Cinco de Mayo

What’s going on around here?
Healing Process: Well I am not ‘miss perky’ but I do have more energy than the first of the week, but mostly I am resting, not sleeping but knitting. Then I do some walking something and then more sitting. It’s okay though I am feeling better. My ‘guts’ are still sore and I feel food moving through every section after I eat, I think that is totally weird.

Sorting and Organizing: My closet was my Wednesday-Thursday project. A lot of my clothes don’t feel as comfortable on since my surgery. If they are too tight or too clingy I am sensitive to my new ‘lumps and bumps’. I have discovered I am more comfortable in elastic waist and tunic type tops for now. Over the past few days I have pretty much tried on everything in my closet. If I didn’t like it, it went in the ‘donate’ bag, if I thought it might work, but not this year it went in a plastic box for the attic to be reevaluated next spring, after the reversal surgery. Now when I reach in my closet for something to wear, it should work. It was getting a bit depressing to try on 3 or 4 or 5 outfits each time I was getting ready to go somewhere.

Just for fun: Thursday is the end of the week for most dentist offices and this week on Thursday I had two staff parties to go to, one at lunch and one after work, both celebrating Cinco de Mayo. I had my first margarita since before I got my cold and then got sick. It was delicious and so worth it, but not on the regular diet program for a while. I was able to eat yummy stuff both places and easily stay away from dairy and wheat, both places were buffets and you built your own, so no cheese, sour cream or ranch. The good news is guacamole is okay and good so that replaced the other stuff, no problem and as luck would have it; corn chips and corn tortillas are gluten free. So I made good choices. (It is also my grandson's birthday,  so Happy Birthday Luke!)

What's up at the dental office?
One of the reasons I love my job is the people and I had some interesting patients recently. One was a young woman who just finished her degree in accounting this month and has been accepted to start nursing school in September. We think she will make a great administrative nurse with that skill set. Another woman will be starting her junior year in college @ the University of New Orleans this September. She wants to be a TV or movie producer when she graduates, but guess what she does for ‘fun’. She is a fire entertainer. She doesn’t do the fire breathing thing yet but spins the batons and tosses and catches them. She told me what to look up on utube and I have lost the sheet of paper I wrote it on. I also had a high school sophomore who is really into photography. Just after her 16th birthday the Seattle newspaper picked one of her photographs to be a ‘pic of the weekend’, which is very cool and receives recognition beyond just having your photo published. Then the end of the day Tuesday I finally saw the patient that we had rescheduled from the day I ended up in the emergency room, before surgery. This person was a new patient to our practice and I really didn’t want to start on the wrong foot. The front desk women had said they were a bit grumpy, about everything, and especially about being rescheduled. Turns out this person was a nurse, so I said; I am very sorry I was sick and we had to reschedule your appointment. I had to have emergency surgery that day, with just a minimum more explaining she was very sweet and kind and understanding. I like it when that happens.

What's Cooking?
Sunday: we went out for Mexican with M&C after dance performance
Monday: leftovers from Sunday
Tuesday: family dinner: sundried tomato hummus and crackers, jalapeno stuffed shrimp, and panko breaded shrimp, fried jalapeno slices, green salad, steamed asparagus, Spinach and artichoke lasagna, Spinach ravioli, fresh: strawberries, pineapple, watermelon and of course the chocolate basket. (There was very little cooking involved, mostly it came from the freezer.)
Wednesday: Roast chicken (from Costco) and green salad
Thursday: Bill’s night out and I 'Cinco de Mayoed' all day
Friday: date night will be here at the house and Ledo one of my favorite dogs is coming to visit. The parents will have: salmon cakes and panko shrimp, a great salad (because a friend is bringing it) oven roasted veggies and fresh fruit and the chocolate basket for dessert.
Saturday: leftovers and cleaning out the fridge
Sunday: Happy Mother's Day to all.   My goddaughter and her family are bringing lunch and then we are meeting Bill’s family up north (not a long drive) for an early dinner. I think I see Monday’s dinner of leftovers in there somewhere. I just have not had much desire or energy for cooking yet.

What's on my needles: I did start a new scarf. It is another of the sabori ruffle scarves. To start the scarf you make an extremely long i-cord then you pick up stitches down the i-cord with a boucle yarn and knit back, then you knit about 20 rows with a ‘silk straw’ yarn, (it is silk and feels like straw but softens up a lot when you wash it.) and finish with the boucle yarn on the outer edge. Then you do the same thing on the other side of the i-cord. This is a totally mindless project, just the knit stitch for the whole thing. What makes it beautiful is the colors of yarn and the ruffles it makes. When you finish all the knitting you wash it in extremely hot water and the center i-cord shrinks and the other yarns do not shrink so they make the ruffles. I never knew how important it is to have a ‘go-to’ mindless project. I need to keep my hands happy even when I am very tired or very down.

What's off my needles: Because I have been ‘laying’ around so much I had some big success in this area this week. I got the ‘lipstick vest’ off the needles and also the ‘Sasha skirt’. Now I need to do the finishing on the vest which means sewing the pieces together and then crocheting around all the edges to make it look pretty and I have 3 fabulous buttons to put on it. The skirt has a lot more work, 3 ruffles to be exact but I am excited about the progress and so I am looking forward to getting started on them.

What I am reading: I started ‘The Lace Reader’ by Brunonia Barry this week. It is a story of mothers and daughters and sisters; of how we seek — and find — answers in unexpected places; of the dangers of fundamentalism. As the lace reader searches for the meaning within the delicate pattern, so these characters struggle to make sense of their lives. All this unfolds in contemporary Salem, where, as a cop named Rafferty tells his boss, ‘Witchcraft isn’t even a crime. In this town it’s a profit center.’ I am just getting into it and all ready there are unusual and unexpected twists.

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. diary and the year is 1945. I am telling her story, in her words as best I can.

May 3, Thursday – Well the Lovie came. She and I ran up to Cherokee, I exchanged Chys scissors that got mixed up with Perry’s. No letter from the Bill hope we get one before the week is out. My but we have a cold snap. Guess it will frost tonite. I got my order this eve, got Anns swing she sure likes it. She is so sweet and I could eat her all up. Little Chy is so worried about Bill, but I believe old Bill will come out all right, he just must, for he has a big life ahead of him. Please God, take care of him for he wants to come home so bad. Hope we hear soon how he is. Lovie sent the Bill a bucket of pecans one day this week.


May 4, Friday – No letters today from the Bill. Maybe we will hear soon. Dad and Chy and Ann went to town. Chy had Ann’s picture and herself made. She also sent the Bill a cablegram. Dad fixed up the P.T.A. war bond. I don’t even think it was smart of him to buy it for I do without everything “old cuss” wants to be big on the other fellow’s money. All the money we had this past winter was my $600 of turkey money. He sold our wool today for 42 a pound. Lovie came by going to Llano to take Nancy and Francis Ann and she met Chy between here and Cherokee and Chy went with her. Ann came on with Dad big as anybody. I sent my money back to Sears for my baby chicks for June delivery. Ann brought me the prettiest heart shaped pin with Mother on it from San Saba.


May 5, Saturday – No letters from the boys today but we did get a letter from Elsie. Vaccinated the turks, got 10 baby chicks. We all went to an ice cream supper at the Gays, met her son-in-law. On April 28 Mussolini was killed. We ate dinner with Lovie today and she had a good one too. She fixed dinner for Jr, Cecil’s dad as dad helped gather the sheep. Dad kept the Chipper tonite. The war is about over in Europe. Will be so thankful our boys get to come home I pray. I set a hen on 15 white eggs. I hope they hatch. Sure missed Nancy today hope she has a good time at Llano with Mrs. Gray and Francis Ann. Dad’s old pickup starter locked this evening and he can’t fix it.


May 6, Sunday – Well don’t know anything. Only the Chipper is the sweetest baby in the world. Hilly and Lovie came for dinner after church, didn’t have much. Hilly fixed the pickup starter. Hilly and Lovie went up to meet the bus to get Nancy and Francis Ann as they rode it from Llano. Nancy said she saw Kathleen and had dinner with her. Kathleen talked like Son might get to come home. Nancy stuck a nail in her foot while in Llano. The Bowden’s came this evening. The boy is quite a boy. Sure hope we hear from Bill tomorrow. Had 2 more old chicken hens to hatch about 17 little turks. The Chipper is so sweet I could eat her. Will be a sad day when Chy and Chipper goes back to New Mexico. Wish they could stay on with us, but Chy feels like her mother needs her.


May 7, Monday – Well it has come over the radio at 8:30 that old Germany has surrendered, thank the good God, in heaven, and that most of our boys will be sent home. Well thank the Lord. Chy had 3 letters from Bill written the 25th, 26th and 27th. He was wounded in the foot but was doing very well. Had been moved from 2 hospitals to a 3rd one somewhere in France and thought he might be sent somewhere else. I called Elsie and told her. Gee I got the loveliest Mother’s Day gift from the Gordie and Em, a lovely wool blanket. I have always wanted one, sure proud of it. Have another turkey hen hatching. Dad and Chy ran up to Cherokee. Chy shopped for me. Ann and I had a good time but she got hungry and I didn’t know it was feeding time. She is so precious. I love her so much. Hilly and Lovie were to come by to go to Church but they never did.


May 8, Tuesday – Victory was proclaimed today in Europe. Well old Germany has really surrendered to Russia and to the Allies, and Chy had a V letter from Bill written the day after he was wounded and he says he is not hurt bad but I wish he had been hurt bad enough to be sent home if he had to suffer and be wounded and when he gets well he will be sent into battle in the Islands, but I am going to pray that he will get to come home for we need him so, for Dad and I are not able to work much anymore. I had a sweet letter from Gordie and Em is working. Lovie came today and she and Chy sewed. I cut out a dress for she and Nancy. I had 16 little turks to hatch today. It is raining some tonite. Dad wants to go to town tomorrow and get his pickup fixed. Bill’s heifer had her calf yesterday a pretty ball faced heifer calf. I took my turks a bug hunting today. Ann has a cold, bless her sweet heart, she is so sweet.

May 9, Wednesday – Another day has passed by and we are enjoying Chy and Ann so very much. Will just kill me when they go back to New Mexico. Dad and Ann are romping on the living room floor right now. Lovie came this eve and she helped me wash, then we sewed a little on her dress but I was pretty tired. I have 165 little turkeys and I am working too hard taking care of them. Dad didn’t go to town today he is ploughing his corn.