Weeks and Weeks Behind

Halloween was what?  three weeks ago?  And my last post was what?  about, well over a month ago?  So, I'm progressing backwards at an alarming rate.  My heart is ticking faster, but somehow the rest of me is moving slower or something?  Maybe the clocks and calendars are mistaken.  Yeah.  Maybe that's it!  Or, maybe I've just always been behind and I'm getting behinder.

At any rate, I took some pictures the other day of a pot of soup I was crafting and downloaded them to my computer.  (Or is that referred to as uploading?  I never am for sure about computer-eese.)  Anywaaaaaaaaaaaaaay...I found a few photos from Halloween.  That day about three weeks ago.  Thought I'd share a few pictures to let you know that although I'm apparently close to snail speed, I can still manage to go forward some of the time.  In small units of measure, whatever they might be called.

Here are the pictures.  I enjoyed taking them before we took the grandkids to the Halloween Party.  It was fun!  And about the biggest event I'd attended since my surgery.  I saw so many friends there who asked about me and hugged me and told me they'd been praying for me, it just made it all worth the effort to go even when I didn't think I could manage.

 Miss Noodle put her costume together on her own.  She was a butterfly, magic fairy princess--in case you couldn't tell.

Now she's having fun posing.

Meet Luigi--aka Little Britches

Little Britches (ah, Luigi) and big brother, Blue Eyes, or Professor Scientist, fully into their respective roles.

"Once again, the evidence of my research clearly shows . . ."

The party was held outside in the country with a little fire--not a big bonfire--probably because it was mostly for little children.  Shortly before leaving for home--after the children traveled from vehicle to vehicle to "trunk or treat" filling their buckets with sugary booty--I looked up into the crystal clear, chilly night and was nearly brought to tears!  The very dark blue sky was glistening with a jillion beautiful stars!  And the Milky Way!  (I have too many trees and street lights close to the house to often see much of the stars, and to have a night clear enough to catch the Milky way . . . )  It was soooo beautiful and awe inspiring.  It was refreshing to see God's handy work--again--in the beauty of His mind-boggling creations!

You Never Quite Know What's Around the Bend

Last week about this time I was struggling with a serious lack of energy.  An even PRONOUNCED serious lack of energy.  I thought about my daily schedule--which is often full of things to keep me busy; sometimes not getting to bed quite as early as I should, etc.

A reasonable look at my schedule might not be alarming.  I usually get up between 6 and 6:30 am, help get the grandchildren up for school, make their snacks and pack them in their lunch boxes while their Mom oversees them dressing and seeing to their basic hygiene needs.  I prepare breakfast for them.  I see to it that Little Britches gets his meds, my husband gets his, and I make my husband's lunch and set out his "stuff" for his own breakfast, etc.  Then, there's dishes, laundry and all the regular housekeeping I can get to, and some I can't.  On Wednesdays I usually have choir practice at Church.  I have, of late, been teaching Sunday School each week in the Gospel Doctrine, adults' class.  And since we lost our Ward Chorister, I've been leading the music in our congregation's Sacrament Meetings each Sunday.  I know people older and far busier than myself, so I just figured I was a little "out-of-tune" with where I should be.

But I was conscientiously working to improve where bad habits are concerned.  Yet, I still felt drained.  No pain.  No discomfort.  Unless you recognize discomfort as having little energy to do anything.  Tuesday I took my blood pressure to kind of "get a fix" on what might be going on.  It wasn't terribly abnormal.  My norm is around 120/70, pulse 60.   A week ago today, it was off:  something like 112/98, pulse 58.  And even after eating and resting (for 2.5 hours!) I still felt completely drained.  I wasn't alarmed, I just figured I was a lazy bum as usual.

Tuesday night, however, when I was saying my prayers, I asked the Lord to guide me in how I should approach this dilemma:  "If this is nothing and will soon pass, good.  But . . . IF this is something I need to seek medical professionals about, please let me know."  (I really hate running off to the doctor for nothing, and avoid (read:  Protest loudly) going to the ER in nearly every instance, except for when I had no other recourse.  That wasn't life threatening, just precautionary.)  And then I thought back a few weeks when I had a whole week of this dreaded feeling of being "excessively physically empty" inside.  I had taken lots of naps to help me through and seemed to come out of it--for the most part, until the first weekend of this month.

Last Wednesday I awoke about 5:45 am to bathroom.  I felt really weird.  My heart was racing approximately 102 beats a minute, just taking it with my fingers.  I prayed again for guidance and the word "pacemaker" came to mind.  Well, my husband does have his own special pacemaker/defibrillator, so you know, but I feel strongly that it was the answer to my prayer--I needed medical attention.  Now.

I went back to bed and told my husband I needed him to get the children up and let their Mom know I wasn't able to assist this morning--and could he please get the blood pressure machine and take my BP.  He did all the above--with great concern for my well being.  Our daughter came to check on me and said, "Mom, I think you need to go to the ER."  For the first time ever, I replied, "I think you're right.  But I don't want to go here in town, I don't want to go to the one 30 miles away, I want to go to Cabrini in Alexandria.  I'm more impressed with that ER than any other I've visited--as the "caretaker" to the person(s) there to be seen.  Plus, my husband's cardiologist is attached to that particular hospital.

Before the grandchildren left to catch their school buses, they with their Mom and Grandpa knelt around the bed and each offered a pray for me.  It touched my heart.  Nothing beats the simple, humble prayers of little children!  I felt better by the time we left the house.  Not by any means ready to skip and dance, but with more energy than I'd felt for several hours.

Before noon, the results of my EKG, the continuous monitoring of my heart rate, pulse, etc. (where my pulse dropped repeatedly into the 30's), blood work and X-rays were in.  The PA said, "Well, it looks like you need a pacemaker."  I just laughed!  It was, after all, no huge surprise, having been warned not that long before that might indeed be the case.  Then I asked, "You're kidding, right?"

The PA was surprised at my response.  "No!  I'm very serious."  I then explained to her that I'd thought about that very thing not many hours before.  Later, one of the ER nurses mentioned that I was taking the "news" much better than most!

They ran me through some other tests before they got me to a room in the hospital.  Dr. Hawthorn had come in to see me first to ask me about family history in the cardiac vein (pun intended, I guess!), etc., etc.  He said he'd schedule me for the following morning.  I don't know why I was surprised about that, but it was so SOON!  So QUICK!  And, he said, when I asked, "How long will I have to stay in the hospital?"  He said, "one night after the surgery."

Thursday morning came early.  I was conscious during the surgery, which was interesting.  He asked me from time to time how I was doing.  I don't think it took too long, either.  BUT, when he was through, my head began to itch like fire!  When they released my once restrained arms, I began scratching like mad!  Something, including benedril was administered IV, and I went soundly to sleep.  According to my husband, after returning to my room, an echocardiagram was performed.  Later the Dr. told me, "Your heart valves are  pristine and there are no blockages anywhere."  It's a total electrical problem.

Oh, and yes, I forgot to mention.  While inserting the lead for the pacemaker into my heart he nicked my lung.  Tiny nick.  My veins are really small--which I've know for some time--and I remember hearing him try a few time to get the correct lead to go to the correct spot--while it was happening.

I mentioned to him on his post op visit that I was having terrific muscle spasms in my upper back, left side.  I was taken for X-rays which showed a little "air" where is wasn't supposed to be.  That night at about 11 PM I was taken to another spot to have a drainage tube installed to drain any air/fluid that might accumulate.  It was painful for a moment, but not too bad.

Sunday, we were headed home.  Now, I've just got to take things easy for a bit and get more X-rays done tomorrow.

Bubble Blowing Skills

Yesterday and today Blue Eyes and Little Britches (and Miss Noodle.  She was inside doing her homework like a good, industrious girl should while I had the camera out!) got into bubble blowing.  The weather was superb, though the breeze did manage to make the task at hand a little more challenging.  Blue Eyes figured out the best way to make BIG bubbles.

  Little Britches struggled with the skills of older sibling.  He tried blowing fast and furiously, which availed little more than frustrating disappointment time and time again.  That was yesterday.  Today, however, evidence shows that someone developed greater patience and skill.

Look at the concentration!  Look at that success!!  Yay!  Little Britches, you rock!

Look at that level of concentration.

Blue Eyes:  "See, you have to concentrate . . ."

Little Britches:  "Like this?"

"I got it!"

Grandma tried various spots in the yard:  In the sun; In the shade. Close up.  Further away.  It didn't seem to matter much.  I missed so many bubbles by the time the shutter clicked.  (I had to practice a little patience and skill improvement, too!)  But, I'm glad I got the few I think are pretty good.

It was good recreation out in the wonderful fresh air and sunshine!  I'm thinking of investing in about a gallon of the bubbly stuff!

First of October

Today I traveled with my grandchildren so their mother, who was at school, would have a little easier time in delivering them to their dad later today for their weekend visit.  It was a BEAUTIFUL morning.  The temperature was in the high 60's by the time we left the house.  We had a fun ride.  We discussed how beautiful (and essential) sunshine is for all life to exist after Blue Eyes mentioned that he loved the sun today.  That led to a discussion of how EVERYTHING is possible because of Jesus Christ, God's Son.  That Jesus explained in the Bible (more than once) how He is the Light of the world.

Then, one by one I asked the children to tell me what they were thankful for.  Their lists (which I added blessings I'm thankful for, too) were lovely and long.  We're all thankful for our family, for the beauties of the earth--including the trees, flowers, bugs (yes, bugs were mentioned a time or two), other animals, our house to keep us sheltered from the storms, comfortable beds to sleep in, Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, aunts, uncles, cousins.  And I could go on and on.

They were so sweet and were attentive to the rules I'd expressed for safety when we moved from my vehicle to Mom's.  No fussing or fighting.  It was good.  I'm thankful for that!

As I drove back home, I noticed that the sky was a beautiful blue.  Not a cloud visible anywhere.  The trees were glistening in that sunlight Blue Eyes had noticed.  Even in a world of constant flux and turmoil there are many things to remind us of God's ever constant care.  I'm so thankful for that.  And more.

Gecko Food Fest

I thought it might be getting too cold for the geckos now that our temperatures have dropped from formidably hot to cold enough in the mornings to require a jacket!!!  And...especially since I saw their favorite menu item in quantities I've never seen before adorning my kitchen window now.

Well, that was what I thought until I began noticing the "shy" creatures snatching and gobbling up those little tasty moths that ventured too close to the waiting jaws of the reptiles hiding hither and thither.  Apparently temperatures aren't critical--yet!

What entertainment items do you find attached to your kitchen windows?   (Which are, no doubt, more translucent than my own that need a good Windexing, hosing down, scraping, etc., etc.

Rub-A-Dub-Dub--OR--When Is A Swimming Pool Too Small?

"Last day for outdoor water sports, kids."  **Translation**  "Kids, you better get the heck out of the house and play now that the temperature has become reasonable for outdoor recreation!"

Mom and Grandma knew that it was time.  It is no longer prohibitively and excessively hot for children frolicking about outdoors.  Besides, children confined to the inner sanctum of their living quarters tend to get short with one another.  That's what happens when one (two and/or three) don't have plenty of time to release their energy in the out of doors.  As much as they normally enjoy and long for such outdoors-ness, we've notice a lack of enthusiasm of late.  They've apparently misplaced their memory of the joys of such activities and needed an enticement to remind them of the joys therein (or is that, there-out/their-out??).  At any rate, the inducement to go out and "Have fun, or else!" worked.  See evidence below.

There they are all happy and tucked into the smallest (perhaps) swimming pool on record for three normal sized children.  I'm really not sure how they managed to arrange themselves so that they fit, but fit they managed to do.

There was whining and weeping and wailing from each individual for one reason or another, and the final blow was that there was going to be one man out!  Noodle was in with Little Britches and Blue Eyes was devastated that no one would give up their favored spot to allow him in.  There was much howling as to the genuine fact that there simply was NOT enough room for ONE MORE PERSON!

All that was, however, prior to the authoritative command of "Stop whining and fighting and figure out a way to work together!"  When no one budged, and new whining set in, that same authoritative voice strongly suggested that they all stand and try a new arrangement.

Since they've all inherited a large degree of engineering skills, an arrangement was made conducive to all three miraculously fitting in the very tight, but still nearly full of water arrangement you see above.  Since it worked so splendidly, they received another command, from said authority, to stay put while the camera was located and put to use.

Make what you will from these expressions.  Engineering ingenus?  Or children can amaze adults when pressed to do so.  Or not.

It was inferred that the reason everyone wanted IN the water was because goose flesh and chattering teeth claimed their own whenever these three were not immersed in the water.  Eventually, after much too much endurance in such cramped quarters made traveling back in-doors essential, the moaning, and groaning began anew.  "I'm too cold to take a bath!"  "I don't want to get ready for bed yet!"  "I'm too cold to walk."    (It was 80 degrees outside.  And, since they've been used to near 100 degrees, I guess it WAS kind of freezing!  In the full sunlight, etc.

When the hot bathwater was drawn, scant minutes later, everyone (though not bathing in the hotter tub at one time) finally expressed gratitude for the relaxing relief and settled down.  Then we ate supper and all was well in the world once more.  For a few minutes!

For Just a Few Minutes It Looked Like Niagara Falls!

Only moments ago I heard the throb of thunder.  I suspected precipitation soon to follow.  Then . . . It Looked Like Niagara Falls outside.  I checked the rain gauge.  Within 10 to 15 minutes we had .5 inches of rain!  And coincidentally the temperature dropped as well from 83 to 73 degrees in about the same time period.

It has slacked off pretty much now.  I'm not sure if more will follow, but we'll take it!  (Ha!  What choice do we have???)

Nonetheless, I'm so grateful for the rain!!!  Hooray!  And I'm so grateful for the cooler temperature, too!

How's your weather where you're located?  Share how quickly it's changed, or how long you've been blessed/endured whatever circumstances you've had placed on your plate!