False alarm...

Shortly after I posted last night's blog that explained about us having the neighbor's paging phone close at hand...it rang! Kathy was having contractions 7 min. apart! The doctor had told her to get to the hospital if they got as close as 10 min. apart....after all this is baby number 5 and he might decide to come quickly. Well, I had just sat down to get started on the baby's siblings' shirts...and, if it was the real thing, they would need the shirts in the morning...sooooooo...Nathan came over and carried my machine over to their house before he and Kathy headed off to the hospital. Then Woody went over to sit at their house until I could gather all my sewing needs together. I got everything together and headed next door to sew designs on shirts so they could proclaim that they were big brother and sisters the next morning...if their baby should arrive in the night!

But, alas, it was a false alarm. They discovered at the hospital that Kathy had an infection and that that had probably brought on the contractions. They gave her IV antibiotics and then sent her home. They got back home around 1 am.

Good news...the baby and sibling sewing is finished (tonight's blog picture) so NOW the baby can come...whenever the time is right for him to come! And the pager phone will still be close at hand through the night! Kathy is feeling much better today and contractions are far and few between again. She said if the same thing happens tonight that she is just going to go to bed!

Woody has had a regular work day, walk at lunch and then home to relax. He has been rather sleepy this evening. He did make a short trek to the library as he had finished all his books...lots more books getting finished these days with the poor TV signal that we are getting!

Tomorrow is our marathon afternoon/evening at Vanderbilt. The appointments start at 2:25 and the last one is at 5:30. Lots being fitted in between those times...and we were told that the last one would probably be backed-up so no telling when that will actually happen. I'm pretty sure that we will be home fairly late tomorrow night so the blog will probably be quite late.

For Whom the Bell Tolls

These three items seem to be very important to our lives at the moment. Seems like we are always waiting for one or another of them to ring. The silver one on the lower left is one of a set that belongs to the neighbors (Nathan and family). This one resides at our house so we can page back and forth between houses when needs arise. At the moment I am placing it near me when I go to sleep...just in case baby Dorrell decides to make a night entrance. The one at the top is our land-line phone and it rings whenever and fairly frequently. The one on the bottom right is our cell phone. We have only recently caught up with the rest of the world with this technology...still not used to it! But I must admit that it does come in handy and definitely has its place in our lives now...well, at least mine...not sure that Woody knows how to answer it! Well, I take that back, I do know that he answered it once. It doesn't ring very much...mainly family and once in a while a doctor or nurse.

Well, a few hours ago our land-line phone rang and it was Dr. Sosman's research nurse. She had appointments set up for Woody to get all sorts of tests run prior to him starting the double blind drug study. He will have those all done Wednesday afternoon and probably on into the evening! She said that she "hoped" that we would be away by 6:30 Wed. evening...we'll see...not going to hold my breath! So the ball is really rolling now, as the drug study has to start within 14 days of the lab work, scans, etc.

While I typed this blog, the pager phone (and the land-line when I didn't answer the pager) went off...Kathy had spotted a deer in our backyard...but due to wrong lens, memory stick not in the camera but in the computer to transfer a picture for this blog, etc. the opportunity got away this time. I think that this deer and others are regular visitors now so I'm pretty sure that another opportunity will arise.

I think that Woody has had a pretty good day. And, what a beautiful day it has been here in Middle TN! He went to work, walked at lunch, and came home to relax. He decided to make his banana oat bran muffin recipe and he hadn't made them in so long that he had to get the recipe out. He unloaded the dishwasher and washed the dishes by hand that he had used to make the muffins...even wiped off the kitchen counter. No TV signal this evening for us, so he has spent the rest of the evening reading.

Reaching new heights!

I saw Woody reach up to open the cabinet with his left arm for the first time yesterday...and that was the first time that he had attempted it (see...I can be observant at times!). I started to say something on last night's blog and then decided that it would be better to "show you" rather than just "tell you!" So I got him to reenact the feat for a picture. This is the highest that he has reached since his shoulder surgery (Jan. 23, 2009). He is actively trying to work his arm/shoulder more and more now that x-rays show that all is well on the inside with the bones. You can tell from the picture that it is an effort for him to get his arm into that position. But he was able to open the cabinet door. (All the better to get the cereal out!)

We have had a pretty typical Sunday--Sunday School in the morning and then a lazy Sunday afternoon and evening.

Checkin' out the birds!

Hayden is checking out the birds in his backyard. Hayden belongs to our almost 16-year-old granddaughter, Erin. When we were at Melany's earlier in the week, he was very obliging to pose for my camera. He might "star" in another blog on down the road.

We have had a pretty low-key Saturday...except for a couple of visits from two of the neighbor little girls. I took care of Esther (almost 2-year-old granddaughter) for a little while this morning. Then Joy (3-year-old granddaughter) wanted her turn over here for a little while this afternoon. Woody read stories to both the girls during their visits. Woody went to the library this morning and got books and DVDs and has read and watched DVDs during the afternoon. He is rather sleepy this evening. It has been a hot muggy day that is now ending with thunder showers. I have been trying to finish up a baby receiving blanket, but the thunder keeps rolling in and I keep having to unplug my machine. So I have done a bit of reading while waiting out the thunder. I want to get this baby sewing finished so it will be ready when baby boy Dorrell decides to make his entrance in the next few weeks. I also have to machine embroider "I'm The Big Sister" on three t-shirts and "I'm The Big Brother" on one t-shirt. When those are finished, then the baby can arrive! He isn't due till July 17th (my mother's 97th birthday), but we expect him to come earlier than that...their babies have always been born exactly one week before their due date.

Long tiring six months!

Six months ago today we had our first Vanderbilt appointment with Dr. Sosman. A lot has happened in that time! And, it looks like lots more will be happening soon.

I tried to call the research nurse today, but she was off today. So we will have to wait till Monday to see if appointments are happening on Tuesday.

Woody went to work as usual, walked at lunch, then on the way home from work took the car in for some work and walked home from the car repair place. I told him that he probably shouldn't have walked so far in the heat and he said "no, I should have run." As this picture shows he was a bit tired after the long day (and long walk) and dozed a while after supper.

Still spinning...

...the dragonfly has moved around a bit more in his spin than yesterday...not sure where we are in our spin! I just know that I still feel like I am just going in circles and accomplishing close to nothing!

Vanderbilt called (recording) tonight to confirm next Tues. appt. with pain management...but Woody doesn't plan to go for that appt. unless he has the appts. for his preliminary tests for his drug study. We haven't heard yet whether that will happen or not on Tues. So I guess I will put in a call tomorrow to the research nurse, as I want to know whether to cancel the pain management appt. or not!

Woody's pain is better due to taking pain medication around the clock since Tuesday evening. He takes the stronger medication when he is at home and takes ibuprofen when at work. He said that he slept pretty well last night. As usual, he went to work, walked at lunch, and came home to relax in his recliner. He helped me clean up the kitchen after supper and took two short walks this evening.

Going in circles...

...sort of like this dragonfly art in Melany's backyard. I feel like I've been going in circles lately...hard to get anything done. Today has been very busy for me and the day started all too early...my alarm went off at 6am...the time I had set it to go off yesterday to wake me up to get ready to head off to Vanderbilt. Well...I didn't need to get up at 6 this morning! I went grocery shopping in the morning and then worked in our church library most of the afternoon. A minute ago while the picture was loading I about dozed off in front of the computer...guess you could say that I'm tired.

Woody went to work, walked at lunch, came home and made Peasant Salad. He says that his pain is a bit better today, but says he isn't comfortable taking pain medication round the clock as it might mask something else. So I don't know what he will do about that! It's up to him. But, I think, that at the moment he is trying to follow the nurses instructions.

We didn't hear anything from Vanderbilt today so still don't know if he will have preliminary tests done next Tuesday or not.

Vanderbilt Report

We got up bright and early and headed off to Melany's in Murfreesboro. Woody drove us to Murfreesboro and then Melany took over the driving. Woody first had x-rays of his upper left arm and then we saw Dr. Ginger Holt, Woody's orthopedic surgeon. She removed the melanoma tumor from his upper left arm and did all the "repair work" five months ago. She was very pleased with the way his arm had healed and said that everything looked great in the x-ray...no signs of any cancerous growth, no cracks in any of the bones. She said that everything looked "beautiful." Woody was relieved to hear that as she was then able to explain some of his pain. The pain in the upper arm and even in his neck is probably caused by the radiation. She gave an example of a roast cooking...we take it out of the oven and it continues to cook for a while. She said that radiation can continue to work for up to a year! She said that the radiation is doing things to the soft tissue...like making it contract and that causes mobility of the area radiated and the area around it to lessen and be painful. Woody had been concerned that the pain in his arm might be return of the cancer or that a bone might have cracked...so this visit took away that concern and he will be a bit more active in his "rehabbing" that area of his arm. He was concerned about the strength of his bones because he had never started up again on the Zometa (bone strengthener for chemo patients) after his IL-2 treatments. Dr. Holt is letting Dr. Sosman's office handle the Zometa treatments (which will happen in Tullahoma). Woody will see Dr. Holt again in six months.

After our visit with Dr. Holt, we trouped over to the Cancer Center to meet with Dr. Sosman's research nurse specialist who is getting things set up for the drug study Woody will be taking part in. She met with us in the waiting room and explained the drug study to us and then left us with the papers to read and then for Woody to sign if he was going to get on board with the study. She also talked to him about pain management with his pain pills. He's going to try taking the pain medication as she suggested and then if that doesn't work then he will go talk to someone in pain management at Vandy. She is also giving the information about the Cancer Clinic here in Tullahoma to Dr. Sosman's nurse so Zometa treatments can get restarted.

Woody, of course, signed the consent form and it looks like the ball is going to start rolling. At the moment the nurse is trying to get Woody in for the preliminary tests (lab work and scans) that have to be done no more than 14 days before the study begins. These tests may happen as soon as next week. The drug/s are oral so will be able to be taken at home...except for the initial dose. Woody will have to go to Vandy to take the first dose...have lab work done first, then take the medicine, then wait around for several hours to see how the med is affecting him, then more lab work (I think). He will have to go to Vanderbilt weekly for tests after he gets started in the drug study cycle. Anyway...the study for Woody may be starting in about three weeks. There's lots to read and we haven't absorbed it all yet!

Some interesting things we learned: there are 300 people taking part in this drug study all over the country. Ten of those will be at Vanderbilt. Two have already started the study at Vanderbilt. It is a randomized study (like flipping a coin). All will take one chemo drug; then 1/3 will also take 20mg twice-a-day of the study drug; 1/3 will also take 40mg twice-a-day of the study drug; and 1/3 will also take a placebo twice-a-day. So he has a 2/3 chance of taking the drug that they are studying. But it is still a win/win situation as the drug that everyone takes has been shown to be effective in fighting metastatic melanoma.

Ok, I think that is enough for tonight about all this. I will summarize more of it when I absorb more of what we were told today. Besides killing two birds with one stone at Vanderbilt, we also stopped and ate lunch out on our way back to Murfreesboro, then stopped at Melany's and Woody, Melany, Erin & Alex all played Scrabble while I rested and took pictures in Melany's gardens. Then Woody drove us home from Murfreesboro. So it has been a very full day and we are both very tired tonight!

This Blue Jay knows something!

This Jay found out something and wants to share it with you! He knows that I called Vanderbilt this morning and the nurse in charge of the drug study called me back after lunch. And here's the scoop: She and Dr. Sosman got the study set up this past Friday and she hadn't gotten around to calling everyone yet. I told her that we were going to be at Vanderbilt tomorrow and wondered if anything could be done...filling out forms, signing papers, etc. And, she has agreed to meet us in the cancer center waiting room after our appointment with Dr. Holt. She will go over what the drug study involves, etc. with us and also have Woody sign consent papers, etc. So perhaps we will get the ball rolling again. I did mention that Woody was having quite a bit of pain in his shoulder area and she said that they would check into prescribing a different medication for his pain. I also told her about his two episodes with kidney stones. A lot has happened, that we need to fill them in on, since we were at Vanderbilt May 11th! They need to be brought up to date. Guess we will have a chance in person tomorrow. Good to get more than one thing done tomorrow...as Woody says..."kill two birds with one stone." (He's hoping that I have a picture of two dead birds to go with tomorrow's post!)

Woody went to work today, walked at lunch, and is now home relaxing. I'm posting early as there is a baby shower this evening for our little grandson-to-be. I'll report tomorrow about our Vanderbilt visit.

Happy Father's Day...Happy Summer!

I'll let Daddy Bluebird wish all the fathers a Happy Father's Day and everyone a Happy First Day of Summer. And, boy, did summer enter on a HOT note here TN. Again, Weather Bug says that it got to 98 deg. F.

Since we celebrated Father's Day yesterday with our children and grandchildren, today has been rather quiet. We went to Sunday School. Woody taught his 8th grade boys and I was the substitute teacher for my ladies' class. We came home and ate lunch. Then Woody rested and I sewed. Woody is having quite a bit of pain in his shoulder...enough that he decided to take some pain medication which helped him to rest this afternoon and somewhat dulled the pain.

It was even more quiet than usual around here as the TV wasn't on very much as we rarely get a signal these days. Woody called the FCC number and they said that we should be able to get stations in Huntsville, but probably not in Nashville. They are sending us something to fill out telling of our problems with the digital change-over. They also suggested that we call stations in Nashville and ask them when they will be sending out a stronger signal. All I can say is: "so much for progress!" Think how many years we have been able to get a signal with an antenna and then they up and change things and in this day and age we can no longer get a good signal. We're probably better off without TV anyway...except during bad weather when it would be good to be kept informed...but it really is a diversion for Woody...so I hate that it is so finicky at the moment. Maybe on down the road?

Father's Day Surprise!

Melany and her family and Nathan and his family surprised Woody with a load of mulch that was delivered to our house yesterday. Then this morning Melany and family arrived to help with the work of mulching the garden. We all really worked hard getting the front gardens mulched...wore me out...I don't know about the rest of them! Woody helped some, but mostly took it easy since it was his present! The two families had lunch for all of us and we ate at Nathan and Kathy's. After lunch we sort of relaxed and tried to cool off. What a hot day! Weather Bug says that it got to 98 deg. F in Tullahoma today.

The picture shows the big garden that is between Nathan and Kathy's and our house. Their house is the brick. I just finished watering all the gardens that we mulched. Everything looks really nice. I love the looks of a freshly mulched garden!

Woody did well today. He did come back to our house and rested (as in slept) in his recliner for a bit after lunch. His back in the shoulder area is bothering him today.

It's certainly laughable!

At least the doctor information that Woody wouldn't have another kidney stone is laughable. And, this Kookaburra seems to be agreeing. Today was the last day of First Baptist Tullahoma's Australian themed Vacation Bible School and the children were treated to a show put on by "Kentucky Down Under." So this fella didn't show up in our front yard...but just down the street at church! The children also got to see a Wallaby and a Blue-tongued Skink. I got pictures of them too...maybe they will find their way into a future blog! This is a picture of the Kookaburra gearing up to laugh. What a sound! Really is funny to hear...but I can't imagine hearing a lot of them at one time as one might in Australia. What a din that would be!

Woody is feeling better today. He took pain medication at regular intervals throughout the night and also when he got up this morning. So he went on to work and worked a full day. He didn't walk at lunch today. He hasn't had any kidney pain medicine since in the wee hours of the morning. So...the kidney stone pain "seems" to have gone away. It did get bad again in the night so he "thinks" that it might have moved on into the bladder. I guess time will tell! I'm hopeful for a calm weekend!

Here's the traffic on our street!

And, yes, two of those are unicycles. Graham our 7-year-old grandson has learned to ride a unicycle. Abigail our 5-year-old granddaughter is in the middle trying to keep up on her bike with training wheels. And, Nathan brings up the rear.

Well, there is news about Woody on the health front...but not about the drug study. I went next door around 5pm and when I came back about 15 min. later, I could tell that Woody was in pain. But I was not expecting what he told me...he thinks that he has another kidney stone!!!!!! He had already taken some pain medication by the time I came back. The pain did ease up...whether from the pain medication or just that it eased up. When he had the kidney stone before, he started hurting on Wednesday evening for about an hour, then it went away and came back Friday night/Sat. morning. So we are wondering if we are in that pattern again! Life is never dull!

Whee! A piggy back ride!

This is Hopper. Hopper lives next door...guess you could call him our "grandtoad!" He is quite fond of lightning bugs/fireflies. He loves to eat them and then he glows! I wish that I could get a picture of the glow...but so far haven't been successful at snapping it at just the right time. Kathy has gotten him glowing with their video camera. He will glow in his mouth and then in his belly. It is quite a sight! This lightning bug is getting the best of Hopper...getting a ride and keeping out of the way of Hopper's fast tongue! American toads are one of the few species that can eat lightning bugs as lightning bugs are poisonous.

Woody did sleep better as he took pain pills before going to bed last night. He went to work at his usual time, walked at lunch and got a hair cut after work (I didn't notice till he just told me...oops...not very observant!). I have been having technical difficulties trying to get a picture for tonight's blog...so that has been my focus!

"Give Me Time"

When I was talking to a friend the other night, she suggested that I might take a picture of a piece of my needlework as one of the blog pictures. Well, I just couldn't think of one that would fit in with a "good" blog "theme." Then I saw this one that my mother made for me many, many years ago. It hung for many years on my bedroom wall in the home where I grew up and now it hangs in my sewing room. It has served as a good reminder over the years. At the moment I am in need of the "patience" part! Woody is doing better than I am with waiting on the drug study to get underway.

Woody is having quite a bit of pain in his back in the shoulder area. It's to the point of keeping him from getting the rest that he needs. He, again, put in a full days work, walked at lunch and then came home and has attempted to take it easy the rest of the day.

What do you see?

Why do you suppose a 7-year-old insisted that I take a picture of grass, leaves and sticks?

Graham actually tracked this object all over his front yard to let me know where and when to take the picture!

I would have never thought to take this picture. Can you see it in the second picture that is a bit closer?

The picture at the bottom of this post will let you see how great God is at letting his creatures blend into their surroundings. I would say that this moth did a pretty good job of blending! If it weren't for Graham's sharp eyes I would have never spotted it once it flitted by!

I have had trouble getting this to post the way I wanted it to look and that is why I am so late getting the blog posted tonight.

Woody didn't sleep very well last night. And much to my surprise he has kept awake this evening. I think it is because I threatened to take his picture once he dozed off! Maybe he didn't dare go to sleep! I know that his back was hurting earlier this evening.

One the squirrels didn't get!

This Nuthatch managed to find a seed that the squirrels didn't get! Oh, by the way, I found the thistle seed sock...it is up in one of our trees...stuck on a limb...very empty.

We have had a very quiet weekend...especially since the TV has been on so little because we get so few channels due to digital "progress"...and the ones we do get tend to fade out shortly after we find them.

Here's an update on Woody's broken lower left arm. He leaves the cast off most of the time now. It still concerns me seeing him without the cast...but he assures me that it is ok to leave it off. And, he is regaining use with it due to having the cast off more and using his arm more. For example, tonight he was able twist and empty an ice cube tray for the first time in months. One tends to take for granted things that seem so easy to do...that is till you can't do them! He can now tie his shoes. And, it's much easier for him to read...very hard to read a book one-handed! Ever thought about that? Give it a try! He has worked and worked on regaining dexterity with his fingers and all his hard work seems to be paying off. All that he has regained with his arm and hand is one of the reasons that he really doesn't want to have surgery on it and lose all that he has worked so hard to get back.

Woody continues to have pain in his upper left arm where the tumor was removed and plates and bone cement were put in...the area that he had radiated. He feels that the pain is due to the after effects of the radiation. We will be asking about that particular pain when we see Dr. Holt next week...five months after his surgery. And, at that appointment we will see what she recommends about further surgery on the lower arm...I'm sure that she will at least refer us to a surgeon who specializes in this type of trauma surgery.

"His eye is on the sparrow...

...and I know He watches me."

Both Woody and I really like this song. And...isn't it true that if God is watching out even for this little sparrow that he must also be watching over us?!

It has been a pretty typical Saturday for us. Woody got up early and went for a long walk. Later he went to the library. Then he spent the afternoon watching the DVDs and reading the books that he checked out. We are having a bit of a difficult time adjusting to digital TV. We tried to prepare and even got a new digital ready TV and already had a rotating antenna. But at the moment we aren't getting all the channels that we used to get...and we could only get ABC, CBS, NBC, & PBS before! ABC is our challenge at the moment...we have at least seen glimpses of the other channels. We're not sure how we are going to like this switch-over! The picture is really clear...except for when the signal gets too weak and the picture/sound fades out. I hope that we get it figured out and that it works for us eventually as the TV is a good diversion for Woody...even if it just ends up being white noise to help him sleep!

When life gives you lemons...

...make lemonade! And, Woody found out today the benefits of lemonade! The urologist told Woody that he didn't have a kidney infection, that probably the kidney was still sore from the kidney stone. He told Woody to drink lemonade! So I bought lemons today at the grocery store and will make lemonade now that I have taken the still life picture to post!

Lemonade is being found to be therapeutic for those who have recurrent kidney stones. It is recommended to drink 2 liters of lemonade in a day. Their recipe is 1/2 cup reconstituted lemon juice, 7 1/2 cups of water and sugar or sugar substitute to taste. This recipe makes 2 liters. So it is only one serving! From what I read this is a daily regimen (I can't imagine drinking that much lemonade every day!) Anyway...Woody was told that he probably wouldn't have any stones again...so this treatment probably isn't for his situation...but I will make "real" lemonade with real lemons tomorrow. And, I'm hoping that I might get at least a little sip!

Woody feels better just knowing that the pain wasn't caused by an infection. Always good to know the reason for your pain! He said that now that he has gone to the doctor and that it isn't an infection that he will take pain medication if he gets to hurting badly enough to need it. He hadn't taken pain meds till he saw the doctor as he didn't want to mask pain that might indicate to the doctor what the problem was.

Woody went to work as usual this morning. Left work to go to the doctor. Then returned to work. We are both looking forward to a low-key weekend.

Thursday

Oops! I got busy this evening and almost forgot to blog. This iris picture with the blurred rhododendron in the background is my favorite of the flower pictures that I have taken with my new camera. Click on the picture to enlarge it and you will see something extra...as in...a critter hiding on the right side of the stem near the flower. The critter was an added bonus that I didn't know I was getting when taking the picture!

Woody called the urologist's office this morning as he awoke in the night with pain in his back in the kidney area. He wants to make sure that he doesn't have an infection. He has an appointment to see the doctor in the morning.

I missed a photo op today...I should have snapped Woody's picture as he slept very soundly for several hours in his recliner. (That should have been today's picture for the blog!) He comes home from work pretty tired most days, but doesn't always sleep the way he was this evening. But he did awaken in time for the basketball game.

Bluebird of happiness!

Doesn't this baby bluebird make you want to smile? This baby was sitting on the brick pillar across the street...so quite a distance away from my camera...one of the first bird pictures that I took after I got my zoom lens. I knew that I was taking a bluebird's picture, but I didn't discover that it was a baby till I was looking at the picture after I took it.

Woody again worked a full day and walked at lunch. He isn't feeling the best tonight...seems to have a sinus problem again.

"Consider the lilies of the field"

We read in Matthew 6:28 & 29 that even the lilies of the field are more gloriously attired than Solomon ever was...and that the lilies didn't have to work to be so beautiful. When our bed of tiger lilies started blooming, I was reminded of these verses. Woody and I are learning that, like the lilies, we have to depend on God for everything...from the most basic to the most complex parts of our lives.

Woody slept a little better last night. He again worked a full day and walked at lunch. After he got home from work, he was having quite a bit of pain in his shoulder and his upper arm. He finally took a pain pill just before supper and it did help.

I had high hopes this afternoon that we were being called from Vanderbilt (at this point I can just tell when it is a doctor's call)...anyway, it ended up being a call from the dermatologist's office in Murfreesboro. They called to tell Woody that he had missed his appointment with them today. An appointment that we knew nothing about! We counted up and realized that it has been six months since Woody found the lump behind his ear and made an appointment with his Murfreesboro dermatologist, Dr. Bell. That appointment started us on this six-month melanoma marathon. We don't know when the appointment got made...probably automatically. I guess that they didn't know that we are now in the Vanderbilt loop rather than their loop! Now, if Vanderbilt would just call about getting the drug study underway!

Patience pays off!

Patience finally paid off today, when I got a picture of Woody's favorite bird.

Woody didn't have a very good night's sleep last night. He went to work today and walked at lunch. He also finished off the antibiotic that he was taking due to his kidney stone.

Now we will see if patience will pay off for hearing from Dr. Sosman's office at Vanderbilt!

"It's lightning bug season!"

Oh, to hear the excited exclamation of a 7-year-old when he sees his first lightning bugs (fireflies) of the season! Graham was so excited when we stepped outdoors this evening and he saw them lighting up our yard. I had to go get a jar and poke holes in the lid and he ran around the yard till he found around five and decided that was enough for his "night light" for tonight! He put the jar next to his bed and then said that he would turn on the light till he was ready for bed so they wouldn't use up all their power!!!! Oh, to be so young and have such simple things in God's world make your day! (click on the picture and note that there are two lightning bugs lighted up--one at the top and one at the bottom of the jar!)

He also had a good ending to his soccer camp. It was quite hot this afternoon, but they ran their little hearts out following their coaches' instructions and playing fun games that were teaching them the fundamentals of soccer. Then at the end of today's session, they had hot dogs, chips, lemonade, and popsicles for the boys and their parents. Graham chose to just get lemonade and a popsicle as he said that the rest of the food would just make him hotter! Then they were each given a certificate and a shirt. Graham really enjoyed his introduction to soccer and made several new friends. I asked him if it was okay to have girls on his team and he said that it was fine as long as the boys outnumbered the girls!

Graham and I went to the early service at church and then went to Sunday School. Woody again taught his 8th grade boys' Sunday School class. Tonight Woody is watching basketball (but really dozing...I think!).

I wonder if we will hear from Vanderbilt this week about the double-blind drug study.

Soccer Camp weekend at the Dorrell's

Graham's four day soccer camp overlapped with two ministry "gigs" for his parents. So Graham is staying with us this weekend while his dad, mom, and sisters juggle for God in Tennessee and Alabama.

While watching Graham's group of 7 and 8-year-olds, I set my camera up in the sports mode to stop motion and had fun snapping some pictures. I didn't stay out the whole time...just a little at the beginning and the end. Tomorrow he has his last day...they will practice what they have learned and then will be presented with a shirt and a certificate and then have some family time at the end. I will represent his family this time...again will have my camera close at hand to snap a few action shots. Guess I can now be called a "soccer grammy!"

Woody got up and walked early this morning. Then he and I drove Graham to his soccer camp. Then he and I went to the library and to Lowes and back home again. Woody read quite a few books to Graham and Graham read some to Woody. Woody even helped me clean up after our supper tonight. So it has been a busy day for all! We should all sleep well tonight!

Singin' for joy!

I just love this picture of the "singin' robin." This bird reminds me of the bird in "Mary Poppins" that hops onto the window sill and then onto Mary's finger and whistles the tune that Mary is singing. The bird in the movie looked very automated...this one sort of looks like a piece of "yard art" stuck into the ground...but I assure you that he was very real as he hopped around the yard. A very happy robin, I'm thinking! (picture is clickable to make it larger)

I want to let you know that the thistle seed sock was totally gone this morning when I went out on the front porch...not a sign of it!!!! Those rascally (read that pesky) squirrels! Graham has been looking all around the perimeter of the house seeing if he can find any sign of it. I told him about the term "squirreling something away." I told him there was no telling where they had "squirreled" the seeds and sock! Graham just didn't think that they could take it way up in the tall oak trees...but I told him that they probably had found a way!

I asked Woody what I should tell you about him in tonight's blog and he said: "I went to work, I walked at lunch, I came home and sat in my recliner." I will add that he also ate!

Two way street?

What does a squirrel do when he meets an oncoming squirrel on a branch? Yields to the bottom of the branch and makes it a two-way street! These are a couple of the culprits who are overindulging at our bird feeders. They have quite the time scampering amongst the branches of our trees. I caught squirrels a couple of times today hanging upside down on a branch by their hind toes and eating from the bird feeder--didn't get a picture as I was inside and that window has a screen which makes a blurry picture...we may be taking that screen off so I can catch more bird and squirrel antics with my camera from inside.

Still no word from Vanderbilt about when Woody's double-blind drug study will begin. They told us after the 1st of June. So Woody and I are biding the time till we get the call with the schedule. Nice to have a breather, but we are ready to get the next show on the road!

Here's lookin' at you!

Here's a goldfinch peeking through the leaves. They like the thistle seed in the net sock...but so do the rascally squirrels. I expect to see all the thistle seed on the ground shortly due to a squirrel. But the goldfinches are so pretty when they get to come in for their turn at the seed.

When I came home from church tonight a little after seven, Woody was sound asleep in his recliner...so sound asleep that he didn't stir when I spoke to him or when I started rustling around fixing something for me to eat. He was so still that I decided that I had better check to make sure that he was still breathing...thankfully he was! He continued to sleep soundly for close to a half hour after I got home.

Woody said that he walked at work today at lunch time...he said that he had trouble finding enough shade. His antibiotic warns about being in the sun too much...you would think that he would be thinking about keeping out of the sun due to melanoma...and not just due to meds!

I was about to post this and Nathan rang the doorbell. He came to invite us to go to Sonic for a free root beer float. We took him up on it! Anyone with a Sonic close to them? You have until midnight to get one free! Surely does taste good!

What do you grow in your gardens?

I took a double-take when I looked out our back door windows yesterday. When I realized what I was seeing...I thought "isn't God wonderful that that butterfly could sit upon that marigold and hardly be seen!" I took this picture through the glass in the door as I didn't want to take a chance of getting closer and startling it. It stayed perfectly still for quite a long time...once again...long enough for me to get the camera in focus and take a couple of pictures of it. According to Woody, our resident butterfly expert, it is a Fritillary.

Woody seems to be doing pretty well after his weekend "adventure" with a kidney stone. His main complaint today is that his shoulder is really hurting him (nothing to do with the kidney stone!). And, I think that we are both still catching up on our lost sleep.

Monday

Woody went to see a local urologist this morning for a follow-up after his Emergency Room visit on Saturday. The doctor prescribed an antibiotic to keep him from getting an infection. The doctor also told him that there were definitely no more stones to follow that the scan showed only the one...and that probably this would be his only experience with a kidney stone. Woody certainly hopes that the doctor is right.

I think that we are both still feeling the effects of losing an entire night's sleep...hard to make that much sleep up!