More Excitement Than Expected

Our choice of excitement: quiet time on the front porch. But Woody decided to spice things up a bit and wake me up a little after 3pm saying that he thought he needed to go to the ER...that he needed a catheter. The ER agreed with him! I will say that perhaps the magic words to get out of the ER quickly..."Dialysis" in a little over an hour! Worked like a charm...of course it was a slow time in the ER. They released him and we headed to dialysis. He was only a few minutes late for his 5:15 treatment. I headed home and got his morning meds, his throw, and a book and took them back to him. I left out that we called Nathan to come help us get him to the hospital. Nathan and Woody and the wheelchair headed to the hospital and I followed. They were in getting hin signed in when I got there and Nathan left after that. Nathan picked up Woody after dialysis was finished and got him home and in the house with a bit of help from Cheryl and me. Nothing on the agenda for tomorrow...I hope and pray!!! We also had a day of medical calls...I called the surgeons office and the peritoneal dialysis nurse. His dialysis nutritionist and the surgeon and Woody's urologist called us. The surgeon told him to come in sometime on Friday and he would take the catheter out. Woody is rather uncomfortable due to his surgical incisions...but this too shall pass...not soon enough for Woody, I'm sure! Melany and Erin came midmorning and stayed till supper time. We had a good visit. Melany and Erin will come back on Friday and take Cheryl to the airport. Tonight's photo I took with my iPad just a few minutes ago...porch sitting for one of the last times for Cheryl...her time here is winding down. I am hoping for a complete night's sleep...no early morning off to the ER or dialysis! The early hours of the last few days has about gotten me down! Woody doesn't have dialysis till Saturday and has it late morning once again. Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

And, The Week After Wedding Progresses All Too Quickly!

Goodbyes were said to Rachel this morning. She left before Woody's surgery was finished. Woody and I left the house around 6am. We drove up to the surgery center and were met by a nurse to check him in and check temperatures. She got a wheel chair so he didn't have to use his walker to get in. She let me go in while he filled out his paperwork and I stayed there till he was called back...around 7am. The surgeon called around 10am to say surgery was finished and successful...although...he was not able to do it laparoscopically...so bigger incision/s...I'll find out more when we remove the dressing on Thursday. One more time I will remind folk...I am NOT a nurse!!! Nathan brought him home around 12:30pm. Graham and Elijah came over to help Nathan get the wheelchair up the front steps! They made the job so much easier than the last time when I attempted to help! Woody's throat is very sore and I am now having trouble getting him to eat/drink anything. The biggest surprise came this morning when I got a call from the dialysis center...they want him to come in the morning at 5:15am...how in the world?!? I asked Nathan to rise a little earlier than usual and come get him in the wheel chair and take him to dialysis. We will see if that will work! I'll let you know tomorrow! Tomorrow is another day, as Scarlett would say! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Monday After The Wedding

I can hardly believe that we are at this point in our visit...Monday after the wedding. How time seems to fly. Rachel will leave in the morning. Woody will have his surgery in the morning. Today has been quite the day...started out very early. Woody had to be at dialysis by 5am. He had dialysis today because of tomorrow's surgery and had to have it early because he had another appointment at 9:30am. He was home by 10:30 and could then rest. He did go to prayer meeting tonight. Cheryl, Rachel, and I ran a couple of errands this afternoon. We had our Mexican supper tonight...enchiladas and chili relleno. A little taste of Arizona to get Rachel ready to head back to AZ! Yesterday Cheryl, Rachel, and I spent a little of the morning and most of the afternoon with Melany, Wade, Erin, Alex and Brooke...good food...good visiting. Alex and Brooke left for their honeymoon today. Nathan and Isaac came by this afternoon. Nathan mowed the back lawn. Nathan, Kathy, and five of the children came by this evening to say good bye to Rachel and also pray with Woody before his surgery. So lots of comings and goings throughout the day. Woody and I will be up early. I will post tomorrow night about how the surgery goes. Woody's praying that the surgery can be done laproscopicly. That's my prayer too! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

A Wedding Moment

A Visit to the Dorrell Farm and a Traditional New England Saturday Night Supper

Introducing Mr. & Mrs. Alex Proctor

And, What Does One Do on the Day Before a Wedding?

Cheryl started out the day on the porch. I started out the day watering the flowers. Melany and Wade spent a good portion of the day ironing table cloths for the wedding reception tomorrow. (Melany doesn't look all that thrilled!). Brooke and her mom made cupcakes for the reception. Not sure what Alex did! But Alex and Brooke are now ready for the rehearsal dinner! A lot of time has been spent texting updates on preperation progress. We have had the easy part of preparation! Rachel is now in her rental car getting closer each turn of the car's wheels. Cheryl and I made a trip to Lowes to get some gardening items and a couple of light bulbs and some WD-40 to fix a squeaky bathroom door. Really I started out the day with baked beans...they are now out of the oven 8 hours later...the little taste that we have taken prove them to be worthy of Mother's recipe. Woody had a doctor appointment and then dialysis...gone from 10:30 to 4:30. He has had his supper. Cheryl and I are waiting for Rachel's arrival for our supper...speaking of which, I had better go in (we are sitting on the porch...again!) and start heating up our supper. Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

She’s Arrived!

Melany and Erin pulled into our driveway with Cheryl around 10pm last night. We all visited for a while...about two hours! Then Melany and Erin headed back home. Cheryl and I went upstairs and we visited even longer. At the moment I have not had a nap and I'm feeling a little bit on the tired side...we had better go to bed a little earlier tonight...the BIG question...WILL WE!?!? We have done a lot of porch sitting today. Nathan and Kathy and family found us in the back yard this afternoon. We had been dead heading flowers. They stayed a while and visited before heading off to swim at friends of theirs. Abigail brought the cheese cake that I had her make for us...one of the cheese cakes that she has made for a fund raiser for her youth minister's family venture out onto the mission field. We will enjoy it! After they left, Cheryl and I went to the local pharmacy. I needed to pick up a prescription and Cheryl went to look around and ended up buying my Christmas present! (By the way, I approve!) This evening we have eaten and cleaned up the kitchen...Cheryl washed the dishes that needed to be washed by hand. I'm blogging. She is talking to her husband on the phone. Woody went to TN oncology today for labs, to see his oncologist, and get his Keytruda infusion. The office is arranging an appointment with an endocrinologist to check out his thyroid more thoroughly and also arranging a complete body scan to check out how the Keytruda is doing at keeping his melanoma at bay or making it go away or...so...more appointments in his future. Tennessee has provided a lovely welcome to Cheryl...it has been an absolutely lovely day...perfect for porch sitting. I hope that tomorrow welcomes Rachel as well. Woody said that to enjoy this weather while we can as the humidity is supposed to be on the rise from day to day...at least they can adjust to the rise in humidity gradually! Rachel will almost be here at the house 24 hours from now. Visiting! Visiting! Visiting is going on big time at our house! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

The Day and Almost the Time Has Come!

Cheryl is getting closer as I type...she is due to land in a little over an hour. Her flight was a bit late leaving Phoenix, but due to tail winds the lateness of their leaving won't make a huge difference. She texted that it was extremely hot in the plane as they waited to take off. I think she was glad to have to tell me that she was putting her phone into airplane mode. When Cheryl was texting me that she was in the plane but not leaving yet, Rachel messaged me that she had landed safely in Philly. I will admit that I am not as far in what I had planned to do as I wanted to be. I had to sit down and rest a few minutes so decided that "blog time" was a good time to rest.My mother always said that a 20 min. rest and she was good to go once again...we'll see if that works for me this time. My back is really complaining at the moment...not sure it is going to cooperate about running the vacuum tonight or not! It got to the point today that the house looked worse than it had in forever...all the cleaning stuff around, etc. Once all that is put into its closet then things will look better...I hope! I made a casserole for tomorrow night's supper and now the kitchen is upside down...again! I have one last load of clothes in the dryer and I will be done with washing for several days. Woody said that today's dialysis treatment did him in...he was really spent when he got home, but has revived some since coming home, eating and resting. While he was at dialysis, he got the call about next week's surgery. At least they didn't make us wait till the day before to tell us instructions and the time. He has to be there at 6:30am...maybe he is first on the docket...hope so. Tomorrow he goes to Tennessee Oncology for labs and his next Keytruda infusion and to see his oncologist. Doctors! Doctors! Doctors! Appointments! Appointments! Appointments! I just got a text from Erin. She said that she and her mom are on their way to the airport...the time of the visit is getting nearer. I know that the time Cheryl and Rachel are here will go by all too fast. Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Welcome, Summer!

Summer is here! The day started out very summery...hot and humid...then a summer storm blew in...really a cool front...and, voilà...the temperature dropped into the low 70s in just a few minutes. Tomorrow it isnt supposed to get out of the 70s...good welcome to someone coming to TN from AZ! Tomorrow at this time if all goes on schedule, Cheryl will be approaching the Nashville airport and Melany and Erin will be there waiting for her. She is "almost" packed. Packing isnt her favorite thing to do! Her room is almost ready for her...just a quick swipe or two of a Swiffer duster and it will be ready. Rachel's room is also almost ready. I am determined that before I go to bed the upstairs will be guest ready...we'll see if I manage that. I made a quick Walmart trip this morning...needed a few cleaning supplies and a couple of other things. I changed both guest beds...washed sheets, etc. The beds had clean sheets, but it has been so long since anyone has slept in them, I felt they needed freshening up. I've got a bit of a sewing mess on the long table in Rachel's room that I was just starting to straighten up when Woody came home from Monday Night Furnace Room Prayer Meeting. Tonight it was a prayer meeting of one...between a long morning of Bible School and the rain that poured down just as it was time to head to prayer meeting, Woody was the only one who made a showing tonight. After he got home, I made his supper shake and then realized it was time to blog so here I am...will head back to cleaning in a while. It is breakfast sausage making time so am going to get that mixed together tonight and I will cook them in the morning. It is also pancake making day tomorrow...those cooking tasks don't usually land on the same day...and that happening...would happen on a day I will be doing last minute things to get ready for company! Oh, well, such is life! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Saturday Shopping

My day was mostly taken up by grocery shopping. First I had to finalize the list. Woody printed the e-coupons. Then I was on my way stopping first at the Credit Union. I had a pretty full shopping cart by the time I pulled into a check-out line. I will say that the checkout lady was very efficient and the bagger was good also. Last week the bags were put back into my cart going every which way which meant that when I picked them up things were spilling out. Today there was a method to his madness when he packed them and put them in the cart...things were put with like things and the bags were all in the cart upright. I got them all into my trunk and the back seat and then I was ready to head home to put them away...a task that seems to always take the longest...well, not quite as long as selecting the items in the store. I got all the cold things put away and then ate my lunch and then went back to put the rest away. It was good to take a break for a few minutes! By the time that I got home, Woody had already gone to dialysis. I got everything put away...and amazingly enough they all ended up having a place to be stored! I rested for a while after all that shopping effort...my eyes may have shut for a little while. After resting, Woody was still at dialysis so I headed to the kitchen to see what cleaning tasks I could do in there. I wiped off the outside of all the appliances and also cleaned the inside of the microwave and cleaned the filters in the dishwasher (not a favorite job...and I often forget about doing it as my last dishwasher didn't have filters to clean out...at least I didn't know it if it did!). I also wiped off all the lower cabinets. I want the kitchen to be all clean and shiny and new looking since neither Cheryl nor Rachel have seen it since we remodeled it in 2019. I will wipe off the upper cabinets tomorrow...think that I am pretty much done for today. I'm trying to pace myself! The countdown is really on now...Cheryl will be about to touch down in Nashville at this time three days from now. Melany and Erin plan to pick her up at the airport and bring her to our house. I've talked and/or texted several times today with Cheryl...especially when I was shopping...trying to get things that they like...like salad dressing and coffee creamer, etc. I have spent time in the kitchen today, but have done no cooking except for heating up items for breakfast, lunch and supper. I think that it is time for me to finish with the kitchen for today and plop in my recliner for most of the rest of the evening. Woody is watching a baseball game on TV and probably reading. He read over 100 pages during his dialysis time today. Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Flitting From One Thing to Another!

Today I pretty much moved from one job to another...sometimes with a reason and sometimes not! Starting one job often got me started on another and perhaps I would finish the first job and sometimes not! I know that there was one thing that I started and then moved away from when I spotted something else to do. I know that I noticed later that it wasn't finished...and now...well, I can't remember what the job was to be able to go finish it! That's the way cleaning often goes for me. Today I dry mopped the sun porch and laundry room...before I ran a load of towels...so I could wash the mop pad...see my reasoning...going to wash towels and want to wash the mop so might as well get it a little dirtier before washing it! All the bathrooms will soon have clean towels as well as the kitchen. I still have to transfer the guest bathroom towels to the drier...but soon that job will be complete...and the guest towels won't have to be washed again before the guests arrive! So one job that is done and will stay done. Part of my problem at this point in getting ready for company is that if I do the job now...like dusting...it will just have to be done again...and at this point I don't want to be doing jobs twice...even if they probably need to be done now...the dust can stay on the furniture a couple more days and then I will only have to do it once...at least that is my thinking. The dining room table is ready...I washed the tablecloth and put it back on today...so that is ready for our meals. The only cooking task that I did today was to make croutons with some stale bread...so another task complete. Tomorrow will be a grocery store day...must get my list made...need to check planned meals and see what I need to get in order to complete each meal. Of course, I'm sure that there will be runs to the store after Cheryl and Rachel arrive. It is a proven fact that I do a lot more shopping when my sister is around than I do at any other time! I sat on the front porch a couple of times today to acclimate myself to the outside as Cheryl plans to spend a lot of time on the front porch. I continue to put things away...today moved some things from the front porch into the garage...extension cord, plant food, and ant killer...things that won't enhance our porch sitting! It was warmer today, but still quite pleasant on the front porch as there was a breeze blowing. Nathan stopped by. He was supposed to have Isaac with him as Isaac wanted to try an app to teach him coding and it only works on an iPad and they don't have an iPad. But Isaac ended going to friends with Kathy and part of the rest of the gang. I got Nathan to change a lightbulb while he was here and I am glad that he did as it ended up that he had to swap out a bulb from another light as the new lightbulb wouldn't let the globe go back on the light fixture. Well...it would go but he had to reach down in from the top and the positioning of the one fixture wouldn't allow him to do that so he did the swapping and solved my light bulb dilemna! So we can see in both of the upstairs bathrooms once again. Nathan is preaching at a revival in a little country church tonight, tomorrow night and Sunday morning and Sunday evening. Woody continues to speed through the books that I got for him earlier in the week. And, he has enjoyed the enchiladas that I made yesterday...I enjoyed them too! It is just good to have him enjoy food once again...and eat two helpings instead of just a bite or two. Tomorrow he will have dialysis as he is now on a Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday schedule. Guess I had better go transfer the guest towels into the drier so I will have the towel task completed today. I wonder if I will come across that job that I know that I didn't finish, but have now forgotten what it was! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Cookin' Day!

This morning started out with me making Woody's high protein pancakes. Yesterday evening I put together the first part of the recipe for Sourdough English Muffins. That part of the recipe has to sit on the counter over night. This morning I put together the rest of the recipe and kneaded itvand cut the muffins to rise. By that time I decided it was time to go out to water the gardens...I even sprayed off the white car. Woody got a call from the dialysis center that they had an opening and would he like to come on in. He definitely didn't hesitate to head on in. So he was gone till around 1pm. I guess he got a complete treatment this time...last time his treatment was cut short due to another blood clot. He was close enough to finished that they didnt use the heparin to break up the clot. So he was home early on Tuesday...today was the full length of time. I told him that I was sure the morning was long for him, but it flew by for me. I had planned to have the enchiladas ready when he got home, but he had to wait a bit longer. It was quite a process to make the enchiladas...homemade gravy from the liquid the roast cooked in...homemade enchilada sauce...definitely a process! But...the end product was so worth it both Woody and I agreed! I made enough to freeze some for a meal while Cheryl and Rachel are here. So another meal partially cooked. I think there are only two more things that I plan to make before they get here...Mother's baked beans and a tuna dish. Of course...those are current plans...could add to those plans on a whim! I have had dirty dishes overload...thank goodness for a dishwasher! I still have some of the large pans awaiting me...I had to come upstairs and rest for a while after the marathon cooking day! Woody is reading a lot. I brought him home a stack of books yesterday and when I last walked by, he was about to finish one of those already. I'm glad he is enjoying reading again. Also his appetite has improved...very glad about that! Guess I have rested enough...back to the kitchen and clean up duty! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Blindsided & Overwelmed

This morning Woody and I both had places to be at 9:30am. Woody headed towards the local hospital to have an ultra sound of his thyroid. I headed towards the church library. The library is where we got rather overwhelmed with unexpected discoveries. There is still an attempt being made to get a printer connected to our computer. Today there was a different one than he had been trying to get connected last week. We had hopes that "things" were looking up. But not long after Donna and I went into the library he came in saying that he still hadn't been able to get the printer and computer "talking" to each other. He kept working and Donna and I straightened shelves. At a point Donna decided to turn on the computer that we use to enter the books (different from the one that he was trying to connect to the printer...but connected information wise to the main computer). Well, she sat down and attempted to turn on the computer and it wouldn't come on. She crawled down under the table and attempted to unplug it and replug it in...still nothing. At this point, I went to our third computer that we use as a card catalog for our patrons. It turned on but the only thing that told us it was on was the fan running and the monitor wouldn't come on. We have no idea what is going on or if these two computers will ever be usable again. Once he solved the printer problem, he was going to check out the problems with the other two. It definitely left us with a sinking feeling. If there is one positive thing about all this...it is that the main computer is the one with the library information in it and it is still running so we haven't lost all. We both just walked away from it leaving it in his hands...hopefully tbe problems will be solvable...time will tell, but we certainly weren't expecting all these computer problems when we headed in to do library work this morning! For the moment I am going to put library problems behind me and focus on getting ready for company and a wedding! After I left the library, I stopped at the shoe store and did exchange the shoes for the next size up. I was going to run an errand to WalMart, but in the end headed home because I was thirsty and wanted to get a drink before I went shopping. I was glad that I did as when I got home, Nathan, Kathy, Joy, Esther, and Elijah were at our house doing several things that Woody had asked them to do. Woody still wasn't home from his ultra sound. He did get home before they left and he sat on the front porch till they headed off. He got out of the car and announced to everyone that "it was a boy!" (In reference to his ultrasound!) We had lunch and then I headed off to do some shopping at WalMart. I got what I needed and included three or four food items that should get us through till I head off to do our grocery shopping on Friday or Saturday. I got what I needed to make the enchiladas...tortillas and ice cream for Woody's protein shakes and milk for his protein pancakes. I plan to make the enchiladas tomorrow. I'm hoping that I will get a couple of pans of them...then I can freeze one and that could be an option while Cheryl and Rachel are here. I don't have any menus set in stone...guess we will just play meals by ear! My sister emailsed me that she was glad that the spoons were polished (explanation in last night's blog)! Before I put away the silver polish this afternoon, I polished several silver bells...figured that everything needed to be shiny for my guests! I guess I will head downstairs now and clean up the kitchen. I have left the counters a mess as I haven't had time to unload the dishwasher today...will do that and reload and get the counters cleared off as I need to get up in the morning and make Woody's high protein pancakes prior to making enchiladas. Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Beautiful Tuesday!

We woke up to much cooler weather...lots lower humidity. It was beautiful out when I went out to deadhead and water. Woody mentioned how nice it was out when he went to dialysis late this morning. Woody has been wanting enchiladas and today I cooked a pot roast so I could have the shredded beef for them. I've got to buy some tortillas and then I think that I am good to go for making them. I still have to make gravy from the liquid that I braised the roast in and also have to make some homemade enchilada sauce and grate some cheese and I will be able to put them together. Those tasks are for another day...perhaps tomorrow if I get a chance to stop at the store. When I was browning the roast prior to putting it in the oven, I ended up smoking up the kitchen so I opened one of the kitchen windows. Since I had the window opened, I decided that it was a good time to clean that window inside and out. I do like how easy it is to clean our windows...all from the inside. Easy but I doubt that I will get many more done. At least I have one sparkling clean window for my company!!! After lunch I headed off to get my hair cut...another "to-do" before the wedding that is now checked off! Needed that one clean to show off my new kitchen to Cheryl and Rachel! Really I had been planning to wash that window as I had a big ol' sticky spider web in it and had been wanting to get rid of that for a while...so really not a job that was only done for company! On my way home I stopped at the shoe store to see if they had some shoes that would fit me. I found some that I really like to wear to the wedding...but once I got them home and tried wearing them around in the house, I am doubting that they are the proper size...or perhaps they just need to be stretched? I called them and asked them to set aside the next size and I will stop there tomorrow on my way to or from the church library. They didn't have sandles that I wanted to fit me so they are ordering them in my size (I hope). A week from tonight, Cheryl's flight will be approaching the runway in Nashville...wedding visiting and festivities are just about upon us! I did do one job this afternoon that was "for" company...I polished my silver spoon collection...that "job" done or not done is a bit of a joke between Cheryl and me...so this time the "job" got done! Guess she can come now! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Another Monday!

Monday came once again and has almost gone! Today has mostly been a stay at home day...at least till just a little while ago...Woody has gone to church for the Monday Night Furnace Room Prayer meeting. He also planned to get gas while he was out as he said that he was running on fumes in the green car. One of my first tasks of the day was to reschedule Woody's dermatology appointment. He finally decided that it probably wouldn't be possible to have an appointment at 10:30 in Murfreesboro and an 11:30 appointment in Tullahoma. I called the dermatologist's office this morning and rescheduled him for July...her earliest appointment was almost a month away. Melany came yesterday and did more weeding and also brought us a hydrangia to plant in the garden in front of the porch...very pretty. I'll have to take a picture of it. I watered plants this morning since we have so many new ones and despite the rain, the ground is not all that wet...and the high temperatures and sunshine will dry everything out pretty fast. It got to 90° yesterday and probably as much humidity! Today was a "little" cooler...only 89°! Melany arrived before 7am in order to work in the coolest part of the day. Woody and I went to Sunday School and then came home to watch our church service on Facebook live with Melany. We all sat on the front porch and watched and listened to the service. Then Melany went back to work in the gardens and I got our lunch ready. After lunch Melany went back to weeding and I worked on cleaning the wood railings on the front porch. Something I have done to get ready for company! Cheryl told me today that she thought that was all she would while here...porch sitting! I decided that I would put away sewing items along with fabric that I have bought earlier and haven't sewn yet...then I decided that I wanted to make a T-shirt out of one of the fabrics before I put it away...so that what I did with a good portion of the rest of my day...and, the t-shirt is now hanging in my closet. I shifted things around in my closet and added a few more spring/summer things and hunted for clothes hangers to share with my guests! This time I need to have hangers and space in two closets. The guest room closet is the place that I store my fabric stash...so pushed that to the ends of that closet leaving the middle for Cheryl to hang clothes. The closet in the office is where I usually store my off-season clothes...so once again pushed them to both ends of the closet and left the space in the middle for Rachel to use. And, now I am searching throughout closets for empty hangers...forcing myself in this effort to see if there aren't some items that really need to be thrown away...which if I do find such frees up more hangers! Method in my madness!?! I guess you could say that I am doing a little Spring cleaning as I prepare for my company! This evening I think I will finally get my fabric put away...that I started to put away prior to deciding that I wanted to sew a little more! Most of the time I take one step forward and two steps back! I made more mess to clean up since I decided to do some more sewing. We'll see what I manage to accomplish from this point till next Tuesday evening when Cheryl arrives. While I sewed I "thought" of things that I "probably" need to do prior to her arrival...but thinking isn't doing! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Saturday

Another busy day. My major accomplishment of the day was to complete the knit top to wear with my kimono jacket to the wedding...both pieces are hanging up and ready for two weeks from yesterday! Got them made with time to spare! Woody headed off to dialysis around 11 and didn't return till after 4...a long aternoon for him, I am sure! I had been wanting to make some potato soup for some time and finally found the time this afternoon after I got my sewing finished. Of course, the tempertures are rising so not sure how happy I will be eating hot soup on these hot days...but it is made. The dishes are washing with a few that didn't fit in waiting for me to wash them by hand. I was glad that it was time to blog as I needed to sit and rest! Besides still needing to clean some in the kitchen, I also have the sewing mess to clean up. I might make another knit top before I totally put all sewing away...but then there are things that I could be doing to get ready for my AZ company. Melany is going to come tomorrow morning to work in the garden...going to come early to try to beat the heat. She will watch our church service with us. Wade is planning to go to his mother's assisted living to watch their church service with her. We will leave Melany to her own devices while we go to Sunday School. Woody finished another church library book and started on another...I think that he is speeding through that one, too. Before I started making the potato soup, I made a quick trip to the public library to return three books that Woody had checked out several weeks ago. He had renewed the once and I think that they were due again so I decided that it would be a good idea to return them since he was finished with them. I had started one of them, but decided to request that title from the online library so I will finish it when it becomes available as an e-book. I find that I enjoy reading e-books better than "in-hand" books...for one reason holding a book really bothers my left hand and also I read e-books faster because I read them on the screen in the landscape position and the pages are divided into two columns...so I can read the columns faster than reading the lines that run across a page that is in portrait. Since I have been sewing, I have sort of put my cross stitch on the back burner, though I do have a new cross stitch ornament started...just haven't gotten very far on it. I have been doing a bit more reading when I take a break from sewing. I haven't read this year like I did last year...but getting back to it. I don't know if I will make my usual goal of at least a book a week or a total of 52 books in a year. Last year I more than doubled that goal...so I guess it is okay to back off from my reading just a little! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Friday Once Again

It seems like it was just Friday a couple of days ago and here it is Friday again! The days and weeks are just flying by these days. Does that mean that I am getting old?!? I have spent most of the day sewing. I have finished my kimono "jacket" and am getting ready to mak a knit top. I have the fabric on the cutting table and the pattern pieces are out...that is where I am on my next wedding sewing. Woody has spent a good portion of the day reading. When I walked through the family room a little while ago, it looked like he is about to finish another book and this one he just started yesterday. I checked out several books for him when I worked at the church library earlier this week. Today has been one of the rare days for him that he didn't have to go any where medically related! While I was hemming the sleeves on the "jacket," I started making a list of possible things that we will eat while Cheryl and Rachel are here. I did order one of Abigail's cheesecakes to have while they are here. Abigail is making cheesecakes for a fundraiser for her youth minister and his family. They are leaving our church and going on the mission field in France to work with refugees, so Abigail is making her yummy cheesecakes to help support their new ministry. Nathan, Kathy, Esther and Elijah stopped by this afternoon and visited for a few minutes. They had a bounty of groceries that had been given to them through a local food drive and shared some of it with us. They have helped out this particular church...Nathan sharing the gospel both in their church and during food drives...so when they went by today the minister of the church told the folk giving out the food to give Nathan's family double! And, double was a lot, even for their family of nine! So they decided to share some. This particular food drive is food that different local grocery stores give to a local church to be given away. This has been going on during the pandemic. Sometimes it is strange things...like prickly pear blossoms...Nathan and family made syrup with those some time back...but not something that just everyone would know what to do with! Today they got a couple of flats of cilantro! They knew not to bring us any of that as neither of us like cilantro...it tastes like soap to us...with cilantro either you like it or you really don't like it! They knew that the lady across the street from us loves to make salsa so they shared a flat with her family. Anyway, we got our groceries topped off with fresh cherries, raspberries, a carrot cake, some lettuce that is all prepared to be used as lettuce wraps, some gold potatoes, a cantelope-type melon, some individual containers of Oui yogurt, etc. Nice additions to the choices in our refrigerator! I guess it is time to go out and deadhead some of our flowers...it isn't raining at the moment so a good time to do it. I think that maybe the rain is over for a while. We had a really good rain early this morning. That is what got me up and going...I woke up early and was reading a book on my iPad and I got a drop-down message on my iPad that a storm was approaching. I checked the radar and saw that it was still a little way off so I decided to get busy and get the last sewing maching sewing done before the storm hit as I don't run my machine when storms are happening...they get unplugged during storms...don't want to take a chance of a surge of electricity to go through them...don't totally trust surge protectors! So I got that sewing done and the rest was hand sewing to get it finished. It was good to see the sun out this afternoon...haven't seen a lot of the sun lately. The flowers and herbs are loving all the rain! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! P.S. I'm laughing...I went out to deadhead the gerber daisies and was walking back to the compost pile and there was a big clap of thunder...guess the storms haen't quite passed us by yet!

Surgery Date Got Changed

Well, the surgery date set up yesterday didn't stay very long. We got a call this morning from the surgeon's office saying that he wanted to change it to June 29th. The reason being that he wanted to be able to block out more time for the surgery in case he needed it. I really think that the 29th works better on our calendar...the only other appointments that he has that week (at this point) are for dialysis. When it was scheduled for the week before, he also had dialysis plus his Keytruda infusion plus another doctor appointment and it was the day that my sister was arriving. Now it is the date that my niece is leaving...just too many things going on this month! So much is going on that my head is spinning! I decided that today would be a dedicated sewing day and I have accomplished quite a bit. I am ready to sew on the band that goes all the way around my garment. I just finished basting it on and I will take it to the sewing machine to sew it on after I publish the blog. After I get the band sewn on, I still have to sew it on again...well, this time it is the facing rather than the band...but pretty much the same thing! And, this band is looooong...over six feet long so it takes a bit to stitch around it...especially when doing it by hand like I just did to baste it on. After the band and the facing are sewn on then I just have to hem the sleeves and it will be finished...so I am getting pretty close to being finished...perhaps I will finish it tonight, but not sure. After that I have a knit to to make and then my wedding sewing will be finished. I decided that I would multitask while I was sewing and chose two things to do that all I had to do was push a couple of buttons and they would complete the task all by themselves. So while I sewed my oven cleaned itself and a load of clothes got washed and then dried. I have put the clothes away...that didn't happen at the push of a button. And, I still have to wipe out my oven. That can be done later...probably tomorrow. I want it to be totally cool before I do that job. This is my first self-clean oven and it really does a nice job...amazing really. This is only the second time that I have used that feature on my bottom oven and have yet to use it on my upper oven. The upper oven I have just used the steam cleaning feature...which also does a good job as long as the oven isn't really dirty. Woody went to dialysis a little after 11 and returned a little early. A clot developed in the dialysis line and since he was so close to finished they just disconnected him and sent him home a little early. The time for Cheryl and Rachel to arrive is getting closer. I talked to Cheryl today...we seem to talk more just prior to a visit! We will get a lot of visiting done in person very shortly...just ask Woody!!!! It will probably be nonstop talking and laughing for the days that they are here...plus a lot of porch sitting...I think that is what Cheryl looks forward to the most! Well, back to my sewing! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Surgery Date Set

Woody had an early appointment with the surgeon who will fix the leak/tear in his peritoneum. This is the surgeon who put in his peritoneal catheter for his home dialysis. He is also my former Montessori student...that makes him a special surgeon! Woody said that I didn't need to go with him which made me concerned about getting information from Woody when he got home! But he got the essential information and relayed it to me. His surgery is set for June 22...so two weeks from yesterday. That is also the day that Cheryl arrives from AZ! Thank goodness that we had already made plans for Melany to pick Cheryl up from the airport and bring her here! Back to the surgery...Dr. Thomason has performed repairs of the peratoneum before. It will be done laproscopically at a local surgery center rather than at the local hospital. It is much like a hernia repair. I will drop him off at the surgery center and then I think I will go back home and Nathan will be on call to pick him up since I will need help getting him back into the house. We won't know a time till the day before the surgery when we will get a call with the details. Woody got home from his appointment just as I was ready to leave for the church library. I helped him get inside and found out some of the details about the surgery and then headed to the library. Donna and I worked until we were stopped from continuing because we still don't have a printer. And, the staff member who plans to help us get a new printer set up was in there attempting to set it up...but it looks like our computer is too old to accept this particular printer...hoping that he can find an older printer amongst the discarded ones that our computer can communicate with! Time will tell. We are pretty spoiled by being able to print out labels...don't know what we will do if we have to go back to typing them...or worse yet writing by hand on the pockets and cards! I came home and got Woody some lunch and then I put together an Italian casserole using the spaghetti sauce that I had left over after I froze the rest of it. That made a tasty lunch for me. I have only had a little time to do much sewing. I'm hoping to get back to it after I publish this. I have started applying the interfacing, but still have the looooooong piece to cut out. Once the interfacing is ironed onto the various pieces and has cooled and dried completely, then it will be time to get started on the sewing. I did stop and buy a spool of thread to match the fabric on my way home from the library...so I should be good to go once I have both machines (sewing machine and serger) threaded. This is a very simple pattern so it should go quickly once I finally get underway with it...famous last words! I just talked to Melany and things are going fast furious in the final stretch of wedding planning. Today they went to the wedding venue to make sure that all is in order. I think they came away happy. Wedding, surgery, sewing, getting ready for "company," other appointments...lots happening! Woody's surgey and Cheryl comes two weeks from yesterday and Rachel arrives two weeks from tomorrow and the wedding is two weeks from Friday! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Supper or is it Breakfast?!?

These buzzards were all lined up taking turns feasting on something on the other side of the stone wall. It has been "one of those days" that not a lot gets accomplished. I managed to finish a book that was going to go off in cyberspace this evening whether finished or not. So I spent some time this morning finishing that. I haven't had much energy today...just a lazy summer day. Woody left for his dialysis treatment a little before noon. He is home resting uo from that. While he was gone, I did run a couple of errands. I needed some interfacing for my sewing (need to cut out a couple of pattern pieces that are over a yard long and I just didnt have any interfacing on hand that was long enough.) and also some embroidery floss for my next planned stitching project so made a stop at Hobby Lobby. Over the weekend I finished a Christmas ornament. I am having trouble sticking with the piece that I have to make all the x's backwards to my usual way of stitching...that just doesn't make that project fun to work on. So I may set it aside and do something different and the chart that I chose to do I needed several colors of floss. After Hobby Lobby, I made a quick stop at WalMart to get some of my over-the-counter medications. I was pretty much in and out. Last night I did work some more on my "wedding sewing." I quckly cut the main pattern pieces out of some fabric that I have had for a long time and seamed them together and was able to try it on and see if it was going to work...size-wise and alteration-wise. And, it fit to my liking so I now have all the pattern pieces pinned onto the actual fabric that I am going to use...so the next steps have been taken. I may get it cut out before I go to bed tonight. It depends on whether my get up and go cones back! Woody is reading and resting after his treatment this afternoon. Tomorrow he sees the surgeon and we will see what that will do to appoiintments, etc. already on the calendar! I hope the surgeon's plans don't totally turn thing upside down! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Fruit Basket Turnover

Instead of fruit basket turnover we played appointment turnover today. At the moment the hemo dialysis clinic is full up and they just have to work Woody in which makes it hard to manage other appointments. This morning we had an appointment on our calendar with our Peritoneal Dialysis nurse...which I wondered whether we still had that appointment or not since he is now at least temporarily a hemodyalisis patient. But we hadn't been told not to come and we have records this month that hadn't been turned in so we headed out a little before 9am. When I called into the clinic to tell them that we were here, I was met with a sort of silence and then asked to hold. I told Woody that I was pretty sure that we weren't supposed to come for this appointment. In a few minutes one of the nurses came out and told us that while Woody is on temporary hemodialysis that we didn't have appointments in the peritoneal part of the clinic. I told him that I felt like we were in "no man's land" and that he didn't belong any where! I told him that Woody didn't even have his next appointment for dialysis that should happen either today or tomorrow. He did go back in and check with the hemo dialysis nurse and came back out to say that they would call us to set up the appointment, but that it would probably be tomorrow at 12:15pm. We left and went to get gas in the car as I had an appointment in Murfreesboro tomorrow morning...so going out wasn't totally wasted! We got the gas and headed home to wait for the call for dialysis appointment time. It wasn't too long after we got back home that one of the hemodialysis nurses called and said that his appointment was for 11:30 tomorrow morning. Well, that meant that there was no way...or it would be cutting it close for me to have a 10am appointment and get home by 11:30. I had already told Woody that if it interfered with my appointment that it wasn't really a problem and that I could easily reschedule or just skip mine. It was to be with the dermatologist and I think that at this point that I have gotten the help that I needed from her and that it looks like my reaction to the vaccine is finally settling down. I was on hold for quite a while, but finally got through to the appointment scheduler at her office and cancelled the appointment. I didn't reschedule as at the moment there are so many appointments on the calendar that I am sure that I would just choose a day and time when it would conflict. I did ask if there were any appointments close to the one that Woody has next week and she said that there weren't. I then asked if there was a way that I could just message the doctor and let her know how I was doing. She then said that I could just go in with Woody next week and let her know how I was doing...we'll see...but that is a possibility. Of course, at this point, there is a chance that Woody's dialysis will conflict with his dermatology appointment! Come Wednesday and Woody's appointment with the surgeon...who knows what appointments will be bumped! Oh, and the hemodialysis nurse did appologize for having to leave us in the air about Woody's appointments, but she explained that they are just totally booked and that they are just having to work Woody in when there is a chair empty. This afternoon I started working with the pattern for what I want to make to wear to Alex and Brooke's wedding and I have the fabric draped on the cutting table and it looks like I have plenty of fabric (I was concerned that I didn't have enough because it wasn't as wide as I thought.). I am still thinking things through before I commit to cutting the fabric. I need to press the fabric and get it folded in half and all smooth to be able to pin the pattern on it. But still contemplating the fit of the size that I have chosen and the one alteration that I made. Woody has spent most of the afternoon reading. I think that he finished another book. He is at the Monday Night Furnace Room Prayer Meeting at the moment. I guess you could say that we have had a busy day of doing not a lot...but having to do all this rearranging of appointments wears me out! But I guess it is our lot at least for the time being. Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Simply Saturday

Today started out with cooking, too. It was breakfast sausage making time. Kroger finally had the ground pork that I use to make Woody's breakfast sausage. I closed out yesterday's cooking by mixing the ground pork, spices and eggs together and putting them in the refrigertor to be ready to be made into patties and cooked this morning. Once Woody was fed and the kitchen was cleaned up, again, I did a few other things around the house. Woody left for today's dialysis treatment a little after 11am. While he was gone I did some more things around the house...at least for a little while. I decided that it was time to clean the ovens. I used the steam cleaning on the top oven and that worked really well. I decided to do the same for the bottom oven...it did okay. I will need to use the high heat method if I really want it totally clean...a job for another day. I went upstairs and decided that I would do a little cross stitch before I attacked the next job around the house. That didn't happen as all of a sudden I got really sick to my stomach...not what I had planned for the afternoon. So once that feeling was over, I just sat quietly in my recliner and rested with my eyes closed. After I rested for a while, I felt better and was able to do a few things this afternoon. I deadheaded my new flowers and watered the hanging baskets since they don't get wet when it rains. Flowers still look good...haven't killed them yet! Woody came home from dialysis spent as he usually is after hemodialysis. They didn't give him his next appointment...probably the scheduler wasn't there since it is Saturday? I know that it will be Monday or Tuesday...only problem is that there are appointments on the calendar for both those days and it would have been nice to know if we need to adjust times and/or days. The one appointent is at Fresenius, except with his PD nurse so if it should conflict with that one, the appointment can probably happen while he is in the dialysis chair. I'm pretty sure that we will still have that appointment even though he is, for the moment, on hemodialysis, since we have records that need to be turned in for the PD dialysis that he did have since the last time that we saw then. Also, since they want him to go back on PD dialysis they will continue to monitor him. Home dialysis is at one end of the building and Hemodialysis is at the other end with a door connecting them and they work together...at least to a point. I guess we will see come Monday when perhaps they will tell us when he is to come in again. His appointment with the nurse is fairly early so we will just ask when we are there as to what day/time his next treatment is and I'm sure that his nurse can find out. We are all settled in for the night. Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Busy Food Day

I guess I didn't get up and moving quickly enough today, as Woody got his own breakfast this morning. I was afraid to say anything before today, but wanted to say that today he had no appointments...but was afraid that I would jinx it and appointments would come out of the woodwork! But keeping quiet about must have worked as he was able to actually stay at home today. My first task of the day was to get some homemade vanilla pudding made for a friend. Marie and I took a meal to one of our Sunday School members who had recently had surgery. I wanted to get it in the refrigerator so it would be chilled by the time we took it late this afternoon. After I got that done, it was time to finalize the grocery list. Woody did the digital coupons and ran off a copy for me to shop with. Then it was off to the Credit Union and then Kroger. When I got home I brought in the bags of food and put away all the cold and forzen things, before I got Woody's lunch. Finally they were all put away. I try not to "have" to cook on days that I get groceries, but today was a day that I needed to cook as the cupboards were pretty bare. I made Woody Spicy Beef and Vegetable soup and I got a pot of chicken stock simmering as I was out of that and don't like to be without as many of my recipes call for it. It is still simmering. It will be finished after many hours of simmering when I finish writing tonight's blog. I will go down and strain it and then rapidly cool it by putting the pot in the sink and surrounding it with cold water and ice. I may be able to go on and freeze some it tonight if it gets cold enough to skim the fat away...if not I will put it in the refrigerator over night and skim the fat off tomorrow and start freezing it in two cup batches. So my "cooking Friday" isn't over yet. I still have some dishes to wash as many didn't fit into the dishwasher. I'm writing the blog and resting my back before I begin my next kitchen time. Woody will have dialysis tomorrow...then we will see if his next one is Monday or Tuesday...hopefully we will know if he is on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule or a Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday schedule. Well, I guess I have rested enough and had better go down and finish up in the kitchen so I can finally collapse in my recliner for the rest of the evening...no time to get to do another step on my sewing today...maybe tomorrow? Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

It's a Start!

Well, today I have taken the first steps to getting ready to make what I am hoping to wear to Alex and Brooke's wedding which is 3 weeks from tomorrow. I have opened up the pattern, found the five pattern pieces that I need among the many pieces that are in the pattern, separated them from the other pieces, and ironed them smooth. They are now laying on the cutting table waiting to be traced onto pattern tracing material so I can attempt to make some alterations. That's it...but it is a start! We got a call a little before 7:30 this morning from the dialysis center saying that they had an open chair and that Woody could come in earlier than his 11:30 appointment time. He ate his breakfast and was on his way. He got home a little before 1pm..guess he got a full treatment this time. He will be going in Saturday for his next treatment. We got a surprise call this afternoon from Woody's nephew's wife. They live in the St. Louis area. She said that our name had popped up on her phone several times this week and she felt she should call and check on us. I filled her in on what has been going on. We had a nice conversation catching up eith each other. After we finished talking, I talked to Woody's nephew for a few minutes. And, we had a nice conversation catching up. We have had more rain today so fhe flowers continue to be happy. I took a littlr walk around the gardens between showers and everything still looks good...my black thumb hasn't infouenced their growth...yet! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Must Be June!

I didn't even mention that it was June yesterday. I guess because I was so excited to get all the yardwork done! But the arrival of June is usually announced by our pretty daylilies and yesterday was no exception...yesterday, June 1, was the first time that I saw a bloom open on the lilies this year...so they definitely announced June's arrival. This morning Donna and I worked in the library. We started processing a new order of books. This was the first order that I have made in over a year...now to remember all the steps that we go through with each book after being away from this process for more than a year! Woody had a Keytruda treatment this afternoon. His oncologist suggested that he get an ultra sound of his thyroid since Keytruda and mess with the thyroid. Dr. Kelley, the surgeon who removed the melanoma from his arm had suggested that he get his thyroid checked out due to some test or another that came back from the ones that he had ordered...so we are doing that. So one more appointment added to the calendar for this month for an ultrasound of his thyroid at our local hospital. I sat down this afternoon and wrote out all the appointments that he has so far this month and 15 of the days have something written on them...not all appointments...but lots of appointments! And, those appointments only include the hemodialysis appointment that he has already had and tomorrow's hemodialysis appointment as the rest of them aren't on the calendar because they haven't been given to him yet. I made a copy of all the appointments and suggested that he carry it in his wallet so he can check to see if there are any conflicts when other doctors, nurses, offices, etc. attempt to make appointments for future procedures with him. When I am with him for the appointments, I carry my iPad and can see my calendar and see if there are any conflicts, but he doesn't have any way but via a piece of paper for him to know what is coming up...and there are lots of things. I will just add to this calendar list as he gets more. My head is swimming, I don't see how it isn't overwhelming to Woody, who has to go to the appointments! We have had a rainy and cool day today...my new plants are very happy to have gotten a good watering that isn't with the hose...so far they still look good...I haven't killed them yet! We are still having lower temperatures than usual for June. This afternoon it did feel a little muggy outside due to all the moisture, but not hot. Happy June! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Many Hands...Much Work!

Melany and Alex arrived around 7:45 this morning and Nathan, Joy, Esther, Elijah, Isaac, and Joseph pulled up minutes later...all ready to work. Melany took charge of giving everyone a job and they all pitched in...mowing, weedeating, raking, weeding, leaf blowing, chain sawing, etc. The back yard was attacked first as it was very neglected. I tried to put in photos showing them working together and individually. I think that Alex is saying, "Please, Grammy, not another picture!" He is not fond of having his picture taken! But considering that he hadn't been at our house since 2019, as he hadnt seen our kitchen, I needed to get several! It has been well over a year since Woody and I have seen him. Everyone proved to be hard workers! Woody and I were very impressed with what was accomplished this morning. Joy had to be at work at noon, so I got lunch ready a little after 11 and had Nathan and his crew eat first so they could be on their way so Joy wouldn't be late. Most ate on the front porch and a couple ate inside. I made oatmeal cookies this morning for their dessert and I thini that they were the most appreciated! Melany and Alex did a lttle more work after lunch, but were soon on their way home. The afternoon seemed to be filled with telephone calls...well, I did start out the morning making a call to Fresenius to get Woody's next dialysis appointment set up...Woody's peritoneal dialysis nurse took a message as the scheduler wasn't in yet. So then it was a waiting game tillnshe called back. But before she called back Woody's PD nurse called him saying that Dr. O, Woody's nephrologist aka kidney doctor, thought that Woody should consider having the tear in his peritoneum fixed and then go back on peritoneal dialysis. He wanted to set up annappointment for Woody to see a surgeon. woody agreed to see the surgeon and he has that appointment next week. Woody says that he can tell how hard hemodialysis is on the body. He feels totally zapped/drained when he is through with Hemo...and that is not a feeling that he has when he is finished with Peritoneal dialysis...so he thinks that he would like to go back on it, if it is possible. So we will see what the surgeon tells him next week. This is the surgeon who put in the peritoneal catheter last July. We finally got a call from the hemodialysis scheduler and they have him scheduled for his next treatment on Thursday. We were so glad that it didnt conflict with his Keytruda treatent tomorrow. I guess I will end tonight's blog by saying..."If it isn't one thing, then it is another!" The day has worn me out! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!