Monday, November 30, 2009

The best laid plans and all that stuff...

I didn't get to the jammie day with the tv remote strapped to my hand today, but it was a good day. I went to water aerobics today and it really helps so much to work out in water. It helps to not have the gravity and to be able to do the Hokey Pokey freely. I really like the class and the ladies in there. One little lady just hugged my neck today like she hadn't seen me in a week...oh wait..it has been a week since I've worked out. Too much going on.

Ok...to address how to fall INTO a car. First have your beloved right behind you as you start to enter the car. He is talking and blabbing and I'm not paying attention. I got my left foot caught between the seat and the opening where the door sits when it is closed. Thank goodness he didn't close the thing on me. The way my foot was wedged in that small space caused me to twist it and unknowingly many other parts of my body. So, that is how I fell into the car. The car doesn't have the same weightless qualities of the pool. It wasn't pretty and I was in a pretty good snit over it all. Hubby said that somehow he felt it was all his fault. Bless his sweet heart. Little nerd...I love him.

He had a fun day taking his parents on an outing to get tested for TB. They cannot enter the assisted living home without a clear reading. He finally got them into the car and out to the hospital where their lab is located. He said there was a little old man who suddenly started shouting about "Where is my wheelchair!!!" He was most excited about its disappearance. My hubby looked and the chair had rolled all the way down a very long entry drive, turned a corner and had finally come to rest WAY the heck down the hill. My husband thinks it was the man's wife's wheelchair, but we don't know. A good Samaritan caught it and brought it back up to them. Meanwhile my husband was getting his mom into a wheelchair, he didn't lose his mother down the hill, to take her to the lab. He gave his mother's walker to his dad to help him walk without falling to get to the lab. I know he was needing a beer about this time of this fresh dose of existential hell involving many old people, but he persevered and got the test. It took about 3 hours with all the transfers and driving back and forth and about 2 minutes to get the test. He was tired and hungry when he got back home.

I was going to tell you about the "flying" trip to Coldwater Creek to return stuff and buy stuff, because the coupon was going to expire today! I couldn't let that happen....and I was going to tell you what a great performance Garrison Keillor put on tonight at UTA university. But I'll work on that tomorrow. Suffice it to say, that hubby might need a pj day, too. I invited him to my aerobics class next Wednesday. They are having a contest and bringing someone in would get me a point. :D I dug in my gym bag today to find that Silver Sneaker card to get them to sign that baby, too today! That will get me a FREE silver sneaker T shirt. OMG....I've been up too long I think.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Slow day

Yesterday I sort of fell into the car yesterday while getting ready to go to the hair salon. It was an ungainly scene and I didn't realize how stiff it had made me until I tried to go to sleep last night. I was up most of the night wondering how this all happened. Probably just more of my grace in action. I'm pretty sleepy today and it is going to be that pajama and tv day...finally. So, my friend sent me this cute little you tube of...well, you probably guessed...a kitten.

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Saturday night musings about things

I had said today was to be a slow, restful day lolling around in night clothes and...well, that didn't work out. There is hope for tomorrow. It is supposed to start raining and get COLD and they have even quietly mentioned on the weather there might be a snow flake to two on Tuesday. That would be the right day for the two flakes.

The most important plants are in the greenhouse, which I had to rearrange this morning. Hubbs forgot we need to actually get in there to work, water and stuff. Appointment to get my hair cut at 1:30pm turned into a longer session. I'm not sure why, but she was behind on her ladies. I just get the cut that is easiest to deal with. Wash and dry with a vent brush and outta of here. My feminine activities are not the same as most women. I have a curling iron and some travel curlers. I bought those when my hair was longer and I was more into it all...until one day I caught a glimpse of myself and thought I saw my grandmother! My hair was cut immediately. I loved my grandmother Jessie, but she was not a raving beauty. Bless her sweet heart. My two cousins and I were her live in maids from time to time. It gave us time alone with her and we all bonded in our own way with her. She let us do stuff our parents would have had heart attacks if
they knew. One year when I was about 6 or 8 she let me plant a peach pit. The next spring I started looking for my peach tree and Lo and Behold there was a rose bush right where my tree should have been. I wondered about that for a long time. My whole world of genetics was shattered at the thought of a peach tree becoming a rose bush. That is probably why I have a minor in biology.

Friday, November 27, 2009

The Christmas Photo

funny pictures of cats with captions
see more Lolcats and funny pictures

This reminds me of Melli's post today and my response to her. :D

The Maids

The Maids come today, so we have to pick up stuff and put it away like mad this morning. They clean, but don't pick up stuff like they would know where it might go.

We are staying far away from the malls today. So far it from what they've shown on tv it is as crazy as ever. I did some shopping online last night.

Frog madness continues...TCU is still winning and our mayor is going to turn the Trinity river purple today. I guess it is a priority of how to spend our taxes.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving



Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Hope you have a table laden with good food and many family members who have gathered at your home. Eat hearty and remember the leftover turkey sandwiches later on.


We are going to take a turkey dinner over to the in laws (I cooked a turkey last night and already had dressing made and stored in the freezer) and then go to the movie! Hubby has been so busy this past couple of months we need a break to relax.
Enjoy our national day of giving thanks for the abundance of our land.




Wednesday, November 25, 2009

A gown to remember

I just saw on the news the beautiful gown that was presented to Mrs. Obama by the Indian government to wear at the first state dinner. It is the most beautiful gown I've ever seen and it showed off Mrs. Obama's figure so wonderfully. It may be not pc to have such an extravagant gown, but it was a gift from their guests Prime Minister Singh and his wife, Gursharan Kaur. Thank you for such a lovely gown India, it is one of a kind, and has silver thread in it. Our First Lady looked beautiful and so elegant.

Guess who is envious again :D

You can see the gown here .

I am grateful today

I just talked with my dil and her dad came home last night! The hospital where my son and dil live talked with her dad's doctor and he faxed all of the pertinent information to the doctors in Texas. They all decided the prescription he takes to slow his heartrate was causing the problem, and to cut back on that medicine. He is feeling pretty well today. They have decided to stay "home" with the kids and not to drive to Galveston. That will be a nice Thanksgiving for them.

Today I am so grateful for the innovations in communication that allowed the transfer of medical records between a doctor in Georgia and a hospital in Texas in seconds. Fax machines are amazing and really something to be grateful for.

I'm off to clean house and go ahead and cook the turkey today so we can drop off my husband's parent's dinner tomorrow and then we can go to the movies. This will be the first holiday we have ever been able to do this. It has always been cook like crazy, wash all the china, wash and put away the silver, put away all the food, and then collapse with the ads to think about what to get everyone for Christmas. I'm really looking forward to a day without a huge hassle.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Tuesday and maybe Wednesday

funny pictures of cats with captions
see more Lolcats and funny pictures

I'm so grateful to the folks who run "I Can Has Cheezebuger"..or LOL cats.


funny pictures of cats with captions
see more Lolcats and funny pictures



That has so happened to one or more of our cats just out of nowhere.

The bad news is my dil's mom and dad are here to visit and he has heart problems. He had an episode this morning of feeling dizzy and woozy. He laid down on the bed to rest and my dil said he looked grayish. They took him to the hospital and will be keeping him overnight. Any prayers regarding John would be very much appreciated. They live in Georgia and I don't know if they drove or flew here. My dil was very upset when I talked to her. I offered to wrangle the little one or anything they might need help with.

We had planned on going to the movie on Thanksgiving Day. I made extra dressing for when we went to the pre Thanksgiving party last weekend. I have a turkey thawed and was going to roast it tomorrow. That way I can make the in laws up a plate of Thanksgiving food and we can slide on out to the movies. That would certainly be a welcome break for me. No cooking and not much clean up...that works and ranks very high on my grateful list.

Sunday "fun" and Monday rest

Ooops....I just couldn't get with it yesterday. On Sunday we went to the camp for the pre-Thanksgiving festivities. We saw a lot of people we hadn't seen in a good while. I love going out there, but 9 times out of 10 I wind up with a terrible asthma/allergy attack. So much for getting out in the weeds for me. This Sunday was no different than most of the ones before. On the way home I started to wheeze and my nose stopped up. After we got home my husband went to his parents' to give them their dinner, and with my usual generosity I told him to take my car. It is more comfortable. After he left I started looking for my inhaler and it was no where to be found. *gak* I thought about going through my pharmacy's website and it looked like there weren't any refills. It was a sad moment. Then I called the pharmacist and had him look at it. He said I had one refill. Thank you, Lord! I found a set of keys to my husband's pos truck and off I went. At first there was a good bit of jerking and lurching around, because it had been a long time since I'd driven a stick shift. I learned on one and have had several stick shift cars, but had opted for the automatic shift the last few years. I was sort of rusty...k.

All the gear issues came to a halt once I'd reached the end of my street and turned onto the main street to the pharmacy. I got down there and I thought I'd never get the pickup into a parking space. The pharmacy closes at 6PM on Sunday and it was nearing the witching time when I got there. He handed me the rx and the bill...at which point I nearly fainted. When I was on the regular insurance the inhalers cost about $5...this little baby cost $55.00. After getting over the shock I left to get home. Some lurching, but at least I got home without incident. Used the inhaler and calmed down. When you can't breathe well it is sort of spooky. I then found two other inhalers that had hidden from me earlier. My husband called my supplemental insurance and they were no help.

My daughter in law had left a message while we were out, saying her mom and dad were here and would it be ok to come by and then go over to my mother in law's house for a visit? I had to tell her that I wasn't up to having company yesterday and if they wanted to visit the in laws the morning was the best time. From what I understand they visited for about 15 minutes. They have mentally and physically so much since my dil's parents had seen them, and I'm sure they were surprised, as was my dil.

We are getting along on the assisted living and hope we can get them in before long. My husband is planning on telling them soon. It will be very traumatic for him, but I really don't think his parents will remember it for 10 minutes afterward. I hope it goes well.

On Sunday I was grateful we were able to get home before 6pm and that I had the money to pay for my rx. Monday I was grateful to just rest for a day.

So, anyway I wasn't really up to blogging yesterday.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

November 21 - Things for which I am grateful

Today was a warm, but overcast day. It really needed some red and green to brighten the day. I'm ready for some cold weather so it will feel like winter and the holiday season. I shopped online for my kids Christmas and have them all settled. Now if only my dil would let me know what the little guy would like I would be so happy.

I think the kids' idea of a cap on spending of $20 to $25 per person and it all has to fit in one box is fun and is such a good idea (I get to spend more on me...mwahaha and they will not have any debt to get them down after Christmas). I've found some fabulous, well really cool gifts, for them. Then I found some really cool clothes for me at Coldwater Creek....had to do something while waiting on my daughter in law to let me know what our Grandson, Darth Vader, Jr. wants for Christmas. I'd just call our grandson and ask, but he has no sense of money or what things cost. Once when I asked him what he would like he told me a new fortress swingset (his is < 2 years old). He was so funny. He was dead serious and even crossed his arms and leaned against the cabinets like he was about to enter into some serious horse trading to deliver this bit of information. I noticed my son had to leave the room in a hurry. I told him his fort/swingset/hangout was nearly new. He shook his little blonde head and said he thought his dad was going to buy him a new one very soon. He still has the "old" one...as far as I know.

Sometimes, I think my grandson thinks we are very poor, because in the past I've told him we can't afford something outrageous he has had a passing fancy for. He has brought up the subject of our lack of funds before and is kind and understanding of our "predicament". The next time he says something about it, I'm going to tell him that I have enough money for the things I want, but I have to decide how I am going to spend my money the way it will do the most good. I think it might be a small lesson for him if he understands we think about what we really want and how we intend to spend our money. If we aren't prudent in our purchases (my face is red after all I spent today) then there might not be enough when I really need it, and it could be a gift for him that I don't have money for if we aren't responsible with our money. He is 8 and really needs to get a handle on how to save and when to spend. Maybe he will become a man of means and will take care of his "poor grandparents".

I'm so very grateful to have him in our lives. He is a very bright young boy and is full of love. We were wondering if we would have any grandchildren when he was sent our way. Life changes in my son's work brought them back to Texas so we are closer to them now. Yes, he is one of our blessings and we are grateful for him and his "hard bargaining" positions.

Friday, November 20, 2009

Whoops!! We may have to do it again! Another thing to be grateful for

I was just reading the news and discovered that the Texas Legislature may have banned ALL marriage in my state. I am so grateful to live in the weirdest state in the union with the weirdest legislators. Who woulda thunk that after nearly 50 years of marriage off and onish that the state where I was born, lived my entire life, graduated hight school and colleges here, paid taxes, married, bore children to live here, attended church in my red letter A state and now it is all for naught apparently. I had no idea my man and I were so avant garde in our life.

I read it and laughed..sort of. I hope this doesn't call for having to get married all over again...or worse have kids again. Oh Lordy! We have been living in "sin" for four years.

Read all about it here.
http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local-beat/Amendment-Goof-May-Have-Banned-All-Marriage-in-Texas-70544457.html

Art. 1 Sec. 32. MARRIAGE. (a) Marriage in this state shall consist only of the union of one man and one woman. (b) This state or a political subdivision of this state may not create or recognize any legal status identical or similar to marriage.

The amendment, added Nov. 8, 2005, is not a statement mired in legalese. In fact, it's pretty clear English. One thing that is identical to marriage is marriage ... and this clause bans that. The wording has now left many people wondering how such a blunder might have occurred, Radnofsky included.

"You do not have to have a fancy law degree to read this and understand what it plainly says," Radnofsky told the Star-Telegram. "I believe the clear language of B bans all marriages, and this is indeed a huge mistake."

Thank you, Texas the home of Former President George W. Bush and a bunch of his goofs, and Governor Perry who let the Gorvernor's residence burn down...or at least didn't persue with a whole lot of diligence capturing the arsonist, in my opinion. My state is something that brings you a laugh a day and a state that will cause you to be grateful you don't live here. Hmmm..I'm wondering about my medicare status now. Am I married to the man I've lived with nearly half a century? Oh My...I'll bet one of my grandmothers has rolled over in her grave and the other one is laughing herself silly.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

How to Hang It-Grateful day 19

Line drying clothes should be making a huge comeback except Homeowners Associations are very opposed to the clothesline. I can see they could be unsightly if they are the old T style posts with permanent lines with clothes pins on them. I think those are yucky and the pins get dirty.

A long time ago there was an art to hanging clothes and your sheets went on the outside and your undies were hung on the inside so as to not be tacky. Line drying sheets is a way to really save some cash on the electric bill. I don't have room now for hanging sheets, but I do have a line on the patio for hanging items of clothing that I do not want to put in the dryer...shrinkage is first and foremost in my mind. My clothes have a tendency to "shrink" on their own and do not need any help at all in that direction.

One of the dryers with square lines and a center pole would be my choice these days. I used to have regular lines with T posts and four lines. Before hanging clothes the lines had to be cleaned with a damp clean white cloth so no dirt was transferred to the laundry. We had a little bag for pins that slid along the line as clothes were hung. It was a metal and cloth contraption and handy as all get out. The clothes were taken outside in a laundry basket. We did not leave pins on the line. It was tacky and also they got dirty and could ruin your laundry with dirt marks on it.

Hanging clothes had another plus in staying up on how your neighbors were doing. It seemed we all hung laundry the same day mostly and we chatted across the fence while working. It made the time go faster and was a pleasant pastime. Now my fences are made of wood and I can't see my neighbors that much. Nobody hangs clothes anymore so no chatting over the fence, either.

On the days we did laundry everyone kept an eye out for rain clouds. I've run out and gathered laundry so many times when it would start to sprinkle. If it rained a LOT, then the clothes had to be rewashed and hung again. Also, if a blue norther came in while I was out the clothes would freeze, and there isn't a real freeze dried option with a bunch of wet clothes. That is what it is.
Blue northers come from the north or northwest with a line of blue/black clouds followed by really cold weather. I haven't seen one in a while, so maybe they are due to come back again. Sand storms were another weather condition to strike horror in the hearts of women whose laundry was on the line. There were lots of sand storms in the fifties when I was growing up. It was a time of great consternation when that happened, because everything had to be rewashed and the house cleaned to get the sand out. I don't miss those at all.

I found this site while looking for background and actually there was an email detailing how to hang laundry a while back, but I didn't find it. Here is the link to Texas Mama's blog. I think everyone who read it loved sheets that had been line dried. I did, too. Especially if they had been ironed after being brought in. But line dried sheets smelled so wonderfully clean, and if they hadn't been ironed they were wonderfully scratchy a little. Texan Mama has a bunch of pictures of some fancy lines with gears and such. There is also a picture of a woman using a 2x4 to prop up her line of clothes in the middle so they didn't drag the ground and get dirty all over again.

When I was young my family was pretty large. Three children and the two of us could generate a good bit of laundry and ironing. I was a happy woman when fashion turned to polyester, especially for kids and husbands. I wore my share, too. You didn't have to iron it and that was such a wonderful release from the ironing board. Ironing is a whole other story for another time. There are many tips about that. About that time our dryer started getting more and more of a workout and they art of hanging clothes on the line dropped off to not that often. I didn't use the pinning technique she shows on her blog. We used one pin on one side and on the other two garments and one pin. That made the pins go farther and the space on the line was utilized in a good way.

Oh yes...I am truly grateful to have a dryer and not feel too guilty using it to dry our clothes. I have two indoor hanging racks for the clothing I do not care to put in the dryer. Ooops there goes the ding on the dryer signalling the clothes are dry.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Thoughts for the day

November 18th -Today I'm grateful for having an automobile that doesn't give me a lot of trouble. In Texas there is not much public transportation so I am most grateful to have a car to get around. It is 10 years old and still runs very well. The finish is still good and the seats are comfortable. It has been paid off for many years and not having a car payment is really nice. I nearly had a fit of envy over my dil's new car, but was able to beat that demon down.

This morning it is really pretty brisk...nearly freezing and I'm particularly grateful for my heavy robe. It is so warm and snugly. It is only for the really cold days...otherwise it would be way too warm. So, I'm grateful to have some cold weather, too.

On the in law front, my husband went to the court yesterday and he is now their guardian. The nurse from the assisted living place is going out to talk to them today. She will evaluate them to see if they are able to manage in an apartment type setting. That way they could have some of their furniture from home, but have 24/7 care. The facility is very close to where we live and it would be easy for us to pick them up to come over for a visit. The facility has a van to take them for other appointments. It would be such a break for my husband to not have to take them for every appointment.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Gratefulness, cold, and the in laws again

November 17th-Today I am so grateful for the abundance and variety of food in our grocery stores. Every now and then I look up while I'm shopping in my local Kroger or other supermarket and am amazed at the amount of food in the store. It is almost mind boggling to me. We truly do live in a land of plenty and I am grateful to have the resources to be able to buy enough for us to stay full and probably gain plenty of weight, at least we have so far. We also take time to make a contribution to our local food bank for those who are not so fortunate. I am grateful to have the money to be able to help someone. I think the food banks are very good things indeed.

I have a meeting this morning and I'm writing to keep from getting ready and going. It is cold out and pretty windy, as well. Hubby had left last night to pick up some rxs for his folks and to go fix them dinner when I heard there was a frost warning for last night. It was quite the hassle to rush about trying to drag all the tropical plants up onto the covered patio and putting up sheets on the perimeter to keep them from dying. When I got home from knitting group he got my little heater that goes in the greenhouse and put it on the patio. The plants look pretty happy this morning. However, they are predicting a freeze tonight, so I guess it may be time to put all the plants into the greenhouse. Last Sunday the temperature was 80 degrees. Texas is a hard place to garden sometimes and I am grateful for the guidance I have received over the years to learn to pick the varieties that will flourish here. I need to get the camera and dl the pix taken around the yard.

Today is the day my husband goes to the court about his parents. He has talked to the assisted living people and it is our belief that there will be room for them there. I pray it all works out. He told me this morning his parents have lost the key to the front door now. Send a little prayer that things will begin to look up for the in laws soon. Hubby brought home a diagram of the apartment they would have and it looks pretty nice. It has a bedroom and a living room with a small kitchen. There is a fridge, but I'm not sure if there is a microwave or not.

Monday, November 16, 2009

November 16th-things I'm grateful for..

November 16-Monday So far this morning I'm grateful for central heating. It is a very brisk 46F with a 40 mph gusts. I'm most grateful I don't have to go to work and I've decided to not attend water aerobics this morning. I truly do love and am grateful for indoor air conditioning and heat. *shiver* This isn't just a November 16th whim...it is a year around thing.

Saw this little dealy about the Jane Austen characters. I'm pretty sure it can be manipulated by knowing the character, but I was pleased with the final product. I think Emma Thompson is one of the finest actors of our time.

I am Elinor Dashwood!


Take the Quiz here!

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Giving Thanks

While reading "Luckie" I saw where she is going to be posting about something she is grateful for each day. From her website I went to someone else's who was linked from there. I was all set to go about writing about all that I'm grateful for when I noticed her graphic was linked to South Breeze Farm who is actually the real one to be hosting a "Giving Thanks Challenge". Each day of November everyone has been posting something they are thankful for. I'll have to play catch up pretty hard and fast for a while. However, there are so many things for which to be thankful it shouldn't take long.

Today is November 15th-Sunday-and my husband and I have had our youngest daughter staying with us off and on for most of the past week. Love her as we do, we were both a little thankful she is on the road home to Austin. I'm sure she is thankful, too.

November 14th-Saturday-Our daughter took her dad to the TCU football game for his birthday. His alma mater won by a huge margin. They were thankful to see the game live and to have someone take them to the game and pick them up. My husband was grateful to get to sit after visiting so many of her friend's tailgate parties. They ate all sorts of wonderful food. They were grateful for that bonus.

November 13-Friday-My husband's birthday was November 13th. I'm very grateful to have him as my partner in life. He is funny and such a good man.

November 12th-Thursday-Our daughter returned "home" from work that has taken her all around the state. It was good to spend time with her again, and get caught up since last Monday.

November 11-Wednesday-I attended a class at the YMCA that was a dance class...Zumba or something like that. I'm grateful to be able to sort of keep up with them, but think maybe the low impact water aerobics is a better place for me at this time. You would have laughed yourself silly to see all us old folks shimmying and stuff. It was pretty hysterical and it was toned down for the older crowd.


I can't tell you how grateful I was for this class to end. *angelic smile* And he doesn't shimmy as much as we did. I was also very grateful the class had been toned down a bit for our age....but not that much after looking at this video.

Also, we got free tickets to see Garrison Keillor of "A Prairie Home Companion" toward the end of November or December 1st and I was truly grateful for them! I love that show.

This day is, also Veterans Day and we are grateful to all the soldiers who have to leave their families at home to be on duty caring for our nation. The Y offers water aerobics for those of us who are somewhat older and have arthritis issues. The ladies in this class are funny and friendly. I'm grateful I'm with such kind women and able to manage the class.

November 10-Tuesday-I was so grateful to have Diet 7UP and some crackers to help me through the day after I have to take the Methotrexate for rheumatoid arthritis and I'm so very grateful it is only once a week I have to take the stuff. It was very nice to have the tv to help pass the time, too.

November 9-Monday is the day my knitting group meets for a bite to eat and to knit and chatter about what all has been going on in our lives. It is also another day I attend water aerobics. I'm telling you...I'm going to have arms just like Michelle Obama before long. :o)

November 8th-Sunday-We were grateful to our son and daughter in law and grandson for inviting us to meet them halfway from our hometowns for lunch, because our son had to be out of town on his dad's birthday. It was very nice to see them. And my dil has a new car. I had to battle the demon "Envy" for a couple of days, but managed defeat it. :o)

November 7th-Saturday-My knitting group got together to see the play "Menopause:The Musical". It was so much fun to have women to laugh with about this. My daughters and daughter in law are peri-menopausal and I know it can be miserable...they are living so much in denial about it. I am grateful for my friends.

November 6th-Friday-I am grateful to still be able to work in my little garden some, my poor husband winds up planting most of it. My husband and I went to the nursery to purchase pansies and other winter pretty plants.

November 5th-Thursday-I repaired a house dress for my 91 year old mother in law. I was grateful for the sewing machine that has a fancy stitch to repair tri-corner tears. The joy of her has been dimmed by Alzheimer's disease that has ruined her mind. She is not violent and that it truly a blessing. My father in law has become as confused as she, but we are working toward getting them into Assisted Living. There are a lot of hoops through which to jump to get there. I'm grateful for that, too. It keeps people from having parents locked away when they become a burden and not that they have serious problems.

November 4th-Wednesday-Actually, I'm very grateful to have remembered this much information about what I'm grateful for.

November 3rd-Tuesday-I think I rested on this day of yucky methotrexate fall out. I was grateful to be able to rest for a while.

November 2nd-Monday-Water aerobics in the morning, then getting ready to attend a funeral for my best friend's mother. I am grateful I had the opportunity to know such a kind lady.

November 1st-We attended a visitation for my best friend's mother. We got the opportunity to talk to some of the family members about how sad it was that she had passed. She was 96 years old and had been in very poor health for some time.

I'll bet you are grateful I'm done with this for today and I promise there won't be another two week's worth of gratefulness.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Go Frogs!!

T.C.U. plays football tonight! TCU is ranked 4th (undefeated this year), and Utah is ranked 14th, but still no game on tv. The game is sold out to 50,000 fans with standing room only. My husband and daughter got tickets last Sunday and are out there to cheer for their beloved horned frogs...not really a frog, but a lizard. A win tonight, they are favored by 20 points, may result in a bowl game in January.





CNN was on campus this morning before 9am....that is when they were on ESPN. Cheerleaders were cheering and jumping, great huge signs were being waved about, and everyone was ecstatically happy to be seen on ESPN. Tailgating started about then. One of my daughter's friends was going to be out there setting up his tailgate party this morning. The game started at 6:30 this evening. I can't remember what mine took to contribute, but their friend, Garfield, was going to go by Fina's Tortilla Factory and pick up a bunch of tamales. I saw one 6 pack go into an ice chest/bag, so I guess they aren't planning on drinking much. They have a ride home and hopefully it won't be me. I'd hate to have to get down in that mess tonight.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Woo Hoo!

We got the tickets to see Garrison Keillor in the mail today!! I was wondering why I'd mailed something to myself....memory is going I guess. We'd forgotten about the Self Addressed Stamped Envelope...duh.

This is so exciting I can barely stand to have to wait until he gets here. Hope he is taking really good care of himself. Mr. Keillor usually has his shows farther north than here....like WAY farther north than here...Like in Minnesota..not Texas. I'm so happy he is expanding...well, he is promoting a new book, but his stories are so not Texan. But in a way they are about universal truths. I may not be a resident of Lake Wobegone or shop at Ralph's Pretty Good Grocery, but in some ways I am and do. I'm not making any sense here. Just wanted to tell you the tickets came! YAY!

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

To Honor All Who Served





Thank you for keeping me and mine safe when it was hot, cold, raining, windy,and flooding. Your own family is not with you, but trying to keep home and hearth together while you are away. Your children are growing without your influence. Thank you for paying the price for our freedom, because freedom isn't free. The cost can be very high. My husband and I will remember your spirit on 11/11/09 by flying our flag in your honor and we Remember, She Served, Too and she, too, is a veteran.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Zip for today

I got nothing tonight.

Went to see "Menopause:The Musical" yesterday with the knitting group and laughed so hard. Melli, you were right nearly. It was a very funny play...we stopped on the way home and got a bite to eat.

Sunday-Ironed sheets for upstairs bedroom that I didn't get done yesterday. Now the kid has clean ironed sheets. Met our son and his family to celebrate my husband's birthday next week, because our son will be out of town. Came home and grabbed a little nap before the youngest got here. Thank goodness she stopped and got a frozen pizza and some brownies. We watched the Cowboy football game and now it is bedtime.

So, maybe tomorrow will bring something funny to mind.

Friday, November 6, 2009

The Busy Weekend

I'm not sure I'm up to full pages of a post after yesterday's madness, but I did want to share with anyone who is interested, and I haven't driven crazy that tomorrow night's A Prairie Home Companion radio show looks to be a really good one. Ya'll are probably sort of glad for a rest. I'll be looking for a parking place.

Heads Up!
http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/ Get your radio out and look up where your Public Radio station is and tune in at 5:00pm.

Kids will be coming and going all weekend and so will I. Tomorrow is the "Menopause; The Musical" afternoon and then the PHC show from 5-7pm. Our youngest daughter will be coming in Sunday for a stop on her way to other parts of Texas. Our son and his family want to celebrate his dad's birthday this weekend, because he will be out of the state on business during the actual birthday time.

And..oh Lord..the in laws chapter 200. My mil has decided she must have a doctors appointment but is unable to find it on the calendar. We have all told her she doesn't, but well, you know. She got the whole calendar down and found one in July by golly! My husband had to tell her that it is now November. She thought about that for a minute and said...Somebody has a birthday in November. Her son has a birthday in November. It hurt him so much to realize she has reached that point in this wicked illness that takes memories and sense away. God love her, she was always one of the smartest women I've ever known and remembered everything.

I've chosen not to post about the great sadness that happened Friday at 1:34pm. There is nothing I can do to make anyone feel better about it and a moment of silence will be my statement.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Oh Wow!

Oh Joy! We saw in the paper today that Garrison Keillor and his Prarie Home Companion show will be in Arlington for a perfomance. The tickets will be first come first served. The rules are to send in an envelope with a stamped self addressed envelope inside. Hopefully ours will get there in time so we will get some tickets. If not, then I'll listen on the radio like it was made to be enjoyed.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Texas Is a Great Place to Be This Weekend

Oh arrgghhh..I was running late this morning even with the extra hour to sleep and nearly was late for my first water aerobic class. However we got the paperwork taken care of and got me headed toward the pool when I noticed my keys were not with me. I had to go all the way back to the front of the building to get them off the counter where I'd left them. Beginning Alzheimer's I'm sure. It is a slippery slope when you get on the far side of 50.

The women in the water aerobic class are pretty darned good, and they nearly kicked my rear today! I was pretty tired and sore when we were through. There a good number of older women who I think were ringers for the rockettes or something. They knew how to do the Hokey Pokey! I had mostly forgotten. My friends who have been badgering me to come on and do the water aerobics class with them...and Oh my how much fun it is!! Well, they weren't there. It was ok though, the ladies in that class were really friendly and fun. I did give one of the knitter/water aerobic/church worker a hard time tonight and found she had worked a church bazaar this past weekend. So she was forgiven. I'm sure the other one had a fine excuse, too.

So, after being humiliated by a bunch of little ole ladies I had to race home, shower and get on the road to attend a funeral. One of my friend's mother passed away this last weekend and they were having a graveside service. The weather was beautiful today. I guess if you want an outside funeral this would have been the day I'd pick. Her death was not unexpected and she had hospice and her family with her when she went from this world to the next. One really nice thing that stood out so much was her grandson who is in his 20s played a classical music selection on his guitar. It was really beautiful and a wonderful tribute to his grandmother.

Then we were back in the car racing back across town, but by another way due to road construction we had seen while going out that way. It was different and I so wished I had my camera with me to take so snaps of the stockyard area...that is where Billy Bob's, the world's largest Honky Tonk is located. You know the bar with the electric bull. That part of town is actually steeped in history. Tim Love, he won on Great Chef's a while back has an eating establishment down there called The Love Shack. He also owns another restaurant called Lonesome Dove. He is a way cool chef and is on our local tv morning shows fairly often. Did I mention he is pretty hot, too? Sadly we left the Stockyards and headed home for a quick rest.

Hubby had to go over to his folks to heat up their dinner. Sometime during today when I was somewhere and he was here he called over to his parents and the Social Worker was there evaluating his parents. He talked with the caretaker and that is how he found out she was there. He was sort of dreading going over, but off he went. They didn't remember anyone being there. This puts us one step closer to getting them into assisted living...and actually is a good thing. We have to go through the process to be able to get them the proper care they need, and to keep from going insane ourselves. If you have been with me, you know how long it has been going on and how they just keep going downhill. It has been one of the saddest things to see their mental faculties diminish so much.

Tonight was knitting night and I didn't get much done, but did some inquiring as to how they thought it would look to make a scarf with three working strands on a pair of size 50 needles. I'd tried with some size 15s, but that was not going to work. The yarn worked up too tightly and just wasn't right. The fun part of tonight was picking up my ticket to "Menopause: The Musical". Our knitting group is going on Saturday afternoon, but one is going to see "Turandot", the opera. She dances to a different drummer and that is why we like her so. Also, if anyone is interested NASCAR is back at Texas Motor Speedway here in Texas. I guess we got it all going on here this weekend. *grin* All I have to do is make it through Wednesday and Friday workouts.

Hope you had a fun day and come on down to visit. It was was a beautiful day today and I hope it was where you are.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

The Day After and New Beginnings

Today is "catch up day". Halloween is over now and the time has sprung forward. It is a chore getting all the clocks reset back to normal time. The Halloween decorations need to come down and put back in the garage until next year. It is a beautiful day outside today and it will be nice to get out after the last cool front the other day. The yard is like a bog it has rained so much. Hubby was cutting stray limbs on the Yaupon Holly yesterday and when I went out to pick up the brush it was like walking into a bog. Yuck!

We have started the semi-annual changing of the clocks. That takes a while, because I love clocks. My wristwatch took me a good bit of time to set. Twice a year I muddle around trying to figure how to set all the gadgets. Maybe I should get a Rolex...HA!

Also, needed to make out some cards for family and friends. My best rl friend's mother passed away last Friday morning. She was 96 and passed away in comfort. Also, needed to send a get well card to my husband's aunt. She broke her leg a week ago. She has osteoporosis and is very fragile. I've stepped up my calcium intake for sure! Also, am going to the YMCA tomorrow to sign up for water aerobics classes. They meet three times per week and some of the ladies from my knitting group are in the class. That will make it so much better to walk out looking like an orca in front of them. Sure it will!

I started the Christmas shopping this morning....gifts of magazines for the girls and I have either $15 or $20 left to spend on them. We are setting either a $20 or $25 limit this year on gifts and I can't remember right now. It is a challenge to either get a bunch of things for $20 or one twenty dollar gift. Our grandson is exempt from the monetary limit. I can't believe Christmas is nearly upon us and how quickly this year has gone by!