May 18 – 20, 2010

What’s going on around here? May 18 – 20, 2010


Healing Process: I saw my surgeon today, Thursday. He wants to do a colonoscopy in June, the 7th to be exact. This time he will go in from the bottom and look at the surgery site and then go in through the ostomy and look at everything from that direction. Then depending on healing, we will shoot for the reversal surgery towards the end of July and that is the plan for now. I will still be working with the internist and the endocrinologist on other matters including drug changes but that is the plan for surgery and right now I am okay with it.

Just for fun: Friday Amanda, one of the nieces, has taken off work to play with me. Every year Bill goes out of town for a few days and I always take that time to do a little ‘while-you-were-out home improvement project. One year I redid the whole living room including things like: paint, changing the mantle and hearth, window seals, window trimmings, artwork, throw pillows and lamp shades. In other years I have done things like: repaint most of the inside of the house, redoing the guest bedroom, changing the whole back porch area including doing a lot of jack-hammering on the back porch and planting moss in all the cracks. Last year I went to knitting classes for the week in Portland but I was coming up empty this year. I was just too tired and slow to think about it, but Amanda decided I could not give up the opportunity to do something that I have wanted to do, so she quizzed me a little bit and we decided to take on the back bathroom with just a few little changes. The thing is we might have to learn to use Bill’s miter saw to do part of the project. So I will have before and after photos for you on the next update, if I still have all my fingers……

What's up at the dental office? I am so glad to be working. I love seeing my co-workers and I love the patients and I love the art’s and craft’s of the job. The patient this week that made me smile was a 78 year old man. He was moving slow and careful and used a full size walking stick to get around. He has had heart surgery in the past and takes meds for heart problems now. All that to tell you why I did not expect the answer I got to my question:

I said: Well Mr. P what have you been up to lately?
He said: I have been prospecting for gold and silver.
Then I ask: did you do panning for gold up by Index (an area near hear where they do find gold)
He said: That too, but I just got back from Kenya where I found gold, diamonds, silver and copper.
Dr V got in on the conversation and asks: did you find enough to pay for your trip?
He said: Maybe

Next he wants to go to Saskatchewan because he has heard it is a great place to look for diamonds. This was just a funny reminder for me not to prejudge anything. I was thinking he wasn’t very mobile and didn’t do much getting around. I was wrong and all of us at the office got a big smile from his story.  P.S.  I asked him to bring me a souvinerer from his next trip.

What's on my needles: I started the second ruffle on my Sasha skirt last night and didn’t go to bed till after 12:30. To start a ruffle, I had to pick up over 200 stitches, then knit one row around, then do an increase row where I added over 100 stitches, then start the pattern. This lace pattern is only a 2 row repeat pattern but I wanted to get enough done to start seeing the pattern of the lace, and that was about 6 rows. I just couldn’t quit and put it away until I had it going well, so 12:30 it was.

What podcasts I am listening to: Wednesday (5-19) was a dark, stormy and rainy night and so the television ‘sucked’. That is another story and I will tell the whole thing sometime, but not today. Today I will say, we don’t have cable or satellite, we have and HD antenna and when the wind blows or it rains the TV freezes or the picture on the screen pixilates (turns to cubes and freezes) or we may just loose reception all together. Last night was one of those nights. So I listened to a couple of podcast from Overlake Christian Church, Garden Fork.TV, a teacher named Greg Laurie, The Knitmore girls and The Savvy Girls (both are great knitting podcasts). A couple of these turned out to be video casts which was new to me but fun. So I am open to suggestions in this area also. The next book to read on my table is ‘The Orchid Thief’. Someone told me to read it because I like orchids a lot and would learn about orchids in the story. I’m sure I will start it soon.

Counting my Blessings: I heard something I liked this week. Love at first sight is nothing special but when you have looked and lived with each other for 30 years or more and love each other, That is a Miracle. I liked that and I am counting my blessings for the wonderful, supportive, encouraging, funny husband that I have.

Grannies’ Diary: Bobbie Ann Maxwell 1945: For a few years now my grandmother’s (my mom’s mother) diaries have been sitting on a bookshelf above my desk. Now that others are reading this, I think I will take things from her diary and tell you what was happening at her farmhouse also. I have started with the first complete looking diary and the year is 1945. I am telling her story, in her words as best I can.


May 18, Friday – Well Dad is still ploughing, got our first mess of Irish potatoes on Wednesday the 16th, they were good. Marked my 33 little turks this morning. Hope we get a letter from all the children. Hilly and Lovie brought a big watermelon by for Chy and we all ate it. It was sure good. Nancy came by to spend the nite with us. Hill, Love went to a big 42 party at the school house tonite. Lovie told me that we were all invited to Mrs. Houston’s for dinner on Sunday.


May19, Saturday – Well all went to Cherokee but Chipper and I. Chy went to help Lovie in the store. Dad had to go after feed and ice. Nancy went along to sell candy. Chy had 3 letters from Bill and he said he guessed he would be sent home. Please God, don’t let him be crippled for life, but let him limp enough he won’t be sent to the Pacific. Had 9 more little turks to hatch today. Tonight the kids got in and Hilly couldn’t eat any supper, he is pretty well done in. Me and Chipper had a good time. She is so sweet, she got a little bad and wouldn’t let me put her down, the sweet little rascal. Dad ploughed his maize out here in the 4 acre patch. I made me a dress this evening, I sure needed it.

May 20, Sunday – We had the mutton roast that Mrs. Gay sent us and it was good. Hilly, Lovie, and Nancy got here about 2:30. I had washed the dishes. Mr. and Mrs. Bowden came this evening for a while. Cecil brought the vaccine back this morning. I am pretty happy to think that God is good enough to let Bill come home, do hope we hear pretty soon just how and where he is, and if he is really going to get to come home. Sure hope I hear how Son is and where he is. Nancy is here tonite, guess she will stay a while with us. Lovie said the Post Office at San Saba was robbed last nite or Friday nite. The Chipper is feeling mighty good today. She is so sweet, and smart. We think she is the sweetest baby in the whole world.