THIS AND THAT

 Hello, friends.  You haven't heard from me this week because there isn't much going on.  I haven't even been cleaning.  Just doing a lot of sleeping.  And I guess I needed it.

Well, there was one interesting day.  On Wednesday I decided to call my doctors to see when my appointments were.  I am one of those who can never find those little appointment cards they give you and I had neglected to write them down.  I called my cardiologist and said I thought I had an appointment in September.  The receptionist told me it was October and gave me the date.  OK.  That's good.  Into my calendar it went.  (I would be lost without that book.)  Then I called my oncologist.  The lady on the phone said, "Well, actually it's today at 1:15.  Can you make it?"  Absolutely!  So I canceled my food shopping date with my friend, Donna, ran to the shower and got dressed and hurried to get to the hospital on time.

It is interesting going into the hospital now.  They greet you at the door with a clean mask.  You have to take yours off and throw it away (unless it's cloth of course).  You must wear their mask in the building.  Then someone opens the door for you.  You must sanitize your hands and then talk to this sweet nurse who asks you questions about your health and takes your temperature.  All went well until I got to the nurse. (I wish I could remember her name -- she's been there a long time and I've talked with her before.)  She asked me the questions and took my temperature and then said, "You aren't supposed to be here until tomorrow."  What?  She sent me over to the desk where you pay your bill.  The girl there confirmed that my appointment was the next day.  In fact, my doctor wasn't even in the office that day.  I told the two ladies behind the desk what happened and they said they loved the lady I talked to on the phone, but she was always mixing things up.  And they kept apologizing to me.  I just laughed and said that was the least of my problems and I would see them tomorrow.  What is the use of getting upset?  I worked in public service too many years to take things out on the person behind the desk unless they are really rude.

So the next day I showed up again and went through the whole routine again.  This time I got to see my doctor.  And he tells me he is retiring next month!  I have been going to him for about 25 years and he is so wonderful.  I am upset about it, but he has the right to retire.  *sigh*  And on top of that, the office is moving.  They bought a building about two miles away from where they are now.  The one good thing is that it is easier to get to than where they are now.  I was ordered some tests to be done and I am having them done quickly so my doctor can see them before he leaves.  When I go back in February, I will see the Physician Assistant and then be assigned another doctor.  There is only one doctor there that I refuse to see.  I was promised I would not get her.

We have had two more bad storms this week.  So my yard is looking much better but now everything is overgrown.  I hope to get out there tomorrow after church and at least get the grass cut.  There is a LOT of work to do out there.  It will take me several weeks to get it looking good again.  I am having a lot of problems with my legs and feet and it is difficult for me to stand or walk or do any cleaning or yard work.  I try to push myself on, but some days I just can't.

Yesterday Joe, Dona and I went food shopping.  We were out of almost everything.  Dinners were getting creative.  I was having a hard time of it and when we came out I discovered we had been in there for 2 hours!  No wonder I was in so much pain.  We dropped Donna off and then came home.  Then we had to unload the car.

That's when the problem came in.  The chocolate ice cream had come open, melted, and was all over everything.  Bags of groceries.  Groceries themselves.  A blanket that was in the trunk.  The trunk.  The car.  It was awful.  I got chocolate on my jeans, the street, the front step, the storm and front door...  It was bad!  My arms were brown from the ice cream.  It took another hour to put everything away and scrub all the ice cream off of things.  If I ever buy ice cream again, it is getting it's own bag, wrapped around it, and then put into a second bag.  What a mess!  With all of that going on there was no way I could photograph the groceries, so there is no post on that.

Today I have watched three Hallmark movies.  I'm trying to catch up on those I recorded.  I have so much recorded that it will take me a long time to watch everything.

I have to get off of here and print out the church bulletin for tomorrow and then go to bed.  I am tired and I haven't even done anything.  Hope you all have a good night.

Kathy

A MONDAY MAGAZINE AND A HURRICANE

Happy Tuesday, friends.  Hope you are having a good day and are safe.  We just had Hurricane Isaias come through Philadelphia.  It moved really quickly -- was here only about 6 hours.  It did enough damage though.  Trash cans thrown about, flooded streets, power lines down.  We were very fortunate here with very little damage.  I took a video through my front door to show you.

Now, I know it is Tuesday and not Monday despite what the title says.  I had this all set to post yesterday, and I fell asleep.  So here it is today.  The magazine I just finished was a "Country Home" from May 2001.  

Where were all these old magazines hiding?  I just keep finding them laying around and reading them.  Some of the decorating ideas are a little old, but the gardens are still beautiful and the recipes sound good.  This one was still in its plastic wrapper and is in mint condition.  

You know I like to show you the back page and here it is.

This is "Watering Hole" photographed by Brad Simmons.  A trio of chickens gathers at a weathered old water pump outside Terry and Brenda Blackburn's Indiana log home.  "The girls" lay eggs, eat bugs, and keep Terry and Brenda company while they're doing chores.  "They're practically pets." Terry admits, "especially our smallest, Henny Penny."

There were also three very short but very good stories in here.  They were called "Bedtime Stories" and illustrated three ideal country bedrooms and the people who might live in them.  They were illustrated with photos of these three lovely rooms.  I am going to share them with you over the next few weeks while I am reading the next magazine.  The first story is titled 

 

The sun had barely glinted through the windows when Darcy opened her eyes.  She'd had the dream again, the same one she'd had so many times.

She was in an old-fashioned carriage with an older man who had just asked her to marry him.  She could hear the clip-clop of the horses' hooves on the cobblestone streets, see the glow of lanterns along the harbor front, taste the sea air as it came wafting in from shore.

Then the dream shifted... she was married and her husband was out at sea.  In the dream, Darcy wrote him a letter.  A small perfume bottle he'd given her sat on the corner of her writing desk.  She imagined him on the bow of the ship, tossed by the waves, burned by the sun.  She wrote him every day, until...

There the dream ended.  As she did so often, Darcy would wake with a start, put on her sweater, and sit at her desk, writing down any new details she could remember.  What was she supposed to learn from the dream?  Outside, she could see the spring shoots of her grandmother's herb garden bursting out of the ground.  The fire she'd started in the fireplace the night before had died down, and only a few embers glowed.

Ever since she'd bought the house from her grandparents, she'd had the dream over and over.  Sometimes she was standing on the edge of the shore looking out to sea.  Sometimes she was in a colonial house with two small children, writing her husband a letter.  Then she'd wake up and look at her desk and the small pitcher of flowers, and she'd wonder.

She'd never known her great-grandfather, but she'd heard the stories.  He was a sea captain, lost at sea, having set sail just miles from this house.  She'd been given his watch and a few books that had been passed down through the family.  But it seemed she had been gifted with something more:  a glimpse of his life.

And here is the room that inspired this story.

I can't wait to share the other two stories with you.  And I will in the next two weeks.

But now housework calls.  And so does my stomach.  I will be posting soon.  Enjoy your day.

Kathy

WELCOME AUGUST

And here it is the first day of August.  I just heard on the news tonight that the days are getting shorter with the sun setting around 7:30 p.m. instead of 8:30 p.m. as it did in June.  Ah, the seasons are changing.  But we still have another month of beautiful warm weather and sunny days to enjoy.

Today was another day where I didn't get much done.  I haven't been feeling all that well and am wondering if I should go to church tomorrow or not.  I will have to see how I feel in the morning.  I have to at least take the bulletins over and drop them off.

Despite having to stay in, the Fourth of July was very nice.  From picnic food to fireworks, it was a nice day.

I got my monthly food shopping done and actually just had a few things to pick up at the corner stores during the month.

I got a lot of my kitchen cleaned and am still working on that.

Our ministry associate, Rick, left to go back home to the Pocono Mountains.  This is the second week without him and we really miss him.  He is well loved by us all.  We gave him a little luncheon before he left.

My garden looked good when I showed you pictures, but it is in sad shape now.  The hot weather has done a number on it.  We are supposed to have several storms this week and I hope that will help things to revive.  I have to go out and cut the grass one day this week too.

The most fun part of this month, though, was last Sunday's cookout at my sister Elaine's house.

And the great day we had in Lancaster County, PA.

And that brings you up to date.

Here is the picture on my calendar for this month.  It is of the Chicago Botanical Garden.  So pretty.

The flower of the month is a golden dahlia.

My temperature blanket is up to date.  I just finished July today.  You can see there is a lot of red in it for the three heat waves we have had.

Here is a closeup of the month of July.

And that is it for this month.  Be sure to come back this week for some interesting things I have planned.

Until later...

Kathy