56 Years and Counting...

Monday, February 9th, I slept in. Not sure if it was the barometric pressure changes or what, but I was very, very achy. I found a comfortable spot in our bed under our wonderful flannel sheets and simply didn't want to move because it hurt all over so much. 

I was able to get more done on the baby afghan. I got to the rows that begin to repeat the pattern. This always makes the work go a bit more easily. I have done this pattern before and than helps me read the pattern more easily. 

I also finished the 2nd book in The Book of Enoch. I came across something that I shared with our family. 

        "I am reading "The Book of Enoch". It is an apocryphal book. I read this bit today and thought about our Trivial Pursuit question about the 5th sense. Here are the Lord's words to Enoch regarding creating human faculties (think senses):

        "I gave humans seven faculties: hearing to the flesh, sight to the eyes, smell to the soul, touch to the veins, taste to the blood, endurance to the bones, and enjoyment to the intelligence."

        Just thought ya'll might find that interesting.

Then I finished up my Blog for the previous week and put the pictures away.

This was a bit warmer day. The high was forecast for 46 degrees. I could actually see some grass along the edge of the sidewalk. 

In the evening, I received a message from Katelyn. She was trying to have a Family Home Evening with her kids about Noah's Ark. She knows I love Noah's Ark. She was wondering if I could participate in their Family Home Evening. I quickly responded yes. Then went to Sandiland and found my autographed book of Noah's Ark. I did a video call to the Ropers. Claude held the book while I read the story. It was great to be able to participate like that. 

Tuesday, February 10th, my day was consumed by going to the Vascular Surgeon. The appointment was at 2pm. Claude drove me so we could have a meal together in Lexington. I knew they were going to do an ultrasound on my legs again. This was done last year by another office. I was surprised when she said I had a $200+ co-pay. We have not had to pay anything in a LONG time. We are starting a new year and I haven't reached my deductible yet. Is that really a goal I want to reach!?  

The appointment went well. One tech did the ultrasound on both legs while another tech did a blood pressure test. The blood pressure test has her putting blood pressure cuffs on my arms and at my ankles. The ultrasound was testing the blood flow on the main artery from my groin to my feet. Fortunately, the gel she used was heated. Yeah!! Both tests went fairly quickly and then I went to see the PA to get the results and determine what to do in the future. 

The PA drew a very nice diagram of my heart with the artery running to the tops of my legs where it splits into two arteries doing down the front of my legs. At the ankles it splits into three to cover the feet. All the tests run that day showed I have 100% blood flow at my arms at the shoulder level and 100% blood flow at my ankles. Around the calf area I have some blockage but since I have 100% at each end this is not a concern. If I had diabetes or if I had sores on my feet or legs, there would be concern. I had the option of returning in one year or watching of anything more concerning to appear and calling to come in. I opted to watch and call. I will let Dr. Fine, my podiatrist, be my guide. 

At this point I am happy with the neurology office treatment and feel it is helping. I will continue to go to them every few months. They are the office that did the nerve tests. Between then and Dr. Fine, I will progress as best I can. 

When all of that was finished, Claude and I opted to go to Schlotzsky's for a sandwich for our meal-of-the-day. We were almost in two wrecks on Nicholasville Road. This is a mad street to drive in on the best of days. However, with piles of snow in turn lanes, it was exceptionally dangerous. Claude missed the turn on Tiverton for Schlotzsky's. while trying to avoid a wreck. We went down to Man O'War and turned right and found a back road to Tiverton. That will be our route to Schlotzsky's from this point forward. The sandwiches were delicious. So fun to get to eat something we can't get in Georgetown. 

In the evening, Hayden sent us a funny. This was the first day in many weeks we were out of freezing temperatures. We actually made it to 64 degrees. Hayden is in Chicago. He sent this meme with the comment 44 degrees outside! I assured him he cracked me up!

Wednesday, February 11th, we had a Bojangles breakfast. We got to talking. I ran out of soda. Claude went thru the drive-thru and got us each another. Then we pulled into a different spot with the sun behind our backs. We sat in the Jeep with our biscuits and soda for 3 hours talking. It was wonderful. I do love these biscuit breakfasts. 

I was able to do some more on my crochet project. Actually, I had to undo two rows the night before and I did them again and found that one of them was not right. I undid that row and redid it and added some more rows. All I can say it that it is a good thing this had no deadline to be accomplished. It is a killer for my right arm. But I enjoy it so much. Tylenol is my friend to keep doing this.

I then finished the 3rd book in The Book of Enoch. It was such an interesting read. I didn't get all of parts of it. I found things that sounded like true principles or interesting turns on principles. Those I highlights in pink. I read that Enoch's wife's name was Edna. That kind of took me aback. It was a good read and I am glad I now have it in my library. Now, on to read Lost Horizon by Hames Hilton. 

My cousin, Jean Tubbs, has angiosarcoma cancer. This is a rare, very aggressive form of cancer that  forms in the lining of blood vessels and lymph vessels. It can return and metastasize. Jean had surgery, followed by chemo and radiation. They thought it was gone. It has returned and is in her head and chest. She is now back to chemo. Her daughter, Georgann, has started a fund raiser to help with all the cost of this second round. I admire her greatly for doing this but I don't live in southern Louisiana and really don't want to purchase and have something shipped to me. I wanted to simply make a donation from Claude and me. We were able to get that done this day. It is a little but it is sent with much love and prayers. Jean is Uncle Clifford's daughter. Uncle Clifford is my mother's brother. Uncle Clifford and and Billie had three kids. Sue, Jean and Burton. They are roughly me and my sisters ages. I have so many great memories of us all playing in the woods around Grampa and Gramma Fisch's old home place. 

Claude and I decided to try KFC for dinner. Went through the drive-thru and brought it home. I had my chicken strips but no coleslaw. Such is life. 

We would finish our day by finished watching the Psych television series. 

Thursday, February 12th, would be a productive day in preparation for a weekend getaway.

I was able to listen to a podcast that Claude shared with me. It was about the 85% rule. It was excellent. It spoke to the fact that 85% of people don't live to 82 years of age. This is because of their choices. He described 5 areas of importance and went through those areas two times. He gave great examples of the area and how to apply it in our daily life. I was so impressed by his podcast, I typed an outline of the general concepts and have placed it on our refrigerator as a constant reminder. Here is my list:

Why 85% don’t make past 82 years old.

MISTAKE  /  CORRECTION

1) Long unbroken periods of sitting

        • Every 30 minutes stand and stretch.

        • Intense workout not necessary after 60. Frequency is more important.

        • Build motion into your life.

2) Social isolation

        • 1-2 meaningful regular connections

        • Connection is your job.

        • Don’t leave relationships to chance

3) Voice in head saying “I’m too old for that.”

        • Keep learning. New hobby. Read different book.

        • Treat your brain like a muscle.

4) Bad Sleep

        • Structure. Plan for it.

                o Habits to queue your body it is time to sleep. No screens 1 hour before sleep.
                        No caffeine after 2pm.

        • Treat your bedroom as if it is a temple.

5) Giving up on the future

        • As long as you are breathing, you have a future.

        • Purpose keeps people alive. Find your reason.

        • Refuse to be forgotten.

        • Make plans.

Claude and I had a talk before he heard this podcast about where we were in our lives. We had both been feeling a little sad. We couldn't put our finger on a reason. We are grateful for our lives and what we fill them with. We felt like this very cold, snowy January was part of the reason. We have closed all our blinds to keep out the cold and it can feel very isolating, especially when you are used to having them open all the time. We feel a decline in our physical abilities. How much of that is normal and how much is not. Those kinds of things were what we were feeling and were contributing to the sad feeling. When Claude heard this podcast, it was spot on to what we needed to hear. Now, we simply need to take it to heart and keep moving, interacting with others, learning, sleeping better and not giving up on our future. 

Friday, February 13th, was our 56th anniversary. We were going to fill this weekend with us. That would start with a Bojangles breakfast to eat on the road as we drove to Seymour, Indiana. 

We had a 1pm appointment to learn to make candles. The appointment was at Oma & Opa's Pour House in Seymour, Indiana. After about a two hour drive, we arrived a bit early for our appointment. 

This was a tiny storefront business. This main room had the types of containers you could choose to make your candle in, the scents you could select for your candle fragrance and work tables set with different settings depending on the type of candle you will be making. 

This was my work place setting. I would pour my wax into the blue jar container behind. The little chrome container on the left is for measuring out the fragrance. The wax would go into the chrome cup. I would pour the fragrance into the cup and stir with the spoon for 3 minutes. There was a 3-minute sand clock timer to let me know how long to stir the fragrance and wax together. Then I would pour the blend into the blue jar. The black frame around the top is to hold up the wick as the wax cools and solidifies. The ladies husband makes these frames with his 3-D printer. 

This was workplace for Claude's candle. He chose a wooden bowl for his candle. He had a bit more work to do to put his candle together. The wooden bowl would have three wicks in it. The wicks had a sticker on the bottom that he would remove and place each in a circle cut out of the black plastic guide which is at the bottom of this bowl. Once he had the wicks stuck in place, the black plastic frame was put over them and the wicks were threaded through three holes in the frame. This would keep them up as the wax solidified. Claude chose to combine two fragrances. The glass beaker would be his measuring cup and the metal scale on the lower right of his tray would measure the exact amount he should have of fragrance. The lady put his wax in the metal pitcher on the top left of his tray. Claude would take the metal spoon and stir his fragrance mix into the was for 3-minutes using the a 3-minute sand clock timer. Then he would carefully pour this mixture into the wooden bowl.

A bit about the fragrances...they have over 70 different fragrances. You can use one or mix up to three fragrances. We had sheets with lists on the front and back. The yellow column was the single fragrances. If you mixed, the other columns to the right were suggestions of fragrances that go well together. This was just a guide, you could mix as you liked. I had magnolia in my head as soon as we chose this for our anniversary trip. I grew up in Louisiana. Magnolia is the state flower. My mother loved magnolias. Papa worked for the telephone company. He would walk to Betty Virginia Park on his lunch break and pick a magnolia blossom for my mother. She would place it on the mantel in the living room and the fragrance from one flower would fill that whole room. I loved it. Magnolia would be my choice. Claude went for a citrus fragrance mix of blood orange and citrus agave. We loved our blood oranges when on the Amalfi Coast. It turned out to be a great choice.

The owner took this picture of Claude and I in her shop. We are wearing t-shirts that Nissa and Todd gave us for our anniversary. They say "Love Will Keep Us Alive". This is my favorite Eagles song and it sung by Timothy B. Schmidt. The candles needed to cool before we could take them with us. We would come back later and pick them up. 

We walked down the street to the museum. The Seymour Museum Center, located at Third and Chestnut Streets, features a restored Civil War soldier statue placed outside by the Grand Army of the Republic in 1890. I really wanted to find out who this statue depicted. I believe it was to represent all who served not in honor of one specific person. The museum, housed in the former 1916 post office/city hall, displays local history and is in the downtown area. Unfortunately, the museum was closed. Don't you think the hat and scarf are a good addition for winter?

I asked Claude what he might want to do as we had about a hour before we could check into the hotel. He really wanted a chocolate shake. We drove past the Dairy Queen, which was closed for the season, and found a Steak & Shake. Their chocolate shake hit the spot. We had a bit of time to reflect on our 56 years. 

We checked into our hotel and sat till time to pick up our candles. After getting our candles, we drove a few blocks over to Mae's Townhouse for our meal-of-the-day. 

Mae's Townhouse has been a restaurant in this area for many years. It has changed owners several times, almost closing several times. But the locals love it, so someone has always stepped up and kept it going. It is all home cooking. I had country fried steak, mashed potatoes and gravy (lunch sized portion) and Claude had the fish plate (special for the day). 

As we sat there in our anniversary t-shirts, Claude commented about a cute little girl sitting at the counter. She was dressed in a frilly dress covered in hearts. She was wearing a headband with two hearts bobbing around on top. We grinned at her and kept on talking. In a few minutes, she came over to our table and gave us this piece of plastic. My heart melted. I told her how special this day was to us, that we were celebrating 56 years of marriage, and that 'love' was the perfect thing to give us. She stayed at our table and talked until our food arrived. She was 8 years old. She loved reading and math. I shared pictures of our family with her. It was simply delightful. What a treat. 

After dinner, we stopped at a gas station to get a sweet for dessert and some water for our room. Then back to the hotel for the evening. Other than the television remote not working and the front desk clerk quickly fixing that situation, we had a great evening. We exchanged our gifts. Claude gave me Arwen's pendant which she gave to Aragorn. I gave me gift cards to three restaurants we enjoy so we could continue having fun into our 57th year. Claude also put another nickel in the nickel jar when we returned home. We have 56 nickels, one for each year of our marriage.

Saturday, February 14th, We slept in a bit. Then we went to Dunkin' Donuts for breakfast. Andie and Michael gave us a Highway Showdown game for Christmas. We answered the questions in one of the decks of cards in the box. Trivia can be a very generational kind of game. Some of the musicians and actors we were totally clueless about. That is very generational. We still have the second deck of cards for our trip to Dallas later in the year. 

We had planned to meet Michael and Andie at Red Hot. This is a restaurant in Louisville they tried and enjoyed. It features hot dogs and hamburgers and a couple of salads. Claude had a bratwurst dog with his choice of toppings. I am not a fan of bratwurst so I chose a salad with all veggies and a bit of bacon. This restaurant was set in a place called Mash Up. It featured a number of little restaurants along two outer walls and center of the building. Then other two walls had areas for kids to play as well as a stadium seating area with a big screen where the Olympics were being shown. If I lived in downtown Louisville, a place like this would figure big on my list of favorites to visit, especially if I had kids. 

One of the businesses was a bakery. Michael bought a box of day-old backed goods. He and Andie included a chocolate turtle because I LOVE turtles. This made an excellent dessert for the four of us. We had a lovely time with Michael and Andie. 

Then we headed home. We unpacked and placed our candles in our home. I put my magnolia candle on the little table in the bathroom. Claude put his blood orange/citrus agave candle on the coffee table in the living room. We were told to let them sit for a least a week before burning them. Something in the chemistry helps the fragrance and the wax mixture to bind and cure together. We love these candles. 

Katelyn posted picture of Raelyn. She had her first volleyball game. She is such a bundle of energy. The child has not one ounce of fat on her. She is all muscle. Volleyball could be her game. She does enjoy soccer.

Sunday, February 15th, we determined we would have one more day together. We did talk with Kris, Cordell's wife (Cordell is Claude's younger brother). She gave us an update on Cordell's health. It is really difficult. They are wading through it heroically. We had a nice dinner at Cattlemen's Roadhouse. Claude did participate in a Zoom meeting. It was a nice ending day to our anniversary celebration. 

Katelyn posted a picture of her and Joel having a little son/mother date. So very cute. 

Time to begin year 57!