Car is getting closer

Went down and paid for my Vibe today, but won't bring it home until it is decorated. It is a 2006, with thirty thousand miles on it, silver. When I came back from walking Toby, I discovered Daniel had put my little red Cavalier in the garage. There are still a lot of boxes on the shelves that need to be gone through, but there is enough room to park a vehicle.

Got the stitches out of B.T.'s cheek yesterday. Keeping him in for a few more days, and will be more careful to be sure he is in before dark from now on. Last night while Daniel and I were working in the garage a mutt (about Dusty's size) and a small beige Pug came wandering through the yard. We got them into the back yard and checked their tags. The Pug had two rabies tags and a Tuscola County license. The other had a tag with a Bay City address and a Caro phone number. Was only a matter of minutes before a couple of guys came by to pick them up. Sure glad they had tags.

Oct. 25, 2009

B.T. has the drain tube out of his cheek. Next visit to the dentist, Bill should come home with his dentures. Drove my Vibe yesterday, but didn't bring it home. Almost have room in the garage for it, though. Daniel and I put the big old desk/? by the road yesterday and it was gone this morning. We took Bill out in the garage, sat him down and had him tell us what to do with the tools that were in it. Some ended up in his grandfather's old wooden tool chest, but many went either to Danel's tool shed, or in the recycle pile.

Beautiful sunny day right now. Think I'll go take a color tour of all the prettiest streets in town.

It's getting better

Monday morning the shelter called and wanted to know if I was close to Grant St. A man on Grant had called and was quite upset because he had lost a calico cat about six months old. I called him, and he RAN over (because he didn't have a car.) It was his Delilah! Gave them a ride home. She was a sweety, but don't need another cat right now.

Took B.T. in to our vet Monday afternoon. He is healing, but have to call tomorrow and tell her that he is managing to scratch at his sore with his hind leg in spite of wearing the collar. Supposed to get the drain tube out Thursday, and the stitches out next Mon.

Daniel kept me busy working in the garage Sun. and Mon. (He's a real slave driver.) He wants to get it so I can put the the 'new' car in when I get it. Will be quite a feat, but I'm beginning to believe it might happen. Not sure if that will be a good thing. I expect B.T. will turn it into a look-out post. Maybe I can put his bed up there so he doesn't slide down and scratch the finiish. Just hope I don't drive off with him on top like I have with the cover to the gas tank a couple of times.

Going to skip a workshop tomorrow and spend the day finishing up finances and dishes. We're all out of bowls and spoons. :-)

The best laid plans....

Went four days without my afternoon nap, so was near noon when I got up this morning. Had planned to spend the afternoon working on checkbooks, bank statements, etc.Played my wake-up solitaire and got dressed. A young friend of mine came with her friend, bringing a calico kitty they had found in a tree down by the bank. They had checked the houses around there, and nobody knew where it belonged. They checked with the pet store and a couple other people who all told them to take it back where they found it and leave it.

I spent about an hour calling people and trying to find a place for it, finally borrowing a dog carry-crate and set her up out in our garage. When B.T. discovered her, it was growl, growl, growl--and hissss. I picked him up to quiet him and discovered a 50-cent piece sized sore on his cheek. (An abcess that had opened.) I called my friend Susan to come help me clean it. When she saw it, she was really upset. Didn't take much to talk me into calling the emergency clinic in Saginaw and make an appointment to take him in. Got him there at 10 p.m. They put him out, cleaned it up, stitched it up, put a drain tube in it and put one of those big circular collars on him so he can't get at it. I'm not supposed to let him outside until it is healed.

Also this afternoon Daniel came and we cleaned out the play house/storage shed. He tore out the kitchenette Bill had made in it, and we added to the pile out by the road that came from cleaning out part of the garage on Friday.

Got back from Saginaw about 2 a.,m., took care of animals and had snack. Scared to wonder about what might be in store for tomorrow

Car shopping

Tonight there is a silver 2008 Chevy Aveo in our driveway. Tomorrow night there will be a shinier silver 2005 Pontiac Vibe in our driveway. Thought I really wanted an Aveo, but wasn't sure Bill could get in and out easily. Well, he does a pretty good job, but there is a LOT of wind noise, and the seats are unfriendly. You just sort of perch on them. It's like the car is saying, "You can sit there if you want, but don't plan on staying." When I sat in the Vibe, it put its arms around me and said, "You're going to stay, aren't you?" At that time we had already headed home with the Aveo, so I told the other salesman we'd be back tomorrow to try the Vibe overnight. Maybe should look more places, but..... We'll see what I think after I've tried the Vibe.

Oct. 11, 2009

Last week end was Pumpkin Festival. My Red Hat meeting was the day it started, so had a gal make me a Victorian-type hat out of balloons. Wore it to our meeting Thursday, then on Saturday went down and walked all around the arts and craft show with it on. Was a ball!! Didn't buy either onion rings or elephant ear this time. Kind of felt deprived, but the slice of pumpkin roll with cream cheese filling helped soothe my feelings a little. :-)

Had some fun this week. Had a guy come out and ordered new windows for the original house. (The windows in the addition are still good.) We're going to have white vinyl everywhere except the living room. There, we will have a bay window with mahogany-stained trim. After all these years, I'm actually going to have a bay window. I can remember as a girl trying to figure out how I could put a bay window in Mom's front bedroom. This is bound to be even better.

Thursday I went to my Saginaw dentist, then took Bill to one of his doctors. In between we had lunch at Sullivan's. Was going to shop for pet stuff after, but we were both tired, so came home instead. Guess I'll have to buy some dog food here in Caro.

Had five babies and four adults in MOPS nursery Friday. Luckily a young gal was there who could handle two at a time. I took the one I was holding down to a dark room and put her to sleep. She was tired, but everytime someone made a noise, it startled her and she'd start to fuss again. Once I got her to sleep, she slept over an hour.

Today Bill and I drove around some car lots. Trying to figure out what to get. Bill kind of wants to get a 2009,, but they're going to cost more than I want to spend. Did see a pretty 05 Vibe. We'll have to see how it is for Bill to get in and out of. Also looked at an Aveo (don't know what year). Not as pretty, but I love that it doesn't have power windows. It was unlocked, so we know he can get in and out better than in my car, but it's still pretty low. Didn't see anything in turquoise, and the only blue one we saw was a 2010 Impala. Not quite what what I'm looking for at this point. We'll just have to see.

Lita was here for the week end

Fri. I got back to my twice-monthly baby fix at MOPS. The little boy I was holding didn't want to do anything but sit and watch others until he fell asleep. Then he slept over an hour and it was nearly time for his mom to come. Perfect morning!

Went to scrapbooking/game night Fri. evening. Didn't get many pictures sorted, but had fun playing games. Played several of my Bananagrams, and then someone else had Fill or Bust. Went to the toy store Sat. morning to see if I could get one, but they didn't have it and don't usually order from that company. Lita is going to look in Grand Rapids for me.

She got here while I was at the church. Sat. we did some errands, walked Toby twice, went to the local Pet Expo and took Bill and her to Murdogs for supper. Then, it was time to go over books, etc. Before bed we watched the new NCIS, which she had taped.

Met our new preacher Fri. night. He is in his early 30's. He and his wife have a three year old. Figured I should give him a chance, so went to 8"30 church this morning, then Sunday School. Came home, we walked Toby, cut kitty nails, had lunch and Lita left. After she left, it was nap time. Didn't accomplish much after that except a couple of NCIS re-runs. Now, past time to hit the sheets. Hope everyone has a good week coming up.

Bill's sister came

She and her husband come once a year to visit his mother in Jackson., (She is 96, and still lives alone.) Usually we meet somewhere between, but this time they came over to Caro. We took them out for lunch and visited a while, then they headed back. They had another engagement for the evening. Was good to see them. Sure wish we didn't live so far apart, but seems like I'm saying that about a lot of people lately. :-)

Afterward we went to visit a couple of friends and sat by their pond, watching the BIG (at least to me) fish and the wild turkeys wandering around. As usual, when I'm around, deer stay out of sight. Nice place, but I still prefer living where there are sidewalks. Good to have places like that to visit, though.

We've had a little rain the last few days, but still lots of sunshine and warm temps. Wish it would stay like this until April. No--guess I really don't, or I'd probably be moving to one of those states where it is like that all year. I do enjoy most of the winter--except when I have a dog old enough to make it hard on him--and seems like I've had a lot of those the last few years.

Anyhow, my livingroom is cleaned up except for one corner and I'm working on that. Toby loves it; he has a lot of space to play with his towel and tennis ball. I believe he thinks I did it just for him.

Fifty years ago, in 1959,

fifty-nine of us (although I heard much later that one did not get a diploma) graduated from St. Charles High. Many of us gathered this past Sat. night to talk over old times and old friends, along with new aches and pains. Can't believe it started to break up about 9:30 p.m. Was a day when that was a time to be starting a gathering. Was good to see all who attended. Why do we let life get in the way of staying in touch?

The last few weeks (probably brought on by news of the class reunion) I've been very nostalgic, not only about St. Charles, but about Caro, too. On my walks I notice where special trees once stood that have been cut down--the maple where the racoons lived for a couple of summers, the ones where I watched a mother squirrel teach her babies to jump from one to the other, the pine underneath which we found a bunny nest complete with naked little bunnies, the largest most lovely semetrical Weeping Willow I've ever seen.

Then there are the homes. Within just a block from our house, are the places where Jerry, Jean, Isobel, Helen, Pat, and Gerald lived. These were all friends that my dogs and I would visit with while on our walks. They are all gone from the Earth now.

Animals, took, come to mind. McDuff, Boomer and Gypsy, all Scottie-type dogs; Chico, the Chihuahua and Muffin, the long-haired Chihuahua; Sylvester, the dignified elderly Tuxedo cat, Oreo, old, but tiny as a kitten, black with only a layer of white frosting her chest, Muffin and Maggie, elegant miniature poodles. Oh there are so many more. Animals just don't live long enough for those of us who love them. On the other hand some of those who live with uncaring, unknowing, unkind and, yes, inhumane people probably wish their lives were not as long as they are.

Must be getting time for a cemetery trip. Will probably have to wallow in missing people, places and pets for a while to make more room for the happy memories. Some of us have to check out where we've come from before we can figure out where we're going. Guess I'm ready for a tune-up, so I'll be ready to start rolling up the miles again. Look out world, I'm not done rolling yet.

Love the weather

Sorry for those who wanted a hot summer, but I've sure enjoyed the one we've had. Went to the dentist twice this week to get impressions of Bill's mouth. Now wait a couple weeks or so for the new dentures to come in. Sure hope they work good after he gets them.

9-9-09 got me

That's as good an excuse as any, I guess. :-) Went to my computer this morning, and it had closed down. Too bad I hadn't saved the three pages I had typed yesterday! Here we go again.

Trip to Saginaw

Two-week check-up on left eye. Vision 20/25. She said that is very good. So, why am I still having trouble seeing things. There are two kinds of floaters--the usual ones that are pieces of the eye lining (something) and calcium particles. Only about 10% of people have the calcium kind and they are usually in only one eye. Being special, I have them in both eyes. She still thinks I'll get so used to them that I won't even see them, but it hasn't happened in the ten or so years that I've had them so far. They are also genetic (sorry girls) but they won't hurt you and won't make you blind. (They just block out some of the letters so you can't see what you are looking at.) The part in the parentheses is my words, not the doc's. I go back in three weeks to get my final prescription for new lenses. Then, on Nov. 2, I see the plastic surgeon to be tested to see if my low lids are affecting my sight.

Janet Markham went with me. She bought us lunch at Ya-Ya's. I ended up with a gyro. Then we went to Menard's to pick up some wood to make a cupboard for one of the bedrooms. Had a full, fun day.

Oh, Lita. I got my horse calendar. Some really outstanding paintings this year.

I've had better week ends

Spent most of two days looking for notes for an article I should have written several weeks ago. Never did find them, so am setting up a second interview. Hard phone calls to make. Then, went out to the car expecting to go to Mickey D's to get supper, turned on the key, and not a sound. Thank goodness for helpful neighbors. Go tomorrow for the 2-week follow-up on my left eye. It has gotten more clear. However, I thought there were no floaters in that one because there were no dark spots. My luck, the ones in that eye are more like cobwebs, so sight still fuzzy much of the time. Heard that there is a procedure to get rid of floaters, but they only do it in extreme cases as it is dangerous and could leave the patient blind. Guess I'll stick with fuzzy for now.

Not a happy camper

For those who don't know, we have a cat, Tilly, who turned 17 in march. Last fall (just about a year ago) a neighbor moved away and left their indoor kitty sitting out on the porch. At first I didn't realize they had abandoned him, but when I did, we fixed a place for him to sleep out in the front of the house, under the front window. As it got closer to winter, Bill put a cat door in our garage door. I let him roam during the day, then lock him in at night. It's worked pretty good, considering how much he (B.T.) and Tilly dislike each other. Biggest proglem--since he showed up, she's decided to makie sure he knows it's her place, so keeps marking the floor under the window. When I think she is getting ready to do it, I picki her up, put her in our litter box, and put my hand over the opening. Tonight she reminded me why our litter box is 14 inches high, with a door 7 1/2 inches up from the bottom. I put her in, put my hand over the opening and waited. Next thing I knew, I heard liquid hitting my shoe. I'm happy she missed my hand, but.... Ain't life grand?

Aug. 28, 2009

Thursday I went to Mary Louise's house and helped Judy Ann price things for a garage sale. She spent Fri. & Sat. in Midland at the dulcimer festival. We'll work on pricing again tomorrow. Today I had Susan come over and work a couple of hours. Took the runners out and hung them over the swing set bar to air and blow out some dust. Still working on emptying boxes.

Second eye done

Had the cataract removed from my left eye on Mon. Aug. 24. It has been a little more uncomfortable than the right one was, but nothing to write about. Doc says I'll see better in a few days. Hope he is right. The second day I could tell the right eye was better, but after two days, the left is still blurry.

Regina was here last week. She couldn't do much with my boxes, but she did some cleaning for me while I sorted. Got rid of one pile of boxes, now starting on the other side of the living room. On Thursday we went to my cousin Fern's. Louise and Mary came up from Chesaning and met us there. We played some train dominoes, and visited quite a while.

Lita came home for the week end and stayed over until Tues., so she could take me in for the surgery and be with me overnight. Then she took me to a friend's house in Reese and headed back to Grand Rapids. The friend, Judy Ann, took me in for the day-after check-up.

Tonight Janet Markham came down and had a pizza delivered here. We all ate pizza, then she and I played Can't Stop for a while. Now it's back to the samo samo.

I'm melting

I've felt sorry for those who wanted a nice hot summer, but I sure don't enjoy it when it comes. Actually got up and went to Sunday School today. Still trying to get where I can get up in time for the early service. Sure wish they would move the traditional to a later time.

When I came home, started out for Toby's walk. Got 1/2 block away, when the skies opened up. Was soaked by the time we got back. Before I had even dried off, the sun was out and beautiful, but I didn't take him again until supper time.

2nd week check-up

Dr. says my eye is looking good. Throw out the anti-biotic drops and use the others until they are gone.

A friend took me in just in case they wanted to dialate me. We went over to Green Point Interpretive Center first, and walked the trails a little. Actually saw a deer! Has been years since I was there. Must go back again soon. Didn't realize it is just across the river from the Shiawassee Game Flats (formerly the Prairie Farm). Going to do some more exploring there, too. Will make sure to take bug repellant with me next time, though.

Bill's tooth

Took Bill to get the stitch removed from his gum today. They said it looks real good. Now, wait five weeks to go in and start the process of getting the dentures. Was cooler today, but still humid.

Dr. Appointment

Took Bill to the Dr. yesterday. He had fallen and wondered why his tail bone still hurt over a week later. Doc said it would hurt for another two or three weeks. Didn't think it was broken, but even if it was, there wasn't anything to do but to wait until it heals. Said it is possible that Bill has a nerve disease in his legs making it difficult to walk, but--again--nothing to be done if he has, so no real need for testing unless I insist. I didn't insist. Asked if I should quit pushing him to exercise if that was the problem, and he said, no, it's still important to walk as much as he can, to keep the muscles from atrophying. So, I have permission to pick on him. :-) His mouth is healing. tonight I fed him chiken and potatoe salad--first day no soup since Monday.

Poor Bill

Took Bill in to see about getting new dentures this afternoon. Dr. x-rayed the three he had left and said they had to come out first. So, he now had no teeth, and has to wait about six weeks before we start the process of getting dentures. He better appreciate them once he gets them. :-)

Fair was last week. Only had one order of onion rings, and NO elephant ears. Must be maturing.? Liked it better when I was younger, more foolish and ate what I wanted instead of what was good for me.

Busy Week

Lita came Sunday and stayed until Tuesday afternoon. Monday morning she took me to get the cataract on my right eye removed. Tuesday morning she took me for my first follow-up visit--at 8:40 a.m.! I was a little disappointed because the "cobwebs" in that eye are floaters--not part of the cataract. The good news is that if the floaters aren't in the way, the sight in my right eye is MUCH clearer than in the left. Now, only 3 1/2 weeks and the eye with fewer floaters will have clear vision.

Worked at the Humane Society booth at the fair Wed. and Fri. afternoon. Was really comfortable temperature wise in the Merchant's Building for a change.

Couple weeks ago I got a perm. Remins me of the time Beckie gave me a perm just before I started my first year of college. It just kept curling, and curling, and curling. I've washed it a couple times, but have hardly been able to get a pick through it. Wish I knew how to load photos--I'd show you. Then last week, I had red low-lights put in. Those I like!! Sunday morning I was covering a story for the Advertiser. Afterward a young teen-ager looked at me, her eyes opened wide and she saiid, "Your hair is awesome!! That's when I decided to quit complaining and enjoy the time I save on not setting it. Soon enough it will relax, and I'm not sure I will get another one. Will keep it red for a while though.

Guess that's it for this time. Hope life is going well for everyone who reads this--and for some who aren't. :-)

Cataract Surgery

Well, never dreamed a tiny little incision in your eye could tire you out for at least two days. Had it yesterday, and Lita took me back in for follow-up visit this morning. Still have the cobwebs (floaters), but if I close my eyes one at a time, I can definitely see more clearly with the right one. Another four weeks, and we'll see how good it is with both done. Til then, no night driving for me. :-)

Quiet now

House sure seems empty with both girls gone. So often I hear people say, "I'm glad to see the kids come, and I'm glad to see them go." Can't help but wonder if there is something wrong with me, or with them. True, there was a time Sat. when I wished they'd go for a Coke or something so I'd have a little time to pull myself together, but never look forward to them returning to their home.

Trina and I took Bill to the Chinese Buffet for his 75th birthday dinner, then she headed east. She's somewhere in PA tonight. Sure miss having Libby (Bill's step-mom) in Pittsburgh as a stop-over spot.

Here I am!

Trina says I should be able to do this. Actually I'm not sure she's right. Anyhow, she is still here and after she leaves I'll write more and tell you all about how she abuses me.