New Mac

Good evening. Have I ever mentioned my puppy, Mac? He is not really a puppy anymore, but a 6 year old white standard poodle. Well, technically he is apricot, because of a little color on his front knees, but when he is clean he is about as white as my laundry. We bought him a few years ago, after my husband's first stroke. We needed him to take us for walks...And he did! We used to walk a couple of miles most everyday. It was a terrible shock to his system when Bob had his last stroke and couldn't do that any more. He used to give us little gifts just to prove how much he loved missing his walks. We have worked that out.

Well a couple of day sago I got a new Mac. No, it is not a cute little poodle. It is a cute little computer. My big mac was getting old, especially by tech standards. My daughter and son in law bought me a new printer for Christmas. My computer was so out dated the it could not support the printer. So now I am learning how to use a cute little 13 inch lap variety that allows me to sit in our room with Bob while I do my computer work. We are truly blessed to have such technology to help us out. And I will get this thing figured out. I promise.

The Day

Today is THE DAY. Well maybe only The Day. It is not the Second Coming. It is the day I begin to become bread winner for my family. I had signed up to try an internet thing that just wasn't going to work out, that for a while I believed it to be a scam. I am not sure if it was or not, but they pulled a switch from what I was signing up for to internet selling and more of an investment. The money that they said I could earn was enough to replace my income, so I fell for it. It was not something I felt comfortable doing. So I am going to try what I know and love to do.
I love smocking and heirloom sewing. I have belonged to a smocking guild for many years. For a while I worked at Sew From The Heart, where I taught classes, as well as sold machines and all the wonderful things that go with sewing. SO...i am making Christening gowns to sell. It will start slow, but I have a bit to live on while I build my inventory and my business.
Please wish me luck. I'll keep you informed as I go along.Hopefully I'll have lots of adorable pictures to post of adorable babies in beautiful dresses. Top of the afternoon to you all.

"Did she die?" "No, she's not that old." "Does she have a new baby?" "Good grief no, she already has ten! And besides, She is too old for that." "Did she go to work?" No actually, she, meaning "me" actually quit work and have been full time care giver for my husband for the past three years. The first year after my husband's stroke, I mostly sat by his side and read to him, tried to keep his arms and legs moving by manipulating them, and tried to learn how to care for someone who had lost the ability to walk , talk , move his arms or body, eat , and stay awake for more than an hour at a time, except through the night. We made several trips to the emergency room and checked on or fixed several malfunctioning body parts.

The next year we acquired therapists . Physical, Occupational and speech(off and on). I got better at helping , and Bob got better at doing a few things, like his feeding tube was removed and he learned to eat again. I think he was highly motivated in this area. We still spent far too much time in medical facilities.

This year we are dealing with arthritis, making therapy more difficult. But we have become friends with a couple of pain doctors who make life more bearable. In general Bob has a bad reaction to most pain relievers and we avoid those like the plague. Sleeplessness and hallucinations are his most common reactions to pain killers. Thank goodness for orthopedic and anesthetic specialists.

This year I have also realized that I need more to occupy myself than voracious reading. I have restarted smocking, cooking, gardening, and various other interests from my past. Bob still likes me close at hand , so these projects take a miniscule corner in my day. Still, keeping the creative juices going helps me to curtail my desire to be out and going, going, going.
I hope all of my friends and family are well and happy today. Sorry for the long, long pause in blogging. I hope to catch up with those that I have missed seeing, and connect with friends, old and new. Thank you, Lord, for this day.

Whoa! I can hardly believe that it is June already. Sunday we will be bringing Bob home. He will be coming to a hospital bed, a wheel chair and a remodel job so that we can get him around. I owe one giant debt of gratitude to my boys( my boys are my sons and sons in law) and their friends and my daughter's friends, such as John Barnes, Derek Pratt, Jason Pratt,Fred Lines, and Monte, and Jordan and Charles and several others who may have been here helping while I was at the nursing facility with Bob. A GIANT BIG THANK YOU to you all . It is seeming like a huge challenge right now, but we are so happy to be bringing Bob home, and are hoping that a home atmosphere will speed his recovery. I may be calling on you all as I try to figure out all the ways to get Bob all of the therapy and care that he needs. I am just very grateful to be able to get to this point. Many prayers have been answered, and many more will go up in petition for Bob's recovery.

May 1. Ah May, not quite the MAGIC MONTH, in October we are looking forward to the weather change, but pretty close. Happy Birthday Monique. I am home with stomach flu, so that is not so great, but in the next week Mo has her birthday, I have mine on Cinco De Mayo, our grand daughter, Sidney is getting baptized, and the horses run in Kentucky for the Roses. The pagentry is so fun. We have not yet perfected our virgin Mint Julips, but we are working on it. This year I might try Sonic's Lime slushes with a bit of mint added, that is, if I can face food by then.
And whenever else can we put on a hat whether the sun shines or not? Happy May 1st to everyone!

Today is April 30. That means many things. It was the last day to pay my bills and get them in on time.Got that done! It was the last day for me to register my car without a penalty. Got that done! An it is the day before my oldest daughter's birthday. My husband, Bob has been in the hospital for 1 week. If you read my blog, you probably read my daughter Megan's blog and so you know that Bob had a stroke last week. His doctor has not been very encouraging as to his prognosis, but we remain hopeful, because of what we have seen rehabilitation accomplish in the past and because we have faith in what the Lord can do. This week has produced highs and lows in his progress. First, it was so hard watching as he had to have seven feeding tubes placed before they were able to get one into the right place. Yesterday they finally got it working. Sunday he was moved out of ICU into the neurological med area. Sunday and Monday seemed to stretch into eternity as Bob remained so sleepy he couldn't really be evaluated for rehab. Then Tuesday dawned and he seemed to suddenly awaken and be ready to take on every challenge. He was so awake, I asked him if he could say my name. He tried, but could not. I asked if he could say his name, Bob. He said "Bob". I jumped up and down and clapped. He responded by saying"Bob, Bob, Bob, Bob, Bob", maybe a dozen times. WOW! A few minutes later, his speech therapist came in. When I told her what had happened, she asked him if he could count to ten. She started counting and he joined her, going on to ten. Double WOW! That wasn't the end. He also was able to swallow a few items that he was tested with, so hopes began to soar thinking that Bob might not have to have that feeding tube after all. No such luck. His doctor was afraid that he would not get enough nutrition from his little tiny sips. But he also had a good physical therapy session that day. Yesterday Bob slipped back to his semi sleepy state, but he did start his feeding tube, after being taken to radiology to insert it for the eighth time. Today he was still sleepyish and somewhat congested and had diareah. He coughed so hard this evening that he coughed up his feeding tube. When they said they were going to put it back in, I had to leave. I felt so guilty walking away after I said good bye, when he had to stay, but for today I just couldn't watch him go through anything more. So April 30 may not be such a great day after all. Love you, Bob. Hope you'll forgive me.

It is Saturday, April 12. All is well. This morning we were up and out relatively early to work in the lawn. It is a beautiful day, maybe a little bit too windy but not too hot. I mowed the lawn on my nifty little "ride on", and then went on to weed eating the grass in the front by the entry way. The telephone man arrived to fix our out-of- service phone and internet. He eventually found a cut wire, most likely cut by the trucks that have been driving on our vacant lot to reach the park that they are building behind our house. It is the second time in a month that they have cut our wires. Monday I think that I will call the city. Mac is at the groomers having a bath. Bob and Tom are at Gigi's replacing a light over one of her paintings. The children(Brecken, Zo, Antonette, Kas, and Karsten ) are watching UNDER DOG. Ooops not any more. I was about to comment on how peaceful it was, but Not Now! Movie Over! Peace Broken!
If you are reading this, then you most likely know our daughter Elise, her husband Stephen, and family. They could use a few prayers at this time. Thank goodness they are well, but Stephen was restructured out of his job this week. He is graduating next week in some computer field, and has lots of great job experience, so I feel that he will find a great new job, but they would like to find it before they run out of the 3 week severance that his company gave. Not a lot of time to relocate Anyway Prayers Appreciated!.
Life is really a blessing and we are grateful for every day and every friend along the way. May all be right with you!
Betty