More storms.

The picture tonight is of me looking for ‘stuff’ to put into the garage sale. Just kidding. It’s a picture Steve took of a busy squirrel when we were in Branson. I’m still hunting for the camera, so this could be me doing that! Since I don’t have a current picture, this one looked like a good one to use today.

I’m finding lots of fun ‘stuff’ for the sale. I hope the shoppers realize there are some steals out there and buy it all. It’ll be more fun to count the money than to put it all back.

We’ve had storms here the last few nights; it’s that time of year for us. The weather people are telling us they are probably coming tonight, too, so I’m getting this done and shutting everything down to keep from losing electrical things to lightning. Man, the lightning and thunder last night were something else! It even kept ME awake and I sleep through everything, normally.

I thank God for the folks who know how to warn us and keep track of these storms. This time of year it sounds bad out here, but it’s pretty normal. The yard is so green and the flowers look great. They all love God’s water and the nitrogen from the storms. Be safe and God bless!

The Jiggler 'lives!'

The picture tonight is my sweet great nephew, Blake. Blake turned 2 in January. (He has 2 BIG brothers, 15 and 10 {?} and he acts just like them, only smaller! He's skipping 'terrible twos;' he's pure delight.) This picture, his mommy, Deanna, took the other day when they were at a picnic and saying a prayer; Deanna couldn’t resist snapping this shot. I think it is so precious, and we thank God for Blake lighting up our lives, and, thank you, Deanna!

I looked a bit like this today. I wanted Don to get a picture, but I can’t find the camera. UGH! I’ll find it, but I didn’t find it in time for him to get a picture of me repairing my jiggler. You’ve read of me, and some of you have seen me. using my jiggler; you know that it’s a thing use to keep my back ‘in order.’ Saturday night I jiggled and then the timer on it QUIT! It would still run without the timer, but I had to hold it in the on position and it hurt my fingers too much to hold it for 15 minutes. I opened it, hoping I could figure out how to bypass the timer. (Eyes rolling.) Of course, I couldn’t, so I called the company and they sent me a new timer and switch. It arrived today and I was sitting in the floor taking apart the jiggler and reassembling it. That had to be a sight. I must have surely looked like I was in this prayer position as Blake was; I could not have done it without God’s help.

I don’t know what gives me the confidence to cut hair, unless it’s God. Somehow I had the same confidence about fixing my jiggler. I knew I had to have it, so I did it. I was sitting there reading the instructions, though, and it said to join the red wires and the black wires, etc. I said to Don, “I’m going to have to peel back this colored part to get to the wires, right? Then I twist them together?” I thought to myself, “What were you thinking?” I knew I was thinking I had to have that jiggler working! Anyway, with Don’s coaching and God’s nudging, I got it fixed right before church. I’m headed to jiggle right NOW! Thank you, God!

If you’re curious about the jiggler, you can read more at the following link. Those folks in the picture coached me along through the repairs, too.

http://www.jigglingeorge.com/site/index.php

Whew!

This is a picture Don recently took; I pretty much look like this every day, now. I always wear my hair up. So the hair is working and I’m not fretting with it anymore. I was looking for curlers to take to Hawaii, but the last time I washed it, I didn’t roll it, so rollers are pretty much history. I still have to use pins and hair spray, but I think I’ll make it until it’s long enough to do without them. This is how I look these days; I’m afraid a lot hangs loose, but that’s pretty much in style so I just act like I meant for it to be that way.

We have a friend who is at MD Anderson having treatments and he thought he might be there long enough that he’d need us to house-sit for him in Hawaii while we’re there. So, we’ve been getting ready and standing by in case he needed us to go early. We got the word yesterday that he thinks he’ll be able to go home in a few days so he won’t need us. We were excited at the potential for another house-sitting opportunity, but we are even more excited for him that he and his wife get to go home right away. It’s wonderful to have a place to get great treatments, but it is always so wonderful to go home. Praise God for this friend, Bob Duffer and his wife, June.

Since it looks like we’ll be home until we leave to house-sit for Bob Dwyer we’re getting into some projects around here. There is a town wide garage sale this Saturday, so a lot of ‘stuff’ is leaving this house! Today Don and I worked in the garage getting things organized out there for our sale. I brought down a bunch of stuff from the attic that wants to leave, too. In another couple of yard sales I’ll get the attic clean! HA! It was a cool day, so it was a great day to do these jobs. I also made a pot of beans and a pot of chili. I thought surely we were done with chili for the year, but I was wrong. When the weather is chilly, I pull out the chili powder and whip up a batch. We were out of chicken in the freezer, so I cooked a batch of chicken, too. It makes it handy to have these things made ahead and in the freezer, so I feel good to have it done.

We even went out to David and Dorothy’s to play canasta tonight! The guys were ruthless; they beat us all three games. We’ll get even. HA!

Little miss pen in each hand.

This picture is of Raynie, little miss pen in each hand. She, like all of Tricia’s kids, is quite the artist. She loves to write and draw. They all amaze me and she follows suit with all the others. This was taken when we were there to witness Sadie getting her award for winning the essay contest 9 days ago.

Today we had a funeral at church for a young man in our congregation who had been fighting lung cancer for 4 years. He was only 44 and left a wife and daughter. Needless to say the building was packed. The ladies of the congregation served his family, about 75 people. I helped to serve, and it was such an honor to be able to do it. I have never been around a more appreciative and loving bunch of people. It was an inspiration. It took 3 ½ hours on my feet, though, so I got my ‘weight bearing’ exercise in today! I am totally exhausted, too. I thank God for the experience to interact with such a wonderful family. I know He will bless them.

I’ve had my bath and I’m ready for bed as soon as Dancing with the Stars is done. I love that show.

Storms around us, but we're okay.

The picture tonight is Sweetie Pie (Elena) and Garrett with their cat, Butters, in between them. This is a picture Gretta sent not too long ago, and I’ve had it in waiting for such a time as tonight. I don’t have new pictures, plus I have to post the blog quickly and get offline before it storms, again. Elena is 2; Garrett is 12.

We had storms all around us when we left for church. We came home from church and found two of our friends in the basement playing cards, hiding out from the storms. Before long, Dorothy called to say they were on their way to our basement as their scanner had said there was a tornado headed straight for Hobart. So, Dorothy and Hazel, and Joan and I sat down in the basement and played hand and foot canasta while David and Don stayed upstairs and watched the storms on the TV and from the deck. We got almost and inch and a half of rain, and lots of thunder and lightning, but no tornado. Praise God!

I’m sure my irises are doing cheers over the rain and my magnolia is grateful, too. I’m grateful, too, and so grateful to still have a home. It was fun playing cards in the basement!

I’d better get offline before the lightning returns. We are under a tornado watch until 3 a.m.

Happy Birthday, Gracie! (6)

The picture tonight is Grace last week when we went to celebrate Sadie’s winning of the essay contest. I took Grace a bunch of clothes I’d bought at our preacher’s yard sale. This was a sweater that was in the bunch and she was so proud to model it. Today was her birthday; she’s so proud to be SIX! We’re very proud of her, no matter how old she is.

We escaped to Texas today. Bruce had a tournament in Wichita Falls, so we went down and caught two games. I wish I could report that they won, but they lost the first one and tied the second one. It’s a good thin winning isn’t everything! We were sure glad to get to go and watch two more games! Wichita Falls is only two hours from here, so it’s a lot easier for us to make the games when they’re that close. Susan’s sister and her boys were there from Lubbock and her mom and dad, too, so we got in some good visiting. We thank God for safe traveling for all of us!

It’s lightning all around us, so I’m going to shut the computers down and get to bed. It’s good to be home!

The picture tonight is Nate, doing color guard duty for the Civil Air Patrol. My dad would be so proud of him! We all are! I love this picture. I can never get a very good shot of him because he’s camera shy. I swiped this one off Tricia’s blog; I don’t know who got it, but I am so proud to have it! Nate is 17.

I finished cleaning the bathrooms this morning. Then we played cards at our house after lunch and until supper time. The women won 3 out of 4 games, but the guys still took us out to supper at the Mexican restaurant. They are closed on Sundays, now, so we have to eat there at other times and make a new plan for Sunday lunches.

Bruce has two games in Wichita Falls tomorrow, so we’re headed to them in the morning. I’m so glad we can catch some more games before we leave for Hawaii!

I sure thank God that my health is holding strong. I’m amazed at how tickled I am to be able to clean the house. I never thought I would be rejoicing over such a thing, but God knows how to make us see and I thank Him!

House cleaning day.

The picture on the blog tonight is Gabe, playing the guitar when we were there last weekend. He really does a great job with the guitar. He plays music that we like to hear. We sit around and play cards or visit and he plays music that is nice in the background. I’m amazed at his talent. He works at it and we’re very proud of him. (Gabe is 14.)

Today I cleaned the house again, all by myself. I left the bathrooms for tomorrow because I was so DONE. I did the floors, but I’ll ‘police them up’ tomorrow. There is really nothing dirty about the bathrooms because nobody has used them (except ours), but it seems like the right way to clean house if I clean the bathrooms.

Folks are coming here tomorrow at 1 to play cards all afternoon. Then we’re all going out to eat supper. That’s a new twist and we’re all looking forward to it.

We had another great day. It was cloudy some, but we got some sun and got in a good walk. There were storms a while ago, but they’ve gone past us, now. I thank God for good weather. We are so blessed. I thank God for the ability to clean the house, too. Wow; I could never have done this last year. I thank God for Angelica, who got me through the toughest chemo months! I thank God for Don, who helped me so much before we got Angelica and he offered to vacuum today. He does a great job of keeping things neat, too. I’m so blessed to have him as my partner in life.

Midnight Caller, the rebloomer.

The picture today is me holding my first Midnight Caller of the year. I love this iris! I don’t think it’s my favorite; I’m not sure which one that would be. I know that this one thrills me every year when it blooms, but they all do. I thank God for them.

I finished throwing the herbs and vitamins today. I’ve got them all packaged and in boxes. I still have to count out the days, and counting is treacherous for me, but I’ll get it done before I go to bed tonight. It feels good to be done with it! Woo-hoo!

Man, it was gorgeous here, again, today! We walked this morning before lunch. It’s going to get windy in the next day or two, so it was so nice to have a couple of perfect days.

You may have noticed that I haven’t been wearing my compression sleeve for lymphedema. The reason is that I’ve had bug bites on my arm that are driving me crazy itching. (I haven’t seen or heard mosquitoes, but they feel like mosquito bites.) There is no way I could wear the sleeve. I find that my arm isn’t doing any worse without it, so I’m not going to wear it except when we fly or at times when it seems to be swelling worse. My arm is less swollen than it has been in months, so I don’t know if not wearing the sleeve is helping or just the exercises that I do. Anyway, I’m pleased that it’s doing better and it is really a relief not to be wearing the sleeve! I thank God that I’m able to manage the lymphedema; it could be a monster and I’ll keep a close eye on it.

Another "Kona Day" in Hobart!

This is a picture Don took of me reveling with my first irises. I so love these flowers! Please excuse one of my favorite shirts. It's a favorite for walking and working in the yard and I got to do both today.

This hair you see is likely how I will be wearing it a lot. It captures all my hair and keeps it off my face and neck. I remind me of when I was a sophomore in high school and wore my hair a lot like this. It wasn't gray then, though. HA! The longer it gets the easier it is for me; maybe it will survive!

Today when I wasn't outside I've been working to finish the last 50 days of herbs and vitamins for Don and I. I've got them thrown. I have to package them, now. I'm really tired of this, but I'll be done soon and it'll be good to have that chore done for a few months. I thank God that we can take these supplements; I really believe they help us both to feel better and be stronger.

Today I am so thanking God for another beautiful day. We walked and noticed that trees and yards are really getting green after our recent rains and a couple of warm days. I absolutely love this weather! The birds have been frolicking and Don and I sat out on our back deck a while this afternoon and enjoyed them I've really enjoyed today, even with all the herbs and vitamin throwing.

Now, I'll get back to that. I thank God that I CAN do it. I remember when it was so hard when my fingers didn't work from the neuropathy. PTL!

Jo Ann is waiting on results.

The picture tonight is Grace, modeling a balerina outfit I brought to her when we went to Sadie's banquet on Saturday. I had found this at a yard sale and knew that Gracie would love it. (Gracie will be 6 on Saturday and she is so excited about it!)

Today we went with Jo Ann to her doctor's appointment but not too much happened. They did take out her drains, but they didn't have any more information for her. The results for her tests are not back, so they still don't know if her cancer was hormone receptive or not. So, she can't meet with the oncologist, yet. So, she's more comfortable, but not relaxed, yet. God will take care.

It was warm and wonderful in town today. We walked and it was great to be able to do that! We spent some time in the yard collecting sunshine, too. Ummm . . . that felt so good. I'm so ready for warm weather.

I've been throwing herbs for another 50 days for Don and I. When I get those done, I'll have all the herbs and vitamins thrown for until we get home from Hawaii. Whew. That'll feel good.

I'm off to throw more herbs. Thanks for checking on us. Remember God blesses!

Ruthie looking for answers.

The picture on the blog tonight is Sadie with her Daddy, Rob, at the banquet in her honor yesterday. I was so proud of both of them. Rob is a great Dad and he was so proud of Sadie. I keep recalling yesterday and everything was so good about it.

Today has been brutally windy, again. However, it has eased up, now, so I'm going to run outside and cut some of the first irises of the year. Maybe I'll get a picture of them on the blog, soon.

We had a fellowship dinner after church and after that I came home and took a nice long nap this afternoon. I must have needed to catch up from that big day yesterday. David and Dorothy were able to make church and the dinner this morning and then church again tonight; praise God for them doing so well.

Tomorrow we will go with Jo Ann and Frank to her appointment with her doctor in Lawton, so it's another big day for us. We'll leave here at 8 in the morning; Don wants to go to the Kozy Diner for breakfast, so we'll start the day early.

I thank God for precious friends and family. How blessed we are. I talked to my sister, Ruthie, today, and she is in the hospital in Paris, Tennessee. She has some mysterious things happening and they are running a bunch of tests in hopes of finding some answers for her. I sure hope they can find something quickly so that she can go home and feel better; we all need the comfort of home!

We're so very proud of Sadie.

Sadie's pricipal came to her banquet and took this picture of us with Sadie and her mom and dad and her dad's mother, Rosie. We were so proud of her we could nearly burst. They presented her with a back pack full of goodies and a check for $100. She had already been given a $50 check and box tickets to the home Red Hawks games for winning the regional contest. This was the state level, so the prizes kept coming. We were so happy for her and proud of her. Below I've copied her essay. They gave the students the title and they chose what direction to take it with a 200 word essay. One of Sadie's friends wrote about not gossiping and this was Sadie's choice. (Sadie was 11 when she wrote this, but she turned 12 last month.)

On our way home Jo Ann called and wanted us to come to their house to play cards tonight! David and Dorothy were going, so we said we would. We barely made it home in time to pick up David and Dorothy and head out there. Jo Ann had had a big day, so she went to bed after we got started playing; Kristy played in her place. She's doing great, and David and Dorothy are too; we had a great time, but we're really tired. Today was a big day.


Get Smart; Don’t Start
Sadie Oglesby
11 years old 6th

Ms. Voegle

Stay smart and don’t start. I am going to talk to you about not to start drugs, smoking, or being in gangs. If you do these things, you might die.

First, I am going to talk about how drugs are bad. You think drugs can help you, but they don’t; they make you sick. LSD causes you to have psychedelic visions.

Second, I am going to try to convince you not to smoke. Smoking can, literally, kill you. It causes lung cancer. Marijuana is a weed that you smoke, and it can change your perspective of life.

Next, I am going to discourage you from being in a gang. They usually leave their marks or signs on your building or street. Gang members get sent to jail and if you’re in one, even if you didn’t do anything, you’ll go too.

I hope you paid attention to this essay. Be a person who does the right thing. I want you to be the good example, even if your family members or friends are not. Drugs are bad, smoking can give you lung cancer, and gangs are bullies.

Throwing my herbs.

The picture tonight is me throwing herbs and vitamins. I did Don's last week and I'm doing mine today. When I get these done I'll have 100 days done. Then I'll need to do about 40 more days for both of us to get us home from Hawaii and then through a trip to Houston for my check up before I have to throw them again. What a job! Sometimes I get so confused, so it's really a challenge for me.

Tomorrow is going to be a treat. We're going to Oklahoma City for a banquet honoring our granddaughter, Sadie. She won a state essay contest about drug awareness. I'll ask her tomorrow if I can post it on the blog. It's very good and we're so proud of her and pleased that she is being recognized. I hope to get pictures of her tomorrow and I'll put one on the blog tomorrow night when we get home. We'll leave early in the morning so we can go by their house and see all the other kids before the banquet.

Grace's birthday is the 26th of this month, so we'll be celebrating her birthday tomorrow, too. Woo-hoo! It's a fun day for us! (She'll be SIX!)

I thank God for granddaughters! We have 8 and we are so proud of every single one of them. I ache for people who don't have any granddaughters!

Cataracts.

This is a picture I took today of Jo Ann and Joan, when we stopped by to visit after our day in Altus. (That's Kristy's foot in Jo Ann's lap; what a goofball!) Jo Ann is doing SO great!

Joan went to Altus with us for my eye doctor's appointment and then we met Bob and Diana for lunch. Then we shopped around Altus for little odd stuff we needed. I got a curling iron at the thrift store; maybe I can get by with it and not need hot curlers in Hawaii; that's what I hope will work. I also got a new comb; my old comb hasn't had so much wear and tear in many years as it gets with this bunch of hair and curls that I have these days. When I was at Sally's Beauty supply I also found a great set of combs for putting my hair up; I've seen it on TV and the internet and toyed with buying it, but I couldn't resist it today. I think it was a good move, so I have hope for keeping my hair.

Now, here THIS! Two people today told me they loved my hair. Now, these aren't people who know me or think I need encouragement or anything. They just really liked my hair. That gave me a boost, too. So, today I'm keeping my hair. HA!

Now, there are two bits of news. First, Jo Ann's news. She got the pathology back from her surgery. I know you don't know her, but you all know someone who is your good friend, as she is to me. You can relate. Her story could be the story of someone you know and love. 3 weeks ago she had stage 0 breast cancer in one breast and the other breast was not diseased. Everyone felt really good about her situation and even I advised her to have a lumpectomy instead of a double mastectomy. She was having no part of boobs; she wanted them GONE for her peace of mind. The pathology revealed that her stage 0 has grown to stage 1 AND she had cancer in the other breast as well! Since it had 'progressed' so rapidly, the doctor wants to meet with her and an oncologist Monday instead of the previously planned 29th appointment. They had not planned for her to do chemo or radiation, but they will be considering it on Monday. I'm going with her to this appointment. She is open and willing to do whatever it takes to win this battle. God blesses. Be aware that breast cancer is a real buggar out there and 1 out of 8 women will have it.

The other news. Changing the strength of my contacts won't help my vision problems. I need to have cataracts corrected. He told me last year that I had cataracts starting, but we expected them to take years to grow. So much for expectations. They are ripe and need to be fixed. I can't wait for Medicare to do it; I don't want to not see for the next 4 years. If God is giving me life and wonderful blessings, I believe I should do all I can to enhance my life, as well. I don't have to have jewels, but I do want to see whatever God puts before me. This was a shock to me, but then again it's not so shocking because it's a side effect of chemo. Again, it's a trade I'm willing to make for breast cancer. Life is interesting. God is great and I trust Him. We'll decide when to do this and take care of it as soon as possible, but there is no rush.

I thank God for great friends like Jo Ann, Joan, Bob and Diana. We are so close to all of these people. I'm glad to have them close to share good times and tough times. These are all card buddies. Joan has been my closest friend since we first moved here; she lived across the street from us and we've built several yards together. She takes care of our mail when we're gone as well as my flower beds. She and her brother, Floyd, taught us to play Hand and Foot Canasta, which we play so often. Bob and I went to school together in Japan in the 8th grade, so we go back almost 50 years. I thank God for these people and for you who read this.

Happy tax day.

This is the picture I was hunting the other day to compare this Easter to last Easter. I was so thrilled to have as much hair as I did because it was enough to keep me warm. It also felt right on me. I liked it better than I like this long hair, but I'll have to admit the long hair looks better. That's good for me to see; gives me courage to keep this hair and lean me toward liking it better. Our sweet niece, who invited us for Easter dinner at her house last year found this picture and sent it to me after she read on the blog that I had lost my copy. How blessed am I to have such a wonderful family! Heather married into it, but I thank God that she did! She delivered precious Luke and is carrying Logan, who is due to arrive in June. How a mom can be so busy with a family, pregnancy and career and still take time to keep up with me AND my whims amazes me. Thanks, Heather!

I walked on the treadmill today because the wind won and I left the outdoors to it. I thank God for the treadmill! Don cleaned out our shed, so I thank him for that; I sure didn't want to do it.

Tomorrow I go to Altus for my annual eye exam. I'm looking forward to it because I can tell I need my prescription changed. Our friend, Joan, is going with us because we'll go out to eat lunch while we're there. She used to go with us a lot, so this will be a celebration of old memories. We'll stop on the way home and visit with Jo Ann and Frank and be sure they're doing well. I talk to her on the phone every day and she sounds just great. Praise God!

Time so flies!

The picture tonight is one I took of a woman with great spirit and spunk! This is Jo Ann yesterday as she waited for them to take her back to surgery. I took my pink cowgirl survivor hat for her to wear for the picture. What a sport she was! She insisted we play cards while she was in surgery and ordered me to be sure to get the red threes; that's something we always aim to do. She's doing great today; I'm so proud of her! I thank God for taking care of her, and all of us!

Today has really escaped me! We had some tax issues to settle, so that took some time. It was a gorgeous day, here, so we walked and spent some time in the yard collecting sun. Time sure flies, I've found whether you're having fun or not. It was mostly fun today, but it sure escaped me!

I'm feeling great. I got over my soreness from cleaning house last Saturday, so I'll do it again before too long. I'm not going to do it all in one day, though; I'm going to take a couple of days to do it so that it's not so painful. I only took one pain killer, so it wasn't such a bad thing after all.

Jo Ann is doing great.

This is a picture someone made for us while we were playing cards during Jo Ann's surgery today. We all got there at 8, when she was supposed to arrive. We tag teamed visiting with her 2 at a time until they finally took her back for surgery at noon. She was only in there about an hour and 20 minutes, and then she came out to recovery for a while and then into her room until around 6:30 when they let her go home. That was really quick, but she handled it beautifully. Her daughter, Kristy is here for a week with her and Frank, so she'll be fine. Of course we'll be checking on her. She'll have home health coming to take care of her drains for a week or two, also. Thank God for a good day for her. They will have to do pathology on all they removed, but the doctor said she felt 99.9% sure that she could guarantee she got it all and she'll be cancer free. What an awesome report!

We had a good day, too. It was fun to be with this group and Jo Ann was a wonderful patient. In the picture, is Jack and Tillie (we call them Silly and Tillie because Jack is such a card; he looks like Jonathan Winters and he's even funnier), Frank, me, Don and Kristy. Another girl was in the waiting room while her dad had surgery for a kidney stone and she was so interested in learning how to play Hand and Foot Canasta! It was fun to meet her, and I'm emailing the rules to the game to her. On the way home we stopped at the Golden Coral and ate; that was a nice treat and we were pretty hungry after all day at the hospital.

We got up at 5 to leave at 6, so we'd get to Lawton in time to eat breakfast before going to the hospital. So, it's been a long day for us. It's good to be home and it's wonderful to be healthy. It was a year ago two days ago that we came home from our stay in Houston for surgery and radiation. We've come a long way in this year and I thank God for His support and for YOURS!

Happy Easter!

I asked Don to take this picture because this is what I wore on Easter last year, and I wanted to compare the two pictures. Right; I can't find the picture from last year! Well, here's this year's picture, anyway.

I can't believe it, but one of the keys is sticking on my NEW laptop! It's the backspace key, which I use a LOT, so I guess I'll have to take the computer back? Look up the receipt, etc. Ugh.

We went to Jo Ann and Frank's house for dinner after church today. Both their daughters were there, so it was fun. Their grandson, Sidney, who had the really bad four wheeler accident about 18 months ago was there and he is doing so very well. He recovered completely except that he doesn't smell or taste very much at all. Praise God!

Jo Ann's surgery is in the morning. We plan to spend the day with her and her family. If she does well, they expect her to come home tomorrow evening. I expect that for her.

I am very sore today from cleaning the house yesterdy. My back is so angry with me, but I had pain killers left from last year, so I'm winning. (Over the counter, extra strength something or other.) I thank God for relief and for His Son!

Post for Saturday night, April 11, 09

The picture on the blog is me, at tonight's card game. David is on my right and Kristy is on my left; Kristy is Jo Ann and Frank's daughter, who is here for the week. She wants to be here for her mom's surgery on Monday and then she's staying to be her 'nurse' for a week. She's a GREAT card player, too, so we always play when she comes if at all possible. She lives in Mustang, a bedroom community to Oklahoma City.

It has been storming ever since about 8, so I shut down the computers, but I'm working on the laptop, so the battery is giving me power. I'll have to post this in the morning if it's not still storming. We are so very grateful to be having RAIN! It was scary dry, here. All those fires the other day had us all pretty much on edge. The poor wheat farmers have lost all their wheat because of the lack of rain. I can hear my irises out there cheering right now; they are so thrilled to have water from God!

Today we had breakfast at the Kozy Diner with David and Dorothy. Then we came home and walked. It was pretty cool, so we only walked for a half hour. I had planned to clean the house, so I figured I'd get plenty of exercise doing that. Boy, did I ever! Don wanted to help, but I wanted to see if I could do it myself. I did, and I really enjoyed it more than I ever have in my life. I haven't done a real cleaning since the summer of 2007 when I started chemo and first got Angelica the wonderful housekeeper. So, today I really did enjoy revisiting lots of my things. It seems silly, but I'd think, "Oh, there's my picture of Tom and Linda (someone took it of all 4 of us in Hawaii, and they had it framed and sent it to us)." "There are the kid's toys." "There are those house shoes that Gabe used to love." All those things are always here, but I don't always go see them and clean around them; someone else has been doing that for the last couple of years. I thank God that someone else could do it for me, because I sure didn't feel like it. I sure thank Him that I could do it today, though! I did enjoy it. My back whined and griped the whole time, but I jiggled tonight and I think I'll be fine tomorrow.

Since Angelica got the job at the reformatory, I haven't found anyone who could clean like she did. I couldn't even do it like she did, but I was so proud to be able to do it by myself. I felt like I did when I first learned to ride a bike by myself; all banged up from the experience, but so pleased that I could DO It MYSELF! So, I even thought of my Daddy teaching me to ride my bike. It was a fun day of good memories.

We capped the day off with a game of Hand and Foot Canasta for 8 and the girls beat the guys 2 out of three. It was close, but we did it. That always makes us smile.

Subway supper.

The picture tonight is one Don took a couple of weeks ago. I always wear my hair pulled back in some way, these days. It's not long enough to all go into a clip or band, but with pins and spray I can get it off my face and neck. (I hate both the pins and the spray, but I hate hair in my face and on my neck even worse.)

If the wind will cut me some slack, I'll probably survive this hair experience. I think once it's long enough to cut and donate, I'll go back to short hair, unless I learn to love it. I think I love short hair. The curls were fun when it was short. I think long hair must be for younger people; I'm not sure, yet. Mostly, I know that I love life and I'm just not sure how much of my life I want to devote to hair; it seems to demand too much to suit me.

Today was much nicer here, but the wind was still brutal. I didn't brave the outside to walk. I didn't even walk on the treadmill. I took the day off; off from walking, that is. I threw and packaged herbs and vitamins all day. I got 100 days done for Don. I'll start with mine next week. It feels good to have 100 days done for Don. For some reason (like that I can't count) I had nine extra days done for me; that gives me a little slack to get mine done next week and be okay.

I had just finished packaging Don's herbs when Dorothy called to see if I could come give David a haircut. I was so ready for a break and something fun to do. That was perfect. David had been needing a haircut, but he didn't feel like sitting to get one. Once I trimmed his neck and ears, but he didn't want to sit long enough for a whole haircut. So, it was getting really long on top and I'd told them to call whenever he felt like sitting for a whole haircut. On the way home we stopped at the Subway and got footlongs. We just sat down to eat when Dorothy called and said, "Let's go to the Mexican restaurant." I said, "Oh, we just sat down to eat our Sub sandwiches, come join us and you can have the other halves." It was perfect! Don and I don't eat the same sandwiches, so we were going to eat the other halves sometime this weekend. We'd rather share with David and Dorothy anytime! David likes what Don likes and Dorothy likes what I like, so it was perfect. We couldn't sit at the table without playing cards, so we ended up playing a game of 4 handed Hand and Foot Canasta before they left. It was a great way to finish off an otherwise tough day.

The firestorms are over for now. Whew. There were lots of homes and businesses (200) destroyed or damaged, but thankfully there were no fatalities. We thank God that it was no worse and there was no loss of life. Our county managed to have no fires, so we were totally safe.

Fires in Oklahoma!

This is me on the treadmill. Man, am I happy to have that big ugly thing in my bedroom! The wind here has been absolutely brutal, today. I was so happy to be able to walk in the security of my bedroom!

I went to a funeral this morning, and by the time the funeral was over the wind had picked up to be almost unbearable. There are fires all over the state. We've been short on rain, so it's dry. If some spark flies then this wind takes it and it turns into tragedy. There is a state of emergency in the state right now. We don't have any fires in our county, yet. There is nothing on TV here except for news about the fires. We thank God that there are no fires here.

Don and I did lay out in the yard today to get some sun, and it was like we were being sand blasted with the dirt blowing past us. I could hardly keep my shoes in the yard. We believe in Vitamin D, but Don said, "Anyplace else, they'd call this a hurricane." We didn't have any rain, but the wind is absolutely brutal.

I've got to throw herbs tonight. We're down to one last day that I've thrown for us. I have to throw them for the next 4 months to get us through our Hawaii trip. That's a bunch, so here I go! Thanks for keeping up with us.

Happy Birthday, Tom!

Today is Tom Rose's birthday, so it's an excuse for him and Linda to celebrate. Everyday is worthy of celebration in my book, but a birthday is sure cause. Tom and Linda are great friends; they graduated with me and we enjoy traveling together as much as possible with them in Tennessee and us in Oklahoma. They joined us in Branson and will join us in Hawaii. The picture on the blog tonight is Linda and Tom hiking with me in Branson back in January.

Today was a wonderful day here. It was nearly 80 and the wind was only 15 mph. I even sprayed for weeds. I had to be careful, but the weeds were taking over. I has been way too windy, so I had to take this opportunity because the winds are coming back tomorrow. It was great to get out and get some sun!

The first time we went to Hawaii (I think 10 years ago) we went over to Hilo to hear a friend preach. He was the interim pastor there, but we knew him from when he was the interim pastor here, when we moved to town. We didn't go to 'his' church, but we became fast friends and we wanted to hear him when we went there. His sermon was wonderful and I got from it the concept that God's name is I AM and that means that He is right with us TODAY, not off somewhere in the sky or waiting for us at judgement day. It has meant so much to me from that moment. He does a weekly devotional on the internet and today he quoted the whole poem that I'm sure he used in that sermon that day. It's a beauty and I want to share it with you (emphasis is mine):

'My Name is I Am" (by Helen Mallicoat)

"I was regretting the past and fearing the future.
Suddenly my Lord was speaking.
'My name is I am'. He paused....I waited....He continued.
'When you live in the past with its mistakes and regrets, it is hard.I am not there. My name is not I WAS.
When you live in the future with its problems and fears, it is hard. My name is not I WILL BE.
When you live in this moment it is not hard. I am here. My name is I AM."

I thank God for Travis Wiginton in my life; he and his wife, La Moyne have been great friends and have taught me so much. They are a blessing to know.

It was a nice day but I was cold.

The picture on the blog tonight is one I took the last night we were in Branson, eating at Mel's Hard Luck Diner. It's a pretty cool place. Dinner is good, plus the waiters and waitresses SING! They are really very talented. Two of the guys who were singing and waiting on us were finalists in the American Idol program. I got a picture of this lady who was singing behind the kids. We were sitting at one table with the adults, and Kyle, Ethan, and Elise were sitting at the table right behind Gina. They were all kind of embarassed because the lady was singing right by them. She came over to our table and got Gina's father-in-law to sing WITH her; I think the kids were afraid she'd expect them to sing with her, so they had their heads down. Dorrel is such a sport!

Today was a beautiful day, but it started out in the 20's. We went out for breakfast and it ruined me for the day. I never got warm until I took my bath tonight. I didn't even go out to walk; I walked on the treadmill. Don worked out in the yard pulling weeds all day; he insisted it was warm, and I insisted I was freezing. Since I was cold, anyway, I bundled up and went down to the basement to sew. I altered 3 tops that were waiting for me. Everything is too long for me, so I had to cut them all off. One was too low cut and I had to altar that. I thank God for my sewing machine and for 6 years of patient home ec teachers, so I can do this stuff. I thank God for the basement to use when it storms, and to keep my sewing machine out where it's handy to use.

I'm all ready for bed, but I'm headed to use the jiggler before I go to bed. It's another blessing; it keeps my back in shape.

The treadmill is wonderful!

The picture tonight is another from the card game Friday night. This is Jerry and Linda McCannon with our friend, Frank. We bought the treadmill from Jerry and Linda and we also go to church with them, so they're more of our good friends.

Today was another really cold and windy day, here. I'm so glad to have that treadmill! There was just no way I was up to facing that wind for a walk! Thank you, God, for options! I know I need to walk, but that wind is so brutal. The treadmill makes it possible when the weather is so difficult. Tomorrow it's supposed to be 75 and not so windy. Whew! That'll be a wonderful break.

Today was a nice day, just hanging around the house and getting my exercises done and some chores around the house, like laundry. It feels good to not be stressed about anything. My arm is really doing well. I've been doing more massage with it with the various massagers we have, as well as the power plate. My hand is less swollen than it's been in months; I think maybe it's not swollen at all, even. There is still some swelling in my arm, but it's not as bad as it normally is, and it doesn't hurt as much as it usually does. I'd love to think that it's correcting it'self, but I think the massage is making the difference. It's good that something is working. Thank you, God!

After spelling apologize with two p's for two nights in a row, Don reminded me there is only one p in the word apologize. I think I might remember that for the rest of my life, now. It's not a number, so I think I can remember it! I went back and correcte it; at least I didn't have to write it off a hundred times. Whew!

Nap day.

The picture tonight is from Friday night's card game. This is Frank and Jo Ann. You can tell by her expression that Jo Ann is making a play that feels good. Don't think for a minute that Frank is sleeping; he's probably memorizing his cards. Jo Ann's surgery (double mastectomy) is scheduled for a week from tomorrow. We'll be spending the day with them.

Today was cold and brutally windy, again. I thought it was a great time to heat up a buddy (a bag filled with field corn that Trish made for me last year) and take it to bed for a nap. I have about 6 bug bites that are itching me something fierce, so I'm taking benedryls to help relieve the itching, but it makes me so sleepy! I took two before bed 'last night' and two this morning. I was so ready for that nap! I slept for 4 hours this afternoon! I'd still be asleep if Don hadn't come and dug me out of bed. I warmed up his supper (left from our visit to Cheddar's yesterday) and sent him off to church. I couldn't face the cold and wind one more time. I'm so grateful for the treadmill. I'm going to go walk on it as soon as I finish this post. It was 2:02 this morning when I went to bed last night. I don't want to be up tht late tonight. I'm sure that rest is important, so I don't apologize for my nap today. I thank God for it! I thank Him for a warm house and for a buddy and microwave, too!

I'm taking an empty sock with me to make a buddy when we get to Hawaii. Hawaii is warm and wonderful, but the nights can be cool; the warm buddy so relaxes me. All I have to do is buy a bag of rice, fill it and then stitch the end closed. I've also figured that I believe I can take my jiggler with me in my carry on bag. It will fit and the bag can weigh 35 pounds. I just have to be sure anything else I put in that bag is very lightweight. The jiggler will sure be a big help in keeping my back in shape while we are there. I'm relieved to realize that I really can take it. With my jiggler and my buddy, I should be able to make it fine. I'm sure we'll both be glad to get home to all the other equipment we use, but I can get by for a couple of months if I have the jiggler.

http://www.jigglingeorge.com/site/index.php

Check out this site if you wonder what I mean when I say the jiggler. I absolutely love mine, however there are some cheaper units out there if you are thinking you might like one; do some research and then indulge to make your life better.

I continue to thank God for options and opportunities. Cold days make me realize how much warmth means to me. I hate antihistimines, but itchy bites make me realize they have their place. Everyhing is relative. Chemo, surgery, and radiation are ugly, but I realize the place they've had in my life and I thank God that they were available to me and for giving me the strength to tolerate them and recover. I feel great, but I believe that my recovery continues. I don't think for a minute that I'm done with this battle with cancer. I believe I have to stay after it or it can easily return. I believe I have to keep my body in such shape that it will not welcome any recurrence. I want to be the kind of person that when I wake up in the morning Satan, says, "Uh-oh, she's up." I also want to have the kind of body that when cancer thinks of returning it says, "Oh, no, that one's not an easy target!"

Way late Saturday night.

To the people on dial up I apologize for 2 pictures. You have to see both pictures at the same time, though, because the back is the best, but it means nothing without the front. Don took them both last night after I washed my hair and just wore with a couple of combs holding it out of my eyes. I have to put these on right now, while I'm brave enough or I might just delete them.

I rolled my hair this morning and then we went to Chickasha today to watch Bruce's team play baseball tonight. The wind was brutal, again, so my hair is really a wreck, again. I sure wonder if I can keep this hair long, especially in the Hawaii wind. We'll see. I may end up looking like the pictures tonight a lot. At least you can see the 'sunshine' on my face last night. I'm liking some color back on my face.

We just got home and it's nearly 1 a.m. I'll have to make the title be Saturday night, late, because the blog will put that I posted it on Sunday. It's still Saturday night to me. Anyway, it's late. Don went straight to bed, but I've got to take a bath. I've got to get this baseball field off of me!

We got to see Bruce play, but Erica didn't come. She had things at home to do. This is a really busy time for her. She's a senior this year, so she has lots to do with her friends before she graduates and they all leave for college. Wow; it's hard to believe we have two granddaughters graduating from high school this year. Janelle, in Vegas is getting ready to graduate, too. I thank God for 18 precious years with them and all the others who have followed them. Grandchildren have been such rich blessings for us.

You may be wondering if the boys won. They didn't. They played two games and got beat both games. We always love to watch them, even when they lose. We feel like it's good life training for them, because in life we don't always win. Even when the umpires make bad calls, it's good training for life because someone in charge often doesn't do it right. We have to learn to cope with all of that kind of thing. The baseball environment is a pretty good one for learning, I think. The best thing about it is they always know that they have us fans supporting them. I hope they know that we'll always support them in all of life, too.

Card night!

I got pictures tonight when we were playing cards, but I can't remember how to get them onto this new computer. UGH! I'm starting up the old laptop to download them to it; then I can mail them over to this computer. I'll get it done, one way or another. Okay, the old laptop wouldn't take them, so I finally figured it out; I hope I can remember it for next time! This picture is David and Dorothy and Don tonight at the card table. David has always worn suspenders, but since he had the pacemaker put in a couple of years ago he can only wear one suspender; in case you think he's making a fashion statement, that's the explanation.

It was windy today, but warmer, so we walked. It was so fun to play cards tonight with David and Dorothy able to join us! Jo Ann and Frank played and Jerry and Liunda McCannon, another couple from church. We bought the treadmill from Linda and Jerry.

I washed my hair today and let it air dry, thinking it was a trial run for Hawaii. YIKES! I've got to come up with a better plan, or I KNOW I will cut it. I think it looks terrible like this. I'm not even letting Don take a picture of it, and I'm sure not putting it on the blog. Well, maybe I will, but I don't think so. Okay, he just took the pictures, but I doubt if you'll ever see them. I thought it would be good to have a record, so that if I ever wonder why I cut it, I can always look back at those pictures. It was a real break through for me to have company come over with my hair like this! Okay, now that I got the pictures downloaded it doesn't look as bad as I thought. It's not me, though. I'll probably post it tomorrow night. I've tried to be as honest as possible without totally losing face through all this. Speaking of face, you can see in the picture I post tomorrow night that we're getting sun. These curls still amaze me.

I thank God for options! My hair could have not grown back and I'd still be bald and freezing. It could be lots worse even than that. The cancer could have come back and I'd be in chemo and losing my hair, again. Actually, I could be dead; I know several women who went through breast cancer at the same time I did, who haven't lived this long and several who have suffered a lot. I know that I am so blessed and thank God every day for life and rich blessings. Thank you for caring and going all the way along this journey with me.

A treadmill.

Tonight’s picture on the blog is another shot Steve got of the yellow rumped warbler. I find this big yellow spot so breathtaking. Our God has such a great eye for design, doesn’t He? And I’m so grateful for Steve who can get such good shots and will share them with me. It’s really fun to go scouting around with Steve and Mary because they don’t miss a thing. They are joining us in Hawaii for 10 days. Tom and Linda are joining us for 2 weeks. I thank God for friends like these, as well as Bob Dwyer who make this trip possible for all of us.

Today was another day of brutal winds around here. I was threadbare with it. Even if we weren’t outside doing our best to stand up, it was tiresome inside hearing the constant whir of it blowing. When the radio show, “Dial an Ad” came on with a treadmill for sale I was ripe for it. Don said, “We should get that,” and I said, “Let me call them right now.” I finally got them right about dinner time and we went over and bought it. It turns out it was a couple who go to church with us, so it felt good to be buying it from them. In fact they’re coming to play cards with us tomorrow night. They delivered it because it wouldn’t fit in our van, and I’ve got it cleaned up and ready to go. It’s a huge piece of clutter in our bedroom, but I can learn to love it. It’ll save me from rainy days, bitter cold, brutal winds and horrible heat in the summer. I won’t have to get up at 5 to walk, anymore. Woo-hoo!

David and Dorothy met us for breakfast this morning at the Kozy Diner! That’s how much better he is! They’re coming to play cards tomorrow night, too. That’s such a good thing for him to be doing this well. I really hope I don’t forget to get pictures tomorrow night! I so thank God for giving David this strength!

Hawaii tickets are set.

The picture on the blog tonight is not the one I hoped to take last night. It's one taken on the playground when I was out there with Raynie and Grace back during the first week of spring break. This was a good hair day considering my hair is too long and the wind was blowing. If I make it through the Hawaii winds and waves with this hair, it'll be amazing. I think I'll take my scissors just in case. Every time I think I'll let my hair grow, we go to Hawaii and I say to myself, "WHY?" Then I cut it. I'm SO tempted to cut it even here. I just think if I can get it to be long enough to really corale with a clip or a band, then I might enjoy it. I don't really think so, though. I think it would be nice to let it grow long enough to donate to Locks of Love or whatever that is, but I just might throw in the towel. We'll just see. God has been so kind and generous to give me life and even hair and curls! I hesitate to cut it off, but I don't think He wants me to look and feel goofy. I think he wants me to have options and then use my good sense with it. He surely doesn't expect me to let my hair grow forever, so I have to figure out how I can be my best and then use the tools He gives me accordingly. I don't think hair is that big a deal to Him; my heart is what interests Him. He gives me hair to help me have confidence, not to hinder my every move and consume my mind; that's what I think, so it's so tempting to cut it. The real me likes way low maintenance hair that doesn't end up in our meals, etc.

How silly of me to think last night that my face would still be pink for Don to get a picture today. Duh. Of course the pink soaked right into my skin. Pretty quickly it will tan and that's good. We'll get pictures along the way and you'll see them, but I thought this picture would work for tonight's blog since I haven't put me on in a long time. I always wear my hair some kind of up these days. I don't like hair spray, pins and all that stuff, but hair all in my face and on my neck drives me crazy, too. As Don says, I don't have far to go.

I got our tickets for the Hawaii trip last night. My next big project will be getting herbs thrown for from now until we come back from Hawaii. Also I need to get a bunch of stuff ready for a garage sale the first weekend in May (Hobart is having a town wide garage sale and I have so much stuff that should leave this house!)