This past weekend was really special for me. I was able to watch our granddaughter, Ashley, graduate from Emporia State University in Emporia,
Kansas. Paul didn't go because he wasn't feeling well. A viral bug of some sort.
It has been almost 6 years since my stroke and this was the longest trip I have attempted. It's about 700 miles. Misti, my caregiver, drove us to Topeka on Friday, where we stayed at the Hampton Inn. The accessible room wasn't available the first night, so we made
This has been quite a summer! We had two very severe hail storms in June that caused lots of property damage in our community. We lost our front room window - a four pane bow window. Three of the panes were knocked out by tennis ball sized hail and the window was boarded up for about a month. Our carpenter replaced the window a week ago and now he is doing the roof. :Clap-Hands: Needless to say, the house has been in upheaval for awhile.
And now, to add insult to injury; yesterday, my ai
I mentioned in my previous blog that our daughter was coming to see us. She and her husband and son arrived on the 25th of July and the next day we all piled into my car and drove to Wheatland, Wyoming to help my brother and his bride celebrate 50 years of marriage. This is the brother who lost his son in a tragic motorcycle accident in January. Several of our cousins were there so we had a mini family reunion. Lots of laughs.
Sharon mentioned that her dad wanted to drive to Loveland, C
Sarah (Spacie) contacted me on Monday and said she was going to Rapid City and would stop in to see me. Scottsbluff is about equi-distance between Denver and Rapid City. We made arrangements to meet at a Sonic's where we could sit outside. Misti and I drove over and waited for her to arrive.
I kept looking for a motorhome and when none arrived, Misti called Sarah to find out where they were. Sarah said they were sitting at Sonic's having lunch. We looked around and, sure enough, they
Last Wednesday started out as a beautiful day when Misti and I went to the grocery store. We finished our shopping shortly before noon and it started sprinkling just as we were leaving the parking lot. We got home and Misti put the groceries away and prepared our lunch and the storm kept building. The tornado alarm sounded while she was cleaning up, so she left to get her 13 year old son. They live in a mobile home.
We don't have a basement, so the safest place for us is our central h
I have discovered in recent weeks that when I fall, Paul cannot get me up. I have been home since August of '05 and I fell for the first time a couple of weeks ago on April 9.
I was taking a walk with my walker and was in my living room when my left foot failed to plant and I lost my balance. I was next to an overstuffed chair and I must have grabbed it with my right arm because I did not hit the floor very hard, However, Paul could not get me up and I couldn't help. Finally, he went n
I suffered my stroke on January 11, 2005 at 5:30 p.m. without warning. I was sitting at my computer when my left arm started to tingle painfully. I instantly knew what was happening so I turned my computer off and walked to the couch where my husband, Paul, was sitting. That was the last time I walked unassisted. I told him what was happening and to call 911. I could no longer walk or stand so he helped me lay on the floor until the ambulance arrived. I was in ICU for two weeks, acute reha
It now been 3 years, 2 months, 11 days, and 45 minutes since my stroke, but whose counting. LOL Before my stroke, I had become an avid quilter of sorts. I never did get into the "quilting" part, but I would spend hours cutting fabric into strips and then sewing into blocks, and then arranging the blocks into pretty quilt tops. When I had the top finished, I would take it to a friend to have it quilted by machine. Some of the baby quilts would be tied with yarn.
The stroke left me
]Yesterday, the temperature reached 70 degrees and I was able to take my power wheelchair out and ride around the neighborhood. When I awoke this morning, it was snowing. It is said in Western Nebraska that if you don't like the weather, wait 30 minutes. And that is true this time of year.
I am listening to The Bill Miller Show on the radio. He plays lots of the favorites from the past. Earlier this morning, he played something that Jim Backus did. There was romantic music being playe
Mema is what Ashley called me when she was trying to say Grandma and it stuck. Ashley is now a junior in college. She is on a track and academic scholarship at Anderson University in Anderson, SC. She ran in a track meet in Sewanee, TN this weekend. Stephanie called a little while ago and said Ashley came in 4th in the 400 meter, but not sure how she did in the other races. I'll check the college website tomorrow.
Brett is our 9 year old third grader. Brett never crawled when he was a
I don't think I can come up with 100 things, but here goes.
1. I was born in 1933, in the middle of the Depression.
2. I have an older brother and sister, and 2 younger brothers and 1 sister.
3. We are all still among the living.
4. I have been married for 51+ years to the same wonderful man.
5. I got it right the first time.
6. I gave birth to four children, two of each.
7. I have one beautiful granddaughter, 21, and three cute grandsons, ages 8, 7 and 5.
8.
I have trouble coming up with an appropriate title for my blogs. Today I have a mixture of items I want to talk about.
It has been snowing all day. We haven't had this kind of weather in a long time. We are supposed to get up to maybe 6 inches. The wind is not blowing so the snow is staying put.
I got news the other day that my brother, who is 5 years older than me, has prostate cancer and two hernias. The doctors won't perform surgery for the hernias and he won't be getting chem
I used to watch that soap opera years ago. Is it still on?
I have been using my motorized wheelchair for a couple weeks now and I haven't run over the cat yet! :laughbounce: I have been outside a few times, but it has been so hot that I don't go out much. It cooled off last night and we have had a few rain showers. It is raining as I write this.
I had a doctor's appointment on Tuesday and I have lost about 5 lbs. since my last appointment. :Clap-Hands: :Clap-Hands: However,
This has been a busy week. Our daughter was here for her 30 year class reunion. She brought her 6 year old son (soon to be adopted) and our 20 year old granddaughter (her neice). Brandon is very active and has some behavorial problems which can be distracting. It didn't help that the temperatures were quite hot and he couldn't play outside too much.
On the 4th, our daughter-in-law and their 2 boys (ages 8 and 5) were here. The three boys have scooters and the ramp on my deck is perfec
My parents were part of a group called Germans born in Russia. These were German people who went to Russia during Catherine's reign in the mid 1700"s. Catherine needed people to farm the fertile Volga lands so she promised land to the people who came. In Germany, the common people were not allowed to own their own land. So this is how my parents came to be born in Russia in 1901 and 1908. My mother's family came to America through Canada in 1910 and my Dad's family landed in St. Augustine,
I spent about three hours in ER today and I am happy to say that I am okay. Shortly after lunch, I began experiencing severe pain in my upper right back just below the shoulder blade. The pain was so bad, I became nauseous and felt faint. I was also perspiring a lot.
Misti, my caregiver, was still here so she called the doctor's office. She was told to get me to ER right away. We live about 5 minutes from the hospital so Paul and Misty got me in the car and took me. It was faster than
I just read Geirge's blog on worry and didn't want to horn in on his thoughts, so I'm writing my own blog on worry. I agree with what George says completely. I've learned in my 73+ years that worrying about things past and future does no good and most of what we worry about in the present doesn't happen anyway.
My husband and I produced four children, boy, girl, boy, girl. The oldest and youngest gave us the most to fret about in their teen years. Today, the oldest is living a productiv
Yesterday, I received a message from our daughter-in-law confirming her step-dad's cancer. It's in his lungs and spreading to other parts of his body. He's going to see another doctor, but I'm afraid he will get the same news.
Then last night, Paul got a phone call about a friend of his who is in the hospital and has cancer throughout his body and inoperable, also. Bruce, the first man, is about 65 and Gordon is about 80.
This morning, Paul got another call telling him that a good
I am so impressed with the caregivers I have met here on StrokeNet and those that I know personally.
I have a friend, Bev, who has been her husband's caregiver for at least 10 years. He has MS and has been in a wheelchair for most of that time. They own a linen supply and cleaners, and he insists on going to the office ever day, and she makes sure he gets there. About a month ago, I found out that she has cancer of the pancreas and is undergoing chemo-therapy. How unfair is that? But,
I started back to physical therapy about 5 weeks ago to help me get better at walking with my walker. For some reason, walking was becoming very difficult. I use a quad cane for short distances, but someone has to be beside me, as I'm not too steady. I wanted to be able to walk through the house and just get out of the wheelchair and off my butt.
Well, The therapist I am working with is very knowledgeable and has helped me immensely. She has experience at Mayo's and has worked with all
Sharon called last week and informed us that Brandon's birth parents had signed the papers to relinquish rights, so she and Marvin will be adopting Brandon shortly. He has been in their home for four years and they are really the only "parents" he has known. Everyone is very happy. Sharon says a lot of stress has gone out of her life. She never had children of her own, so this is a special event.
On Saturday, our granddaughter, Ashley, called from Lincoln, NE, where she was participat
My first blog on this subject was obliterated by a pop-up so I'll try again.
Last night, my husband and I watched a movie that we both enjoyed. It was "The Notebook" and it is a beautiful love story. Gina Rowland and James Garner play the couple in their old age when she has Alseimer's and doesn't know her husband and he lives at the nursing home just to take care of her. He reads her the story of how they met, fell in love, and got married, trying to jog her memory. This is a movie I w
Our daughter and her husband have had a foster son in their home for almost 4 years. Brandon was just past 2 years old when they took him in. He had had very little parenting and was a very difficult child to take care of. However, in the past 3+ years, Sharon , who is a teacher, has worked very hard getting Brandon to settle down. They have taught him how to behave and have given him lots of love and attention. The system has drug this out for all these years because they wanted the family
