I get it

"Pull over and stop the car and call me!"

This was the message given to me that Saturday as I was barreling down I-35 in Austin traffic.  I asked my traveling friend to answer my phone and take a message for me.  Austin has a no-hand held policy for phones AND I was frantically trying to find Hubby's car miles ahead of me (note to self: when in Austin, DO NOT follow someone...get the directions on MY own GPS; there is no keeping up with someone in Austin especially on I-35).

I get it...I finally get it....I CANNOT go out of town ever unless I want these types of calls.  My friend pulled my earbuds out of my purse and redialed the number for me.

Mom fell flat on her face in the driveway that Friday night after having a "wonderful" dinner.  Poor stepdad couldn't pick her up so he called EMS and they took her to the hospital.  Unfortunately her primary care giver said this was out of her expertise and Mom needed an Ears, Nose, Throat specialist and none were on-call (Drs and Stepdad are thanking ObamaCare).  The closest ENT Dr was in San Antonio and they were discussing AIRLIFTING her to San Antonio.  Okay, does anyone else think this is a problem???  I don't even want to think of the expense much less the emotional trauma my Mom would endure.  Stepdad recommends an ENT an hour away ( a Dr. he saw years ago). That Dr. said come in on Monday; by what the hospital was saying, it was not an immediate thing.  She is released.

Stepdad calls and said their nurse maid was over and was helping Mom shower and getting the blood out of her hair.  Also she still has blood coming out of her ears.

WHAT????  That's a sign of concussion!  They let her go?  What does the nursemaid say?

I'll ask after she gets out of the shower.

I'm still on the road traveling home.  I get a text from the nursemaid.  She says Mom is better and she finally got the bleeding ON her ear to stop.  I decide I'm going to that ENT appointment.  Bleeding IN the ear and bleeding ON the ear are two different things.

By the time I get home on Saturday, she is asleep and I pray she wakes up on Sunday!  Sunday I attend early service and put her on the prayer list and then travel down to see her.  I'm imagining the worst....

Smiling...no pain at this point...thank you hospital meds!

Stepdad goes for breakfast meals for the both of them.  I wonder if she'll be able to eat it without any pain. Sure enough...STILL no pain (you've gotta love the hospital painkillers!!!)

I can't believe I ate the whole thing with a possible broken jaw!

 
Monday morning before Mom's appointment I called a certain commitment I made and begged out of it.  I cannot be a camp chaplain and do my job effectively while waiting for the call and more than likely have to leave.  I'm sorry.  I do not like breaking a commitment, but I get it!  Something happens when I leave.  I get it, universe!!!

Fumes

You will not be surprised that I can find the one thing of housecleaning to do wrong.  Here is a hint: DO NOT pour a whole bottle of Clorox onto a towel which is on the floor of your shower.  Something happens.... the fabric disintegrates AND you sniff in a bunch of Clorox fumes.  Bad, bad, bad!

The towel was old but did not have holes!

The good news is the mold is gone; of course so are the airs in my nose!
I've always said housecleaning like exercise is detrimental to your health.  I mean it!

"Mom and Me" Update:

This morning we met up with friends and enjoyed breakfast while visiting. I know Mom won't remember it but I think it's good she gets out and does the whole social thing. Each week I ask Mom "How are you?"  The answer is always the same== "doing fine, I think."  She had an oral procedure last week so I asked about her mouth, any pain.  "No, should I have pain?"  She didn't remember going to the oral surgeon.  She doesn't remember much...although she can still surprise me!  More and more I'm seeing shades of my Grandmother.  Mom is perfectly content to be with others but like Grandmom, just to observe.  She doesn't contribute to the conversation.  If you mention an event or person I can tell she is searching her memory banks.  I have stopped asking if she remembers, because her fast answer is no.  At some point I want to ask her about specific events to see if she can recall periods in time.  Right now, it is just easier for her to say no.  So I'll continue to ask how she is and then proceed to tell her about what's happening with us.

Meet TSA

I come from a long line of smart asses....I don't say this viciously, just matter of fact. You would think I wouldn't be shocked; I should not be surprised, right?  I thought my Mom was the Top Smart Ass (not anymore- in more ways than one!), but my son has brought smart-asstry to a new level...even for us!  I'm such a proud Mom.

As some of you know, he is working this summer at our denominational camp.  He left last Saturday and headed to the hills.  I gave him enough time (Sunday morning to be exact) and texted "I assume you are there!"  Almost one week later he texts "Yes I'm here."  Well I sort of figured that! -- I didn't text that snarky remark but I did text "Pictures!!!"  You know what I mean, right?  I wanted to live vicariously and see what's going on there.  A mom is nosy that way.  It's our right!  It's in our DNA! They should be proud we aren't asking about their bowel movements anymore!!!!

TSA (top smart ass....that's his new name!) sent these beautiful pictures. Ah, to live vicariously through the eyes of TSA!!!

His text "Here ya go"

I think someone forgot to add water! Unfortunately this kid isn't at hill country camp!!!

No! I'm not a camp counselor and I do not know Top Smart Ass!!!

I'm a Shih tzu, I tell ya....I am NOT a pug!!!

Ooooh!  I bet you wanted a picture of me when I was 10!!

"Ok ok.  Here's a picture of me."

Thank you, TSA! Glad you are enjoying yourself!! Can't wait to receive the next batch of camp pictures.  Who knows, I might start a scrapbook....only take off the "s."  Yes, I can be snarky too!

Wednesday ramblings

You know that feeling when you've checked and re-checked and submitted the paper only to open it up the next day and see a blatant mistake!!!!????!!!!  Yep, it happened.

You know what else happened? I woke up to vertigo again!  My room is spinning and I feel like I'm going to fall out of my chair....and I didn't drink last night!  sheesh

We re-watched X-Men: Days of Future Past and there is a drowning scene (oops, spoiler alert...heck, if you haven't seen it yet, that's on you not me! 2014 movie Grainiacs!!).  Last night I dreamed of drowning.  This morning my ears are full of water....coincidence?!  I think not! LOL

I didn't tell you about our trip.  Two weeks ago we picked up College Boy from .....college!  I was very thankful to see my 2 girls too.  We had a fun time; can you say "JoAnn's Fabrics?"  I love that place.  We are (supposedly) getting one in my neck of the world.  Can't wait!  Hubby can; he knows what it means.  ;)

We ate and laughed and packed.  BUT!

we were missing one boy (big black beast needs attention and we got a hotel that doesn't allow pets....tee hee....no really, it was graduation weekend and our hotel was in another town!).  We were lucky to get that one: there was a biker event in town too!  I feel like a biker groupie.  Last month I went to the beach in time for Biker Fest.  This month I go to north Texas in time for Biker Fest! hmmmm....I'm not even a motorcycle biker; I'm a biker with a bell and a basket who has to pump her legs in order to move.

Any who...  We were missing one "taking care of the animals" boy, 

we are not whole

but not to be left out....

photo-shop genius

May rhythm

It's getting towards the end of May! How did that happen?  Why do I keep blogging about how fast time is going?

Before I forget, here is a Mom update:  everything is going along (dare I say?) smoothly.  I sure do not want to jinx it, but we seem to have a certain rhythm going on.  Her mind is still foggy but the physical strength is there.  I am going down to see her every week and I coordinate these visits with her Dr. appts if possible.  This week she is a busy beaver with hair appt, Dr. appt, AND dentist appt.  I don't expect she'll get out of bed all weekend long!

I don't have much to say today.  I've been working on newsletter news for the church, and organizing a letter for the Presbyterian Women, and editing advertising blurbs for another organization so my creative juices are juiced out!  I doubt you want to hear about that stuff, so I will end now.

Is the weekend close????

being a negative nelly

I'm hoping the saying about teaching old dogs new tricks doesn't apply to cats.  I've been carrying around a bottle of vinegar water squirting cats and dogs and even a cockroach. So far I can scare the big black beast (previously known as Big Puppy) by pointing the blue bottle at him, but the cats need a squirt and well, the cockroach just said "I laugh at you and the blue bottle filled with vinegar. Bring it on, bitch!"  I do not like cockroaches.

Yesterday was a herding cats kind of day.  I seemed to be playing catch up and not really getting anything done.  I do not like those kinds of days either!

And then it hit me! I'm starting out my day with a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad attitude.  That just cannot be.  I have too much to do and accomplish and if I start out as negative nelly, then I'll continue to be negative nelly all day and no one will want to talk to me.

So.......ME time.

Today I will:

• change my attitude about spraying the cats off the kitchen counter.  I will do it with a great B.I.G. smile on my face and song in my heart and breathe in that vinegar smell wafting from my kitchen!
• laugh out loud as I chase big black beast with the blue bottle knowing I will not have to spray it at him because it scares the crap out of him without the spraying part!
• okay, I draw the line....sorry, grainiacs..... I DO NOT LIKE COCKROACHES but I will joyously squash them and giggle as I flush 'em down the toilet.

 And just to be clear I have a song in my heart and giggle in my soul.  Here is a message from Dr. Phil.  I laugh in his face...even though he is insulting ME!

Come on.  Admit it!  You laughed too, right?  Enjoy your day, Grainiacs!

More ME

Lucy! you've got some 'splaining to do!

I think I've confessed to my hoarding tendencies and if I haven't....well, here's my confession.  I love things and if I have one I have a hundred.  I also exaggerate but that's a different post topic.  I am seeing a correlation to hoarding and eating.  The more I have, the more I want.  The Flylady system deals with uncluttering your house and also uncluttering your body.  A friend is reading a book about the Japanese art of uncluttering.  I believe the author is Marie Kondo (or something like that).  In her system you pull out everything (topic-wise).  So she asks you to gather every book in your house and my friend did this and piled them all up in her living room.  I told her I'd have a great big mess after doing that and a pile of books in my living room for weeks because I'd just be too tired to put them away or give them away or whatever.  She laughed and said yes, there is that risk, but now she has a visual every time she walks into Barnes and Noble to buy a gift card and ooooh shiny....sees a book she wants.  That visual reminder helps her to keep on walking and just buy the gift card.  This system works for her.  I'm really not sure it would work for me.  I do think I prefer the Flylady system if I'd only use it.  And here comes the hoarding/collecting part....I'm collecting different books/ systems to uncluttering!  Now do you see what's wrong with this picture?

Speaking of pictures, yesterday I asked Hubby to take a picture of all the ladies.  He did and I've sprouted horns (HA, some of y'all knew that!).  I'm not sure if the caption should read "hook 'em, horns" or "it ain't over till the fat lady sings!"  LOL

It was good being with the moms yesterday.  BTW..

Happy belated Mother's Day.  Here is my definition of a Mother.  Someone (non-gender specific) who takes care of anyone/ any thing.  If you have a nurturing bone in your body whether it is taking care of children/ parents/ patients/ fur babies/ plants/ or a pet rock....you celebrate this day.  Many grieve this day because someone has passed on and it is a reminder that they are no longer physically here.  Unfortunately for some it is also a reminder of what was never. Never feeling a mother's love, never having children, never....  Mother's Day can be hard,but we have to remember it is one day out of the year and I can choose to do something too.  It is not a passive day but a day to celebrate ME.  It's time to get selfish and choose ME.  Does that sound un-motherly?  ;)