Category: Friday Five

I’m down to three weeks until my surgery. I feel like it should be less than that, but then January is a long month. In the next three weeks I have appointments each week that I must get to, for pre-op stuff, and getting my hair done. That is very important because I need the back of my head to have slightly shorter hair so it won’t be near the incision. Anyway, here are the things I’ve been thinking about this week.

1. I’m ready for Spring. It’s been cold and icy and gray and I have simply had enough of it. We still have snow in the yard, and ice everywhere as well. I know it is only January, but really, I’m done!
2. My 5 year old love-seat/recliner had a problem. The handle you pull to lift the feet, started to break. I heard a weird noise and stopped using that side of the recliner. The only problem is I am right handed and when I sit on the left side there is no place for my right hand, no place for my right hand to hold a mouse. I also had no table for my cup and no place for my phone. I know, wah, wah, wah! But it just seemed like the one thing I didn’t want to think about right now.
3. So I got up after breakfast and announced I was going to look for a new chair. I needed something before the surgery that I can sit in comfortably.
4. Hubby got right up, flipped the chair and spent about 2 hours until he found the problem and fixed it. We ordered a new pulley, (for when the current one does break), but for now we know why it had so much pressure on it and how to keep it from happening again.
5. And lastly, a fond farewell to Mary Tyler Moore. I loved watching all her shows and thought she was an amazing Comedienne. She also seemed to be a nice person. Rest in Peace, Mary. may you find the happiness and joy that often eluded you on this earth.

I have had an amazingly good week. What this means is that I have been able to get a few things done, I was able to meditate the pain to a bearable level, and I actually went out on my own. So here are the top five things for this week.

1. I had not seen my dearest friend Carol in over two months. Carol is like a mother to me and I have known her nearly 9 years. I called her and we met for breakfast at Friendly’s and sat and talked and talked. It was wonderful!
2. Lili has been enjoying the cold, fresh snow. She loves leaping and jumping and running in circles. Oh the energy this doggy has!
3. I’ve been cooking and freezing, getting ready for the big day. I made Caribbean Banana Bread with spiced rum and it came out so well.
4. Tomorrow I am making tuna casserole and will divide it up and freeze half. Anything I can do to make things easier for Hubby after my surgery, I will do.
5. And lastly, we are saying farewell to Arnie and Anneliese’s daddy, Bernie. He was just a few weeks shy of his 13th birthday. He was a Master Earth Dog, and could track a wounded animal with the best of them. He sired several litters, but the ones I enjoyed the most were the 10 pups he sired with Greta. Rest in peace dear, furry friend. You will be remembered always by those who knew you and loved you, and by being the sire to all those amazing pups.

Bernie on the left and Greta on the right, during their first date.

It’s Friday once again, and this time it is Friday the 13th. I’ve never been too superstitious, so I’m not too concerned about this. Are you?

Here are this week’s Friday Five things that I am thinking about.

1. Yesterday I went through my books and have two large grocery bags for the Library, book sale. And two bags for the local Church lending library. I kept a few books that I love to reread, like The Harry Potter books, and a few others.
2. After that I sort of had to take it easy. My spine seems good for one small job per day and then I have to rest it.
3. I am really looking forward to my spinal surgery. I know this sounds strange, but since I have one of the best doctors performing the surgery, I finally see the light at the end of the tunnel and the end to my pain!
4. Hubby has been helping me get the house ready for my surgery. It’s all a matter of cleaning, organizing and preparing.
5. Is anyone else watching “This Is Us”? It has to be one of the best shows on broadcast TV. I love this show and the wonderful and unique characters! My other favorite show, “Homeland” comes back on, this Sunday night on Showtime! And lastly “Patriot’s Day” opens today at our local theater. We are planning to go to the opening showing at 1:00.

Have a great weekend!

Another week has gone by and that means it’s time for The Friday Five! It’s been a busy week, with Hubby and I going to Boston for my appointment, and then working hard to whip this place into shape 15 minutes at a time. My goal right now is to have everything set up to make my recovery easy for me and for Hubby.

So, without further ado…

1. I am actually looking forward to the surgery. Although I know that it will hurt at first, I am so hopeful that the recovery will lead to no more pain!
2. I’m able to do light housework for about 15-20 minutes at a time, and so I am cleaning out closets and drawers and we have been filling up the back of the Highlander with neatly folded, washed, and bagged clothes and shoes and jackets for our local Christian Charity shop.
3. I also plan to go through my books and donate all my read books that I do not need to save,  to our local library for their book sale.
4. Next are my kitchen drawers. How many potato peelers do I need! Time to lighten my load!
5. I would also love to get a slip cover for my love-seat. I’m afraid the material is wearing out and looking very ratty.

So, that wraps it up for my first Friday of 2017! Have a great weekend, everyone!!!

Tis the season to be jolly!

Here we are, December 23 and Christmas is just around the corner. My shopping is done, wrapping will commence tomorrow as well as my yearly watching of It’s a Wonderful Life! But this week’s Friday Five finds me looking back over the year and being very thankful for a few very important things.

1. Our darling grandson, Quinn tops the chart. I cannot tell you how thankful we are that Quinn is happy, healthy and beautiful.  At nine months old he is already quite the character. The boy is walking!

He also will eat anything put in front of him. He is happy and loving and adores his big sister and family. Yes, Quinn brought so much joy into our lives with his arrival.

2. Miss Savannah continues to grow and become more and more dear in the process. At four years old, she is smart and determined, and she loves with her whole heart.

She is such a beauty too, with long light auburn hair and hazel eyes, like her Mommy. She is a kind child and seems to watch over other kids, especially her baby brother.

  3. My daughter Amanda. She is amazing! I stayed with her and the family for a few weeks after my surgery to recover, and I witnessed her working at her job, from home. I listened to her in a conference call and I was so proud of the way she spoke. Not so much what she was saying, but the sound of her voice, her ability to answer questions quickly and efficiently and her manners are impeccable.

She is also the best Mom ever. As I watched her juggle motherhood, job and a sick mother, Me,  I felt honored to be the mother of such a remarkable woman.

   

4. My cousin, Janet. She was there for me during my recovery. Helping me with broken cell phones, shopping for clothes I could wear that didn’t hurt my incision, and bringing me to her home for Thanksgiving, where we did everything from eat, watch wonderful movies and play Cards Against Humanity!

   

She comforted me and made me feel so very loved.

5. My sister. Always my sister. For she loves me no matter what, warts and all. And I love her. One thing I love about my sister is that her heart is really very pure. She adores her family and all her grandchildren, and always works hard to make each one feel special.

Melodie on the left and me on the right.

Someone once said to her that ‘Not everyone will like you’, which confused my sister. She really loves people, even if she is treated unkindly in return. Her heart is big and full of love. It’s sad when people don’t understand that if you are lucky enough to be loved by my sister, you will have a devoted friend, and helper for the rest of your life!

There is, of course Hubby and there are so many other women and men alike who have been here for me this year. How lucky I am to have these wonderful people in my life. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

 

I’m trying to get back into the swing of things, despite being laid up with a bad neck. I never realized what a tough job it had holding up an 8-12 pound bowling ball known as a head! However, here is what’s going on in my life on a day to day basis.

1. I don’t sleep much. It’s hard to get comfortable in the recliner or in bed. So, I watch a lot of TV, and a lot of movies. I find that TV is the best sleeping pill ever. Seems to put me right to sleep!
2. Each day we go out for 20-30 minutes and I walk around, inside stores. There is now snow and ice outside, so being inside is the best.  I also tend to see people I know, and it is good for both my body and morale. When I am done with the walking I just get back in the car and we go home.
3. Whoever invented a Cervical Spine heating pad should be hugged and kissed. It is amazing how this cape of warmth helps me.
4. I am psyched about the appointment in Boston. I want someone to look at my neck, x-rays and MRI and figure out exactly what is going on and what we can do to fix it.
5. Most of you don’t know that I had a really bad reaction to the pain medication they gave me, so unless I absolutely need pain meds, I’ve chosen not to take anything more than Ibuprofen and Tylenol. I think in some ways this is good. It keeps me from doing too much that would aggravate my neck and when I have my next surgery, they can hopefully use medications that will not make me so ill.

It’s the end of the first week of November! Can you believe that? I feel like I have come full circle and here is why.

1. I have been having Cervical Spine problems again. Very painful, and no matter what I tried, it just didn’t make it better.
2. Pain medication is no way to live.
3. I went back to my Neurosurgeon, and he agreed that surgery was the way to go.
4. I’m trying to figure it all out in my head. And then the phone rang.
5. Surgery, scheduled for Monday morning.

And that’s the story. I should be recovered enough for my birthday in a couple of weeks. One thing is for sure, chocolate cake with butter cream frosting will be a part of it!

Many things have been going on this week, things that are both marvelously good, and tremendously sad. There is nothing I can do about the sadness, but I can revel and enjoy the happy things. So here we go.

• I am absolutely having a blast crocheting. My hands are doing well, and when I look at what I am doing, and see my progress, I am delighted.
• Mandy sent me a picture of the two children playing. There is my darling Savannah teaching her brother. Isn’t this picture cute?

• I am enjoying the group, “The Knotty Knitters”. The ladies all gather and work on their projects and chat. What fun!
• I am going down to help out with the two grandchildren on Saturday. I can hardly wait to see my darlings!
• Saying goodbye is never easy. Someone I know, and I have loved for a long time is living their last days. Although I am terribly sad about this, I have amazingly wonderful memories! That is special!

I’ve been amazed at the beauty around me this week. Our Autumn colors are at their peak, and it is simply breathtaking. As I was out snapping pictures I was thinking how much fun it would be if our trees were this color all of the time! Imagine living in a place with red, orange, yellow and coral leaves, all of the time!

Then I started to wonder if we’d start taking this spectacular beauty for granted? Somehow, waiting for the leaves to turn, seeing how vivid they are each year and then the annual leaf fall and clean-up is part of the fabric of life.

On to this weeks Friday Five.

1. The last Foliage train went through on Sunday. This amazed me, but also made me a bit sad, as it means that winter is on it’s way!
2. I went to Weight Watchers again this week, and although I am holding my own, I am not really losing weight. It’s all okay, as I am enjoying fresh cider and apple pies. Diets are for another day!
3. Yesterday I joined a new group. The Knotty Knitters! It is held at our Library in a common room, and we all bring our current projects and as we sit knitting or crocheting we chat like magpies! It is actually fun! Currently my hat for Savannah is just about done and I started Quinn’s hat yesterday!
4. Hubby had his biopsy on Tuesday to see if the lesion on his face is cancerous. It was quite a large area and I am trying to play doctor and keep it neatly cleaned and dressed.
5. I renewed my license this week, and was that ever an exercise in patience! Here is the thing. You walk in and take your eye test and they go over your paperwork. Good, right? Wrong, they give you a number, send you down the hall, and then you sit in a large room with other people renewing (That would be fine, as there were only about 10 of us), but you are also in a room with people who are trying to get their license back. Either they had drunk driving charges, and needed to present their rehab documents, or they had anger issues (one woman laughed, talking about how she had decked a cop) she had a document showing she had attended an anger management class, and then there were people who had work permits (from other countries), and were getting their licenses. I sat there for one hour and 30 minutes waiting to get my picture taken. My biggest gripe there was that I was an easy renew. Eye test, picture, pay, gone. But because we are all lumped together and the three women who only do eye tests just sat there, the 5 women trying to handle the difficult licenses were overwhelmed. I feel that easy renewals should be in an express lane.

So that is the week that was. Now I am onward and into another week! Have a good one, everyone!

The week flew by for me and it seemed each day when I got out of bed, the colors on my trees were a bit more vivid than the day before. It is not the best foliage that we have ever had, due to the drought, but the oranges, browns, yellows and an occasional coral can be found near our home. Also the fruit trees are shedding their leaves.

Here are this weeks Friday Five, and I hope that your Autumn is going along swimmingly.

1. Both Hubby and I are finally at the tail ends of our colds! This one lasted for close to three weeks. And just seemed to hang on. It is so nice to get out of bed and actually feel well and rested and ready to start the day!

2. I made my first Apple Pie of the season and although it tasted okay, it literally fell apart when sliced and served. After researching this problem, I have read that one must make their own crust from scratch, as a store bought crust, will not cook the apple as they should be cooked. I will test this out next week and report in.

3. I have started a hat for my darling Savannah. I have not crocheted in many years, but I really want to crochet hats for my grandchildren. So I am working on them now. I was going to wait until Christmas, but Hubby says he thinks I should show Savi how I am making them. I think this is a good idea. Next time I go down I will bring it along and finish Savannah’s hat for her and give it to her then. Quinn’s hat will come next.

4. My sister’s dear, sweet, kitty, Sammie, passed away.

He was about 15 years old. He was a faithful boy, and a good companion for my sister. Sammie was a Siamese, and had not been well off and on for a while. He did, what I hope all our pets could do. He went to sleep and did not wake up. Rest in peace, dear boy. You will be missed.  
5. My cousin, Janet is back from Japan. Many years ago she lived there and grew to love the country. I’ve listened to her talk about going back, and she finally did! She had an amazing time, and she took so many wonderful pictures! My favorite is the statue to honor the Akita, Hachiko, in Shibuya Station, Japan. There were so many other beautiful pictures, and I felt myself falling in love with Japan as well.
Photo courtesy of Wikki

Now I want to go with her when she returns to Japan to see this beautiful country myself!