TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2008 - ANOTHER FINISH

I thoroughly had planned the first tour of my "Stitching Sanctuary" - Phase One in this posting. However, little Miss Miprezious Dee Dee II had other unexpected plans!! I have been working ever so hard in completing the complete revamp of MY home!! I want only MY things there and placed in MY favorite positions and organizations.

I had Eunice and Granny Lou over for a lovely pot roast dinner with potatoes and carrots. I also made fresh muffins. And, we had Turtle Pie for dessert!!

Well, Mi is a little food-alholic!! And, cooking home made pot roast has not happened a whole lot during the past 3-1/2 months. Thus, Mi did hit every one's chair side!! And, it seems Mi got used to "hand feeding" from both Granny Lou and Eunice while I was hospitalized last month!! Thus, little Mi ate like a little piggy, instead of the little poodle she is, and this was right through the Turtle Pie course!! This was a small celebration to show what all I had accomplished on my own and very independent during the past 3-1/2 months with the down time of my surgery also being in this time frame!! We had an extremely pleasant evening and both Eunice and Granny Lou could not believe all I had got done!! Precious little Mi overate WAY too much!! About 4:00 a.m. she woke me with a very upset tummy and it has continued on through this evening!! Just when I think she is doing well again, she begins her diarrhea bouts all over again!! Needless to say, I rescheduled the carpet cleaning for a few days!! Thus, my rooms are not ready for photos yet!!

Eunice and I had planned on going to Davenport (50 miles south of us) shopping on Saturday!!

Eunice originally planned on taking Miprezious with us as most of the shops we had to go to very much welcome Miprezious!! However, it was a bit "iffy" on taking Miprezious by our departure at 10:00 a.m. Thus, Mi was a bit more settled and we decided to leave her home and just go ourselves. We did and had a very full day!! We had several things we needed to pick up and we went non-stop until 4:00 p.m. before we started our hour trip back home!!

Upon getting home, Mi was quite happy to see me and there was no indication of her not feeling so well. I was chilled to the bone and had chills for the first time in over six years!! I also was sooooooo tired!! I had not had a day of shopping like this for several years!! Thus, I took Mi and went into my bed to simply get warm and return phone calls I had waiting for me. Soon, I fell deep asleep and stayed there until 10:00 p.m.!!

I could not sleep at all most of the rest of Saturday evening!! And, I had to be up quite early for church with Granny Lou and Eunice on Sunday morning!! Church was quite a special experience!! Granny Lou and Eunice left their homes together Sunday morning and walked over to my home and helped me out to my van and Eunice drove the three of us together to church!! It was a real special experience attending services together!!

Monday morning came and I thought Mi was feeling much better, but come yesterday, Tuesday, morning I soon knew she was not. Mi woke me a little after 9:00 a.m. and she had "that look" and demanded to get out of my bed ASAP!! Just in the knick of time - almost!! Let me tell you how close only counts in horseshoes!!! What a long, long day and too many messes to count!!

Wanda came and started to work at my home yesterday and all she did was loads of wash!! She is coming back to work for me today, however, she is simply picking up more laundry and tends to go to the laundromat and use the "Big Boys" to wash a couple of Mi's beds!!

BUT, I did get to spend many hours on my stitching during the "bad bouts"!! I finally got a finish again!! Monday night I fell asleep in my lift recliner. I awoke at 5:00 a.m. and to my complete horrification I found my scissors in my hand with my new project in the other hand!! That was way to close for comfort!!! It would have been so easy for me to have taken even the tiniest of snips and this project would have been HISTORY!! HOWEVER, it was untouched!! I spent several hours today finishing the back stitching on this first ornament I have completed!!

Pictured above is the first of a set of six ornaments that I intend to stitch for MY own Christmas tree this year!! I can't wait to see this first one on the tree!!

I have filled my "Stitching Sanctuary" to the brim!! The inn is full!! I have finally found a use for "That Room"!! It is now going to be my "Stitching Sanctuary" - Phase Two!! I have all kinds of shelves and drawers just standing empty so I decided to keep all the 250 plus small kits I have accumulated over there, along with some of the very old charts!!

I am thrilled to have another finish for this year!! I would have had to say this was boring, boring and boring week, but life is never boring with stitching and especially stitching with a sure finish in sight!!

As of now, I am still trying to evaluate just how Mi is feeling!! If she does not perk up and her tummy does not settle by this afternoon completely I think we willl have to schedule a trip to her Vet ASAP!! But, with the exception of Mi's upset tummy we are okay!!

Love and Hugs!!

Deborah

and

Miprezious, too!!

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2008 - WE FINALLY GOT DRAFTED FOR POLITICAL CAMPAIGN!!

HELLO all our DEAREST ONES!!

About a week ago, one of our members of I.L.C.S. Group posted a picture of her new finish. It was a McCain-Palin rear view mirror ornament she had made for her husband's truck. Eunice absolutely went wild over this pattern and I asked this very nice lady for direction to getting this pattern. She so nicely shared the link with me!! And, I so much THANK her very much!!

I immediately stitched a OBAMA-BIDEN on perforated paper and attached a pin backing to it for Eunice. She immediately asked could I possibly stitch another as she would be sending the first to her "old friend, Obama"!! I told her I certainly could as she has never made a request of me all the time she has been so ever caring fo Miprezious and I. So, I set to making a second pin. Eunice inquired as to if I could make it any more stronger than the perforated paper. Thus, I stitched the second one, pictured beside this, on 14-Count White Perforated Plastic!! I also cut a second square and made a real neat backing for it and all the while tried to add extra support to it.
Eunice immediately attached the pin back as I wanted her to place it where it would best work for her. And, she very proudly wore this all day today!! Eunice has been very active in the Democratic party locally until she became so ill about eight weeks ago!! I think she is trying to gain strength to resume this soon. I was called by some of the office staff locally to help. I was willing, however, Eunice told me it was no place to be while in my wheelchair as it is a temporary set up in a vacant building. Thus, last I knew I was addressing post cards from home here!! Going to take big toll on stitching time, but..............

We have been doing extremely well!! I have made getting this home, my entire life and most importantly myself reorganized and gone through!! I began on July 16 and was sidetracked when I was most unexpectedly taken to the hospital September 06 and had to have the emergency surgery to correct damage from an "incarcerated hernia"!! Despite this loss of time, I have managed to get my kitchen, living room and "Stitching Sanctuary" completely cleaned from top to bottom and side to side!! Each day is another one discovery after another of things Max left completely undone, cobbled or duct taped!! I became completely livid with him at least a dozen times a day!! He continues to whine and need "more warm clothes"!! This past Sunday he again came which is extremely upsetting to Miprezious. She became physically sick and vomited after refusing to eat any thing the entire day!! I told Max to take every thing and he replied "he could not carry that much"!! So, I volunteered to call Eunice's husband to carry his things to his car for him!! "No, he did not have room at his rooming house" for any thing else!!
Well, he better "reorganize" himself and find room for a whole car load of clothes and golf clubs as I am NO storage unit!!

Some how, probably darn anesthesia again, I reclaimed the "nasty" traits of my old perfectionism!! NOT A GOOD THING!! I can not get every thing clean enough, straighten enough, perfected enough........................!! Thus, far with the help of Eunice and my new part-time Caretaker, Wanda, I have perfected the kitchen, living room, "Stitching Sanctuary" and for the first time that I can recall in probably at least 30 years my Checking Account Register!! And, I have a room, as do most I am sure, that I have labeled "That Room" for probably the last six to seven years!! At one point, about a year ago this past September, this room was filled top to bottom and side to side!! It was emptied out so that our full-time Caretakers would have a place to rest when they wanted to while staying the third shift especially!! However, Max decided to begin refilling it before I knew any thing about this!! Presently, Wanda and I are trying to empty and reorganize it as I have now found I need a SECOND STITCHING SANCTUARY!! The original "Stitching Sanctuary" is full to the seams and there is no more room in the inn!! I can't wait to get the rest of my home in line of perfectionism!! I can then stitch from sun up to sun up if I so desire as Mi and I do every thing we can to keep things just the way I want them!! About two weeks ago, Eunice, Wanda and myself in my manual wheelchair managed to completely empty my attached garage!! Every thing has had the furniture rearranged and completely cleaned!! I just sit and admire the beauty of shine!! Well, there are few "perks" with living alone, but I guess "shine" is one of the few that most people simply can not experience as they have full lives with many children leaving their more precious little finger prints!!

I have also wanted to get myself back to going to church each Sunday!! This past Sunday, Eunice and I started our "comparative shopping" from a long list of churches available locally!!
We picked Granny Lou's First Baptist Church which is located only a few blocks away from our homes!! Granny Lou was out of town visiting relatives and celebrating her birthday finally!! Thus, we did promise to go again this coming Sunday with her, but, unfortunately Eunice and I both felt this just was not what either of us were looking for!! We decided to go out for breakfast after the service and it was most enjoyable!! While we were at church, Eunice's husband, Marion, had to go to Davenport (about 50 miles south of us) to pick up some thing he needed. Eunice and I love a new restaurant that Eunice and Marion introduced me to while we were in Davenport for Eunice's angiogram last week!! This restaurant is called "Barbecue Dave's"!! It is absolutely fabulous!! Marion stopped in "Barbecue Dave's" and brought carry-out dinners home to Eunice, my Mother and myself!! It was a true "pig-out" day for us!! Wanda came over to take me to a special sale one of our stores was having also on Sunday!! Eunice did go with us.
I truly had one of the very nicest Sundays I have had in quite some time!!

And, I know you all are quite aware of the medical care, or I should rather say the lack of medical care, in this one-horse town!! Granny Lou went to have her eyes examined to make sure she had the correct prescription in her glasses. This doctor told Granny Lou she needed to have cataracts removed as soon as possible. This "doctor" even had an appointment all lined up with a Quad-City (about 50 miles south of us) "doctor" almost immediately. Granny Lou's daughter has got a very full Autumn with her husband having major surgery and told Granny Lou she really felt she could have this cataract surgery locally instead of going out-of-town!! Both Eunice and I did not want to see this happen and assured Granny Lou we would make sure she got transported to Quad-City and we would take care of her!! We did not want Granny's decision to be based on lack of transportation out of this town!! Well, Granny Lou went to a second eye doctor this morning. We expected a call from her to pick her up as we thought she would not be able to drive home with having her eyes dilated!! Well, we got a call from Granny Lou, however, she was home on her own!! And, she had very shocking news!! This second doctor told Granny Lou that her eyes were absolutely fine, totally unchanged, and that she did not even need a change of prescription in her existing glasses!! Granny Lou does NOT need any cataract or any type of eye surgery!! If Granny Lou's daughter does not have "very strong words" with this first "doctor" and his associate "doctor" most willing to remover cataracts I WILL!! This is just horrific!! Granny Lou has been doing extremely well and just celebrated her 84Th birthday last week!! (Despite well circulated "rumor" that this was 85Th!!) I can't imagine what this "Surgeon" planned to do to dear Granny Lou!! After doing some extensive checking later today, it is well known that the first "eye doctor" is attempting to get this "eye surgeon "doctor" to come to this town and become an "Associate" with him!! And, this hospital would like to see a certain number of surgeries performed by this "eye surgeon"!! Granny Lou's daughter has a real, real bad temper!! And, I am sure hoping she gets it totally fired up and really lets go on two more of our fine "local" medical community!!

Well, my stitching for this week is above and it would be times two except Eunice already has given the other one to some one to get it to Mr. Obama!! I am going back to my "Ark Teacup" after ending this epistle!! I also want to do some real long hours on "Scream House" and my "FrankNOrt"!! My stitching will take off shortly and I have very great hopes of several finishes yet this year!! I ended up taking my "twenty-five" pieces that make up my rotation and reorganizing them!! I had a stack of small baskets from the Dollar Store. I placed all the threads and embellishments in each basket. I took one of those heavy paper portfolios and placed the original pattern in a clear protector and clipped it into portfolio. I then took the working copies and also placed them in pockets of portfolio. I thought this would clean them up and make them more organized and looking much better!! Well, it was better, but not perfect!! So, I got about twenty-five of the new (at least to me) "green" bags you can purchase at almost every store presently to take the place of both paper and plastic. I placed each basket and portfolio in a "green" (they are actually black) bag and then lined them up on top of my great-great grandmother's hope chest. I paper clipped an index card to the front of each with the name of the chart I have in the bag. Now, I just take the front bag and stitch a day and then return it to the end of the line and then take the next bag that is in front the following day. This plan is working splendidly!! I am most happy with it!! And, miraculously I can see some for sure finishes in the near future!! I have been working on the perforated paper for the past few weeks and it seems to be just the thing I needed to get myself retaught some speed in my stitching!! I have great hopes for the fabrics next!!

Miprezious is a bit "miffed" at her large collection of toys and blankets, etc., etc., and etc. she has being moved again!! She also does not care for the furniture being changed again either. But, this little one will adjust!! She got groomed today!! Eunice and I both went and picked her up from the groomer late this afternoon. The only real bad thing about my present home is that my garage JUST fits a vehicle only!! Thus, I must transfer from my van lift out in the driveway!! This is fantastic in pleasant weather such as we had this afternoon, but it is down right nasty in rain days and winter!! And, as usual, Mi wants to ride the lift and was in my lap. We got on the ground and I had made my transfer to my walker and Mi decides she is going to go over to Granny Lou's!! Mi just took off almost dragging me behind her as this particular walker goes very smoothly with little effort!! I got down the small incline between my home and Granny Lou's and Mi just stopped, looked at me and sat down on the edge of Granny Lou's driveway!!
Mi would not move as she had decided she evidently wanted to show off her new ribbons and
scarf!! It took both Eunice and I to get her to change her mind and go into the house!! Granny Lou gets my mail from the curb side mail box and my newspaper from garage frontage newspaper box every day and brings them in to me!! She never forgets a single day!! I have two steps to get in and out of my kitchen garage entry door!! They are just simply "nasty" and the less times I have to navigate them the better for my legs and back!! So, Mi finally got to "strut her stuff" for Granny Lou a bit later and oh how she did!!

But, we are doing absolutely fantastic and OKAY!!

Love and Hugs!!
Deborah
and
Miprezious, too!!

MONDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2008 - FEELING GOOD IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD!!!

R - E - L - I - E - F !! PRAISE THE GOOD LORD!!

Today, was one of the longest I have experienced in quite some time!! Eunice awoke me this morning at 6:30 a.m. Today, was the long awaited one Eunice both could not wait to get here, while all the while was dreading with every fiber of her being!! Today, was her Angiogram. Eunice lost her beloved son, Chris, two years ago, at the age of 37-years old!! It was some thing I really wondered if she would ever come out of with her sane mind!! I have never had children of my own, and, thus, I can not say I have any idea of how horrific this experience could be to experience personally, but I can say it was too horrific just standing by helplessly and not being able to do a thing for her!! Chris had been born with heart problems. He had open heart surgery when he was a mere 6-years old!! From that time on, Chris was required to have an angiogram every other year. Eunice, said this little boy absolutely was terrified of the angiograms, although he went through the actual open heart surgery very well for such a young age!! Chris always screamed they hurt too bad!! Thus, Eunice had the preconceived idea that this is part of this procedure!! I tried to assure her, but after experiencing the many years of Chris just having fits at the prospect of another Eunice wanted no part of this procedure either. I tried to tell her that as a little boy, Chris, was probably far more scared than actually feeling pain with this procedure and was just simply too young to distinguish the difference!!

Thus, Eunice was very apprehensive about this entire procedure!! By the time of the actual procedure, her faith in God had taken over again and she was quite a bit more settled!! Also, the staff was absolutely spectacular in tending to her and this made all the difference in the world also!! They were great in their complete attentiveness to her and her concerns!! Both Eunice and her husband, Marion, remarked several times that this was such a drastic change from what they were now accustomed to in Clinton and they could hardly believe it!!

Eunice had to be at the hospital at 9:00 a.m. We had about a 50 mile commute to Davenport for this procedure. We did not get to leave the hospital until about 4:00 p.m.!! Thus, this was a very long day for all of us!!

However, the Cardiologist Specialist found only one artery 40% blocked!! This is extremely good for a woman 63 years of age!! This was extremely very good news, however, it does not give too many answers as to why Eunice has been feeling so poorly for about the past two months at all!! The Cardiologist placed Eunice on a new prescription medication for her anginia and we are all hoping and praying it will do the trick!! The Cardiologist is not at all convinced that Eunice's problems are cardiac in nature!! But, he is most willing to try every thing, and any thing he can do to help her!! Eunice is going to start swimming three days per week with Wanda and wants to start walking a whole lot!! She says I can just drive along beside them in my Hoveround Electric Wheelchair with Miprezious Dee Dee II in my lap as a rider!! We will see when my ramps get installed!! Eunice says at least this will give me some fresh air!!

Eunice seems quite relieved to know for sure her problems are not directly related to her heart!! She seems much better with just the relief of knowing this!! So, as of this evening all was well and good in this neighborhood!!

After Eunice became settled, I did start to stitch!! I just grabbed some thing totally new as we left my home this morning!! I wanted some thing that would be an easy stitch for me as I knew time, space and lighting would be quite limited while at the hospital!! And, it all was!! I took a new pattern for tea cup ornaments for Christmas!! The first tea cup I started on was the ARK TEA CUP ORNAMENT!! I really enjoyed this stitching time as the colors were bright and the stitching seemed to pick up over my normal rate!! I think these are going to be all time favorites!! I got about the top one-third of the Ark Tea Cup completed, although I can clearly see a single cross out of place in checking it out now!! Yes, I must fix it or I will not be able to stand it!!

Marion was quite hungry and had been since about mid-afternoon today!! Eunice was forced to eat a few bites in order to leave the hospital!! Eunice is not a big eater. I was so-so and could readily eat or wait till we got home. But, there are so many great restaurants in the Quad-Cities, while Clinton has not a one, that we decided to go out to eat before getting back on the road again!! One of their favorites is Dave's Barbecue and it fast became one of my very favorite!! It was just absolutely yummy!! We had barbecued ribs, chicken, corn on the cob, potato salad, cole slaw and cornbread!! Any one who left there hungry had only their self to blame!! It was one of the very best meals I have had in quite some time!! I was quite glad we had decided to go out to eat!!

Wanda was due to be at my home this evening and she was arriving just as we got home!! It was quite pleasant having some one to greet me and spend the evening with!! Wanda went about her scheduled tasks of laundry and cleaning and I continued to work in my "Stitching Sanctuary"!!

I had a very pleasant, but all so all out tiring day!! It was fabulous to get the good news that Eunice's heart was fine!! A whole lot of answered prayer today!!

Eunice asked me to thank every one for the many prayers she knows that were sent on her behalf today!! Marion was very impressed with all the number of prayers Eunice had going for her today!!

But, unfortunately, it was Granny Lou's official 85th Birthday and no one was home all day and most of this evening in the neighborhood!! And, as usual, Granny Lou worked from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the local hospital doing her volunteer work!! It was sad to think, that neither of her two daughters could have taken a day from their "busy" live's and come to Clinton, and the one lives here, but could not find time to stop and see her on this special day!! And, it sure would have helped if some of us had been home to have some kind of celebration for her!! Eunice and I have vowed to pick another evening this week and have a surprise celebration for her as well as taking her out to dinner!! I can not imagine reaching the age of 85!! But, I can say for sure, if some one in my family had reached such a milestone I sure would have a BIG celebration for them!! I hope Eunice and I can make some thing very special for her later this week!!

So, once again all is GOOD IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD!!

Miprezious was not a happy camper being a "big girl" staying home alone, without benefit of Uncle Marion, today though!! But, with lots of extra special attention from Wanda and my self she got over it quite soon!!

Love and Hugs!!

Deborah

and

Miprezious, too!!

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2008 STILL OKAY!! COULD THIS BE THE WEEK?

I am trying to get better at this Blogging thing!!

This week I worked very hard on completing the reorganization of my "Stitching Sanctuary!! And, I think this is THE WEEK!! Hopefully, next weekend I will be posting the new and improved "Stitching Sanctuary"!!

I finally gave in and have extended my "Stitching Sanctuary" to "That Room"!! This is against my better judgment!! But, the inn is full!! I have to put all the Plastic Canvas charts and several older charts of Cross Stitching. I also am going to keep all my smaller kits in cross stitch over there also.

I have attached the pictures of FRANKEN-ORT!! I just decided to start FRANKEN-ORT as I "thought" it would be a quick finish!! HA!! HA!! HA!! HA!! HA!! That is what I get for thinking!!

And, Miprezious and I are okay for the most part!! The first part of the week I tripped over Miprezious!! She was ever so innocently just taking a nap on the living room floor and I simply did not see her. I was absolutely almost hysterical that I may have hurt her!! Mi was simply more scared, than hurt thankfully!!

BUT, then on Wednesday night I fell asleep at my computer!! I have that awful lean to the right with me since my stroke in 2006. And, evidently I fell asleep and tipped over the right side of my armed office chair that I have at my computer desk. This chair is on wheels.

I landed on a pile of things waiting to be put away on floor!! The desk chair toppled on top of me!! I just woke up suddenly and tried to decide "what to do next"!! So, I just layed there for awhile and then started to try and crawl out from the rubble!! It took awhile, but I did it. When I got loose, all I wanted to do was get myself up and into bed!! And, I did get myself into bed!!

However, I woke to finding blood on my favorite night gown!! I immediately went into where I fell and checked to see if there was blood and there was an amazing amount that I can not under stand how I could not have seen it!! And, I immediately went back in to my bedroom to check my lovely bright white Laura Ashley quilt bedspread on my bed to find it having an amazing amount of blood on it!! Now, I was truly mystified!! But, in checking myself out it appeared the blood had come from my nose!! Well, I guess I am glad I missed it, but just wish I could have been a bit more tidier!! So, I began to trace the red droplets on the carpet and began clean-up!!

Eunice came by and was quite upset that I did not wake her at 4:00 a.m. when this occurred!! She is a real trooper!! Then, Wanda arrived and she took over spot treating my quilt and washed it!! And, I am just glad I only have a few scrapes and brusing remaining!!

Wanda, my new Caretaker, is working out splendidly!! She took my out shopping to Wal-Mart Thursday evening and it was a great shopping time!!

Friday started out with another round of Depositions for Court!! I had attorneys "hammering" me and my near Eunice suddenly stood up and said, "She needs some water!! We are breaking now!!" The attorneys agreed with her thankfully!! I understand she got quite nervous during these Depositions!! Eunice said she just cringed when I was asked about what driving I had done since I was injured. This had nothing to do with any thing!! But, the attorneys went from my driving to how many times I had been hospitalized each year!! I can not believe how this went from bad to worse!! The attorneys had me totally confused between actual year dates and number of hospitalizations!! Just too many numbers!! The attorneys finally came down to "how many times had I been hospitalized this year" to "had I been hospitalized this year". I thought it over for quite awhile and finally said, "I don't believe I have been!!" This is where Eunice said, "Enough"!! My own attorneys and Eunice had me alone and then asked "did I not remember the major surgery I just had" and I truly did not remember it until Eunice refreshed my memory about it!! VERY eerie feeling, that I could forget this and this soon!! Gee, I hope my upcoming oral surgery will be the same!!

Please pray today, Monday, any who read this as my endeared, Eunice, is going into the hospital in Davenport, 50 miles south of us, to have an angiogram of her heart. The Cardiologists believe she will need stints, but we are praying not. However, them finally finding any thing would finally put an end to the awful way Eunice has been feeling for about the last six weeks!! She is quite apprehensive about this!! I told her I was going to go with her and talk her through this!!

I did not know if she would really want me by her or not, but her best friend did contact me and tell me she was so glad I was going to be with Eunice and that Eunice had told her she was glad I would be with her!! I have learned so much from Eunice and I think she knows that I now do most things the very same way she would do them and that I will not let any thing happen to her!! And, I intend to do exactly this!! I assured her I was packing up my stitching and that I would be perfectly happy sitting by her side stitching as time flies by while I am stitching!! I also told her, that if she had to stay, I would stay with her until if, and when, she says she is okay alone!! I am prepared to sit the night with her if needed!! This woman has been there for me for over a year and it is high time I can be there for her once!! I am hoping, and praying over and over that Eunice just flies through this procedure and feels real ridiculous afterwards for being so apprehensive as this will be an easy thing for her to get through!!

AND, tomorrow is Granny Lou's official 85th Birthday!! I am so sorry that none of us will be around for a celebration!! I am racking my brain to all ends to think of some thing that would be an all out surprise and some thing very special for a birthday celebration!! Any ideas out there?

For sure, we will be celebrating this very soon with all of this neighborhood together!!

And, another week gone by, almost three whole months alone, and

MIPREZIOUS AND I ARE OKAY!!

Love and Hugs!!

Deborah

and

Miprezious, too!!

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 08, 2008 KATHY SAYS "I HAVE TO UPDATE MY BLOG"!!!

I have been BAD, BAD, BAD!!! Kathy told me last night to post "something" to my Blog and to let every one know how I am doing!!

The GOOD FAIRY did not appear at my home while I was hospitalized!! And, EVERYTHING I had left undone was still waiting for me!! I promised every one I would not go back to finishing my perfecting my kitchen until I was healed up considerably more than I was when I came home!! I stuck to my word, and decided to just "pick", pickup here, pickup there, clean out one shelf, box, etc., etc., etc. in my "Stitching Sanctuary"!! This wonderful room is going to be ready for a "Kodak moment" by the end of next week at the latest!! And, I must say, for myself, it is absolutely wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!! I will be able to sit and stitch and have any thing I want at a hand length's distance from me!! Far better yet, I have taken out all the duplicates, triplicates and whatever "ten of some thing is" from my pattern binders!! My threads are all inventoried and boxed by it's own type!! I am absolutely thrilled with my self, but it is going to make it very hard for me to want to finish the rest of my home!! This is a task, that I have been working at what seems like forever!! But, I can see the end in sight!!

Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, I am becoming obsessed compulsed and in the mode that every thing HAS to be perfect again!! I thought I lost this "nasty" trait years ago!! After Max's "departure", I just had to have every single thing of his out of here and, par to course, he has left it up to me to do as usual!! I just fell short of having the kitchen completely cleaned and reorganized from top to bottom and side to side!! I just had the big pantry and lower part of the refrigerator left to have to be gone through, in addition to having the carpet cleaned!! I started it July 16 and I worked steady through just dropping on that Saturday late evening on September 06!! This is a very small kitchen, but every thing is slow from a wheelchair and/or walker!! But, where there is a will there is a way!!

Hopefully, I have got some good news!! Well, I have gotten several bits of good news, but unfortunately most can not be shared at this time!! But, the BIG good news is I have secured "another" Caretaker finally!! I "think" this one is going to work out or be the biggest disaster since the Titanic!! Eunice's best friend, works for federal government and this particular Department has had it's funding cut!!
And, even though, Eunice's friend, Wanda, has the title of Director, she, too, is needing to pick up as many hours as she can at another part-time job!! She tried working 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. each evening at a convenience store, but could not stand this type of work!! Eunice approached me, with possibility of Wanda picking up part-time hours with me!! To quote, "this gal is just your type, as she gets down on all fours and scrubs every thing when she cleans also"!! I am still deciding on how to take that one!! Only kidding, as this was said by Eunice and there is nothing in this world she could ever do to make me mad!! Thus, the "other perfectionist" and I spent our first four hours together last evening!! Eunice has told her to fix meals for day she is actually here and ahead for days she is not so all I have to do is simply take out of refrigerator and "nuke" them!! And, she is also assigned laundry and the heavier duty cleaning, "I have no business trying to do"!! I "think" we are going to get along splendidly!! Let's say we better!!
Wanda is Eunice's best friend and I don't think it would be good for me to complain about her!! And, Eunice knows what she wants done by Caretaker when she is not here, so I can not see Wanda doing any thing, but what Eunice wants done either!! So, it appears Wanda and I better get along, or have to tell Eunice why we do not!! I sure am not going to touch that one!!

Wanda is an extremely nice person and very friendly!! She is a very good cook and we decided last night, we both want to get this home shaped up to perfect, so we both can teach each other new recipes and cooking techniques!! Now, if I can just talk her into trying the little "x" this could really be PERFECT!!

My dear friend, and Caretakers, as well as best neighbor in the entire world, Eunice, has been down sick for most part of about five weeks now!! She finally came "clean" with the Quad-Cities Cardiologist specialist's findings late Monday to her husband, Wanda and my self. Eunice has to have an angiogram, and probable stints, this coming Monday!! It is the first time, I have ever seen even a glimpse of fear in this woman!! She does not want me up as much as necessary to travel to out-of-town hospital with her, but I told her I would camp out in front of her own driveway Sunday night if necessary!! She has since asked, if I think I can go with her and I told her easily!! She has NEVER let me go any thing alone, since she took over my care!! Even, when she could not come to the hospital during this recent surgery her self, she sent her husband to make sure every thing was going okay!! I have been through two angiograms my self, both with complications that landed me in the hospital, and I can still assure her it was no big deal. I still breezed through and I keep telling her she will easily do it, as this woman has "pure guts" where I was pure "whimp"!! Honestly, I sure will be glad when we are all back in the car headed north for home again though!!

And, by now, you all must be wondering what in the world is with the "train" most likely spread all over this posting!! Well, the digital camera and posting on this Blog are yet two things on my "learn to do" list!! I intend to perfect them also, just don't ask me when!!

As for the train, I just put the finishing stitches in it and it is now the official "JONES Railroad" that runs in the "JONES" home!! But, more importantly, it is yet another total finish for me!!

And, what do you all think about my "JONES Railroad"? It is to be shortly followed up by the RAISE THE ROOF "The Other Side of the Tracks" Railroad!!

Presently, every thing seems very right in Miprezious' and my world!! However, the little one was sleeping in the living room the night before last!! I came through trying to toddle along on the furniture and I fell over her!! I was instantly hysterical as I thought I had hurt her and I could never live with myself if I ever did such!! As it turned out, she was more upset with the fact I was upset and after doing some of her "emotional vomiting" later that night, we both we able to settle down again!! I am sure she was not hurt, and I was not enough to even worry about, however, I did acquire a few cuts, scrapes and lots of bruises.
And, this has brought about the subject of Eunice demanding I wear a "Medic Alert" again!! I hate that thing!! But, if that is the worse thing that happens to us, we will count our selves once again very blessed and lucky!!

Miprezious is finally settled down again, almost, from the ten days she was left alone while I was hospitalized!! I have NEVER allowed Mi to be put in a cage!! I have sat for an entire day at the Vet's office while she was spade, simply so I could sit with her on the floor, than she be put in a cage!! When she goes to the Groomer, she is only gone for a hour ideally, but her Groomer really loves her and readily volunteers to "Mi sit", if she knows I have an appointment or need to go some where while she is with her!! She will always tell me that Mi is most welcome to stay on with her after she is done grooming her if I need a bit more time than the hour!! I do appreciate this gal for offering this and have taken her up on her offer a few times. She locks her "gated" area in the shop and allows Mi to run freely and taunt the poor other "clients" who are in the cages!! Mi is always most happy to play there!! So, placing Mi in a "kennel" was just not a possibility!! Thus, it was decided to let her stay home with the big screen television playing the cartoon channel!! Mi thinks they are talking to her!! Eunice's husband, Marion, and Granny Lou came in several times each day and evening to check on her and feed her!! Mi was spoiled even more!! Marion would always stop after work, which can be from 11:00 p.m. to about 3:00 a.m. depending on how busy his restaurant was each evening!! A good deal of the time, Marion would sit down to hold and cuddle Mi and he would end up falling asleep in front of the television with her!! She yet goes out to the kitchen entry door about 10:00 p.m. and begins her "door watch" and waits for Marion!! When Marion heard about this, he began to start stopping every night when he sees my lights on yet when he comes home from work!! He is always so tired and she is always so wild and throws toys at him, baiting him to play!!

A few days ago, my in-home nurse called to say she was coming!! In turn, I have to call Eunice, if she is not already here, and tell her that she is on her way!! Poor Eunice, had slept in that morning, so she just slipped a sweater on and run across the street in her granny length nightgown!! Eunice came in and told me just to go along with story that she had stayed the night with me!! So, the nurse shows up, and Eunice just goes around the house picking up this and that and acts like it was a regular morning ritual!! After she left, Granny Lou came over to visit and see if we had gotten caught yet. Thus, the three of us were together, so we decided to just sit down and chat for awhile!! We started discussing all the things we have had to do and say to make it appear some one is always here with me!! Then, I brought up, I wondered what an old, and rather cranky, woman directly across the street and atop a hill must be thinking about this time!! I said, first my husband comes up missing!! Then, Eunice's husband has been surely been seen by her coming and going at all the very odd hours he has in the last recent weeks from my home!! And, then first thing each morning, Eunice comes running across the street in various night clothes most mornings!! And, all the while, Granny Lou had to be seen coming and going at all different times also!! I had been going out very rarely before going to the hospital. Granny Lou, managed with the help of some good friends, to get me to the hospital with out the Paramedics assisting so the old woman probably did not have a clue that I was gone!! Good thing she does not really talk to any one in this neighborhood, as I would hate to think what the "rumor mills" would have conjured up over all these comings and goings!! But, just verbalizing it, made Granny Lou, Eunice and I sit and just "belly laugh" over it all for quite some time!!

But, things continue to get easier for Mi and I every day!! I truly think Wanda will be a real big blessing in our lives!! Last night, Wanda had to bring Mi into me as she would not leave her alone!! Wanda was using some bleach in the bathroom and she did not want Mi breathing the fumes, otherwise Mi had "helped" her clean almost the entire time she was here!! Wanda and Eunice No. 2 resemble each other very closely and I think Mi believes it is her. Mi does not take to strangers all that well, and she totally adored Eunice No. 2!!

And, I got REALLY GREAT NEWS yesterday!! There is a charitable organization here called "Hearts and Hammers"!! They contacted me yesterday to tell me that if it was okay with me, they would be sending a representative over to my home to
draw up plans for a wheelchair ramp to be built here!! I will finally be able to get out in my Hoveround Power Wheelchair!! And, this organization contributes all the materials and labor to build this ramp for me also!! PTL!!! Having my Hoveround accessible to me to use with our Municipal Para -Transit will be giving me really new found freedom!! I do not have enough strength to push myself for any real length in my regular wheelchair and this puts great limitations on me!! With the Hoveround I can go do some serious shopping and all kinds of new things I have forgotten I am missing!! Hoveround Technician that delivered the chair to me said it was capable of doing 40 MPH!! I always wanted to just "rev" it once to see if it really had any speed in it, but Eunice and Max always forbid me to do so!!

Seriously, I have come a long ways!! Recently, one of you, brought some thing to my attention that I had never considered for my self prior!! Max went to all lengths to "put on" a good show!! I learned, and, unfortunately relearned over and over that Max was a "pathological liar" to quote my father. My father was in charge of the "lie detector" services at the local law enforcement center for over thirty years. And, I can remember, VERY FEW times ever, in my father's entire life, that he ever said any thing negative about any one!! But, as was pointed out to me Max went to all lengths to put on a good show, however, in all actuality he was a "self-centered A$$ who only delighted in telling me I could not, should not and he would do for me" in order to keep me home bound and an invalid"!! Well, I found out for my self, I can, will and am doing quite well for my self!!!! And, I am loving and cherishing each and every moment of this change over!! I had an in-home Physical Therapist that worked with me from minimum of three times per week to five times a week, depending on how much I could do!! Max did every thing he could do to sabotage these efforts!! He would do every thing from criticizing the Physical Therapist in what he was trying to teach me to simply calling him while I was napping, or even on the cell phone out in the yard and telling him to cancel me out that day as I was not feeling up to doing therapy that particular day!! The pity of this is six years have went by and my muscles have atrophied to some extent, but I am trying to be up and bearing full weight on my legs each day while bracing my self with the walker. I recently told my regular doctor that he could rest with ease through this winter's snow and ice as I would continue to allow Eunice to keep my van keys (she took them after finding out I did drive to the hospital one night at 3:00 a.m. as no one else was around that particular night and Max was critical-little does she know the pain was so excruciating, I would never have tried it again for quite some time!!), however, come next Spring, I am going to find me a driving teacher to teach me to drive my van even if it requires getting special hand controls!! My doctor simply said, he has learned to never bet against me from here on out!!

And, I also had more good news, at least, I hope it is going to be good!! While growing up, my mother was a "SNOB" in the highest degree!! My father had a Cousin who married quite a "woman" who did not believe in soap, water, bathing, cleaning, etc., etc., etc.!! This couple had 8-10 children and, needless to say, the family lived in one of the very worst imaginable conditions you could ever imagine. I don't remember a whole lot about these people as we were NEVER allowed to know them!! Worse yet, they were kept from even knowing who my brother, sister and I were even to the best of my mother's abilities!! When ever there was any family function such as a wedding, funeral, etc., we were not allowed to accompany my parents to these functions!! My mother feared these Cousin's children learning our identities, and God forbid they would come up to us at a school function or some where!!

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine who does not own a computer, begged me to go into the State of Iowa's website that listed unclaimed monies owed to people in Iowa from various means. It took me quite a bit of time and trouble to look this information up for her, but this "hunt" resulted in my friend being able to claim about $1,500 from a previously owned Prudential Life Insurance Policy!! Some demutualization process, I believe it was called. Needless to say, my friend was very happy as she promptly ordered her first computer with the pending refund she is getting!!

Thus, I thought, "WOW!! I have a couple of Prudential policies........"!! I then went back into site and began to research "JONES"!! Well, thus far, I only came up with my father's cousin, who is now passed, along with his mother and also his grandmother!! They have all passed!! I knew of one of my father's Cousin's son's name. Between the three of them, their refunds totalled $2,200.00!! My friend told me that since the names were still on the list, that the refunds had remained unclaimed!! I at first thought, "stay out of their business, Deborah and my mother would kill me if I did make contact"!! Well, I slept on it the first night, but awoke with my normal reaction when I think I can fix a wrong - like a bull, with a red flag waving in front of me!! So, I began a search for the "son"!! I had run into this son at a Farmer's Market in 1992, or I should say he run into me, and he came right up to me and introduced himself and his daughter!! I was very ill at this time, and I looked it also!! After a brief introduction, the daughter was offering to help me as she was a nurse. I was politely "thanks, but no thanks" at that time!! The daughter told me that I was "family, and family help each other out"!! I remember being just blown away with how nice this girl was being to me, a literal stranger though to this very day!!

So, I have been leaving voice mail at a number I thought this son to be at for the past few weeks!! Last night, I got a telephone call from this son, David!! Turns out he has been out to the University of Iowa Hospitals where this same daughter is hospitalized. She is in critical condition, not expected to live and at the age of 35 has no will to continue to try any longer!! David had just come home to get a few needed things taken care of and was returning back to Iowa City this morning again to stay with his daughter!! David broke down and began to cry while talking to me last night!! He told me he simply had not had any one to talk to about this with. Nosie ole me, had to know every thing about this woman, and David wanted to tell about her also!! I learned additionally that David, him self, had just had four stints put in his own heart just before his daughter went down!! He said he had a wife when he went in the hospital, however, she took off "on vacation" before his surgery and he has not heard from her since!! I told him I definitely could relate to the waking up from major surgery and not having any one there with you!! David simply said, "should I ever have the misfortune of needing more surgery, that I was guaranteed the fortune of having some one there when I woke up, holding pink roses as that is what family does"!! He simply left me "blown away" once again!!

I am praying his dear daughter, Michelle, does pull through this medical crisis she is now having!! And, irregardless if it is the nicest restaurant we have in this one-horse town or if it is a McDonald's, I am going to have dinner with hopefully both David and Michelle and try to learn about the rest of my long neglected "Cousins"!!

David thanked me so much for giving him so much last night. I told him, I was only sorry, I had not discovered the $2,200 sooner for him to have gotten the papers filed and had his money by now!! David said, he truly appreciated the found "treasure", but said my listening to him and his finally being able to "vent" regarding his daughter meant more to him than any amount of money!!

Thus, I am beginning to think I actually may have some true "family" yet!! David told me he has three sisters living yet, although three brothers and one sister have already passed on!! I will be anxious to meet them, as I remember or know nothing about them!!

Miprezious and I are OKAY and we intend to stay that way!!

Love and Hugs!!
Deborah
and
Miprezious, too!!