LIFE UPDATE ON MY HUBBY AND ME!

This is a long post so

settle in~ lol

Sometimes life turns us upside down.

We think our lives are following

the path we planned and hoped for.

But, sometimes, life throws us a curve.

We had planned to travel.

We had planned to enjoy our

GOLDEN YEARS.

We had planned to help our children

and grandchildren with projects

and help them realize their dreams.

Life had other plans for us.

Hubby (MyHero on the blog)

started declining about 5 years ago.

As most of you know,

he had three bouts of cancer.

The last one (almost 10 years ago)

was Stage 4-head/neck cancer.

They did not give us much hope

that he would make it through

the rigorous schedule of radiation and chemo.

He did make it through but at great expense.

Slowly he recovered and was able to live

a somewhat 'normal' life for a few years. 

Then, about 5 years ago, he started passing out

with no warning.  The first time,

he stopped breathing. 

CPR brought him back around and in hospital

they ran test after test with no clearcut results.

Over the past 5 years he has continued to decline.

This past December we finally got to spend a week at Mayo.

They ran every test known to man on him.

Lungs-good. Heart- good. Blood work-good.

Every test ruled out another 'maybe'.

Best diagnosis- MSA

(multiple system atrophy).

However, he doesn't meet all the criteria but-

it is the best they can agree on.

His blood pressure drops for no reason.

Sometimes it is 70/35. 

Sometimes it is almost normal.

When his blood pressure drops-so does he.

The rescue squad came 3 or 4 times.

They tried various meds-none of them worked.

They tried various exercises-Nope-not that!

He was in bed about 70% of the time.

I became a full-time caretaker.

He would be up all night so I would sleep 

in one to two hour increments and get up to check on him.

I was a short order cook and bottle washer.  lol

The first of this year,

it all caught up with me.

I woke up one day and my foot/ankle 'hurt'.

By the first of February I could barely walk.

An old auto-immune issue I had 35 years ago

raised its ugly head.

It took every ounce of oomph to get through

a 24 hour period.

I was on meds and the first couple

rounds did not work.

Added other meds-nope-not working-

It hurt to even take a deep breath 

and, meanwhile, I was helping hubby get up and down

when he needed to and also taking care of

2 sweet pups- Scruffy and Coco.

He is almost exactly twice her size/weight. 25#-13#

He is King of the World and she is the

Princess in Waiting.

In April, we assessed the situation hubby and I were in.

We decided that

 hubby needed more help than I could give him

and I needed a true 'rest' so my body could heal.

Just down the street from us (7 blocks)

is a wonderful facility.  It is one block

from where John was born and raised.

My kids insisted it was the 'best thing' 

for both of us.

Hubby has a beautiful efficiency unit there.

They make sure he gets up and out of bed

and monitor his meds.

He gets three meals a day and 

all the gals make a fuss over him.

He has lots of company from old friends

and our oldest daughter lives one block from his place.

Our youngest son also lives one block away.

The kids' homes back up to each other.

Both kids have picked him up for outings.

Our older son is also in town but 

lives further out.

Our youngest daughter lives in Indiana

so she is not here very often.

It is hard for me to pick him up

and take him anywhere because

I have to fold up his walker and 

take it in and out of our vehicle.

He uses a cane sometimes but it is not

supportive enough most of the time.

It has taken me about 8 weeks to start sleeping

through the night.  

For five years I woke up

every hour or two to check on hubby.

My pain is manageable and I am getting better.

My one foot and ankle are still a challenge.

I have inflammatory arthritis.

Not rheumatoid-IA works on the muscles

and tendons and you can't 'see' it.

It is like having severe tendonitis all over.

As a bonus, I had to restart potty training Coco.

She is doing well but I had my beautiful living room rug

deep cleaned and have rolled it up and stored it.

Scruffy rings the doorbell when he has to go out.

She comes and 'looks at me' or, if I am sleeping,

she sneezes in my face.

Yep-wouldn't you know I would get a dog like that?!

She is so sweet I would forgive her anything.

She is half Scruffy's size but can chase him off if she so chooses.

They play beautifully together and it has given

me great joy to watch them bond.

He taught her a couple of naughty tricks-

no surprise there, right?

Anyway, I guess that's all I've got.

Just wanted everyone to know what has 

been going on in my life.

Several of you have reached out to me

and I thank you for that.

I have not been a very good blogger 

these past months and few years.

I hope to get back to it because I love

keeping in contact with all of you!

Keep us in your prayers and I will try to

"be a good girl"

and you all know that I am NOT very good at that!

Much love to all of you~

ps- Still got my sense of humor-

thank the good Lord---otherwise---

well....jail time does not appeal to me at all.

A MEMORIAL DAY REMEMBERANCE

 

I wrote this for Memorial Day

a few years ago but I think it is

relevant every day.

This means even more to me after I

volunteered at the VA Center here

before Covid hit. 

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is here once more,

We fly the flags above our door,

We plant our flowers that mark the grave,

Of every soldier that was so brave,

They fought for freedom for everyone,

Many lives snuffed out by a sniper's gun.

We proudly march in our little bands,

As daybreak filters across our lands,

But I wonder if we can truly see,

What cost it was to make us free.

Confederate soldiers fought the Yanks,

Some brothers fought brothers in those ranks,

To free the downtrodden that were lost,

To free all men at any cost.

My father was a medic in World War One,

A war not talked about by anyone,

Some men lost limbs and some were gassed,

Some picked up by comrades, others  bypassed.

World War II! How tragic indeed,

People standing by watching others bleed.

Souls thrown to the winds with no remorse,

Foreign government standing on their own course.

Vietnam was not a war they said,

Then how come so many soldiers ended up 

dead?

No heroes welcome for them in sight,

They slunk home in the dead of night.

Should I go on-with Korea & Desert Storm?

Iran? Afghanistan? Are you getting warm?

Do you feel the pain you see in their face?

Does it make you squirm in your warm, safe 

place?

I've just one more thing I'd like to say,

It's about celebrating Memorial Day,

Look around and everything you see,

Was paid out in blood so that we are free.

Put your hand on your heart,

For the blue, white and red,

Raise your eyes to the flag,

Say a prayer for the dead.

Because of a soldier I can have my say,

So ~God Bless you this Memorial Day~

A special thank you to my late nephew, Scott, 

injured in the war and died from chemicals

used while he was a solider, 

my father, my Uncle Samuel, 

my foster brother, Eugene,

my old schoolmate, Tom Babcock and

my friend I met blogging, Kurt Keys.

Sadly, Kurt Keys wife informed me

that he passed away

last year after suffering for years

from service related injuries.

And To All Our Soldiers-

 

A LITTLE EASTER STORY & THE STINKING EASTER BUNNY

 

Some of you know that I grew up

on a farm in Pennsylvania.

I grew up believing in

leprechauns and fairies...

Santa Claus

AND

The Easter Bunny.

When I was little my Father

told me that the Easter Bunny

left my basket under a

stump-and-post fence in the

back field. 

Today I know that he was a

liar because EVERYONE

knows that the Easter bunny

sneaks into your house at night

and hides your basket.

When I was 5 my father told

me that he was going to meet the

Easter Bunny in the back field

after he spread the morning

load of manure-

YES- Manure!

Keep that in mind~

I wanted to go.

He said NO!

I was determined to see that bunny!

My dog, Lucky, wanted to

see him too.

I wanted to ride on the tractor with Dad.

He said NO!

I decided to follow along behind him

thinking he would take pity on me

and let me ride...I kept asking..

He kept saying NO!

Lucky walked doggedly

by my side.

(like how I worked in the word doggedly)?

It was about a quarter mile to the back field.

Every few feet my Father would

turn around and tell me to go home.

I would shake my head NO

and keep walking...so would Lucky.

We got to the place where he needed

to spread the manure.

GO HOME- I have to start the spreader!

GO HOME-

NO DEAL...

I wanted to see that stinking (;>) bunny!

GO HOME.

I kept walking.

He finally turned the spreader on.

I walked right along behind him..

step-by-step,

row-by-row.

Unfortunately, I do NOT have

a picture of THAT for your viewing

pleasure.

After he had spread the load of manure

he headed home.

I walked right along behind him,

manure covered and stinking

to high Heaven!

When we got home he told me

I was the stubbornest kid he

had ever met.

Hmmmpffffff!

I was NOT stubborn..

I was determined.

And as for Lucky?

Well, let's just say that was NOT

his lucky day.

Next year my

Easter basket was

right at the

breakfast table...

Imagine that!

Moral~

Stubborn means one does not give up

even when presented with 

unpleasant consequences.

May you have a blessed Easter

as we celebrate the real meaning of

EASTER.

I hope to be back blogging soon.

There are lots of changes 

going on in our lives here

and I will share that with

you soon.

Thanks for still 

'being there'

for me during my long absence.

UPDATE ON LIZA AND MYSELF AND HUBBY

 FIRST OF ALL-

THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU THAT PRAYED

FOR SWEET LITTLE LIZA!

SHE CAME THROUGH THE SURGERY

AND IS DOING WELL.

THE SURGERY WAS A BIG UNDERTAKING

AND IT WILL TAKE HER A LONG TIME

TO RECOVER.

SHE IS IN GOOD SPIRITS AND DEALING

WITH THE CHANGES IN HER LIFE.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO KEEP HER

IN YOUR PRAYERS.

SEVERAL OF YOU HAVE REACHED OUT TO ME

TO SEE HOW I AM DOING.

THE TRUTH IS, 

I HAVE HAD A RECURRENCE OF AN OLD

AUTO-IMMUNE ISSUE.

THE FIRST TIME I HAD THIS WAS IN 1993.

I WAS IN BED FOR ALMOST 6 MONTHS

UNABLE TO MOVE WITHOUT A LOT OF PAIN.

OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS I HAVE HAD

A FEW LITTLE 'BLIPS' BUT HAVE ALWAYS

GOT IT UNDER CONTROL BEFORE IT GOT TOO BAD.

NOT SO THIS TIME.

THE FIRST WEEK IN FEBRUARY IT HIT ME HARD-

IT STARTED IN MY RIGHT FOOT AND IT 

SWELLED TO ALMOST DOUBLE ITS NORMAL SIZE.

I COULD NOT BEAR ANY WEIGHT ON IT

WITHOUT EXCRUCIATING PAIN.

I HAVE A WONDERFUL DOCTOR THAT  HAS DONE

HIS BEST TO HELP.

I HAVE BEEN ON ANTI-INFLAMMATORIES

AND STEROIDS SINCE THEN.

I THINK I AM TURNING THE CORNER BUT

STILL HAVING A HARD TIME WALKING

OR BENDING AND SLEEPING IS AN

ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TASK.

I AM NOT TELLING YOU THIS TO ASK FOR

SYMPATHY BUT AS A REASON I HAVE NOT

BEEN AROUND VISITING MUCH.

I WILL TELL YOU THAT I AM A LOT BETTER

CARETAKER

THAN I AM AT BEING THE CARETAKEREE...

YEP-NOT A REAL WORD BUT YOU GET IT.

I HOPE TO BE BACK TO MY USUAL SASSY SELF SOON.

YOU KNOW THEY CAN'T KEEP US OLD BROADS

DOWN FOR LONG.

SO-BEAR WITH ME AS I CONTINUE TO RECOVER.

SEVERAL OF YOU HAVE ALSO ASKED ABOUT

HUBBY'S TRIP TO MAYO.

WE WERE GIVEN SOME ANSWERS THAT HAVE HELPED

AND A SEMI-DIAGNOSIS. 

THE NEUROLOGIST HERE AND AT MAYO SAID IT 

IS ONE OF THE MOST COMPLEX CASES

THEY HAVE EVER SEEN AND HE FALLS INTO

SEVERAL (OR NONE) OF THE USUAL CATEGORIES.

I AM STILL HIS PRIMARY CARETAKER-

WHICH, LET ME TELL YOU, HAS BEEN FUN

WITH MY OWN HEALTH ISSUES.

(I MIGHT HAVE LIED ABOUT THE FUN PART).

HE IS IN BED ABOUT 80% OF THE TIME AND I

DON'T SEE THAT CHANGING MUCH.

SO--AS USUAL--

WE SLOG ALONG DAY BY DAY HERE.

THERE YOU HAVE IT-

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF NANA DIANA AND COMPANY.

IT'S TIMES LIKE THESE THAT I WISH I DRANK....LOL

INSTEAD I HAVE BECOME ADDICTED TO MEDICAL SHOWS

AND HAVE BEEN BINGE WATCHING THEM

SINCE EARLY FEBRUARY.

I THINK WITH WHAT I HAVE LEARNED

I COULD PROBABLY APPLY FOR A MEDICAL LICENSE

AND MOVE DIRECTLY INTO THE SURGICAL FIELD.

LET ME KNOW IF I CAN HELP YOU WITH 

ANY OF YOUR MEDICAL NEEDS.

HAVE A WONDERFUL MARCH AND WISHING YOU AN EARLY

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

ASKING FOR PRAYERS FOR SWEET LITTLE LIZA

 I haven't done a 

PRAYER REQUEST 

in a long, long time.

However, one of the blogs I follow,

Tom The Backroads Traveler

has a little granddaughter named 

Liza.

                                       This was taken just before her surgery.

Liza is just 12 years old and was

diagnosed with oral cancer.

This past week she had major surgery

and faces a long road of ongoing recovery.

Tom, and his family,

 need all the support 

they can get.

You know as a parent, or grandparent,

you just feel totally helpless

when something like this happens.

You wish you could 'fix' life and

make it all go away.

We can't do that---but---

what we can do is

PRAY.

If you have access to a prayer chain

please add sweet little Liza's name.

If you remember, 

my hubby had 

Stage 4 head/neck cancer

 and was

given a 3% chance of survival.

You all put him on prayer chains

around the world and 

3 months later,

with radiation and chemo,

he was cancer free and remains

cancer free going on 9 years.

I believe in the power of prayer

and I know many of you do, too.

So-please pray!

Thank you so much to all of you

that have been so faithful following me-

even though

I have not been nearly as active 

blogging

these past couple of years.

Y'ALL ARE THE BEST.

HOW COLD IS IT TODAY? MINUS 8˚F RIGHT NOW-A HIGH OF MINUS 1˚F- BUT MY HEART IS WARM!

  It is COLD COLD COLD here.

What do you do on a cold day?

Well,

because I am too lazy 

to go out and walk

my usual 3 miles,

I decided to go through

some of my old magazines

and came across this one from

January/February of 2015,

Sadly, they have stopped publication

of this magazine.  

I had all of them from the first

issue forward.  

When I got rid of most of my old magazines,

I just could not bear to part with my

ROMANTIC HOMES MAGAZINES

but, finally, I donated

my whole collection to an old friend.

She told me she now wants to redecorate

her whole house.

Please pray for her husband

he kind of hates me now-lol

She loves romantic and so do I.

Romance is just kind of timeless,

isn't it?

Anyway--

Let's talk about the next holiday

VALENTINE'S DAY.

February is all about Valentine's Day  but-

I don't think you have to wait for 

Valentine's Day to make this for someone special.

 Pink Pearl Lady Cake

HERE is a similar recipe.

The Baking Bible-Rose Beranbaum

Ben Fink-Photographer

I thought the cover was just lovely.

Got your cake mess cleaned up from

baking that heart cake above?

Good!  Now then

 you can see the

PINK HOUSE

owned by 

Malla Ruutiainen

It is softly sweet and livable.

You can find her on Pinterest by clicking on her name.

by-Jo-Anne Coletti

 Here's a little sneak peek at the Florida estate 

of a New York couple.

This home was designed by

Guillaume Gentet

By:Sarah Yoon/Mark Roskams/photographer

It looks like Florida, doesn't it?

You can find more 

PINK FLORIDA HOMES HERE!

Okay-Now-Doesn't the home of

Carolyn Westbrook

just make you dream of warm summer days?

Even though we are freezing our butts off here.

I found her on Facebook.

You can find it by clicking on her name above.

Prepare to  have your mouth hang open for a while.

While your mouth is hanging open....

purse your lips a bit and 

BLOW HARD.

Then you can blow up balloons to put together

this beautiful garland

styled by  

Selina Lake

photography-Shirlie Kemp

So-There you have it.

A few things I love in the old

2015 January/February Issue of

Romantic Homes.

Know what else I love?

You!

Thanks for following along here.

Here's how I am feeling about you this morning....

Lips still puckered up from the balloon blowing

are they?  Good!

Here's to you!