Monday, December 31, 2012

Can you believe a whole year has passed?  And what a year it’s been!

I remember reading a general email about a teacher giving a test question to a class asking them to list the 7 Natural  Wonders of the World and one little girl took much longer than most to answer.  Instead of the standard answers, her list consisted of:  ability to see, ability to hear, ability to touch, ability to talk,  etc.  They are natural wonders that we seem to take for granted every day. Smart little girl!

At the end of each year, most people make New Year’s resolutions – I don’t bother because I never keep them anyway.  I sit down and process the past year and am always thankful for everything that has happened.

I’m thankful that I was given the inner strength to overcome the 5 month long transfusion dependent episodes early in 2012;  that in itself gave me much more appreciation for life.

I am forever grateful for amazing, supportive friends and family, being able to live in a safe environment that just happens to be beautiful (in my estimation), able to see, touch, talk, love, hear, and have all the other ‘natural’ things most of us are allowed to do on a daily basis.

I am always in awe when I see a fully lit sky (last night) from a full moon, beautiful sunsets or sunrises – just imagine the people who have never seen one – or who are in the process of losing or have lost the ability to see anymore.

I am grateful and so thankful that I don’t have to live with SEVERE PAIN each day.  I hate pain……I’m grateful for the amazing medical profession available and I think I have the best!  I know I have the absolute BEST (and cutest) Nurse/Caregiver/Dietitian/Cook all rolled in one, taking care of me here at home and when I’m in hospital.

Our daughter-in-law Lee calls us Hockey Players.  She said ‘Combined, you two are like hockey players – you seem to be able to twist, turn, skate around, and get through anything that comes your way –  acting as if it’s no problem at all.’   Bob has always been a hockey player (an athlete as he calls it) and I’m sure Hayley Weichenheiser will get no competition from me but thanks for the compliment anyway!  And yes, we seem to be able to get throughk over and around obstacles as long as we can do it together.

I have to admit there’s one old Gal living in this house that really doesn’t give a darn about any of that – unfortunately, or maybe I should say fortunately her focus is pretty narrow and limited.  To-day is the second day of increased steroid intake so she will be out in full force for sure.  She’s BRUTAL!!  To stop her antics (now she’s doing the Gangnam Style dance – NOT PRETTY TO WATCH), we had to give her the other PC Cheesecake On A Stick.  I think I preferred the regular twisting, running in circles, doing flips, etc. to the Gangnam ‘thing’.  She’s still sniffing for that Christmas Cake in the fridge……..what a gal!

  

Well folks, hope you get a chance to sit down sometime today and go back over your year to count all your blessings, good and bad.  Just remember we all learn something from bad experiences which then gives us strength to enjoy the good experiences.  There are ALWAYS people with bigger and worse problems than we have – be grateful for what we have.  We are alive and able to enjoy this great big beautiful world.

Instead of saying  ‘Have a good day’, I’m going to say HAVE A GOOD 2013! 

We sure plan to!

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Over the past month or so, we have many goodies come into the house, especially a great variety of muffins; banana, carrot, bran, muffins that I call ‘pretty muffins’.  They are absolutely delicious, have some fiber in them, but the type Munching Myrtle likes.

Because I was looking for some heavy duty fiber and filled with protein recipe, a lovely friend Ruth from Mount Forest sent a bag of what I call Ford Tough Muffins – they were big, they were dark, they were dense, they were not sweet, they were not pretty, they were exactly what I needed…….they were FORD TOUGH!!  I loved them (old gal Myrtle did not!).

So when I told Ruth how I felt about them, she said she would make another batch this week-end.  Since she is probably the busiest woman I know, I suggested Bob would like to learn how to bake, so could she send me the recipe and we would try to make them on our own.  She agreed.

So not only did the recipe arrive via her husband, but ALL THE INGREDIENTS arrived with him!  I couldn’t believe this woman!  So Bob turned from Bob the Builder into Bob the Baker.  Apparently the recipe is huge so I suggested we (I’m using the word ‘we’ again) make the whole recipe, give half to Ruth and her husband and we keep the rest.  His response was ‘let’s see how it turns out first’.  Smart man!

It was obvious the recipe had been copied many times, comments written on the paper were ineligible but we went with the typed part.  I remember years ago trying to learn how to make tea biscuits from my mother-in-law and part of her recipe was ‘lard the size of an egg’.  I was pretty young then and I thought ‘the size of an egg?’ – extra small, small, medium, large, extra large…………what the heck is that?

Anyway, teamwork was on – me reading the recipe and Bob doing the work. His biggest hurtle was when the recipe called to make a ‘well’ in the dry ingredients before adding the wet ingredients.  He had no idea what the heck THAT was.  I just suggested he think of mashed potatoes before adding gravy to them.

Anyway, all carefully  mixed and into the oven they went.  When he pulled them out, they were delicious BUT THEY WERE PRETTY MUFFINS!!!!!!!  So obviously the little scratches written but ineligible on the recipe were the secret that turned them into FORD TOUGH muffins!  I do recall seeing ¾ cup scratched fairly close to the molasses, so maybe that was the secret.  We got quite a giggle when we set them side by side.  The colour was different by at least '50 shades of grey/brown'.

Anyway, a phone call today to pick her brains will probably repair the ‘problem’.  I think Ruth is a ‘lard the size of an egg’ type of baker and improvises as she goes.

I wasn’t sure how much longer the old gal  Munching Myrtle was going to hang on, mumbling, complaining, worrying, so tonight we gave her one of the PC Cheesecake On A Stick All Chocolate items.  Well, she was such a happy little camper that she was trying to get to the phone to personally call Galen Weston to thank him.  After all, he did fly to Newfoundland to distribute them to customers, (according to the commercial anyway) so thought he should take her call!  Well, we stopped her from doing that but she KNOWS there is another one sitting in the fridge, think it has something to do with butterscotch so she will just have to have a little patience and wait for that one.  She is definitely learning patience, or at least trying to (with a lot of complaining…….).

Changing the subject………..blame the steroids…………………

Going back to my teen years I remember having problems with my fingernails, trying to get them stronger than paper.  I could always bend them backwards, hated them because they looked so terrible, tried adding something to my orange juice every morning, tried lots of other methods to get them to look nice, etc.  So later in life, for over 30 years, I went every 3 weeks to get ‘fake’ nails.  I hated to take the time but my nails then usually looked normal – like the nails belonging to other people.  Well, 3 years ago I stopped doing that because they kept falling off……

NOW…………….probably because of all the constant protein being put in my body………….for the first time in 69 years, I HAVE NORMAL FINGERNAILS!  I know this sounds silly to men or to ladies with normal nails all their lives, but to me, it is like a miracle.  They are hard and beautiful!  Isn’t it amazing the things that make you happy……

So today, I’m thankful for FORD TOUGH muffins and REAL fingernails.  What more could I ask………………

Hope you have FORD TOUGH day – after all we are a FORD family……………………

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Just a follow-up to my part of the blog on December 27^th regarding our grandson Jackson’s request to Santa, asking him if he could ask a favour of God.  Later on Christmas Day, he was with wise and spiritual Grandma Matilda for their Christmas dinner.  Before dinner, Grandma said prayers, included me and asked for a special prayer of strength for Bob.  Ten year old Jackson got up, gave her a hug and said “my Grandma needs an easier path from God so when you talk to him, can you ask?”  Wise Matilda said “I will say a prayer for your grandma every day but God has the final say when he will wrap his arms of love around her”.  What a lovely answer – it pleased Jackson and it sure pleased me!  We’re sure she has a direct line to God.

I’ve always wondered about connections and why we are so drawn to certain people.

I was friends with a very special lady called Ethel for over 30 years.  She was a beautiful, spiritual lady who fought many health battles throughout her life, outlived her husband, three sons, most of her friends and lived into her 90s, always with a smile on her face.

When taking her for blood work, the odd time Jackson and his sister came with me.  For some reason, Jackson really bonded with Ethel – he was 7-8 years old when he first met her – kept looking at her with wheels turning in his head, probably wondering why he felt that way about her.  Note - Jackson was born early at 27 weeks and weighed 2 lbs. 6 ozs.  He is in our estimation, a Miracle Child.  Today, he is so healthy, plays hockey, soccer, basketball, and is a bruiser to be reckoned with!  Anyway, back to my story.

I told him that as soon as his Mother was rushed to McMaster in Hamilton and he was born, safely settled in the preemie unit, Ethel started praying for him and shared his name with her prayer group.  For a long while, Ethel said she prayed twice a day, especially for him to get strong and become part of this beautiful world.  Well, you should have seen the smile expand on HIS face – now he knew in his mind, why the special bonding was there.

At her funeral, he and his sister Lilly Mae placed hand drawn pictures in her coffin - wanted to make sure she knew they were thinking of her.  Interesting, don’t you think, that he chooses to bond with very beautiful, strong and spiritual people, especially at such a young age.

I’ve always had my ‘Inspirational’ ladies that I’ve looked up to.  From afar, I’ve admired elderly ladies from St. Clements, been fortunate to get inspiration from special Aunts, smart intelligent women friends that I enjoy having meaningful conversations with  and ‘settling the world’s problems’; also ladies like my little Ethel and Grandma Matilda and my Mom.  I love hearing their stories and their attitude on life.  It’s probably why they have lived so long!

Anyway, on to the little character who lives in this house (no, not Bob - he's a character but not little).  Munching Myrtle has been pretty good, eating what she’s been given. She’s still pouting though. I think we tricked her – last night she thought she was getting a treat when she got some rice pudding.  It tasted REAL good but I don’t think she realized the little cup had 3 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein.  She gets so darn excited when something new gets put in front of her that she doesn’t look at the label.  I guess the 5 grams of sugar seemed to satisfy her – we’re not worried about that right now, concentrating on the fiber and protein intake.  She still has her eye on the Christmas Cake in the fridge.  It’s a constant battle but we’re trying to compromise with her……………….

After an unusual day of weakness yesterday but a lot of sleep, naps and more sleeps, I woke up this morning with a heavy chest and sore throat – go figure!  I hope I’m not getting another chest infection OR the flu that seems to be going around. 

Anyway, we will see what the day will bring – hopefully a positive one!

Have a good one.

Friday, December 28, 2012

When my Mom reached her later years, high 80s then into the 90s, I would suggest renting a wheelchair to make it easier for us to take her to doctor’s appointments, outings, her comment made was “I don’t want people see me sitting in something like that!”  She seemed to have a different mind-set from mine. 

I believe you do what you have to do to get by – making it easier for everyone, including yourself and the support people around you. 

So we use 2-way radios, have other set-ups arranged around the house but yesterday the BIG DADDY arrived!  Bob brought a portable chair pad from a medical supply company in Durham.  What a beautiful contraption.  It’s a cushion/seat that you can put anywhere.  Instead of having to purchase a total chair that helps to lift someone from a seated to a standing position (which are VERY expensive and sometimes big and ugly), this is portable and fits a chair of any size.

We originally thought we would transfer it from office chair to my lovely lazy-z-boy that I use a lot, situated in the office but decided it was a bit too heavy for me to move so we are leaving it on my comfortable chair.

So….if and when I move to my chair in the middle of the night, I can lift myself up to a standing position and don’t have to get Bob out of deep sleep to help me – problem solved.  We have named it Robbie Rocket!  For another ‘aid’, did I mention Depends come in colour?  Mine are peach…………….I don’t wear them when I figure skate (like in the commercials) but they work and that’s all that matters.

MM (Munching Myrtle) is sticking her head out the pantry door (it’s 6:30 am), guess we woke her up.   She’s yawning, probably thinking of the fruit basket that arrived the other day – did NOT like that!  We will feed her a nice carrot muffin filled with fiber for part of her breakfast but she KNOWS there is an awesome Christmas Cake sitting in the fridge and SHE WANTS A BIG PIECE OF THAT!!!!!    She knows it’s covered in Brandy but we will wait until later in the day to give her a piece because we don’t want a DRUNK Munching Myrtle running around.  We have enough trouble controlling her now, just can’t imagine trying it when she’s under the influence.  YIKES!!

I am sitting in the Living Room writing this on my laptop and my sweetheart is sitting in his favourite chair watching his favourite sport – hockey, the World Junior Hockey Championship and is happy like crazy that Canada just won their game.

Life is good – we look forward to having a good day.  Hope you do too.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

LISTS, LISTS, LISTS and MORE LISTS!

All my life I’ve made lists………………for everything, probably driving people around me crazy.  I made so many lists that sometimes I made duplicates, and then couldn’t find any of them!  I guess it gave me satisfaction to be able to stroke things off when I accomplished them.

Of course that all turned into ‘charting’; this certainly has helped me in the medical area, being able to compare readings and results from year to year but now I think I've gone a little overboard.

So at this point and time I have charts/lists for the following:

·         Protein intake required and schedule for the day

·         Protein intake eaten for each day

·         Fiber intake required and schedule for each day

·         Fiber intake eaten for each day

·         Blood pressure readings

·         Heart/pulse readings

·         Weight readings

·         Hours of sleep in a 24 hour period

·         Time, Number of steps taken (with a pedometer) on my little walk-arounds

·         List of medications

·         Schedule of medications – times taken

Anyway, I’ve decided to cut down to 2 LISTS:

·         List of medications with times to be taken

And

·         COMMON SENSE (not to be put on paper)

That always seems to work for me anyway.

The old gal Munching Myrtle is sticking her head of the pantry, pouting, wondering why SHE doesn’t have a chart.  She has been upset lately.  For part of our Christmas Dinner a wonderful home-made Cherry Cheesecake was served – so delicious.  Well, the last part of it went out the front door and to put it mildly, she had a conniption!  I tried to tell her she already had a part of it and to be satisfied but she is a little greedy in that area as you know.  She’s still upset that she has to share everything with Bob now. 

A few of my siblings have received lovely Christmas presents, becoming new great grandparents and/or adding to their numbers.  All are healthy – babies and Mothers (Fathers survived too……).  They are all blessed for sure.  Apparently so far, there are 4 new gifts arriving in 2013.     

I just hope these beautiful children will have a heart as big as our 10 year old Grandson who wrote a letter to Santa and instead of requesting a long list of gifts, asked if Santa could please talk to God and see if he could do something to prevent his Grandma from dying…………………………………………

Do you think my heart is bursting with love and pride………….what a lovely gift to receive.

I’m FOR SURE going to have a good day.

Wednesday December 26, 2012

Trust everyone had a wonderful Christmas Day.  We sure did.

Ours was a combination of partly noisy, and quiet contentment – wonderful.  Bob and I don’t exchange Christmas, birthday or anniversary gifts.  We have what is meaningful and important to us.  One of the many highlights of the past few days was getting my fingernails painted by an 8 year old and toenails painted by my sweetheart;  maybe silly for others, but so precious to me.

The old gal Munching Myrtle is back in the pantry, not because we put her there – she went by herself and is POUTING!  Can you believe it – POUTING!  My snack plate of choice tonight is a combination of cucumber, sliced pear, hard boiled egg and some grapes along with a bottle of Boost.  When she saw that,  she was soooooo ticked and disappointed with me, so off she went, head down, settling for the rest of the night (right now it’s 4 am as I’m writing this).  What she doesn’t realize is, in a couple of hours, she’s probably going to get a healthy muffin – we’ll let her stew for a bit, won’t hurt her at all.

This is totally off topic but people seem to enjoy this silly true story of my life………..funny now, but not so funny at the time. 

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I have a paralyzing fear of snakes.  Unfortunately it’s prevented me from fully enjoying holidays, hikes and walking through the fields and bush here at the farm.  The night before we left for Australia, my sister called and reminded me that Australia has the most dangerous snakes in the world – that prompted me to avoid the rain forest and had me walking around for 4 weeks with my collar up, looking more at the ground than around me! (we did enjoy our holiday – just made me more aware of the possible dangers.)

Many people, especially women, will comment that they’ve never seen a snake in their life except perhaps at a zoo or in a glass case displayed somewhere.  So I decided to go back through my life and count the times I remember being ‘stalked’ by a snake, starting with the first one I saw on the sidewalk going to the outhouse, which was part of the woodshed attached to the house.  I was very young and of course, IT WAS BIG.  In reality, apparently it was almost dead and not so big. So I did the girlie thing, screamed, stood there and cried.

So, in total I counted 37 times THAT I REMEMBER places and types of snakes that stalked me in different areas – I told you they find me!

Anyway, back to my story.  Three years ago, we had just bought a house in Arizona and decided to go to one of the beautiful pools for a little R and R after a lot of shopping, redecorating, etc.  No was sitting close to me, had beach bag with towel by the side of my chair, reading and enjoying myself.  Bob was playing water volleyball nearby – it was a beautiful sunny day as usual in Arizona. After about an hour, I put down my book, sat up to watch the volleyball game and THERE IT WAS…………………………………….A SNAKE, positioned at a 90 degree angle, the end of it about 18 inches from my chair so I KNOW it had gone under MY chair and was heading toward the other end of the pool area.

Other than my fear of snakes, another thing people know about me is that I don’t scream, usually don’t panic until after an incident BUT when I do scream, it’s for a very specific reason.  So when Bob heard the scream realizing it was coming out of my mouth, he JUST KNEW I was going through another ‘experience’.

So once again I did the girlie thing and ran like h*ll over to the side of the pool and stood there like a statue and watched the men look at this thing, deciding what to do with it.  They looked at the diamonds on its back and realized it was not a Diamondback Rattler but a Bull Snake with light diamonds on its back which apparently was harmless.  What did it matter to me – a snake is a snake is a snake is a snake.  A man standing 6’ 2” picked it up behind the head, held his arm out and up and the snake almost hit the ground…………………..so that was the length of it.

But  the story continues.  I watched as he walked to the end of the pool and LET IT GO!  I was still standing there paralyzed and a very nice man came up behind me, tapped me on the shoulder and said ‘Are you alright’?  Wellllllllllllll, I jumped, screamed some more and scared the poor thing right out of his mind. Sitting here thinking about it now, I hve to laugh out loud remembering my reaction to his kind gesture.

I made myself go back over to the pool the next day with Bob as my Snake Protector.  I knew if I didn’t do that quickly, I would never be able to go back to the beautiful area again.  We spent a fair bit of time in the water and when out by the chairs, he was encouraged not to sleep but be a true outlook for me until I was able to relax.  I was also able to find that particular man and apologize.

Here again, residents of MountainBrook who have lived there for years, commented they have NEVER seen a snake in the pool area in all the years they have lived there.  Looking back at the situation, I can say it could have been worse.  It could have crawled into my beach bag, settled in and when I reached in to get my towel……………………………you can imagine what that would have done to me if I had TOUCHED IT!  I might not be here to tell this story – heart attack happening. 

Fortunately we were at the end of our time there so were able to process another one of my ‘experiences’ on our wonderful trip home through the States and Canada.  We always have so much fun driving leisurely, singing along to old country songs on Sirius Radio, exploring to stop and enjoy different areas.  Unfortunately we have not been able to go back, because of health reasons, to enjoy our beautiful home (and pool area).

Lesson to be learned here – EXPERIENCE, ENJOY AND LIVE LIFE……………………NOW – YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT TOMORROW BRINGS!

To-day I’ve had a slow gradual increase of energy, was able to raise myself from a seated position a few times by myself (using my pregnant lady poses) so hopefully things are moving in a positive way. 

Munching Myrtle is sticking her nose out of the pantry, waiting, waiting, waiting.  We will give her a few more hours then feed her breakfast.  Don't worry - she will get her muffin soon.

Have an awesome day!  I intend to have one as well.

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Bob, Dianne and Munching Myrtle wishes everyone a


MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Monday, December 24, 2012

Good morning!

White Christmas?  Maybe, think not………………but as long as we are content, with loved ones and loved – that’s all that matters.

I want to share a story told to me by our daughter-in-law Sally about the Mennonite based Gingrich part of her family.  At least twice a year they host family gatherings, once at an outdoor facility in the summer and once around Christmas.  Being very community minded, family oriented, inspirational and religious,  you can imagine how they are arranged (and the variety and quality of food they bring). 

From what I can recall (it is 4 am), after food is  served at lunch time, they have tables set up where they play board games, rotating the children from table to table to learn and interact with the ‘elders’,  as well as other activities, i.e. learn how to quilt/tie quilts, etc. etc. etc.    Apparently this group  have assembled and tied 30 comforters/quilts since the last get-together to send to Somalia.  

The end and highlight of the day was when the 92 year old Matriarch of the group stood up and gave a talk, straight from her heart.   She asked the men in the group to write a letter to their wives, expressing their appreciation for their contribution to the marriage, as a mother, wife and telling them all the positive and wonderful attributes they see in them.   Some people have difficulty saying how they feel but are able to write it down.

She then asked the women to do the same.

 The reason for this request was because 31 years ago her husband wrote her a letter expressing his sentiments.  He was 63 at the time – a hard working Mennonite farmer – imagine…………..just imagine what that letter meant to her.   I know there were many children raised in the family (remember, its 4 am and I can’t recall all the details), living on a farm where there is ALWAYS work to do, and running a quilting business on her own, piecing tops for quilts and sourcing work out to 30 women to quilt and finish them – again, can you imagine what that letter meant to her. 

For obvious reasons, she asked someone to read it to the group for her. I can't see a dry eye in the room.

She is quite an incredible woman, still very active, living in a retirement facility and still quilts!  She has raised an amazing family and is such an inspiration to everyone around her.  I was thinking next year I would sneak in as Sally’s adopted sister and feel the love that must be in that room…….thanks for that heartwarming beautiful story Sally. 

We did have a problem here at the house today.  The old gal Munching Myrtle suffered an overdose!  Yes, an overdose!  After the successful day yesterday of reaching my goals of fiber and protein grams, and the reward of ice cream and goodies, she pigged out again in the afternoon after a new batch of goodies arrived.  Oh my goodness……………so good……………..had to try each and everyone. 

With full stomach, glazed eyes, unable to move, we reapplied the duct tape and shoved her back in the closet.  The next time she’s allowed anything will be a healthy muffin along with breakfast of plain Greek Style Yogurt, variety of fruit, whey protein, Stevia mixed up in a Smoothie for breakfast.

After rest, she felt a little better – that was a close one!

Watch for Santa tonight.  Come to think of it - he might be related to the Old Gal Myrtle - look at his tummy..............................he's been in the sweets too!

Have a great day – I intend to do so.

Sunday, December 23, 2012

I spent most of the past 24 hours eating and sleeping, living in this calm, serene and quiet atmosphere – had many, many naps and I think it has to be helping.  Apparently lots of healing is done that way.  Wonderful day.

Over the years I’ve been receiving emails from a company called Simple Truths.  They have many gift books, motivational posters, etc. etc.  The odd time I would order a little hard cover book to give to people who lost loved ones, who needed inspiration or who I thought would appreciate a thoughtful gift.  Most of the time they were on sale for $10.00 – nice to keep on hand and use them for beautiful little hostess gifts too.   

Years ago, Dr. Phil, on one of his shows, said:  Before getting out of bed each day, you should be thankful to be alive and make a decision to give 110% to your spouse that day and you will have a successful marriage/relationship.  I’ve always liked that theory but here is another theory. 

It is offered from Simple Truths and is written in a book called The 100/0 Principle written by Al Ritter.

I trust I'm not plaguarizing by sharing this info.

In essence, you take full responsibility (the 100%) for the relationship, expecting nothing (the 0) in return. Implementing The 100/0 Principle is not natural for most of us. It takes real commitment to the relationship and a good dose of self-discipline to think, act and give 100 percent. The 100/0 Principle applies to those people in your life where the relationships are too important to react automatically or judgmentally. STEP 1 -  Demonstrate respect and kindness to the other person, whether he/she deserves it or not. STEP 2 - Do not expect anything in return. Zero, zip, nada. STEP 3 - Do not allow anything the other person says or does (no matter how annoying!) to affect you. In other words, don't take the bait. STEP 4 - Be persistent with your graciousness and kindness. Remember to expect nothing in return. Avoid Knower statements/thoughts like "that won't work," "I'm right, you are wrong," "I know it and you don't," "I'll teach you," "that's just the way it is," "I need to tell you what I know," etc. Instead use Learner statements/thoughts like "Let me find out what is going on and try to understand the situation," "I could be wrong," "I wonder if there is anything of value here," "I wonder if..." etc. In other words, as a Learner, be curious! Principle Paradox When you take authentic responsibility for a relationship, more often than not the other person quickly chooses to take responsibility as well. Consequently, the 100/0 relationship quickly transforms into something approaching 100/100. Interesting..............

The structured meal plan for the day sure helped.  I was able to reach my goal of protein content and my goal of fiber content and felt pretty good about myself – not one bit of junk food, so last night decided to unleash the old gal.   Munching Myrtle had been tied up in the closet all day with a very large band of duct tape across her mouth.  She’s had the odd teaspoon sample of ice cream over the past 6 months and hasn’t had much more than that in years.  So we decided to give her an entire dish of Chapman’s Cherry Jack Yogurt and added chocolate sauce on top!  Well, you should have seen her go……………………….she was twirling, doing the jig and dancing around like she  was possessed!  The sounds coming out of her while enjoying this treat were disgusting.  She was just about to lick the dish when we took it away from her and gave her a piece of peppermint bark instead.  She was in heaven………………

As you can imagine, my weight is down quite a bit from my natural set point but just wanted to make a comment about that.   The clothes in my closet range from Size 8 to Size 16  and a One Size Fits All because that’s how much I can fluctuate during these periods of health problems.  My heart cringes when I’m at a low period before, during or after treatment and someone says “oh my,  I wish I could be that thin” or “Oh that Dianne, she is soooooo lucky….she can lose weight so easily!”, especially knowing that I am going through a bump in the road of life.    I think you can imagine how remarks like that can hurt.  So folks, please put your brain in gear before opening your mouths.  Trust me; you don’t want to lose weight this way.  Ok, so that’s my rant for the day.

I'm sure everyone is busy with last minute preparations, last minute gifts and preparing for a nice time  with friends and family.  It's a great time of the year - enjoy.  From all reports, Santa is loading up and ready to fly! 

Have a great day - I intend to.

PS  I must have changed my settings because I can't seem to reply to any 'comments' - sorry.

Saturday, December 22, 2012

As I’m writing this, it looks as if we have avoided the big bad snow storm predicted  for this area but the fields are covered with a light covering of snow – looks absolutely beautiful here.  There’s something to be said for winter scenery (and looking at it through a window from a nice warm house).  We sure are lucky to be living in such a wonderful country.

Of course I’m wearing anything comfortable that is available -  just want to describe what it is I am wearing now.  Sounds like a porn commercial on TV (lol).   I have red/white socks with skids on the bottom (issued by the hospital) to avoid slippage,  red long underwear to keep my legs warm, a yellow nightgown and a pink housecoat.  This is one of the better color combinations.  I don’t think I will win the Fashion Statement Of The Year Award!   What a sight……..but Bob doesn’t care – he loves me anyway.  Actually he’s the one who chooses these clothes for me (with a big smile on his face as he presents them to me).

Thinking of Bob and love, I would like to share a little story with you.  A few winters ago during chemo treatment, he bought an old used snowmobile and took it out for a ride to make sure it was running properly.  When returning, he walked me to the kitchen window and there were two huge intertwined hearts carved in the snow, done with the snowmobile.  What a romantic – I sure am so blessed and thankful to have him in my life!

The little monster Munching Myrtle was at it again tonight.  She found a bag of Dark Chocolate Acei Blueberries in the pantry – thought we didn’t see her but caught her in the act.  She didn’t even look embarrassed and enjoyed every single nugget.  We need to have a serious talk because I was nowhere near my desired intake protein or fibre level yesterday.  So the major list maker (me) will have to get busy and devise a plan.  Just have to remember – healthy snacks and small meals every two hours and remind myself to keep it to 5-6 a day, not throughout 24 hours.  I’m going to try and lock that little witch in the closet while preparing the list – maybe a muzzle will work because I’m sure she will be yelling and crying.

The problem is my list of meds keep changing every few days and some meds are taken with food, some without, some only allow dairy products two hours before, or two hours after, etc. etc. so it’s quite a big deal to get this food menu  prepared.  But we do it!

I saw this on Facebook, posted yesterday.  I hope Norma doesn’t mind that I stole it from her.  I especially like the part about why we don’t ever see the headline ‘Psychic Wins Lottery’ – I’ve often wondered how they seem to know so much about everyone else but can’t seem to do much for themselves………..

So the world is supposed to be ending today huh? That's bad. I never have found out who let the dogs out, the way to get to Sesame Street, why Dora doesn't just use Google maps, why we don't ever see the headline "Psychic Wins Lottery", why women can't put on mascara with their mouth closed, why "abbreviated" is such a long word, why lemon juice is made with artificial flavor yet dishwashing liquid is made with real lemons, why they sterilize the needle for lethal injections, why do you have to "put your two cents in" but it's only a "penny for your thoughts"? Where's that extra penny going to? Why did Joanie love Chachi? If a deaf person has to go to court is it still called a hearing? Can a hearse carrying a corpse drive in the carpool lane? Does the alphabet song and twinkle twinkle little star have the same tune? Why did you just try to sing those two previous songs? And just what is Victoria's secret? You see, the world just has to keep going. I have too many questions......and do you really think I am this witty ????, because I actually stole this from a friend, who stole from a friend , who stole from a friend , who stole from for a friend , who stole from a friend ....I don’t know who wrote this.

Hearing the weather predictions for the coming days, I worry about all the people travelling this week-end.  Please keep safe – we need you!

The wind is blowing so fast, furious and loud around the house, I'm sure it sounds worse than it is.  When I look outside to check the conditions, it's so dark - like the inside of a horse.  After all, it's 3:00 am.

Just remember:

               

                Never deprive someone of hope – it might be all they have - Author Unknown

Have a great day and be safe!

Friday, December 21, 2012

Friday, December 21, 2012

Good morning.

Well, the ‘big’ storm hasn’t arrived in this part of the world…………….yet.  The fields are still pretty much all green.  It’s always so pretty here when the fields are snow covered.  Actually it’s pretty here at any time.  We love the views.

Yesterday afternoon we spent planning and cooking healthy recipes, one tried and true and 3 new ones.  The tried and true, Jane’s Asparagus Quinoa Salad is always a hit. It lasts up to a week and seems to get better each day, but of course it never lasts that long. 

We made a Spiced Chickpea Snack Mix which was okay but sounded and looked better on the printed paper.It was just so-so.

We then made Tomato Capers Olive Roasted Chicken and Balsamic Glazed Squash for supper to eat along with the Quinoa Salad.  They were both very good, full of protein.   We usually make extra chicken (or lean meat, or whatever we are having etc. to use in salads, soups, etc.)  By the end of the day, I was able to accomplish my targeted level required for me.    

I like the way I say “we” – I sit at the counter relaxed, read the recipes, do a little chopping and Bob does all the running, mixing and cooking! (lol)    Bit of a turnaround these days.

That’s usually how we approach other projects anyway.  I have the ideas, get his input, we discuss the best and most efficient way to do it and he does the physical work!  I think he shutters and gets tense when I start a sentence with “I’ve been thinking………”.

Anyway, after the preparation was done, the three of us (including Munching Myrtle) rewarded ourselves with a variety of goodies.  OH MY GRACIOUS – she was acting rather nuts again, doing back flips and running around in circles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  She’s started doing the Happy Dance and hadn’t even won the lottery.  She had trouble deciding which one to try first – can’t believe the quality of baking sitting on the counter – there were not two items the same and EVERYTHING we tried was absolutely delicious.  We are surrounded by amazing bakers.  I haven’t looked at the stash in the pantry yet – I know SHE’S been in there being nosey, checking things out, but I’m waiting for a day or two.

A little Christmas trivia:

Most people associate mistletoe with kissing, as its customary for anyone caught standing under a sprig of this plant (often strategically placed in a doorway) to receive a kiss.

Mistletoe was not allowed in Christian places of worship for many years because of its widespread acceptance in pagan ceremonies.

So where did kissing under the mistletoe begin? One legend attributes this practice to the English who, after every kiss, plucked a berry from the bunch and discarded it. When the berries were gone, tradition called for the kissing to stop. Needless to say, plentiful bunches were eagerly sought for the holidays.

Most American mistletoe is commercially harvested in Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. Vermont conditions are too cold for this plant although it grows in the wild in the southern states and as far north as West Virginia.

Before getting carried away with this symbol of love, be aware that this plant has been used medicinally for many centuries, and still is. It has been used as a general cure for most ailments, particularly for epilepsy. In Europe, preparations from it are used for treating cancer while in the U.S. this use has not been approved. Current research suggests this plant even might have a use for treating AIDS.

So if you’re going to be hanging mistletoe, I’m sure it will be done by now.

I’m off to start another day and it will be a positive one.

Hope you have one too!

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Good morning.

Grand River was desperate for beds today so gave me an ultimatum – transfer to Louise Marshall Hospital in Mount Forest, go home or settle in a ward for one night. Grand-daughter Skylar, who works on that floor, was able to keep me in a private room for this length of time and I thank her for that.  When a patient is transferred from another hospital, they have to be kept in isolation for a few days, but she was unable to prolong it for me.  That’s okay – there were scheduled emergencies coming in.

 Dr. Kilmurray thought I was stable enough that I could monitor myself but would respect whatever decision I made.  So guess what my decision was!  He met with us around 7 pm, gave me prescriptions, instructions on what to do if I ran into problems and off we went to go home. 

For as busy as he is with surgeries, office appointments and rounds at the Hospital, he NEVER gives me the impression that he is in too much of a hurry to answer questions and I do ask a lot of questions.   I respect him a lot.

We walked in the door, to the kitchen AND MYRTLE WENT NUTS!!!!!!!  Tins of goodies, candy, cookies, muffins, chocolate bars, you name it………………..sitting on the counter – from friends, relatives and even our neighbour Mennonite lady.  I think she’s going to have to fight Bob for some or most of it.  Today, we are going to work on healthier snacks but sneak a few of the ‘goodies’ in too, just to satisfy her. 

Unfortunately, because I was released early, I am missing my appointment with the Dietitian planned for 9 am, but I’m sure I will be able to figure it out.  We’ve had some dialogue already – a normal daily protein level requirement for women is in the 45-50 gram range, I calculated  mine should be in the 90 gram right now but she thought it should be even  higher while I’m trying to get healthy.  Needless information for everyone, especially Myrtle – SHE DOESN’T EVEN WANT TO HEAR ABOUT IT…………….because she doesn’t care…………..but my body and I do.

Bob was at the Bell store yesterday, traded in our Bell Mobile stick and got a Hub.  I was amazed that we were able to hook it up (with phone help from nephew Gary and wife Kelly).  I was so impressed.  After  5 minutes of working, it disappeared BUT was able to figure out that it was just a teaser and that I had to enter a password for it to continue.  Then when I removed the cord from the Hub to the laptop, it disappeared again so hooked it up and a big yellow cord is extended and will be for awhile until we figure that out.  So for now it’s not a true WiFi but it works - you do what you have to do to get things done! That's always been my belief (and if you can't get through the front door, you try the side or back door before giving up.) 

I’m pretty weak so have to watch where I sit myself, especially during the night, because once I’m down I’m here for awhile.  Bob came up with a great idea – 2-way radios!  The problem is they are 4 years old, now fully charged but we lost the instructions and now have to figure out how to use them!  We will look for them later today.  With them working, he will be able to travel to the shed and away from the house – apparently they have a 4 mile radius of coverage.

So our plan for today is to catch up, settle in, be calm, work on the menu and keep that little stinker Myrtle under control – that might be the toughest challenge……………

Have a GREAT day!

Temporary Stoppage

I'm been asked to leave - they need the bed/room so my choice is home or MF Hospital.  Guess which one I'm choosing.

I'm not sure I'm ready but going for it anyway.  Have a meeting with Dr. Kilmurry at 5 pm, then out of here.

We have a new hub with Bell so will plug that in when we get home to see if it works.  Since we're technically challenged and Myrtle is of NO HELP,  we might not have a blog tomorrow morning.  We'll see.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

FROM A FROWN TO A SMILE

We (Munching Myrtle) and I started our day with a big frown;  Myrtle, because she was waiting with anticipation for solid food and I was full of frustration, frustration and more frustration.  Well, we were still on liquids and she was getting angry.

So, I decided to have another talk with God and for some reason decided that yesterday was the day I wanted a ‘sign’ from him to see how things are going to go for me.  I never offer ultimatums to anyone, especially to God – I know they don’t work.   

Well, during the day all I seemed to get was negative feedback so thought maybe THAT was the sign.  Then, I received a card in the mail, opened it up and  the most wonderful photo of my inspiration GERRY STEMMLER fell out, looking back at me with the biggest smile on his face.  I then realized THAT WAS THE SIGN I was looking for!!!!!  So Gerry is smash dab sitting on the Communication Board looking right at me.  Thank you sister-in-law Mary for arranging and sending it to me – you saved the day!

Around 5 pm, my Doctor came in and said I could try solid food.  Thirty seconds after he left the door to my room, nurse Jeremy walked in with a hot tray – he had been standing outside the door, waiting and hoping the order would come through.  Can you believe it?   Now, that’s what I call a nurse who goes above and beyond their calling!

You should have seen Myrtle  - she almost went crazy!  She was dancing around here like a silly fool.  Me too!  I slowly ate ½ of my mashed potatoes, ½ of squash and a bit of roast turkey.  I waited 2 hours and again, slowly ate the rest.  I did make her wait for the little lemon-blueberry empty calorie dessert, and she was a happy little camper when it was all over.  That will be the last of the empty calorie anything as we are on to protein filled snacks from now on for sure.  So now we wait and see……………………..

I have to talk about my little rant for the day. 

I just read about a ‘Random Act of Kindness Day’  being celebrated.  I know Waterloo has one each year and encourages people to do extra nice things for other people and offers suggestions on how and what to do.  In the past, I would notice when I took my little senior Ethel out for lunch or appointments, the number of people who would walk in front of us, allowing the door to slam shut ahead of her while struggling with a walker!  Many times I wondered if the same men would do so if little Ethel was 30, tall, thin, blond with big 36 DD ‘you know whats’…………

An interesting observation was that the men who would hold the door for us were usually  YOUNG, in their teens or early 20’s.  I ALWAYS made a point to thank them and their mothers for raising such wonderful men with manners.  I think we should all do these things on a daily basis, not for a special day of the year.  Again, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

 A little quote from friends Ken and Pat in Florida:

“Keep your friends near to your hearts and your family even closer.” 

I agree.

Have a great day!