Rolly has been gone for 10 days, coming home tomorrow. He's spent some time with our oldest son and family, and several days with his older brother in Oregon. His brother has had a couple of open heart procedures, a failed pig valve transplant and an artificial valve that seems to be doing the trick. His brother just turned 65, and suddently "old" and "health issues" seem not as far away as they did before Rolly's stroke. He tried to hook up with his twin brother as well, but as usual, his bro
Wow, I thought it would be easy to come up with 100 things! So this is a "work in progress".
1. Take an Alaskan cruise
2. See the leaves change color in New England
3. Swim with a dolphin.
4. Go to an authentic New England Clambake
5. Skinny Dip
6. Eat in New Orleans French Quarter
7. Learn to Waltz
8. Make love in the Redwood forests of California
9. Picnic in Tuscany.
10. Sleep in a house on a cliff above the Pacific Ocean, with giant windows to enjoy the view
11.
Here's another "I am From"...........this one a Christmas themed one. I redid the format and posted it below the essay.
I am from aluminum christmas trees and colorwheels, from paper garlands and angels on the top.
I am from artificial Christmas trees, from plastic wreaths and pine scent in a can.
I am from the silk Pointsetta plant and plastic mistletoe hanging in the doorway.
I am from new pajamas on Christmas Eve, opening one present on Christmas Eve, and milk and coo
From a writing assignment. JRiva should do this for sure! Anyone who wants the format should PM me and I'll send it on to you!
I am from powdered milk poured back into empty milk containers, from Tide and Joy and root beer floats on New Year
Well, my son has Bronchitis, and his wife and younger daughter both have pneuominia (excuse my spelling!). Things have been hectic around here for sure!
Rolly and I had discussed anti-depressants, and he was adamant that he did not want/would not take any. So I didn't even ask.
On top of renewing his medications for six months (blood pressure, cholosterol, acid reflux) she dropped a bombshell on us -- he's "pre-diabetic". Well, she called it "borderline" but the dietary consultant said there was no such thing as "borderline" but the new term is "pre-diabetic." Came home with an armload of books and literature, and of course the ever popul
I want to ask the DR at the VA tomorrow about anti depressants for Rolly. He seems depressed lately (although he insists he's not). He still has some trouble dealing with emotional issues. One day last week was about the final straw for me. He broke down bawling like a baby. I know it's the holidays, and that's an emotional time for a lot of people.
I just wish we could figure this part of the post-stroke issue out, and move on!
Just wanted to stop in and say hi to all of you.
Will be a busy day. We've already gone to the grocery store to get last minute items. Had to cancel our dungeness crab feed for tonight, due to the weather here in Northern California. The only crab available is previously frozen, and we'd rather go without!
So we'll have ham, scalloped potatoes, spinach with warm bacon dressing, and homemade dinner rolls. No dessert. Enough cookies, candy and stuff around here this week to sink a s
Here are my answers to Asha's 'Know Yourself' quiz.
1. What do you want?
I've never "wanted" a lot. I'm hard to buy gifts for. I don't window shop, I don't make list of things I'd buy if I won the lottery. I want the intangibles, I want to be loved, to be happy, to see my children and grandchildren do the same.
2. What do you need?
I need peace, tranquility, things that haven't been in great abundance since Rolly's stroke.
3. What is your greatest fear?
I fear being
Let me express my own personal opinion.
If it weren't for the "reason" for the season, we wouldn't be celebrating Christmas, so what's wrong with calling it what it is?
This country was founded on religious freedom. Let me express it in my own way. If you celebrate a different holiday, or none at all, I'm really OK with that.
Just don't take away MY right to celebrate my chosen holiday!
Whew, I'm better now! (~_~)
Stayed up late last night and put the finishing touches on items for tonight's appetizer party. Should be fun, good food, house all decorated for the holidays, Christmas music on the stereo. That's about as good as it gets for me!
Hope everyone is enjoying their holiday season.
The house is quiet, except for the clicking of the keyboard keys on the computer. I'm sitting in the dark, diet pepsi in hand, gathering my thoughts and emotions, in preparation for heading home after two weeks in Texas with our daughter and family, and their three beautiful, delightful girls.
Suddenly my long anticipated two week visit seems hardly long enough. But I daresay if it was three weeks or even four, I'd be thinking and feeling the same thing.
Good things never last long e
Just wanted to pop in and say Hi.
I'm spending two weeks at our daughters in TX. She just had beautiful baby girl #3, and I am helping out.
First time I've been away from Rolly since his April 1st stroke. He appears to be handling things OK. We talk every day, and I remind him of his meds, what he's cooking for dinner, etc.
So another baby step for us.
Left the house at 7am and just got home (4 pm)! It's about a 45 minute drive with no traffic, but since his first appt was at 8:20, we certainly had traffic!
He doesn't have to go back to neurology. They don't follow stroke victims after the initial check ups unless there is an underlying reason they had the stroke (i.e. blood disease that causes clots etc) and he doesn't have any of thise risk factors. So that went as well as it could! She added some extra folic acid to his regime, and
I'm afraid to ask what else can go wrong, because I'm sure it wil!
Older son and family were down this weekend. He noticed his Dad has a mole on his face that looks irregular, and he hadn't really noticed it before. So I've got a call in to the VA for an emergency appointment for that. I leave for 2 weeks on the 1st so need to get it looked at ASAP!
Then I got to work and had forgotten my glasses. Got through the morning OK, a few dumb mistakes cause I couldn't see, so decided to r
I'm just "down" today. No real reason. Things have been going well, adjusting to moving in with the kids. Rolly still suffers from emmense fatigue, and of course the short term memory loss, but we are all coping.
So why am I in a funk?
He asked if there was anything he could do.
Sure, I said. Don't have had a stroke, and have a million dollars.
So, since that didn't happen, I'll just "chin up" and tredge ever forward.....
The days fly by........this weekend our oldest son and family will be here for an "early" Thanksgiving, the following week is Thanksgiving and our DIL's father and step mom will be here for four days, then the following week I leave for San Antonio for two weeks, for the birth of our DD's third little girl, back home on the 14th (our 37th wedding anniversary), DIL is having a Christmas appetizer party for 12 of her teacher friends, and Rolly and I will be doing all the food for her, then the fol
From Vix's Blog
I'm not sure if this just happens to me or other stroke survivors? Some days I wake up feeling a lot stronger. Today is one of those days, even my speech is better. And I'm not sure what is different between yesterday and today? I sleep well every night, so it's not just the result of a good night's sleep. My balance seems better today, so my walking is slightly stronger, lets hope tomorrow is even better!!
I think this is one of the things that I find so frustrating i
I know, I had no right to hold a pity party for myself tonight, yet I did.
We have been getting along so well. Even though I feel like I am the one putting out most of the effort to not "argue" with each other, it has been worth the effort. I know our daughter-in-law appreciates it (she grew up in a home where her parents were constantly arguing).
So why isn't it ever enough?
I get up in the morning, I help Rolly make breakfast, I pack my daughter-in-law's lunch, make the bed,
It was a long weekend, and I'm not even the one who had the stoke! (~_~)
My brother and sister-in-law were in town for the weekend (they live about 100 miles away). We spent Saturday together.
Rollin was supposed to go with us, but had a bad day Friday and said he was not up to it. He was moving some boxes of out the storage shed, and a bookcase fell on him. Naturally it had to hit him in the neck (so now he's worried that it will cause another stroke!).
Anyway, we took the g
Why am I awake at 1 am when I have to work in the morning?
Family!
Our son is away for 4 days at a conference. I really thought we were making headway this week. I've been bending over backwards to get along with DH, coming straight home from work, helping him with dinner, setting the table, doing the dishes, and barely taking any time for me.
It has definitely made the week go smoother, with no bickering to speak of between us.
So I'm looking forward to a nice quiet Friday
So here we sit, six months and a couple of days after his stroke.
Have I learned the secret? The key to happiness in this new life? A life I never expected would happen to me?
We would be at each other, nit picking over whatever, every night. I know the kids (that we moved in with) were growing weary of it.
I asked him what we could do to get through this.
He said it was all up to me.
My God, did I fight that!
Why should it be up to me? "I" didn't have the
First of all, let me preface this rant by saying I dearly love the man. We celebrate our 37th anniversary in December. We've had our ups and downs as all married couples do, but we share so much--three children, six children and a lifetime of memories and experiences.
That being said, however, I need to vent. Does having a stroke give you license to be a jerk towards the person who loves you most, who is the sole financial support of the family (and has been for most of the last fourteen
Well, except for setting up my scrappin room, we have moved into the new house and are quite comfortable. The kids gave us the downstairs bedroom with attached bath, and converted the laundry room into the scrap room for me.
The best thing is they had cable installed in our bedroom, so Rollin can have a quiet space to hang out when he gets overwhelmed.
The move was very stressful on him, I've noticed that change of any kind is hard on him these days. Add to that the commotion a mov
Hindsight being 20/20, I should have taken today off from work. But being the sole breadwinner now, I really need to work!
This was the day the movers came to pack. Moving is stressful at best, and this time around, living in our son's home, and Rollin having a strokw less than 6 months ago, was even more so.
I'm still not sure exactly what happened, but the movers had questions about several things. They were told he would be here, but he wouldn't be much help, and that they should
