With snow on the way in the next couple of days I decided today that the outside lights in the tree and on the dome had to come down.  It was windy but above 40 degrees so I pulled everything down and packed it away.

Yesterday I took the indoor tree down, packed it and the decorations away.  The tree box is still in the living room until Jay and I can ease it downstairs into the basement. 

Now the rocker and the ‘rumble Chair’ are back in place.  You can see the Christmas cactus in the bay window and the close up below.

It has bloomed well this year despite separating four plants off of it. 

Now 12 days into January and two blooms are still there.  I have got to get a decent pot to put it in.  It is too pretty to sit in a dirty clay pot. 

Update on the health of ‘us’.  My right eye has cleared , the swelling disappearing daily, and I return for a check up on January 29.  I’m more than please with the results.  The chest is slowly feeling better.  I suffer some discomfort when laying down but not near the pain that I had.  I’d call me on the mend!

Jay had another injection in the eye today and is a little uncomfortable tonight.  But these treatments are working and he is delighted to be reading again. 
His arm however is another story.  The two operation to give him a workable dialysis point have failed.  The catheter in his chest is the primary area right now and we aren’t sure where we go next.  We are waiting on the Doctors for some direction.  He has some down thoughts but basically is doing well for the situation.  I keep thinking we are upright, can laugh, and we are willing to roll with the punches and you can’t ask for more.

I borrowed this from friend Pammie.  I hope you enjoy it
And it’s winter before we know it….

REFLECTIONS

You know, time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years.

It seems just yesterday that I was young, just married and embarking on my new life with my mate.  And yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went.  I know that I lived them all…

And I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams… But, here it is..the winter of my life and it catches me by surprise…

How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my babies go? And where did my youth go?

I remember well… seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that winter was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like…

But, here it is…wife retired and she’s really getting gray…she moves slower and I see an older woman now. She’s in better shape than me… but, I see the great change…  Not the one I married who was young and vibrant… but, like me, her age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we’d be.

Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat anymore…it’s mandatory! Cause if I don’t on my own free will…I just fall asleep where I sit!

And so, now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things.

But, at least I know, that though the winter has come, and I’m not sure how long it will last…This I know, that when it’s over…its over….Yes , I have regrets .There are things I wish I hadn’t done ,,,,,things I should have done. But indeed, there are many things I’m happy to have done Its all in a lifetime.. .

So, if you’re not in your winter yet…let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life please do it quickly!

Life goes by quickly So, do what you can today, because you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not!

You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life…so, live for good today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember…

“Life is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who came after. Make it a fantastic one.”

LIVE IT WELL!!

~author unknown~

It is 3:26 am.  I have been up since 2:00am and have let one cup of reheated coffee get cold and consumed four unneeded Golden Oreo cookies.  My only excuse is that at 9:00 last night I was exhausted so I took a pain pill for my chest and went to bed.  Well the pill lasted until 2:00 then I was up.  I remember hubby saying if you can’t sleep get on the computer, read blogs and soon your eyes will beg to close again.  Yes!! When will this great miracle occur?  I only wish I had this cat’s teddy bear.  My cat, Molly has been down to the basement, back up and gone back to bed.  But not me boy!  No I gotta sit here waiting for the Tylenol Extra to kick in so I can lay back down without waking the hubby and the dog with moans of pain.  I guess I’ll pick up the pad with the list of Free Cell games played, 28825 so far, and run that up a little more.  Good Night All!!

Roughly a week since I fell and the chest keeps reminding me to take it easy.  With Jay’s help we have all the outside decorations in the basement except the lights on the house and out in the tree in the side yard.  Inside I have my lighted houses packed away, the garland off the stairway, and the lighted figures in the upstairs windows.  The Christmas flag that hangs outside the door is clean and ready to go back up next year.  So it boils down to Christmas has left the upstairs and only the Nativity and the tree decorations have to be carefully wrapped and packed downstairs.  The packed boxes will have to wait until one of the kids come up to haul them down to the basement though.  It is actually moving right along despite the owies!! 

Tomorrow at 8:15 am I see Dr. Rohr for my second post op. exam.  The vision in the right eye is still like looking through Vaseline but Jay says it is the drops.  At 9:30 am it is Dr. Ross for Jay’s eye injection.  Then at 2:40 pm Dr. Hukill is to see Jay.  (He is going to get him for eating a fig bar every other day this week).  But hey what is life if you can’t spike the sugar once in a while!

Haven’t heard from the kids since Thursday I think they are hoping I don’t find any more cement floors to fall on or any more surgery to have. 

Hope all is well with you on this 7th day of the New Year! 

What a difference one year makes. 

Yes our Brandy girl was one year old yesterday and with so much coming down I almost forgot.  Yesterday morning daughter-in-law Deb came up at 7 am to drive me over to Dr. Rohr’s office for my one day post op.  After the exam on my right eye Deb drove me down to the Chevy dealer in Orion Township and I picked up my truck.  We had breakfast at C J’s in Lake Orion then I drove home to Otisville. 

Arriving here I found I now had my truck but I also had the rented van making two trucks and only one driver.  Both of my neighbors work days so I had to figure a way out of my dilemma.  I remembered my friend Edna lived about three miles away and might be available.  Edna was my mail lady when I first moved up here and she retired but we keep in touch.  I called and she said she would be happy to follow me up to Vassar to return the van and bring me back home.  All I can say is bless my family and my friends because they are here when I need them. 

So this evening after a trip to Radiology for Jay today I have settled in for a day or two.  Jay and I moved some of the outdoor decorations into the basement this afternoon then I put drops in my eyes and napped for three hours.  The chest is still sore and reminds me when to slow down frequently.  But basically I’m in pretty good shape.  ( Well maybe not too damn pretty but upright and breathing.)  Well Jay just called me for supper so I’ll close for now. 

Surgery is now complete on my right eye and I look like a bloody pirate.  In fact with all the wrinkles I have to add an Old Bloody Pirate.  No pain in the eye at all but some in the chest area.  Doctor said some damage to the cartilage between the ribs and the sternum but that is a tough it out recovery and so we will. 

Our truck was better news.  A battery cable had corroded off the battery meaning less than $ 70. to repair it. Hooray another good thing in 2007.  This year has all the components of being the beginning of a better year than 2006.  Lets hope it holds for us and all of you! 

The concert was great.  Bob Seger worked hard and the performance was top notch!  I’m very happy that Cindy took me to see it for a Christmas gift.

Then came the ows.  The first being when the concert ended we were seated on folding chairs in the handicapped area because of size and bad ankles.  I stood up to put my chair against the wall but I was dragging my coat in front of me as I turned.  I literally walked up my coat and tripped falling forward onto the cement floor.  I scraped both knees and landed with my hands out in front of me.  As I hit I felt pain in the sternum area.  The ushers and Cindy got me to my feet and into a wheel chair where they took me down to the main floor door.

Cindy and I then walked out to the truck to leave.  She got in and turned the key and nothing happened.  That was ow number 2.  The Palace has a roving tow truck in its parking lot and some one called on their cell phone to alert them where we were parked.  The tow truck driver jumped the truck and got it running and Cindy drove us to Wes’ house.  I had debated going home but then thought if I made it home, then needed to go to emergency, and my truck wouldn’t start I would be in a bad situation. 

I finally got to sleep about 2 am and woke up at 3:30 am. in pain.  I could hardly sit up and ended up rolling out on my knees in order to stand up.  I slept off and on sitting up the rest of the night.  In the morning my daughter-in-law finally convinced me to go to emergency and drove me there.  The x rays showed bruising in the rib area but nothing broken.  But not so with my truck. 

A tow truck driver got my truck running and my son drove it to the nearest Chevy dealer where we left it with keys in a envelope,  and info on the outside for the dealership to work on it on Tuesday.  I called Jay and he started working on setting up a loaner to use this week.

My son and daughter-in-law then drove me up to Vassar where the owner of Rent A Wreck graciously called one of his employees to get a loaner ready for me for the week.  It was New years Eve morning and no one was at the business but they came in for me.  So here we are with sore ribs, a broken truck some 40 miles away,  and a lot of wonderful people going out of their way to help us get through the rest of the week filled with surgery, eye treatment and doctor’s appointments.

What a way for Wes to spend his birthday and I couldn’t help but think back 45 years ago. 

What a way to end 2006 but at least 2007 will have to be better—-right?