Put On the Clothes, Mother!

 Put On the Clothes, Mother!

 

My friend Michelle Malay called me a bit ago to try to vent some of her frustrations. Have never had to deal with anything or anyone like she is currently, but will tell you that we need to have compassion on caregivers. Her MIL is 98 years old. She does not want to wear clothes. Currently a nine-year-old boy is spending the day and night with Michelle. Mother Mary is not at all deficit in the mental department; she is just a stubborn old git! When asked what she would do if the boy came out there, Mother M said, “He doesn’t come out here.” Rolling eyes here. Well, tomorrow it is supposed to rain. Maybe Mother Mary will wear some clothes tomorrow.

 

Had a visitor or three today. Rylan (Hanan’s son) came with their adult clothes to use my laundry facilities. We got most of those finished before he had to go pick up Isabella and my great-grandson Josiah. Enjoyed a visit with them. Never know what a day will bring. [No kisses because of RSV!]

 

Yesterday, Mark Ogle came and stayed to visit for a couple of hours and then he was able to take care of some business and visit with the Route 66 Group at Pioneer on Maplewood. The group only goes there every four months, but this old woman had to be at the dentist’s office at 2 p.m. Praise God that Dr. Pitts was able to take care of this tooth that anchors my lower bridge. It seems as if it has been just one thing after another lately, but even though it was too expensive, at least the work did not hurt me and the tooth was saved.

 

Having the battery down on the truck means that the old woman is not going anywhere unless someone takes her. Mary Rhodes was kind enough to take me to the dentist office twice, and now Judie Brunson is going to take me to the ophthalmologist’ office to see if this cataract is ready to come out this year. The neurologist said to wait six weeks before driving, so by March maybe the truck will be up and running with a jump start. Now if only there were a jump start for old folks like me!!

 

Rylan said that his stepdad had brought his wife over from wherever it was she lived, and now she is just about ready to have their baby. Guess what. The new immigration thing is causing them to have to fight for her to be able to stay here in this country. Ensa is spending thousands of dollars on lawyers just so that they can live in peace. Shaking my head and praying that this is resolved without tearing their family apart.

 

Received my first copy of The Upper Room today that my sister-by-another-mother (Sharon Dickerson) had sent to me. The stories are encouraging and just what was needed around here. Sometimes things can get to a person when we can’t really be with anyone else or don’t really have much that makes us feel useful. Anyway, this little magazine reminded me of some areas that need my prayers.

 

Talking to Sterling today, it dawned on me that despite the fact that Rylan has been exposed to theories of creation, he has the idea that Alla, Jesus Christ, and God the Father are all one and the same. How does one talk to a person who thinks he or she already knows everything necessary? Will look online (Mardel type places) to see if any quick reading things might be available to give to him so that he can realize that he is missing something important. Please pray that he does not become insulted or disgusted with an old woman’s viewpoint. Meanwhile, prayer is all that can help us—any of us—in this life. In my mind, the reason my grandson is here today is because God had a reason for him to be in our lives.

 

Meanwhile, Sterling said that he and his friend George are being asked to make a bevy of little kid’s rocking chairs for various men who saw one made for a friend. They finish them and put G&S and the month and year on them. No one will ever know what G&S stand for unless they know Sterling or George, but that’s ok. Sterling says it keeps them busy and out of trouble—mostly.

 

This old woman is tired and ready to call it a night. May you all know that from our conception—and before, God has loved us. Let us give that love to others as we are able.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Dinner Due to Sheila Hemphill.

 Dinner Due to Sheila Hemphill.

 

Yum and other expressions of satisfaction. My kitchen smells a tiny bit like cabbage and some kind of pepper sauce, but the crunchy ones are the very best. Have to listen to the chief cook and bottle washer complain that hers are not nearly as good as Sheila’s, but such is the complaint from someone who does not cook that kind of food as often as Sheila! To me, it is just plum laripin’. That’s an old folks’ expression of appreciation for a meal created and cooked for the one who does not have to lift anything other than a fork!

 

Just finished washing my hair and scrubbing what needed to be scrubbed that required a minimum of stretching and leaning on the shower walls. Feeling hot despite the extreme cold around outside. It was six degrees early this morning. And the sleet sounded like a gravel truck speeding by at 80 mph throwing out the little stuff. At least nothing got hit hard enough to do any damage. Can’t imagine the State Hospital getting any work done this coming week, so maybe the roads will be somewhat quieter for a change. Or not.

 

We keep seeing posts online about a revival or at least a new stream of Christians coming out of Pakistan and the Philippines. It’s just amazing. Even saw one post about some Christians in one of the Muslim countries that we never see. Just looked back through some information about how many countries consider it illegal to be Christian within their country. Wow! We are SO blessed here in the U.S. to be able to follow our faith in Jesus Christ.

 

Tomorrow requires a couple of phone calls to doctor’s offices. Dr. Kern wants to see me on the second of February—the same day as Dr. Vietenheimer. Then the eye doctor has me set up for the fifth day of the month. Who knew that February would be such a busy month! At least my new knee is not bothering me very much at all. The back surgery just provides a new wiggle to my wobbly walk. Taking the meds alternately seems to help somewhat. Once in a while my sentences make a little bit of sense. Ahem.

 

Kinda hoping that this last line of sleet and freezing rain will be all we get this month. Bet the farmers are clinching their uppers and lowers together in hopes of the ground getting the moisture it needs to grow a wheat crop. If you ever want to meet a sure ‘nuff gambler, just let me find you a farmer. Told Jennifer if her mom ever bought a ticket for the lottery, it would have to win something, but it won’t happen since the ticket has not been purchased—ever.

 

Like a fat little baby, the old woman has been bathed and fed and is about ready for sleep. Will hope not to hear more clicks and clacks on the windows tonight. Will pretend it is just rain.

 

Consider our blessings and pray for those who God has put in charge of our government. May God lead them and guide them along with our thoughts and prayers.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Stirring Up Old Memories.

 Stirring Up Old Memories.

 

Gary Adams and his sweet lady Jo Lynn would have appreciated my conversation with Sterling this morning. Seems that Stacy Parker missed the rump and hit on the tops of Gary’s legs when he applied the board. Gary was limping around when his grandmother noticed and he showed her the bruises on his legs. Fury is known as Maggie Ruthledge. But they took her shotgun away from her before she left the wash house. Not that she didn’t leave old Stacy shaking in his shoes after she opened the doors all the way back to his office. Now Stacy was as good a principal as we could have had back then under the Brewster mafia, but seeing him years back in McDonald’s made me smile. He really was a good guy.

 

Sterling had to recalibrate my calendar when wishing him a happy Sunday. Jennifer exclaimed, “Don’t take one of my days off away from me!” Yep, she does not work weekends except at home! They got oodles of snow in Gentry, Arkansas, but we got all we need currently. And the low temps to keep it from melting. Sterling told me that he had to take their sweet friend Polly to the doctor’s office where he and a couple of older gents were “entertained” by the tantrum of a little sh*t. All three men were thinking along the same lines of attitude adjustment. Good thing that they were not left alone with him, or he definitely would have received some encouragement from the older generation. Tae Kwon Do on ice skates!

 

Jennifer has been telling me the temps as they dropped last night. Then she let me know when it began to snow. SO glad not to have to be outside in this mess. Too old to play in the snow! And she just informed me that it has begun to snow again! Oh well. The soil needs the moisture! Hope all the little toads, the spiney lizards, and assorted other critters have the insulation they need right now.

 

Have one of those cup warmers on my desk here in the office. Jenn brought me the coffee, and it was hot, but my mind is slow this morning. Last night was nightmares from the book “1984” that made me wake up thinking of the s/he mess currently being suggested by the “theys” in this world. My brother’s term is “dumbass.” If you were born with one, you know it. Otherwise, it takes some education and exploration to figure things out. Hello from someone who had very little education concerning sex and sexuality. Gotta figure, my parents were teenagers when they had their first child. They got married on July 31, 1944. Daddy was drafted and Mom had Sterling on June 27, 1945. Dad was supposed to be in a tank replacement unit being sent to replace all the tanks put out of service in the war. But instead, he was in the service (army) just long enough to qualify for the VA Loans so that he and Granddad Pollard could build their first little three-or four-room house there in Petrolia. Then some years later, they built on two more rooms. It was a pretty little house. We had gas heating, but the couple who bought it had to bring in a big electric panel because they had to heat with electricity. They didn’t know that gas could be piped through the ceiling like mine is. Still wish I had insisted on one more drop in the living room. But $500 is a lot of money tacked on to a few thousand. Saw two little children in the back yard when the old woman drove by. Reminded me of the two who grew up in that yard. Great memories.

 

Let us be grateful for electricity and heating from the earth’s resources. May the electric lines stay uncovered by ice and may the snow not turn to ice on the roads.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

A Bit of an Update.

 A Bit of an Update.

 

Just for the record, took a TUB bath tonight for the first time in years. The tub has only been used for the dogs at least since 2022 and the last back surgery. Jenn had me watch a couple of YouTube tutorials on how to get out of the tub. It worked. Nice, hot soak with Epsom salt. Maybe one tomorrow night. We will see.

 

Carol Thonton has an arteriogram on Thursday. Please pray for her. She has had this more than once in the past six years. My guess is that the procedure is not any kind of fun. So glad her sister Donna is able to get her from one place to another.

 

Jennifer has been cooking today and now has a few days’ worth of topper stuff to put on the dogs’ kibble. She also cooked for us as well. SO nice to have meals handed to me! Hoping that the recovery from this procedure will be quick and relatively simple so that she can return home to her family soon. Love having her here, but she has quite the pile of responsibilities as mother, wife, and worker for the family company. Tomorrow, we have to change the sheets and mop the floors to settle the dadgummed dog hair around here. Such fun. Still have no idea what time we will have to be at the hospital on Tuesday. Oh well.

 

Granddaughter Rachel and her guy Damien got in this evening from Japan. Can hardly wait to hear the stories of what she has seen and heard. She was very impressed by the CLEAN roads or highways. Jenn reminded me that the country is so overpopulated that if only one percent of the folks dropped something on the ground, the country would be inundated with trash. Living here in Texas makes it very difficult to imagine not having space for turning around without bumping into your neighbor. We have elbow room! Even Edinburgh and Paris seemed crowded compared to Ft. Worth or Dallas.

 

Saw another video about the many nations in which Christians are being persecuted. Amazing and horrifying! But most of the persecution comes from Muslims—besides places like China and North Korea. So very sad. May God bless those who turn to Him.

 

Going to bed soon. Seems as if fatigue keeps pace with the old woman. Hoping that the naps Grandmother Pollard used to take every day will work out the same way for me as it did for her. No problems sleeping after a nap when age walks with us.

 

Keep those who mourn and those fighting cancer and other diseases in your prayers. Let us remember that only God can make the difference in this life and in the next one with Him.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Accepting What Comes.

 Accepting What Comes.

 

Living and dying have always been pretty precarious and not easily faced, but more and more, as we age, we see that neither is to be a cause for concern. God allows both in various ways. We can ask for comfort, for peace, and for whatever it takes to get by in either situation. Not easy: just how things will be.

 

A friend of many of the folks the old woman has known left us today for God’s kingdom. Tami Yonts was—much like her sister Paula—one of the most positive and cheerful individuals around! She always came and sat down beside me when Lewis took his old nag to Pioneer for a meal. She teased with Lewis and made me feel special with her warmth. We met her husband Mike while he was still a motorcycle cop. We got to hear about their son and his exploits while she grinned and shook her head. We laughed about her fishing trips. Tami was the kind of person it was easy to love. Oh, if only all of us could be such as she was!

 

Have not heard from Diann Dennis about her granddaughter Raye and her eyes, but when cancer shows up anywhere in a person’s body, it is not a good thing. Let us continue to pray for little Raye and her family.

 

Meanwhile, Mariellen Showhalter Rose let us know that the leukemia is back in her blood again. May God bless her and the family as they take her back to MD Anderson.

 

My granddaughter and her special guy Damien are headed back to the U.S. tonight from Japan. We are looking forward to hearing all about her trip and the different things that they have experienced.

 

A post online showed that Pakistan is having a wonderful revival and introduction to the Gospel so that millions have come to know about Jesus Christ. It makes me wonder if this might be one of the signs of the end times when the gospel makes it to all corners of the globe. May God make His presence known!

 

Jennifer is slowly trying to get my house and the bathroom back together after Maria had to remove everything out of that room when the hot water heater flooded the bathroom. The old woman is not supposed to bend, lift, or twist (B,L,Ts), and let me tell you, that is very difficult to remember!! Feel a bit like a child being scolded, but that is the reason this sweet girl is here. Just wish someone who is a good chiropractor could help her put her rib back in place! It takes so little to get her rib to pop out. This was a gift from her last son’s position in the womb. Such is life.

 

Watched some TV with Jennifer this afternoon. British TV requires us to have closed captions on simply because it is a bit difficult to understand—especially if a person does not hear well. Anyway, good programs!

 

Trying to remember to drink lots of water to go with the pain pills, but tonight begins baths with extra soap scrubs. Such fun. By Tuesday maybe all the evil little bugs or bacteria will be choked up with soap so that they can’t cause any infection in the surgical site. Here’s hoping anyway.

 

Sterling and George are switching jobs in the shop so that George’s (one) eye will not be irritated. He needs to use some kind of eye salve at night to prevent dryness. Seems like a stuff called Systane would work, but this ol’ gal is not a doctor. With only one eye, it would make a difference.

 

Tonight let us remember those who mourn and those who are dealing with sicknesses and diseases. Let us pray for our president and those who will be making the decisions that affect our lives. Let us trust that God can help us see His Hands in all things.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Update on Recovery.

 Update on Recovery.

 

Sometimes we hear what we WANT to hear, don’t you see? Well, Jenn looked up on ChapGT or something like that and searched for the timeline for recovery on this upcoming surgery. She won’t be going home for a while.

 

We had wonton soup today that Sheila Hemphill made for us. Oh boy! It reminds me that those wraps can be fried and are so good when they crunch—and now know that they are good in wraps around chunks of stuff and cooked in soup base. Wow! Anyway, love that kind of food. We never ate any kind of shrimp for years, and this old person still does not make an effort to buy the stuff, but it is pretty good mixed with pork or whatever. Asked Jenn if it could be done with chicken, but she said it would not make a decent ball to put inside the wrap stuff. Guess that would make a big difference. But then, some of us tend to be cheap! (ME!)

 

My very first grandchild, Grayson Ostand, will turn 29 tomorrow. It seems strange to think that it has been that long. Lewis had a picture of that little guy in his tool box for years. He was SO proud of that little man. Grayson’s first word was “truck.” He loved going out to sit inside Lewis’ truck and turning all the knobs and playing the radio or, after he could walk somewhat, playing in the bed of the truck. Good memories.

 

John Rhoads stopped by with a yellow rose today and handed it to Jennifer. She had no idea that he brings flowers every year on January 13, the date we lost our youngest boy. They were fond of each other. Some folks are just special in your life. It has been eight years now.

 

Keep finding cords and plugs for various things like phones and a Kindle or two. It would be so wonderful if these things were all the same size or at least interchangeable. Someone needs to invent a plug that will allow a person to go from one size to another without having to buy a new cord and plug thing. Sigh. Can always think of things that need to be invented, but have absolutely no inventive powers of my own. Such is life.

 

Put up a schedule on the cabinet to remind us when to leave the doors open to prevent freeze damage under the sink. Never really mind winter all that much as long as the electricity does not go out or the roads don’t freeze over. Jenn reminded Dr. Kern that the last time he worked on me, he nearly got wrecked just trying to get to work. We had a really bad freeze that February! And here we go again! Pray for decent weather for next week, please.

 

Thompson has been working overtime on barking. Think he is going blind—or at least the cataracts are progressing to a greater extent. He got out yesterday, so Jenn closed the gate on the east lots to keep him closer to the house. He is not a happy camper. Sweet ol’ boy!

 

May each of you feel gratitude for the peace given to us by God each day.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Off to See the Wizard!

 Off to See the Wizard!

 

Jennifer took the old woman up to Dr. Kern’s office this morning. One of the nurses asked some kind of a question about one or both, and the first thing that came to my wobbly mind was the knee surgery, so she was told, “Just the right knee, and it works like a charm!” Apparently, that is NOT what the question concerned. She wanted to know if this pain was on both sides. All that connected with my beady brain was the phrase “both sides.” Pointed at the right knee and said it worked like a champ! Oh well.

 

Anyway, tomorrow is blood work and more paperwork, and then NEXT Tuesday will be the surgery. Dr. Kern will let me know when to be at URHC that day. We should be home the same day because he explained that a piece of bone has splintered off and is poking the nerve from above the last surgery site. How’s that for making life interesting?

 

Jennifer is working from “home” at my kitchen table. If all goes well, she can go home sometime next week after we get me settled down with these two crazy dogs. They have been having barking fits ever since we got home earlier. Not sure just what they think they are scaring off, but it should be sufficiently warned by now.

 

This is going to be a short blog. Jenn put din-upper on to cook in that new pot she got for me. Then we will also have some of her friend’s Chinese food that she made for us to eat while Jenn is here. Sheila is a fantastic cook! Her mom and grandmother were good at making this stuff as well, so it’s not like we have to guess if the food will be tasty!

 

Will attempt to let Sterling and a few others know about this upcoming surgery, but if you read the blog, you know that we trust that God has this in His hands. Meanwhile, please pray for Raye (granddaughter of Diann Dennis), Tami Yonts—head waitress at Pioneer on Maplewood for many years, and those in England who have been assaulted by winds in 100+ mph. Life can really be tough sometimes.

 

Let us be loving towards others and give them the kindness we would need in our own lives.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.