Category: Life

Here we are at the end of another year. I remember at the start of 2016 being so full of hope, and yet, it seems like in this big world of ours, so many things went very wrong.

Terrorism is running rampant, people are being so unkind to each other, and then there are the terrible losses the world has faced. Actors, Actresses, and Musicians, that wrote the music and lyrics of our life, have passed from this world.

And just before Christmas, two Seniors at my Alma Mater, Falmouth High School, were killed in an automobile accident. Two 17 year old boys, lost in a split second. Understanding the loss of a child, makes these deaths all the harder to bear.

There have been other things, personally that have made 2016 difficult for me.  A botched surgery, a problem with medications, and living with pain, until I can see a specialist have really gotten to me.

However, before I become lost in the world of sadness, I remind myself of all of the good.

Our darling Quinn was born. Not only is he healthy and happy, but he is quite remarkable! He is walking, which means he is also falling, but the little guy picks himself right up and away he goes again. Quinn is tough! And he is all boy. This is something wonderful and new, as I never had a son. I really like having a grandson and marvel in his fabulous personality.

My granddaughter also amazes me. At 4 and a half years old, Savannah is all girl. She is sensitive, sweet, has her eye on fashions and dolls and cooking, but most of all, she adores her brother. And Lili! It’s the funniest thing. I expected she would like the smaller dachshunds more because they are close to her size. But no. She met our Lili, big (75 pounds) white and a bit of a klutz, and she loves her.

I also see how lucky I am to have good and loving family and friends, a roof over my head, warm clothes to wear and food in my belly!

I am hoping that 2017 will be the year of goodness, not just for my spine, but for the world around me. Although I know that  life is like this. Both good things and bad things happen, people are born and people leave us, it is my hope that we will see more peace and happiness and love around us all.

I guess in the end I am lucky to have my faith in God. Through him I have hope and that will make 2017 a good year. Hope.

Over the weekend our clothes dryer died. It’s 17 years old and I wasn’t feeling too bad about it, but then we started to price gas dryers and the installation. All I can say is, Oh my gosh! Expensive!

It would be over $1000.00 to buy the dryer and then have it converted to propane, and hooked up!

We had it repaired one time and it’s been perfect since. In fact, aside from heating up, the dryer works fine.

So, we’ve decided to call the repair man, who also does installs and talk to him. He can do the unhook of the old dryer and the installation on a new one, as he has a license for this. Need to figure out cost efficiency.

Meanwhile, I’ve been doing small loads of laundry that I hang up in our guest bathroom to dry. Not the best, but better than nothing!

Recently, I have been thinking about how people treat each other. You know, there are a lot of people spewing hatred, not just at political candidates, but at each other.

I will be 58 in a few weeks. Do you know what I have learned in all of that time? To be nice. Gosh, what is wrong with people?

I see it day after day, people really going out of their way to be filled with hatred and to treat other people in a way, that they, themselves would not wish to be treated.

I am not saying that we all need to go around liking everyone around us. That’s unrealistic, as we all are different people. What I am saying is, be nice.

Do you have family members that you really aren’t crazy about? Okay, so these relatives may not be your favorite, but my Grandmother told me once, that there was no excuse for being rude, or vicious. Family is family. Be polite. Be nice!

Forget about what we see on the news, or reality TV. I have to tell you, I’ve stopped watching news. I’ve become a fan of BUZZR, which is a Classic Game Show network.

Why, you might ask? Because I am so sick of lies, politics, nastiness and people saying terrible things about each other.

I know some people will say that it’s just politics as usual. Well, I don’t think so. People have been commenting on their “friends” FB pages, saying terrible things, because they do not agree with their politics.

People, life is short. Be kind.

It was just about a week ago that I woke up with a sore throat. Now that term usually means that you have a tickle in your throat that prompts a cough, but this was really sore. When I drank anything it actually stung. I had Hubby look at my throat and he declared it ‘bright red’ and sore looking.

By bedtime I was having chills, and all I wanted was my bed, a couple of warm dackels around me and to sleep. Sleep was not to come though, as the fever rose to 102.6 and the chills got even worse.

By the following morning I was bed ridden. By this this I mean, I chose to stay in bed and try not to infect Hubby. So my juice, ginger ale and crackers came into my room, and Hubby brought me chicken noodle soup a couple times a day to keep my strength up.

Hubby was worried that it might be something besides a cold, but aside from the usual stuffy head and now a persistent cough and fever, I didn’t think it was more than that. We monitored the temperature, and if it had gone to 103, I would have called the doctor.

The fever lasted through the weekend, and then on Sunday night it seemed to break. But the cough and stuffiness are still with me.

However, on Sunday Hubby woke and told me that he had a sore throat! Not only that but he was stuffy, and coughing. So far no high fever, but he tends not to get them like I do.

So now it is my turn to take care of him, and I hope that his cold will not develop into something worse. I heard him coughing all night, and he is sneezing like crazy and scaring the dogs! I’ve told him he must stay in bed today and do a lot of sleeping. I hope this helps.

I simply hate colds. They tend to drag on and on, and there is not much you can do, but wait them out!

It is raining. It is raining hard. It’s raining like it has not rained in a very long time! Torrential downpours!

And our kitchen skylight is leaking! Not just a little leak, but a constant long stream of water, running down my kitchen ceiling!

We tried reseating the window. We have mopped, we have tried to stop it. To no avail!

We read about “fixing” it and the how to’s all tell you to replace the window after 10 years. It’s been 17. So tomorrow, Hubby will call and see if we can get some estimates and get the window fixed.

I am just frantic. I really hate it when things go wrong like this!

Ugh!

For those who know me, I have been talking about cleaning out my office for years. I will claim 9 years, but really, we’ve been in this house 17 years and the office was sort of the catch-all throughout this time.

Finally I finished up most of it around tax time, when Hubby needed the seclusion of the office to cry over our taxes, but today (Saturday) I finished with the vacuuming, the dusting, and making up the twin bed in there. Just in time for my cousin, Janet to come for a visit. She will be the first guest ever to sleep in there!

I will post pictures on Monday of the room, but suffice to say, it’s looking pretty dang good!

I have finally surfaced after 5 days snuggled under all my covers in my bedroom. The TV was on Marathon episodes of Blue Bloods, and I slept. Long sleeps, sometimes, filled with coughing, but in a way, also determined to kick this case of the flu.

Thankfully, today I rose, feeling somewhat better, fever finally gone, and the recovery begins.

Of course I am royally ticked off about being sick. Being sick when there is a new baby in the family really stinks. It means you are quite literally, the last person anyone wants to see. And truth be told, I wouldn’t want to get my grandchildren or their parents ill.

The most wonderful of news is that my daughter is feeling so much better and Quinn is just a joy. Savannah adores her brother and Mandy, Matt and their children have enjoyed the bonding time.

They are the center of their universe. As it should be, quite happily so.

Something wonderful is happening. I cannot tell you just what yet, but I will report in as soon as I can.  There is someone new coming to town.

Well it’s Sunday night and frankly, I am amazed at how fast we weekend went. Perhaps it was the excitement of the Pond Hockey, maybe the meals I prepared for the Super Bowl, or maybe it was just that I am finally starting to sleep better after the surgery left me unable to sleep for long periods of time.

My new bed has helped with that, but also the healing. The one thing I cannot seem to adjust to is the fact that I can no longer sleep on my stomach. Fifty-seven years ago, mothers put their babies on their bellies to sleep. Mom always claimed that it helped rid me of colic. Quite frankly, I have always liked belly sleeping, and I really miss it.

Now I am trying to get used to sleeping on my sides. Being on my back is almost a fate worse than death. So I roll around a bit.

I’m watching the Super Bowl, but honestly I am not as excited as I would be if our team, the Patriots were playing.

I have started watching Premier League Soccer and Bundesliga Soccer. I am really amazed at how these men can run the length of the soccer field for that duration. Think about it. They have to be in peak shape! And I bet they burn a ton of calories, as there isn’t a fat soccer player on the fields!

So, after much consideration, I’ve decided to go to Europe and become a soccer player. It may be the only way to break my current weight problems!

Happy Monday, everyone!