Beginning Another Journey

Well I kinda dropped off of the face of blogger lately.  Not planned, certainly not wanted.  On Wednesday morning, early the phone rang.  It was the nurse at my sweetie's nursing facility saying that Gary was non-responsive and perhaps had had a stroke, needed my permission to send for an ambulance to rush him to the hospital.  Scrambling to get dressed, I  then rushed to the hospital to find him in the emergency room with doctors and nurses working on him offering no answers.  Waiting awhile and after my daughter arrived we found out that 1) he was extremely dehydrated and 2) he had a UTI infection (now UTI infections in dementia patients is a bad thing....sends them into a health crisis).  His blood pressure was hovering around 55/30 and his heart rate was about 55.  The doctor thought his body was closing down.  They admitted him to the hospital, continued to pump fluids and antibiotics into him and by Thursday he was starting to react to voices.  By then we had pretty well resigned ourselves to perhaps this being his last days with us since we had been told earlier that he could no long swallow either.  We were convinced that he was about ready to leave us...but yesterday he began to rally.  The Dr. suggested that we investigate his swallowing capabilities and after a speech pathologist ran a few preliminary tests with water, applesauce and graham crackers it was determined that yes, he could swallow and to start him on a pureed diet.

Pureed roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy and carrots is not the most appetizing looking meal, but it obviously tasted pretty darn good to someone who had not had a bite to eat in over 3 days. But the hit of the meal was the ice cream.  Ice cream is at the top of the food chain for my sweetie. A bowl of ice cream and a cookie was always my secret weapon if I needed or wanted anything from my sweetie.

So we will begin this next journey....a journey that is uncertain as to length.  Two days ago I thought the journey had almost come to an end, but that German stubborness and my sweeties incredible will to live proved me and the doctor's wrong.  His quality of life is lacking but his will to live undoubtedly outweighs this.  This reminds me of the morning glory pictured above....planted many years ago and usually no signs that there is any remains, but undoubtedly each year about this time, one or two flowers bloom, reminding me that life continues when you least expect it.

"Seize the day"  ~  Horace

Until next time....

Vertical vs Horizontal = A Good Thing

Today, I am in a vertical position vs horizontal which has been the norm for the last few days, I have taken a much needed shower, washed my unclean hair, put on "not embarrassed to be seen in" clothing, and feel a return to the world of normal almost upon me.  Never underestimate the world of normal, when it's not around, it is truly missed.  And speaking of normal....normal people need to go grocery shopping and that is on my "things to do today".  Going grocery shopping is definitely not on my favorite things to do list, but when the refrigerator echos when the door opens, and the cupboards lay bare of even a simple loaf of bread, then grocery shopping it is.  Which reminds me, never visit pinterest while hungry.  It's kinda like that rule of thumb about not going grocery shopping while hungry, add to that....never visit pinterest while hungry.  It does you no good to look at all those delicious cakes, pies, salads, meats, cupcakes, veggies etc etc, it only makes you salivate  (aka drool) more and your tummy growl excessively loud.

The lady that lives next door has a rather large apple tree in her side yard.  She never picks the apples, rather lets the branches get so heavy with these little red orbs that they are usually dragging the ground which in turn attracts the Canada geese.  Now Canada geese seem to love these little red apples but not only do they leave the mess of the half eaten apples but they leave "their" mess, if you know what I mean, which creates a rather nasty area.  I walked over this afternoon and gathered a few apples just for a photo shoot, well, I told you she never picks them, and it's only the geese I am taking from....believe me, there are more than enough to go around.  The geese will definitely not starve just because I took a handful.

Even tho the apples are ripening on the trees and the kiddos have gone back to school, the weather is definitely still summertime.  We are in for a heat wave for at least the next 10 or more days, up in the 90's each day with very little rain predicted.  I know a lot of schools have air-conditioning, but I know there are probably just as many that don't.  Poor kids, I am thinkin' I am sorta glad I am not a kid in school right now in one of those schools without air-conditioning.  But now that I think about it, I grew up in Dallas, where hot was the norm pretty much through October, and our schools definitely did not have air-conditioning and somehow we managed....I say this as my air just kicked on and I can feel the coolness hit the back of my neck.....yeah, I'll say it again, glad I am not a kid in school right now.

"Anyone can count the seeds in an apple, but only God can count the number of apples in a seed."           ~  Robert H. Schuller

Joining Kim for Texture Tuesday....

Until next time.....

An Added Dose of Self Pity

I feel like I have risen from the dead...well, not quite.  I think there was only one that ever did that. But after feeling a little crappy last week pouring on the Vitamin C and Ibuprofen and liquids and feeling pretty darn confident that I would be making the trip to Indianapolis for The Women of Faith Conference, my feeling crappy turned into major sick.  Coughing, sneezing, eyes watering, nose running, sore throat achy feeling has been my norm since last Wednesday.  And it's not pretty.
Needless to say I did not make the trip to Indy, #1 couldn't imagine driving for 3 1/2 hours #2 the ladies driving with me would definitely not want me as a traveling companion...so no "Women of Faith" for me this year.  However I did catch up on the Stephen King's "Under the Dome" series that I had taped...hmm, not exactly the same, one gives your soul some spiritual uplifting, the other, well the other did nothing but give me a little entertainment while lying in bed.  I have also been trying to read, but reading after awhile becomes tedious to my eyes, did you ever have that feeling that there are little specks of sand in your eyes that just won't go away?  So reading has not been my first choice for passing the time.  Annoying!!

Today is the first day I have not been sneezing, nose running and eyes watering continually, altho still coughing, but feeling like the rise back to health may be coming, albeit slower than I had hoped for. Today is my sweetie's birthday, and unfortunately I don't think I better visit, wouldn't want to bring this awful cold/flu to the residents.  Maybe tomorrow or the next day.

I have mentioned in previous posts that living alone is sometimes a good thing, but being sick and living alone is definitely not a good thing. There is no-one to bring you a tray with a bowl of chicken-noodle soup when you are feeling hungry, no one to check on you to see if there is anything you need, no one to go to the store to pick up more kleenex or cough medicine.

I think I am going to quit complaining now...who likes to read about other's complaints.  We all have our burdens to carry, some carry them with dignity and grace, while others moan and groan. I have found myself in the moan and groan category this last week with little dignity and absolutely no grace with an added dose of self-pity along the way.

"Be careful about reading health books.  You may die of a misprint."  ~Mark Twain

Until next time...

Women of Faith....with a little cold

Yesterday I woke up with a little hoarseness in my throat, not enough that anyone would notice but me.  After taking my granddaughter out to lunch....oh my goodness how grown up she is, making grown-up decisions (she just bought a new car), talking about her new job...it is a beautiful thing to see your grandchildren grow into such wonderful adults, and after running some much needed errands, I was feeling a little poorly.  Layed down and took a brief nap, but that didn't help, my throat kept getting tighter and the nose began to run.  Oh brother, not what I need, a summer cold. 

By this morning it had blown into a full-blown nasty.  If I cough, oh my it hurts.  Lots of doses of Vitamin C and drinking plenty of liquids.  Heading out on Friday to attend a "Women of Faith" Conference in Indianapolis.  Don't want to be sick for that.  

Have you ever attended a "Women of Faith" Conference?  About 10 -15 years ago I attended 1 each summer for about 4 or 5 years.  I went with many of the women that I met through attending Diaconate classes with my sweetie.  We became quite a close group of women and attending an event like this together was great fun.  But I have noticed that with this one, two of my favorite speakers are no longer a part of the group...Luci Swindoll and Marilyn Meberg.  And another one, Patsy Clairmont, only attends a few, this one in Indianapolis not being one of them. So I will be missing 3 out of the 4 women that I so enjoyed.  The attraction to attend this one is Liz Curtis Higgs, one of the guest speakers.  Our Bible Study last year, "Ruth, The Girl's Still Got It" was written by Liz.  Along with the book, she "starred" in a short video each week and man is she a hoot.  So I am looking forward to seeing her "in person".  

So today, I am laying low, nursing myself, hopefully back to health....spending some time on the porch, relaxing and reading.  Summer is definitely drawing to a close around here, the kids all went back to school today, so the neighborhood is totally void of any noise except for the usual dog bark (which would be mostly Toby), cars passing by, and the birds chirping, and bees buzzing.

And speaking of birds....man oh man, I never have the right lens on when I spot a hummingbird. And this one was sitting so purty for me.  Rats, oh well, it's this best I could do with the 24-70 lens inside the back porch.  Just hope he comes back when I am better prepared.

Keep enjoying these waning days of summer....

Until next time....

There Is Always, Always Something to be Grateful For....

Wow, it has been a month of Sundays since I last participated in Texture Tuesday...Kim Klassen's weekly meme utilizing her textures which she so generously shares with us.  And speaking of textures...when my computer crashed I lost all of Kim's textures.  Put on very sad face. And I had many many of them since I had been following her ever since the get-go.  Granted many I did not use anymore (most of her earlier days of developing textures tended to be on the dark and very grungy side) whereas now they have a lighter touch.  But I sure did hate losing them all.  I guess I could take my old hard-drive with my new computer back to the Geek Squad and ask them to search and re-load, but that would mean giving up my computer again for a couple of days.  Not going to happen right now.

It's like anything else...sometimes you have to lose something to appreciate what you still have in life. There is a saying wandering around Pinterest right now that says...."There is always, always something to be grateful for."  And I definitely agree with that.

Not only is Kim generous with her textures but my blogging buddy Barb from Keeping Up With The Times  has been creating these sweet brushes which she is sharing with all of us.  So hop on over to Kim's and then to Barb's to gather up some sweet goodies.  Now Barb is from Canada, but she and her hubby have purchased a condo in Phoenix, AZ.  She and I happened to be in Phoenix at the same time earlier this year, but alas we just couldn't find a time to meet.  Hopefully in the future we will have that opportunity.

Have a good day everyone....I am on my way to meet my granddaughter for lunch to celebrate her birthday and her new job.   And wouldn't you know it, her new job is very close to me.  How sweet is that?!

Until next time....

The Simplicity of Days

I love this quote....and I definitely think this is exactly what happened to me after I really dug deep into photography.  You just really see everything differently.  Personally I have always been a very visual person, whereas my sweetie could not see the rosebush in front of his face.  But photography has definitely been a re-awakening of the little things, the commonplace things in my life.  I appreciate the simple everyday images that encompass my world.

The simplicity of fresh blueberries purchased at the farmer's market...

Along with the beautiful veggies, purple onions and peppers..

And the additional lucious looking raspberries...

The beauty that I find in my garden....

Bringing that beauty inside....

Discovering that my new favorite annual is the Dragon Wing Begonia....I swear this baby will grow just about anywhere....sun, shade, and no maintenance.  You can't ask for better than that.

Having a ground cover that has these beautiful pink leaves makes me very happy.

And seeing the garden in the morning sunlight is always a bonus...

Even the spent flowers have a beauty in the morning sunlight.

And now joining Kathy's Sunday Song ography with the theme being Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run" I found this old tractor that in it's day was probably born to run all over these midwest farms.

Hope your Sunday is filled with joy and your week brings all good things your way.

Joining Madge at ....

"Don't count the days, make the days count."  ~  Muhammad Ali

Until next time....

Letters on Friday...

Dear Week....wow you were definitely full to the brim.  Since last Friday my visit with my FOL buddies is over, sad face inserted here...something that I looked forward to for a very long time. We had a whirlwind time together, loved EVERY minute from our visits on the porch, to the trek to the countryside, eating pizza (everyone that comes to this part of the world HAS to have Pizza), strolls along our beautiful Riverwalk to the wonderful day spent in Chicago.  Perfecto....

Dear Monday & Tuesday,  since I was hosting Book Club this week, and I chose the book, thought I better get busy and read it...Monday I could NOT keep my eyes open long enough to read more than a page or two before I would fall sound asleep sitting straight up in a chair...couldn't possibly be caused by too much activity the week prior.  Tuesday was a little better, this has no reflection on the book itself.  I actually thought it was one of the better ones I have read in a LONG time. Well written, page turner, totally surprise ending, I would recommend it.

Dear Morton Arboretum Photography Organization....have been intending to look into this organization and I just happened to hit it right.  Their monthly meeting was Monday evening. Went, had no idea what to expect, and was surprised it was such a large group.  In observing the attendees there seemed to be a scattering of ages, mostly older (over 50) and there seemed to be more men than women.  Nice presentation by a young man that had just opened a Print workshop space in a burb not too far from me plugging his courses and giving us samples of the papers used.  His motto is "No photo is complete until it is printed."....how many of us leave all of our photos catalogued in files on our computer and never ever see the light of day?  All in all a worthwhile trip and I will definitely join again next month.

Dear Cool Dry Weather....you know you have been really nice to sleep with covers on, but we sure could use a little rain.  Ofcourse when we had all that rain in the beginning of the summer I had the sneaky suspicion that while we were saying "stop" in June we would be saying "come back" in August.  I was right.  Darn it.

This week was a little milestone for our family.  My youngest granddaughter returned to her junior year in college at Iowa State, my middle granddaughter got her first "adult job" after graduating from college, and my grandson celebrated 3 years of marriage.  All really good things....!!!  LOVE YA

Linking to Nancy's

Sure hope you had a great week.....

"I want to be all used up when I die."  ~  George Bernard Shaw

Until next time.....

Lots and Lots of Pictures

Just some scenes from last week....(fyi....lots & lots of pictures)

Old McDonald had a farm....eeyieeyiyo...and on this farm he had some

Horses

some cows

some ducks

some chickens

and a barn....eeyieeyiyo.

and then there was this sweet little country church....

and a walk around a neighborhood found leaves already turning

little crab-apples that looked like cheeries

black-eyed susans hugging a fence

And then there was the French Market Day at Cantigney....

Where there were sweet women (Terry) that spoke perfect French and allowed me to take her picture....

Men in their very French berets

Fudge....drool.

Fresh veggies....

Madeline reading Madeline....

And squirrels feasting on the vegetation...

And the flowers.....

And the water....

A pretty much picture perfect week.

Joining in Kim's Little Things Thursday.

"No, you never get any fun out of the things you haven't done."  ~  Thomas Nash

Until next time....