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!!