My Social Network

Last Saturday night I finally took the time to sit down and watch "The Social Network".  At first I thought, "this is way too fast and complicated for little, old me"  In the first 5 minutes, the main character Mark Z, speaks very fast and gives you a huge glimpse of his personality as well as his IQ....both of which I had trouble relating to.  After the initial first scene, you begin to acclimate yourself to the pace of the movie and the flashbacks intertwined. (Generally I dislike any semblance of flashbacks in either movies or books but I got the relevance and "dealt about it" (Baileeism). I'm still not sure what Zuckerburg's intentions were as the website began to form in his amazing brain.  Knowing little about the technology itself, they lost me at algorithm...but I continually reminded myself that this was nonfiction.. that kept me focused. I love a true success story.. (Maybe that's why I like Donald Trump so much.... it certainly has nothing to do with his mouth or hair....!!). I did learn, and I probably knew anyway, that good looks, a fancy suit and social skills      are not prerequisites for success. Ala..Mark Zuckerburg.  The man even wore his pajamas to a business meeting...on purpose and with a purpose.. it worked!  Long story short, Z is my man....My Social Network, Face Book makes my day (and often my night. Which, in itself, is a sad commentary for my social life outside my den.  As I've professed before, I ♥ it!  I have connected and reconnected with friends that I didn't even know were friends.  I think the number one thing I love most about FB is it's ability to put us all on a level playing field.  We all have the same issues we worry about, the same things that give us joy, the same hardships to battle and the same longing for the best we can be for the time that we're here. I am amazed that our commonalities are so much more than our differences and that it really IS possible to see the good in everybody and overlook what we might have once thought wasn't up to snuff.  I've connected with cousins that I haven't seen in 40 years. They're amazing!  It does make me a little sad that we missed that time but our connections are still viable.... Our parents and grandparents and great grandparents would be (or are) tickled shitless!!! I think one of the greatest assets of FB is not knowing what everybody thinks at every moment or what they did last night or even how far they ran or how much money they saved.... It's the genuine compassion and caring that every Friend really has.  We noticed that last week with Lee's heart issue.... Absolutely overwhelming!  Along with the concern came the knowledge that others have been where you are and made out just fine.... Not that's friendship!

C=T and G=D (not anymore)

I can understand a southern drawl and I can understand a few words of French ( I did ace French in high school but that was over 40 years ago). I'm Dora fluent in Spanish and I can understand a Foster Brook's drunken stupor. I cannot understand  the techs from Dell  (India) and I have a great deal of difficulty understanding political rhetoric. I CAN however understand Bailee.  I am Dama (Grandma) and if I can't guess something she's telling me, she'll happily give me a talue (clue). Her Mom was always fluent in "Balinese" and I learned it quite quickly.  Once you remembered that her hard C's and K's were T's and her hard G's were D's, you grasped the language quicker than igpa atinla.....That was just the way it was and you just had to "deal about it!".......................until Monday.  As is their daily routine, promptly Monday at 11a.m., in came Bailee announcing what she had done in CLASS that morning.....................Not T-Lass but Class..Well I'm not sure if I just needed a pick me up, some good news or I'd won the lottery but the reaction was the same. Lots of Who Hoo's, High Fives and Hugs and Kisses.... along with about 20 "Say it Agains".  After over 2 years of weekly speech therapy, those guttural sounds had finally escaped their hiding place.  You probably all think I'm over- reacting but this was a milestone....right up there with rolling over, walking, losing your first tooth, sleeping in a big girl bed and no more diapers!  This was no easy process and this little girl worked for every C,K and G she had gotten.  Her speech Therapist Angela, has been so impressed with her sticktuitiveness (yes that's a word, if only mine). Most 2, 3, and 4 year olds don't have the willpower and attention span to work at anything, especially those without a tangible goal. Not our Miss B...she worked for it and she got... that would be got not dot.  She was so excited when yesterday the G sound arrived when she was reading her book and she read gloves and not dloves.  She's a reading fool and she and Papa enjoy their story time.  We worked on "Grandpa" but we think she'll be sticking with Papa. 

                    What a big Girl you are Miss B.....as you always say, "I tan be anything I want when I drow up"

Wait just a minute.... I think that's, "I CAN be anything I want when I GROW up!!"

Hospitals

This morning I'll share my little diatribe on hospitals.  I do not like them!! The smell nauseates me, the cleanliness makes my senses uncomfortable, The doctors and nurses always appear way too comfortable in their surroundings and everyone seems to stare at you while giving you a pathetic, "I'm sorry" kind of half smile..  I never see any McSteamys or McDreamys. These days they all seem to be McForeigners! Several times last Thursday, Lee couldn't recall the name of his doctor of the day (didn't have one for 60 years so I guess that's why).  I would joke and tell him it was AlQuaida... when in truth is was El Khally.  Hey, any semblance at humor was appreciated by both of us at this point.  Lee is not a fan of needles. These days they stick one in you as you're walking in the door. They do, however ask you your full name and birth date prior (and 100's of times thereafter)  They put one in his hand for a saline drip so he wouldn't get dehydrated....which he wouldn't have if he had been able to drink something for the past day.....One thing Lee will never be is dehydrated!!  Next they put another needle in his arm.."Just in case" (whatever the hell that means and neither of us were prepared to question in mortal fear of the answer).  Once in the cath. lab, they poked him again to numb the wrist and then just plain cut a hole in his artery.  If your fear of needles hasn't sent you into a severe case of diarrhea or cardiac arrest, you're good to go. The whole procedure in the lab was a matter of minutes and was probably the less stressful and easiest part of the day.  

OK, back to hospitals, Once again let me reiterate, I don't like them!  It may all stem from the fact that I have never really had a positive association with hospitals.  I never gave birth in one and came home with a bundle of joy. I take that back a little, I was able to witness Bailee's birth and cut her free...and that may have been one of my most treasured moments to date. But, other than that, I associate hospitals with broken bones, broken bodies and broken hearts:-(  I told Jeff last Thursday morning that I'd rather be sitting in a dumpster than sitting in that hospital... He, being my personal life preserver, told me he was sure there were several there somewhere and to go make myself comfortable!  

As my Dad was, I'm a card carrying member of the Hypocrite Club. I give what I can to the hospital...the new Maternity suites, the Hospital Annual Gala and any meaningful fundraiser that pleads their case. Dad would generously give to the church while openly professing his non-belief. I will continue to give to the hospitals while professing my disdain for the sights, the sounds and the smells while in the back of my mind repeating, "There but for the grace of God go I"

Getting our house in order!

We did so well building our new home, we're now tackling getting another house in order....Lee!  We made it through yesterday's visit and procedure at the "Plumbers."  He found an OLD 100%, blocked artery that had managed to reroute itself. ( I've always said that Lee could fix anything.. goes to show ya!). A teenier accumulation of blockage (plaque??) was found in another but it didn't seem to concern the Plumber too much.
The anticipation and uncertainty of the whole procedure and it's outcome was far worse than the procedure itself (That, coming from me who was not poked, cut open, threaded and dyed)  We were very fortunate that they were able to use his radial artery (wrist) which made the recovery time much faster and less rigid.  We left St. Joe's a little after 3 and I immediately got us lost.  Neither of us even cared as we were "out of there" and the sun was shining.  We made it home in time for a cocktail before dinner w/ Jess, Bailee and Chip (family). It was a good day after all.. at least for us.
Now that our plumbing has been confirmed as working, next week we'll visit the Clerk of the Works and see what we can do about finding an electrician who can fix his wiring.  As the "Plumber" explained, it's (his heart) like a flickering light bulb. It dims and brightens but it's not going out (Thank God).  It may be able to be controlled with medication or possibly a pacemaker... maybe even a cardio conversion....Wouldn't be choosing those paddles if we could avoid it.  We'll see where that visit goes.
There is some good news in all this.  Today is ONE WEEK of no smoking.  That's Billy Fucillo HUGE.  The munching is still in full force but as Bailee says, "we'll deal about it!"
I was able to use my iPhone in the hospital and it was heartwarming and overwhelming for Lee (and me) to see all the messages and posts of good thoughts, warm wishes and prayers.  As I said on Face Book, it's pretty great to live in a small town surrounded by old friends!

Snow Kidding!

We almost had lost all of our snow.  There's only one small 2' x 3' spot on the patio that has yet to melt and much of the back yard but the shrubs are now visible and even a chipmunk enjoyed brunch in the bird feeder yesterday.  We were so close!!!  In our front yard, it's Spring, in the back..still Winter-ish..  and then there comes.........today!  The weathermen are predicting 6-10 inches for our Finger lakes region.  It could fall anywhere from 8 a.m. this morning until 8 a.m tomorrow morning. Come on Mother... I know it's your call but even I'm ready for a break.  Tomorrow is our adventure in Syracuse and our introduction to the in depth world of the circulatory system.  I knew I should have paid more attention in Science class....although I was one of the few that actually aced that test by knowing the path of blood in and out of the heart... The auricular -ventricular (something) still rings a bell.  Thanks to all the world's technology, both Lee and I should get through the day.  He with all the medical advances and Me, with all the communication ones!  He'll be in good hands, both on the table and above it and I'll have my Kindle loaded with the book I'm reading and a new one, my iPhone loaded with a movie and also access to my emails and Face Book!  Also, with the assistance of the whiny voiced gal living in our GPS, we should be able to find the damn hospital.  The only hurdle left is to learn how to reverse her directions to get home. (my project for the day).
 So, with help from NBC, GPS, CBS, and GOD.....I'm hoping we can get through March 24th on a positive note.  Wish us luck!

Day Four!!

We're only hours away from the end of Day Four!  The patch appears to be helping. Being the "Dickless Tracy" that I am, I follow the evidence to ascertain the application of the morning patch.  So far, so good or else he's removing them from the package and stockpiling them in a remote location, yet to be determined.  Bailee does ask him each night, "Papa, did you smoke today?"  He replies, "No!"  She then answers, "You know fibbin' is the same as lyin?"  Hard to argue with that motivation.  I have noticed some tell-tale signs that he is, indeed, following his Dr's advice.  He, in no uncertain terms, explained that if Lee chose NOT to follow his orders, he would no longer be his Doctor.  Can't be much more upfront than that!!  Last night for supper, he had two sausages and two helpings of macaroni salad followed by a large bowl of Frosted Flakes.  He then found his way to the laundry room where, housed in a small, family dollar, shopping bag lives a mini candy bar concession stand.  Off to bed he went.  I heard rumblings in the kitchen about 11:00 and the Frosted Flakes were once again the pre-midnight snack of choice.  I can't argue with that.  My point being, the munchies have arrived so I assume (and you know what that does?) the smoking has left.  I may end up with a 300 pound diabetic but at least he'll be here.  Right now, that's my number one objective! ♥♥♥♥

March Madness

Well Syracuse has lived up to our expectations.....which thankfully weren't too high.  We have a small, interested group of gamblers who each year assemble their varied talents and put their knowledge of basketball together with $5.00 which helps to keep us interested in 3 weeks of March Madness.  Some make their choices through stats, some through favorite coaches and colleges and others still pick with their hearts....Not surprising at all, is after round three, the top four point-getters are women....  Women are much more adept at making the right choices through analysis, intelligence and guts.  We wing it on a daily basis and are pretty keen on each outcome.  Take for instance when your 12 year old says she's running away from home and you pack her a lunch or when your 16 says he's going to a party at Bill's and "yes", Bill's parents will be home (yea right). Sometimes we have a misstep like the time your eight year old says she needs to get home quickly so she can to feed her pigeon....and you smile knowing full well she has NO pigeon............till you open the door and the room has either been bombed by the Pillsbury Doughboy or she indeed DOES have a pigeon. (We're all entitled to an error or two in the "gut" department). But when it comes to gambling away $5.00.... we use our heads... That's a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread..or in my case a 12 pack of diet Pepsi.  I don't take that lightly.. not one little bit.  So far, I'm still in the running along with three other highly, sports minded gals.  One of us will be bringing in that coveted $55.00 prize.  It's not much but it might cover some new underwear, a splurge on chocolate or even some Easter Bunny treats for the little ones. No matter what...it proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that no longer are men superior in the Sports Department. We've held that title LONG before Tittle Nine enlightened the world.

My Wish List

Some cultures have customs in which people are encouraged to "make a wish", such as blowing out the candles on a birthday cake, seeing a shooting star at night, tossing a coin into a wishing well or fountain or breaking the wishbone of a cooked turkey. Many believe such wishes can only come true if you keep them a secret from other people. On the other hand, people like me believe that wishes come true only if you tell them to someone else. So here goes......

I WISH:

I liked wine

Jeffrey lived closer

Money was unimportant

I could spend everyday with Bailee

Lilacs bloomed all year

I could Dance "like" the Stars

I could be sure my kids would always be happy

My Dad was here

More white men could jump

People would learn to spell (and realize that there, their and they're mean 3 different things)

That I sometimes cared more about what other people think

That we could always see life through the eyes of a 4 year old

Memories didn't fade for some

Chocolate was a food group

Every day was Monday

It didn't make any difference what you looked like

And most of all...................I wish hearts didn't break.........literally ♥

Happy Week-end everybody and Welcome to Spring on Sunday

 

Happy St. Patty's Day

A real treat for our St Patty's Day.  Nearly 60 degrees for one day in a row....Make me want to...

ERIN GO BRAUGH(less)

Again?

I'm not so sure I like the path I'm traveling.  I used to think how ridiculous and sad it was when you'd overhear a group of "seniors" at a restaurant, a party or anywhere for that matter.  All they would be talking about is their health. What went "in", what came "out", how long it took, when their next Dr''s appt. was, how poorly they slept, how expensive their medications were and on and on and on. As I left the morning breakfast club, I thought about our discussions... runny noses, stuffed up heads, lousy night's sleep etc.... I think we only skipped over to sports one time..ONE TIME.... that's a travesty and a very bad sign indeed.  This is the beginning of March Madness, not Medical Madness.  I'm even finding myself reading the Dr's advice column in the morning paper...that's even more depressing than the obituaries.  There was, however; and interesting article about hospitals leaning toward opening ER's just for "Graying Patients."  What a novel idea!  They have them geared toward children, why not seniors.  We definitely have a unique set of aches and pains and sometime we often aren't really adept at describing them.  Modern ER's are set up for car accidents and GSW's (gun shots) not incontinence and "help I've fallen" incidents.  The article stated that older people are not just wrinkly adults"..I resemble that remark :-)   Seniors already make up 17 million ER visits a year and 1 in 5 Americans will be 65 or older by 2030. Some of the nurturing ideas in place in these new Senior ER's include, doors that separate beds rather than curtains... this cuts down noise which lessens confusion.  Nurses carry "pocket talkers" (amplifiers that hook to headphones for the hard of hearing). Mattresses are thicker and often recliners are used in place of hospital beds.All the forms are in larger fonts and a pharmacist is on staff to check for interactions with existing medications. Every single patient is assessed for depression or dementia.  Either of these conditions can feign physical problems..often by forgetting or confusing meds. already being taken or not remembering symptoms and when they occur.
Money is always the excuse for not treating well, today's "long in the tooth" generation but I have yet to see any correlation between funding and compassion.  Some of these new Senior ER's are just an extension of a hospital's regular ER and may only contain room for a few patients....but it's a start.
Now I'm off to Walden Place to take Mom to her physical.  I do have a newly forming patience in the last few days and a whole lot of but for the grace of God go I !!

It's official

It's official.... We're OLD!  When the hell did that happen and why didn't anybody warn us?  Lee never took a pill ( albeit a rogue Tylenol) for 60 years.  Now, I fill a cup in his dressing room with 2 morning pills and keep the suppertime pill by the stove (mostly to remind me to remind him).  I may have to rethink the evening pill as our stove is used just a hair more than the vacuum cleaner..  At least the blood thinner isn't the age old warfarin.(coumadin).. AKA- RAT POISON.  That always freaked me out just a bit.  This new med is called PRA-DAX-AN.... and that's how I have it spelled out on the refrigerator so I can learn to pronounce it correctly.  Another sign of "getting old"...posting words randomly around the house in syllables so you can remember how to pronounce them...(that in itself is making me sick).  Old marker number two: we traded in the salt container for a new one containing 33% less sodium.  This may take a bit of time.  Actually, Lee's BP is great.. Even through last week's "cluster", his BP stayed calmly in the normal range of the 120's over the 70's... of course, his heart rate was way over 100 and in A-fib. Old reason number three: the sentiment factor!  The girls in the family are liking this one though.  We all get kisses good-bye now and a few more phone calls during the day. Thumbs up on that one. Number four:  I stopped complaining this week about the cost of our health insurance.  If health insurance is a mortgage on our dilapidated bodies....I might look into William Shatner's idea of a reverse mortgage.  It was interesting though to get an approval letter YESTERDAY for Lee's nuclear stress test Friday... last Friday!  There are many more old age quips that I could share but I'll save them for another post.. (and I've already forgotten what I was going to say).
We have another Dr's appt. on Thursday to go over all of last week's tests.  We already know he passed some and failed others. Now to assess whether he needs further "education" or possibly a tutor:-)  Regardless, we've both learned a few good lessons.  The hourglass has much less sand at the top, every day is a gift, tell those you love that you indeed do, remember that your friends can often be more important than you realized and absolutely NEVER take anything for granted.  Holy Shit.... I AM old!

The Heart "Beat"

Maybe I'll have to change my blog name to the "Heart Beat".....People always enjoy reading the Police Beat and the Hollywood Beat but I'm thinking this will be way less entertaining.  I can tell you, I'm not entertained in the least.
I never liked the phrase "do you want the good news first or the bad?"  I like it even less in a Dr's office. Yesterday was Meet your Cardiologist Day.  We liked him a lot.  He trudged up more history than even we knew we knew.  When you come from a family of 8, there's a lot to go over. Thankfully, it was all in the physical area and we stayed clear of any mental malfunctions. (jk family).  I was quite amazed at how many different things can be gleaned from different parts of your anatomy.  Strange questions like, "have you always not had hair on your feet?" (WTH)...or "Do you have trouble sleeping or find it necessary to sleep in certain positions?" ( does sleeping on your stomach with your feet in the air count?).  Anyway... the echogram showed he is still in A-fib.... but the sonogram showed it was a boy....crap, I keep getting those sonogram comments mixed up.  His heart appeared healthy with a teeny weeny dribble from the mitro valve...That didn't seem to alarm either the technician or the Dr. so I guess I won't be alarmed either.  It appears the onset was just this week.  I guess that's good.  He's scheduled for a nuclear stress test tomorrow...(hoping we get a glowing report). He'll then spend the week-end attached to a holter monitor that will measure everything.  I'm wondering how that will go when he heads to the gun club for Sunday shooting... Doc said, go about your normal routine.  I was quite pleased when Lee asked the Dr's  "help" with the smoking.  He'll give him the patch next week...he wanted to get him through a week of blood thinners before tapering the nicotine.  If the heart doesn't jump back into natural rhythm by itself, he may need a jolt and he doesn't want a clot thrown in the process....Me too...... or as Bailee would say, "Me four cuz I'm not two".....

So, as Paul Harvey would have said... "there's the rest of the story".. at least for now...I'm hoping all gets synced by itself.  If only it was as easy as synching my new iPhone to the computer.  Those things I can handle...these...not so much!

Give me back last week-end

Story # 1
Holy crap... I want a do-over.  After guiltily relishing my wasted week-end, I want it back.  Monday brought us a snow day (at least for a few morning hours) and a picturesque, new 13 inches of snow.  Lee was home at noon, nestled in his chair, covered with a blanket and "not feeling good!"  Figuring he had one of the well traveled bugs floating around the area, I stayed clear.  Suppertime arrived and it was our Monday w/ Bailee.  She asked Papa if he was hungry and he joined us for dinner.  Watching him push his food around his plate, he finally admitted that he had some chest pain..WTH....only had them ALL DAY!!!!!!!!! even when he woke up...That's only 12 hours of chest pain.. no big deal, unless of course you'd like to live!!!  Having Bailee on board, our friend Chip whisked him off to the ER.  Long story short... blood enzymes showed no heart damage but his ticker had/has no set rhythm... it would go from 80-100 to 150 to 90..... Finally sent him home w/ Cardizem and baby aspirin prescribed accompanied by a cardiologist appt. this afternoon.....to be continued.....
Story # 2

Jess, Bailee, Lee and I were having lunch yesterday a bit after noon. BOOM!!!!!!! I was sure all the snow had just left the entire roof... Jess looked out and there's a car at the end of our driveway, backwards, smoking and crunched. I looked and saw a school bus crossways in the road and front end in the ditch.  Jess called it in to 911 and proceeded to run to see if anyone was injured. Not a pretty scene. EMT's and the law arrived and quickly draped the vehicle. Not a good sign.  The rest of the day, 7 hours to be exact, involved, many police cars, firetrucks, investigators, the road closed, a hearse and heavy hearts.  I still don't know the exact circumstances.  Speculation is high but I actually thought each vehicle was coming from the opposite direction so CSI most likely won't be calling me for a guest appearance.  I did get a few photos (human nature kicked in) and they were on the 11 p.m. news as well as the local website www.cnycentral.com.

Today is cardiologist visit. After yesterday's tragedy, we'll count our blessings that we're around to make the appt.  Each day is definitely a gift....how we use it, is totally up to us... one of the few things we have control over:-)

Wasted Week-end ??

A wasted week-end?  Well I did have a couple more bloody marys Friday night than I usually do but I wouldn't say I was wasted! We had a good meal shared with great company so our time wasn't wasted either.  Now, if only I could say the same for Saturday and Sunday.  Saturday began with breakfast, as always, then home.  It wasn't really cold or snowy but I had misplaced my ambition and obviously didn't even have the ambition to look for it. So, I went down to the H.U.T., popped a nice batch of popcorn, smothered it with real butter and salt, somehow found the knowledge to turn on the TV and the surround sound (it's more complicated than it sounds and usually Jess is my theater manager), I snuggled in a recliner and watched Secretariat... Great movie!
When it was over, I wandered upstairs, noticed that Lee was actually home and had napped and was now snacking...We watched a red-tailed hawk for awhile and a nice doe feeding in the back yard. Always best to watch the deer with Lee.  I keep my eye on his trigger finger and if it starts to get jumpy, I extol the virtues of living in this beautiful, rural paradise with it's exquisite wildlife and he settles back down. Anyway.. neither of us was hungry as he had snacked and I could barely climb the stairs as my feet were sloshing in butter.  He decided to clean a gun ( I think that has some therapeutic affect on him) and I decided ... what the hell, I'll watch another movie. Due Date had a few funny parts but pretty much was a waste...unless you count the part where I sauntered over to the candy counter (no one was around to see me) and rifled a box of whoppers.) I had climbed the stairs another couple of times and had definitely worked off the butter and salt. yeah right... Well that killed another 2 hours. Lee had excused himself to the Betty Blue and I then took in some TV upstairs. As I laid in bed later than night, I couldn't muster one bit of merit in anything I had done that day.. Oh well.  There was always tomorrow...............................

Six thirty Sunday morning and there was a virtual lake across the road , complete with floating ducks and geese and even some green grass around the EIEIO compound.  A bit later the man cave filled up with some local gun enthusiasts. They were enjoying Sunday morning bloody marys. Always a good idea before they load their guns and go to the gun club for some Sabbath shooting...WTH? Anyway, I joined a friend for breakfast at the local eatery and then home for .... another snowstorm... over a foot to be exact.  Too nasty to go outside and to lazy to shovel.  It was the day of rest wasn't it?  So, rest I did and I must admit, I am VERY good at it.  I watched all the past week's tivo'd shows, a sporting event and then an interesting movie on Lifetime, The Amanda Knox story... quite enlightening !  Due to my impeccable timing, I had just enough time to warm some homemade bread (Thanks Kim), smother it in butter and return to my recliner for the premier of "Secret Millionaire" (a new, favorite, feel good show) and the Apprentice. I love the Apprentice! This season looks like it will be full of wackos, wannabes and usedtobes...3 of my favorite  TV food groups!

So, there you have it. 48 hours of unadulterated, wasted time. It doesn't happen often but I am shamelessly guilty.

Is Knowledge really power?

I will never win a Pulitzer, an Oscar or a Nobel Peace prize but on the other hand, I'll never be in contention for East Podunk person of the year either.  I'm content knowing that I know a lot about a little but often not much about anything.  I can hold my own most nights during Jeopardy, Cash Cab and even Wheel of Fortune but sometimes have to look up a state capital or check the dictionary for a correct spelling. Maybe knowing my limitations or even knowing where to find the answers is knowledge in itself.  The hardest part of knowledge is knowing that with it, does not come power.  No matter what we do or how well we do it, some things are entirely out of our control. Every night I repeat the Lord's Prayer.I understand the words and I emphasize "deliver us from evil" with gusto.  I end with a litany of "God Bless's" which, in itself, scares me silly.  The names I continue to add to my list panics me more each night. I guess each of us prays in their own way and actually saying the words isn't mandatory. I've decided of late that a shorter prayer is more conducive to my personal beliefs. The Serenity prayer pretty much wraps it up for me.
           God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the power to change                              the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.
  (And to all my pals...NO! I didn't learn that at my last AA meeting :-)
And to close.. I think there's an enlightening difference between intelligence and knowledge and  knowledge and wisdom. Few people possess all three!


and p.s....this is still my very favorite quote.... Being in church, doesn't make you a Christian any more than being in a garage makes you a car!

All's right again....

Last night was Grandma and Papa night with Miss B. ( Jess has a night class) We love to read together and last night....SHE read to ME.. I was amazed,  If she didn't know a word by sight, she sounded it out.  I think her skills have been heightened by the past few years of speech therapy.  Her therapist, Angela has been sounding and blending words with her since she began.  She even told me last night that when you see PH together it's the fffff sound...I know, brag was a good ole dog!! Anyway, Papa and B have a game they play she's dubbed, "Flashlight Hunters".  They turn off all the lights, grab their flashlights and hunt for treasure. So, Papa's "bring home vacation gift" was a package set of a small flashlight and a headband with a miner style headlamp... it's light can be red or white.  I'm not quite sure what the treasure is they're hunting for... I'm thinking it would be way different for a 60 yr. old than for a 4 yr. old.  Soon, I may end up hiding some candy...........and some scotch:-)

Speaking of grands.. here's my new, very favorite story!

Grandmas

I was out walking with my Grandson.
He picked up something off of the ground and  started to put it in his mouth.
I took the item away from him and I asked him not to do that. "'Why?" my Grandson asked.
"Because it's been on the ground; you don't know where it's been, it's dirty, and probably has germs," I replied.
At this point, my Grandson looked at me with total admiration and asked, "Grandma, how do you know all this stuff? You are so smart."
I was thinking quickly and said to him, "all Grandmas know stuff. It's on the Grandma Test. You have to know it, or they don't let you be a Grandma."
We walked along in silence for 2 or 3 minutes, but he was evidently pondering this new information.
"Oh....I get it! he beamed, So if you don't pass the test you have to be the Grandpa".
"Exactly," I replied with a big smile on my face.
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