Nannie

 

This is three month old Nannie having her morning bottle just as she woke up.  She is staying with me because four of her siblings have Rota virus and it is deadly to infants.  She is protected by staying away from her home and the germs.  Her oldest sister has Strep throat so five out of her six siblings are very sick.

Her cousin who is 19 months old and who lives three hours from her found out last night that she has Rota virus, her cousins brother is seven so if he gets it he will do much better than her cousin will. 

My grandbabies are quite ill, I do not like to have them this sick, it worries my old heart.  Their parents are taking good care of them but this is a dangerous virus.  My children never had this virus so I never had to deal with this.

Sons as Fathers

I was thinking today just how blessed I was to have two such wonderful sons.  Not just because my sons are such great sons.  They are, they are kind compassionate men who I really like.  I am proud of both of them for the men that they are.  I was thinking today about the fathers they are, how they take care of their children.  They are both caring and goofy, fun and loving fathers.  It does my heart good to watch them interact with their children.  The tenderness and concern they show their children when one of them are sick or the stern glare them give them when one has gone a bit too far.  I have to laugh at some of their antics as they play goofy games to entertain their little ones or swing a child for hours, literally.  The teaching moments they take, the wrestling, the laugher, all the things that make a father a father.  I am thankful that my sons are great examples of what a father should be.

Do you wanna build a snowman?

My medical update for today is that MY HIPS HURT!  This freezing weather is really hard on my arthritic hips and assorted other joints.  The snow however is so good for the soul.  Of course I keep singing “do you wanna build a snowman?” and my answer is YES!  I want to build one as large as I can manage.  I know I will get too cold and wet but I don’t care, I HAVE to have a happy snowman in my yard.  Snow is such a happy thing.  Well at least it’s happy AFTER your loved ones make it home. 

I have to admit that I did NOT like waiting for Rob and my son to make it home.   Rob had to make it down one “mountain” over two causeways and then up another “mountain” for a total of 20 miles and it took him over three hours.  It was not fun for him or I.  At one point they closed the last “mountain” and he thought he would not be able to make it home so he was going to spend the night at the church which happens to be at the base of that particular “mountain”.  After salting it twice to no avail, the scraper finally came and Rob followed directly behind the scraper at idle speed, it nearly killed him to go that speed but he safely made it up and home. 

My son had to make it 60 miles home, he started just as the snow began to fly.  It took him two hours to get home.  He had to manage twisty curvy roads safely and although nerve wracking he did so.  As he said, his blood pressure was just a tad up but he made it home safely.  When he turned onto the main road through our hometown he saw the National Guard helping out with accidents.  The news later reported that that that same road in our city had 44 accidents since the time the snow began.  I am so thankful my guys were not involved in one of them.  My son also said when he turned onto his street he couldn’t even tell where his driveway was.  He was thankful he had put his trashcan out as it gave him a point of reference so he could park his car in his driveway and not in the ditch.

My son in law took three hours to drive what normally takes about 30 minutes to get home from work and my daughter being a woman made sure she had safely picked up her children from the babysitters and was home in time for the first flake to fly.  Ahhhh women, we are planners.  We are wise.

Do you see I built a snowman?

 



Go Fly a Kite!

 

I am thinking Spring today.  As a child we had some wonderful fields in the neighborhood we lived in and one of the best activities we enjoyed was kite flying.  My father knew how to hand make kites and drew great joy from it.  We never bought a kite from a store when I grew up we made ours from dowel rods or straight sticks, string, paste and newspaper.  We children especially liked to use the colorful "funny papers" or cartoons. 

We made two different types of kites for our flying pleasure.  One was the basic kite which believe it or not I found the regular diamond shape to be the harder kite to make although it was easier to fly.  The box kite was such an easy kite to make and was my favorite to make because it was so easy.  The box kite was harder to get up into the sky and to keep it up once it was there.  We would use bold colored pieces of lightweight fabrics for "tails" which would make them even more beautiful when we flew them.  My father could fly either style equally well and loved to help us get our kites into the sky and would run between us helping us keep our kites up if we needed help.  We would spend days getting our kites made just how we wanted them and then days flying them.  We loved this springtime activity.  Oh how I long for spring this year. 

Please notice the instructions for kite making in the above photo..

DeSoto

 

 

 

Rob and I spent a couple of days this past week enjoying DeSoto state park and the surrounding area.  We hiked a little up a few trails until it grew too muddy.  We drove through Little River Canyon enjoying the overlooks along the way, the views were so amazing as usual.  The waterfalls were beautiful and very heavy with all the snow of late.  There were plenty of six and twelve foot icicles hanging from the walls of the cliffs surrounding the waterfalls and the river.  We had a wonderful time.  Nature always makes us feel happy.  Rob and I have always loved our time in the great outdoors.

Dissapearing Windex

When I was cleaning house about 3 weeks ago I was doing my normal cleaning schedule.  I have to take breaks when I clean.  I have a routine, I clean the bathrooms first and then take a break, I have degenerative disc disease and an issue with my left knee so cleaning the bathrooms are a little tough on the old body.  I normally get them done and then sit in a supportive recliner for a few minutes to give the old back a rest before moving on.  I had done my normal routine and had taken my break, I had hobbled from one end of the house to the other and sat for a few minutes then returned to the bucket of cleaning supplies in the hall.  I went to reach in the bucket to get my Windex so I could clean the hall mirror the glass and mirrors etc in the remainder of the house and it just wasn't there.  I looked around and looked around and could find nothing.  Did I leave it somewhere?  I looked on shelves, in cabinets, in closets, EVERYWHERE.  Well, perhaps I am crazy.  Actually, I am certain of that, I just don't think so in this instance.  I walk over every inch of my house several times complaining about where the Windex has gone, I even check the trash.  I sit back in my chair and mom asks what's wrong.  I answer, "I can't find the window cleaner."  "Oh," she replies.  I have been looking for it ever since.  I was not able to finish cleaning the mirrors or glass that day, I had to go to the store and buy more when Rob could take me since I was unable to find it anywhere.
Last night as I was cleaning the glass table top on my kitchen table my mother said to me, "if you had asked me where the Windex was I would have told you that I had put the other one under the cabinet in the bathroom."  Well, #1 I did ask and #2 she has lived with me for over 11 years and in all that time she knows that I keep the cleaning products in the laundry room on the shelf so the children can't get to them. 
I have been running around for weeks thinking I was nuts and here I was perfectly fine and all this time my mother was tricking me into thinking it was me.  Apparently when I was resting for those few minutes she went to the back and saw the Windex and put it under the cabinet instead of in the bucket or on the shelf in the laundry room.  Oh well, all's well that ends well and I am not crazy.     

The Rocking Chair

One of the first purchases Rob and I made was a rocking chair.  I remember we went to Williamsburg, Virginia to the "pottery outlet" at the time back in 1979 and bought a rocking chair.  We hadn't been married that long but I love to rock and mostly I knew that someday when I had children I wanted to rock them.  I did rock all of my children and I rock my grandchildren.  I know people tell you that rocking spoils children and it may for all I know but I think it has spoiled me as well.  I have loved every minute I have spent rocking with a child in my arms, infant or larger just sitting, rocking being near to the little child that Heavenly Father entrusted into my care.  I love all of my children so much.  Somehow sitting in a rocking chair with a child reading, drawing, watching television, talking or whatever implies trust between the two parties.  I am giving my child or grandchild love and trust, telling them I will always be there, I will always be a safe place, a listening ear, a hug, an place of unconditional love and I feel that they are giving the same back.  I guess it may not be that way for everyone but it is for me.   

Bowling

On my mini vacation we went bowling and it did remind me of my father believe it or not.  As a youth I participated in bowling often.  In Virginia we had this type of bowling called duck pin bowling which I liked because the pins were tiny and the balls fit in you hands with no holes in them, they were more the size of croquet balls that you rolled down the lane.  Same rules just different sizes, I was fairly small so I liked that the best. 

When I was a young adult I participated in the high school bowling league in Houston, Texas.  I was really small then and wasn't too strong.  Before I joined the league I threw a six pound ball and was very good, I didn't know there were rules about ball size requirements.  My parents bought me my own ball, a beautiful purple one but it had to be eight pounds, the minimal requirements for league play.  It was hard for me to make the adjustment, to throw those two extra pounds.  I practiced all summer long but just couldn't get up the strength to get that ball down the lane with any force.

My father began to laugh at me and tease me because when I threw my ball it would roll down the lane so slowly that you could hear the ball trip over the finger holes and you could see it bump over them as well.  It took forever for my ball to get down the lane.  When my ball would hit the pins they would sort of just lay down, I never got much pin action because I couldn't get much strength behind it.  I did pretty well, my game had to be about placing my ball exactly because there was not going to be any pin action.  My father however being 6' 4" and a large muscular man carried a 16 pound ball.  I think when the pins saw that it was my fathers turn to bowl they scattered before the ball got to them out of fear of being hit.  I do recall that the bowling lane owners dreaded my father coming in because when he bowled he split pins.  I don't mean he had pins on either side of the lane I mean me hit them so hard he broke them to pieces on occasions.  Try as he might he couldn't bowl light, just as I couldn't bowl hard.  One lane owner decided that if my father threw a lighter ball it would help, so he bored larger holes in a lighter ball (my father had large hands) my dad was all excited, he lined up to throw the ball down the lane, did his walk through, let go of the ball and it went straight up into the ceiling, it was like a baseball, too light to stick on the lane. 

Rob and I had a wonderful time bowling.  Rob is a good bowler, I just have fun.  My average was a 97, now there is something to brag about!

Street sledding

Since the winter weather continues to deepen in our southern state I thought of all the crazy things we did as children when we were young when it snowed and was super cold.  One of the things my father did that I can't believe my mother ever allowed was to take us out sledding.  Now I know you are thinking that that shouldn't stress out any mother and under normal circumstances it wouldn't but we sledded under what I will term special circumstances. 
Whenever there was particularly icy snow storms or ice storms where the streets would ice up my father would back out our car from the drive way tie a  fairly short rope on the back bumper of the car and my sisters and I would hop onto a trash can lid or a sled and he would pull us down the street.  When we would go around a corner it would sling shot us pretty fast and we would laugh ourselves silly and scream at the same time.  It was so much fun.  While he was not really going fast it seemed to us he was.  You must understand that the neighborhood was a small closed neighborhood and we were literally the only ones on the road.  (I am guessing other mothers objected to this practice, lol).  I realize now that this was seriously dangerous but as a kid you trust your father implicitly.  No one ever got hurt, my father was VERY careful with us.  You could never do anything like that today, too may cars, too much traffic, too high speeds, etc.  Heck when I was a child most families only owned one car and a lot of families didn't even own a car they walked, rode bikes, buses or other city transportation. 

Happy Health

 

Thursdays are for "medical updates".  Sometimes we think of all medical updates as having to do with visiting the doctor only.  A great deal of our health depends on the joy we look for or find in our every day lives.  It doesn't mean that life is always easy because quite frankly it rarely is.  What it means is that we take the time to laugh or look for the fun or the beauty or the joy in that day or even in that moment.  At times that may be hard work, at times that may be the easiest thing in the world.  In the picture above it was provided by a tickle fest with my grandson in my lap and the lovely makeover my granddaughter gave me to "make me look younger", both of which are health inspiring and free!  We just have to look for those things that make us happy.  The few snowflakes flying in the wind today make me happy.  So, today, happy health!  

Rocking it

Who knows why little kids do what they do.  I do not know why I did what I did and what I did was to put a rock in my mouth.  My excuse was that I was only about five years old therefore I was still a curious little person.  It was a rather large oval rock.  For some reason known only to the invisible spirits , once the rock was in my mouth I managed to turn it and kind of lock it into my mouth in an open mouth position.  I could not turn the rock back nor could I get it out of my mouth.  I stood out in the yard with my mouth wide open, saliva coursing from my mouth as I could not swallow at all either.  I was so frightened that I would never get the rock out.  After trying for a good while I decided to enlist my parents help.  After receiving a good solid lecture while I drooled a huge pool of slobbery my feet, my parent finally tried to remove the rock as well but could not.  The rock was solidly lodged in my mouth.  After quite an intense conversation between themselves my parents thought that perhaps a dentist could remove my front teeth and get the rock out that way.  I had a bit of fear with that thought, with fear behind me I began to force the rock out even if it was going to take all the flesh in my mouth with it.  I did manage to get it out.  It hurt so bad that I cried and cried but I was not going to have my teeth removed.  My mouth was bruised and sore for a long time afterward.  Needless to say, whatever possessed me to put that rock in my mouth never possessed me to put another in my mouth ever again. Information stored, lesson learned. 

Mexico photo

I found a photograph of our trip to Mexico that I had written about previously.  This is deep in the interior of Mexico, in the mountains.  The fountain behind us was filled with ugly stagnant water but was the perfect spot for a group picture none the less.  This was taken during one of our hike about town times.  This little place had the most wonderful restaurant, they were overwhelmed by the size of our group. 
In the picture on the back row going left to right you will find Russell Grimes in the sombrero, Aunt Susan Grimes, Julie Grimes, Vickie Fox, and Uncle Bobby Grimes.  In the front row left to right there is Tommy Grimes in the cowboy hat with their little poodle, Sharon Fox, Paula Grimes, Kathy Fox with our little poodle Mimi and lastly me, Marlena.  My mother always avoided photographs and my father usually took them therefore you do not see them pictured here. 

Refrigerator decor

One of the wonderful parts of being a grandmother is all the artwork I receive.  It comes in the mail or just magically appears on my refrigerator from time to time.  Any time I want to see new art all I have to do is clear off the current art work and new work magically appears.  I don't have to say or do a thing.  I keep many magnets on the refrigerator just for that purpose.  I love the pictures the children draw, they make me happy, they bring me joy just as my grandchildren themselves make me happy and bring me joy. 

Granddaddy & Grandma Powers

This couple are my mother’s parents, aren’t they just adorable?  They are such beautiful people.  The funniest part of this picture to me is knowing that neither of them is over 5’4” tall.  Check it out, Granddaddy is stretching one foot forward so it will touch the floor.  Granddaddy barely made 5’4” and that may have been his ego talking Grandma was only 5' if that.  They were tiny people with BIG personalities.  My grandmother had jet black wavy hair and was beautiful.  I cannot remember the color of her eyes but I remember them being beautiful.  She was kind and cooked like a magician.  She made the best turnovers on the planet, they just melted in your mouth.  My grandfather was a rascal but was the best grandfather in the world to me.  He too was a good cook but he cooked way too much and made you eat every mouthful with NO argument even if you couldn’t you still did.   He loved to whistle and he did so beautifully and nearly constantly.  I remember he was always smiling and quite handsome. These wonderful people are Herman and Hazel.

I can sling some Icing

 

One talent that I developed over the years is cake decorating.  It began with Brent’s first birthday.  Brent loved to watch Sesame Street and his favorite “monster” was Cookie Monster so I decided to make him a Cookie Monster cake for his first birthday cake.  I think it turned out really well.

In the picture you will notice Brent making a face, he hated the pine straw  and pine bark at his feet yet he would not wear shoes.  He kept climbing up my side while I was trying to hold the cake.  Rob wanted him to stand next to me for the photo.  It was quite a trick to hold Brent and the cake in place but we eventually got the photo. 

Since doing that first cake I began to decorate all my children’s birthday cakes, then for a few years I actually supplemented our income by making, decorating and selling special order cakes.  I made wedding cakes, anniversary cakes all types of celebration cakes.  To name a few special requests:  An Elvis, a fish, a bald head, a strawberry shortcake and so many more.  I never had a customer that was unsatisfied.  In fact I had a few that refused to cut the cake once it was delivered to them for their party.  They froze it instead. 

Engine Trouble

I just took one of those crazy quizzes you find all the time on facebook.  You know the ones that lure you in for reasons you cannot define.  This one happened to be on how many car parts you could identify.  I think I took it because it stirred memories of working with my father under the hood of many cars.  Since I had no brothers and my father was a wealth of knowledge in so many things I decided to take advantage of that knowledge.  My father always took care of our cars, in fact let me tell you one little funny story.

When I was in high school I drove a 1960 something Ford Falcon, it was a really nice car and I loved that car.  It really drove well but had developed a little sound under the hood.  I mentioned this little sound to my father one day in passing.  I did not drive my car to school because school was several miles from our home, we rode the bus.  I went to this school during a time of gas rationing.  At any rate, I came home from school one day to find my father at home and greasy up to his elbows.  When I greeted him he said, “Hey, come outside and let me show you something.”  I followed him outside to my car, he lifted the hood, I looked in only to find nothing but the cement of the driveway staring back at me.  I looked at him in awe, “Where is my engine?”  He had taken the entire engine out to give it an overhaul.  For complaining about a small sound?  Really?  I just about had a heart attack.  All the parts were laid out in under the car port.  Dad cleaned and returned most of the parts back into the car within a few months.  I couldn’t believe he had left over parts but he said they didn’t matter and you know what?  The car ran perfectly and there was no small sound or any sound out of the ordinary after that so I guess those parts really didn’t matter.  My father taught me all he could while putting that engine back, he taught me many things before and after as well. 

After Rob and I married and the hood of our car was up for any kind of at home repair job it would be me under the hood and not my husband.  It was easier to do it myself than explaining how to do it.  If a bolt was too hard to turn then Robs muscles were quite handy otherwise, I just got the job done.  I appreciate my father for teaching me how to fix mechanical things.  It’s come in handy!

A-huh, A-huh

Before the seizures and the new medications I knew all the over the counter medications I could take to stave off colds or sinus infections.  With the new medications it has been a bit more difficult to try to stave off this sinus issue that's coming on.  I do not like to go to the doctor unless I absolutely have to, I mean you end up picking up more germs while you are trying to tame the ones you're bringing with you.  So, I called the pharmacy to try to find out what over the counter medicine they could recommend and guess what?  They would not do that over the phone even though I get all my medications from them, I had to come in to the pharmacy to receive any help with that information.  The only problem with that is I CANNOT DRIVE!  It seems that this whole thing is a sort of catch 22.  I wanted to be able to tell my husband what to pick up on his way home from work but I couldn't, he can't get the information on my medications because of HIPA.  Today I had mom take me to the pharmacy and while they do not commit to it being ok to take anything they will tell you that they don't see anything that says it is contradictory.  In other words they, like everyone else in the world, have to cover their butts in case there is a problem.  Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy when you put some medication into your mouth. 

Vaccinations

When I was a child there were not that many vaccinations available, they were pretty much just becoming widely available or used.  The one our school provided to every student was the Polio vaccine.  Every student was lined up and received that vaccine.  I can remember it being a somber time as it was a serious illness and a bit stressful to get the vaccine, but we all got it and returned to our classrooms silently.  Nearly every student knew someone or was related to someone who had died or was handicapped from having polio.  
I did not escape some of the childhood illnesses that my children or grandchildren have been able to escape due to being vaccinated.  One such illness was the Mumps, which I had.  The mumps were horribly painful, you could barely swallow because all the glands on your neck and head were swollen to enormous size.  You sipped fluid, you did NOT eat anything that was simply impossible.  The glands were so inflamed you could not even bare a slight touch to them.  There was no comfort, you could not lay down because that required your neck or head touching a pillow, if you sat up the weight of you head was too much on your neck.  It was horrific.  I remember silently crying and praying.  The only thing you could do for it was to take aspirin and wait for it to pass.  When I was young they did not have Tylenol and knew nothing about Rye syndrome.  My glands swelled so large that I remember my eyes even swelled.  My school mates sent cards and messages no one was allowed to visit, the teacher did not send work however because she knew the illness was too bad, students were never able to do work at home when they had the mumps.  My father had to stay away from the house as it was quite serious for an adult male to get the mumps, I cannot remember why, I just remember being told that.
It wasn't too long before I had the mumps that I had had the measles.  This illness has a vaccine now but as we have seen in the news lately it is making a come back because people don't feel compelled to be vaccinated.  It too was a miserable disease.  It was like being on fire, there was no rest.  Again, mom gave me aspirin, cooled me with a cool rag to my forehead and again I waited it out.  A little dehydration and kidney issues to clear up with time and the awful rash that took what seemed forever to go away.  
Yes, some will say that I am a testimony that the illnesses are not that bad.  I am here to say that I felt like death and my mother had been a nurse so the look in her eyes as she look care of me said things were not as simple as she made them seem.  That plus the fact that I was just a little kid in third grade and we don't quite see the danger in things at that age.  I am thankful that my mom knew how to take care of me and knew to isolate me for the safety of others. 
I still give a vote of confidence to most vaccinations.

Mining

During one of our family vacations we visited Franklin, North Carolina.  We stayed at this wonderful bed and breakfast.  It was a beautiful old antebellum home and was the very first time I had stayed in a bed and breakfast.  Our parents stayed in one room and we girls stayed in a room directly across the hall at the top of these beautiful wide mahogany stairs.  There was only one bathroom for the entire upstairs bedrooms so it was quite an interesting adventure.  We found it rather cool to be in a room without our parents as well, this was a unique experience.  After having a wonderful huge breakfast home cooked by the owner we set out to what I guess you could call the mine. 

The place was called “Ruby City” and you would pay a certain price to “pan” for stones for a certain amount of time.  My entire family signed up and paid to pan.  We received what looked like pie tins with screens in the bottom of them then if I remember correctly we would dig some of the dirt or mud from the side and take it over to the trough to let the water run through the tin as we shook it and sorted through the debris left behind.   They had posters showing what each raw stone could look like so you were less likely to throw out a good stone.     We panned for several hours and I found many stones, my parents and sisters found quite a few stones as well.  I have kept my stones all these years.  My parents had some of the stones “cut” and set way back when we originally panned them from of the mine. 

In the picture above you will notice a ring, it is set with a pink Sapphire of over a carat in size.  There is also another pink Sapphire and a blue one, lastly you will see a small cut Ruby, the other stones in the photo are all uncut but have so much sentimental value if not monetary. 

My sister Kathy and her husband went back to Franklin this past Fall and found out that the mine we mined closed down many years ago as the stones ran dry but there are other mines in the area.  I may have to find a way to try my hand at mining again as it was great fun!  

My Grandchildren

My Grandchildren

Haley

“Haley bug”, my first grandchild, my first granddaughter, she was born on my anniversary.  She is beautiful, artistic, compassionate, athletic, graceful, responsible, intelligent and imaginative.

 

Allie

“Allie-kins”, she was born on my sons (her fathers) birthday.  She is athletic, fun, noisy has a tender heart and is a practical joker.  Allie loves to laugh.

 

Meredith

“Mere bear”, she is a graceful ballerina.  She too is an artist with an excellent imagination.  She makes excellent grades in school, is on the basketball team and befriends everyone.

 

Damien

“Little D”, my first grandson, he is an energetic, enthusiastic, smart little guy.  He loves to run and jump, he is fantastic at sharing, he loves science and video games.  He loves to play with his cousins and to play super hero too.

 

Emily

My “Pixie”, she is a tiny beauty.  She has a “Julia Roberts smile” she has at least 200 teeth.  She is a chatter box and loves to entertain.  She tells the most amazing stories which means she has a great imagination.  Dress up is one of her favorite things.  She is fun and smart.

 

Joseph

“Littleman”, he is the quirkiest little guy alive.  Since he has 6 sisters he knows all about my little ponies and the Disney fairy princesses but he is all boy.  He loves dinosaurs and remote control anything.  He can ride his bike and loves food and dirt!  I am not so sure he cares if they are combined.

 

Greyson

“Little Grey man”, he is my Lego man, he has an amazing imagination.  He  loves to swing outside FOR HOURS.  He has very odd taste buds, that boy will eat anything!   One of his unusual sandwiches is Grape Jelly and Cheese on one slice wheat and one slice white bread.   

 

Sarah Kathryn

“SK”, she is a solid rock, she is a 40 year old trapped in a toddlers body.  She can stare any human or animal down.  She is a funny girl, she can do anything.  She loves the color red, "bling" and make up.

 

Rachel

“Rach-m-h”, she has AMAZING blue eyes.  Rachel is quiet but ALWAYS into something.  If you don’t see her you better find her quick because there will be either blood or a mess to clean up in just a few seconds.  She is very loving.

 

Jocelyn

“Jocey”, again a granddaughter with a “Julia Roberts” smile but with only a couple of teeth.  This is the happiest child on earth.  She’s a rare beauty with a disposition to match.  She likes to wrap her dad and brother around her finger.  It’s her hobby and she’s good at it!

 

Natalie

“Nannie”, mostly at this point she just eats and smiles, but she does look at you with such sweet looks, she is another one of those perfect grandchildren I have been blessed with. 

 

All my grands are multi-talented, happy, compassionate little beings.  They are a joy to know and a blessing to be around.  I am so thankful for each and every one of them and of course their parents, I love you my children and grandchildren!

 



To the Moon and beyond

One of my family’s favorite activities was camping.  We went very frequently and most often with our friends (adopted relatives) the Grimes family.  This trip was no exception.  Our family loaded up the “chuck wagon” and headed out to the Shenandoah Valley as was common for us.  The Shenandoah Valley is certainly one of the most beautiful places I have ever experienced.  We rented two campsites side by side as was our usual custom and set up our two huge tents with all the necessary items for sleeping and living while on our mini vacation.  We set up our “chuck wagon” that my father and I made and set up the two gazebos side by side.  We always set up a game of horse shoes somewhere on the site as well.

While camping this weekend we brought along a small television; a very small black and white television.  This was not a common practice at the time, televisions were a luxury and most people only had one in their homes and no one traveled with theirs.  We brought ours along this one time because we knew there was to be the first lunar landing.  We wanted to be able to see this miraculous event, it had never occurred in the history of man up to that point.  We had to run several long extension cords from the electricity source and tune in early so we could adjust the antenna to pick up the television station that would air the lunar landing.  Once we had the station turned in our two families all sat around in the gazebo on the picnic tables eating, played games and waited for the program to begin.

When the other campers around us noticed we had a television and realized what we were doing they made their way over to our campsite.  It was not long before our campsite was swamped with nearly every camper in the park.  It was so quiet though even with as many people as there were.  Everyone wanted to hear and see, people were so polite at that time.

I remember watching the program unfold, gazing at the amazing scenes.  It was so magical I remember having tears in my eyes, sitting at the outside picnic table looking up occasionally at the moon amazed that men were there actually walking on that deadly orb.  The moon was huge and beautiful that night.  The camp was silent with many people thinking about the huge accomplishment man had made in landing there.  It was truly an awesome and historical moment and my parents made sure we were able to participate in it via the television.  I will never forget the feeling I had sitting there.  I knew we had crossed a line in science that would bring only more and more amazing accomplishments.  That was the first of the most awe inspiring events in my life span. 

Random memory

When we camped we always took things with us to keep us out in nature, bikes, motor bikes (tennis shoes) etc.  This particular time we were in Shenandoah National Park and we had taken motor bikes.  I think, don't quote me, that Russell was driving the Honda 90 and I was riding.  We were out on the back roads where you could enjoy nature.  Those roads were sand and we were zipping along really enjoying the beauty of the Shenandoah Valley.  Russell needed a break so he trudged off into the woods and left me holding up the little Honda 90.  He didn't put the kickstand down because of the sand road would not have held it up so he just asked me to hold it and he would be right back. 
There I stood holding up this little Honda 90 not even close to weighing 90 pounds myself.  All of a sudden I noticed the back wheel was slowly moving away from me so I kind of moved closer in to give me more leverage, or so I thought.  The motorcycle continued to slide down slowly.  For reasons I don't really understand I got closer in and tried to brace the motorcycle up, it made no difference.  In fact, the motorcycle went down in what appeared to be slow motion right onto my calf.  The muffler, manifold, whatever, was HOT!  It laid directly on the outside of my calf, pinned me and started to burn.  I yelled and yelled for Russell to come back.  I could smell the flesh burning, it was a sick smell and I nearly threw up.  It was burning so badly.  When Russell got back he had to quickly get me back to camp so I could go to the clinic and get the burn treated.  It was a deep burn and I was on crutches for the rest of that camping trip.  Lesson?  When you weigh a lot less than the motorcycle you are riding, you cannot hold it up in sand (dummy).  Lol.

Snow and Asthma

Winter always makes me think of snow, I just cannot help it.  I absolutely LOVE snow!  I think it is so beautiful and peaceful; to me there is something almost religious about it.  Growing up we had snow every winter therefore my father made “snow cream” often.  He would send us out into the snow to get “clean, new” snow for him to use to make a snow ice cream with.  It was a thin ice cream and VERY sweet.  We all loved it and looked forward to it every winter.  Mmmmm, nothing ever tasted quite like it. 

Another thing that the snow reminds me of is my father running around outside in the snow with only his shorts, a tea shirt and deck shoes on.  My father had asthma and therefore never seemed to feel the cold.  He was bad about going outside in the winter half dressed as my mother called it.  After my mother threw a fit he would go in and dress as lightly as he could get away with, but that was only after he had gotten caught.  He was trying to set an appropriate example for us children.    

My sons both have asthma so as they grew up and wanted to go outside in the winter half-dressed I knew that it would be ok, that it was only because their asthma did not allow them to feel the cold like the rest of us did.  It never made them sick, it only made people think I was a crazy mother, lol.         

Update

I am feeling pretty discouraged today.  I had my second EEG yesterday.  It was supposed to be the one that “set me free” I have been on seizure medicines since December and I was so sure I wasn’t having seizures any more.  My headaches that I was having every day that had been excruciating have gone down to about three times a week and are bad but the medicine manages them and my neck, after a little over two months is finally back to “normal” so I have been thrilled about that.  The seizure medicine has gotten my Crohns out of whack but I have been working on getting that back under control.  My Crohns is miserable and so am I!  I have been cooped up in the house for months and this is NOT FUN! 

Some of my head injury symptoms have improved.  I am no longer dizzy so I am not falling down or into things so I have quit injuring myself which is a good thing and I am grateful for that believe me.  In the last few weeks my ability to speak well has improved and I am thrilled with that since I no longer sound like a nit wit.  I am forcing myself to type and speak often so I can improve clear thinking skills.  I have finally re-mastered my ability to read but I still have practically no comprehension.  I cannot understand what I read as yet.  I also do not spell well which is odd for me.  This is so weird.  These issues are why I started this blog.  I have to force my brain to work, I cannot settle for a brain that refuses to work.  A nurse told me that exercising my brain would work in my favor in the healing process; you can bet I am counting on that.  I may be 58 but I am not ready to allow a car accident lessen my brain function, it’s just not acceptable.

My EEG showed seizures again yesterday.  I nearly cried, well actually I did cry, I just didn’t allow myself to cry for more than a few seconds.  That means my 6 months of no driving starts over from yesterday.  This is very difficult for me, I not only do not like being cooped up I have the responsibility of taking care of my mother and I babysit one and sometimes two of my grandchildren.  This summer will be miserable.  I normally watch two sometimes three of my grandchildren and I normally take them here and there.  I will still be watching them but they will be stuck at my house because I can’t even take them to the library or the park.  It is overwhelming for me to be housebound.   I still cannot believe I had seizures yesterday.  They are changing my medicines and I will have another EEG in 10 weeks.  I hope and pray that the next one will be clear or I will be starting the 6 months over 10 weeks from now.     

Food for thought

I am not feeling to well today so I thought I would just share something a friend lived her life by and something I have tried to live my life by.

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.  Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.  Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.  Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you.  Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.  Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.  Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten.  Do good anyway.

 Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.  Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God.  It was never between you and them anyway.

 

Mother Teresa

 

Luray Caverns

 

Robin and I spent a long Vacation this past summer doing as many things as our hearts desired.  We traveled to Virginia, Delaware, Maryland, Georgia, Tennessee.   One of the things I wanted to do was to visit Luray Caverns in Luray Virginia as we traveled along skyline drive.  I had visited there when I was a child and had loved it though I was and am Closter phobic.  I wasn't sure I would be able to go down into the caverns again but had little trouble and really enjoyed it.  I think part of the reason I am able to go in is because it is open directly to the surface.  You have to descend or ascend stairs to get in or out of the caverns so I can get out without aid.  I am not blocked by any obstruction.  I was glad Robin was with me that did give me a certain amount of security as well and he really enjoyed it as well, he had never seen the caverns before.  It is an amazing place. 

It is well lit and takes an hour or so to go through, I think the girl said it goes down under ground like 6 or 10 stories I can't remember which.  When they were telling the story of the guy who discovered it and his bringing in a lantern all I could think of was exploring those caverns with a lantern.  I would have been frightened to death.   

If you ever make it up that way I highly recommend touring the caverns.

 

These pictures are what happens when you have two grandchildren, one Grammy, a stack of post it notes, scissors and a black crayon.  We also made space helmets, batman (and woman) masks and all sorts of interesting and entertaining things.  You might be surprised how long you can be entertained by just a few items and an imagination.  We had so much fun.  Of course any of my grandchildren will tell you that I am just a touch crazy so that does help just a bit in the fun making. 

MY Nanny

My paternal granmother, Elesa Coulier Leafe (Fox) Siler, was called Nanny by all us grandchildren.  I have to say that she was the least inhibited person I personally have ever known.  As children my sister Vickie and I would spend the night with Nanny frequently as she had a daugher, Noresa, our Aunt, who was our age.  My grandmother would always wear these see through night gowns and even though my sister and I would be there she would walk around the house without a robe.  I hated it!  I can remember trying never to look in her direction even when she was talking to me.  She would sit and watch television with us for a while every morning with those stupid gowns on. 
I remember once after my parents switched me to a different school Nanny had to take me to school one morning for some reason or another.  She, having no sense of modesty, wore one of the see through night gowns.  Thank goodness when she picked me up she had had sense enough to at least wear a robe although it didn't cover her well.  I recall I was scared to death that we would have an accident and she would have to get out of the car in that horrible get up.  I sat paralyzed in the back seat of her car praying that she would not have to get out of the car for any reason.  Thankfully she did not.
My grandmother was like this all of my life.  It was like she never learned modesty.  My mother tells tales of Nanny going to the beach with my parents once they were married in the early 1950's and walking down the beach in street clothes as people often did.  Suddenly my grandmother would remove her shirt because she was hot and continue walking along in her bra as though nothing out of the ordinary was going on.  That was something that was simply not done in the 1950's.  My mother nearly died, my father just endured it as she had done this all his life.
Later in my life when I was about 17 my grandparents moved out to live with us in Arizona.  They lived in a mobile home in our back yard for about a year.  By this time it was the mid 1970's and my grandmother had completely given up wearing a bra altogether.  The times were more liberal but she wasn't too very carful about making sure the shirt fabric was thick enough and she wasn't a young woman to be sure.
My father was always a modesty fanatic.  I understood why, he was raised by a woman who had very few modesty lines.  Although she was born in 1906 I guess she was a hippie at heart.  I loved my Nanny but she I told her more than once, "Nanny, go put a bra on!"