Family, friends, Dorothy Dog and more sad news........

I have run across some more old pictures and wanted to share. This is the first professional picture taken of  Douglas when he was about

 6 weeks old. I love the smile on his cute little face. He was such a happy little boy. Mama would pull it out at work and show it to her coworkers and who would come over to her station from time to time and ask to see it again.

I love this one of Kelly and some of her friends. The little boy is Patsy's son who is 2 years older than Kelly. He was her very first friend and they played very well together. She was about 5 years old in this picture.  The little dark headed girl is Sandy, Judy's daughter.

I love this picture of Alice in her cat-eye sunglasses. She used to wear regular glasses that looked like this too. She is the only one of us that had to have glasses other than for reading as we got older. She had to have them while she was still in school.

I love these pictures of Dwayne and his wife Joy and of my cousin Evelyn (Dwayne's sister), me and Dwayne at one of our family reunions.  It still doesn't seem real that both he and Joy died within 9 months of each other this year.  Evelyn has been so sad for a long time now.

Their mother is the last of Mama's generation in her family. She was my mother's sister-in-law but Mama loved her just like her real sisters. I can only imagine how sad her heart has been this year also. She has suffered from rheumatoid arthritis for years but keeps on plugging along.

We lost another old friend this week - Joyce Godwin. We have the same spiritual Mom and she and my sister Alice have remained very close through the years. This is Alice's daughter, Monica with her son Artie. I know he is so sad to lose his Mom - she has taken care of him for years because of his poor health. Sidney will perform the graveside service for her funeral on Saturday.

I rode with Dwight out to Monica's house yesterday. They live out in the country and Dwight had a part for the lift he had gotten for her hubby Tom he had to take out to him. I enjoyed seeing them but especially dear Dorothy Dog. As soon as I sat down, she got up beside me with her head in my lap. The first time Monica brought her over here many years ago, I was sitting on the daybed talking to Alice, Joyce (the friend who died) Butch and Monica. Dorothy Dog jumped up beside me with her head in my lap and we have loved each other since. Monica swears she knows who I am even though we don't see each other often.

This is their other dog Penelope. She was a rescue and had evidently been terribly mistreated. She will bite anyone but Monica so she has to be on a leash when out in public.

Sid Jr. brought Tom over today to pick up my car that has a problem with the passenger side window. He got that black eye yesterday when he walked into the lift. Bless his heart. Sid Jr. held his fist up to make it look like it was from a fight.

I found a picture of Charles with his lovely bride Virginia. I still can't believe he died so soon after Ennis. The last I talked with him he said Virginia is still pioneering but that was awhile ago as I mentioned before.

On a happier note, I snatched this picture of my distant cousin, his wife Kim who is Gail's daughter and their little girl from Facebook. It is a good picture of all three of them.

The top picture is Miya in Zandra's suitcase when she came up to stay with me this past weekend. The other picture was taken in 1986 or 1987 I believe. Her daughter is 3 months older than Kelly. We always laugh because the kids have not spent much time together but every time they have been together, it is like they have been friends for years.

I was supposed to have acupuncture this afternoon but I cancelled. It was wet, cold and I haven't felt well at all. This is the building where I have acupuncture. I hope Janet wasn't upset that I cancelled so late but  just realized I don't have any appointments for the next few weeks and I'm very happy about that..

I'll close this entry with a picture of Paisley. What a beautiful little girl. I don't know if I will have wireless next week. I left a voice message with the representative to ask if they provide it and haven't heard back.  I'll sign off for now - it is quite late/early and hopefully I'll sleep through the night.

Wordy Tuesday....

This will make up for last week's wordless Wednesday. I'll try to keep the words few as there are many pictures to share what has been going on lately.....

New necklace and earrings I purchased from the little gift shop where I receive acupuncture.  I looked at it several times and finally just decided to buy it. I love it. It is very light-weight.

Snatched this picture from Facebook. Alice, Sid Jr, Sidney and Monica many years ago. Love it.

Alice and Kelly the last time Kelly was here. My kids love Alice and Sidney very much - have been close to them their entire lives. Ennis's graveside service was held last Friday.  Here we are waiting for Ennis's coffin to arrive.  It was a lovely graveside service. The talk was excellent - very positive and given with love. I was glad some of us got to sit down - before then, I was having to hold onto the post of the tent.

Six of Ennis's handsome grandsons were the pallbearers. Boy is Ennis's youngest grandson and he was so proud to be one of them. She would have been proud to have them carry her this one last time to rest beside their grandfather. They will both be missed deeply by so many.

It turned out, Ennis and I.T. were buried very close to Dwight's Mom, Dad, Brother, Aunt and Uncles. I took pictures for us to look at later.

Page and Boy were inseparable as always. I was so glad Douglas, Jessie and Page were able to get away from work and come down to be with the family this past weekend. I got to see Ennis several times this past year but due to my illness, we didn't talk as much as we normally did.  I told Zandra I felt like I was robbed of my last year with Ennis because of my cancer and she said she could see why. I am so glad I had Zandra here to take me out to the farm for the visitation.  We sat in the house for the most part so I didn't get to see everyone but was happy to be there and see the ones I did.  We have lost many of our loved ones these past few weeks/months. Judy's husband Mark got a call on Saturday letting him know his Dad had died suddenly .  I don't have a picture scanned of Charles yet. I now feel like I've been robbed of my last year with him also. Not many people knew how much we stayed in touch off and on via email all these years but again, due to my illness, we haven't really talked much this past year. Judy's children lost their grandmother and their grandfather within a week of each other. Makes me so sad to think about it. Today I found out we lost another dear older friend who used to babysit for Kelly when I was working at McPherson's Hospital and pregnant with Douglas. I didn't see her too much except at conventions and assemblies but she and Alice were very close and talked all the time. Alice and Sidney are both going to miss her very much.

Page loves the recorded book Boy made for her. It is so cute and his little voice sounds so sweet as he tells her about the book. I know she will treasure it forever.

Page decided to walk the yard with me on Sunday so I had her stand under a tree her Daddy used to stand under for me to take her picture like I did his. The picture didn't turn out well at all. We turned around and there was Alton from across the ditch (he calls it the crick). I had to make him come inside to speak to the kids (he has been fighting a cold but no one touched him). They were happy to see him and get caught up a bit. (I didn't know Page had gotten this picture until I found it on my phone.)

I fell in love with Kelly's Kindle Fire Cover this past summer at the beach and asked her how to get one like it. It turned out she bought it from a local festival down where Bentley lives. She found the woman's name on Esty but I couldn't find one like Kelly's. I emailed her and she asked me to have Kelly email her a picture of the one she bought. She then ordered the fabric and proceeded to make me one just like I wanted and didn't charge anything extra for it. I love every piece of fabric on and inside of it. I will be keeping my eye on her pages from now on to see what other cool things she creates. We are all starting to get excited about our upcoming beach trip. I can't believe how close it is now. So much to do - so little energy. Met my new Lymphoma Oncologist today. She is young but seems to be on top of things. We arrived for blood work at 1:30 and didn't get away from there until 5pm.  Getting the good news that I'm not going to have to start treatment anytime soon was worth the wait. I will have to have another PET scan in about 6 months. Since it has grown, she wants to make sure it hasn't jump-started into a faster growing lymphoma. That works for me. She also talked to me about my tongue and fused palate.

I also asked her about the two new little knots on my neck and she wasn't concerned about them at all. While I  had Jessie here this weekend, I got her to help me order some dresses, tops, denim shirt, bikini underwear and bras for Page. I hope it all fits her.  Jessie has called several times with questions about the beach - she is getting excited. Then I talked to Kelly who is in Rochester working this week.  She said it isn't too cold but is supposed to get a little colder.  They aren't calling for snow but she doesn't worry about it because they are so much better prepared up there for snow than we are here in the South.  Jessie was telling me that Page is getting excited about sleeping in a bunk bed but Jessie is just hoping she doesn't fall out of the top bunk because she sleeps all over the place. :) Enough words for now.........

wordless wednesday........

So many emotions........

How is it possible to experience such deep sorrow followed soon after by a happy feeling about something else? It is hard to explain our reactions to life's events at times. I do think it is true that what doesn't kill/destroy us can make us stronger. The being stronger of course comes from the endurance of something hard and coming out the other side intact (and maybe a little wiser). Of course, the older you get, life teaches you the hard way that you can (and will) endure things you might have never dreamed would even happen in your life. I suffered off and on from severe anxiety most of my life without really understanding exactly what it was. I finally saw a commercial with Lucinda Bassett and ordered her tapes. I listened to them and then returned them (they were way too expensive) but I was on my way to understanding what anxiety truly is. Then I purchased a smaller package she had that had a part about fear of flying and between that and some other reading, I came up with exercises, both breathing and mental, that helped me work through things in a healthy and rational way. Learning what agoraphobia really is set me free. I'm very happy we went up to see Douglas, Jessie and Page this weekend. We got on the road Saturday and stopped by the farm to see Ennis on our way out of town. I'm so glad Judy was there and we could hold on to each other for a little while. It brought back painful memories of another time with the two of us being together in the same living room watching someone else in a hospice bed while counting down the last hours and minutes of a beloved ones life. I am glad I was able to kiss Ennis one last time and whisper into her ear how much I loved her and would miss her. Since we had to make a stop in Roxboro, we hooked the GPS up and went on a real adventure. The countryside was gorgeous but it got a little crazy with the GPS having us do u-turns and taking us back and forth until we found the right highway.

I didn't realize how much weight Vincent had lost this year. I know he is 15 years old now but it made me a little sad. I am glad he wanted to lay on me for a little while but it was too hard for him to jump up in my lap - especially in my "chair" but I did enjoy rubbing him a little.

I took a picture of Page in her new hat that Pam made her. She liked it a lot and it will look nice with her new blue coat.

I love the pajamas and robe Kelly bought Page. Leah proceeded to show me the rest of the outfits Kelly had bought Page from Garnet Hill and I loved every one of them. She really has wonderful taste and a knack for buying the correct size for everyone.

I was so glad to see Jessie's Mom, Dad, Aunt and Uncle who also came over for dinner. Jessie's Mom bought Page a gift for making such good grades.

She and Page had been to a festival of sorts and met an older woman in a wheelchair who made a hand made music box. Page fell in love with it but the woman had already promised it to someone else. Jessie's Mom secretly had the woman make this one just like it for Page which really excited her. Her Mom also brought me a lovely gift - this beautiful orchid. 

We laughed because neither one of us knows anything about taking care of an orchid but she said maybe Jen would be able to help me since she used to raise them. I will give Jen a little time before asking her about it. Of course Doug and Jessie outdid themselves with the dinner they fixed.

Dwight said Douglas aced the BBQ chicken. He also grilled flat-iron steaks and hot dogs. Jessie's Uncle made a carrot cake and everyone said it was delicious.

Carmen couldn't wait for me to hear Page play the guitar. She is excited because the lessons she has been paying for all this time are paying off. She actually plays very well. Then Page brought out this little "quaint" banjo and you would not believe how good it sounded when she played it. Amazing. I slept okay in my chair after we put extra quilts in it. Sadly, I received a text message a little after 4am letting me know Ennis had died a little before 4am Sunday morning.  There is a big hole in my heart right now.  The family took very good care of her and I know she would have been proud of them.

We all went over to Ikenberry's Orchard before leaving the area Sunday and I bought some unique gourmet bubble gum.  Dwight was hoping to buy some pear preserves but that was the one thing they didn't have.  Poor thing - he had his mouth all ready for some. 

I also bought some Horehound candy.  My Grandma King used to have these candies and would share them with us from time to time.

They are very soothing to my dry mouth and raw throat so I'm enjoying them. Douglas was very disappointed that the crepe truck wasn't at the orchard while we were there. Evidently it showed up a little after we left and they were able to enjoy some crepes.

Jessie said Page got a fresh strawberry and Nutella crepe with powdered sugar on top. Double Yum.  The ride home went okay - I was getting pretty tired but my car seat goes back far enough I am able to get a little more comfortable.  Jen sent a text message telling me the family would be at her house to eat and would we try to stop by on the way home.  It felt good to be with everyone for a little while. I am sorry I didn't get to see Judy but she was beat and had gone home to sleep.  Tony said they would decide how things would be handled after the SAD next weekend.

The one last highlight was being able to not only see the new baby but to hold her. What a delicious little bundle and so pretty. Her name is Paisley - how sweet it that? Her Mom was hoping she would wake up soon to nurse. Brought back good memories of when my babies were little. And so ....... life goes on........

Memories of the lush greens of ......

I was reading a blog today and looking at the pictures of the lush greens of the English countryside and it made me remember mine and Marlan's trip across the pond.  We stayed in a beautiful 500 year old stone cottage that used to be a carriage house on the tidal River Severn.

So I went to Google and found the exact place we stayed in. Ain't technology grand? It is so funny to look down on this exact spot and know it was taken from high above. I just noticed part of the stone wall is no longer there. There is also a wire fence in the yard now. I wonder what happened? Maybe I'll email Rosie and ask her. I think they have also painted the outside wall yellow since we were there. What a wonderful adventure we had - good memories. We have an open invitation to go back but I don't see it anywhere in my near future. I just had the urge to fix myself a "cuppa tea". Want to join me?

Little update about babysitter......

Had a nice long chat with Zandra about her coming up to "babysit" me next month while Dwight goes fishing. I'm quite excited about seeing her.  It has been way too long.  I started looking at a new blog and before I knew what was going on - I was lost in blogville - I'm hooked on all the blogs of people from Great Britain.  I've always been drawn to that culture and even more so now that I've had the unique experience of "living there" for two weeks in a quaint little village with Marlan.  Every time I read one, I find another one and off I go into "good memory land".  I've got to stop this because I'm spending way too much time on the computer because of this.  Oh well - ....maybe one more entry. :)

Last day of October, 2012......

It has been a long time since anyone came here for treats. Between it being too dangerous to walk in front of our house and our not having the outside lights on has meant we haven't had "treaters" for years now. It is also pretty cold out there tonight so we definitely aren't expecting anyone. I only had one appointment this week - acupuncture yesterday. It went okay. She is pretty booked next week so it will more than likely be another week before I go again. It did help though - I had spit yesterday and most of today. I am having to chew Biotene gum right now though. I got the information for my appointment next month with the Lymphoma Oncologist at Duke and I really hope I like her. I have to go and sign a release at the other cancer center tomorrow so she can get all my medical records regarding the lymphoma before I see her.

Jessie sent me this picture of Page in her new "meeting" coat. I like it. She also told me a Page story. It has to do with hat day at school and the unique way Page decided to wear two different kinds of hat at one time. Oh yeah.....that's our girl. We are definitely driving up Saturday to spend the night with them and I can't wait to see all of them. I think they are going to cook BBQ chicken and hopefully, her Mom and Dad will join us. I am looking forward to being with all of them. It has been way too long. Hopefully it isn't going to be too cold - I'm pretty much cold all the time anyway these days. Dwight just asked me to find out if Zandra would like to come "baby-sit" me next month for him to go fishing. Since he is only going to be gone the weekend, I doubt she will come for that. I'll have to ask Geral if she will be available. That reminds me, I need to ask Debbie if she can come by Saturday and give Miya her medication. It will be good practice for her for when we are gone for a week. I have mixed feelings about leaving her alone that whole week. I know you think that is silly but she is our baby. I feel sorry for people who don't love their cats. I am also hoping we can get out to see Ennis in the next few days. I found out she is home now and I really, really want to see her.  It is so hard being dependent on others to get around for every little thing.  I will be so glad when I'm off the Oxy and can get around by myself again. I know poor Dwight will be happy too. He is pretty much trapped by my situation and has been wonderful about it.