By a small white German Schnauzer. Mornings now belong to Daisy. Routine has set in. I no longer just get to have my coffee and read what news I care to read on the computer. Between clicks to see how things are going on the coast and, though I swore to not get involved, in seeing how the Texas Rangers did, I am at the mercy of a 15 pound creature. She brings me one of her toys and lays at my feet, biting it where the squeeker is so that it makes the most irritating noise on earth. The most urgent thing on her mind is having me get the toy and proceed to throw it down the hallway so that she can get it and bring it back. She stops long enough to go to her box and maybe change toys. Her biggest decision of the day is which one to chose and who can know why she choses one over the other.
Sometimes she has the attention span of a mite (not that I know how long that was measured or by whom, but it sounds very small); other times she is tenacious and will stand for what must seem like hours to her, but actually it is only minutes, looking up into the tree in our neighbors yard. She once went outside as a squirrel ran along the top of our fence and jumped into that huge oak. She is convinced it is still there. Each time she goes out she takes her stand and looks upward into that tree. I feel safe knowing she is protecting us.
Something in her mind snaps and she wants me to make yet another trip with her, down the hallway, to stand outside the bedroom where Mate lies sleeping. She looks mournfully under the door while making a wailing sound. She wants her best friend to get up. She wants to play "Where's Daisy" while we make the bed. She now waits for us to hold up the sheet so that she can "hide" under it. She lays spread eagle on her stomach and watches Mate perform his morning ritual of brushing teeth, combing what hairs are left and washing his face. All the while talking to him about what their plans for the day should be. She will not leave his side for long at a time for the rest of the day,only going outside, but wishing him to go with her. He usually goes.
Good grief. It this were a television show now the sound of a needle scratching across a record would be heard and the narrator would say, "What am I thinking!!!!. We have to get a life".
You know before we rescued Daisy, I thought we had a life. For a couple in their 70s we are pretty active. Mate can't do what he used to do because of health reasons, but he volunteers for several things. I go to work every day and do pretty much what I always did at work, except I don't climb up on the ladder to retrieve a file like I did for years (somehow you become aware that when older persons fall there is usually a knee or hip replacement in the future). We go out to eat all the time with good friends, we go to plays and concerts. I am pretty active on Facebook and Mate texts with son and grandson. Unlike what you may have thought from watching him drive, HE DOES NOT TEXT while driving. (I just had to stick that in, I think the Devil made me do it) He is very good on the Mac and can do anything we need to do using technology we didn't know would exist 10 years ago. We spend a lot of time at the Church building, and we relish an evening at home from time to time because frankly we don't stay at home a lot in the evening.
Wait Just A Minute (as Jimmy Durante used to say)we do have a life, Daisy has just enhanced it. Oh thank goodness.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
From An Email to 15 People
Today, our hearts are heavy and Jim and I want to share a family's story with you.
On August 14, 2009, a good friend, Bruce Stanford sent me a forwarded email. Bruce was always sending me forwards. One was an email from a mother in Westerville, Ohio, that for some reason touched my heart. She has a son 8 years old at the time and he had just been diagnosed with osteoscarcoma. Osteo as families fighting always call it, is one of the most deadly of cancers occurring most often in teens. Seldom survivable if it has spread to the lungs, but can be conquered if all things are just right. It attacks the bones usually in the limbs.
Cindy Bish was a desperate mother; she did what all mothers who are cornered do, she fought with the only weapon she had. A belief in the Lord God Almighty. She sent out a simple email to 15 friends asking for prayers and asking that they pass it on. She pulled her congregation together, she organized prayer groups and she begged for those of us who had gotten the email to pray fervently, A mother cannot diagnoses, cannot treat, cannot perform surgery. She can be there and she can beg. I saw this same determination once before up close and, as they say, in living color, when our daughter in law was determined that cancer would not take her sweet daughter, Annde. She held that baby as the doctors did spinal taps; she held her as they did bone marrow tests; she, along with the help of so many your prayers, and with God's will, won that battle.
With those 15 persons, the email was sent to others and on and on and on. It went around the world. Posted on the Caring Bridge site are 399,000 plus messages for the Bish family from every state and from Australia to Canada and from Japan to England.
I was sceptical at first but checked it out with the Church mentioned, Westerville Christian Church (formerly Westerville Church of Christ) It was obvious that this was genuine. She had called on her fellow Christians for help. She had no hesitation in doing that. She was at war. She created a web site in Caring Bridge which I will post on the bottom of this and invite you to go in and send a message with a prayer in your heart for this fine family. It was through this congregation that I first heard about doing a prayer in the yard and if you go to that web site and look at the pictures you can see the members surrounding the Bish home.
The day finally came when they had a big decision to make. Do they authorize an amputation of Sam's leg or not. They were sent the name of a doctor at MD Anderson in Houston and arrangements were made to fly there with Sam.
In case you wonder if people are still caring in this world, let me tell you about a family in Houston. Never met the Bish family but like Jim and I had followed along on Caring Bridge because someone had sent them the Mother's email. The Houston family contacted the doctor in Ohio, made the flight arrangements for Mike, Cindy and Sam, paid for the tickets, met them at the plane, kept them at their home, took them to eat real Tex Mex food and drove them everywhere they needed to be staying with them through the testing at MD Anderson. This did not cost the Bish family a penny. They even sent Texas presents home for the two little girls, Caitlin and Aubrey. Pictures of this fine family are also on the site.
Decision was made for amputation. Sports teams visited Sam in the hospital. His story has been on TV in Ohio many times. ....... spots were discovered in the lungs.
Never giving up, they got ready for lung surgery not long after the amputation. Many nodules were discovered, many removed. The outlook was good. There would be one more round of chemo, it looked as if they were winning the battle.
The Bish family prepared for a trip to, you know.......... DisneyWorld in Orlando. Make a Wish foundation had stepped in. They went just a week or so ago and were scheduled for five more days in the hospital beginning today for the last round of chemo. They were dreading it but again it was part of the battle plan. I cut and paste a paragraph from the posting on Caring Bridge this afternoon.
"It is with a very heavy heart that I write this journal entry. Sam is at home tonight. He was admitted this morning and was taken down for a CT scan first thing. Sam's doctors pulled me over to the side (away from Sam) and told me that the CT scan showed a relapse of cancer in Sam's lungs. Several nodules have shown up in both of Sam's lungs ( I do not have an exact number...ju
Please make a trip to Sam's Caring Bridge page and post a comment as you say a little prayer to the Father for Sam and Cindy, Mike, Caitlin and Aubrey. As Christians, its what we do,
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/sambish/journal?jid=5826121
On August 14, 2009, a good friend, Bruce Stanford sent me a forwarded email. Bruce was always sending me forwards. One was an email from a mother in Westerville, Ohio, that for some reason touched my heart. She has a son 8 years old at the time and he had just been diagnosed with osteoscarcoma. Osteo as families fighting always call it, is one of the most deadly of cancers occurring most often in teens. Seldom survivable if it has spread to the lungs, but can be conquered if all things are just right. It attacks the bones usually in the limbs.
Cindy Bish was a desperate mother; she did what all mothers who are cornered do, she fought with the only weapon she had. A belief in the Lord God Almighty. She sent out a simple email to 15 friends asking for prayers and asking that they pass it on. She pulled her congregation together, she organized prayer groups and she begged for those of us who had gotten the email to pray fervently, A mother cannot diagnoses, cannot treat, cannot perform surgery. She can be there and she can beg. I saw this same determination once before up close and, as they say, in living color, when our daughter in law was determined that cancer would not take her sweet daughter, Annde. She held that baby as the doctors did spinal taps; she held her as they did bone marrow tests; she, along with the help of so many your prayers, and with God's will, won that battle.
With those 15 persons, the email was sent to others and on and on and on. It went around the world. Posted on the Caring Bridge site are 399,000 plus messages for the Bish family from every state and from Australia to Canada and from Japan to England.
I was sceptical at first but checked it out with the Church mentioned, Westerville Christian Church (formerly Westerville Church of Christ) It was obvious that this was genuine. She had called on her fellow Christians for help. She had no hesitation in doing that. She was at war. She created a web site in Caring Bridge which I will post on the bottom of this and invite you to go in and send a message with a prayer in your heart for this fine family. It was through this congregation that I first heard about doing a prayer in the yard and if you go to that web site and look at the pictures you can see the members surrounding the Bish home.
The day finally came when they had a big decision to make. Do they authorize an amputation of Sam's leg or not. They were sent the name of a doctor at MD Anderson in Houston and arrangements were made to fly there with Sam.
In case you wonder if people are still caring in this world, let me tell you about a family in Houston. Never met the Bish family but like Jim and I had followed along on Caring Bridge because someone had sent them the Mother's email. The Houston family contacted the doctor in Ohio, made the flight arrangements for Mike, Cindy and Sam, paid for the tickets, met them at the plane, kept them at their home, took them to eat real Tex Mex food and drove them everywhere they needed to be staying with them through the testing at MD Anderson. This did not cost the Bish family a penny. They even sent Texas presents home for the two little girls, Caitlin and Aubrey. Pictures of this fine family are also on the site.
Decision was made for amputation. Sports teams visited Sam in the hospital. His story has been on TV in Ohio many times. ....... spots were discovered in the lungs.
Never giving up, they got ready for lung surgery not long after the amputation. Many nodules were discovered, many removed. The outlook was good. There would be one more round of chemo, it looked as if they were winning the battle.
The Bish family prepared for a trip to, you know.......... DisneyWorld in Orlando. Make a Wish foundation had stepped in. They went just a week or so ago and were scheduled for five more days in the hospital beginning today for the last round of chemo. They were dreading it but again it was part of the battle plan. I cut and paste a paragraph from the posting on Caring Bridge this afternoon.
"It is with a very heavy heart that I write this journal entry. Sam is at home tonight. He was admitted this morning and was taken down for a CT scan first thing. Sam's doctors pulled me over to the side (away from Sam) and told me that the CT scan showed a relapse of cancer in Sam's lungs. Several nodules have shown up in both of Sam's lungs ( I do not have an exact number...ju
Please make a trip to Sam's Caring Bridge page and post a comment as you say a little prayer to the Father for Sam and Cindy, Mike, Caitlin and Aubrey. As Christians, its what we do,
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/sambish/journal?jid=5826121
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Til Death Us Do Part
July 3, 1953 at approximately 5 in the afternoon, we became Mate and Mate. (The only wedding picture. We were on the run) What a long time ago; What a lot has happened; What were we thinking??
To take those points one at a time: WHAT A LONG TIME AGO. Yes it was.
WHAT A LOT HAS HAPPENED: Yes it has. WHAT WERE WE THINKING: Who could possibly know. I am not sure either one of us knew how to think at that stage of our lives. If we had been where we were say 30 or 40 years later or even today, and we sat down and thought it through, I promise we would not have run away and said "I do". We would have said something like "Are you kidnin me" (kidnin being our granddaughter's way of saying kidding).
Sometime God just takes over and blesses you even if you haven't asked for it and even if you don't deserve it and even if you don't realize He has done it.
We had rough times in the early years. We didn't particularly like each other from time to time. We didn't have money to go out and "enjoy" ourselves or sometimes not enough to know if we would make it through the week. We were selfish, never having been taught to put another person's wants and needs above our own. We were not patient; we were not kind; we were not always forgiving; we were not mature; and we did not understand God's will on how to deal with one another. If we analyze closely we had very little in common. So there is no way we would still be married today. OOOPS, We are! We celebrate 57 years together as husband and wife. Tonight after having eaten out with friends, which we do every Friday night, we will get each other a card, (quit buying gifts years ago); we will play with the Daisy the new dog; we will kiss each other good night; and say "I love you". Other than the card and the Daisy Dog, we have done that for probably 30 years.. The kissing and saying "I love you" we have done almost every night for 57 years.
(this looks a lot like our family........well at least the dog is named Daisy. Jim never wore a bow tie and my hair was never that blond and neither was Kays, and Jimbo, well maybe he did sort of look like Alexander)
We have been asked the secret for staying married so many years. Its simple but not easy. For the first 10 years we didn't know we had a choice; For the next 30 years we were busy with family (daughter Kay, son Jimbo, grand kids), with jobs and with living in general; For the next 10 years we realized that it is just too much trouble to not stay married; and, for the last 7 years we are just too tired. So there you have it in a nut shell. How to stay married for 57 years.
If you had asked us if we would do it all over again.............. during the first 10 years we would have said "let us get back to you on that". The next 30 years we would have said "Yes". The next ten years we would have told you "We did good ". The last 7 years we would have said "do what over?"
I guess that every period of time had its rewards; however, we have to think long and hard to remember what that could have been the first 10 years. A series of horrid apartments, fussing when we didn't get our way, being too short sighted to see more than 15 minutes ahead, but still in that period of new love almost every problem could be solved by an argument and making up.
The next 30 years: In 1960 we bought a house. The nicest thing we had ever lived in. Plain and simple, no air conditioning, no central heat, horrible heater in the hall that burned you up when you stood in the hall and froze you in any other part of the house, one bathroom, 963 square feet. $8,750.00. Payments $68.00 a month, including taxes and insurance, all we had to do was catch 2 up. We didn't have that kind of money. But my sweet grandmother did. For the first time in our lives we were in debt. Our mortgage was for 20 years, our interest rate was 4 %. Had we not decided to move to Lake Palestine in East Texas we would still live there, looking out our front door into the back yard of Beverly and Milton Colley.
Mate was a builder. We always planned to build a showcase home. Every time new plots of land would open up we would look at house plans. We would buy an extra lot. We would sit and think about our neighbors, the fact that our kids knew everyone in the Addition. We felt safe and loved and happy where we were. Some things are just more important than big houses. Then we would add a room, add a swimming pool, or add a new patio. Never did put in another bathroom. When we sold the house it had doubled in size, we had a pool, very little yard to care for and we still had the same neighbors.
Milton Colley always had a project. Either digging a storm cellar, or closing in the garage, or building a camper. Each evening we would have dinner, get lawn chairs, a glass of tea and journey across the street, sit in the shade and watch Milton work. Some evenings if there were no project going we played fierce badminton. All the kids played either Boys Club Basketball or football, the men coached and we all went to all the games. Even if your kid wasn't playing. It was a wonderful time.
We lived in that house for over 30 years and made our sweetest memories there.
1990 we left for Lake Palestine, Then in 2000 we came back home to Wichita Falls. I wish we could have gone back to Dunbar and how it was. Great American author, Thomas Wolfe, last novel "You Can't Go Home Again" is true.
So here we live and fortunately we have wonderful neighbors, but it can, of course, never be the same again.
The next 10 years we discovered the comfort of knowing each other well. Overlooking things like he can't find anything if it is covered up, that I never close a cabinet or drawer completely; he would rather stay home than eat out but does because it makes me happy. He pays the check even if I ordered iced tea. I wait til the last minute to do something, he does it as soon as it can be done. I finish his sentence which irritates him, but not so much any more. Its comfort.
(the Christmas picture below is our entire family 2009 in California, missing first grandson, Cole, stuck up north by weather)
Then of course the last 7 years have been the "ignore any problem that comes our way" years. We tend to forget any bad thing that happens. If you irritate either one of us today, we will have forgotten it by evening. We still go out to eat way more often than we eat at home, but I don't always order iced tea. We have friends we enjoy and who we can count on and who we love like family. We still disagree on most non important things. The best thing that has happened to us is that we have learned to pray aloud together. It was not always so.
(picture is probably 9 or 10 year old Church Directory. Oh so much nicer than the latest one, so we will ignore the recent one and pretend we still look this good. Its the least we can do after 57 years and it makes us feel better)
We still kiss each other good night and say I love you and maybe sometime we mean it more than we ever did. So Happy Anniversary to my Mate and may God Bless us for the time we have left together.
To take those points one at a time: WHAT A LONG TIME AGO. Yes it was.
WHAT A LOT HAS HAPPENED: Yes it has. WHAT WERE WE THINKING: Who could possibly know. I am not sure either one of us knew how to think at that stage of our lives. If we had been where we were say 30 or 40 years later or even today, and we sat down and thought it through, I promise we would not have run away and said "I do". We would have said something like "Are you kidnin me" (kidnin being our granddaughter's way of saying kidding).
Sometime God just takes over and blesses you even if you haven't asked for it and even if you don't deserve it and even if you don't realize He has done it.
We had rough times in the early years. We didn't particularly like each other from time to time. We didn't have money to go out and "enjoy" ourselves or sometimes not enough to know if we would make it through the week. We were selfish, never having been taught to put another person's wants and needs above our own. We were not patient; we were not kind; we were not always forgiving; we were not mature; and we did not understand God's will on how to deal with one another. If we analyze closely we had very little in common. So there is no way we would still be married today. OOOPS, We are! We celebrate 57 years together as husband and wife. Tonight after having eaten out with friends, which we do every Friday night, we will get each other a card, (quit buying gifts years ago); we will play with the Daisy the new dog; we will kiss each other good night; and say "I love you". Other than the card and the Daisy Dog, we have done that for probably 30 years.. The kissing and saying "I love you" we have done almost every night for 57 years.
(this looks a lot like our family........well at least the dog is named Daisy. Jim never wore a bow tie and my hair was never that blond and neither was Kays, and Jimbo, well maybe he did sort of look like Alexander)We have been asked the secret for staying married so many years. Its simple but not easy. For the first 10 years we didn't know we had a choice; For the next 30 years we were busy with family (daughter Kay, son Jimbo, grand kids), with jobs and with living in general; For the next 10 years we realized that it is just too much trouble to not stay married; and, for the last 7 years we are just too tired. So there you have it in a nut shell. How to stay married for 57 years.
If you had asked us if we would do it all over again.............. during the first 10 years we would have said "let us get back to you on that". The next 30 years we would have said "Yes". The next ten years we would have told you "We did good ". The last 7 years we would have said "do what over?"
I guess that every period of time had its rewards; however, we have to think long and hard to remember what that could have been the first 10 years. A series of horrid apartments, fussing when we didn't get our way, being too short sighted to see more than 15 minutes ahead, but still in that period of new love almost every problem could be solved by an argument and making up.
The next 30 years: In 1960 we bought a house. The nicest thing we had ever lived in. Plain and simple, no air conditioning, no central heat, horrible heater in the hall that burned you up when you stood in the hall and froze you in any other part of the house, one bathroom, 963 square feet. $8,750.00. Payments $68.00 a month, including taxes and insurance, all we had to do was catch 2 up. We didn't have that kind of money. But my sweet grandmother did. For the first time in our lives we were in debt. Our mortgage was for 20 years, our interest rate was 4 %. Had we not decided to move to Lake Palestine in East Texas we would still live there, looking out our front door into the back yard of Beverly and Milton Colley.
Mate was a builder. We always planned to build a showcase home. Every time new plots of land would open up we would look at house plans. We would buy an extra lot. We would sit and think about our neighbors, the fact that our kids knew everyone in the Addition. We felt safe and loved and happy where we were. Some things are just more important than big houses. Then we would add a room, add a swimming pool, or add a new patio. Never did put in another bathroom. When we sold the house it had doubled in size, we had a pool, very little yard to care for and we still had the same neighbors.
(this picture in the Colley garage at Halloween probably 40 years ago)
Milton Colley always had a project. Either digging a storm cellar, or closing in the garage, or building a camper. Each evening we would have dinner, get lawn chairs, a glass of tea and journey across the street, sit in the shade and watch Milton work. Some evenings if there were no project going we played fierce badminton. All the kids played either Boys Club Basketball or football, the men coached and we all went to all the games. Even if your kid wasn't playing. It was a wonderful time.We lived in that house for over 30 years and made our sweetest memories there.
1990 we left for Lake Palestine, Then in 2000 we came back home to Wichita Falls. I wish we could have gone back to Dunbar and how it was. Great American author, Thomas Wolfe, last novel "You Can't Go Home Again" is true.
So here we live and fortunately we have wonderful neighbors, but it can, of course, never be the same again.
The next 10 years we discovered the comfort of knowing each other well. Overlooking things like he can't find anything if it is covered up, that I never close a cabinet or drawer completely; he would rather stay home than eat out but does because it makes me happy. He pays the check even if I ordered iced tea. I wait til the last minute to do something, he does it as soon as it can be done. I finish his sentence which irritates him, but not so much any more. Its comfort.
(the Christmas picture below is our entire family 2009 in California, missing first grandson, Cole, stuck up north by weather)
Then of course the last 7 years have been the "ignore any problem that comes our way" years. We tend to forget any bad thing that happens. If you irritate either one of us today, we will have forgotten it by evening. We still go out to eat way more often than we eat at home, but I don't always order iced tea. We have friends we enjoy and who we can count on and who we love like family. We still disagree on most non important things. The best thing that has happened to us is that we have learned to pray aloud together. It was not always so.(picture is probably 9 or 10 year old Church Directory. Oh so much nicer than the latest one, so we will ignore the recent one and pretend we still look this good. Its the least we can do after 57 years and it makes us feel better)
We still kiss each other good night and say I love you and maybe sometime we mean it more than we ever did. So Happy Anniversary to my Mate and may God Bless us for the time we have left together.I did forget the most important thing. WE DO KNOW THE SECRET to a successful 57 years of marriage. It took a while but along about the 30th year we finally learned to let God take control.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Daisy Mae, Elvis, Miscellany
It has been awhile since I emptied my mind onto this page and called it a "blog" but it seems my mind has been blank. I have had numerous requests to do another "writing" (well maybe the niece in Ohio, but she will probably say it many times) and even though nothing big has happened since we got Daisy Mae (previously known as Sparkle) I will pour out what little there is. Well one thing has changed, we have now memorized our Vet, Bryan Wade's home phone number in case we would need him day or night. (and, we are not too proud to use it.)
Daisy Mae has changed our lives. Instead of watching Masterpiece Theater and The History of Civilization so that we can converse with our friends about matters of culture and sophistication, Mate and I sit at opposite ends of the living room floor and toss a little stuffed animal back and forth after giving it a squeek, all the while saying, "Go get it Daisy"(sounding suspiciously like we were talking to a two year old child) Our minds may be suffering but our biceps are definitely showing improvement. When I come home in the afternoon from a hard day at the office, I keep reminding myself over and over "Hug Mate First, Hug Mate First". Then before dinner we discuss what Daisy did during the day. Of course this is in addition to whatever Mate has emailed me that was so special it could not wait til I came home from work. Yes indeed our life is looking up.
Despite being a bit consumed by Daisy, this week we have continued our interesting, full, sometime productive life. In fact this week a bit of Miscellany happened that completely put Mate in a funk. If you have followed along with me you know that Mate has an aversion to ordering a drink with his many meals eaten out during the course of a week. He is against it and oft times will chastize me for spending money on a glass of tea which is so cheap to make. (oh how many times have I heard that), Friday evening we ventured out to the far north side of town to a catfish place called Fred's. We had been out there years and years ago, I think only 1 time but then it was Kickapoo Catfish.
I noticed right away that Mate ordered iced tea! I said nothing but admit I was shocked in addition to being startled (all the while vowing to take his blood pressure when we returned home) The tea was what I, as a certified iced tea specialist, would call average. The cat fish on the other hand is wonderful. Maybe the best catfish I have ever eaten. However I am not certified in this particular food.
Well moving right along to the arrival of the bill. Bless his heart. It was the first time in long ago years that I have seen Mate's face fall. I mean actually fall. That look that tells every one in a close vicinity that something earth shattering has happened, something so unexpected as to be almost frightening, but more along the lines of shocking. I was relieved that our friend, Gene Stevens was nearby in case he fell. They had charged him for the iced tea! The menu said that the tea was part of the meal and so of course Mate ordered tea. Never one to let a free item go. Seems that was on the lunch not on dinner. A good meal totally ruined. It has been almost 48 hours and he is still lamenting. So we may well go back to Fred's, but you can rest assured that Mate will order water with lemon.
Saturday afternoon, we went to see Elvis. Nice looking young fellow, who did look a lot like him. Sold out house at the Wichita Theater, main floor and balcony. We personally went for the Stamps Quartet, a group from Gospel Music with whom we are very familiar. Elvis Impersonator, Kraig Parker, was on the second half of the show. It was not hard to judge which part of the program was more popular. Lets just say Elvis trumped Gospel Music. I would not have breathed a word of it there for fear of an uprising, but Mate and I have never been the greatest of Elvis fans. We do recognize that he was a phenomenal entertainer. We probably will never see his like again.
Well my mind is about emptied. So I will close this by telling you that I am just about through with my first Senior citizen blog which I hope to post later this week. I hope you will read about a Lady most of us are blessed to know. Look for "Leta" in the blog called "Knowing where We Came From".
Miscellany for Saturday morning. Breakfast table I am doing crosswords and crypto quiz, drinking coffee. Mate is reading the paper and reads me an obituary. "She has gone on to that great poker table in the sky". Sweet looking lady in her 80s. Family convinced she is playing poker in Heaven. We all wonder what Heaven will be like. No one but John knew for sure. The one thing we know is that God the Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit will be there and that's good enough for me.
Despite being a bit consumed by Daisy, this week we have continued our interesting, full, sometime productive life. In fact this week a bit of Miscellany happened that completely put Mate in a funk. If you have followed along with me you know that Mate has an aversion to ordering a drink with his many meals eaten out during the course of a week. He is against it and oft times will chastize me for spending money on a glass of tea which is so cheap to make. (oh how many times have I heard that), Friday evening we ventured out to the far north side of town to a catfish place called Fred's. We had been out there years and years ago, I think only 1 time but then it was Kickapoo Catfish.
I noticed right away that Mate ordered iced tea! I said nothing but admit I was shocked in addition to being startled (all the while vowing to take his blood pressure when we returned home) The tea was what I, as a certified iced tea specialist, would call average. The cat fish on the other hand is wonderful. Maybe the best catfish I have ever eaten. However I am not certified in this particular food.
Well moving right along to the arrival of the bill. Bless his heart. It was the first time in long ago years that I have seen Mate's face fall. I mean actually fall. That look that tells every one in a close vicinity that something earth shattering has happened, something so unexpected as to be almost frightening, but more along the lines of shocking. I was relieved that our friend, Gene Stevens was nearby in case he fell. They had charged him for the iced tea! The menu said that the tea was part of the meal and so of course Mate ordered tea. Never one to let a free item go. Seems that was on the lunch not on dinner. A good meal totally ruined. It has been almost 48 hours and he is still lamenting. So we may well go back to Fred's, but you can rest assured that Mate will order water with lemon.
Saturday afternoon, we went to see Elvis. Nice looking young fellow, who did look a lot like him. Sold out house at the Wichita Theater, main floor and balcony. We personally went for the Stamps Quartet, a group from Gospel Music with whom we are very familiar. Elvis Impersonator, Kraig Parker, was on the second half of the show. It was not hard to judge which part of the program was more popular. Lets just say Elvis trumped Gospel Music. I would not have breathed a word of it there for fear of an uprising, but Mate and I have never been the greatest of Elvis fans. We do recognize that he was a phenomenal entertainer. We probably will never see his like again.
Well my mind is about emptied. So I will close this by telling you that I am just about through with my first Senior citizen blog which I hope to post later this week. I hope you will read about a Lady most of us are blessed to know. Look for "Leta" in the blog called "Knowing where We Came From".
Miscellany for Saturday morning. Breakfast table I am doing crosswords and crypto quiz, drinking coffee. Mate is reading the paper and reads me an obituary. "She has gone on to that great poker table in the sky". Sweet looking lady in her 80s. Family convinced she is playing poker in Heaven. We all wonder what Heaven will be like. No one but John knew for sure. The one thing we know is that God the Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit will be there and that's good enough for me.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
This One's for Bryan Wade
Well you may or may not be old enough to remember Sparkle Plenty. For those of you who do not, I will fill you in.
Dick Tracy appeared in 1931 (even before my time) written and drawn by Chester Gould. Still runs today. Different creator but still basically the same. An iconic strip reflecting the social time and happenings of the day. Tracy was the police detective to end all police detectives. He got in trouble, he solved cases, he was accused of crimes. Just an all around interesting fellow with the squarest jaw known to the art world.
He finally married Tess Trueheart after a courtship of 18 years. If you work crossword puzzles you have come across a clue that reads "Tracy's wife". The answer is "Tess". Its used a lot. Tracy introduced the first two way wrist radio to keep in contact with headquarters. It is credited with being a precursor to the cell phone. (I get all this marvelous information from Wikipedia ) Tess and Tracy had their first baby, Junior. Junior grew up and married an alien who later died (by the way the alien period did not go over well and that's why she was killed off by Gould) Then he married Sparkle Plenty daughter of Tracy's good friends "B.O. and Gravel Plenty". They had a daughter named Sparkle Plenty, Jr. I know you are absolutely mesmerized with this information.
Now all I have to do is tie Sparkle Plenty in with Bryan Wade. For those of you who might not know Bryan. He is a veterinarian. A doctor to small animals. I don't personally know if he is a Super Vet but my good friends and relatives who are owned by Mollie the Poodle say that he is. That's plenty good for me. Soon I will find this out for myself.
This is for all intents and purposes an ADOPTION ANNOUNCEMENT (no gifts please). We are now the adoptive parents of Sparkle, a three year old rescued white miniature Schnauzer, who spent most of her three years tied to a tree. We just returned from Abilene where we picked her up. I finally learned how to put a picture in here. The one below is the actual ad from PetFinder. She doesn't look like this now. She has been groomed for the summer which means she has been basically shaved except for her face which still looks like a schnauzer. I just haven't learned how to do more than one picture at a time yet. you can click on the picture and see her better.
We thought long and hard about this move. We have been searching Pet Finder for weeks looking at rescue dogs. Many reasons not to do it. The main one is, we are too old. HOWEVER: Before adopting we cleared it with our Ohio Nephew and Niece and with our Tennessee Grand Niece. In the event something happens to us they will take Sparkle. That's what her foster family called her and we will not change it because she should not have to undergo another change in her life. Many others in our family would take good care of Sparkle, but we think she would be happy in Ohio or Tennessee.
My niece in Oklahoma is going to shake her head. She is the only one in our family who is opposed to any dog in the house. We just ignore her when it comes to pets. My sister, will say "Why in the world would you want to get a dog at this point in your lives". She would also point out all the reasons we should not have gotten one but would be okay with it in the long run, just never get attached .
In any event another reason we got this particular dog is so that I could tie Dick Tracy, Sparkle Plenty and Bryan Wade together. Its not every day you get to do that.
Dick Tracy appeared in 1931 (even before my time) written and drawn by Chester Gould. Still runs today. Different creator but still basically the same. An iconic strip reflecting the social time and happenings of the day. Tracy was the police detective to end all police detectives. He got in trouble, he solved cases, he was accused of crimes. Just an all around interesting fellow with the squarest jaw known to the art world.
He finally married Tess Trueheart after a courtship of 18 years. If you work crossword puzzles you have come across a clue that reads "Tracy's wife". The answer is "Tess". Its used a lot. Tracy introduced the first two way wrist radio to keep in contact with headquarters. It is credited with being a precursor to the cell phone. (I get all this marvelous information from Wikipedia ) Tess and Tracy had their first baby, Junior. Junior grew up and married an alien who later died (by the way the alien period did not go over well and that's why she was killed off by Gould) Then he married Sparkle Plenty daughter of Tracy's good friends "B.O. and Gravel Plenty". They had a daughter named Sparkle Plenty, Jr. I know you are absolutely mesmerized with this information.
Now all I have to do is tie Sparkle Plenty in with Bryan Wade. For those of you who might not know Bryan. He is a veterinarian. A doctor to small animals. I don't personally know if he is a Super Vet but my good friends and relatives who are owned by Mollie the Poodle say that he is. That's plenty good for me. Soon I will find this out for myself.
This is for all intents and purposes an ADOPTION ANNOUNCEMENT (no gifts please). We are now the adoptive parents of Sparkle, a three year old rescued white miniature Schnauzer, who spent most of her three years tied to a tree. We just returned from Abilene where we picked her up. I finally learned how to put a picture in here. The one below is the actual ad from PetFinder. She doesn't look like this now. She has been groomed for the summer which means she has been basically shaved except for her face which still looks like a schnauzer. I just haven't learned how to do more than one picture at a time yet. you can click on the picture and see her better.
We thought long and hard about this move. We have been searching Pet Finder for weeks looking at rescue dogs. Many reasons not to do it. The main one is, we are too old. HOWEVER: Before adopting we cleared it with our Ohio Nephew and Niece and with our Tennessee Grand Niece. In the event something happens to us they will take Sparkle. That's what her foster family called her and we will not change it because she should not have to undergo another change in her life. Many others in our family would take good care of Sparkle, but we think she would be happy in Ohio or Tennessee.
My niece in Oklahoma is going to shake her head. She is the only one in our family who is opposed to any dog in the house. We just ignore her when it comes to pets. My sister, will say "Why in the world would you want to get a dog at this point in your lives". She would also point out all the reasons we should not have gotten one but would be okay with it in the long run, just never get attached .
In any event another reason we got this particular dog is so that I could tie Dick Tracy, Sparkle Plenty and Bryan Wade together. Its not every day you get to do that.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
It's Theron's Fault
You know I don't like change. In fact I am opposed to it. I tend to keep things for a long time and when I give them up, I borrow a line from cheating celebrities and politicians...."It wasn't my fault". Of course in my case that's correct. Let me give you a few examples. I changed hairdressers because she moved to another place. (admittedly it was Heaven but not my fault); I changed the color of my hair when they dropped the color I had used for years; I don't have the same lipstick (one that actually stayed on) anymore because McClurkan's went out of business and you can't find it in the USA; I changed doctors a few times because they too went to Heaven. I changed cars because it just died but I don't for a moment believe it went to Heaven. I changed from DelMonte Spinach to Popeye Brand because, well because I like Popeye's better (so there is one thing that was my fault).
We lived in the same house for over 30 years and only moved when we decided we wanted to live on a Lake and moved to East Texas. Lake Palestine to be exact. I liked it, met some wonderful people who are still friends, but it never seemed like home. Ten years later we moved back.
I have of course had the same husband and children and grandchildren for years and years. I even have had the same Sister for, well in deference to her, I won't say for how many years, If you have followed me along you know that I have the same shower curtain in my bathroom that I have had since 1995. Oh its not the same one, but its identical to the one we put up in East Texas. I found that I still like it so I don't see a reason to change.
Then of course there is this purse that I am on my 4th year with and even though it is basically a fall and winter purse, I carry it year round cause I like it.
I am thinking it was around 1980, I would have been in my early 40s. I was in pretty good shape, my skin was soft and supple. I didn't have neck waddles. I didn't need an eye lift. I wore a size 8 or 10. Exactly where I should be. Never a raving beauty, but children did not cry when they saw me. I could get out of a chair without making those old folk noises, in other words, while not exactly a "Babe", I was okay. I decided I needed a little help reading. Two people in my church were optometrist. Actually they practiced together. Chose Theron. He said I didn't need glasses. Good enough for me. I went back two or three years later. You will remember that I am not too good on time, Mate would be able to tell you the first time he went to see Theron and what time of day his appointment was. I just know it was sometime between 1980 and 1990, which is close enough for me.
Theron agreed i needed a wee bit of help and I got a really cute pair of"Granny Glasses". Little gold rims and I wore them only to read. I loved those glasses. Something happens when you wear them only for what ever reason. You began to need them. And so started my long relationship with Theron and glasses.
This was before computers and Theron basically checked the eyes with a cardboard sheet that you read from and a instrument he pulled in front of you and clicked manually where the eye changed and the lettering changed. Our conversation during this exam was: Theron, "Tell me which one is better, this one or this one". Me, "Show me one more time". It seemed like such a heavy decision to make. But I would leave with a new prescription and frame chosen with help from Vollie (who he conveniently married I think partly because she made some great suggestions about the type of frame I needed).
So since you have stayed with me this long I am going to tell you what is Theron's fault and why I am certain he is to blame for many things which I will also tell you about. Assuming my time line is from 1980 through 2004 when Theron thoughtless retired, I never one time walked out of that office with a pair of glasses I didn't love. Twenty-four years, a perfect record. I never one time ever went back to even get a frame adjusted. When we moved to East Texas, I drove back to Wichita Falls to get my eyes examined. I don't like change and especially changing from something that works perfectly.
Then he closed the door and took Vollie home with him.
Since then I have had to go to a different eye doctor. He has fancy computers in dozens of rooms. they dilate my eyes (Theron never did that) They shine horribly bright lights in my eyes (Theron never did that). They send me to yet another doctor who comes once a month who now puts a needle in my eye and gives me a shot once a month. (Theron never did that)
Now I truly don't blame Theron for all of that but here is what I do blame him for. I now have waddles on my neck. I have wrinkles in my skin and its so rough. I had to have an eye lift because my eyes drooped, I no longer wear a size 8 or 10 and you would not believe the noises I make when I get out of a chair. I can't get down in the floor and get back up without making my way to something I can hold on to. Worse yet I have not been satisfied with a pair of glasses since he retired and took Vollie home. I read with glasses and a magnifying glass.
After careful analysis, the one thing I can tie this to is 2004 when Theron retired.
We lived in the same house for over 30 years and only moved when we decided we wanted to live on a Lake and moved to East Texas. Lake Palestine to be exact. I liked it, met some wonderful people who are still friends, but it never seemed like home. Ten years later we moved back.
I have of course had the same husband and children and grandchildren for years and years. I even have had the same Sister for, well in deference to her, I won't say for how many years, If you have followed me along you know that I have the same shower curtain in my bathroom that I have had since 1995. Oh its not the same one, but its identical to the one we put up in East Texas. I found that I still like it so I don't see a reason to change.
Then of course there is this purse that I am on my 4th year with and even though it is basically a fall and winter purse, I carry it year round cause I like it.
I am thinking it was around 1980, I would have been in my early 40s. I was in pretty good shape, my skin was soft and supple. I didn't have neck waddles. I didn't need an eye lift. I wore a size 8 or 10. Exactly where I should be. Never a raving beauty, but children did not cry when they saw me. I could get out of a chair without making those old folk noises, in other words, while not exactly a "Babe", I was okay. I decided I needed a little help reading. Two people in my church were optometrist. Actually they practiced together. Chose Theron. He said I didn't need glasses. Good enough for me. I went back two or three years later. You will remember that I am not too good on time, Mate would be able to tell you the first time he went to see Theron and what time of day his appointment was. I just know it was sometime between 1980 and 1990, which is close enough for me.
Theron agreed i needed a wee bit of help and I got a really cute pair of"Granny Glasses". Little gold rims and I wore them only to read. I loved those glasses. Something happens when you wear them only for what ever reason. You began to need them. And so started my long relationship with Theron and glasses.
This was before computers and Theron basically checked the eyes with a cardboard sheet that you read from and a instrument he pulled in front of you and clicked manually where the eye changed and the lettering changed. Our conversation during this exam was: Theron, "Tell me which one is better, this one or this one". Me, "Show me one more time". It seemed like such a heavy decision to make. But I would leave with a new prescription and frame chosen with help from Vollie (who he conveniently married I think partly because she made some great suggestions about the type of frame I needed).
So since you have stayed with me this long I am going to tell you what is Theron's fault and why I am certain he is to blame for many things which I will also tell you about. Assuming my time line is from 1980 through 2004 when Theron thoughtless retired, I never one time walked out of that office with a pair of glasses I didn't love. Twenty-four years, a perfect record. I never one time ever went back to even get a frame adjusted. When we moved to East Texas, I drove back to Wichita Falls to get my eyes examined. I don't like change and especially changing from something that works perfectly.
Then he closed the door and took Vollie home with him.
Since then I have had to go to a different eye doctor. He has fancy computers in dozens of rooms. they dilate my eyes (Theron never did that) They shine horribly bright lights in my eyes (Theron never did that). They send me to yet another doctor who comes once a month who now puts a needle in my eye and gives me a shot once a month. (Theron never did that)
Now I truly don't blame Theron for all of that but here is what I do blame him for. I now have waddles on my neck. I have wrinkles in my skin and its so rough. I had to have an eye lift because my eyes drooped, I no longer wear a size 8 or 10 and you would not believe the noises I make when I get out of a chair. I can't get down in the floor and get back up without making my way to something I can hold on to. Worse yet I have not been satisfied with a pair of glasses since he retired and took Vollie home. I read with glasses and a magnifying glass.
After careful analysis, the one thing I can tie this to is 2004 when Theron retired.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Growing Old Gracefully
I love word games. Any kind. Scrabble, password whatever. I do crossword puzzles and especially crypto quiz. I think I would have been good during the "Big" war doing what I saw in so many movies. Seemed there was always a person who sent a message in Code or worked to break a code. One of my favorites crosswords is the New york Times Puzzle. The Big Daddy of crossword puzzles. Done by a man named Will Shortz. He is actually a Puzzlemaster. I wasn't aware for years that there was such an occupation. Still have never known one in live person. But for the average person the NY Times puzzle is too hard most of the time. I don't even look at it on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Hardly can fill in one line. Monday is wonderful, and it gets a bit more difficult as the week wears on,
Mate and I were discussing this very thing. And you thought we only discussed frivolous things. Mate and I have deep conversations. Lets see, this week we have discussed the umpire's call of safe in some ball game, Kobe Bryant and the L.A. Lakers, the playoff game at the Staple Center and a new brand of fiber on the market. Thank goodness after 57 years we have learned that only one of us needs to listen at a time. We did converse at length about the fact that Taco Casa does have a pretty good glass of tea, and a big one at that, for only ninety two cents. I found that out from a friend at church who commented on my blog about iced tea. Now I know that good does come from this. I have been there now more times than I care to admit. But I have digressed.
Back to my point about the NY times Crossword getting harder as time goes by and growing old gracefully. A few weeks ago I would have told you that growing old gracefully was maybe a paradox or an oxymoron. It could not be done, Growing old does get a bit harder as the week (or read that life) goes on.
Several weeks ago I decided to begin another blog about the nonagenarians in our Church family. I feel that I need to put something down about them, things that will be gone one of these days. So I developed me a set of questions and got me a steno pad, called my first subject, went over after work prepared to stay for two hours. I now have been over for 5 afternoons, two hours each and we have reached 1965. I don't know which one of us has enjoyed it more. I have yet to ask the first question. Oh I tried. Her stock answer is "In a minute, first you need to know..". This has been a most fascinating experience. I have learned about so much of life that is thrilling me to hear and she is enjoying telling this story. We are both benefitting from this brief encounter even if I never get a word put down. But I will.
In the Bible we are told that older women should teach the younger ones. (that of course in the New Testament where all the things I need are) and I had to stop and think that she is 20 years older than I am. Maybe that is one of the reasons I am feeling benefits flowing from our encounter, I find myself being one of those New Testament younger women when I am with her.
Mate and I were discussing this very thing. And you thought we only discussed frivolous things. Mate and I have deep conversations. Lets see, this week we have discussed the umpire's call of safe in some ball game, Kobe Bryant and the L.A. Lakers, the playoff game at the Staple Center and a new brand of fiber on the market. Thank goodness after 57 years we have learned that only one of us needs to listen at a time. We did converse at length about the fact that Taco Casa does have a pretty good glass of tea, and a big one at that, for only ninety two cents. I found that out from a friend at church who commented on my blog about iced tea. Now I know that good does come from this. I have been there now more times than I care to admit. But I have digressed.
Back to my point about the NY times Crossword getting harder as time goes by and growing old gracefully. A few weeks ago I would have told you that growing old gracefully was maybe a paradox or an oxymoron. It could not be done, Growing old does get a bit harder as the week (or read that life) goes on.
Several weeks ago I decided to begin another blog about the nonagenarians in our Church family. I feel that I need to put something down about them, things that will be gone one of these days. So I developed me a set of questions and got me a steno pad, called my first subject, went over after work prepared to stay for two hours. I now have been over for 5 afternoons, two hours each and we have reached 1965. I don't know which one of us has enjoyed it more. I have yet to ask the first question. Oh I tried. Her stock answer is "In a minute, first you need to know..". This has been a most fascinating experience. I have learned about so much of life that is thrilling me to hear and she is enjoying telling this story. We are both benefitting from this brief encounter even if I never get a word put down. But I will.
In the Bible we are told that older women should teach the younger ones. (that of course in the New Testament where all the things I need are) and I had to stop and think that she is 20 years older than I am. Maybe that is one of the reasons I am feeling benefits flowing from our encounter, I find myself being one of those New Testament younger women when I am with her.
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