Holiday Prep and Deer Hunting

I am excited about my Christmas trip. Waldo and I are flying to Portland, OR on Sat. to spend the holidays with Travis and Kerry and their families. Today I have my appt. with my rehab dr. I am trying to type up notes to take with so I don't forget things, and so I have time to think of words that really express what I want to say. I have to work at it awhile. Yesterday I had supper with all of my siblings over to my place. We had a real nice time, some good visiting and discussions. Ron was telling us about some of the conversations he had in the service with people who had no idea what Minn. weather is like. One guy didn't believe we could drive on the frozen lakes with cars. He said ice only froze about 1/4 inch thick and then the cold couldn't get to the water underneath. I wonder what that guy's ice cubes look like?? Ron showed him a picture of fish houses on the ice. The Calif. guy said they were just migrant worker shacks. Ron said you should have seen the guys face when he started to tell him about snow fences! Of course, Lyndaa brought presents for everyone. Shopping therapy she calls it. I told her that was fine, just hire someone to return the stuff later after the therapy has worked. she didn't like that idea. Roxy brought canned venison for everyone and rhubarb jelly. She was telling us that she was razing Crystal's husband about deer hunting. He didn't get one this year. Pregnant Crystal looked out the window, saw a big buck, stepped out on the deck and shot it.

Thanksgiving Dinners

Yes, I had 3 Thanksgiving dinners; at Dale & Shirley's with the Martin siblings; with Joel & Sharon and the Bearden Bunch, and with Rita and Gregg with Judy's bunch. I really enjoy being around so much family. We all had some good visiting and lots of fun. At Rita's we played "Imagine if . . ." it's a good game to play to see how well you all know each other. Lots of fun!!

Waldo and I are looking forward to going to WA & OR to spend Christmas and New Years with Kerry and Travis and families. I did a little decorating today. I am going to have all my sibllings and spouses over on Dec. 9 for dinner and visit. I moved here to be closer to them and don't see some of them very often. Now that I have help with the heavy housecleaning, I feel ok to have company.

I woke up yesterday morning with a terrible headcold. I could hardly breathe. I took some propolis (a natural antibiotic from Brazil made from bee 'stuff') I then slept 3 hours and woke up with clear sinuses feeling much better. I took another dose this morning and feel like the cold is all gone. I will be teaching 4th grade on Thurs. & Friday this week. I'm glad I'm feeling better; otherwise I would have cancelled the teaching job.

My Legs Still Hurt!

Last week I worked 2 1/2 days. I did 1/2 days for Kindergarten, 2/3 grade, and 5th grade, and a full day of 4th grades. That was Tue., Wed., and Thurs. Thurs. night I went to bed at 8 p.m. I actually fell asleep on the couch before that, but went up to bed then. Waldo was real good about letting me go to bed early. But he was up at 5 am. and had to go potty. Then I lay back down on the sofa until 8 am.

Friday I went out to lunch with Judy and Betty - Judy drove, I was just too tired. Today, Judy, Paul, Renata, and I went to Kohl's sale because Judy had a 30% off coupon. We all used it and pretty much finished our Christmas shopping. The 30% really works nice when they have lots of stuff already on 50-80% off; another 30% makes it worth while to go! Now REnata is cleaning my house and I am going to go take a nap.

And Time Marches On. . .

I had my sleep study last night. The first half of the night I did not have a C-Pap machine on. I don't feel that I slept at all! My my restless legs were so active! About 1 or 2 am they put a C-Pap on me. In a little while I went to sleep and seemed to sleep well until about 6:15 am. I won't find out the results until Nov. 20th when I go to the doctor again. I think they will have to adjust the pressure on my machine. I just now purchased my airline ticket to go to Portland for Christmas. I will leave Msp on Dec. 15th and come back to Msp on Jan 5th. I am glad to have that completed. I should have done it sooner; I might have gotten a better deal. But I don't care how much I have to pay, I will go no matter what. And I will take Waldo with me. I have to call NWA reservations to see how to go about doing that. I hope to go down to Phonix to see Quinton and his family in Jan or Feb. Then I will be able to go on pass, after the holiday rush. Well, I'd better get my morning shower pretty soon. I have all this gunk in my hair and on my body where all the electrodes were hooked up. I feel all sticky and gooey. Yuk!! Waldo has allergies. He chewed on his foot until it got infected, so now he is taking antibiotics. I just wrap it in cheese and he gobbles it down. I heard on tv that one of the CA wildfires was set by a 10 year old playing with matches. A psychologist said the child obviously had psychological problems. She said that any child that plays with matches also tortures animals and has an emotional disease. If that is the case, then 3 of my 4 children are animal torturers with emotional diseases. psychologists that generalize like that kill me. What idiots!!!!

Blame it on the Brain Injury!

That TBI I had in Jan is coming in useful all the time. This time it was with my car. Apparently nothing was wrong with the cruise control. I just pushed one button instead of two to put it into action. I knew that b efore, but somehow I forgot after not driving for a few days. I don't know how many times I tried to get that working and it just wouldn't connect (with just pushing the "on" button). Oh well, at least I remembered how to drive (at least the important parts!!) Tomorrow night I go to the sleep clinic in Chisago City for my sleep test. It's been 10 years since I got the C-Pap machine, maybe the settings need to be changed. I have not been sleeping well for months now. The sleep dr. said the brain injury is not an insignificant part of the problem, also. And I had my eyes checked with an opthomologist. He said my eyes were fine and are not contributing to my constant headaches. Last night we went to Rita's and helped the kids make a Halloween supper. We had dirty rats (big meatballs), green snakes (mashed potatoes), ghosts (cresent roll triangles pulled into ghost shapes with cheese and olives for eyes and mouths.) They also made cupcakes and cookies. Renata carved her first pumpkin (jack-o-lantern. They do not celebrate Halloween in Brazil. Tonight I am going to church to see the movie, "Luther" with the confirmation kids. At 4 pm I have to take Waldo to the vet again. I took him Monday because he has been chewing his nails a lot lately. The vet said to give him a benadryl 2 or 3 times a day because maybe it was just allergies and he was itchy. He also has been sneezing a bit and rubbing his eyes on the rug. So I gave him one last night before bed and he was up ALL night. I think it worked like speed for him. He chewed his back foot all night. Now the one toe is red and swollen so I will take him in for more suggestions. (Maybe he'll give him some speed to make him sleep tonight. I didn't sleep all night either and am so tired today. Actually, Waldo was good last night; most of the time he just lay on the rug in my bedroom chewing on his foot. So he didn't disturb me. I just took hours to get to sleep and kept waking up. I have had many other nights like that lately, so it wasn't real unusual, but still tiring.

Catch-Up Time

This is Lucille's garden in the back of her backyard. It isi a beautiful setting, very peaceful and well-lanscaped and woodsy. I really enjoyed my time there. I made this font purple in honor of the humoungous rutabagas she grew this year. I took one home and it lasted for several meals. Even as huge as it was, it was tasty. I love it in soups, stews, and fried with potatoes and squash.

These are just a few of the flowers Lucille had still blooming in mid-October this year. It is so pretty there. We had a great time.

My car is in the shop today. The warrenty runs out Nov. 1st. When I got back from MT I discovered that the cruise control no longer worked. Figured I'd better get it done before the warrenty is up. I took it in today and they gave me a ride back home. Tomorrow they will have a loaner car for me to use (free of charge) since I may have to go to work.

This afternoon Waldo and I will walk to the vet's. It is about 1 1/2 miles. Waldo has been biting his nails lately so I'd better check if there is something medical there. infection, inflamation, whatever. It's a pretty day out today so the walk should do us both good.

My bed sits on a platform for a base. The mattress tends to slide around sometimes, Usually in this directions since that's the side I bump up against all the time as I sit down. I didn't realize it was so off center when I took this picture! This is an antique quilt I bought in a shop in Stillwater, MN. I know I paid more for it than I would have for a new one, but I love it. The tulip baskets are all applicaded (?sp - I know that's spelled wrong,!) out of cotton on a muslin background. It is perfect for my flower-garden bedroom. I have been spending the last few days reading. While in Mich. I bought a series of books (for 10 cents each) . I have read 6 of them so far. I have 2 more to go, and 6 that weren't available there that I will look for at goodwill and garage sales. I think today I will spend some more time going through my clothes in the closet. Unfortunately, I have gained some weight, so I have to sort thru the clothes and put some away until I lose some weight. It's depressing, but I won't try them back on until I lose 10 lbs. I also have a pile to take to goodwill. I have gone thru the blouses and skirts, but have to get to the pants now. Besides, I still have w--a--y too many clothes for 1 person. I refuse to shop anymore, either new or consignment shops.

My good friend, Marilyn, died last Saturday, the 13th. I just got back from her funeral in MT. She was such a dear person, always thinking of others, making friends and guests feel so welcome, making delicious desserts, and so much more. She will be missed so much. When you talked to her, you knew she was really listening and caring about what you were saying. We've been friends for 37 years. I can't believe that she is no longer with us.

So much has happened since I last wrote. Here are the hi-lights: Had a good trip to Wisc. and Upper Mich. - despite the oriental ladybugs. Spent a couple of days in the hospital. My sister's father-in-law passed away on Friday. My dear friend in Montana passed away on Saturday. I'm going to the funerals, on tomorrow and the other on Thursday. Poor Waldo is going to think I have deserted him. I will write more later when I have more energy. Have to finish packing for my trip to Mont.

The fall colors were beautiful. I am really looking forward to this weekend. I am going with John and Esther to Tim's cabin in Wisc. for the nearby cranberry festival. After a couple of days we will drive up to upper Mich. to spend a couple of days with Larry and Lucille. I so enjoyed it last year that I'm sure it will be lots of fun again. These are some of the pictures from last year's trip.

I taught middle school phy. ed. again yesterday. I was called this morning to teach, but turned it down, as I am pretty tired and still need to be careful to get enough rest.

Judy and I and Mom's friend, Betty, are going to drive around today tolook at the pretty fall leaves. We'll probably stop in Stillwater for lunch. I'll try to find some pictures of the fall leaves last year to put us in the mood. Shoot! I think I need to spend some of my time organizing my photos so I can find what I'm looking for. Seems like a pretty formidable job, but one I should undertake. Have a great fall day!!

This has been a good week, filled with some interesting things. I got another letter from the 10 year old boy in Mexico that I am sponsoring. He is a sweet boy who loves soccer and wants to be a teacher when he grows up. His name is J0se'. I also helped clean the church this week. I can't do a whole lot, but it's fun to get together with the other 2 ladies and accomplish something (although Kathy and Celia work MUCH harder than I do). I also finally saw my regular doctor about scheduling another sleep study and another echo-cardiogram (I'm supposed to get one a year, but haven't since 2003?) Memory is failing, too! Friday I finally got called to sub. I taught Phy.Ed. at WBL Middle school. It was fun. They played "Capture the Football" so I was outside all day. It was a beautiful fall day-sunny and cool enough. Last period of the day was his Prep. time, so I was able to leave at 2:15. I was so-o-o-o tired when I got home. After taking Waldo for a walk (short one) I dozed on the couch till about 4:30 - with interruptions for a telephone survey, and another walk with Waldo. Then I got up . Went to bed at 9 p.m. and slept until 9:00 a.m. ( with a couple of wake-ups during the night. Saturday I mostly sat around and watched westerns on tv.

As you can probably tell, from my lack of correspondence, I am bored! I wish I would get back to teaching. I am a lazy person at heart, but sitting around all day is not inspiring. I walk Waldo 4 times a day, do Su Doku puzzles, computer card games, and crossword puzzles, and read. I need some inspiration! I guess I could knit, or sew, or . . . I'll put some pictures of my kids and grandkids on, at least that will make my blog look better.

I need some more pictures of Tanner. I think he is always busy and doesnt stand still long enough to get his picture taken. He not quite 13 years old and is 5'9". He is a great kid in many ways. Trav & Erica, e-mail me some pics of the boys when you get time. Thanks

Food for Thought

We had a very interesting Bible study after church today. For quite some time now I've considered Joshua 24:15b as my favorite verse: "AS for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Our Bible study is centered on the concept of "chosen". I had been seeing my relationship with God from the point of me choosing to follow Him. Today had me looking at it from the perspective that God has chosen ME, and now it is my responsibility to decide what to do about that. We studied about God choosing Abraham. Why did God chose Abraham? Was he an especially godly person? No, actually he was the son of a pagan worshiper. He was also not especially moral and upstanding all the time when he considered his wife. When she could not have children and suggested he have a child with her servant, he didn't say, "Oh no, I could never betray our wedding vows in such a way, he just said, "Oh, OK sounds like a good idea?" When they went to Egypt because of the famine, Abraham was afraid he would be killed by Egypians so they could take his wife for themselves, so he convinced her to pretend to be his sister so he would be safe, even though it would still put her virtue in danger; the Egyptians could just take her and would treat Abraham well as her brother instead of killing him to get rid of her husband. It seems that God choses people who LACK the qualities He needs, then when the chosen trust Him, God gives them the qualities necessary for the work he wants them to do. That way God can get all the glory instead of the chosen one saying, "Of course I could do the job. After all I'm so great that God chose me." Bottom line: God chooses the most foolish to show how great are the gifts he gives to us. So, I am going to try to focus on acknowledging that God chose me (foolish, non-talented me. So what will I do about it? How will I try to respond? By being a blessing to someone.

I feel like I'm treading water(something I can't even do). I seem to be sitting around waiting. Waiting for a job to call me to work, waiting for my youngest to get a few minutes to give me a call, waiting to develop some energy to actually do something! Actually, I am taking over more of my own housework each week. Until Thursday arrives when my helper comes to help me clean. By Thurs. it seems that the work is beginning to win the battle, when Renata to the rescue!! I am finally able to get out and get some exercise. I walk Waldo 4 times a day. Most of our walks last 20-30 minutes. So at least that's some exercise for me, too. My daughter, Kerry, was telling me about the social experiment their family experienced a bit ago. Her boys, 7 and 11, decided they wanted to be the parents for a day, and my daughter and her husband could be the children. Once the rules had been established, no driving the car, and no candy only for lunch (lunch had to be healthy), it was full speed ahead. After making sandwiches, while tending to baby sister, and listening to "I'm hungry, when's lunch going to be ready?" and cutting off the crusts from Mommy's sandwich (while muttering, "Just eat it"), and after cleaning up the lunch mess, the boys had had enough before the afternoon had gotten very old. As 7 year old Sam said, "Now I understand better what you have to go through. (He is the one who usually doesn't like crust on his sandwich and had to fix Mom's the same way. What a fun time. I can't wait to move out there. I just have to be very patient (not my strong suit).

Doctor's Report

I went to the doctor in charge of my recovery from the accident today. I got a clearance to return to work part-time as tolerated. I don't know if I can last an entire day without a nap! I still have dizziness problems (some people claim I have always been "dizzy") that I will do some eye exercises for to hopefully clear up. My car is in the shop. The driver's window went down and wouldn't come back up. Meanwhile, they found a leak in the power steering pump and some other minor maintenance things that need attention. It had to spend the night in the shop last night, and again tonight. When they were putting the new pump in, the pump broke with the mechanics tool inside it (I have NO idea!), so the needed to order another pump and another tool. I forgot to ask them if I am going to be charged the extra labor charges for the broken one? I don't know. I am quite ignorant when it comes to stuff like that. I usually just quietly pay the bill and suck it up like a big girl.

I bought Waldo a beach ball at a garage sale and did he ever have fun with it. He soon learmed to get a grip on it by biting the plug, then shake the ball. Then he wondered why it didn't roll well any more. After a little time, there was more duct tape on the ball than blue space (it is a globe ball). But it was fun while it lasted. I'll have to find a light, big ball that is a little more durable for doggie teeth. It was worth the quarter!

Here are some pictures I got from Aunt Hilda that were taken at Mom's funral in March.

Clockwise from top left: me, Karla, Austin, & Nick

Norna, her husband Terry, and Jim (Sandy's husband).

Jim, Hilda, and Sandy

Norna, Hilda, and Sandy. Sandy and Norna are daughters of Aunt Tillie.

Brother Mike with the mustache

Tom & Lynda

In back on left: Dillon and Nick, Austin & Kayla,

in chairs: Travis, Karla, Kerry and Anna, Mark, Mark's girlfriend, Tammy holding Nikki, and Tammy's middle daughter.

Judy in light suit, Ronny with the glasses

I hope everything (pics & text) stays in place when I publish. Here goes.

Happy Birthday, Kyle! Today my oldest grandchild became a teenager. He is a great young man (I was going to say 'boy' but he has now grown beyond that. I am very proud of Kyle. He has an extremely kind heart. I know God has something very special for his future. I love you, Kyle, and will forever.

A Very Proud Grandma Pat.

Here are some pics of the grandkids this summer. I borrowed some of the pics from my son's and daughter's families

Lucas and Sidney riding the tube at Centerville Lake.

Sam & Anna sleeping.

Q and Kyle riding the tube.

Kyle and Val in the boat.

Q & Val on vacation July '07

Anna Mae on vacation July 2007

Tanner & Erica helping the artist finish the mural on the high school Tanner will be attending.