I Am a Child of God...

Whew!!  It is finished for this year and it went well.  Yippee!!

I am president of the Primary in the Georgetown Ward.  Every year the Primary children ages 3 - 11 years of age present a program in Sacrament Meeting (worship service) using the things learned in Sharing Time from January through August. Our program was today. 

I went to each of the Primary classes last month and asked questions of the children regarding the things they learned each month. Using their answers and the information from the Sharing Times, I created a program. Each child had a speaking part and there were eight songs to be learned and sung during the program. We have spent our two hours of Primary the last two Sunday's in the chapel rehearsing. And, today was the kids big day.

The chapel was full of grandparents, relatives and friends who attended to watch their young one say their part and sing. The kids were dressed in their best clothes for the occasion.

Last week I prepared them by telling them they were to each go to the bathroom prior to the meeting beginning so no one had to leave the stand and go out.  Amazingly, of those 60 kids, not one of them left the stand during the meeting.

Another cute moment was Jack Jenkins.  Jack is eight years old and has Down's Syndrome and had a speaking part on the program. He was so anxious to say his part that he stood up way early and spoke it with another class. We let him go and felt so happy he wanted to participate.  Imagine our amusement when the next class came up and Jack went up with them and repeated his part.  Then Jack sat in his seat until it was really his classes turn and then he said his part one more time because, as we all know, 'third time's a charm'.

Another precious moment for me was Weston Fairbanks who is four years old.  Weston is just so shy and timid about being in front. We had not gotten him to say his part verbally. He stood at the microphone when we practiced and just couldn't get the words out. His dad plays the piano for Primary and tried to help him but the words were not coming.  Today, Michele Hale, my first counselor, walked him to the podium and Amy Coyne, my second counselor, helped him.  I had talked with Weston after our Primary practice last Sunday and told him he was my friend and it would be just fine if, when it was his turn to say his part, he just looked at me instead of all those people and said his part to me. I would be sitting on the front row of the congregation and he could talk right to me. Bless his little heart, he did look at me and started to speak and that little lower lip started to quiver. He kept on going and Amy worked with him and Weston said every word. I was so proud of him and wanted to shout to the world, "Do you know all the valuable learning that has happened in these few minutes?"  Such a neat thing for him and his family.

One month our Sharing Time was about families.  The class I had cover this had a child, Hannah Grieving, who is adopted. She is Chinese. She has a older brother her parents also adopted from Africa. Her part was talking about her family being like any other family. She mentioned that she and her brother were just like any other family and he teased her just like other brothers teased their sisters. The congregation laughed at that bit of reality. Then with perfect comedic timing Hannah added, "But I know he still loves me."  Then it was a full laugh for the congregation.

The kids sang all eight songs beautifully. They were just wonderful.  And we finished with the Bishop bearing his testimony of each of us being Children of Heavenly Father and having a special role to play in this life.

After Primary we tried to get back to our normal Sunday routine in Primary. This was a little skewed with having not been in our Primary room for two weeks.  But we made it through just fine.

The stake Primary presidency came to Junior Primary and thanked the kids for such a fine job with their program. Then they gave each of the kids a marshmallow treat for a snack.  Each Sunday we practiced we had provided a little candy treat at the end of each rehearsal. I had been adamant that part of reverence in Heavenly Father's house is to not leave trash on the floor. We had special trash bags to collect all trash before anyone left the chapel. Today as the kids opened their marshmallow treats I asked them what Sis. Christensen wanted to be sure and do. In unison with that mocking voice kids do sooooo well they said, "Put the trash in the trash can."  Yeah!!  A point is being made and a little lesson is slowing being learned.

Now, the regular Sharing Time lesson was given in Junior and Senior Primary today.  But I had ask Amber Marcum, our chorister, to have fun songs for the kids today. They had concentrated so hard on the eight songs for the progam that is seemed a little relaxed fun was in order today. One of the things Amber told the kids last Sunday to get them to sing really well today was a challenge. She was going to have someone in the back of the chapel with a bag of marshmallows during their actual program.  If the kids sang really well, this person would take a marshmallow and put it in a container. The kids were to aim to get a marshmallow for each song they sang in the container.  These marshmallows were then to be placed in Sean Marcum's mouth one at a time during their singing time.  Sean is Amber's husband and is also the counselor in the Bishopric with responsibility to help Primary. Bless his heart he was there for Junior and then again in Senior Primary to play out Amber's challenge.  They sang well enough there were eight marshmallows in the container. Sean would put a marshmallow (standard size) in his mouth and then say something like 'bubble bunny' after each marshmallow was inserted.  The kids were so happy and laughing and cheering him on. It may not have been our most reverent moment but it was sure a lot of fun. Sean was a great sport and the kids received a great reward of a marshmallow each after he finished. He got seven marshmallows in for Junior Primary and eight marshmallows in for Senior Primary.  Such fun.

Amber had one of the children leading the kids in the song. She paused long enough to have all the Primary kids learn how to lead 4/4 timing.  I was sitting in the back with Amy Coyne as she did this and Amber said as she taught the 4/4 time pattern:  Down, Right, Left, Up.  Okay, that was fine.  Except that on about the third repetition of the pattern Amber started saying, "Down, (and instead of right, left) smack the baby (as her arms went right, left), up."  I looked at Amy and we both had a bit of surprise. Then we laughed it off as just part of a Primary day that was a bit out of the ordinary.

It was a fun day.  I was so proud of the Primary children, the teachers who work with them, our great music people and my counselors.  They each just stepped up and did their part.  It was all a lot of work but it was a very memorable day and one these kids and their parents can rightfully be proud of and happy about.

I am a Child of God. I am grateful for that knowledge and for the direction it gives me in living a good, full, productive live.

Feet...

Once a year Buckner Elementary School in La Grange, Kentucky holds the Buckner Bear Run. This is the annual fund raiser for the PTA. Claude and I have attended each year and to watch Hayden and Bailey run their laps. The last two years Michael has been one of the parent leaders of the kids on one of the fields. 

Basically it works like this, the kids get sponsors for the laps they run. A parent is set at each corner of a rectangular field. Each child has a piece of paper with their name on it pinned to the back of their shirt. The kids do warm up exercises with the parent leader. The class is divided into four groups. Each groups is sent to a corner of the rectangular field. The run begins and the kids run outside the four corners of the rectangle. When they return to their starting point, the parent at their starting corners puts a hash mark on the paper on the kids shirt and the kid goes for another lap. When the time is up, the hash marks are counted and the kids sponsors pay accordingly. The length of time the classes runs increases as they get older.

Yesterday Hayden ran on one of the outdoor soccer fields at 10:05am.  Michael was the parent leader at the field next to where Hayden ran. Michael would wander over every now and then and watch Hayden run. He even ran a bit with him. Hayden ran 26 laps.  He just paced himself and never stopped running the entire time.

Then Claude and I went to the cafeteria and took lunch to Bailey at 11:20 and Hayden at 11:34.  We had a bit of a break after lunches when we sat on the benches in the main entry hallway of the school.

At 12:25 we headed to the gym for Bailey's run. Michael was moved inside to lead her group. Bailey also ran the entire time. At one point she and a friend ran several laps holding hands and pausing at the same time to get their hash marks without letting go of each others hands. Bailey ran 30 something laps. Her field was smaller than Hayden's. Her class also had Buddy Bear join them for their class picture after their run.

Now, back to sitting in the long entry hallway after lunch.  Claude and I were digitally engaged (he was playing a game on his cell phone and I was reading on my Kindle) when I felt a tickle on my left foot. I kept reading and simply moved my right foot to scratch the top of my left foot. Wrong Move!!  It was another yellow jacket and it immediately stung me. I felt that familiar stinging pain and moved the yellow jacket off my foot with my sandal and smashed the yellow jacket into the floor.

I grabbed a wet wipe out of my purse and cleaned the area on my foot really well and left the cool wet wipe on my foot.  I had already taken an antihistamine before going out onto the field to watch Hayden and couldn't take anymore. By last night my foot was quite swollen. I woke up twice during the night and slathered my foot in anti-itch medicines. This morning the swelling is down a little but it is still pretty swollen.

This is what I find amazing now that I have been stung 4 times within the last month or so.

1. That initial sting is only a prelude to a series of stinging pains that will follow over an extended period of time. This time I was stung about 12:30pm and even as we drove home at 6:30pm last night I was still have running stinging pains running through my foot and up my leg. How can such a tiny insect do that?
2. There is nothing more satisfying when you are as swollen as this and it itches so very badly than taking your long finger nails and lightly rubbing over the top of the swollen area. I'm not talking scratching, although that carries its own set of joy. Every single nerve that ever existed in your foot or hand is alive with joy as you gently moved your finger nails over the affected area.
3. When you walk or use that swollen foot, you feel the nerves all the way up to your shoulder. You can tell how they each connect and feel each of them. It is not just the foot but all the way up to my shoulder.

I know this will go down in another day. It should be fun to wear shoes of some sort the Church tomorrow. It is the Primary Children's Sacrament Meeting Program tomorrow and that requires movement and provides no time for resting the foot.

I posted on Facebook that I have now proven that 'as we age we become sweeter'.  This must be true as, in the nine years we have lived in Kentucky, I have not been stung one time by a bee or wasp or yellow jacket. This year in a short span of time I have been stung four times. One of those was while sitting inside an elementary school. Therefore...I have proven that as we age we become sweeter!!

The 'Eyes' Have It...Or Not...

Monday I made a appointment for Papa to have his eyes checked.  He keeps complaining that when he reads a few pages he sees double of things. Now that he is virtually home bound unless we take him somewhere, it is more important than ever to be sure he can do comfortably the things he can enjoy in his home. Reading would definitely be one of those things.

I picked Papa up at his apartment at 1:30 and we headed to the eye doctor he has seen twice before while living here in Kentucky, the trusty doctor at Walmart. 

After doing his exam and then the doctor doing more exams, it was determined Papa has dry eye and needs to be putting drops in his eyes at minimum three time a day as well as before he reads or uses his eyes for other things. He can actually use them as much as he wants but the minimum is three times a day.

He also had a big change in his left eye and that required ordering a new set of glasses. He opted to use the frames he currently has as he likes them and they are in good shape. The new lenses should be here anywhere from three days to a week. They will call me and I'll take Papa back to get the new lenses put in the old frames.

In addition he still has cataracts. He was told he had these last time but they are not at the point where they will do surgery for them. The doctor didn't really feel that had grown any more than since the last time Papa was seen.

Papa was happy with his diagnosis and that he would get something that might help his eyes. The doctor did give us the names of three eye drop products he prefers for his dry eye condition and we purchased one of those for Papa to try. In addition the doctor gave him a sample.

That is where the 'eyes' have it...now where they don't.

I was out of my home from before 9am until 6:30pm Monday.

It started with my Primary presidency meeting. From there I headed to the church to move our Primary things from the chapel back to the Primary room. We have had a few items there to get through the Primary program practice. The program is this Sunday and we will need them back in the Primary closet on Sunday. I also got Papa's computer tower and took it to be repaired (if possible).  It will not turn on most of the time now.  I ran several other errands in and out of places.  I was back a Papa's at 1:30 and took him to Walmart.  We we left Walmart and headed to an interview with a young boy that turned seven. The Primary gives the seven year old children items to prepare for baptism when they turn eight.  I needed to visit with this young man and his mom and give him is baptism preparation materials. Then Papa and I  headed back to Walmart to pick order his glasses and get his eye drops. I took Papa home and headed back to Sadieville. We had friends who needed dinner brought in. Claude did the cooking and then he and I hopped in the Jeep and headed further out in the country and up a steep gravel lane on a hill to their home to deliver their dinner. Mindy was ready to chat so we sat outside and visited for a good long time. Claude took me home where I rushed to the bathroom for something cold and wet to put over my poor left eye.  I had taken an antihistamine but it appeared my left eye didn't care about that medication. By 8pm I lay on the love seat in the living room with my eyes closed. Even that was awful because it felt like I had a bit of sand or gravel under that eyelid and it seemed to be scratching when my eye blinked. I dozed off about 9pm and stayed sleeping as much as I could until 7:30 Tuesday morning.

My eye definitely did NOT have it.

Pure Kentucky...

I know, even as I typed the title for this Blog entry, that others will say, "That is done in my state too."  However, I live in Kentucky and this is an observation that is vintage Kentucky.

While driving a very back road in Kentucky, we passed a home nestled against a hill with lots of trees around the little house. There was a man sitting in a lawn chair watching the cars go by or I may have asked Claude to stop so I could get a picture. 

Hanging from a tree in this yard was a swing. Now that is not the least bit unusual and if we had flat ground anywhere on our lot we might also have a tree with a swing hanging from it. However...

Picture in your mind's eye one of the molded plastic lawn chairs that are so prevalent. We actually have four of them on our back porch. Ours are green but the one I saw was actually white.  It had a rope tied to each of the arms of the molded plastic white chair. These two ropes were then tied to a big branch of the tree from which it was hanging. That was it, a swing that was a chair hanging from a tree.

I saw this and it took a moment for it to register that it was a clever idea using what one had on hand to make something fun.  Vintage Kentucky countryside.

The Interview...

This last Monday Hayden called me. It seems he has been given an assignment in school to interview a grandparent or older family member. Hayden chose me. His call was to let me know what he would be interviewing me about so I had time to think before the interview. I was supposed to tell him a story of something that happened to me before he was born. It was to be a story that I felt was worthy of it being retold over and over again. At that point my mind drifted to Papa and how he retells the same stories over and over again.  I had to bring myself back to the fact Hayden wanted something that had a moral or importance in being shared with future generations, not just the same story over and over. But...I digress.

The plan was for Hayden to call back on Tuesday night and we would Skype to do the interview.  Hayden thought this would be more like a face-to-face interview.

Tuesday night something happened and the Skyping did not occur. We rescheduled for Wednesday evening.

Other things happened and Wednesday was not going to work. We realized Thursday also would not work for the Marx family. Friday Claude and I would not be home. So, I suggested to Andie that Claude and I come and spend the night after our evening at the Rudyard Kipling. Then we would spend Saturday morning with the family and Hayden could do his interview in person. The plan was accepted.

This morning Hayden tapped on the wall at 7am. I got myself up and headed to his room. Bailey was waiting in the hallway for me to wake up.  Hugs were given and we tiptoed into the living room to watch 'The Lorax'.

Andie and Michael woke up later and headed to the Wild Eggs to have breakfast together. 

Claude woke up and we all got ready and headed to Starvin' Marvin's for breakfast only to find it has gone out of business.  So we opted to go to Waffle House instead. The Mini's love Waffle House. It is a tradition with their dad.

After breakfast we headed back to the house. Hayden and I started the story telling followed by the interview in the family room.  Claude and Bailey went to the toy room to play.

Andie and Michael returned and Michael would then leave to referee soccer games. 

When the interview process was complete and notes all recorded, we got the kids ready and headed to the park to play. Hayden and Bailey were all over that playground equipment.  One of the funny things was swinging upside down.

After the playground we headed to Dairy Queen for a treat.  Then it was time for Claude and me to head back to Sadieville. We walked the Mini's and Andie to their car.  Bailey determined she needed to dance with Hayden. As he was showing her how to waltz in the parking lot, Bailey decided she needed a hug from Hayden. He allowed her to give him a big hug and then she planted a big kiss on his cheek.

Oh my goodness, the word 'yuck' that came out of Hayden was hysterical.  It was a delightful end to a fun, full morning.

And Now For Something a Little Different...

Several years ago our son, Jake, shared a CD of music by Potter's Field.  Rochelle Clark and John Natiw form this group which sing a folk like type of music. Rochelle was an apprentice at the Purple Rose theater in Chelsea when Jake was an apprentice there. I fell in love with the music and purchased a CD for my own enjoyment. Potter's Field has a Facebook page which I have liked. Through this I got the notice they were coming to Louisville, Kentucky for one night. I shared this information with Claude and told him I would really like to go see them. He said sure.

I checked the website of the location for the performance. It was named the Rudyard Kipling. The Rudyard Kipling is basically a very old home with a little history that has been converted into this bar kind of spot with an area set aside for musicians to perform and sometimes a little theater group. If the musicians are an out-of-town group, like Potter's Field, they are asked to have a local musician sponsor them who can guarantee 30 people as the audience. Rochelle and John were sponsored by Rachel Stump.

I called the Rudyard Kipling to see if we needed to make reservations and/or purchase tickets. I was simply told the performance was to begin at 7pm. If we wanted dinner we were to arrive an hour ahead of performance time to eat.  Food would be paid for separately and the musical performance would be paid to the performers. No upfront money required.  We were assured the best table in the house.

Claude and I managed to arrive at 5pm.  This was a less that safe neighborhood.  We pulled into a Rite-Aid Pharmacy parking lot across the street from the Rudyard Kipling. I had reading material so the time could be filled quite nicely. After a brief period, Claude suggested we move the car to the street in front of the Rudyard Kipling. Claude drove us over and parked us on the street. We waited until 6pm.

At 6pm we went around the side of the building and tried to open the door. It was locked. Hmmm... A young man came to the door and opened it just about an inch. He asked us if we were there for something. We told him we were there to have dinner and see the musical performance. He said we were early and they weren't open. I told him their website and the man I spoke with told us if we arrived one hour ahead of the 7pm performance time we could enjoy dinner there. It turns out I was talking to the bar tender who was told to be there at 6pm but knew nothing about dinner that early.  Hmmm... I assured him we were in no rush and if he would tell us what time we should arrive we would come back then. He said we should wait and he would find a key and let us in and we could wait inside.

He came back with a key and it sounded like he was trying to undo a huge chain that was on the inside of the door.  Hmmm...  We went in with another woman who was waiting there for a meeting.  It appeared there was an old home that had this add on built where the little front lawn would have been.  The add on was the bar and music area with a small lobby, kitchen and a bathroom. There was enough seating for 30 people and the bar chairs. We found a table and the bar tender brought us menus to look over while we waited. Claude commented to me that we might be in a very 'bohemian' kind of place.  Ya think???

Then the bar tender brought us water and Claude a soda. He told us the cook had arrived and we could place our order.  It was then we realized there were slight differences in our menus.  We determined we would order a pizza and share it. Then we might have dessert.  This pizza was very good. It had a home made crust made of whole wheat, poppy seeds, sunflower seeds, soy beans, wheat germ, bulgar wheat and ground flax seeds. We had home made sausage and pepperoni on our pizza with green peppers and tomato slices. It was delicious.

They were out of bread pudding so Claude passed on dessert but I had a double fudge brownie. Yum.

While we were waiting for our food order, Rochelle and John arrived and began to bring in their instruments and set-up. I spoke to Rochelle and told her we were Jake Christensen's parents. We were the only ones, other than Rachel, who came specifically to see Rochelle and John.

Rachel sang first. She has a powerful voice.  Most of her songs were original and were tortured love songs with lots of chords and strumming. She was good. She finished with her little daughter singing while she played. Very sweet moment and the little daughter was really quite good.

Then it was time for Rochelle and John. They started with one of my two favorite songs from their CD. It was a wonderful evening of music.

There were three little girls there who enjoyed dancing in the aisle. The music was great. I even sang along on the ones I knew.

Claude and I were the only ones in the place with no tattoos. We also were the only ones with no alcholic beverage. It was just a very different evening for us. We had a wonderful time. I think a big 'Thank You' should go to Jake for introducting the Potter's Field to us, to Rachel Stump for bringing them to Louisville and to the Potter's Field for a wonderful performance. How fun to be outside the box for a bit.

Now, most of us know that Rudyard Kipling wrote 'The Jungle Book'.  But he also wrote poetry. One of his poems was in a frame on the wall in the lobby. I place it below because I actually remembered this one and enjoyed it years ago. How nice to come back to it again in this fun context. The name of this poem is 'If'.

IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

Sadieville in September - 2013

Saturday, September 7th, was this year's Sadieville in September festival. There were vendors on Main Street and an antique car and farm machinery contest at City Park. Set up began at 8am Saturday morning and the event was over about 6pm Saturday evening.  Claude and I enjoyed a buffalo burger for lunch and spent three hours at the Rosenwald School so others could visit this treasure. These are a few of my favorite pictures from the day.

Change...

Tuesday, September 10th, we made the change for Papa.  I Blogged before about the chair and table I purchased for Papa.  I recorded in that Blog the gyrations he went through to get out of the old sofa/lounge chair. Well, Tuesday was the day the new chair came and the old sofa went. I received the phone call Monday afternoon that they would deliver between 12:30pm and 3:30pm.  But we should be there a half hour before just in case they were early. Now, it seems they should just say between 12:00pm and 3:30pm but that just may be me picking at little stuff.

Tuesday morning we talked with the missionaries from Church again. They were to be the brute strength with Claude to remove the old sofa. They were available at 11am.

Claude and I headed into Papa's apartment each in our own car. This would allow Claude to leave after the sofa was out and accomplish other things that needed to be done while I stayed until they delivered the new chair and set it up. Claude brought our handtruck and he and I spent some time trying to figure out how to get it to be a rolling dolly. This is a cute little 'Total Trolley' and can be a step ladder, a regular dolly with the one flat piece you lift with or a flat bed dolly. I bought it when we moved to Kentucky nine years ago and we used it after the move a lot. But, it has been nine years and we forgot how to convert it to a flat bed dolly. As it neared 11am, Claude left to pick up the missionaries and I sat with Papa trying to figure the dolly out.  I finally happened upon the right process and had it ready to go when Claude returned.

Claude and the missionaries managed to get the old sofa to the curb. I called Public Works and scheduled the pick-up of the old sofa. Then we were all off to Zaxby's to treat the missionaries to lunch for their help in moving the sofa. They had neither eaten there before and enjoyed wings for lunch. Papa totally enjoyed sharing his stories for the umpteenth-billion time with these new faces. Claude then took the missionaries home and returned my car so I could take Papa home after he finished eating.

About 2:30pm they arrived with the chair. The guy set it up and then told me to put a 9-volt battery in this one place so when the power was out Papa could still raise and lower the chair using battery power instead of electricity. Papa sat in his chair. I put some pillows on a foot stool as his legs are longer than a lounger chairs foot rest on this chair as well as the old sofa. Then I put a pillow in the extra chair for Tiny. Papa's new chair is not as roomy as the old lounge chair on the sofa was. Tiny will have to make her adjustment and sit in the extra chair on the pillow provided for her.

Papa was very happy to have a more comfortable chair.  He has mentioned that several times since getting his new chair.  He is sure he put the pillow on the chair for Tiny.  He is also sure we have to wait a long time for him to get up to answer the phone because he has to wait as the chair lowers before he can get up. I've tried to tell him he was slow before because he was banging on the foot rest part of the old chair to get it down and then straddling the foot rest when it wouldn't go down and jumping across to get away from it.  But he is happy with his comfortable new chair.  And I am happier because I feel he is a little safer and it will be better on his back and legs than the worn out furniture was. 

Next, we get his eyes checked...the saga continues.  

Such a Thoughtful Guy...

One day laying on our breakfast table was a page out of a newspaper of some kind. Not the entire paper, just a page.  I picked it up and looked at it and the only thing I found of consequence was an advertisement for some ladies casual shoes.

I asked Claude about it and he said, "I thought they looked like you and wondered if you wanted to order them."  Now that is just thoughtful and caring.  And...as an added bonus...he was exactly right!  I loved those shoes in that picture.

I took the ad downstairs and checked it out on my computer.  I ordered two pair. One was brown and the other blue.

Friday, the 6th of September, as I was leaving to go to Georgetown to take Papa grocery shopping, I saw a package on the chair on our front porch. I stopped the car and got the package. It was my shoes. I tossed the bag in the back seat and headed on to Georgetown.

After I got Papa in my car, I tore open the bag and shared the story with Papa about Claude finding the ad and thinking I might like the shoes as they 'looked just like me'.  We got a chuckle and I pronounced the shoes in my hand nice to look at.

When I got home I carried them inside and tried them on with Claude watching. They fit perfectly.  I am so thrilled I have new shoes to wear this winter with my jeans.  I am even more thrilled that I have a hubby who thinks of me and cares for and about me in even the little things of life.  That just feels good.

Missed These...

Tuesday, September 3rd I should have been at the Family History Center with Claude. Missed that with the bronchitis. Thank you Claude for picking up bananas and taking them to Papa so he could hang in there a little longer without grocery shopping.

Wednesday, September 4th, was our first Countryside Homemaker's meeting for this year.  Knowing I was not well, I called Detta Wilson on Tuesday and told her I would not be able to come. I had prepared my agenda and had everything for the meeting in my box on wheels which Andie gave to me several years ago. I told Detta I would leave it at JoCarol's home where the meeting was to be held. Detta said she would cover the meeting and to get well.

In the wee small hours of Wednesday morning Detta had a heart attack. She ended up in Central Baptist hospital and they put a stint in her. Claude got a call Wednesday morning from Cindy, our city clerk, and asked if he had heard Detta had a heart attack. Nope, he had not. I called JoCarol who is Detta's best friend. JoCarol had also not heard anything. Her husband, Billy, called Ken, Detta's husband, on his cell phone. Ken confirmed the situation and said Detta was doing okay but they were not sure when they would release her. Detta is also a city commissioner and over Parks and Recreation. She pulled together Sadieville in September. It was to be Saturday and she might not be out of the hospital. Great day in the mornin'!! 

This left JoCarol to cover our Homemaker's meeting.  I could not be there as the president because I had bronchitis and none of the other ladies wanted that and I was pretty sure I had not taken antibiotics long enough to not be a problem. Charlotte is the vice president.  Her hubby was having skin cancers removed during the meeting time.  Detta is our secretary-treasurer. She could not be there because she was in the hospital after her heart attack and putting the stint in.  Poor JoCarol went through my rolling cart and with the help of all the ladies that were present they made it through our first meeting without any of the presidency. Way to go Countryside Homemakers!!

Monday, September 9th was to be our Friends of Sadieville board meeting.  We had all done Sadieville in September the Saturday before. Detta was released from the hospital on Friday and was at the Festival all day. She is also the secretary-treasurer for Friends of Sadieville. Detta and I talked Monday morning and agreed we should postpone our board meeting until Wednesday morning so we could all rest a bit.  We did postpone it and then had it on Wednesday morning.

It is interesting how things happen without us or can be postponed for a bit or covered by someone else.  Thank heavens for good people that keep things going when we can't.  

Takes My Breath Away...

Sunday, September 1st, I knew I was having lots and lots of trouble with allergies.  There is some pollen that comes in the spring and another in the fall that are particularly difficult for my eyes and breathing. I took an antihistamine during Church and it really didn't seem to do much good. I had been taking a 24-hour antihistamine each day during the previous week and they seemed to help. But that Sunday one just didn't stop my sneezing or itchy eyes.

I hurried straight home from Church and changed into really comfortable clothes and curled up in bed. I awoke at 5pm. I am not a napper. This nap was at least a three hour nap. Hmmm....

Claude came home while I was asleep and he laid down on another bed and took a little nap. He was sitting in his rocking chair when I awoke and stumbled into the living room. Clearly I was on a downward spiral of some sort. By the time it was bedtime I was coughing like I had the croup. Goodness. Cough drops were located and I kept one in my mouth all night as I coughed the night away trying to get more rest.

Monday was Labor Day. The plan had been to invite Papa out and have a cookout.  I was to get Papa after lunch time and bring him to our home. I called Papa and he also had a cold. He had not gone to Church Sunday. We decided we both should just rest and try to get well and have a cookout some other time. I headed back to bed to take another nap. Goodness.

Tuesday morning I called my doctor. My throat was so very sore, the coughing was awful and I ached all over. The doctor could see me at 11am. I wanted to be sure I did not have strep.

Dr. Culbertson came in after the nurse took all the vital information. He reached out to shake my hand. I started to put my hand out and then said, "I don't think we should do that."  Then we both chuckled.  I seriously don't know how someone works in a doctor's office with all those germs and doesn't get sick more often.

Dr. Culbertson did a strep test and it came back negative. Then he told me that test was only 80% effective. That means I still had a 20% chance of having strep. He didn't think that was the case because the glands in my neck were not swollen. He was sure I had bronchitis. Yippee!!  Again!!  Since I had already had a recent round of antibiotics with the root canal work, Dr. Culbertson gave me a prescription for the Z-Pack version. I headed to the drug store and got my meds and then headed home for another nap. Goodness.

Wednesday I canceled all the things I had on my calendar and spent one more day taking my antibiotic and more napping with lots of liquids.

Thursday I planned to take Papa grocery shopping.  After a phone call to him we determined he could go another day without shopping and wanted another day to rest. I felt the same way so we postponed our shopping till Friday.

Friday morning I baked the cake for the cake walk at Sadieville in September on Saturday. I did a few other things in our home and then ventured out in the afternoon. Papa was beginning to feel a bit better but still had deep chest coughs. We went to Zaxby's for lunch, then I took him to the furniture store to see what would be his new chair in a few days, then we got his groceries and took him home.  Then I went home for a rest for the remainder of the day.

Saturday was Sadieville in September and I was outside all day long.  The allergies hit again big time.  By the end of the day I was sitting in City Hall waiting for Claude and feeling very nauseous. Claude brought the car around and took me home where I curled up for the rest of the evening. Claude did go back to be sure everything ended up okay after the Festival.

I'm making slow progress.  Friday the 13th was the first day I could say I actually began to feel normal. Didn't want the nap in the middle of the day. And I actually felt like accomplishing things again.

Bronchitis is something I seem to get each winter.  I have assured Claude this was and is my winter turn at that illness.  No more should happen the rest of this year.  I look forward to breathing deeply again.