It's Still Raining

The air's been back on for a few days now and I'm lovin' it!!! What did folks (back in the olden days) used to do without A/C? I have no doubt I would have melted as quickly as an ice cream on a hot AND humid day at Disney World.

It's still raining...has been for about 5 or 6 days. It didn't rain today at all...just overcast...until we hooked the dogs up for their walk. Opened the door...it was raining........we went anyway!!! That's right!! So as I'm sitting here writing this...I'm soaking wet!!!! But I'm cool and I feel good!

We have had a few baby birds hatch just outside one of the doors on the porch. I believe they might have hatched on Thursday.....the day we had the A/C fixed. That afternoon I got out a flashlight and got a good look...they were tiny. They still are tiny, but you can at least now tell that they're birds. So cute!! I sure hope they make it out of the nest before they're discovered by a squirrel or neighborhood cat.

We gave mama her computer yesterday as an early Mother's Day gift. I think she really likes it. She's wanted one for a long time. Hopefully this will be a step into a whole new dimension for her!!

I'm headed to bed.........after I get on some dry bed clothes...

No Air

Well, we've been without air conditioning for 4 days. I've taken today off and Middleton Heat & Air is here replacing the evaporator coil in the upstairs unit so that's going to be about a $1400 hit....on top of the $300 we spent last week to have the units serviced for the season. I'm thankful we still have tax refund money left to pay for this, but when it's all over we'll be tapped out!! Oh well, at least we hadn't spent it yet on something else.

Ever Have One of Those Evenings??

Do you ever have one of those evenings that start out great, but end up getting horribly off-track before you make it to bed? Dave and I had one of those last night ... Oiy!!

I stopped by Home Depot on my way home from work to get a few flowers and some ferns. I took my time and really enjoyed just browsing the garden section. When I arrived home I unloaded the car, fed the dogs, changed my clothes, let Ted out of his hutch so he could hop around. I already had my chicken thawed and marinating so I was definately ahead in the dinner department. Believe it or not this is what I love...routine!! Probably sounds boring to most!! When Dave arrived home he had the absolute cutest "balloon doll" that a patients family member had made for him. It was a male nurse and he was holding a heart -- so cute!!

Anyway everything's going good and I'm sure you're wondering "so what happened to get things so off kilter"? Well, we received a call....

After going back and re-reading this post I've decided to delete a portion of it!! I need to keep things positive...I was going down a bad road....and that's NOT something I want to do here...

Working on a Dream

"Working on a Dream" by Bruce Springsteen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2AyGH01XD8

It was great having a couple of days off last week. We bought tickets a while back to the Springsteen concert in Tulsa--my hometown!! Dave and I drove to Tulsa on Tuesday morning, April 7th. Anne and Pat, who'd flown in earlier that morning, were already at the hotel.

After lunching on smokey burgers at Goldies we got our armbands for the concert then went to hang out at the entrance to the BOK center. We'd been told that the band normally arrives around 5pm to do a sound check, and that if there's a crowd Bruce will get out and sign autographs. That's exactly what happened. There was a crowd of about 25 people or so. Several limos and SUV's pulled in through the gate, Bruce got out and came over to the fence...Anne got the Springsteen t-shirt she was wearing signed, Pat got a $100 bill signed, and Dave and I got our ticket signed. Bruce was very nice to take the time to sign everyone's "something"!! Some other folks had books to sign and one guy had a cd. He really seemed to take his time and not be in too much of a hurry.

After getting our autograph we went to get in line to see if we'd be lucky enough to get into the "pit". I got to pick the number out of the bucket -- and YES, we got into the pit...Hot Dog!! The concert was GREAT...Bruce started right at 8pm and played for 2-1/2 hours.

Just A Dog

From time to time people tell me, "Lighten up, it's just a dog," or, "That's a lot of money for just a dog." They don't understand the distance traveled, time spent, or costs involved for "Just a dog." Some of my proudest moments have come about with "Just a dog." Many hours have passed with my only company being "Just a dog," and not once have I felt slighted. Some of my saddest moments were brought about by "Just a dog." In those days of darkness, the gentle touch of "Just a dog" provided comfort and purpose to overcome the day.


If you, too, think its "Just a dog," you will probably understand phrases like "Just a friend," "Just a sunrise," or "Just a promise." "Just a dog" brings into my life the very essence of friendship, trust, and pure unbridled joy. "Just a dog" brings out the compassion and patience that makes me a better person. Because of "Just a dog" I will rise early, take long walks and look longingly to the future.


For me and folks like me, it's not "Just a dog." It's an embodiment of all the hopes and dreams of the future, the fond memories of the past, and the pure joy of the moment. "Just a dog" brings out what's good in me and diverts my thoughts away from myself and the worries of the day.


I hope that someday people can understand it's not "Just a dog." It's the thing that gives me humanity and keeps me from being "Just a woman."


So the next time you hear the phrase "Just a dog," smile, because they "Just Don't Understand."


-Author Unknown

Cocktails at Sunset

I've been thinking a lot about relationships and what makes them work (or not). Cocktails at sunset are great "memory makers" once in a while, but that is not what brings couples closer together. What brings you closer together is entrusting your heart to each other and regarding that trust as a lofty honor along with a set of mundane daily responsibilities. When you give your heart away you're making yourself vulnerable. When life deals you a blow it is sometimes tempting to push the sadness aside to make room for happier feelings because I know that I never want anyone or anything to have the satisfaction of stealing my joy. But when does handling things privately become a habit? You cannot eliminate painful episodes from your history together so use these events to grow closer by grieving together and growing together. Don't lock each other out! If you've been through enough with each other to know that you can't trust the other with your heart then maybe you've got a compelling argument for a reckoning so that you can deal with your distrust of each other. If you don't have a reason to lock each other out then speak up. There is no reason that one person gets to feel everything and the other nothing.

Timeline

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zI3lXSOt3c
MercyMe - "Finally Home"


Well it's been a while since I wrote last...a couple of weeks, I guess.

Here's just a few comments about the timeline of the last couple weeks:

• George passed away Tuesday night (March 10) just before 10pm.
• Since I get 3 days bereavement leave I took off Wed, Th and Fri.
• I packed and cleaned house all day Wed.
• Thursday morning I took the dogs to the kennel and got on the road to Jackson about noon and arrived in Jackson about 3:30. Visitation was at Arrington Funeral Home from 5p-7p. There were people lined up at the funeral home from 4:30-7:15...it was nice to see how many people's lives George had touched.
• The funeral service was Friday (March 13) at 2pm.
• Dave and I drove home to LR on Saturday. After arriving home late Sat afternoon we still had to get prepared for the LR Marathon on Sunday morning.
• 8am Sunday (March 15) was the start of the LR Marathon. Dave ran the 1/2 in approx 2 hours 6 minutes. Sunday pm we went to the Clinton Library for the post race party.
• Tuesday (March 17) morning Dave took Bashful (one of our rabbits) to the vet. After opening her up the vet found she was full of cancer. We decided to let her go meet George in heaven that evening.
• Wednesday (March 18) Dave went to pick Bashful up at the vet's office, and that evening when I got home from work we buried her in the backyard along with all our other animals that have passed away over the years.
• Dave went back to work yesterday and today. But we still need to go to the repair shop to pick up the truck. I guess we'll do that tonight. The morning I got up to go to Jackson the truck was deader than a door nail.

This is all I'm going to write right now. I need to go get in the shower, but I'd like to write more about relationships and all the lives George touched over the years. I guess I'll do that later...

Love,

jane

Get Busy & Stay Busy

After Dave got on the road yesterday I decided I needed to get busy and stay busy. Otherwise, I'll sit in front of the tv watching HGTV and drinking wine way too early. So I decided to get outside, get some fresh air and work in the yard.

I started by cutting back some tree limbs and prickly blackberry vines in the "no man's land" that is next to our property. Then I moved on to mowing the lawn. That first mow of the season is always a little more time consuming than normal. After finally getting the mower started I had to empty the bag after every other swipe of the lawn. Things are starting to look better! I figured if I didn't get started and do just a little at a time that Dave and I would be hard pressed to get things in order after the marathon, but before things really start blooming.

I've talked with Dave several times yesterday and today. Just before Dave arrived at the hospital yesterday the surgeon came out to give a brief of the surgery. The way the message was received was that things are not looking good, and to basically prepare for the worst. But Dave says that after he was able to see George and speak with his nurse that for a surgery of this magnitude George is actually doing as well as can be expected at this point. They are going to have to possibly do some dialysis (Dave would say his kidney's have crossed their arms as if to pout, and are refusing to work) So far everone seems to be holding up emotionally -- for a family that's known for being emotional that's good. I'm glad Dave was able to go be with them because he's such a strong, calming force with lots of medical knowledge. He's so good at explaining things in understandable terms. I'm really lucky to have found someone of his caliber. He truly is one of those "one in a million" people that push themselves to do better, but without being fanatical and annoyingly perfect.

Awakened by a Phone Call

Last night we "sprung forward"!! Now that sounds "cuntry"!!

We stayed up late watching the Ultimate Fight pay-per-view so by the time we got to bed and set the clocks forward it was after 1am.

The phone rang at 7am...it was Toolie. He called to say that George was taken to the hospital, by ambulance, around 4am. The diagnosis is an abdominal aneurism. We packed for Dave, and Dave made phone calls to get off work. I made breakfast burritos. He got on the road about 10:30am.

I wish I could have gone to Jackson too!!

February 28, 2009

Well I just created this blog and I'm really excited about it. It's something I have considered doing for a while, but like most things you just never actually sit down and take the time to do. After I started doing Facebook, though, I guess it just seemed like it would be a good way to let friends and family look into my life (because my life is VERY exciting you know...LOL)!!

I don't know yet how often I'll write or really even what I'll include here. I'm just going to see what comes to mind as I start giving this some thought.

I am excited about opening up and giving you a glimpse into my life...as it happens!!

Love,
jane