A Beautiful Sunday morning and my ramblings...

Good news! Carl survived another tax day. I worry about his heart when he has to open his wallet! Every year I fear him clutching his heart much like Fred Sanford and announcing "it's the big one!" (tee hee).

Yesterday ended up a good day. Rebecca and I went to Huntsville, had a few stores to stop at, had lunch at Olive Garden, went to Costco and home again. And, the sun was shining! All in all a very good day and once again, my life is good!

Keith's sister Kelsey had a car accident on Friday. They live in the Baltimore area and she hit black ice on the road. She is banged up and sore but thankfully she is not seriously hurt. Her car is totaled but that is only a thing and can be replaced. When Keith had his serious accident in 1988 and was in a coma for 5 weeks, Debbie took a leave of absence from her job to stay with me at Huntsville hospital. The nurses had a hard time wrapping their heads around me (the Mom) and Debbie (the stepmom) staying together and caring for Keith. I have always felt that extended families are just more family. Maybe it's because of me being an only child? I have wonderful family through marriage and I love them all. In my mind, one can never have too much family! I love all of you!

I hope to see Meagan today before she goes back to T town. Love to get the chance to spend time with our granddaughters.

Well, I'm going to post a few more pics. Hope you enjoy.

Carol and her doll family at Christmas

One of my favorite shots. A friend Georgina, Mom, & Me in the Blue Ridge Parkway

My Mom and me in the Smokies

My best childhood friend Jeannie and me

Ashley took this shot of this little guy

Lori and Me

Me and Jake

Brent and friends. They really seemed to like Brent.

Dreaded chores.....tax day!

Oh No!!! It's the dreaded tax day! 1 p.m. appointment with our accountant. I know everybody dreads this but with Carl's "creative accounting" I hate it. Always on the last day he starts yelling where is this, where is that, and it's stuff HE is suppose to be keeping up with. It always ends up in one of us or both being mad.

Our granddaughter Meagen has a birthday next week! The big 2nd decade, 20! We wish her lots of fun!

Well, I've messed around on the computer long enough this morning. Going to go to Costco after taxes with my friend Rebecca. What an exciting life, huh!

Vacation memories

I hate to sound like a broken record but I'm sooo tired of cold weather! This past weekend was beautiful and then it turned gray and cold again. I've been thinking about last years vacation. Emily and I had such a fun time. I think the favorite thing was going to see The Jersey Boy's. I love the oldies and I'm so glad we went to Chicago and saw that show. Emily liked the chicago style pizza too. We did a lot in the 4 days we were there. I've always loved going to Chicago, there is so much to do. My problem was trying to hold out! Ain't no spring chicken anymore.

Anyway, I haven't posted any vacation pics so I thought I would. Of course, when I think about our first night there it was cold too. We went out on the lake to watch the fireworks and were not properly dressed for such a night! Brrrrr! But it was fun and we had a great time anyway. Emily is such a good sport and a lot of fun to do things with.

My big day was going to Publix and the bank. Hey, it's ok to have an uneventful day off. Work can be enough stress. I'm making meatloaf for supper and Carl just came home. So goodbye for now.

Oops...

My recent post was too long so to see all the photos you have to check older posts. :)

Thank you Ashley!

I want to start out by thanking our granddaughter Ashley. She "challenged" her family and friends to create their own blogs and it looks like she's been successful! I must admit sometime I feel slightly foolish blogging but I have enjoyed it anyway.

Yesterday was a fun day! I met Ashley & Brent over at the farm for practice photo shoot. I think we got some interesting pics to say the least. Lori & Keith came over and then Big Daddy. It was a pretty sunny day and we all had a nice time. Ashley helped me with changing some fonts and colors. She is so sweet to help and so smart too!

I went to Rebecca's again last night and we played Scrabble again. We laugh and act silly and it is just fun!

My project this weekend has been photos. Taking new ones and copying old slide photos. I've got slides from the 1950's to 1980's. The slides of my family from the 1950's are priceless! I'll post some pics at the end. When Carl and I met, he had a black dog named Bear. I know lots of people think this but he was the "best dog ever". He would ride around in Carl's old ford maverick (he traded a lawn mower for this car) or in the truck and he just loved to go! He loved to ride so much one day he got in the truck bed of one of Carl's friends and we got a call about an hour later that Bear was at his house up on Antioch Road in Somerville. I still miss that dog.

A really fuzzy ass... the Jack or Jenny type.

Carl's barn cat, Miss Kitty after her snack of cat food.

My Mom & me summer of 1950.

Me and my Mom.

This is me all dressed up but I don't remember why

Me shoveling snow in front of our house.

A snow drift in our backyard in Indiana

My street in Hammond, Indiana 1967 snow

Bear "The Best Doggone Dog Ever"

Carl with his dogs. Jack and Bear.

More Wednesday thoughts...

Winter is dragging on..... I am so ready for spring! I know I shouldn't complain living here in the south, we have very little snow, but the dreary cold and cloudy weather is depressing. Enough already! Today being Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent has always signaled that spring is right around the corner. Easter was always a special day for my family. Not just because of the religious meaning but because we were always here in Alabama when I was a kid. My Mom loved Easter. She saved little plastic cartons all year so she could make all her nieces and nephews their own little Easter basket. We boiled and colored eggs and then would have a big egg hunt. This was a precious memory I hold from my childhood. My Mom was a generous and giving person. My feelings about Easter are now still mixed up. Mom died on Easter Sunday in 1995. Somehow, it doesn't surprise me that she hung on till that day. It was the that day that I finally stood at her bedside and told her that it was ok to let go....that we would be ok. I believe in my heart that she did not want to go until I had finally come to terms that she was dying. Mother daughter relationships are complicated. Since I was an only child, my relationship with my Mom was extremely close. I think about her every day but with happy memories :)

I quit giving up things for Lent as a teenager. The flesh is weak....I never could stay away from chocolate that long!

I am going to add a picture of Carl & his twin brother Carrell taken last year. Carl had a volunteer tomato plant come up just outside the carport last summer. He was so impressed with his tomato plant. Carrell's brother-in-law Bill came over and took their picture. It brings a smile to my face because they are just funny. It is the simple things in life that can make us smile. This is what I try to teach when I am counseling my patients. If you can find just one simple thing a day that makes you smile or laugh, then it is a good day. Monday afternoon I was seeing a new patient and his wife. A lot of the visit was about relationship problems, the differences in men and women in their coping strategies, etc. It was more psychosocial problems than actual physical complaints. I did not know this till later, but the patient in the next room went out to the desk and asked "Do you have a psychiatrist here?" The medical assistant said no, we did not. It ended up she was able to hear my conversation and thought I was a psychiatrist. I think this is funny. I need a sign "Lucy" 5 cents as in Peanuts cartoons.

It did not escape me that this is a serious concern of lack of privacy. I have asked my nurses to stagger the rooms so my conversations will not be easily overheard.

Well, I guess it's time to do some chores and get ready to go shopping. Wednesday is senior discount day at Publix! See, I'm excited about the little things in life. All is good.

Birthday Pictures, November 2009

I finally downloaded pictures I took (my Sony Cyber-shot) at the granddaughters birthday celebration. We started a new tradition for our family last year. We celebrate the girls birthday by taking everyone out to eat at the restaurant of their choosing. Macaroni Grille has won for 2 years so far. I think the girls have some unknown Italian ancestry....they love pasta. Picture 1. The cake 2. Carol, Carl and Ashley 3. Ashley and her Grandpa 4. Ashley and Brent 5. Emily and Wes 6. Emily and Meagan 7. Lori and Keith Jackson

I want to wish everyone a Happy Valentines day! I bought pizza's from Costco yesterday and a chocolate cake from Publix and went to friends house, Rebecca and Wendell, last evening. Becky and I played Scrabble till we were silly. All in all it was a good evening. I love to play games, just get lazy about going out to do it.

Carl's gone for the day.......Today is the restart of the Nascar races for 2010. I'm a raceday widow. Come to think of it, I'm pretty a widow most Sundays (and Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat) for some reason or another. Carl's told me before "I'm not a house husband". Don't exactly know what he means by that.....I'd be willing to go out of the house too but I think he likes his "guy time".

Well, I was hoping for some snow so I could venture out and take some shots with the ole Nikon. I have a Nikon D80 that I love and am still trying to learn to use it better. But, no snow.

Once again, Happy Valentines' Day to all.

Snow Days

Yesterday was an unusual day here in Alabama. Northern AL escaped the snow but southern AL got the most. Our granddaughter lives in Birmingham and she had a fun snow day! Our "great grandson" Charlie had a ball playing in the snow. In case you don't know, Charlie is Ashley's sweet little dog. I was at work and was concerned about traveling home. I finally made the decision around noon to close the clinic about 2 o'clock. I decided that I had 4 patients I really needed to see starting at 1 p.m. Only one came, the others stayed home due to the snow I'm sure. So I got home by 3 o'clock. Here in Priceville, we had no snow. I was actually glad. I'm not very excited about snow in my older years. I guess I had enough living outside Chicago for 30 years that I don't need the hassle anymore. The BIG difference here in the south is everything shuts down with ice and snow. You just can't drive and keep going like people do in the north. My ex husband and his family (John, Deb, and Kelsey) live outside Baltimore, MD. Boy have they been hit! I talked to Deb on Wednesday. They had 28 inches of snow last week and Tuesday night it started again and they were expecting about another 15 inches. The pictures of people using sleds and snow skis walking down the center of highways in Washington D.C. was exactly what happened in 1967 in Chicago. We had about 38 inches in 2 days. Of course, I was 17 years old and had a ball! Actually, I'm soooo ready for spring!

Another tragedy happened here yesterday. If you haven't heard, there was another senseless shooting. This time at the UAHuntsville (my Alma Mater) that left 3 faculty members dead, 2 in critical condition, and 1 who is serious but stable in Huntsville Hospital. The news broke in around 4 p.m. Honestly, I had a deep sickening reaction. I felt like someone had hit me in my chest! Our other sweet grand daughter, Emily, dates a wonderful young man,Wes, who attends UAH. I was so scared until I managed to find out he was fine. I know people always say they can't believe something like that happened here. I think this is the first stage of grief: Denial. Many in our society seem plagued with frustration, stress, and a seething anger that is like the proverbial pot set simmering on the stove. I see this in the status of my patients all the time. Many people are "living on the edge" it seems. How sad. It is a very complex problem and without adequate skills for problem solving and the availability of handguns (I don't even want to get started about this!) I am sure we will continue to watch these tragic events continue. Here in Huntsville, they buried a middle school student yesterday. He was murdered at his school just last week by another student. My heart goes out to everyone who has been touched by this tragedy. All of our loved ones are safe but I still feel grief about this. I wish I could hug everyone I care about right now! To all of our family and friends who read this, consider yourself hugged and we love you all. You are all so precious to us.

Hope everyone has a safe and happy weekend. Keith is here and he's going to help me clean up the house and then we will probably head to Costco. (Keith loves Costco!)

Happy Valentine's everyone!

Just another Wednesday...

Well, it is official. I will be working 4 days a week now. Wednesday's will still be my day off. Had a really busy day at the clinic yesterday. My student was with me all day. Our evening clinic got done by 7 p.m. Things went smoothly, thank goodness.

It got colder again. I shouldn't complain considering we have missed getting ice and snow. I have family in the Baltimore area and I bet they are sick of the snow!

Carl is out checking on "the farm". To all those people out there who spend their time in Farmville (?) on facebook, I can tell you having cattle, etc. isn't fun! I keep requesting Carl to start slowing down and limiting the number of animals he owns. Yall do know Carl is hard of hearing? Well, he's always been deaf to my requests! He enjoys his "farm" I guess and I have complete understanding of the old saying, it IS hard to teach an old dog new tricks!

Well, I've made a lot of progress on organizing our photos into albums. I now want to get some old slides converted to cd. If anybody out there reads this and knows of somewhere to get old slides restored, let me know. Some of my slides are over 50 years old and the colors have changed. I hope to get them restored eventually.

Well, Big Daddy just came back in. I guess that's all for now.

Lost about LOST...

I have watched/DVR'd LOST every episode. If you're not a "fan" or like me "extremely confused but hopeful" you won't probably have no idea about the pull some TV shows can have. OK, I consider myself of more than average intelligence and at times I've got to admit my TV addiction? is a problem. I've thought about it and I believe I'm too gullible. In the beginning of this show, the writers said that "all would be explained" and they also went so far as to say that "everything that was happening on the island was based in sound scientific principles". Now, I also admit I believe in science and +90% of the time I believe there are scientific principles for all we don't understand. Wow! I just sounded like Scully! (probably my favorite show of all time, The X-Files). Well, last night I watched the 1st episode of the last season. Now I feel a lot like Desi Arnez ... "splain yourself Lucy!" If what I saw last night has anything at all to do with scientific truths, I am completely LOST. I am now sure, the name of the show was not about lost airplane crash survivors, No! it's about LOST VIEWERS! Thank goodness we have DVR. I'm just gullible enough to sit and watch it again.

Keith and my favorite TV show is The Big Bang Theory. I usually watch it then when Keith gets off work he comes over and we watch it together. It's always good for a laugh. I really like to come home from work and watch a show that will make me laugh. There are not many of those shows left. Carl is not a TV watcher at all. He sits in the den and will watch sports if there is a team he has some interest in. I thought he was really funny during the ProBowl. He didn't know who to cheer! If it's not sports, it's the speed channel. Oh yea......Daytona race kicks off the 2010 season. For 10 months out of the year, we can not usually go anywhere on Sunday's because there is a race he has to watch! Oh well, I may be a Nascar widow but it don't keep me from going out. I get a lot of shopping done on the weekends!

Yesterday would have been my Mother's 96th birthday. I thought about her all day. Actually I was glad to be at work because it kept me from feeling blue. It's been 15 years but it seems like only yesterday.

Well, today was my day off. I had a patient that I sent to the hospital 2 weeks ago. She was in congestive heart failure. She got home Monday. I saw her for follow-up yesterday and realized her treatment plan is even more confusing for her. She now has a fluid pill that she needs to decide when she needs to take it. Well, the best way I know is to weigh yourself every morning. If you gain more than a couple of pounds in a day or two, this could indicate increased fluid. She does not have a bathroom scale so I went out and got her one today. I will see her again tomorrow and instruct her again. She is a very sweet little lady but has a good deal of difficulty with her multiple medications. That is one of the things I love about my job. My patients really need the help.

Well, Carl just came in for the day. He's been out on his rounds. Not quite sure what all he does but if I ever ask, "I'm busy working!" Suspect not but it's his story and he sure sticks to it! I've got some pork chops in the oven. YUM! Well, hope everyone has a good week.