More updates.

That's the best smile I could muster today. You should have seen the picture I deleted! Anyway, there is always reason to smile, even when things look grim. We're smiling, now, because we have a grandson coming this weekend. I think some others may come, but I'm certain one is coming.

We went to see Don's urologist today just for his check up. Everything was great and we were to come back for another check up in 4 months, until they tested his urine. They found he has a bladder infection, so he wants to see him in 6 weeks. The good thing about that is that it explains why he's felt so lousy the last few days. He woke up this morning with a crick in his neck and it's gotten worse all day. He went to bed awhile ago really hurting. I think he'll see the chiropractor tomorrow and get some help with his neck.

Dorothy called around noon and said, "We're losing David. His heart is playing out on him and there's nothing else they can do for him. They're just keeping him comfortable. It may be a few hours or a few days." That is so heart breaking, except none of us want him to suffer any more, so we have to be ready to release him. We know that God knows best and we trust His timing. I have to admit that this is not easy!

Update on David and Don.

This is yesterday before we went to breakfast and then to get my driver's license. I was pouring some cream to take for Don's coffee.

Don felt way better today. He even mowed the yard and trimmed. It hadn't been trimmed all year and I had mowed the other two times it was mowed. It's been so dry that the grass has only barely grown; most of it is brown! Anyway, he's much, much better.

David is another story. It's his staph infection that is septic, so that is so serious. He had a rough night because his breathing was so difficult. Today they drained a liter and a half of fluid off his lungs, so that has helped his breathing a lot. At this morning's report he was not responding to the meds they are giving him for the staph. I hope we'll have better news tomorrow. Dorothy is holding up very well. She's tired, but she goes up and spends all day with him. She has to wear a gown, gloves and a mask to be in the room with him, and you know it's got to be so stressful to not be able to do anything to help him. God bless them both! Thank you for your prayers for them.

My survival.

In case you're wondering about me laying in the kiddie pool. Here's how it looks. It has 3 rings to inflate, but I only keep the bottom one inflated. It's enough to keep me wet, and I lay my head over the edge for a pillow. It's round, but I move it to be in a rectangle shape because that's all I need. I have jugs of ice from the freezer to keep the water cool enough to stand. I have couple of jugs of ice to munch to also keep me cool; my book to read and the phone, so I'm good for 95 minutes (when the ice is gone). I have an exercise pad under the pool, so it's not too hard to lay there. I thank God for sunshine; it's a way better way to get Vitamin D, so we get all we can in the spring, fall and summer. Winter's are tougher, so we depend on supplements then.

Now, the report on Don. He's a little better, but still not feeling good. This has been very mysterious. We'll keep watching for another symptom, but hope it just goes away as quickly as it came.

David. That's another story. Today started out with the great news that he'd been off the ventilator all night and was breathing on his own. So there was much rejoicing in Hobart. Then our friend, who we play cards with called to tell us their daughter had been to see him and reports that he has sepsis and a staph infection in his sputum. That's horrible news because they are both so tough to fight. David is a fighter to the max, though. Kristy always plays cards on the men's team and David says he doesn't even want to play if Kristy's not playing. She couldn't go into his room, but she stood at the door and said, "I need my partner to get better and help me beat the women." He responded with a smile and a wave and then a thumbs up! So, please keep your prayers going for David and Dorothy. With God's help, he can do this! Breathing on his own was quite a monstrous stride, so I know he can do this!

DL tomorrow.

DL means driver's license. I have to renew my license by the end of this month. We went twice last week and their computer was down, so I'm running out of time. I guess if they don't get their computer fixed they can just haul me off to jail? I really hate being pushed around by the government, especially when they are so inefficient.

Report on the ailing: Don was better this morning and went to church, but he got progressively worse this afternoon. He's already in bed. I really have no idea what is wrong with him, so we're just watching for more symptoms. He has aches that come and go. This evening he had a headache bothering him the most. Then he had some chills. I'm totally frustrated about it.

They have let David wake up from the induced coma and they are monitoring how much he is breathing on his own and how much the ventilator is doing for him. They won't let anyone talk to him or even touch him, but he recognizes folks. He waved to one of his grandkids. They don't want him moving or talking at all, but they see that he recognizes them. He's still in ICU and still on the ventilator, but it appears that they are getting ready to wean him as soon as possible. Thanks so much for your prayers. The doctors say he's not better and he's not worse, but he is stable. I thank God that he is alive. We appreciate every day we can have with him and pray that he can breath on his own again.

This is hard.

You can tell when I'm having a tough day. I post before I even write the post. Ugh. Sorry. I typed in the title and then hit enter and that posts. I should add the picture, then write the post and then push publish, but I'm not very together, so I've messed up, again. I'm really fine. Don is not feeling good, though. He doesn't seem to have a fever, but he's aching all over like he has the flu. I hate that! So, I went over and sat in the love seat with him to get him to take a picture without having to get up. It's so hard to get that close and get a good picture! I was really trying to stretch my neck so I wouldn't have so many double chins, but they won't go away when I'm looking down on the camera. So, double chins it is. It's not important how I look. What's important is that I am alive and healthy for 63. I thank God for that. Now, we just need to get Don to feeling good. He didn't even lay out in the sun today. (It was 111, so it's a good thing he didn't!)

The latest on David is that they ARE treating him for pneumonia. He is still in an induced coma and is still on the ventilator. However, they say he is better and have taken out one tube. I guess they can tell he's better by his vitals. I thank God for the strength He has given to David and Dorothy. I'm told that Dorothy is holding up well, too. Praise God. This has got to be traumatic for her.

David is stable.

This picture was taken on my birthday when David and Dorothy went with us to Altus to eat out and go to see Olya and Sonia and Sasha Coffin. Olya took a picture of all of us which I posted on the blog, but I cropped this one out of just Dorothy and David. These are two of the most precious people in my whole life and I sure thank God for them. Thank you for praying with me for their strength right now. David is still in intensive care. He is in an induced coma and he is on life support. Dorothy has gone home with her sister, who lives near Oklahoma City for the night. They have something to give her to help her to relax and get a good night's sleep. She couldn't sleep last night, so this should be good for her.

I finally got the floors swept and mopped today. Whew. It feels good to get something done! It seems like I'm always working on computers, throwing herbs, or packing or unpacking. Maybe things are getting back to normal around here. I wonder what normal is! It would feel normal to get back to playing cards! If we can just get David home and well, we'll sure play some cards!

The whole picture, but a little blurry.

Tonight's picture is another one Don took last night. It's the whole picture, but it was kind of blurry, so I chose the other one last night. Well, tonight he took pictures and I decided blurry would do. The ones tonight were too honest. I'll have to fix up and get some good pictures tomorrow. This year has been a lousy year for flowers, and we aren't traveling and don't have company, so I'm hurting for pictures. Thanks for bearing with me.

It was actually cooler here, today. Only104. And the wind was blowing, so it was not killing to collect Vitamin D.

We got a call today that our good friend, David, was transported by air ambulance to Oklahoma City this morning, where he is in ICU on a ventilator. His son is here from California, so that's a good thing. Dorothy has all the family there for support and we're waiting to hear. Thank you if you feel you can pray for strength for them. I'm not aware of any infection; he just is completely out of air. COPD is such a difficult disease! Maybe they will find an infection and be able to treat that. This is not easy for any of us who love David so much.

Supporting the troops on Wednesday.

It's Wednesday, but I can support the troops on Wednesday, too, so red it is! It was just the right color for my mood tonight as we headed to church.

We had lightning and I shut everything down, but we had no rain. Man, oh, man; it's crispy here. It was 111, again, today. I'm overwhelmed by the weather, but I'm grateful that we haven't had tornadoes! I'm also grateful for my kiddie pool; I'd never be able to get any Vitamin D without that little pool. I even put chunks of ice in it to make it tolerable. I may have chemo brain, but I know enough to stay cool! We are blessed that our troops will serve our country in the desert in worse weather than this; we should wear red EVERY day to support them, but Friday is a sure thing with me.

I've finally got all our computers running and that's a relief. I thank God for the patience and stubborn streak to get that done, too.

Short pictures; sorry.

This picture is much like the one I posted the night before last, but I don't have any others. I just didn't get around to pictures today. No excuses; just didn't do it.

It's still hot. It was at least 109 today. I forgot to look later to see if it went higher. Thankfully, our AC is working good. I got busy sewing tonight and lost track of the time. I thank God that I can see and feel to sew. I don't see so well, but I can do it. I remember when I had neuropathy so bad in my fingers that I couldn't sew. I so thank God for taking that neuropathy! It was the only side effect of chemo that they said sometimes didn't get back to normal, so I'm very grateful that I don't have it anymore. Actually, I do have it a little, but only like a 1 on a scale of 1-10. That I can sure appreciate.

God blesses; look around and see so much He has given us. I praise Him!

108, again!

This is a picture Don took of me tonight. I was here at the laptop and he was in his recliner; to my right is the lamp on the table beside his recliner. So, this is the windblown look after a day in Altus. We went with another friend to take Don's 2nd cousin to lunch for her 92nd birthday. All the family will know Elizabeth; it's hard to believe she's 92; she's just like we've always known her. I thank God for her health!

The heat wave continues. We're grateful for AC that works in the house and the van. I can remember when I was a kid and we didn't have AC in the house or the car. I'm sure thankful for the AC. I give thanks for our troops who are fighting in lots hotter weather! God bless them!

Sleepy Sunday. 108 was the high.

Today has been relaxing. I took an antihistamine today to keep me from coughing in church, so it put me to sleep, evidently. No kidding. I stayed awake for a couple of really good sermons today, but I took a nap this afternoon. I'm still sleepy, so I'm glad it's time for bed.

We are still searching for a preacher. The good thing about that is that we get some really good sermons. When we don't have a visiting preacher, the guys from church do a really super job. I thank God for all the talent among the folks we know.

AC is fixed!

This is the clean cut look. No make up; depending totally on the permanent make up or you wouldn't see any definition in my face at all! It was Saturday and I even went to the Kozy Diner and the grocery store with no make up. I'm grateful to be able to go without make up when it's so hot like it is. We've had around 60 days of temperatures over 100 and it was 107 today. Plenty hot! (I look like Buster Brown with my hair like this; remember him? Wasn't he the mascot for some shoes?)

I thank God that the AC guy could come and easily repair our AC today, too. I haven't seen the BILL, yet, but it IS cool in our bedroom. He had to replace the capacitor; we'll see what it costs. We'll be back in our bed tonight. I'll be changing the sheets in the guest room, so y'all come see us!

The rest of the story.

This is not exciting, but it's how it is when I lay on this trigger therapy board. If I had boobs they'd run down under my arms, as I recall, but I don't have that problem anymore! I'm laying right there in the living room and not 6 feet under, somewhere, so I'm thanking God for life! Boobs are way over rated in my estimation. :)

It was 109 here today and the AC in our bedroom called it quits. It has run hard all summer and it's 12 years old, so I guess it needs to see the repair man. We'll sleep in one of the guest rooms until we get it fixed. So, we're guests tonight. Woo hoo!

Trigger Point Therapy.

Believe it or not, this helps my hip. Google trigger point therapy for a better explanation, but I lay down on this and it really does help. It also is not especially comfortable. I think it's kind of like smashing my thumb with a hammer to keep my head from hurting? Actually, it's more sophisticated than that. I do this and then I do the NUBAX. I may be crazy, but I'm still mobile. That old T-shirt is my favorite grubby thing to wear, by the way.

Today it was 108, so we're right back into the heat wave. This weather is amazing. I thank God we haven't had tornadoes this year! It's been some year; freezing cold winter and spring and then we jumped right into this horrible heat. I shudder to think what the winter might bring!

At the end of a fun week.

This is Connie and I on our way home on Saturday, after a really fun week! We had some fun times at the pool when it wasn't raining; we loved the rain; we loved the wildlife and the beautiful trees. The escape was great I loved the puzzle. But, the very best part was great time with Connie! Thanks, Connie for inviting us and for helping us to have such a great, relaxing week.

Today Don and I got up early and pulled some weeds. It's amazing how the weeds survive with no rain and all this heat! They'd like to take over, but we'll keep working until we recover the yard. That means early rising, though, because it's too hot to do it when it gets up to 106, like we had today. I thank God for early morning relief from the heat.

Groundhog.

It was raining and I took this picture through the sliding glass door, so there is a glare. The groundhog ran as soon as the camera flashed, so I know he would have run if I'd opened the door. He's pretty big, though. See him right in the middle between those two trees. The golf course behind us was a nice view, besides all the animals. I wonder what it means when the groundhog comes out and doesn't see his shadow in August? It means he's not afraid of the rain, I guess.

It's 106 right now at 4:50; may get a degree or two hotter. I like it better than cold; don't have to fool with a coat, that's for sure! I thank God for the rain we had while we were gone. It wasn't enough to boost growth in our grass, so we still have only mowed the yard twice this year. That's got to be a record!

Back to technical challenges!

Tonight's picture is the chipmunk that entertained us when we were at Bella Vista. He was quick, so he was hard to catch, but I got this one of him. It was fun to watch him and the squirrels, the groundhog and the hummingbirds. I thank God for beauty in nature.

Today we picked up a new computer for Don's desktop. I had ordered it before we left for Bella Vista. I figured we'd better get a replacement before his old desktop crashes and we'd be forced to go buy something on the spur of the moment. So, I spent today rearranging our computer set up and working to get his new computer going. It's going, but there is lots of tweaking to do. I firmly believe everything should be wireless! All these cables drive me crazy. (It's a short drive.)

Yesterday I posted that I take 2,000 units of Vitamin D. I went back and corrected it when Don told me I was wrong. It's 20,000 units and it is Vitamin D3. Details and numbers are my weakness! I get lots of Vitamin D3, and I thought I'd better repost in case you read it and didn't see the correction. Thanks for reading and caring!

Home is so nice.

Home is nice, but the maid hasn't shown in a while! I've got work to do, but it's good to be here! I always sleep good, but it seemed especially good last night. Our own bed always feels so right.

Tonight's picture is one Connie took of me when we were at Bella Vista. This bridge connected two areas of the resort. We stayed in the area on this side of the bridge. The trees there are lush and beautiful. No wonder we had squirrels and chipmunks! We even saw a groundhog on Friday!

We enjoyed a couple of good sessions at church today. In between we managed to collect some sun, since we missed a lot last week. Vitamin D is a real immune system builder, so we like to get as much sun as possible. I thank God for lots of sunshine where we live; it gives us a chance to get lots. I take 20,000 units of Vitamin D every day, but natural Vitamin D is better.

Home, sweet, home!

Pictured is Connie's answer to a laptop table need! It was a wonderful back saver! Connie is truly a problem solver! By the way, we celebrated Connie's birthday in Arkansas yesterday! How cool was that?

We had a great trip home. No issues! We got home and it was only 97 and there was mud in our flower beds! Maybe we'll need to mow the lawn before long! I'm afraid the triple digit temperatures are coming back, but we'll survive it. We had a nice break in Arkansas and we thank God for bringing some rain to Hobart, too!

The cat solution.

We work puzzles for fun and this one got to be a PAIN. So, never let it be said that we let that "Drat Cat" push us around; Connie found that great white cat at the thrift shop yesterday, so we just put it in the puzzle! Who needs a "Drat Cat?" I loved that "Drat Cat," but he wasn't going to ruin our week! We are masters of fixing whatever needs fixing and getting the job done. I'll show you tomorrow how we solved the problem of where to put the laptop. The modem was right beside the TV and it wouldn't reach far, so we had an end table for the laptop and then a dining room chair for whoever was using it. That was a killer on our backs, so the solution will be posted tomorrow.

You can tell we've had a fun week. It's been relaxing and fun. Home will be sweet tomorrow, though.

I thank God for safe travels and lifetime friends!

Happy Birthday, Dorothy!

Today is Dorothy's birthday. I called her this morning and she and David are doing well, so that was a good report to get!

When the kids were little one of their favorite books was Drat that Cat! Well, we have that cat in our puzzle. We got the whole puzzle done, but the cat is so hard. With the puzzle on the table the cat looks like it's done, but we've got a whole cookie sheet full of pieces! Tomorrow I'll show you our solution to the puzzle cat. Notice our view out the window. The squirrels and chipmunks roam around on that wall out the window. Behind this unit is a golf course, so it's really beautiful here.

It was cloudy all day, so we didn't go to the pool, but it didn't rain. Don stayed here and caught up on his email. Connie and I went back to the thrift stores and found bargains. We had fun. It's been such a fun visit. I thank God for good friends!

Connie and I working a puzzle!

This is a fun puzzle that was here in the condo. I sure hope all the pieces are there! It has rained every day since we've been here and they predict it will rain the whole time. We've been so dry this year that we love this rain! We thank God for an opportunity to get some of His water!

We never made it to the pool today; it was too rainy. Connie and I went thrift store shopping and found some cool bargains. Don stayed home and enjoyed the peace and quiet and got time to work on the computer.

I'm headed to work on the puzzle!

Happy birthday, Doris!

Under the hair is a really cool kid! This is Mason, and this is a shot Raynie got of him when he came in from school. He's an awesome big brother and underneath all that hair he's really good looking, too! He's on my mind because he would absolutely love the creek near here. We also have great squirrels and a chipmunk that loves to prowl around on our back deck. I've gotten pictures, but the pictures aren't as good as seeing them right outside our window.

Happy birthday, Doris! That's Don's baby sister and we're celebrating her today! I hope it's a great day for her!

We've had a great cool spell. It only got up to 92 today, so it seems like a real break. It's 104 at home right now, so we've got a 12 degree break. Ah! Nice. I thank God and Connie for an opportunity to get away from the brutal heat! We're having a fun visit, too!

A great side trip.

I went off and forgot my camera today! So, we didn't get pictures of Jessie or Jeff and Jeanette. It was a great visit, though! This picture is Raynie hula hooping last Tuesday when we were in Oklahoma City. She gave me a hula hoop to bring home with me, so that I can get some exercise. I need so badly to get some exercise! I hate not being able to walk, but I'm working up to it, I hope.

We left at 8 this morning and took the shortest route to Claremore. It was curvy and narrow nearly all the way. It took us 2 full hours. We came home the longer way, but it was highways all the way and we got here in an hour and 45 minutes! Lesson learned; we'll go the highways next time! We thank God for a safe trip, though, and a great visit with Jessie and Jeff and Jeanette. We usually have to go to Las Vegas to see them, so this was a simpler trip than usual!

Lots of rain in Arkansa!

I love this picture of Sadie! (Sadie is 14.) Raynie took it when we were there last week and she cut the top of her head of, but who needs it with a smile like that? Can you imagine being a 4 year old and having a big sister who looks at you with the smile all the time? Sadie is so very good to Raynie; I think it's precious. Sadie looks a lot like Gabe in this picture, so that's kind of cool, too. I thank God for all our grandkids!

We're going to Claremore tomorrow to see our granddaughter, Jessie, who is going to play softball for Rogers State University this year. She and her mom and dad are there moving her into the dorm, so we're going over to join them and visit.

We loved getting rain last night. It think we had rain at home last night, too; I'm sure our folks at home were happy to get it!

Safe in Bella Vista!

Oops! Haste makes waste! I got in a hurry and hit the key to post before I even wrote this post! Sorry for you folks who got the message and found nothing! This picture is one Don took of me with our friend, Olya on my birthday. She is the mom who took the picture I posted last night of her girls with Don and David and Dorothy and I. Olya is the best!

We made it fine to Bella Vista and it has already rained on us! We loved it! We loved the smell of fresh rain, too! It's been fun. We've shopped and got groceries and I cleaned all the veggies and fruit. We're ready to relax, now.

I thank God for a safe trip and for the opportunity to smell and feel some rain! Wish we had some at home, but He'll send it sooner or later.

Birthday pic.

Yesterday David and Dorothy went with Don and I to the Western Sizzlin for mine and Dorothy's birthday dinners. Her birthday is the 11th and we'll be gone, so we celebrated together, yesterday. On our way we stopped to see Olya and the girls, Sonia and Sasha. Bill was at work, so we missed him. They lived next door to us for 5 years, so we really love them. They live in Altus, now. Olya and the girls have been to Russia this summer, so we really wanted to see them. We sure thank God for their safe trip and for them in our lives. We're especially thankful that David was up to partying yesterday!

Today I'm packing to leave for Arkansas tomorrow. It got up to 112 a while ago, but it's headed back down, now. I doubt if it's much better in Arkansas, but at least they have a big pool!

Happy birthday, indeed!

This is a great picture Raynie took of Gracie in Don's lap. She came right in from school and gave me a hug and then jumped into Don's lap. She's such a sweetie! I would think the first thing she'd do is take that heavy bag off her shoulder, but, no, she was as eager to give hugs as we were to get them!

Now, to report on today's birthday. 63 is not so bad at all. In fact, I really think this has been the most fun birthday, ever. I never get big in to birthdays; I like to celebrate every day. But, it was so nice to get so many nice birthday notes on facebook. I love that place because it keeps me connected to so many wonderful people. I thank God for all my facebook friends, as well as all my non facebook friends! My heart has just been melted all day from the many loving messages. Don insisted on taking me to dinner in Altus and our friends David and Dorothy were able to go with us. Each day is difficult and challenging for David, but he was able to make it today. Dorothy's birthday is August 11, so we celebrated both our birthdays. We also stopped at a mutual friend's house in Altus and got to have another wonderful visit. After dinner we came by Jo Ann and Frank's house and played cards! The women only won one out of the three games, but we had so much fun we didn't care if we won or not.

I thank God for giving me life to 63. I love it that He has work for me and wants me to stay around for a while. Thank you for reading this and for being a treasure to me.

It was a big day!

Monday we went to Norman and visited with our son, Davy and his wife Susan and their son, Bruce. We went out to eat supper and our other granddaughter, Janelle joined us. The last two days I've posted pictures from that night. We spent the night with Davy and Susan and then we got up the next day and went to OKC for my eye appointment. Then we had lunch with Trish and Raynie, where I got this picture of them. After lunch we went to Tricia's house and waited for all the other kids to get home from their 2nd day of school. They're doing year round school in OKC this year. Anyway, Raynie and I got some good pictures that afternoon. Raynie loved taking some pictures for me. I thank God for time to visit lots of family this week!

My back is screaming for me to go invert on the inversion table. Ouch. So, I'm out of here to do some treatments! God bless!

A rare pic!

This is a picture Don took last night of me with our granddaughter, Janelle. Janelle will be 21 this October. She lives in Norman, now, but she lived in Las Vegas all her life until just a few months ago. We have so rarely gotten to see her, so this was a real treat for us. We're so glad to have her home, in Oklahoma, and we thank God for a chance to visit with her last night. We watched her little sister play softball last summer, and she is moving to Oklahoma next week; she has a scholarship to play ball at Rogers State College in Claremore. Hopefully, with both girls in Oklahoma we'll get to see them more, now! We hope we'll get to go to Claremore and see her sister, Jessie, when she moves in next week.

We had a good visit with Trish and the kids today. I got new contacts and am seeing better. Yippee! I'll post pictures of Trish and the kids in days to come.

It was 108 when we got home this evening and was still 100 at 10 tonight! I don't know how hot it was; all I know is that we're scorching, here! I'm so grateful for AC that works and cool sheets on our bed!

Fun visiting with family.

We were waiting for our granddaughter at Cheddar's tonight and Bruce's buddy took this picture of us. Bruce is the giant on the left; he's 6'5 1/2" and will be 17 this month. His dad, Davy is nest to him, then Don and then Bruce's mom, Susan. I'm the runt in this family! Tomorrow I'll post a picture Don took later of our granddaughter and me.

We're visiting Davy and Susan and Bruce tonight. Tomorrow, I go for my eye appointment and we'll get to visit with Trish and her family after that. I love these visits and thank God for them. It was 103 in Hobart at 8 when we checked tonight. The heat wave persists!