The day before New Years Eve

Can you believe that in less than 48 hours we'll all be saying good-bye to 2008? Is it just me, or are the years passing faster and faster? I'm sure I'll say good-bye around 9 o'clock as I'm finding it much harder to stay up much later than that. Of course, I do get up at 5ish (sometimes 4ish) every morning, but maybe once Maggie/Maxie goes to her new home I'll sleep a little later as she is usually the first one up and then they all stomp me until I get up!

I went to see Mother today. I decided not to tell her about Patricia. It would serve no purpose. Mother and Patricia were quite close and stayed in contact with each other over the years. I still haven't heard anything about the cause of death or the services.

Mother was a little more confused today than she has been lately, but then like everyone else she has good days and bad ones. When I got there she was in a group thing going on in the dining room. She was sound asleep in her wheelchair. Maybe that's why she was addled.

I just finished making potato salad for 20+ people for work tomorrow. The boss is baking a country ham and one of the other girls (ha!) is doing baked beans. That's a nice little feast to say good-bye to the old year with!

When I got home from Tallahassee the puppies had once more breached the gate between the hall and my room. They polished off two unread paperbacks, a couple of magazines, a pillow and a bag of cherry flavored cough drops. I haven't heard either of them cough since I've been home.

Patricia

Around 11 am Tuesday morning my cousin Patricia was found dead in her recliner in front of her TV. Age 55. Cause of death undetermined at this point. The family is in shock and grieving greatly. The autopsy should be complete early next week. Her two dogs and her cat were with her. Service arrangements haven't been made at this point. I am going to try to go down for the service.

I didn't find out about Patricia until last night.

Christmas at the Waukula Spring Lodge was very nice. Nancy, Bert and Nancy & Mark B. and I sat at a table set for 6. The empty place a reminder of people not there. For both Nancy B. and Bert I'm sure the spot was empty of his first wife and her mother. I don't know Mark well enough to know of his loses, but I'm sure there are some. For Nancy, I'm fairly sure the spot was empty of Daddy first, her friend Poppy and Mother and she's had other loses, too. For me, I felt the loss of families first, but most immediately the spot was empty of Mother. And, I know that was the foremost thought of each of us there.

The food was fantastic. A gazillion salads and a gazillion desserts! The buffet was awe inspiring! Turkey, fried shrimp, oyster dressing, primerib, stuffed pork chops, lamb, collards, green beans, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, gravies and sauces...unreal! I tried, of course, to try some of 'most everything. I failed. But, I tried! I think I'm still stuffed this morning!

Before I left Monticello yesterday, I drove through the car wash. Six dollars to drive through! But it did do a pretty good job, didn't get all of the love bugs, but cleaned her up pretty well. I didn't realize that the wall looking things on either side of the car would move back and forth, so the entire wash I sat with my foot on the break and most of the time with my eyes closed! That was the funniest feeling, it really felt like the car was moving!

Then I picked Nancy up for the trip to Waukula Springs. Usually she drives, but a week ago she fell in her shower and fractured 3 ribs and she has a horrible cold with deep chest coughing and sneezing. Both of which tear her ribs up! So, needless to say, she's in no shape to drive. However, she is a fantastic back seat driver!

The weather was quite overcast, but very warm, 77/78 degrees. I just wore a nice white shirt with the sleeves rolled up and some jeans. I mean, it is a lodge! There were people dressed in every thing from jogging suits to their Sunday best!

Christmas 2008 will go down as a most memorable Christmas in my book of history! I think history is what each of us actually experiences. Everything else is hearsay.

Happy Christmas Eve Day!

A while back RM said she's addicted to FaceBook. Well, I think I may be too! Two mornings in a row my first thought on awaking has been about harvesting my crops on MyFarm! Wow! Who woulda thunk it?

Today is a party day at work. I baked 5 dozen Heath cookies last night. If nothing else it'll be a sugar rush day!

Gotta run.

Well, the fence is enlarged...

The fence guy came yesterday and extended the fence back 25'. It sure does make a big difference, but I can see that I'd like to enlarge it even more!

He didn't take Maggie with him, but his wife and 7 yr. old son and 5 yr. old daughter did come and meet her. Maggie fell in love with them (especially the children) and they all fell in love with her. They didn't take her because one of their Christmas gifts is a Disney cruise. So, Maggie'll be here another 3 weeks and they'll pick her up on the 9th. They are very excited about this and so am I. I'm much easier about the adoption now that I've met her new family. It was love at first sight. Her name is probably going to be Maxie because that's what the daughter called her. I've been trying to use it too.

Friday night was Dinner with the Ladies and as always most enjoyable.

We have a wonderful little rain right now. It's supposed to be quite cold tonight. We've really had it cushy lately with the temps. in the high 70's daily and high 50's nightly. Sigh, I guess it had to end, but I sure am spoiled!

Just call me a party animal!

Can you believe it? Three parties in less than a week! Well, I'm not quite sure if the last 2 count. They were both in nursing homes.

Wednesday was a Christmas party in one of our local nursing homes. Our garden circle got the names of several of the patients who don't have family and we gifted them. Norma (one of my ladies night dinner friends) and I got the name of James C., we weren't given a last name. When we got to the home he was sitting away from the main party with his back to it. He seemed not to be aware of anything going on around him, but when Norma and I gave him his gifts and talked to him for a little while he began making eye contact and when we were ready to go he got tears in his eyes and said "Thank you". Sorta makes your heart burst!

Then yesterday was the Christmas party at Mother's nursing home. I got there an hour and a half early and since the weather is so warm Mother and I sat out on the porch most of the time. We had a nice visit as long as no one else was around. Mother would holler at folks that she thought were trying to interfere with our visit. When it got a little too cool for Mother we went in and sat in the common area and watched for Nancy. At one point Mother said to me "get up, get up, don't you see who that is?", I asked who and she said "Obama"! Of course he wasn't really there! The party started at 5:45 and was really festive. A group of the patients sang carols (quite nicely) and there was a ton of food...mainly sweets. Nancy got there right on time and Bert got there a little later. We were a nice little family group. Nancy and I left around 6:20 and I got home about a quarter to seven.

When I got in the puppies had filled the living room with poly fiber fill type stuff. I still haven't figured out where it came from! Then I made a pot of mushroom, chicken and noodle soup. Sure is good. Just finished a bowl for breakfast!

Tomorrow the fence guy is coming at 8 o'clock. He said he doesn't think the job will take very long. I'm so excited about this! Then, if all goes as planned, he'll take Maggie with him when he leaves!!!!! I've got a little box of her things and her gifts from Santa for him to take with him too.

Tonight is dinner with the ladies.

I went to a party!

I can't remember the last time I went to a "real" party. I did last night! It was a progressive neighborhood party and within walking distance! Generally I'm not a party person, but this was fun. I met a gazillion neighbors that I'd never set eyes on and really hit it off with a few of them...there wasn't anyone I didn't like. We started with wine and appetizers at one house and went to another for dinner and then on to dessert. It began at 5:30 and I didn't get home until 9! Imagine that!

Both yesterday and today Maggie escaped from the fenced yard. I think she's getting out by going under the house, but I've blocked up every escape hole I can find. Evidently not very well! She's a little hard to get back in and yesterday she was across the street. That's a very busy road and that's scary! I sure do hope the fence guy takes her!

No real news.

I may have found Maggie a home!

Yesterday the young fellow that put my original fence in came by to give me an estimate on enlarging the fenced area. He's going to extend it 25 feet toward the back of the yard. Now, 25' doesn't sound like much to me, but when he wheeled it off and marked it I was pleased at how much more area that will be. The dogs will have a much larger area that's grass to romp in and perhaps that'll give the area around the patio a chance to heal.

Anyway, while we were out there the dogs were watching and voicing encouragement. The fence guy said, "you only had the little dog (Shirley) when I put this fence in". So I told him the story of how Maggie came to live here and that I'd tried for months to find her a home and had given up and had her spayed and shots, etc. He asked if I was still looking for a home for her that he and his wife were talking about getting a dog!!! Well, next Saturday he's going to do the fence and when he's finished he'll take Maggie home!!!! I hope this works out. Three dogs is more than I want or need. Vet bills are awful and dry dog food has really soared in cost. Keep your fingers crossed for me. I'll miss her and worry about her, but she'll have a family with a little boy and a big fenced yard and people that want her. This is definitely for the best!

Last night was dinner with the ladies. We were all dressed in our Christmas finery and looked so spiffy. Wine and conversation flowed freely. We solved all of the world's woes. If only it could extend past our private dining room! I did find out that the Senior Center has gotten a grant to complete the building and a private citizen has completed the ball field. No help for the Humane Society yet. We all pray that is coming soon! It's important.

Wow! Was that a storm!

We had some really strong weather blow through here last night and this morning. It's still blustery and raining, but the storm's gone. The winds torn the plastic on the front porch down once more and it's to be in the 30's tonight. I'm probably not going to get it back up today. We'll see what happens.

Monday I started the arduous task of turning the garden bed. I'm using a garden fork, the shovel just didn't do a very good job. The ground is so wet after earlier rains that turning it is both easier and awfully hard. Easier because I'm not having to chisel away at adobe like soil, but harder because of the weight of it. In two days I got an area apx. 4' x 10'x 18" turned. That's a bed and that's a start. I have 5 or 6 more of the same size I want to turn in that plot. Won't be trying today, that's for certain!

Didn't go to garden club today. Just wasn't going to get out in this messy weather. Tomorrow night is dinner with the ladies. Tonight is Survivor!!!!

Last night I watched PBS-TV. I had two and a half hours of Elvis and then an hour of Roy Orbison! Talk about wonderful. I drove the dogs crazy with my singing and dancing. But, I sure did enjoy it! The Roy Orbison show was from a 1964 concert. I was amazed at the folks he had doing back up...Bruce Springsteen (very young and pretty), Elvis Costello and Rita Coolidge! There were a few more that I recognized last night, just don't remember who today.

Can you believe that Christmas is two weeks from today? I'm really not doing much this year. It's one of those belt tightening years! I'm afraid they will be like that from now on.

The City of Monticello got some kind of a beautification grant a while back and we had reached the point of use it or lose it. So they dug up parts of the road that circles the courthouse (US 19 & US 90) and are planting trees and such in the four corners. That feels so frivolous in these days of financial woes. I guess the grant was specific and couldn't be used for other things, but there are so many things that money could have been used for that are really needed. We have a ball field that needs funds for completion. Our senior center's outside walls have been covered with Tyvec for the last year or so. Our humane society is always just a gnats breath from closing, yet we plant trees. Just seems wrong, you know?

Twelve cents

Sunday morning the puppies got me up around 5 o'clock to go outside. I usually flip on the dining room light not only to see my way, but to avoid any early puppy mishaps. Well, when I turned the light on Sunday morning a little glint caught my eye on the floor of the funny room. On investigation it was a 1960 copper penny. Picked it up. Let the dogs out and the cats in and went in the kitchen to feed the cats and start the coffee pot. As I was crossing the gate from the kitchen to the funny room to let the dogs in another glint caught my eye. You guessed it, another penny (19981)! and then, a dime (1992)! Twelve cents! Not a bad haul for 5 o'clock on a Sunday morning! I have no idea how they got there as my purse never goes in there and all of my change goes into jars. It's a mystery...maybe my ghost?

Today Nancy, Bert and I had a meeting with the staff at Mother's nursing home at 1:00. Nancy and I were both a tad wary as the last staff meeting we'd had about her was at the other nursing home she was in for 2 weeks and they said they couldn't keep her there and we need to move her as soon as possible. But, today was quite different. It was very positive and they told us they actually enjoy her, that she pretty much runs the place! Her second roommate died a few weeks ago and the staff told us that when her new roommate moved in last week that Mother told her she was quite safe in that room, because she is a nurse!!!!! What a hoot! She's not a nurse, though she was quite knowledgeable about medical things before the stroke. Anyway, her medications were discussed and the feeding tube also. The head nurse said she has a request in to Mother's doctor to stop the day time feedings and only do a slow drip at night that this way Mother may start eating better with an appetite. Well duh! This has been our idea all along! Who's going to want to eat if they are never allowed to be hungry! Then the subject changed to Mother's dementia and my heart flipped a bit, because this is the first time I've heard that word used by the staff. Of course, I know she has dementia, but I guess that in my heart of hearts there was that faint hope that she could improve. She won't.

Yesterday I borrowed the boss' truck and brought home a gigantic cardboard box that has a metal framework inside. Furniture came in it. You should have seen me unloading it. I got as close to the fence as I could with the truck and finagled the box over the side of the truck and rested part of it on the fence. Then I couldn't budge it! Ended up squeezed between the truck and the fence under the box and flipped it with my head and arms on over. It's in the fenced area now covered with a tarp and weighted on top. I had the idea that it could be a dog house. Well, after I got it covered and situated I crawled in and just sat there trying to entice dogs in. Shirley finally came in and sat in my lap for a while, but the puppies were sure it was a trick and would have nothing to do with it! The cats have been in and out of it and Goodness perches and suns on the roof. So, maybe it's a cat house. It'll be interesting to see how it stands up to rain.

Galaxies and Stars

I went to see Mother yesterday. When I got there she was in the common room with several other people waiting to be taken to their rooms for their naps. She was pleased to see me and said "Oh, I'm so glad you're here, there's something I need to talk with you about". When I asked her what she said "Galaxies and Stars"! I asked what she wanted to know, but she didn't remember. I told her that they were basically the same as galaxies were mainly made up of stars and planets. That pleased her.

We're to have a hard freeze tonight and "they" say that with just a few little tweeks snow is possible Friday!!!!! Wouldn't that be great!!!!

I'm not sure just what's gotten into the puppies, but they are exceptionally bad right now. Yesterday they breached the gate between the back hall and my room and once more tore up pillows and papers. Then this morning before I left for work they shredded magazines (that were put up) all over the living room. Gotta get my fence enlarged and a dog house!

Goodness didn't come in last night, nor did he come in for breakfast this morning. When I went out to go to work he was on the back steps with a bloody ear and a bloody side. I carried him into the kitchen and left him there. I was running late because of the puppies and didn't take the time to check him out too well, but nothing looked life threatening and the bleeding had stopped.

I'll go by on my run to town this morning and check on him.