cooler yesterday and is supposed to be today also, but lots of rain.  Rain has not been our friend lately.  It has found a way into our kitchen through the roof.  *sigh*  Looks as if we need to get that patched.

Guess I had better end and start the day.  I love early mornings best of all the day.  It's quiet, I'm alone and I can more or less do what I want.  Great time to pray and read my Bible too.

See you all later.

Kathy

FATHER'S DAY

 Hello, friends.  I know it's been a while.  I have been either sick or very busy for weeks.  But I had to come on and say Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there.  I miss my dad and my step-dad.  They were wonderful men.  My dad was a Marine and my step-dad in the Navy so they were both heroes in my book.

Today we are going to a church in our denomination for the first time.  Joe wants to visit this church and see if we like it.  The church we have been attending is down to six members and usually on Sunday morning there are seven people in the congregation at most.  We don't expect it to be able to be open much longer.  Joe doesn't want to wait until the last Sunday and then have to scramble to find some place to attend.  We both love the Bible Fellowship Church so want to find another church in our denomination to attend.  This one is about 30 minutes away and probably the next closest to us.

It's always strange to go into a new church.  People there all know each other.  They have their ways of conducting their service, etc.  But I know from experience that after you attend for a few weeks you fit right in.  Especially at a church people are glad to see you.  I am wondering how it will be on Father's Day.  If there will be special things going on.

Joe's father is also with the Lord.  He was a Marine -- another hero.  He always treated me as if I were his own daughter and I loved him for that.

It is going to be a hot day.  And I hot next few days also.  The weatherman just said as the week goes on you may think your body has adjusted to the temperature, but it is better to stay inside and have the air conditioner on.  I'm with him.

I went to the doctor this week.  He gave me arthritis medication, but after reading the warnings that came with it, I'm nervous about taking it and will call him tomorrow to ask about the potential side effects.  I know they have to tell you the worst case scenario, but in big letters it says it may cause death.  Yikes!

I also had a blood test taken and most of the results were very good.  But the part for my kidneys was not.  I want to talk to the doctor about that also.

There are some good things happening, though and I can't wait to talk to you about it.  But I can't just yet.  I will though.  So stay tuned.

Now I have to get ready for church.  See you all later.

Kathy

GOING DOWN THE SHORE

 

Hello, friends!  Hope you are all doing well.  It is so hot here in Philly.  Wish I were down the shore where it is 20 degrees cooler.

Joe and I were in Cape May Court House and in Wildwood Crest last weekend.  We had been planning on this trip for several weeks to celebrate Joe's birthday, but with all the things going on here, it was a good idea to get away for a while.

We headed down in the morning because we wanted to go to the flea market at Cape Community Church.  I had some books and book covers to sell.  We set up and waited.  And waited.  It was drizzling, but nothing bad.  There were almost no venders and certainly no customers.  It was bad.  I didn't sell one thing.

When it started pouring and everyone was packing up, we left too.  I had gotten us a room at the Bel Air in Wildwood Crest.  Even though it was early, we headed over there hoping we could get into our room.

I really wasn't trying to get a shot of Joe here.  I was trying to get the cool waves sculpture you can just see out the window.  Too bad I couldn't get a better shot because it was wonderful.

We were able to get into the room early.  When the lady at the front desk told us the room was on the second floor, I asked where the elevator was.  No elevator, but a flight of 15 steps and then down a walkway.  That was really tough!

The room was beautiful.  More like a little apartment with a living room, closet/coffee area, bedroom and bathroom.  I loved the Tiffany light in the living room part.

I had been feeling sick all day, so the first thing I did was lay down and went right to sleep for a couple of hours.  When I woke up I was still in pain and had a headache.  Joe came in the room and we debated what to do about dinner.  Because of the steps I felt like a prisoner in this beautiful apartment.  Finally, I agreed to go out with him.  We got ready and headed for the Vegas Diner.  

But first we stopped at CVS.  Joe had forgotten to pack a few things.  Like his toothbrush and toothpaste.  I asked him to get me some aspirin.  When he got back into the car, I took one.  By the time we got to the diner I was feeling a bit better.

We were able to get the Early Bird Specials.  Joe had a salad, chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and corn on the cob.  I had chicken orzo soup, grilled salmon, mashed potatoes and a butternut squash with pineapple.  Everything was so good.  Joe got rice pudding for dessert but I was too full and got bread pudding to go.

Going back to the hotel we stopped at Wawa to get some donuts for breakfast.  That way we didn't have to go out for breakfast in the morning before church.  He also got a plastic spoon to eat the bread pudding.

I really couldn't eat any of the desserts they had because they all had milk in them.  But I wanted to get something.  I knew Joe loved bread pudding so I gave it to him.  He said it was good.

I found the Phillies game on TV, and we started watching it.  It was a good game.  Toward the end nothing was happening so Joe decided to go brush his teeth, etc. to get ready for bed.  Of course, that is when we got a home run and won the game.  I was yelling for him, but he couldn't get there in time.  Fortunately, they showed it again on the news and he got to see it.

I slept good that night.  In the morning, I went into the living room and opened the curtains a bit so that I could see the ocean.

We got ready and went to church.  It was so good seeing everyone again.  And the message was really good.

Afterwards Mike and Elaine asked if we wanted to go to lunch with them at South 9.  We like that place, so we said yes.  It turned out that Pastor Brad and Vikki went too.  The guys sat at one end of the table and the girls at the other and we had two different conversations going on.  I got the crab cake sandwich and it was wonderful!  I could eat it every day.  Joe got a burger and fries which he liked a lot.

After that we headed home.  We would love to live down there and go to church there every week, but it is so expensive to live at the shore.

We stopped at Farley Plaza on the way home to use the restroom.  And to switch drivers.  It's the halfway point home.  Joe had driven that far, so I took over and drove the rest of the way home.  As I was pulling out of the parking space, I saw the Tesla charging station.  This is what our future is going to look like.

We got home safely and took a lot of time petting George and playing with him.  We had two of our friends taking care of him so he was ok.  Just lonely.

It was a good thing to get away.  I'm not crying anymore.  Well, once in a while, but not like I was.

I'm going to go get something to eat and take my medicine so I will see you all later.  Have a wonderful evening.

Kathy

JOE'S BIRTHDAY

 

Hello, friends!   Yesterday was Joe's birthday.  Yes, the years roll on and we get older and hopefully wiser.  We didn't really do all that much to celebrate.

For lunch, Carole came over and the three of us went to Cracker Barrel.  That seems to be a recurring theme of Joe's birthdays.  He really likes it there.  Plus we had a gift card so lunch was free for all three of us!  I had eaten breakfast but Joe and Carole hadn't so they got Gramma's Sampler.  It was eggs, sausage, bacon, ham, and pancakes.  They really liked it and ate it all.  I had lunch.  It was a slice of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli and rolls.  Everything was really good.

I realized later that I never took one still picture while we were there.  In fact, no movie either.  We were just enjoying ourselves so much.

We were still kind of full around dinner time, so I ended up ordering Joe's favorite meal (pizza) from Dominos.  Last time they took 45 minutes to get our food to us.  I was watching the bar they have to tell you how far along your order is.  It was there for 20 minutes before they even began preparing it.  So I reported them to Dominos.  This time it was here in less than 25 minutes.  I'm not a big pizza fan, so I got the chicken wings which were really good.  I offered some chicken to George, and he turned his nose up at it.  He really doesn't like table food and I'm so glad because he doesn't beg at the table the way Jack did.

We bought brownies for dessert and because I didn't have a cake for Joe, I stuck a candle in a brownie and lit it for him.  Brownies are as good as cakes, aren't they?

Although I didn't take any pictures, I did make a very short YouTube video of the day.  I'm going to link it here.

And now it is the next day and there is tons to do around here.  Hope to be back soon.

Kathy

AT THE HOSPITAL

 Hello, friends.  Welcome to the weekend.  Not only is it the weekend, but it is Pentecost.  And Joe's birthday.  I have some things planned for him and I hope he likes them.

Things are looking up for me.  I still get teary now and then, but for the most part I am back to being myself.

Yesterday Joe had a doctor's appointment at the VA Hospital.  I drove him down.  I was going to sit in the parking lot and wait for him like I usually do, but I had forgotten my phone.  He had no way to get in touch with me nor I with him.  Usually, Joe will give me a call to let me know he is done and then I will tell him what level I am on, and he will take the elevator down to meet me.

I dropped him off at the front door and then went to get a place to park.  I had a hard time finding parking.  All the handicapped spaces were taken and so were all the spaces close to the elevator for me to go up.  I went to the lowest level and found a space sort of close to the door to the hospital.  I sat there for awhile just getting myself together.

When I got out of the car, I noticed that I was straddling the line and parked in two spaces.  And it was much farther from the elevators than I thought it was.  I couldn't walk that far.  I got back into the car, drove around the lot again and as I got to the handicapped section, a car pulled out and I was able to pull in.  Right next to the elevators!  Thank you, God.  I did thank Him profusely for such a blessing.  I took my walker out of the back seat, put all the things I had with me in the bottom of the seat of the walker so that I didn't have to carry them, and made my way into the hospital.

It was a good thing I went in.  When I got to the clinic I didn't see Joe anywhere.  And to make it worse, I couldn't remember which module he was in.  I went up to a registrar and asked if she could help me.  She asked for his name and Social Security number and then told me I was in the wrong place, that he was one room over. I really thanked her.

I was sitting in the correct space for a while when Joe finally came out.  He saw me and came over.  I had been reading a book, so I wasn't wasting my time.  I never have time to read anymore so this was wonderful.  He said he had to have a shot and had to wait for a nurse.  Finally, she came out and he went back with her.  Then when he came out, he said he had to have his eyes checked and a tech right there was going to do it.  So, we waited.  And waited.  After about 15 minutes, he went in to see her.

By this time, we had been there over two hours.  So, when I saw him come out of the eye office, I was ready to go.  But wait... there's more.  Then he had to get a brace for his sore wrist.  Rather than run up to the second floor, I chose to sit in Starbucks and read.  (I actually got through about 12 chapters yesterday.  I say about because I am somewhere in the middle of chapter 12.)

Before I knew it, Joe was back.  I got up to leave but...  The rehab place was closed for lunch, and he had to go back in an hour to see them.  But he brought me potato chips and cookies because I said I was hungry.  What a guy!  Good thing I had brought a bottle of water with me.

So off Joe went to see the next doctor and I continued to read.  Fortunately, that was a short visit, and he was back in no time.  We were going to take a ride out to Lancaster County because he had such an early appointment with the original doctor and have lunch, but by now we had spent five hours in the hospital, and it was getting on towards rush hour.  I still had to get my medicine from the pharmacy, so we headed home.

When I got home, I was in a lot of pain in my legs, so I laid down for a "few minutes".  The next thing I knew Joe was waking me up, saying it was 8:30 p.m. and should we just call out for dinner. Uh... yes.  Not much of dinner for me because I was just not feeling great.  But enough to take my medicine.

What a day!  But at least Joe got a lot of medical things taken care of.  Wish there was a place like that for me where I could do everything in one place at one time instead of running all over the city from one doctor to the next.  Maybe someday.

See you all later.  I have lots to do today.  For those of you who watch my YouTube, I'm going to try to get a new video up today.  That's if my editing software behaves itself.

Kathy

THE FUNERAL AND BURIAL ARE OVER. NOW ON WITH LIFE.

 

Hello, friends!  Welcome to Thursday.  This will have to be short since I have to get ready to take Joe to the VA Hospital for his doctor's appointment.  This doctor sees him once a year so we don't want to miss it.

But I just wanted to thank you all for your kind words on Debbie's passing and Jack's death.  It has been hard, but I am definitely on the upswing.  I think the fact that it is all over helps.  Plus, I totally lost it at the Celebration of Life, leaned on Joe and cried and cried and cried.  But after I got it out, I felt better.

At the cemetery on Tuesday Debbie's sister-in-law said that the nurse that was with Debbie when she died said that Debbie opened her eyes, said, "My Lord!  My Lord!  It's Jesus!  And Rusty (her husband who died 6 months ago) is with him!"  Then she laid back, closed her eyes, and breathed her last.  That is so comforting.  The saints die differently than others I think.

In any case, life goes on for us.  The big clean out the house continues.  We had planned this for over six months.  The guy helping us just got time to do this and we are so grateful.

This Monday is Joe's birthday.  I have a gift coming from Amazon for him on Friday.  I'm not going to say what in case he reads this, but it is nice and I will show it to you when it comes.  Joe and I can never wait for our gifts.  We are like little kids.  When the gift comes, we have to give it to each other.

And now I really have to run.  I have 15 minutes to get ready before I have to get Joe up.  See you all later.

Kathy

FEELING BETTER

 

Hello, friends.  I am finding myself feeling a bit better today.  The tears still come when I least expect them, but I am more myself.  That's a good thing.

Yesterday I got a call from Pastor who wanted to go over the program for Debbie's funeral with me.  We talked over some things, made suggestions, and finally got everything together.  He had some questions for the funeral director, and I offered to call them for him.

It was a very strange call.  I had called the day before about getting flowers from the Tuesday Bible Study group for her funeral and spoke with Mrs. S.  And when I called yesterday, she answered as well.  I told her who I was and asked the questions Pastor had wanted answers to.

Mrs. S:  Who are you again?

Me:  Kathy ...  I called yesterday about the flowers and now I have some other questions for you.  Pastor asked me to call for him.

Mrs. S:  And just why are YOU calling?  How are YOU involved in all of this?  This is highly unusual.

Me:  Well, I'm the Church Secretary.  In fact, I'm Pastor's secretary.  He asked me to make some phone calls for him and you were one of them.

Mrs. S:  Oh really?  I didn't know Protestant churches had secretaries.  In fact, I didn't know Protestant ministers had secretaries.  Are you sure you're his secretary?

Me:  Yes.  I have been for 6 years now.  (Really closer to 7 but I didn't say that.)

She did give me the answers I needed, and I was able to call Pastor back and tell him what was going on.  I felt as if I was back working for the library with all the strange calls I used to get there.

I think being able to do something tangible and constructive has helped me.  It's not being able to do anything that drives me crazy.

Still working on the big house cleanout.  Trash day is coming and more trash needs to leave this place.  I will be so glad when it is done.  And I am so thankful to the people who are helping me.

I'm going to go get breakfast now and feed George.  It's a whole different ballgame now because George will not eat the food that Jack did.  I have a feeling that my friends with cats are going to get some cans of food.

Talk to you all again soon.

Kathy

Here's the George cat (as we call him).

IT'S GOING TO GET BETTER

 Hello, friends.  Thank you so, so much for all of your kind words and for standing by me during this time.  This is one of the hardest seasons of my life and I so appreciate all of you.  Without you I don't know how I would get through it.

Debbie's sister-in-law and niece asked me to go with them to the funeral home on Friday to help them with the arrangements.  I went and picked them up since I know the area and they don't.  They live 2 hours from here.

The funeral director was so kind.  Debbie and I had been there for her husband's funeral six months ago.  He remembered me, of course.  We talked through a lot of things.  I have known Debbie since we were 15 years old, so I knew things like her parents' names, etc. that her sister-in-law had no clue about.

The celebration of life is this Saturday, and the interment is on Tuesday.  It is hard.  Very hard.  Debbie was like my sister.

Yesterday we had to say goodbye to my big boy Jack.  I went with Joe to the veterinarian, but I couldn't go in.  I just sat in the car and cried and cried.  I wanted to be there when Jack breathed his last, but I couldn't.  He was my baby.  Even though I have George, the house seems so empty without Jack.

But he was suffering with kidney failure, and I just couldn't do that to him.  He used to purr all day, but he had even stopped purring.  I knew how sick he was then.

We are still decluttering the house.  I am amazed and appalled by how much junk we have.  My friend's son is helping us, and I am so thankful for younger hands and energy to help us.  So much is going out.

I really wasn't hungry for dinner last night, but Joe insisted I eat something.  He bought me a sandwich which I ate, but then felt sick.  Feeling better this morning.  I think I shouldn't have eaten while I was upset.

He also bought me flowers.  He got me white and yellow daisies not knowing they were Debbie's favorite and were in her wedding bouquet.  They are also going to be her funeral flowers.  He felt bad when I told him, but I said they were a tribute to her, and it was so sweet.

I am going to go now.  I have to get ready because Bible Study is this morning.  I will talk to you later.  Again, thank you so much for being there for me.

Kathy

IT'S OVER

 

Good night sweet Debbie.  My friend went home to be with Jesus this morning.  I will miss her terribly.  But she is so happy now.  She is with her husband who died six months ago.  She was so lost without him.  And to look into the face of her Savior is amazing.

Just thought I would share the news with you.  I'm not up to making a big post today.  Perhaps later.  Soon...

Kathy

WLCOME MAY

 Hello, and welcome to May!  We are in the middle of the year already.  I hope you all have a wonderful month.  Mine is not going to be so good.

Yesterday morning I received a phone call from Jack's vet.  We had taken him there on Monday because he has been doing poorly.  Not eating, losing weight quickly, lethargic, refuses to take his medicine even when mixed with his favorite treat.  Dr. Kelly called to tell me some bad news.  Jack is in severe renal failure.  There is no treatment for it and no chance of recovery.  She suggested that the kindest thing to do for him was to put him down.  After crying A LOT, I was able to call the office near us (she was calling from their office in Bucks County) and arrange to go next Monday for the euthenization.  (Not sure if that is spelled right.)  My poor little Jack.  I so don't want to lose him, but I can't see him suffer like he is either.  George must know what is going on because he no longer jumps on top of him, wrestles with him or tries to play with him.  He just goes over and looks at Jack laying listlessly on the floor.  Last night we had some chicken for dinner and Jack ate a tiny bit of it and seemed to like it.  Then he drank a lot of water.  It was the first he had drank all day.  My heart is broken.

My heart is also broken from the news that my best friend Debbie, who you have seen comment on here a lot over the years, has days to live.  She has a cancerous brain tumor which cannot be treated.  We were motoring around, laughing, having fun just a few weeks ago.  This came on very suddenly.  Well, the information came suddenly.  By the size of the tumor I'm sure it has been growing for years.  It is about the size of 1/4 of her brain.  Again, I don't want to see her suffer the way she is and I'm praying that God will show His daughter mercy and take her home.

I had a problem too, but little in light of what I just said.  I hit my foot on a table leg and broke a toe.  It hurts a lot and I am having trouble walking.  *sigh*

What a sad post this is.  But this is what is on my heart.  It is so hard and I don't think the month of May will ever be the same for me.  There are other things going on that I can't talk about right now, but they are hard also.

On top of everything else, Joe's birthday is in May.  I don't want him to have a bad birthday.  I want to make it nice for him.  I just don't know what to do.  We are broke so it can't be anything expensive.  I'll let you know what I come up with.  I have a few ideas.

Well, I have to run.  Medicine and then breakfast awaits.  Then a shower and cutting the grass.  It's so high that I have to do it today and stop putting it off.  Even if my toe hurts and I have to limp a bit.

See you all soon.  I hope with better news.

Kathy

THE ECLIPSE

Hello, friends.  It's been awhile now, but did any of you get to see the eclipse on April 8?  It was only 90% here in Philly, but alas the clouds rolled in as it started and disappeared as it was ending so we didn't get to see anything.  It did get darker though.  Sort of like dusk.  But not dark as it did in places where there was a total eclipse.  And the temperature did drop.

I did watch it on TV though.  I recorded it on all three of the major TV stations, but found that ABC was the best.  They had reporters in several cities and I followed it all across America.  It totally fascinated me.  And I did take pictures of the eclipse as if traveled from Mexico to Canada from the TV.  It was amazing how it changed even though it was the same thing.  Here are some of the photos I took.

 Some were light and some were dark.  Some had a large corona and some had a small one.  The coronas are different colors from green to light blue to dark blue and even gray.  The first one in Mexico I got what they call a diamond ring.  So fascinating.

When I was in college, I took an astronomy class and got 100 on every test I took.  I have always been fascinated by space.  The thought of billions of stars and planets (even billions of galaxies) just speaks to me of the awesomeness of Almighty God.

Life is very busy these days.  Went to my GI doctor yesterday and he is going to wait a few months before doing another surgery on my esophagus.  It has to calm down first.  Eating is difficut these days.

But life is still good.  And on that note, I will talk to you later.

Kathy

YOU GUESSED IT. I GOT SICK

 

Hello, friends.  I know it's been a while since my last post.  Those of you who are on facebook with me know what happened.  I got sick.  Very sick.  And not with what I talked to you about last time.

God is so good and we had a great Easter without me being sick at all.  We picked up Joe's step-mom and went out to Paradise, PA for the morning service.  There was almost no traffic and we got there about 45 minutes quicker than we usually do.  So we sat in the back and listened to their Sunday School lesson.  It was so good.  And so was the service.

We had reservations for lunch at the Lancaster Brasserie.

We didn't know where it was or how long it would take us to get there.  Well, it was close and took only a few minutes.  We got there 30 minutes early.  But they seated us right away and served us.  The food was really good.  But so expensive!  It cost over $150 for lunch!  I did not expect that.

I did love the view out the window as we ate.

The ride home was not as quick as the morning one, but it wasn't bad at all.

That evening I started getting the sniffles.  By morning it was a full blown cold.  And it got worse the next several days.  Congestion, coughing, the whole nine yards.  I have not had a cold in years so was not expecting this.  It lasted about 10 days.  I really started feeling good this past Wednesday.  I haven't done much of anything because I've been feeling so sick.  So of course I have a LOT of housework to catch up on.

But it's early morning right now.  I am going to get up, get myself together, get my medicine and breakfast, and get the trash out.  We missed the trash pickup last week, so we have to make it today.

See you all later.

Kathy

I CAN'T BE SICK FOR EASTER

 

Hello, friends.  Hope you are all doing well.  Not so much me.  About three days ago I started feeling a lot of heartburn/gas.  A lot of belching and a lot of mints did not seem to help.  I thought I might have a stomach virus that would go away in a few days.  Ever since my surgery back in 2010 things are not good for my digestive system.  Well it is now the fourth day and I woke up still feeling sick.

I can't be sick for Easter!  Joe and I had planned to go to Lancaster, attend Paradise Bible Fellowship Church in Paradise, PA, and then go out for dinner to a new to us restaurant that looks really good.  We are getting adventurous in our old age.  This will be two new restaurants in two weeks.

We got a card from Joe's step-mom for Easter.  She wrote a note on it that she had been sick for months.  I said to Joe that we should take her with us since she never gets anywhere anymore.  She has alienated a lot of her friends or they have passed away.  She can't drive and now she can't use public transportation.  She immedately accepted.  So now there are three of us going.

Joe's step-mom has no church affiliation.  She was raised Catholic, goes to a church about twice a year, and really doesn't believe anything she is told about Christianity.  This will be the first time she is going to a Bible Fellowship service which will be a HUGE change for her.  I don't think she will know what is going on.  I get along with her better than Joe does, so I will try to be sitting between her and Joe and explain things as we go along.  I think she will like the music and am praying that God will speak to her through the message.

The place we are going to eat is called the Lancaster Brasserie.  The food looks really good.  It reminds me a lot of the King George Inn.  A nice menu but not overly priced.  Joe had made reservations for him and me a few weeks ago.  But when his step-mom decided to come, he changed the reservation.  Unfortunately, he thought he was changing the reservation but actually made an additional one.  I called them yesterday and got everything straightened out.  I just hope I don't get lost going there.  Or coming back home!

And that brings me to my dilemna.  How can I go out to eat if I am feeling so sick that I can barely get crackers down?  And as I belch (which I am doing a lot) I go in and out of afib.

Please pray for this situation.  Pray I feel better.  Pray for Maryann that she hears the word and believes.  And please pray that I find my car and house keys which have been lost since Tuesday.  I feel as if I have searched everywhere, but I obviously haven't since they haven't turned up.  They must be in the house.  I haven't been anywhere else.

That's it for now.  I need to get my day started.  A lot to do.  See you all soon.  Have a wonderful day and a beautiful Easter.

Kathy

MARCH ROUNDUP

 I have made a decision to blog once a month to let everyone know what is going on.  At least for now.  I do still stop in and read your posts and occasionally comment so I am still around.

So let me tell you what's happening.

At the beginning of the month I decided that I needed to eat healthier.  Eating a bunch of junk food because I am too sick to cook just wasn't cutting it.  So I looked back through my posts and found the ones from when I used to go to the farm every other week.  I wrote down what I was given there.  Joe and I used to belong to a co-op which was fun because we paid a fee at the beginning of the season and then twice a month got a box of food.  We never knew what would be in the box and ended up trying all kinds of fruits and vegetables that we wouldn't ordinarily have eaten.  We ended up liking a lot of them.  What I made from this first purchase was an apple pie from Honeycrisp apples.  So good.

I also made a quiche with some spinach and mushrooms that I had gotten.

I used a lot of the veggies to make some chicken vegetable soup and others to make wonderful salads.  I also made wonderful roasted parsnips and a baked acorn squash.  Yes, we ate good this month.

On Thursday the 14th I had a dentist appointment to get my teeth cleaned.  When I got there I went to the handicapped entrance and rang the bell.  A guy whom I had never seen before opened the door for me.  He let me in and walked to the waiting room with me.  He told me that he was a new employee and didn't know how to check me in, so I had to wait for another person to check that I was there.  I noticed that all of the techs were people that I had never seen.

I was taken to the exam room and another girl who was new to me took the xrays and got me settled in.  Then a dentist walked in and introduced herself to me.  I asked if Dr. Reed was off that day and she told me that Dr. Reed and her husband (also her partner dentist) had retired and sold her the practice.  Well that explained a lot!  But this new dentist was great.  Very gentle.  Very nice.  In fact the entire office was great.  So I will be going back there.  But what a surprise!

The 14th was also Pi Day.  I was going to go to the store and buy an apple pie, but Joe and I went this direction instead.

Mushroom and green pepper.  It was good.

On Wednesday the 20th I decided to make some bread.  In Bible Study the day before some of us were talking about making bread, kneading bread, hand making bread vs. a bread machine.  So I got it into my head to do this.

Instead of making my usual Betty Crocker bread recipe, I went online and looked up "Amish bread recipes".  I found one that looked easy and it really was.  Here is the link to the recipe:  Amish White Bread Recipe (allrecipes.com).   I had everything I needed in the house except bread flour.  I just used regular white flour and it turned out fine.

I had chicken tenders and asparagus for dinner.  I wanted to have the bread too, but I didn't time it right and it wasn't done baking.  (The bread didn't rise even after an hour because it wasn't warm in the kitchen. I ended up putting the dough in a slightly warm oven to rise and that set me back.)  It looked SO GOOD when I took it out from baking.  The color was perfect and when I sliced it, the slice looked perfect too.  And the taste!  It was not like any bread I have ever made.  There is sugar in it and it is a sweet bread (sort of like Hawaiian rolls if you have those near you).  I am definitely making it again.  Three hours start to finish.

Sorry I don't have a picture for you, but it didn't last very long.  There's a picture in the recipe, though, and that's exactly what it looked like.

That bread didn't last long.  I am making another loaf today or tomorrow.  Joe said it was the best bread I have ever made.

Well, this month has not ended well.  My best friend Debbie was diagnosed with brain, lung and liver cancer.  After a week in the hospital, she came home yesterday.  Her entire life has changed and there are big adjustments to be made.  I will help her as much as I can, but I am taking care of Joe and his ongoing illnesses as well as trying to be good to myself.  I have not had an afib event in almost a year and now I am having a lot of them.  I think because I am so stressed.  I try to calm myself down because if I am in the hospital I am not doing anyone any good (including myself).  But it is hard.

I took Joe to the VA Hospital the other day and used my new walker (or rollator?  It has wheels.) to get around.  It was easier than the cane for sure.  It also has a seat which was very helpful.  But a lot of places do not accommodate a large walker.  So I am still using the cane also.  Good to have a choice though.

I am going to post this today (the 27th) and give you another post for Easter.  This has worked out so well for me.  If I want to post, I do.  But I have a running post for the month that I can write a few sentences.  I'm going to continue on like this for the next few months and see what happens.

Thanks for sticking with me.  I will be back later this week.

Kathy

RUNNING AROUND

I got a phone call early this morning.  It was just after 7:00 and it was my friend, Kathy.  She was to have a colonoscopy and I had just been praying for her.  It turns out that she was able to get to the hospital but didn't have a ride home.  After doing the cleanse the day before she didn't want to just get a cab and go home.  I don't blame her one bit!  She asked if I could come and get her after the test.  Of course, I said yes, although a bit hesitantly.  I didn't know how to get to the hospital.  Or even where it was.  But...

My friend Debbie had had her cancer treatments there.  I called her and asked her to go with me when it was time and she agreed.  So off we went.  But...

I was doing OK until we were almost there, made a wrong turn, and got lost.  Very lost.  I pulled over and got the Waze (GPS) running.  We went around and around blocks and finally (FINALLY) ended up at the right spot to pick her up.

After dropping Kathy off, Debbie and I went to the post office and then to Wendy's where I bought lunch for her, Joe and myself.  I dropped Debbie off and went home.

After lunch I took a nap.  A nice long nap.  I'm getting too old for this!  But I was glad to help a friend.  And glad to get help from a friend.  We are all in this life together.

See you later.

Kathy

OK, I CAN'T DO THIS COLD TURKEY

Yesterday after I posted about taking a break, I had second thoughts.  I have had this blog for over 13 years and just stopping is more than my little mind can comprehend.  So for now, I am still being good to me, but I will blog once a month.  Unless there is some terribly important and interesting news.  So look for me around the end of the month and I'll be back.  Once a month sounds good, doesn't it?

Kathy

I'M TAKING A BREAK

 Hello, friends.  I just wanted to let you know that I am taking a break from blogging.  I don't know if I will be back or not.  The way my life has been going lately blogging is more of a burden than a pleasure.

Please don't worry about me.  Joe and I are fine.  Just too much going on to keep up.  I may come back because I have enjoyed it so much.  But not right now.

I will still keep up with my YouTube so you can catch up with me there.  It's Kathy's Happy Home.

Thanks for understanding.

Kathy

INFUSION DAY

 Hello, friends!  Hope you are having a wonderful day.  I love this cute little picture of Charlie Brown and Snoopy.  Enjoy the cold while you can.  Spring is almost here.  Yay!

Yesterday I went to the cancer center to meet my new doctor and to get an infusion that I get once a year.  It is to protect my bones.  I didn't want to go alone, so I took Joe with me.  I was really nervous about meeting with the doctor.  I've had some things wrong with me and I was sure he was going to say there was something majorly wrong with me.  I was shaking when I went in.

I had to go to the blood lab first and give a donation.  Ha, ha!  The tech found a good vein immediately, so it was quick and easy.  Then on to the cancer center next door,  I checked in and it wasn't any time at all until I was taken back.  I saw a lot of nurses and techs that I hadn't seen in a long time.  I had taught in the morning, so went in the afternoon to the Cancer Center this time.  There were almost no patients there.

The nurse took my vitals and then I got to meet the doctor.  I had seen him for years in the Center but had never met him.  He was not at all what I expected.  He was so nice and kind and listened to what I said.  And what Joe said.  I was so nervous that when he asked me a question, I would forget what I should be answering!  When he was done, I went to the infusion suite for my treatment.  And I found out that I was getting Zometa.  They had called it by another name (Reclast) but I didn't know that that was what I was getting.  No wonder I feel nauseous afterwards.  Zometa always did that to me in the past.

The nurse was nice, but she was brutal with getting that needle into my hand,  It hurt so much!  Even when I told her it was hurting me, she just kept pushing it in.  But she got it in the first time and once it was there, I didn't feel it at all.  It's a 20 minute drip and once it was all over, we were on our way.

Bob Evans restaurant is in the same complex.  I had told Joe about it, but we had never been there.  Well, I had been there before, but he hadn't.  So we went there for dinner.  Neither of us had eaten much that day.  Joe had chicken fried steak and I had chicken fingers with honey mustard sauce.  Everything was good, but I think I like their breakfast better than their dinner.

On the way home we stopped at a few places to run some errands.  I picked up some cute gnome garden stakes that spell out the word "LOVE".  They are adorable.  It is only 30*F (-1*C) right now, so I may wait another day to get them into the yard.  It's supposed to get warmer tomorrow.  I know just how I want to do my yard to make it really cute for Valentine's Day.  And I will definitely show it to you once I have it the way I want.  I also got two pillow cases for the sofa.  They are cream with pink and red hearts all over them.  I'll show you that too.  They are really pretty.

I need to get off of here and start my day.  Thank you everyone for the prayers and good wishes you sent my way for the infusion.  I really appreciate it.  And for those of you who are waiting for another video from me on YouTube, it's coming.  I just haven't had a minute to sit down and film one!  But this week for sure.

See you all soon.

Kathhy

THE CONCLUSION OF THE FURNITURE ADVENTURE

 

Hello, friends!  Hope all is well with you and your family today.  It is early, but we are going to Cape May Court House for church today and have to leave early.  It takes 2 hours or so to get there and the service starts at 10:30 a.m.  Joe has wanted to get there for two months now and every Sunday it either rains or snows.  Today is supposed to be sunny and warm so today is the day.

But let me tell you the end of the living room furniture saga.

When last we left off, the box with the sofa had left the building and I had stopped crying and felt better.  But now we had to deal with the rest of the problem.  Joe took the mattress upstairs and put it onto the bed as I told you.  Now the old chair was empty, and we had to get it out of the house.  But how to get it out.

We moved things out of the way, and Joe tried to take it apart to no avail.  I was sitting on the sofa because he didn't want me to help.  I had had an afib attack the night before.  I did too much.  So boxes and bags were piled around me and the little end table was on top of me!  I couldn't move.  Joe opened out the recliner which made it thinner, put it on its side, and pulled it out the door.  I don't know how he did it.  He then dragged it across the street to the Veterans building and put it on the sidewalk.  When he came back, he opened the box that the new chair was in and began unpacking it.  Uh, Joe.  Joe, I'm still underneath the furniture and boxes.  It's getting heavy.

He looked over at me and went, "Oh!" and began unloading things from me.  "Sorry."

He took everything out of the box and looked at the directions.  He began trying to put it together, but with his tremors, he couldn't get his hands to work with the tiny parts.  So he called his friend, Lenny, who said he could come over the next day and help him.  For that night he put the seat of the chair on the floor and laid the back on top of it,  It was so pretty, though.  I love the upholstery.

George discovered the chair and immediately claimed it.  He hasn't been scratching at it (much) but loves to lay in it.  In fact, he's lying in it sleeping now.

As promised, Lenny came over the next day.  It took about an hour for the two of them to put the chair together and put it into place.  It is so pretty!

Here's the old chair (ignore all the mess around it.  There was mess for quite awhile):

And here is the new one. (Jack loves the new chair too):

It is very comfortable to sit on.  But there is one problem.  It is so deep that when I sit back, my feet stick out like a little child's.  Oh, the problems of being short.  As we continue to clean out the room, we are planning to buy another one so that we each have a chair.  We have so many plans and I hope they all come to pass.

That is where we are now.  Still cleaning.  Still going through tons of papers, books, etc.  It will get done, but I have to do it slowly because I do not want another attack.

And now to get myself together for church.  I hope you all have a great day.  Thanks for joining me on this furniture journey and I hope you enjoyed it.  I'm sure there's lots more coming this month.  Especially as things continue to go out of the house.

Until later...

Kathy