DIE! WINTER DIE! HODGEPODGE!!!

Winter will be over in 15 days (at least in theory) but the hodgepodge will go on and on and I am thankful for that.  Come play with us!

1. 'In like a lion, out like a lamb'...does the first part of this saying describing March weather ring true  where you live? 

Snow, snow an more snow hopefully means, that the end of the month will be sun, sun and more sun.  So the lion is sure up here in NH.

2. March 4th is National Grammar Day. What common grammatical error bothers you the most? 

Oh my!! Where do I begin with this crazy language called English!!  Words that are spelled differently than they are pronounced.  Letters in words that we don't sound out.  Different spellings for words that sound alike.  All of these bug me along with the Their, there, they're!!

3. William Arthur Ward says- 'The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.' Which one are you?

I had to ask Hubby but I really knew the answer, I'm the pessimist.  I plan for the worst case and pray it doesn't come true.  My mind goes dark fast.

4. What's something you need to 'march forth and conquer' this month?

My ongoing battle living with cancer and adjusting my lifestyle.

5. An ongoing debate around here...do you dust first, then vacuum or vacuum first, then dust? Of the two routine household chores, which do you dislike the least? How's that for wording? 

Dust first, because  you know that some of the dust will fall to the floor and then you can vacuum it up.  I dislike dusting the least.

6. According to thrilllist.com, the ten most photographed sites in the U.S.A. are- Cinderella's Castle in Orlando, Southernmost House in Key West Florida, The Space Needle in Seattle, The Site of the Boston Massacre in Boston, The Bellagio Lake/fountains in Las Vegas, The Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC, Coit Tower in San Fransisco, The Art Institute of Chicago, Niagara Falls, and snagging the number one spot-The Guggenheim Museum in New York City. 

How many on this list have you photographed? Which on the list would you most like to visit and photograph?

I've photographed the Niagara Falls.  I would love to visit them all!! Why not?

7. Fifty years ago Monday (March 2, 1965) The Sound of Music premiered at the Rivoli Theatre in NYC. Have you seen the film? Do you own a copy? On a scale of 1-10 how much do you love it (or not)? Ten=best movie ever. If you're a fan, what's your favorite scene or song from the movie? 

I have seen the film and loved it . I give it a 10!  We do not own a copy but watch it when it comes on tv.  My favorite scene are with the children on the boat wearing the clothes made from curtains.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

My flip flops are ready, they have been in the back of my closet and have been looking very sad back there.  I've told them that we move the clocks forward this weekend so spring surely is on the way.  They are hoping to be worn soon!!  I feel their pain. 

Another trip up North to Check in

Tomorrow, Wednesday the 18th we travel up north to Darthmouth Hitchcock Hospital to check in with the Transplant doctor.

One of the issues with living with cancer, is the fact that I have to check in with doctors every so often to find out how I'm doing.  I see a lot of doctors and they all want blood, I just show up and roll up my sleeve and give them blood.   Wednesday, we have to be there for 9 am.  In good weather, it's an hour and a half drive.  In bad, a good 2 1/2 hours. So we leave early, get there for a bunch of blood work then wait a while to get the results, then talk and talk to the doctor's and parts of his team to see where I am and how I'm doing.

At the moment, we go up 4 times a year, I'm hopping I'm doing so well that he tells us we can drop that to 3 times a year.  That would be nice.  

In the meantime, we reflect on what the past year has given us.  A lot of laughter, a lot of love, a lot of dotors, good friends, good food, good prayers and a lot of leaning on God to keep us going.

If you would, please, pray for us to have a good drive up, good results and a good drive back home after a long, emotional day up north.

Thank you

 

SNOWMAGEDON HODGEPODGE!

With all the snow coming down, Joyce came up with great questions, now for our answers.

1. When did someone last suggest you 'chill out'? Or, when did you last tell someone (or want to tell someone) to 'chill out'? Or, when did you last tell yourself to 'chill out'?
I can't remember the last time I told someone to chill out or the last time someone told me to chill out.  But when I get upset, I tell myself to chill out a lot.  I take a deep breath, count to 100 (or more) and try to chill out before I make a final decision or say something I shouldn't.  Most of the time it works, but once in a while, I should have kept counting....

2. What most recently caused your heart to melt? 
I love holding my Hubby's hand while we watch TV.  We do it a lot.  I love that but what really makes my heart melt is while we are sleeping, we reach for each other.  We are just old romantics at heart.

3.  "An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered." G.K. Chesterton  

Your thoughts? When did you last experience either an adventure or an inconvenience? How did you see it at first, as an adventure or an inconvenience?  Does it feel the same in hindsight?

A few weeks ago the car broke down in traffic, I was alone.  It was an inconvenience for sure.  It was so cold and I didn't have heat in the car.  A nice police officer allowed me to sit in his cruiser while I was waiting for Hubby to get to me and then we waited for AAA.  It was an inconvenience for sure.

On the other hand, we sometimes just drive around looking at the beautiful countryside we live in.   We get lost on purpose and drive around, talking and laughing.  To me that is an adventure.  I love that.

4.  A Wendy's Frosty, root beer in a frosty mug, or a frosted chocolate cupcake...of these three, which one is your favorite 'frosty' treat?
Root Beer in a frosty mug on a hot summer day. Hands down. But since it's so cold out, I'm going with the chocolate cupcake.

5. Would you say your life so far this year has been more like a circus or a symphony? Explain why.
More of a symphony so far for sure.  Our lives are filled with joy and laughter and love and grand children.  Family, friends and I love ever minute of it.

6. Since it's a 'snow day' here, what's your favorite song containing the word 'white'?
The first one I though of was White Christmas.

7. If you had to leave the city you currently live in, what would you find the hardest to leave behind?
I love living in the country with neighbors just far away to make it so nice. I would miss the country life.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Well the state shut down. We all stayed in and waited for the snowmagedon.  And guess what?  It really didn't happen.  Yes we got lots of snow, and it blew around a lot, and it was cold.  But it was not what the snow storm of 1978 was and that was the storm this was compared to.  We didn't loose power and we are all OK.  August went out once and fell into the snow.  Since he is 10 inches tall, we knew we had at least 10 inches of show.  He jumped up and into the house in one leap and looked at me with sad scared eyes.  Me, I laughed so hard my side hurt.  

There is another snow event scheduled for the end of the week, We must be playing catch up for all the snow we didn't get in November and December.  That's OK, we're ready. 

An Anniversary of Sorts

This weekend, the 24th and 25th of Janbuary is the one year anniversary of my Stem Cell Harvesting.  It's been an odd year full of blessings and love.

We were sure that we were harvesting stem cells and getting them back in the fall of 2014.  However, the Fall of 2014 has come and gone and my stem cells are still in a freezer.

I look back and see all we have been through.  The  massive chemo that cost me my hair for the first time.  The growth hormone shots to force my body to make many more white cells and force them into my blood stream.  The port that needed to be sewed into my neck because my veins were not big or strong enough to handle the machine that would suck the stem cells out of me.  The harvesting itself which was harder than I hoped it would be and was as hard as I was told it could be.

I look back at how hard it was to gain my strenght again, to get back to work.  How hard it was to play with my grand girls or even sit at a birthday party and not cry.

It's been a year of up and downs, of illness and health.  Of good days and bad.  Of weeks of sleeping and days of energy.

It has been a year of watching my husband do it all, from cooking and cleaning to shopping and laundry.  Driving me everywhere and holding my hand while I slept.

A year of both dogs sleeping on me, near me, checking on me throughout the night.

A year of co workers helping out, doing my job, taking over at times and wishing me luck all the time.

A year of back and forth to doctors for things not really connected to cancer but still somehow connected.

A year of friends taking me out to dinner, lunch, and breakfast to talk, laugh, ask questions and just enjoy each others company.  A year of gifts, calls, emails, cards, funny stories and prayers.  Lots of prayers.

A year of leaning on God to do what I couldn't and to meet my needs.

It's been quite the year!  I have hair now, I have energy now, I have things to do and places to go. I have a job to keep up with and friends to laugh with.
I have a husband I can cook for, and clean up after and even take care when he gets sick.
And someplace up north are my stem cells, frozen. They can stay there for 30 more years.

GRANNY NIRVANA HODGEPODGE!

1. My hubs spent last weekend pheasant hunting. Are there hunters in your family? If so, what do they hunt? Which of the following have you tasted-pheasant, rabbit, venison, duck, goose? Which of those would you most like to taste, or be most willing to taste?

Hubby spent many years hunting venison and we had many years of it to eat.  I relly do love the taste of it.  He hasn't hunted in a few years now and I miss it.  Of the ones listed, I would like to try Pheasant, it just sounds like it would taste good.

Vegetarians keep calm and Hodgepodge on.

2. What high spot have you visited that gave you a wonderful 'bird's eye view' of something below?

Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park gave such a beautiful fall view of Bar Harbor, Maine.

3.  Do you have any birds in your home? These could be either real live pets or decorative, as in bird prints, knickknacks, fabric or pottery.

No

4. Tell about a time you 'killed two birds with one stone'?

Oh my, these are hard this week.  I can't think of anything.

5. Your favorite song with a bird in it's title?

I had to Google song titles with Birds in the title.  I'll pick Rockin Robin By Bobby Day and the Jackson 5 both turned it into a hit.

6. What most recently gave you goose bumps?

Our vacation at Arcadia National Park gave me the  goose bumps, it's so beautiful and to think God created it all!!

7. Halloween is this Friday...any plans? Did you trick or treat as a child? Carve pumpkins? Share your most memorable costume.

We live too far out for Trick or Treaters to come to our home so we will stay home and watch TV.  When I was a kid, we grabbed the pillow case of of our beds and ran around the neighborhood getting all the candy we could carry.  Then I ran home, emptied the pillow case and would go right back out.  It was common to empty that pillow case several times an evening.  Then my sister and I would go through the candy and trade off what we didn't like for what we did like.  I usually wore the "Hobo" costume which came from my dads closet.  We didn't carve pumpkins.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
I am fine, just either busy or sleeping.  We are WAY behind in getting the house set for the cold weather that will be upon us soon.  The list is long to get this house ready for the cold weather.
Don't forget to Fall Back this weekend.  I sure hope that the dogs let me get that extra hour of sleep!!

BACK TO SCHOOL HODGEPODGE!

Thank you Joyce for these questions.  I have my answers, do you have yours?

1. On Thursday we pause to remember a dark day in history-9/11. Will you mark it in some special way?

I will say a prayer for those who were left behind to live forward without the love of their family member.  I know for many, this is hard.

2. Do you ever/still...listen to an actual radio? Watch a videotape (VCR)? Look up a number in a phonebook? Refer to a paper map while traveling? Set an alarm on an alarm clock as opposed to your phone?

No, everything I do, I do on my phone.  How strange this new life style has become.

3.  Is it ever a good idea to discuss religion or politics with people you don't know?

Not for me.

4. What's a dish you haven't eaten all summer, but come September find yourself craving? Have you made it yet this month?

Lazy Man's Lobster and no, I've not made it yet this month but the month is still young.

5. What's something you know nothing about?

WOW there are lots of things I know nothing about.  Like how people in Africa live, Why did we have 3 super moons this year, how to cook a snake, what does the sound of a skunk sound like, and how long does it take to walk to Boston. There are lots to still learn about this world I live in.

6. September is Classical Music Month. Do you like classical music? If so, what's your favorite piece?

I do like to listen to the Children's Classical Hour on the radio (on my phone of course) where they explain why the songs were written and how the instruments mirror the sound of water, wind, and horses walking on the cobblestone.  I don't have a favorite, I like the learning about it.

7. What's the oldest thing you own?

I have a side board that belonged to my grandmother. She got it second hand so it's something like 100+ years old by now.  I really love it and it goes with our dinning room set perfectly.  At the moment, it's in the kitchen holding dishes and lots of things.  There is a story in there someplace.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

NH had a primary election today.  The turn out was light this morning but the total counts are not in yet.  Here in NH at our polling place we have to show a photo ID to vote.  I'm proud to do so!  I think showing my ID is a privilege that so few in other country's have the right to do. So what is the big brouhaha about everyone having to show an ID?  I show it to get money from my bank, to fill out a car loan application, to vote, and to pick up some medications. If we are here legally then we should be proud to show off our ID; if we are not here legally, then go home and stop using up our resources and get in line to come here legally.  That's my soap box moment.  

Time Goes By.

Tomorrow, Saturday the 30th our little boy 'Naturial's All In The Music, August Rush' will be 3 years old.  How fast the time goes.

He started out like this:

This is his Momma, with all the babies she had.  Our little boy is on top with the black spots on white coat.  Momma was a powder puff and dad is a hairless.  Both powder puff and hairless are born in the same litter.   This was the first photo the breeder sent me asking if I could figure out which were hairless and which were powder puff.  I couldn't in this photo so she sent me photos of each dog separately and when I saw him I put him on my short list of dogs I liked the look of.

Here was the picture she sent me and I thought wow, is he little?

She gave them names, this was Ditto and at one week old look at that face!!

She sent me another photo asking if I could find him in there.  His ears were still taped and still, I loved his face.  Here he is with the siblings.  They are all so cute. 

Our slippery little boy was really taking shape and I couldn't wait to pick him up.

At 10 weeks of age we were able to drive drown and pick him up.  He was ours.  

Becke, the wonder dog started right away, taking care of him and teaching him.  

They still nap together and Becke sure looks happy about it.

So Tomorrow is his 3rd birthday.

I'll make him Scrambled eggs with cheese for Breakfast and stew beef with green beans for dinner.  

Happy 3rd Birthday our Little Man.  You've come a long way!!

A Play Date Birthday.

This is August Rush sleeping on the couch on top of an electric throw.  He loves to sleep there especially if I'm under the blanket!  He knows his job is to hold me down and he takes his job very seriously!!

Those who know August also know that he is not very confident and so every thing new has to happen slowly for him.  He will make me a better dog trainer and a better dog owner because I constantly have to break down behaviors for him to tackle in small segments.  So imagine my surprise when I opened my mouth and offered for August and I to go over to help a friend who has a small dog that is not very confident.

My friend has had the new-to-her dog for 3 weeks and Sunday was the dogs 4th birthday.  She wanted a friend for her baby girl so August and I went over for a play date.  The dog is a 4 year old long hair Chihuahua called "Sunshine".

I was stunned to see how quickly August settled down and got to work making Sunshine feel comfortable.  He walked up and smelled her quickly, then walked away. He went back to smell her again, then after 3 seconds, he walked away again.  After a few more times of short meetings, he was ready to go for a walk with her.

Sunshine's mom, learned fast not to lean over him as he yelled at her and clearly was not happy about it.  He backed away from her as soon as she bent down towards him. I quickly called him away and told her to not bend over him and to just look his way but not to look at him.  She learns fast!

Sunshine's mom could lean over Sunshine and August would walk up to her for a treat.  But she did not lean over August again.  He liked that.

 They walked nicely by our sides and shared a bowl of water as it got hot out there!  When the traffic became heavy, and the black top became too hot for their little feet, both dogs went into their separate strollers.  Then my friend and I continued walking and talking.  Yes, we have strollers for our little dogs, don't laugh.  It allows us to continue to walk for exercise and not worry about our little ones being over tired or over heated.  

Back at her house, August drank some of her water and checked out the toys in her toy box and cooled down while Sunshine watched from Mommy's lap.  

What surprised me was how quickly August relaxed and just enjoyed her company, enjoyed the walk, enjoyed the toys, enjoyed the water and the cool hard wood floor.  In all, he just did what I had hoped he would.  He helped make a new friend.  

 

What a cute little girl, Happy 4th Birthday Sunshine! It was a fun day!!

Have you ever had a play date for your dog?  Tell me the story. I love those stories.

Playing in the Yard

Because I have no need to shave, or use a lot of shampoo/cream rinse,  I've been saving that money and decided to update the front yard.  The doctor wants me to rest, so we can rest in the front yard, right?

We added some free pallets right up against the house and filled the ground under them with decorative stones, lots and lots of stones.  Then I started to add plants on top of the pallets. Don't you love FREE?

Different size planters and some up on upturned crates for different heights made the pallets look colorful.

In front of the pallets, we dug up the grass, made it pretty straight, laid down weed block fabric and rubber patio tiles made from old tires.  Then we got 2 red Adirondack chairs.  We also added some folding chairs that we had for others to sit and enjoy with us.  From here, we watch those walking their dogs, riding their bikes and of course those driving up and down the street.  

Both dogs like being out there as well, there is shade, sun, a water dish and of course a lap to sit on and hands to hug them.  

This took a few weekends to do as before we could do any of this, there were 2 bushes up there that I hated from the day we moved in.  We had cut them down but we couldn't dig them out of the ground so we waited until they rotted in the ground and then Hubby dug them up.  One came out easily, the other.....not so much.

We really love to sit out there and listen to music, watch the world go by, talk, and most of all enjoy each others company.  

As my stamina improves, we are working on the hill by the driveway.  Laying mulch is hard work when you have to first weed out a years worth of weeds.  We didn't do anything in the front last year as I just didn't have any strength or stamina or desire.  This year I have some so it's time to pull the weeds and get that mulch down!!  

How's your Spring going?  What projects are you doing?

Laughter and Friends, Friends and Laughter

Have you ever heard of Cairing Bridge?  It's a free website where people with illness can write about what is going on in their lives and share it with those who want to know what is happening.  It's a great site for those who live far away and those who life close by but you still don't see them every often.  This was my Cairing Bridge Journal update yesterday.  I thought I would share it with you as well.  

Any day is a good when you have friends and laughter.  Recently I was blessed with  a wonderful day of both.  A friend and I had been trying to get together for some time for lunch.  However,  she would be ill, or I was, or there were 4 more inches of snow of the ground, or it  was raining so hard you just couldn’t see.  So the lunch date was postponed over  and over again.  

Finally, we decided to just do it!  We picked another date and  unless the Lord came to take us all home, we were going out to eat lunch!! She  picked me up at my house and off we went.   I remember thinking that she was one very slow driver but since I love her I would  keep that to myself. I did tell her that in NH a person could take a right on a red light and that she had the right of way (I’m helpful that way you know).

We arrived at the Longhorns Steakhouse Restaurant and got a parking space right by the door.   It was a sunny afternoon and I was waiting to play catch up with her and all that has been going on in her life.   Instead there were 24 other ladies waiting at our table!!! They all wanted to  celebrate with me that the stem cell transplant my Oncologist down here wanted was  postponed by the transplant doctor up in Lebanon.  We will change meds. We're going to up the strength of one and add a steroid and see if that works.  If it works, then the transplant will continue to be on hold. If it doesn’t work, then we’ll talk…

 So for the next 2+ hours, we laughed, took pictures, talked, got caught up with each other’s lives, sang and cried tears of joy.  We ended up having 3 waitresses caring  for us.  The table was set in pretty girly pink with glow-in-the-dark light up rings, a Tiara and a Feather Boa for me to wear and of course a magic wand to wave.  There were  pink “Jewels” and small paper purses all over the table and HUGE pink balls hanging from the Antler lamps and on the table.  OH And there were cards and gifts.

The  cards were so funny and made me laugh (you know those are keepers) and gifts  were so sweet. Among the gifts was a coffee cup with “You are a Courageous Woman” on the outside and a  scripture verse around the rim (Joshua 1:9); a happy thought for each day flip book; and  beautiful note paper with a matching pen for the fridge (these ladies know me!).

The  cards were passed around so that each one could read and laugh at the crazy friends I have. These ladies have been praying us through cancer for 2 years now.  They haven’t let down once to check in with me and talk to me and even told me that my hair looked great and – which is only about 1 inch long so not much to look at.

Now I understand why my friend Linda drove so slow, she was giving the ladies more time to get to Longhorns and get set up at the table before her and I got there.  Sneaky lady - I love her.  That's her behind me in the photo.  

Besides all the fun the ladies and I had, it was also a day that some of the men were caring for Gerry, laughts, BBQ burgers, stories and friendship for him as the caregiver.  That made the day extra special!

TAG TEAM TUESDAY HODGEPODGE!

1. What news story are you following right now?
Since our son and his family live out in San Diego, I've been following the weather channel and the fires out there.

2. What's the last thing you wanted but didn't get?
Well I live a spoiled life because there is nothing that I can think of that I didn't get.  Hubby takes very good care of me and I have whatever I want or need.  I know that I am blessed.  If it were possible for my son and his family to live closer to us that would be divine.

3. May 28th is National Hamburger Day...when did you last have a hamburger? Other than your own kitchen or BBQ grill, where is your favorite place to go for a hamburger? And for all you non-meat eaters out there...when you're invited to a cookout what is the one side dish you hope is on the menu?
I had a hamburger on Monday. Hubby cooked some BBQ pork ribs and hamburgers on the gas grill and he added a touch of BBQ sauce to the burgers. It was delish. He is a great cook.

4. How have your priorities changed over time?
Since being diagnosed with cancer I don't care as much about the small stuff, you know, dishes in the sink, or laundry not folded right away.

5. What's a favorite memory with your grandparents?
My maternal grandmother lived across the street from a bakery. A person could buy a loaf of bread that was not cooked yet and you could put it in your oven and bake it.  When asked if it was home made, she would say "Well it came out of my oven, so yes."  We ate at her house after church often.  She was a good cook.

6. On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being fantastic!), how good are you at multitasking? Share an example.
10!! I'm a woman after all!  I can take a bath while talking on the phone, get dressed and apply make up  and start cooking a meal all without the person knowing anything.

7. How would you summarize your highs and lows for the month of May?
My highs would be sitting out front with Hubby on the faux patio that Hubby and I made with beautiful flowers all around us.  Just holding hands, sitting there and enjoying watching life go by was my high.  My low would be that a transplant may be in our future sooner, rather than later.  Yuck to transplant.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
We had the chance to watch our grand girls on Tuesday.  They are  5 and 3 years old.  Watching them color with crayons was so much fun. The little one would declare "I need a green one." and the older one would hand her a green crayon.  They share so well, and they play together so well.  I am so proud of the children they are and how our daughter is such a great mom.  How did she become such a great person with me as her mom?   I'm impressed by her.

HUBBY LOVES ME HODGEPODGE!

What a week this has been!! Playing with grand girls, gardening, cleaning, showing hospitality to a house guest and life in general.  Thank goodnes my Hubby loves me and copied the questions for me.  Come play along with us, won't you?

1. Under what circumstances do you do your best thinking?
Early in the morning after a really good nights sleep.  I seem to be clear headed and make much better choices then.  As the day goes on, my head just becomes too full of information and my thinking skills just goes down hill.  

2. Are you a risk taker? What's one big risk you've taken?
No not really.  I like to play it safe.

3. Some of the most common phobias according to the National Institute for Mental Health are-fear of spiders (arachnaphobia), snakes (ophidiophobia), heights (acrophobia), fear of spaces from which escape is difficult (agoraphobia), fear of thunder and lightening (astrophobia), fear of dogs (cynophobia), injections (trypanophobia), social situations, flying (pteromerhanophobia) and fear of germs and dirt (mysophobia). True phobias affect only about 10% of adults, but of those listed which would you rate as your greatest fear?
WOW! As I read the list my brain was going "Yup, yup, yup"  Holy cow!  I guess my greatest fear is  is flying and heights which really go together don't they. After all one is pretty high when one is flying right?  
  4. Are you settled or do you feel the need to move somewhere new?
I would like to move again.  Don't get me wrong, I like the town we live in and being in the country but I would like to be closer to the grand girls and on one floor.  It makes walking better on these old bones. We could still be in the country and still be closer to the girls.

5. What is something you find annoying when dining in a restaurant?
Over tired kids that really need to be home and in bed instead of out so late eating dinner.  I feel bad for the parents, but really people, take that poor tired child home and put him/her to bed. They don't care about eating out, they want to sleep!

6. Daffodil yellow, sunset orange, spring green, or sky blue...your favorite color this time of year?

Sunset orange for sure.

7. If you were going to take a holiday all by yourself, where would you go?
In the woods, in a log cabin, by a pond, lake or some other water source. 

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
This week, Thursday in fact, we are back at the doctor's to see if I'm still in remission.  I test every month and although I try not to think about cancer it's hard when every month I have to test and then wait for the results.  I am growing hair, it's blond!! It's short - oh my is it short - but it's growing.  The doctor thinks it will grow at the rate it did when I was a baby so I'll need a hair cut July 2016!!!  

Now it's your turn, jump in and answer  these questions.

The last Hodgepodge of April

Joyce once again found time to come up with the Hodgepodge questions along with writing the A-Z challenge which was really challenging.  Hubby took part in the A-Z challenge and it was really a hard challenge.  So thank you Joyce.  Come play with us.

1. April showers bring May flowers or so the saying goes. Are you blooming where you're planted as we begin the month of May?
Yes, flowers are blooming finally and the sun has been shining for a while now but this week we are getiing a lot of rain, the left overs of those heart breaking storms that the south got.  The rain is filling wells and helping our flowers to bloom.

2. On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being no big deal, and 10 being full scale panic, rank your fear of spiders.Spiders! oh I'm a good 7.  Depends on where they are, if they are moving, how fast are they moving, and of course HOW BIG. I've woken up Hubby to have him kill a spider so that I could take a shower.  It was just that big!!

3. May is National Salad Month (who knew???)...besides lettuce, what are two must-have ingredients in your favorite salad?Onions and strawberries.  Love that combo in a salad!

4. I mentioned on my blog last week that my Daughter1 will be moving to Washington State after she is married. Of the following sites in the Northwest, which would you most like to see in person-Crater Lake (Oregon), Seattle (Washington), Vancouver (British Columbia), San Juan Islands (Washington),  Mt. Rainer (Washington) Oregon Coast (Oregon), Mt. St. Helens (Washington), or Olympic National Park (Washington)Olympic National Park sounds like the perfect place to be and camp. It looks beautiful don't you think.

5. This coming weekend marks the 140th running of the Kentucky Derby...when did you last race (literally or figuratively) to cross a finish line?Running with the grand girls and losing to a 5 year old counts, right?  

6. What is something little you love?My wedding ring. It's a symbol of love from a boy to me. A promise to love, honor, of cherish, sticking with and sometimes puting up with me.  We are looking at our 42nd anniversary this July.  He kept his promise.  I love my rings. More importantly, I love the man that boy became. 

7. Would you say you are more of a visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learner? Elaborate.Visual for sure! Most of the time when I sew, I use no pattern.  If I can see it I can sew it.  Show me and I can repeat it.  

8.  Insert your own random thought here. This week in NH is school vacation week so both dogs are either home with daddy or in my office as all the day care and boarding space is full!  I've been taking one and leaving one at home as my office is too small for both dogs and me.  Hubby is tired and worn out.  Poor Hubby.

Hello World!!

 

Yes, I'm alive! No I'm not sick. Thanks for asking.  

The things I love to do all day now take all day to do because my energy level is still low. We are finally declairing "Snow Out" as the last of it has melted!! Now the clean up begins.
The backyard wasn't too bad but, oh my, the front yard was a mess.  I got August' agility equipment up and he is running and jumping like mad.  

Both dogs hang out with me while I clean up the front yard. One watches me and one watches the road.  Can you guess who is doing which? 

Yup, August watches the road.

Becke watches me.

So once I get home, it's feed the dogs, putter around the house for a bit because if I sit down at all, I fall asleep on the couch.  On the weekends, I work on the yard and then stop once I am tired. I curl up on the couch to watch a movie and wake up 3 hours later. There are just not enough hours in the day.  I remember working in the yard all day and getting it all done in one day. Now I work till I'm tired and have to go back the next day (and the day after that) to get it all done.  I think the yard got bigger!

I love being outside in the warmth and feel the grass, dirt, and mulch under my feet.  I love the heat bearing down on my fuzzy head.  I look like a Chia Pet in the first few days of watering it.  I wish my hair grew as fast as a Chia Pet but it's not. OH WELL!  I still love feeling the heat on my head.

There was a nasty bug going around the office and church and just about everywhere and I didn't get it!! My new immune system seems to be working really good!  I sleep really well and I wake up feeling strong but oh how I wish I could move faster and get more done in one day.  I know Baby steps.


Monday night we got to play with our granddaughters while their parents were working. They work split shifts so that someone is home with them but every so often one is starting at 3pm and other doesn't get out until 5:30pm so we get to have the girls for that "between time".  It's been way too long since that has happened.  What fun to play outside with them!  I'm going to teach them to garden, then they can teach their parents!  What fun it is to dig in the dirt with kids.

So thank you for checking, and even for worrying but I'm good. Back to the dirt.....

More on What to do When Your Friend has Cancer

So your friend has cancer. You and they had a conversation and you have a feeling of just how well they are doing.  Now what?

Many times you want to help but don’t know how.  Here is a list of things you can do for them.

1.       If you pray, then pray for them. Pray for a cure. Pray for strength to get through treatment. Pray for good weather to travel to doctor’s appointments.  Pray for the caregiver.  Tell them you are praying and for what you are praying for.

2.       Call or email them every few weeks if you haven’t see them at church or work. Ask them how they are doing today.

3.       Do you sew, knit, or crochet? Then make them a hat, scarf, hand warmers, or socks to stay warm.  Can you cut with scissors?  Then take 2 pieces of fabric, each 1 yard long.  Place them back sides together and cut all the way around them about 2 inches deep and 1 inch apart, then tie the pieces together.  Give that to your friend to cover themselves with. Use fleece or flannel for warmth. What other crafts can you share with them?

4.       Can you cook? Make them some Mac and cheese or a cream based soup. Both go down easily and make for a nice meal when one is too tired to cook for themselves. Go easy on the spices!

5.       Do you go to church or other functions at the same time, sit near them and be a "wall" to protect those who may be sick from getting too close.  Colds can become very serious very fast and child- hood diseases (chicken pox and measles) can land them in the hospital.

6.       Go on Pinterest and collect all sorts of funny and inspirational sayings. Copy and paste them on black sheets, print them out and give it to them.  A great funny reminder to brighten up their day.

7.       Tell them jokes, email them jokes, and tell them funny, even embarrassing stories from your own life.  A good belly laugh will go a long way.

8.       Go with them to pick out their wig, be honest and help them find one that makes them feel comfortable.

9.       Cleaning for a Reason is a nonprofit organization partnering with maid services to offer free professionals house cleanings to improve the lives of women undergoing cancer treatment. Send them some information to see if they can get help with house work while they are having treatment.  There are limitations but if you live in a large city, it may be just right for your friend. 

Here are a few things you can do that don’t cost a lot, but mean a lot.

1.       A snack size zip lock bag with lip balm, small bottle of hand lotion (Udder cream is wonderful for people with cancer), emery board (their nails break very easily), and some hand candy (ginger, lemon or peppermint) to help with upset stomach from chemo.  Something small to put in their purse to carry around. Give them a new one every month or so.

2.       If you know someone who sews, knits or crochets, maybe ask them to make a hat, scarf, hand warmers, socks or blanket. Make a care package for them. Or buy them, using coupons to save money.

3.       A bottle of hand sanitizer and Clorox wipes on their desk allows them to clean away the germs from the computer; phone, desk, door knobs etc. and the sanitizer will help keep their hands clean.

4.       Buy them some baseball hats.  Wigs are hot and summer is coming, baseball hats are easier to wear.  You can find some that cover more of the head and tops of ears to allow them to feel more comfortable.

5.       TLCdirect.org has some really nice hats that don’t cost a lot. These hats are made for people with cancer.

6. Buy them children tooth brushes.  Doctors tell them to use those as they are more gentle on the gums which bleed easily.  Buy super heroes like the Hulk, Superman and Captain American as well as others.  One of the Princesses, Snow White, Ariel, Merida and others to help her feel pretty. Since they need to change the brush every month, buy lots! Good thing they are cheap!  Gentle tooth paste and mouth wash as well, Biotine works very well also. 

And by all means, take care of yourself because if you are sick, you too need to stay away from your friend. So eat right, take your vitamins and care for yourself, so that you can care for others.