December 11, 2014
6:09 p.m.

The airplane has landed safely and I am here at my daughter's. Yay!

Wow, what a great flight experience! I arranged for wheelchair service because of my silly foot. I just knew that there was no way I could get through the airport on my foot, and couldn't drag my carry-on while on crutches, so I swallowed my pride and arranged for help. So glad I did! Southwest Airlines was so nice to me, got me through the incredibly huge Denver International Airport in record time. Kudos, Southwest, you made me feel like queen for the day.

I am so happy to be here. I will write more soon.

Grinning!

December 10, 2014
9:54 p.m.

Wow, I pretty much skipped blogging in November. In my defense, I was busy. My house has been full, I've somehow made it through Thanksgiving, and I've been in physical therapy.

Excuses, excuses.

Okay, here's how things have gone down:

1. I had pre-ordered some books. I got them. I read them. Here are three of the six new books I read this month: (We won't go into the several re-reads I did this month!)
    a. As You Wish by Cary Elwes. So much fun to read about the making of the movie "The Princess     Bride. It has always been a family favorite. If you're a fan, I highly recommend the book.
    b. Choose Your Own Autobiography by Neil Patrick Harris. I could not put this down until I was       sure I had read every possible scenario. You get the story of his life, plus some funny extras. I'm a       fan. I'm sure I'll read it again.
    c. Revival by Stephen King. Wow. This is the first time in years that Stephen King has actually           kept me up at night after finishing one of his books. (Clearly, I do not scare easily.) I can't explain       why this book left me with such creepy-crawlies, not without spoiling it. Suffice it to say that when     the Preacher loses faith, it's a lose-lose situation. I'm going to let this sit for a few months before         reading it again. I enjoy a good spook, and I need time to let it fade...

2. Doctors, boot fittings and physical therapy.
    a. Hurray! I do not have Lupus. Test results show that my pain is being caused by osteoarthritis           and muscle shortening in my hips, hamstrings, calves, ankles and heels. I have lots of therapy             ahead of me, but if I keep at it I may be able to reverse some on the muscle shortening. (It hurts; I'll     live.)
    b. Due to insurance issues, the boot I'm in is not the ideal boot for healing this injury. So I could be     in it for a long time--at least six months. Boo. But at least I am walking without crutches as long as     I'm in the boot.

3. Thanksgiving. Anyone who knows me knows that I love Thanksgiving. This year everyone in the house but me decided they had to get sick right before the holiday. Bad form, sons and daughter-in-law! Bad form.
Due to these illnesses, one family cancelled their plans to join us. They have eight children, so I could hardly blame them for not wanting to risk it. They were very much missed!
Then, to my surprise and delight, my brother-in-law (yes, I divorced his brother, but not the rest of the family!) called and said that he would like to come. It was quite a trip for them, but I was so very happy to have them join us! I got to meet his wife and two sons. His daughter was unable to join us, but hopefully we will get to meet her soon. His other daughter is married, so Heaven only knows when we might get to meet her.
Anyway, my daughter and her family came as well, and I had lots of help in the kitchen, which I very much needed and appreciated. (Who knew an injured heel could put me so far back in terms of cooking a meal?)
We had such a wonderful time, and I cannot express how thankful I am that the Uncle of my children is back in their lives. We have missed him so much.

Tomorrow I will take my leave of this house and make my way to Oklahoma for Christmas and to await the arrival of grandchild number eight. I'm so excited! My son will have to take care of this place for me, lucky guy.

And now, I must resume packing. Like putting clothes away, this is not my favorite chore.

Good-night!

November 2, 2014
10:10 p.m.

It occurs to me that I have become a person who needs an appointment calendar. I can't tell you how much this discourages me.

Or why it should discourage me at all.

But it does.

I guess it's because the only appointments I have to keep track of are medical in nature, and I don't want to go to any of them.

I have three upcoming appointments. The only one I remember is the one on Friday. The other two are sometime this week, and all I know for sure is they are not tomorrow. (Monday) So tomorrow I must make two phone calls to remind myself when my appointments are so I can make arrangements to be picked up for them.

Sad.

I want an appointment to interview for a new job. Or to take a dance lesson. Or to go see a play. Those are the types of things I want to see in my appointment calendar!

Someone remind me to get an appointment calendar when I go out to one of my medical appointments, okay?
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I am feeling semi-proud of myself for completing my ballot. I hate voting. I often feel like I am choosing between the lesser of two (or three or four) evils. I'm interested in school issues only up to a point, as I have no school-age children anymore and my grandchildren will be unaffected by anything I vote for in my area. All the children I know and love live far out of my jurisdiction. I suppose it's okay with me if they tax marijuana and marijuana related products--I don't buy it, so I won't be taxed.

But I'm semi-proud of myself anyway, because I looked up some stuff and tried to make informed decisions. I will be totally proud if I remember to drop off the ballot when I go out to one of my appointments. Provided one of those appointments fall before November 4th.

Uh...hmm. I may have to arrange for another ride. Just in case. So I can be proud of myself. Yeah.
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First of the month, and I have almost completed the bill-paying. That's another thing I really don't like doing, but I do like having a place to live, heat and electricity and food, so I write the checks and wave bye-bye to the money as soon as it comes in.

Just like everyone else!

Because I'm not fond of the process, I am going to take a minute right now to thank God that I am actually able to do this. So many people have no homes. So many people who do have homes are unable to keep them adequately heated during the winter. So many people went to bed tonight with empty bellies. So I should just shut up and be grateful for all that I have and all that I am able to do.

Sometimes I'm just disappointed in me! Gratitude, not attitude, girl.
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I have this great laundry basket with long handles, which I managed to drag down the hall to the washing machine today all by myself! My son said, "Look at you, doing laundry by yourself!" I have to say, it's those little things that make your day!

Of course, now I have to go put all those clothes away, but that's probably not going to happen. I've probably confessed this before--sometimes the clothes remain in the basket without ever finding their way into closet or dresser before being worn again. I have always been notorious for that. Clothes washed, dried and folded, but put away? Er--sometimes!

So, can I get credit for 3 out of 4, please?
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I pre-ordered Stephen King's new book, Cary Elwes's new book and Neil Patrick Harris's new book. At least one of them ought to show up this week. I'm so excited. New books! New books! Hurray!
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And to all, a good night!

November 1, 2014
8:26 p.m.

Oh my God, it's November! I missed October, man! I mean, I really missed it! Between September 26th and now, I have been out of my house a grand total of five times. Doctor appointment day, MRI day, once to get an ice cream cone, a trip to Lowe's to buy a new toilet and a trip to the bank. Holy crap, I missed October!

Okay, I did go to the Emergency room on September 26th, but I'm not gonna count that. Sue me. Besides, that was in September.

My son and daughter-in-law took me to eat on Doctor day. On MRI day friends took me to lunch, and we went to Lowe's to find out what we needed to know before purchasing the toilet. They have scooters at Lowe's! That was interesting--it's a learning experience! But I didn't have to deal with crutches, and that was nice. Then a few days later we went and purchased the toilet and made arrangements for installation, and I boogied around on the scooter again.

Thursday we hit the bank, went out for an early dinner, then stopped at Safeway's for a few things. Safeway also has scooters, but guess what? They are nothing like the scooters at Lowe's, so I had to learn again! Safeway scooters are racing scooters. You could run someone down with those things! Ask my son, I tried to run over him. Sorry, son!

I finally got a diagnosis on my foot injury. Well, a diagnosis of sorts. Apparently I have no current tear, but I have "really bad" tendonitis and a lot of scarring on the tendon, according to the Physician's Assistant who called me. I see the doctor again on Friday. I imagine I will be ordered to stay in the boot or else I will be put in a cast. (That's what I'd make me do, if I was the doctor. Threaten me. Threats have been effective in the past.)

Confession: I have been lax with the boot. It doesn't fit right, it doesn't immobilize my foot and ankle, and it hurts like hell. So unless I actually leave my house (see above, five times in the last thirty-five days) I have been wearing the boot intermittently. Don't I know better? Well, yeah. But my insurance would not approve a second boot, and the one I got at the hospital is a generic piece of crap, so unless and/or until I can get some modifications to make it work...I'm not gonna wear it. I'll find out on Wednesday if that can happen.

I could end up in a cast. Boo.

I've already been warned that a sprain, which is technically what this is, can take longer to heal than a torn tendon or a broken bone. That sucks! Who would have thought that a tear or break would be better news than a sprain?

All I want is to be able to ambulate without crutches by the time I leave for Oklahoma in December. Crutches in the airport is not something I want to deal with.

I'm headed back to physical therapy next week, so losing the crutches will be my goal. Wish me luck!

Enough about the foot. I'm really tired of the foot.
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On a happier note, the new toilet was installed yesterday. Hurray! No more having to shut off the water after every flush because it never stops running! My main bathroom is now fully functional, since we recently repaired the bathtub/shower faucets as well. It's the little things that make my day.
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I've got to get on the ball regarding Thanksgiving plans and making product for the upcoming craft fair. It's not like I'm going anywhere! I'm just the queen of procrastination!
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Everyone have a good night!

October 27, 2014
1:26 p.m.

There have been days of late when I wished I could travel back in time and make wiser choices. For example, on September 26, 2014, I would have elected to play a bowling game instead of dancing!

Those who follow my blog know that I chose dancing that day and injured myself. It's been a month now, and I am still using crutches to get around. I haven't improved much at using them, sad to say. My arthritic hands hate me, and I don't blame them. After all, I was the one who got us into this situation!

I finally had an MRI done on Friday and now I am waiting by the phone hoping the doctor will call and tell me that nothing is wrong, so suck it up and quit being a baby. Ha ha! Seriously, I am so tired of not being able to just get up and do whatever I want to do. It's frustrating.

Okay, enough about my foot, I'm tired of my foot. I'm tired of all medical stuff today. So is everyone else, I'm sure.
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Today I would like to address something that has been on my mind for awhile, and that is the lack of respect that people show each other. I know this has been going on for decades, but it seems to me that as time goes by it just gets worse and worse.

I'm not talking about strangers on the street or co-workers and classmates, who are bad enough in and of themselves. I'm talking about people who are supposedly friends. I'm talking about spouses, children and parents.

I see this all the time, even within my own circle, and it makes me so sad.

So look, people--here's what I know:

1. Children learn not by what they are told, but by what they are shown. Therefore--

    a.  If a husband treats his wife with disrespect in front of his children, he is teaching them that it is acceptable for them to disrespect their mother.

   b.  If a wife treats her husband with disrespect in front of her children, she is teaching them that it is acceptable for them to disrespect their father.

   c.  If grown children treat their parents with disrespect in front of their children, they are teaching their children that it will be acceptable for them to disrespect their parents (you) when they are grown.

2.  People fight. I know that people do not always agree with one another. (I'm not Pollyanna, no matter what they say.) People will argue, it's inevitable. But--

   a.  Arguments are not public domain. Respect each other enough to take it to another room, where your children will not have to bear witness to their parents' lapses in self control.

   b.  Your child's opinions do not matter. Don't ask them to take sides. Don't involve them in any way. It's not their disagreement, it's yours, so keep it to yourselves.  

   c.  Children deserve your respect, too. Subjecting them to displays of disrespect will breed disrespect in them.

3.  The Internet is no place to have an argument!

   a.  If you want to be a clown, join the circus. If you believe your personal matters should be someone else's entertainment, you probably should be painting your face.

   b.  There are hundreds of people out there in the cyber world who will rejoice in your pain, who will add their (useless) opinions, and who will do their best to instigate even more damage than you can do on your own. And once it's out there for all the world to see, you can never take it back. Delete it? Big deal. There will be more than plenty of people out there to remind you of it repeatedly.

4.  You reap what you sow. If you want to be respected, show respect to those around you. If you don't, the disrespect you'll be shown will be precisely what you deserve.

I'm not talking about going online and expressing an opinion--although God knows I've taken some shots for expressing mine, and I expect to take some shots for this post as well--I'm talking about posting things like "My wife is such a so-and-so", or "What's-his-name will be sorry for", etc. Comments like these just invite people to join in with the bashing. Some will agree with you, some won't, and the fight is on.

Don't we get enough of this crap on television? Shows like "Jerry Springer" and "Cheaters" exist because we all want to get in on the bashing, I guess. Personally, I'd rather take the "Ice Water Challenge" every day for a year than watch cow dung like this, and that's how I feel about bearing witness to others' disagreements in general. It makes me profoundly uncomfortable. It makes me unbearably sad. It also makes me want to turn someone over my knees and give them a good, sound spanking, because--GROW UP, PEOPLE!

Several weeks ago--when I could still walk on my own--we went to a buffet for dinner. There I was witness to quite the spectacle: a little boy, about nine years old, ordering his mother around. When she told him he needed to ask for things nicely, he told her to shut up and do as she was told. Meanwhile, his father was sitting next to his own mother, and loudly berating her for one thing and then another until she was nearly in tears. A few minutes later, the little boy went off on his mother again, telling her she was too stupid to load his plate right. The father jumped in and demanded to know how in hell he got the idea he could talk to his mother like that. The little boy lifted his chin and said, "Why not? You do!"

Case closed.

But-- do you think this father learned a lesson? Or did he employ the ever popular "Don't do as I do, do as I say" position? (Which certainly doesn't work, now does it?)

(You know, my father used to say that from time to time, but it was always in reference to his dislike of eating his vegetables. We'd try to use it as an excuse to skip our own, and that was his response.

The one time I really raised my voice to my mother, my father stepped in immediately, and when asked how in hell I got the idea I could talk to her like that, I could never have replied as that little boy did! I know now my parents didn't always agree, but they didn't fight in front of us.)

People need to wake up. The day will come when that little boy will be grown, and he'll treat his father the same way his father was treating grandma.

Children learn what they see.

Respect each other, folks!
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Okay, on a happier note, "Horns", starring Daniel Radcliffe, comes out on Halloween, and I would very much like to go see it. It's based on the story by Joe Hill, who is the son of Stephen King. Loved the story, looking forward to the movie.

Trick-or-treaters never come to my house anyway. Might as well see a spooky movie, right?

Seriously, I never get any kids knocking at my door on Halloween! I may have had a total of ten kids over the last ten years! It makes me sad! I love seeing the kids all dressed up, and I always get plenty of candy--which I just end up eating! Hahaha!
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Okay, I have to go do something, even if it's wrong! Have a great one, peeps!

October 14, 2014
6:17 p.m.

Well, well. It's insurance open enrollment time, and do I have any idea what I am doing? Sort of, but...

See, the last time I changed anything, I ended up with a big bill for my C-PAP supplies because my new carrier is not contracted with my supplier.

Ugh!

So here I am, trying to decided what's next, and of course, I have an injury that is being covered by my present carrier, and I have no idea if I will still be dealing with issues concerning this injury when any changes I might decide to make take effect in January.

Am I alone in wishing that all this could be simpler?

Honestly, I want to change back to the coverage I had prior to this one, but if future treatment of issues regarding this injury won't be covered because they'll be considered "pre-existing", then I'm going to have to stick with this and find a C-PAP supplies supplier that is contracted with my present insurer.

I have a headache.

It is clear to me that I will be on the phone a lot tomorrow.

Boo! Hiss!
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I've been given the go-ahead to return to physical therapy. Whee!

Seriously, I hope they can help me regain some more mobility. As I've stated previously, I am a terrible crutcher. The arthritis in my hands makes it pretty challenging. I've been out exactly once since September 26th, and that was to go to the doctor and go to a medical supply company to be fitted for a more appropriate boot (which I still don't have).

Now that I have finally gotten insurance approval, I will be scheduling an MRI to find out if this really is a tear of the Achilles tendon, or just a sprain. I say "just a sprain", but according to my doctor, a sprain can actually take much longer to heal than a tear. Yippee.

What I do know is that I still can't walk on it, that it feels better out of the boot than in, and that I can't get the hang of these bleepity bleep bleeping crutches.

Ah, ya gotta laugh.
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 I have to send out some kudos and thanks to my son & daughter-in-law, and my daughter and son-in-law, who have been a great help to me of late. I appreciate the help with the electricity, the laundry, and the general waiting on me hand and foot. I know I'm a drag, guys, but I really appreciate you and all your help! Love you all!

Everyone have a good night!

October 1, 2014
11:59 p.m.

Oh my Gosh, it's October! What happened?

I'm laying in my bed listening to the rain and trying to read on this little screen. Ah, ctrl + +sign, you are my hero!

So today I took a bit of a public berating for basically pre-judging a couple being held on a One million dollar bond for the death of their 4-month old daughter. In my defense, I have to say I was really judging any anonymous parents who would do harm to their children and bemoaning the fact that this type of person seems to procreate as easily as a rabbit while people who would make wonderful, loving, safe parents can't conceive.

It shakes my faith in a just God, sometimes.

Oh, I can feel the hate directed at me for that one already.

Well, tough titty, said the kitty. My faith gets shaken all the time. If you have faith, and you're honest about it, I'll bet yours gets shaken, too.

I still have faith. But I am just a human being, and I fall down every now and then.

(For those who read my blog, I am not referring to recent injuries. I didn't fall. First I put leftovers away. Then I danced. Now I'm on crutches. What can I say?)

Anyway, I have few details about this abuse case, but what I have learned just brings up so many questions.

When my oldest grandchild was  born, she was a month premature. She spent a long time in hospital, and when she came home, a home health nurse checked up on her and my daughter every week. She came right to the house and weighed the baby, measured her, and answered questions and concerns that my daughter had. My daughter breast-fed, but there is always a concern about weight-gain in premies, and the hospital was very diligent in making sure that the baby was growing steadily.

Has that type of service changed in the last 15 years? I would think they'd have improved, if anything.

A wonderful young friend of mine had premature twins earlier this year, and her health care providers have been just as diligent in educating the family about proper nutrition, special formula and feeding methods.

Of course, my granddaughter was cared for in Wyoming, and my precious twin loves are here in Colorado, but I have a hard time believing that this family did not have access to the same level of care as my granddaughter got 15 years ago.

So what happened? Clearly a ball was dropped, but who dropped it first, and why didn't someone pick it up? Premies are closely followed by their doctors, so why weren't these children being attended to?

Oh, so many questions.

So, do I think these parents deliberately set out to kill their child? Do I think the healthcare system was negligent? Do I think anything? 

I don't know what to think, but I do know some of the questions I'd be asking everyone concerned if I were involved.

All I can say is it's very sad. I feel sorry for all concerned, but mostly, I care about the children. They get no choice in the manner in which they are raised.

So I was dissed a bit today, but all I care about is the kids.

I can take it.

They can't.
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Update on me: still not weight bearing. getting slightly better with the crutches. Maybe I will try going outside tomorrow. Maybe I can make it to the mailbox!

On top of it all, I have caught a cold. Doggone it!

Can't get in to see my doctor til next week. I am a rather unhappy camper.

So now, I am going to try to read myself to sleep. It's a win-win situation: If I sleep, cool. If I don't, it's a great book!

Good night!