Happy New Year

 

Merry Christmas

 There are songs we all think about as Christmas nears. White Christmas, The Christmas song, Jingle Bells, and so many others. I listen to them all because I love Christmas music. At the same time I have favorites and often the artists who sing them. Still I have some favorites for you. See which ones you like.

O Holy Night by the Vienna Boys Choir

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town by either Bruce Springsteen or Michael Jackson

Merry Bloody XMas by The Irish Rovers

Feliz Navidad by Jose Feliciano

Yellin' At The Christmas Tree by Billy Idol

Santa Baby (both 1 and 2) by Eartha Kitt

Happy Christmas (War Is Over) by John Lennon

Blue Christmas by both Elvis and Porky Pig

Santa Claus Is Watching You by Ray Stevens

Snoopy's Christmas by the Royal Guardsmen

Mrs Fogarty's Christmas Cake by The Irish Rovers

The Night Santa Went Crazy by Weird Al Yankovic

There's Something Stuck Up In The Chimney by Bob Rivers

Santa's Comin' In A Whirlybird by Gene Autry

Bad Little Boy by Ray Stevens

That is enough I suppose. Each of these songs should be available on YouTube if you wish to hear them.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

I Know

 This is what the words from my previous post mean.

rubberneck - listen to someone else's phone call on a party line

phosphate (not the element phosphorus or a weapon) - a soft drink made at the soda fountain

makin' bacon - a euphemism for having sex

pettifogger - a cheating lawyer

hoosegow - jail

gardyloo - a call of warning before emptying the chamber pot out of the window

bedight - to decorate

besmirch - to make dirty

moxie - courage

petrichor - the earthy smell after a rain

zozzled - drunk

row-de-dow - a brawl or fight at a party

Do you have some favorites? I am listening.

Do You KNow?

I have a list of words for you. How many do you recognize?

rubberneck

phosphate (not the element phosphorus or a weapon)

makin' bacon

pettifogger

hoosegow

gardyloo

bedight

besmirch

moxie

petrichor

zozzled

row-de-dow

I'll let you know what they mean in my next post.

What? Again?

 We are having heavy snow today. It is pretty as I look out the window. I would certainly not wish to be out in it. 

The snowplow has cleaned our street once. It will have to do it again later.

Did everyone have a good Thanksgiving? I did. It was the first big meal I cooked in a year. ( Sorry about the font change. I do not know what I did.) Anyway I was extremely tired even though I cooked several things a couple of days before. My son got stuck with the dishes. Heh, heh, heh.

I will also gloat a bit about Christmas. All my gifts have been delivered.  Except for my sister in the nursing home. I am stumped about what to get her. I will figure it out.

My sister is just recovering from pneumonia. Thankfully she si feeling much better.

My daughter is finally through with chemo and radiation. She has had such a rough time. She had some reconstructive surgery a couple of weeks ago. For the first time in more than a year she sounds like herself.

I am trying to write more often so hopefully I'll be back soon. 

White

 I woke up this morning to an outside that is white. Our first snow was strong enough to stick.

There is not quite enough snow to make a pretty winter scene. It is still pretty.

It is still really cold. There is a permanent cold wave covering us right now.

Next week is Thanksgiving. I ordered a turkey breast because neither of s eats the dark meat. Instead they gave me a bag of turkey slices with gravy/ It will not go to waste. I love turkey. I believe I will make some Brussel Sprouts to go with it. Sound good?

Surprise!

 My second son is now back home.

He surprised us by coming in the front door as we were letting the dog in. We had no idea he was coming.

Actually he surprised himself. He woke up one morning and realized he had no plans so he packed a bag and left to visit us. 

He was not here anywhere near long enough. I was so happy to see him. 

He is the son that was in the horrific car accident a few years ago.   He is healing nicely. He recently got his driver's license re-instated. It lapsed as he was recovering. He drove about 800 miles to visit.

It was a wonderful visit. I immediately called my sister-in-law. We first went out to lunch together. Then she had us over to her house to feed us the next day. Another wonderful visit.

My son is back at his house now. He had to return to take care of insurance issues involving his accident.

While he was here he terrorized the dog. She warmed up to him finally and cried when he left. She is still looking for him.

Now my son is trying to get his sister and her family to come here with him for Thanksgiving. We do not know if she will be able to travel. She will have 6 weeks off work to recover from reconstructive surgery she will have in a couple of weeks. She has had such a hard time of it since they diagnosed her with breast cancer a couple of years ago. I have my fingers crossed that they will come.

The Origin Of The Jack-O-Lantern

 This is a re-post of one of my favorite Halloween tales. Enjoy.

The Origin Of The Jack-O-Lantern

Halloween has just passed. I have the story of the origin of the Jack-o-lantern. Please enjoy it.

Stingy Jack was well known around his part of Ireland. He liked his drink and was thought to take liberties with other people's property. He cheated, deceived, and misused anyone he could. Stingy Jack did not particularly care what others thought of him. All that mattered to Stingy Jack was Stingy Jack and his comforts.

Now the devil had been keeping tabs on him. Stingy Jack was a prime candidate for the devil's domain.

One night after a night of heavy drinking, Stingy Jack was stumbling home. He came upon a body lying in the road so he stopped to see if there was anything of value in the pockets.

Suddenly the body moved and jumped up. Stingy Jack realized that it was the devil and Jack's earthly time was to end. But he was not ready to go.

Stingy Jack asked for a last wish. The devil saw no harm in granting a final drink to Stingy Jack. Off they went to the pub. Stingy Jack was a frequent patron and knew the bartender well. As the duo walked through the door the bartender smiled. When Stingy Jack got the best of somebody, the bartender got a nice part of the take.

Stingy Jack proceeded to have a sample or more of every type of drink in the pub. When he finished he told the devil to turn himself into a silver coin to pay the tab. He promised that he would get the coin back so the devil could change back into himself.

The devil turned himself into a coin of silver. Stingy Jack grinned at the bartender who grinned right back. Stingy Jack dropped the coin into his pocket which just happened to also contain a crucifix. The crucifix took away all of the powers the devil had. He begged and begged to be set free.

Stingy Jack, being the kind-hearted soul he was, said he would set the devil free IF the devil would promise not to take his soul for 10 years. Of course the devil agreed.

Ten years passed with Stingy Jack continuing in his evil ways. The devil appeared as he said he would. Stingy Jack knew his time was up. The devil had Stingy Jack by the arm ready to take him to Hell. Stingy Jack asked if the devil would climb the apple tree they were standing next to and pick an apple for him to eat on the way. The devil heaved a heavy sigh and climbed the tree.

While the devil was picking a nice apple Stingy Jack hurriedly surrounded the tree trunk with crucifixes. The devil was stuck in the tree.

Once again the devil found himself pleading for his freedom. Finally Stingy Jack made the devil promise to never take his soul. The devil begrudgingly promised. Stingy Jack took the crosses and happily went home knowing that he had outsmarted the devil.

Stingy Jack continued his evil ways but eventually he died as everyone does. He sat and waited patiently for his turn to enter Heaven. When he approached the gates he was turned away. He was told that he was far too evil to be in Heaven.

With resignation Stingy Jack went to Hell. He knocked on the gates and the devil met him there. The devil reminded Stingy Jack of their agreement and told him that since he could not have the soul there was no place for him in Hell. He was doomed to wander in nothingness for eternity.

It was Stingy Jack's turn to plead. Eventually the devil agreed to give him an ember to light his way through the darkness. Jack placed it in a hollowed turnip or rutabaga to keep from burning his fingers.

Stingy Jack came to be called Jack Of The Lantern or Jack-O'-Lantern. At certain times of the year, such as Halloween, when the world of the dead is close to the living Jack-O'-Lantern is seen wandering.

In Ireland during Halloween the living tried to make sure the dead cannot cross back. They began leaving meals on their doorsteps to keep mischief away. If they had to be out in the night they would wear masks and costumes to fool the spirits so that they would not be molested.

Carved pumpkins called Jack-O'-Lanterns are placed on the doorstep to remind spirits of Jack-O'-Lantern and his plight. They do not want to be caught in between the worlds of the afterlife so they avoid any house that is protected by the Jack-O'-Lantern.

I Can Drive

 I am a legal driver again!

I went to renew my license on my birthday in August. I passed the eye test and everything they threw at me. Then the woman leaned over the counter and said, "I see you are using a walker. May I ask why?"

There was no reason to lie so I explained that I had a stroke in December. She asked me and my son to step into her office.

The woman explained that she could not issue me a driver's license unless my doctor filled out a form approving my driving abilities. He did. However he wanted the neurologist to give another opinion.

So I went to see the neurologist. She said she could see no reason that I was a danger to drive. However she would need me to take a simulated driving test and pass it before she would fill out the form.

The only place in this whole area that gives the test is in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The first appointment available was in three weeks. I took it.

I know that at my age if I allowed my license to expire it would be difficult to get a new one later. I was willing to work to renew the one I have.

Sioux Falls is more than an hour away. It was a misty day. When I got there the examiner explained that she had to test my cognitive abilities before my driving test.

She tested my memory. She tested my knowledge of road signs. She tested my knowledge of what to do in certain traffic and road conditions. She tested my eyes. She tested my reflexes and reaction time. It all took about an hour. I passed.

For the road test we actually got into a vehicle and went driving. We drove all over Sioux Falls including onto the Interstate Highway. It took about an hour. I passed.

The place I go for the driver's license is only open two days a week. I live in a very rural area. I went today. Lo and behold. I am now a licensed driver again!

Aging

 I am now 3/4 of a centry in age.

My 75th birthday was last month. Who would have thought that I would be this age?

There has been so much history. Presidents have come and gone. Popes have come and gone. The Cold War has come and gone. Wars have come and gone. The governments of countries have not only changed leaders but in some cases the countries have become other countries.

My parents and grandparents are gone. I welcomed 6 siblings. Two of them are gone. Most of my aunts and uncles are gone. My ex-husband, the father of my children, is gone.

I was blessed with 4 children. They gave me 6 grandchildren. I now have 6 great-grandchildren. Fortunately they are all still healthy.

I have dealt with health problems at times. Colds, flu, measles, chicken pox, mumps, epilepsy, appendicitis, gall bladder, cancer, a stroke, cuts, and bruises. I am still here. I graduated from physical therapy last week. I am basically healthy and more than content with my life.

My goal from the time I was a child was to be 81 years old. I have changed my goal as we should all do from time to time. I think I am shooting for 100 now.

Love?

 I once knew a couple who were violently in love. Or so they said.

The man worked for my husband. There were several times I had to go to other companies to counteract this man's actions. 

For instance there was a time the man drove a truck loaded with scrap to a company that dealt with that sort of merchandise. When he returned with the full load he was ranting. Apparently he had decided he should not have to wait in line with other trucks. He screamed and swore until he was forced to leave.

I decided to take a truck filled with scrap to the same company. He was to follow and stay in his truck until I took care of things. I went into the office and had everything smoothed over when he came storming in. I turned him around and pushed him out of the office. We unloaded our trucks with no further incident.

His wife was a shopper. She almost lived at K-Mart. We all had a good laugh when she was on vacation and K-Mart issued a quarterly statement that profits were down. She did not shop while on vacation.

They were actually nice people most of the time. We occasionally saw them socially and enjoyed their company. 

The problems arose when they would argue. Which was apparently often. As far as I know they never were physical with each other.

The problem was that one or the other of them would pick up a club of some kind and break out all the glass in the car. That included window, lights, and mirrors.

Every week he would have to purchase new glass and install it. What a waste.

Justice?

I loved living in the small town we lived in in Tennessee. Our house was on a dead-end street. At the edge of our backyard was a dried-up creek bed. I was happy there. My children were happy there.

My husband was a truck driver. He was gone all week and came home on the weekends. All those nice chores that pile up were waiting for him when he came home. 

One weekend he discovered that an unused chicken coop down by the creek bed had a lot of snakes in it. He immediately set fire to it. 

After a length of time the fire department came and tried to put out the fire. The coop was too far gone by then so mission accomplished.

The police issued a strong warning to my husband to never do that again. The shed was gone. It would not happen again. They also issued a ticket requiring him to appear in court so he would make restitution to the fire department.

We hired a lawyer to represent my husband in court. While the judge understood the reasoning behind burning the chicken coop he acknowledged that my husband should have used better sense than to set it on fire without supervision. Case dismissed.

Afterward we were talking to the lawyer. He said to be very careful. He told us that the governing body of the city would look for vengeance.

About a month later I heard a knock at the front door. When I answered it there were two policemen standing there. They were there to arrest me.

The charge was that my lawn needed mowing. I had four small children. Two of them were babies. I couldn't leave them alone. They issued a ticket with an upcoming court date instead of taking me to jail.

I went immediately to call the lawyer. He told me he had been expecting to hear from me. The police had just been at his house. He got a ticket for his yard being "unkempt".

I went to court. The charges were dismissed. We moved.

Have You Ever Noticed?

 Some things never fail. For instance...

A fly is buzzing around. It lands on you. It lands on the table in front of you. You wave it away and it comes right back. Then you grab the fly swatter and wait for it to land on a good place to swat it. THE FLY DISAPPEARS! It only returns when you put down the swatter.

Or...

You have been feeling ill for a couple of days. Your stomach is upset, your head hurts, and you have a slight fever. So you go to the doctor. You sit in the waiting room feeling miserable. You are finally called in to see the doctor. Suddenly you feel fine. No headache. No upset stomach. Your fever has disappeared. The doctor looks at you like you are a hypochondriac. Of course all the symptoms return when you get home.

You have been putting off washing the car. It is so dirty. Finally you force yourself to get out the hose. soap, and soft cloths. When you are finished the car looks so shiny and clean. You feel proud and go inside for a cold drink and to let the car completely dry. When you go out again you are on your way to the store with a shiny clean car. There you see that birds have attacked your car leaving droppings all over it.

Or...

You are extremely late for an appointment. You rush out of the house. As you hurry to try to be even close to on time you suddenly have to go to the bathroom... now.

Or...

You love the smell of clean sheets dried in the sun with a nice breeze. You hang them on the line and go in to put your feet up. After a short nap you awaken to find that it rained and your sheets are now soaking wet.

Or... 

You pick up debris from your yard so you can mow the grass. You spend a large part of the morning pushing the lawn mower. Your lawn looks wonderful and so clean. In the afternoon a huge wind rises. When you look again at your manicured lawn it is once again covered with twigs and trash from who knows where.

Did you ever know it to fail?

Don't Hang Up

 When I was about 7 years old my mother came to me and said I had a phone call. The telephone was a foreign object to me. I do not recall having one before then.

I said, "Hello", as I had seen others do. It was a friend from school.

She and some other children were having a carnival in her back yard. Would I like to come? Entrance was a penny.

I told her I would have to check with my mother. She told me she would wait. I quickly replaced the receiver in its cradle and ran excitedly to my mother.

My mother went to the phone to check on details and discovered that I had hung up the phone. I did not understand the workings of that thing yet. We were new in town. I knew my friend's first name but not her last. I did not know where she lived. There was no *69 to reconnect with her phone.

I was heartbroken. However my resourceful mother found a way to get me to the carnival. She drove me there and gave me a penny for my entrance fee.

When I officially entered I learned that each exhibit required another penny. I had no more pennies so I sort of wandered around. 

Again someone realized I was penniless and I was able to see the attractions for free. 

I remember little of the carnival itself. I only lived in that town for a short while so I do not even remember the names of the other children. I do remember their kindness and I thank them for it.

All things considered I had a good time. And an interesting adventure. 

Did You See That?

I have seen some interesting sights lately.

I told you some time ago about the big foot on my way into Sioux City. He is still there. But I have found more. There is one that I see in a field when I go to therapy. There are two more if I take another route into Sioux City. One is full sized. The little one with it must be a young big foot. 

Then there was a sight that made me laugh. There is a house with a big beautiful lawn. It is well- manicured with a nice bird feeder right in the middle. There stood a graceful deer nibbling at the bird feed in the feeder. I had no idea a deer would do that.

It is amazing what you can see if you just pay attention.

It's Too Darn Hot

 It's too darn hot

It's too darn hot
I'd like to sup with my baby tonight
Refill the cup with my baby tonight
I'd like to sup with my baby tonight
Refill the cup with my baby tonight
But I ain't up to my baby tonight
'Cause it's too darn hot

                                                               Cole Porter (from Kiss Me Kate)

Most of the United States is feeling the oppressive heat. Oh my; it has been hot.

Today is the first day in several days that we in the northwestern part of Iowa have not been under a heat advisory. That means to stay out of the heat if possible. Do not allow pets to be out too long. Drink lots of water and make sure pets have plenty of water too.

Thank goodness for air conditioning. I wilt easily.

It looks like we are all in for a siege of hot weather for the foreseeable future. Please stay comfortable and safe.

It Bothers Me

 My mother insisted that I speak proper English, spell correctly, and use proper grammar. I have to remind you that my mother was the smartest person I ever knew. Because I am the oldest of 7 I was expected to excel in these areas.

As you may have noticed I do not use good punctuation. I do that on purpose to save time because my typing skills are bad.

I say all that because I have a few peeves about language usage.

First of all there is no 'x' in especially. There is no 'x' in asked. There is no 'x' in espresso. There is no 'x' in etcetera. You get the idea. I cringe when I hear words like these mispronounced. 

Pronoun misuse is another peeve. I is used as a subject; me is used as an object. You and I are going to the store is correct. Would Harry like to go to the store with you and I is incorrect. Following a preposition you will use an object form of the pronoun. With you and me is correct.

If you are in doubt drop the first pronoun to see which one you will use. You would not say with I; you say with me. 

I drive my family crazy correcting the television. The script writers should be learned enough to know the difference.

The end of my peeves for today. Stay healthy.

Getting Closer

Once again I am back to let you know how I am doing. 

I had surgery to remove the cancerous tumor from my breast. I went into surgery in the morning and was home by early afternoon. 

All went well and they were able to remove it all. No surgery or radiation is necessary. 

I am a wee bit sore as one would be to any cut. It is better every day. 

The stitches on the inside will dissolve and there are no stitches on the outside. I am glued together. That means I will not have to have any stitches removed.

I will call my therapy providers tomorrow to see when I resume therapy. I hope it will not be too long a wait. I have been progressing well with it.

My best to everyone. Thank you for your kind comments.

Updating My Health

 Things are progressing for me. Because of my son's plan I am getting some nutrition. He discovered some Keto shakes online that have more nutrients than any of the other liquid foods we have found so far. I have even worked hard at eating more normal meals for the evening meal. It is hard but I am getting there.

The ramp we ordered was finally delivered. It makes it so much easier to get in and out of the house. I was leery at first but once I tried it I am happy to be more mobile. 

I was finally able to have the kidney stone removed. I am still not certain how it was done. All I know is that they broke it up somehow and removed it. Yay!

The surgery for my breast cancer will be in a couple of weeks. We decided on a lumpectomy. I am not looking forward to it but I am looking forward to it being over. 

My poor daughter (as you know) had a double mastectomy. She is now undergoing more chemo and next month will begin her radiation. I feel so bad that she has to go through all this.

I am still doing therapy. No more in-home visits. I go to the little town about five miles from here. They have a lot of equipment and are so nice. I am usually worn out when I get home.

I gratefully read all your comments. I appreciate them and feel encouraged by them.

I look forward to the time when I do not feel so absorbed by my health issues. Then I can write a real post.

Here We Go

 I am feeling better all the time. My fine motor skills (such as typing) are still not as I would like but improving. So now I will tell you all that is going on with me.

My salivary glands and taste buds were severely affected by the stroke. It left me unable to eat. I also became dehydrated and had to go back to the hospital to have an IV. It helped immensely.

I complained to every doctor, nurse, and therapist about not being able to eat. Each one nodded sympathetically but offered no solutions to my problem. In the meantime I had lost about 70 pounds in two months' time. 

My genius son offered a solution. I should try to find things I could swallow in small amounts and eat several times a day. Smoothies, apple sauce, and pudding allowed me some nourishment. I also consume large amounts of water to stay hydrated. I now can eat small amounts of foods that have a sauce or gravy to keep them moist in my mouth.

While I was still in the hospital a cat scan revealed a couple of masses in my breast and a rather large kidney stone. I had no noticeable symptoms so both were a surprise. 

To treat the kidney stone they inserted a stent in my kidney. That would allow them to treat the infection caused by the stone. They will remove it and somehow break up the stone so it will pass from my body.

The did biopsies on the masses in my breast. As expected one is cancerous. It is a slow-moving form of cancer. A lumpectomy is scheduled for next month. I should need no chemotherapy or radiation after. 

I am fortunate that both conditions were discovered when they were. 

My poor daughter was so distraught when she learned about the breast cancer. She had a double mastectomy a few weeks ago. Her cancer was an insidious form that spreads quickly. She went through several months of intense chemo and will have to undergo radiation treatments now. And she was more worried about me!

Now that I have listed all my complaints for you I will say I feel good and I am getting stronger all the time. My physical therapy is making me stronger all the time.  

It's Me Again

 It has been a long time between posts. I apologize. Recovery has taken longer than I anticipated.

The stroke affected my salivary glands and taste buds leaving me unable to eat. Doctors have not been helpful in this area. So far I have lost about 70 pounds.

My wonderful son has been my main caretaker. He searched and found foods that I can get down. It has helped immensely. I am now working to eat at least 1200 calories a day. I have made it once.

As far as getting around I can haltingly walk with a cane in the house. I still use a walker outside.

My coordination is better but not as good as I would like.

I have been reading your blogs but it is too much for me to comment. Soon I hope. 

Thank you all for your kind words of sympathy and encouragement. They do make a difference.