Grandpa + the Laundry Hamper = FUN!

 Grandpa is just SO much fun!

Maybe Momma would like to play...

And can we fit Grandma in with us?

Slip-Slidin' Away

Do you like how I ended with a cliff-hanger yesterday?  Have you been worried?

Well, let me start off by saying no one was hurt.  Now, here's the rest of the story.

We knew there was snow forecast for Friday night so we were not surprised to wake up to a white world.  We'd stayed at a hotel in Northglenn, CO which is just North of Denver.  Because the weather was to improve as the morning wore on, we took our time.  We had breakfast and just relaxed for awhile.  We could see the interstate from our window so we knew traffic was moving well by mid-morning.  While I checked us out Mike went to scrape windows and warm up the vehicle.

When I exited the hotel I could see Mike in the parking lot below.  I was carrying my purse, my little duffel bag and my crochet bag.  I was wearing hiking boots and walking on several inches of snow.  Unfortunately, snow was just the cover over solid ice.  You guessed it!  Down I went.  It wasn't pretty and I and my bags were pretty snowy, but I was not hurt.  I looked down toward Mike and was kind of relieved to see that he hadn't noticed.  It looked like he had just finished scraping and was getting into the vehicle.

As I continued on down the hill, glad I had no broken parts, I noticed a small pick-up coming around the corner intending to come up the hill down which I was sliding/walking.  He was not moving fast but he went into a slide right toward Mike!  Mike was unaware.  The slide was very slow and he missed Mike but gently slid sideways into the little blue car right next to our's!  It was so quiet, I heard nothing.  When I got to Mike, he was surprised to know what had just happened.

Mike got out to see if he could help.  It was a young California man who didn't know what to do to get going again.  He'd not damaged the other car, just knocked the snow off of it.  Mike was able to help him get pushed away but he couldn't keep going. The hotel staff said that the maintenance man was going to bring some sand or something but he wasn't even at the hotel yet.  As the three of us stood there, another car came from the opposite direction, spun and came to a stop with the nose of that car just inches from another parked car. 

I went back into the hotel and they sent out a couple of guys with a bag of gravelly stuff.  About then a third vehicle came around the corner and spun sideways into that first little pick-up! We all ran out of the way when we saw it coming so we were fine.  Again, the slide was so slow it didn't seem too dramatic, although there may have been some very minor damage.

About then, I remembered I had a camera!

The gravelly stuff worked and everyone got pushed out of the predicament.  We were sure glad to get out of that parking lot!

The highway was sloppy wet but otherwise fine.  Our windshield wiper fluid must have frozen because we couldn't get it to work.  That turned out to be an annoying problem as vehicles kept splashing slop on us.  Several times we had to get off the highway to wash our windshield with snow.  Other than that, though, the rest of the trip was pretty easy. For that I am grateful!

Hockey!

I've told you about how my husband, Mike, became a St. Louis Cardinals Fan when he was just a child.  Shortly after he chose to follow the Cardinals, he decided to follow all things St. Louis, including their hockey team, The St. Louis Blues.  We still haven't seen them play in St. Louis but we've seen them play a couple of times elsewhere.

Last week the St. Louis Blues were playing the Denver Avalanche.  That is a half day's drive for us but we both had a chance for a few days off.  I attended a hospice class on pain Friday morning and then we headed out.  The weather was crisp and pretty...

I had a poncho in my lap to crochet......

And we had plenty of time for Mike to try to help me better understand hockey.  When I'd been to hockey games before I knew which goal belonged to which team, but that was about it.   I'd sometimes ask Mike, "What just happened?" He'd try to answer but then the action would start and he'd get distracted.  I still had fun, though, as there was lots of "people-watching" to be done.

This time, though, I wanted to have a better understanding.  So, while the miles slipped under our tires, Mike held a hockey class for me.  I learned about power plays, shoot outs and hip checks.  He explained icing and first, second, third and fourth lines.  He taught me the difference between minor and major penalties.  He helped me understand why players just flowed on and off the ice even when no whistle was blown to allow the substitution (I understand basketball and expected more correlations). 

We arrived at the game early and walked around just enjoying watching all the people. Well, I am not so sure Mike enjoyed that but I did.  Mike went with me into the Avalanche Shop so I could purchase a pair of earrings for a friend of mine who is an Avalanche fan.  That was true love for him to be in that shop with me.  They sold no St. Louis Blues paraphernalia there.

The game was really quite entertaining.  They turned down the lights and used spotlights to build up the drama before their team came on the floor, I mean on the ice.  There was a lot of excitement around us.  As the game was played, I was happy to realize that I really did understand it a lot more.  There were a few problems for me.  This is the view I had when the teams were playing on the left end of the rink...

She leaned forward nearly the entire game!  I did not want to lean forward the entire game.  But, I heard enough conversation between her and her young husband to learn that she, too, was struggling to understand the game that her husband loved.  She was working very hard at it, even wore Avalanche clothing.  It was really kind of cute.

The people-watching time was excellent.  At one point Mike leaned over and said, "Do you know what just happened there?"  First of all, the "happening had been to the left so I really could not have seen it all that well.  So, yes, I did know what just happened... the two brunette parents in front of us, sitting with their 3 redheaded kids, had just been joined by a pretty redheaded woman who seemed to be the grandma.  She was very happy to see them all.  The children were well-behaved and the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were having a lively conversation with lots of smiles and laughs involved.  Ok, back to hockey...
There were almost some fights.  When a couple of players would get in each other's faces, the crowd instantly chanted, "Fight! Fight!"  It was really rather silly, in my opinion.

During the breaks sometimes they had little kid hockey teams play.  They were so cute!  As Mike said, it must've been the thrill of a lifetime for those children to play there.  One little guy who scored got to be interviewed by the news crew!

Another fun thing was the blimps.  Two blimps occasionally flew overhead during breaks.  They dropped coupons or something.  We didn't get any so I'm not sure what they were dropping but people seemed excited about it.

The St. Louis Blues played well.  It was an exciting game and went into overtime.  In case you don't know, overtime is a sudden death type of deal.  If one team scores it is instantly over.  No one scored.  At that point, they go into a shoot out.  Each team gets 3 players that get a chance, one at a time, to shoot at their goal.  Only the shooter and the goalie are on the ice at that time.  Well, one team made one goal and the other team made no goals during the shoot out.  I don't really want to talk about how it ended all that much.  It's my blog so I can do as I wish and I wish to not mention who won.  So there.

The weather for the trip home was a little more challenging.  I have lots more photos and a story to tell about that but since this post is already too long and Bode wants to help me, I guess I'll pick up tomorrow where I am leaving off today.

Have a great day!

Ii

This picture doesn't really match this post but I liked it!  Can you see Bode peeking out from the top step?

Wow!  We are already up to the letter i !  Is anyone still with me on memorizing these verses? 

This is a familiar verse to many, and one of my very favorites.  Even if you aren 't memorizing the other verses, this one is really worth the effort.  I have called it up from memory to help through some uncertain times in the past.

Jeremiah 29:11 …I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.

Thank-you for stopping by. Feel free to use my photos but please link them back to my blog. I am honored if you wish to share content of any of my posts on Facebook, Twitter, etc. as long as it is linked back to my blog.

Thank you to everyone who has been worrying about Bode.  He's being well medicated and seems to have reduced pain.  The vet called to talk about it.  He feels we should wait a few months before doing surgery.  Bode still has some growth plate showing on x-ray which means he has just a bit of growth left.  It's best to wait until he's done growing so for now we will be treating only his pain.  I think it will be ok but I'll be glad when it is all done.

In the meantime, he's pretty comfortable... and still goofy.

Isn't Blogging an Odd Thing to Do?

Do you remember when you first heard about blogging?  I think my friend, Pam, showed me my first blog.  It was written by an oncology nurse, just as Pam & I, and reading the blog was kind of like reading our own thoughts.  You can take a peek at that blog here if you'd like.  I still check in on that blog from time to time but I have to limit myself.  I said it was like reading our own thoughts as nurses, and it is, but it focuses on the heavy thoughts most of the time.  I needed some balance.

When our daughter, Maria, started blogging I didn't get it.  Why would she want to write about her day for the whole world to read?  Weren't diaries supposed to be locked and hidden under your bed or something?  When I read it, though, I got it.  Her blog, Little Things are Big, was just the balance I needed.  Her blog is well titled as she tries to focus on the moments of life that meld together to make a life precious and worthwhile.  I was hooked!  She has a real writing talent and a lovely outlook on life.

Pam eventually started her own blog as well.  Since she moved away, it is fun for me to follow her and see what is going on in North Dakota.  She has a sense of humor that I "get" and I usually end up smiling when I read her blog.  Check her's out here.

I am not sure why I decided to start a blog.  When I first started, I did not tell anyone.  It was less scary to think about strangers happening upon it than to think of "my people" reading it.  Finally, I told Maria.  She was very supportive so I decided to let me secret out of the bag. 

I was home recovering from my year-long bout of clostridium Difficile when I started writing.  I had lots of time on my hands.  I used some of that time to read blogs written by others.  I had no idea so many people wrote blogs!  It was easy to find blogs to read.  I'd just click on the name of someone who commented on Maria's blog and from there I could read that person's blog.  Then, I'd click on the name of someone who'd commented on that blog and I'd be led to yet another person's blog.  It isn't hard at all.

Along the way I have found that some blogs are more interesting to me than others.  Some bring me down and so I don't tend to go back to them much.  I made a choice to follow only blogs that somehow give me strength or make me laugh or open my mind.  There are enough influences in life that lead us down the path of self-pity, anger or despair.  I don't need more of that.

Since going back to work I do not check in with my favorite blogs as often as before but I still enjoy taking time to sit down and catch up.  I find myself wondering what Victoria has cooked up or how Emily and her family are doing.  I can check in on my son-in-law at We Dug Trenches, which isn't really a blog but he has some great photography there and I wanted to include it.  I cried when Janine and her family had to endure the death of her son but I rejoice as she speaks of healing.  Through Janine I met her sister, Niqui.  These sisters live in South Africa and I am not likely to meet either of them in this life, but they have come to be people that I hold up in prayer.  Another blog I check in on is Affectionknit, written by another Lutheran pastor's wife.  She and her family will be leaving their parish in North Dakota to move closer to family.  I know just the pain/joy she is experiencing over this decision!  Other blogs I follow include Hearth and Home and The Inspired Housewife.  I love to check in with Be Still and Know, written by an American doctor/mother/Christian.  She and her family moved to Uganda this year!

There are more blogs that I love as well.  I'm running out of time so I can't list them all but if you are interested, their recent posts show up on my blog page.  Just click!  You can also click on the names of people who have commented on this blog and just click on their names.  A profile will pop up and if they have a blog it will be listed.  Click on that and you'll find their blog....easy!

I have found that writing a blog has really made me pay attention to my own life more.  That may sound odd but it is true.  I also carry a camera more often and I've noticed that I really see beauty around me more easily when I am carrying the camera.  I'm terrible at putting photos in albumns and won't even try to scrapbook, but documenting our days on the blog comes easily.  I don't know why but it works for me.

When you have your own blog you can also look at your stats.  I was stunned to learn that I had readers from all over the world.  Think of it!  If we are reading blogs of people in different countries, perhaps it will make us all see more of what we have in common as humans and realize we are all in this life together.   Maybe we will learn to be more kind to one another. 


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A Chilly December Morning in Wyoming

In case you are wondering what it looks like in Wyoming this morning...

 I like to always look my best.  That is why I was out clearing a path off the deck still wearing the old leopard print flannel pajama bottoms, the pink t-shirt I slept in and the yellow sweater I wore to church last night to top off the look.  Laugh if you must but now I am relaxing in my recliner and drinking my hot chocolate.  I don't have to be anywhere for hours and I am content.

Thank-you for stopping by. Feel free to use my photos but please link them back to my blog. I am honored if you wish to share content of any of my posts on Facebook, Twitter, etc. as long as it is linked back to my blog.

The Case of the Mysterious Crutch

It is really windy where we live.  No, I don't mean breezy.  I mean REALLY windy.  Some days it blows and it blows and it blows with a dreadful monotany, only to be interrupted by gusts of 50-90 mph.   A few weeks ago, while driving the 15 minute route to Cordy's house (Yes, Maria and Eric live there too but she refers to it as "Cordy's House" so now I do as well.) I came upon a semi that had been blown over.  Unfortunately that is not that uncommon here.

When Beth Moore was here she was telling the audience of her shock when she arrived at our airport and got off the little plane.  She demonstrated with her body how hard it was to just stand up!  She then commented that she was terrified it would blow the bleach right off her hair!

Well, after one of those really windy weeks I found this in our front yard.

We often have odd things blow up into our yard but this was surprising indeed!  I couldn't quite come up with an explanation for this.  If it blew into our yard, was there a limping person also blown off course?  Had someone left this in their yard and it blew down to ours?  I was puzzled.

But then it was suggested to me

"Maybe someone was healed!"

I'm going with that explanation!

 

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Bode's Trip to the Vet - AGAIN!

Yesterday I took Bode to the vet.  It was a pleasant visit in that the vet is a friend and I look forward to visiting with him.  It was an unpleasant visit as I was pretty sure I knew what the vet was going to tell me.

Last week I started noticing that Bode was having trouble with his back left leg.  He was limping or lifting it up when he went up and down the stairs.  At first I figured he'd just been playing too rough with Bumblebee, our basset hound grandog.  They had been having great times together so that seemed like a reasonable explanation.  When it didn't go away, though, I examined him a bit more closely.  I went online and did some reading and got a sinking feeling.  So, off we went.

After an initial exam Dr. Scott said he'd need to do some x-rays and as it turned out, he needed to sedate Bode in order to make that happen.  I went out to the waiting area.  When I'd first come in there was a little boy, about age 5, in the waiting area with two women.  They were both out of sight but the little boy was there with 2 couples.  He was kind of getting rowdy and the adults weren't really doing much about it.  I was concerned because he kept getting in the face of their large dog, who seemed to be agitated himself.  Finally, one of the adults told me they didn't know the boy but when the two women went back to be with their pet as it was euthanized, they'd asked these strangers to watch the boy.

So, I got a National Geographic and called the boy over to look at pictures of animals.  I gently reprimanded him when he threw a magazine to the floor, pointing out that it wasn't his magazine and he needed to treat it carefully.  After that, he snuggled up beside me and was friendly and well-behaved.  The women were gone for about 1/2 hr.  While I was happy to help, I was stunned that anyone would leave a little boy with strangers like that!

Anyway, back to Bode.

When Dr. Scott came to get me he asked if I wanted to see the x-rays.  I knew that was a bad sign as no one offers to show you boring x-rays.  As it turned out, my internet diagnosis was correct.  Bode has hip dysplasia.  It was worse than I thought.  His left hip is almost totally out of the socket and his right hip is only a little less bad. 

So, we have some choices to make.  There are 2 different surgical options or we can just treat his pain.  I expect it will be surgery as he's not even a year old.  There is still time to prevent the arthritis that would surely be his future.  Nothing has to happen too quickly.  We were given some good pain meds for now and the doctor will be getting back to us with recommendations and prices.  I'm sure you'll be hearing more about this from me!

In the meantime, enjoy these photos of Bode sleeping off the sedation.  He's pretty, isn't he?  One of the vet techs told me he was the prettiest dog she'd ever seen!  Well, that's something.

Thank-you for stopping by. Feel free to use my photos but please link them back to my blog. I am honored if you wish to share content of any of my posts on Facebook, Twitter, etc. as long as it is linked back to my blog.

Monday Inspirations

Happy Monday!

I'm still speed-crocheting and it is still fun.  I really wish everyone could crochet as it is a cheap form of therapy.  I find it very calming.

I completed 2 ponchos and 3 hats this week-end so I'm making progress on the list of things I to which I committed.  These are things people have ordered for gifts for their friends and family.  I love doing it and my work schedule at Hospice is light this week so hopefully I will be able to get everyone's items to them in plenty of time.

I did take some time out to enjoy family last night.  Maria and Eric brought Cordelia and Bumblebee over for pizza night.  After pizza we enjoyed a game of Farkle.  Do any of you play Farkle?  It's quick and easy to learn but involves enough strategy to make it fun.We  made sure Cordy was having a good time as well.  She'd sit on Grandpa's lap for awhile, shaking dice for him.  She'd sit on my lap for a chair ride.  Our chairs are the kind on rollers so we'd push off from the table to roll across the floor toward the stove, then push off from the stove and roll back toward the table.  I also brought out plastic containers from my cupboard for her to stack and sort.  Yes, all this activity did make it trickier to play the game.  I lost and that must be the reason.

On another subject...

How many of you are scrapbookers?  I'm not.  However, I greatly admire those who are.  I know at least 3 of my friends who scrapbook... Nicole, Kate and Donna.  Are you guys working on anything special for Christmas?  Kate has a site of her own that I think you should check out.   This photo is direct from her site.  (I hope that is ok with you, Kate.)  She's also a budding photographer.  Check out her blog, Transformed Creativity, here.

She does some amazing things with scrapbooking and if any of you are scrapbookers or wanna-be-scrapbookers this would be a good resource.  Kate can hook you up with some cool stuff.   

This morning I saw another interesting idea.  It was a type of scrapbooking maybe even I could do.  I got it from another blog, The Blue Moss Girls.  This photo is direct from their site.  Check it out!  I don't know these people but I hope they don't mind free advertising.  It just seemed like a fun idea and there are other fun ideas on their site.  They also have an Etsy shop and you can link to it from their blog.

So, there you have it... inspiration!

Have a great Monday!

Hh

Whether you are memorizing the ABC's of Bible Memorization or just checking in to see what the verse is for today, I think you will like this one.  The thought of walking humbly with God is fascinating, isn't it?  We live in a world where the word humble is not often lifted up as a valued attribute.  I find this verse comforting and peaceful.

Micah 6:8 He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?


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Just Doing the Week-End Thing

Yesterday afternoon I enjoyed some lovely snuggle-nap time with Cordelia.  This is the photo I sent to her parents via phone while they were on their date.  She was fast asleep in my arms and I was loving it.  Bode kind of broke the mood by throwing up 5 times, but other than that it was lovely.



This morning I spent a couple of hours at Curves.  The manager had asked me to come in to set up some of our Wyoming Rose stuff.  They were just open 2 1/2 hours but we had some pretty good sales so I was quite happy.

Now I am home.  I am cozy in my recliner about to do some more speed-crocheting.  No deep thoughts from me today.

I don't think Saturdays were ever meant for deep thoughts anyway. 

How's your week-end going?

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Bonus Day!

The truth is, I was just hoping to survive this week.  I've been plowing ahead through many busy days in a row with my job, church events and craft fair days.  It has all been good, but I was already tired when this week started.  Here's a breakdown of the last few days. 

Monday:  I worked from 7:00 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. before going to a meeting at church.  I got home about 9:30 p.m., ate a little supper and was just getting ready for bed when Bode had diarrhea on the new carpet.   After scrubbing that up, I crashed.  Bode was sick again a few times in the night but Mike took care of it so I could rest.  I love Mike. 

Tuesday:  I worked 7:00 a.m. until 7:30 p.m.  I can't remember what I did that evening but I remember that Mike told me he missed me.  He was also tired, having been up in the night with Bode.  Did I mention that I love Mike?

Wednesday morning I made pies for Thanksgiving and did some errands.  After that, Sam and I picked up Maria and Cordy and met Mike at the mall for our weekly lunch at the food court.  I then came home and took a nap as Wednesday night I was scheduled to work my first night shift in years.  I worked 7:00 p.m. until 7:30 a.m.

Wednesday:  After getting home from work just before 8:00 a.m. I ate a little breakfast, plopped some frozen rolls out to thaw and went to bed.  Although I never did very well with sleeping during the day, I had a new plan.  I took a Benadryl and put on a pair of those eye coverings for sleeping.  What are they called?  Anyway, I put in a CD of sleepytime music to cover up day noises, set my alarm for 2:00 p.m. and fell immediately to sleep.  My alarm went off and I jumped up to see my clock said 5:00 p.m.!  I panicked, as we were to go to Maria and Eric's at 3:00!  Well, it was actually only 10:30.  Lesson learned, don't set your clock and alarm when you are too tired to see straight.  I went back to sleep until almost 1:00, waking with plenty of time to bake the rolls. 

After all that, we enjoyed a lovely dinner at Maria and Eric's.  Cordelia was in top form.  She greeted us and said "Happy Thanksgibbing" many times.

I was so grateful to Maria for taking on the responsibility of the family dinner. 

We usually go to my Mom's a few hours away but with my work schedule that wasn't feasible.  Although I was missing my Mom and all the family that we usually saw for Thanksgiving, I felt grateful to have this time with Sam, Mike, Maria, Eric and Cordelia.  I really missed Ben and Sara but was I was happy knowing they were with Sara's family for Thanksgiving. 

I just relaxed and enjoyed being a guest...

Maria had gone all out.  We enjoyed a beautiful meal, all vegan.  I ate so much I felt a little bit miserable for awhile but it was worth it. 

After that, I enjoyed time with Cordelia up in her room while Maria cleaned up and the guys watched some football. 

Eventually Cordy had everyone up in her room, most of us taking turns in the playhouse with her.  It was wonderful!  Later, the guys went out to watch more football while we girls came to our house to watch Netflix and let the dogs play. 

So today, I am still in my jammies just relaxing for awhile.  It feels like a bonus day with only good things planned.  I am NOT going shopping!  Black Friday scares me.  Instead, I will be crocheting.  Technically it is work as I am fulfilling Christmas orders for Wyoming Rose Boutique, but it feels like fun.  Right now I am working on a mother-daughter set of matching ponchos and hats.

Cordy will be here for lunch and snuggle time.  We'll watch the Wonder Pets, rock and likely have a snuggle nap.  Mike and I may go to a movie later.  See what I mean?  It's bonus day!