What I Did This Weekend

Miss Marple 2

Our host is Gattina. Come join us and tell us what YOU did this past weekend! After all, you never know when you will need an alibi!

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My friends Candy and DeVere are here visiting from Florida, so today I will post a few pictures from our travels around New Hampshire.

We visited Boise Rock.

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There is the story, above and the actual rock below.

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A memorial plaque to the Old Man of the Mountains.

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The Notches along the Kancamagus Highway.

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And some of the best Salt Water Taffy ever!

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We also had a little stow away!

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Happy Monday Everyone!

Thursday Thirteen

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Here are thirteen things happening right now.

  1. I had the first reconstruction of my nose done on Monday.
  2. It’s looking good, but he isn’t kidding about taking things easy.
  3. I say this because I was doing things around the house today, and my nose began to bleed.
  4. Doing things too early…bad!
  5. I lay down in my recliner and pressed the area that was bleeding for 10 minutes.
  6. It stopped, but when I tried to move again, the bleeding started.
  7. I think it is a bit more swollen tonight.
  8. I guess it is to be expected.
  9. July 10 13 003

  10. Thank goodness for ice packs and pain medication.
  11. I am so hopeful, really I am!
  12. I remind myself over and over…patience!
  13. Mom will be moved to Hospice Care soon.
  14. Then I begin the process of saying good-bye and allowing myself to grieve.

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Mom, in the center with (from left to right) Me, Melodie, and cousin’s Larry and Janet. This was just in April, before Mom was diagnosed.

After

Monday was the big day. I’ve been stressing about it for a while, but in the end, I really didn’t need to. Dr. P. was wonderful. He explained everything he was doing and we also talked about life, planes and dogs.  It put me at ease.

During the operation one of the nurses exclaimed “Oh Dr. P.,this looks so beautiful!” He laughed and said, “Ah, you like my work!”

Frankly folks, I like his work! I have taken pictures and compared them, and my nose has gone from a big lumpy, bumpy, mess to a profile line. Nice and straight!

See, here we are before and after.

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Isn’t this amazing?

I do feel tired tonight and a little bit in pain, but emotionally, I am feeling worlds better! You see, I will have a nose! A real life, normal nose!

Hubby is warming up some spaghetti sauce that I made last fall, and although I don’t feel like spaghetti he’s cooking me some cheese ravioti with sauce. Good!

It’s nice after you have gone through surgery like this to feel so positive, and to lie your doctor even more than you did before.

Life is once again, good!

What I Did This Past Weekend

Miss Marple 2

Our host is Gattina. Come join us and tell us what YOU did this past weekend! After all, you never know when you will need an alibi!

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This past weekend I worked like crazy to prepare the house for the next week or so. Today, Monday July 8, 2013, I am having the first of my reconstructive surgery. I am excited and scared all at the same time.

The good part is that I think I have healed pretty well in the last 8 weeks and I think the surgeon has more to work with.

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May

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July

Anyway, all weekend there was laundry to be done, a guest room to be cleaned and gardens to be watered. Busy, busy, busy!

One of my best friends from Florida is coming on Saturday. We haven’t seen each other in several years. I have not met her husband. So, I am excited, so is Hubby.

So, we leave here by 10 AM, and head to Boston. As usual I have hired a doggy sitter to take care of the beasts! I am always happy to now they will be well cared for.

Ben & Jerry Are Not My Friends

Have I mentioned that I decided to stop feeling sorry for myself and get back to following the Weight Watcher’s diet?

Well, yes, seems I am a ‘stress eater’ and with all that’s been going on Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia Ice Cream, has made far too many stops at my house!

My weight really became problematic, when I no longer could zip up my pants, even with the assistance of Vaseline and pliers!

So, last Wednesday I not only returned to class, but started to act like a newbie! I stayed after class, listened to my Leader, Pam explain the program and went through all the literature again.

It’s amazing how sloppy I got. Not writing things down, sort of cheating by not writing things down and then saying on Monday, oh, I’ll be better Tuesday and then Tuesday would come and so did the ice cream container of Ben & Jerry.

I need to knuckle down, eat healthy foods and most of all…WRITE IT DOWN!

I also need to stop feeling sorry for myself, which is the main cause of my depression fueled eating.

Now, Monday will be my next operation. Dr. P.  will start working to redo my face. He will start with the bottom of my nose and work his way up. I keep telling myself to relax and not expect miracles. I know this will take a long time and I must have patience.

Just like I need with my weight loss.

So stay tuned!

Life Goes On

We started the day with no air conditioning in our bedroom. I thought we should just go out and buy a new one, but Hubby felt we needed to clean it thoroughly and all would be well.

We found mus in the evaporator and everything was clogged up, so we used the compressor to blow the crap out, and then used the hope to clean the filter.

Now the problem we have is, in this humidity, nothing is drying out! We have not been able to get it to start again…which of course means we will be sleeping with no air conditioning again tonight! That will be tough.

Hubby, me and the dogs are all in a grouchy mood today, because we did not sleep much last night in the heat!

Oy, please have that sill machine work before bed!

Mom has been moved to a rehab center now. Not that there is much they can do to rehab her, but it is sort of a stop along the road. It is close to my sister’s house and will be easier for her to go to.

Meanwhile, life goes on.

Back Home

I’m back from Connecticut. I spent time with my mom. I held her, I hugged her and kissed her. I listened to her talk about her life, I listened to her talk about those who have gone before her, and how she has missed those special people in her life.

She is not afraid to die. She has a wonderful deep belief in God, Jesus Christ and the afterlife. She knows where she is going.

I spoke with her doctors, I heard what they had to say, and although I think it is harder for some of our family to hear, mom is not going to get better. The cancer is spreading, she is getting weaker, and soon she will slip away.

My mother and I found a peace with each other. We were able to tell each other that we love each other.

It is good to be home again. The heat has been brutal, and now I am home I am sitting with my feet up, in the air conditioning with a couple of dackels around me. Yes, it’s good to be home!

Off I Go…

I’m heading to Connecticut today. Mom has taken a turn for the worse and I want to be there. She has stopped eating and it seems her kidneys are shutting down. Although she has said all she needs is my sister, I’m thinking that this is probably not true any longer. I think she does, at least, need me to come and see her again, before she starts her journey to the other side.

Even if our mother doesn’t need me, I know my sister does, so I will be going down more to be with her than anything.

It seems very sad when you realize that when she is gone Mel and I, along with my cousins, (formerly known as the kids of our family), will be the senior members of the clan. All those beloved Aunts, Uncles and Grandparents, gone from this world. And soon, Mom.

On Monday I worked like mad on Laundry, cleaning and packing. Hubby will have to manage himself and the dogs. I hate leaving them, but it’s important that I go.

I’ll be keeping you all posted.

What I Did This Past Weekend

Miss Marple 2

Our host is Gattina. Come join us and tell us what YOU did this past weekend! After all, you never know when you will need an alibi!

***************

The last week I simply have not slept well. Thus, all weekend, it was much the same. Me crashing late at night and then up with the dogs at the stroke of 7 AM. Have I mentioned, I am not a morning person?

Coffee and quiet has been the saving grace. Except then Sunday morning I woke to a long, hard, thunderstorm! None of the dogs would venture out, not even Fritz, who will almost always go out.

But, let’s work our way back to Saturday.

I spent most of the day running errands, doing laundry, and cleaning the kitchen area. Why is it that I cannot ever seem to get it done? I feel like I am always cleaning or doing laundry. The cooking part, I love, so no complaints there.

Around three we got a call from our next door neighbors, for a last minute cookout. With Lamb, Spanakopita and salad. You would have to be crazy (or my cousin) to turn down a meal like that! We, naturally accepted!!!

Since I hate to arrive without something in hand, I quickly whipped up a gingerbread cake. It was a new mix I was trying and all I can say is ‘WOW’! It was a mix I’d gotten at the King Arthur Museum and shop and it was fantastic! I need to get a few more boxes of that to have on hand just for this sort of last minute cake! It took me 45 minutes and  at the end of the meal half of the sheet cake was gone!

Then, as we were cleaning up two families arrived with their kids. I think there were 5 kids, but 5 kids under the age of 10 made it feel like much more! It all made me smile.

The adults also were quite interesting. A man who owns a gym in Pensacola, FL and  Erik and Ellie Weihenmayer. Erik holds the record for being the first blind man to climb Mount Everest and Mount Ararat. He has written several books and has not allowed his blindness to limit the possibilities in his life. His amazing wife, is a sweet delightful woman, who treats Erik like anyone else. I found myself feeling awkward at one point when we said good-bye, and I wish I was so cool that I could be as terrific as his wife.

Their two kids were also delightful, and I was so please to become acquainted with their entire family!

You see, it made me realize that we are the only ones capable of ‘letting ourselves down’!

The night ended very late, and since we all know my brain goes to sleep at 9:30 PM, when we got in at 11 o’clock, I was totally wiped out.

I was up early due to the hard rain storm. Once again, Hubby slept in, and I kept the dogs quiet for a while.

After Hubby woke, we did breakfast and I started the laundry part of my day and the cleaning.

Now he is getting the nets ready for the cherry trees and I am continuing to work on meals, laundry and writing. The usual!

My cousins, Janet and Dave stopped by with both Rainbow and lake trout! Yay! It will be for dinner tonight and again in a few more days. I just love fresh fish!

The week ahead will be a busy one. Hubby will be staying home with the pups, while I drive down to see my sister and my mother. I’ll also be going to a baby shower for my nephew’s and niece in law’s twin boys. They were born on May 31 at 32 weeks and are both doing well.

Have a wonderful week!