Currently

I am

Reading... I gave up on the Nora Roberts. I just couldn't get into it. Instead, I started on a book I picked up at Target during the summer, Rumors & Whiskey by Victoria Wilder. It's the first in a new series. I've never read anything else by her, but maybe you've heard of her from her three book series The Bourbon Boys.

Watching... Hallmark, Hallmark, and more Hallmark. I am watching The Five on FOX right now.

Listening... Today it's been the sounds of construction coming from the new build across the street and the riding mower and push mower as my daughter has been tackling the grass situation. We've had a ton of rain lately and it's been too wet to mow before now.

Eating... I've got a new Pinterest recipe in the oven. It's very simple. I hope it's good. In a baking dish you combine 2 cups of instant rice, 1 can of cream of chicken soup, 1 can of cream of mushroom soup, 1 packet of dry onion soup mix, and 1 1/2 cups of water. Mix it all together then add 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts seasoned with salt, pepper, and paprika to the top. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Do not lift the foil at all during the cooking time. The chicken breasts I have a rather big so I only put 2 of them on top of the rice.

Thinking... about tomorrow. I haven't driven since before my surgery. They told me not to for 3 weeks. I've been okay with it. Thursday is day one of week 4 and my release from the no-driving rule. I'm going to jump in one day early. My daughter has an appointment in Pittsburgh tomorrow. I was going with her, anyway, but she asked me if I was okay to drive because she hates driving in the city. I just hope we don't get stuck sitting in traffic for too long. I'm not sure I'm good with that. I still have some discomfort.

Feeling... accomplished. I am getting so many crafts done!

Celebrating... my grandson's teacher update. He's doing really well in school so far. That is such a relief as he HATED school before.

Enjoying... planning my Halloween skeleton display for this year. I don't do the crazy scary stuff. My skellies will be having a barbecue/pool party riding flamingos and playing badminton and all sorts of fun things. There's even going to be a lifeguard.

Thankful... that my recovery continues to progress well and for all I've been getting done around here.

Also, for the FBI, who thwarted a planned mass shooting here in western PA. Apparently, a young man, who has been on the radar for quite a while, planned to assassinate the assistant attorney general. I'm not sure how, but the FBI said the potential was there for many people to come to harm.

Praying... for my daughter's appointment tomorrow, our nation and our leaders, and the world in general.

Giggling...

 

Saturday 9: Devil in the Bottle

I'm not sure there is much point to answering this week's questions with all the problems Blogger is having. Comments seem to be fixed, but now the blog lists don't seem to be updating. Mine has been sitting static since Tuesday. It's getting old. Is there anyone awake and working over there at Blogger??

Well, for what it's worth...

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This song begins with T. G. Sheppard taking off his shoes to slip into the house with disturbing his sleeping wife. Are you wearing shoes as you answer these questions?  No, I'm barefoot and in my pj's. It's Friday night and I'm watching yet another Hallmark movie/

2) His wife hears him anyway. Are you a light sleeper?  Not for the first 3-4 hours that I'm asleep. After that my sleep is easily disturbed. I miss the days when I could sleep like the dead for 10 hours at a time.
 

3) This is the first of 22 consecutive #1 hits for T. G. Sheppard. Not bad for a high school dropout. What's the last year of education that you completed?  I have two years of college under my belt.

 

4) He was born William Browder and chose the stage name T. G. Sheppard just because he liked the sound of it. He says "T. G." doesn't stand for anything, and he gets a kick out of fans who insist there's some secret meaning behind the initials. Since most of us didn't choose our names: Is there a story behind your name? Did your parents tell you why they chose it? (If you did choose your name, share what influenced your decision.)  I don't think I'm named for anyone. My mom actually wanted to name me Anastasia just because she liked it, but a family friend talked her out of it.

 

5) It was after hours at a Memphis roller rink when he first met Elvis and his entourage. As T. G. was leaving, Elvis was entering and asked if he wanted to stay and skate longer. T. G. was confused because he knew the place was closing for the night. "Not for me," Elvis replied and T. G. skated with Elvis and his buddies until dawn. Are you good on roller skates?  Heavens, no! It's all I can do to stand up with wheels on my feet.

6) T. G. loves NASCAR and was an associate sponsor of the Folgers Chevrolet. He enjoyed the collaboration with the coffee company and has performed the familiar jingle – "the best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup" – in concert. Are you loyal to a particular coffee brand?  I don't drink coffee.

 

7) T. G. understands the lifestyle of his fans. That's why he named his live country music venue Guitars and Cadillacs. If you were going to name a business after two of your favorite things, what would you call it?  Books and Beaches or maybe Books and Snacks.

 
8) In 1974, when this week's song was on the country charts, Linda Ronstadt was getting a lot of radio airplay with "You're No Good." That song is about a real cad. Let's turn that around: Who is the nicest person you know?  Maybe my work buddy, Don. He likes to act like he's all grouchy and tough, but he's the one who always remembers everyone's birthday or other important things and does something nice. I got a lovely vase of flowers my last day at work before my surgery. It was from everyone, but I know he is the one who went and picked it out. I'm sure he is behind the big package of homemade cards and colored pictures I got from all the consumers, too.

 
9) Random question: Have you ever had your palm read?  No.

Thanks to Sam for the music and questions!

Play along here.

Remember

 

It's been 25 years since the terrorist attacks of September 11. All of us who were alive at the time can tell you exactly where we were, what we were doing, and many other details of that day. The thing is, as I heard on the news the other day, there are now over 100,000,000 people living among us who were not alive then. And it is somewhere in those numbers that a door was opened to the ideas that America deserved what it got, that Communism disguised as Socialism is good. In one generation we seem to be doing our best to undo what so many patriots fought to preserve. It seems the terrorists have gained a mighty foothold. 

Don't forget history. Don't forget those who sacrificed. Remember and share those memories. Don't let our forefathers dream die.

But above all, stay rooted in Jesus. When nothing else makes sense, He does.

Currently...

I am

Reading... still working on that Nora Roberts double feature. I haven't been in the mood to read like I thought I would be while I'm off work.

Watching... yet another Hallmark movie. This time it's Texas Two-Step. It's not bad. Mostly I've been working my way through all of their mystery series.

Listening... to the country soundtrack of the above mentioned movie, the hum of the AC (it's going to be a hot one), and the click of the laptop keys as I type.

Eating... it was cantaloupe for breakfast today. We drove up the mountain on Monday to shop at a Mennonite market and came home with lots of goodies...fresh produce and goodies like pumpkin spice fudge.

Thinking... about what to do with the rest of the day. I'm thinking I'll wash dishes, try to do a load or two of laundry (I can't carry a basket so I have to take two or three items to the washer and go back for two or three more until I have a load), and maybe work on some more diamond art for the craft show in November (maybe I'll work on bookmarks).

Feeling... pretty good for being slightly less than two weeks past surgery. I'm moving more and getting out a little here and there. There's just a little discomfort now and then. Unless I sneeze, cough, or we hit a pothole while in the car. All of that still makes me feel like my guts might explode out.

Celebrating... the all clear from my doctor. The tests showed no spread of the cancer and the tumor was at an earlier stage than they thought so no chemo or radiation. I just have to get checkups for the next 5 years. 

Enjoying... having unlimited time to work on crafts, relax, read...do whatever I want.

Thankful... for the big manilla envelope full of "get well" and "we miss you" cards and drawings from the clients at work that came in yesterday's mail. It was so sweet and made my day.

Praying... for our daughter. She is having health issues again, but maybe, just maybe someone is going to listen to her about her feelings that she has a hormonal imbalance. That alone could account for a lot of the things she suffers with. Also keeping our friend, Dave, in prayer. He has colon cancer before (and a lot of other problems), but now he has pancreatic cancer. His wife told me last week that one of his doctors said it is stage 4/terminal. God can and does still work miracles so there is still hope. As a friend put it a long time ago, "As long as there is breath in the body, there is still room for hope."

Giggling...

Saturday 9: Working In The Coal Mine

1) In this song, Lee Dorsey sings that at 5:00 he's already on the job. What were you doing this morning at 5:00 AM?  I'm answering on Friday evening and since I am currently on a 6-week leave of absence from work, I was sleeping.

2) He's worked so hard all week that he's too tired to enjoy his weekend. What are you doing for fun this holiday weekend?  Nothing special as I'm not allowed to drive, lift anything heavy-ish, stand for too long, sit for too long, push anything, pull anythihng, etc. I'll probably finally drag out the crafts I've promised myself I'd work on while I'm off work. (Don't worry. If they are heavy I'll have someone else doing the actual dragging.)

3) Lee Dorsey was raised in Portland Oregon, home of the Portland Trailblazers. The NBA season kicks off next month. Do you have a favorite basketball team?  Nope

 

4) This song was written by Allen Toussaint, who had a long career as a composer and producer. He produced Fats Domino in the late 1950s and worked with Elvis Costello and Paul McCartney into the new millennium. What job have you held the longest?  School bus driver. I did that for 16 years while my kids were in school and beyond.

 

5) In 1966, the year this song was popular, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey was born. Are you a good cook?  When I want to be. Lately I've been more of a lazy cook.

6) 1966 was the year when more Americans purchased color TVs and black and white sets. When you were a kid, did your family have a black and white TV?  I remember us having a black and white TV when I was small. If I take a guess, I'd say we got a color TV (one of those big consol jobs) around 1973.

7) Labor Day is a big weekend for mattress sales. Do you plan on buying a new mattress before the year is out?  No, we just bought one 2 years ago.

8) Though kids go back to class earlier these days, store aisles are still full of school supplies. When she was a little girl, Sam was crazy about her big box of 96 Crayola Crayons with a sharpener in the back. Share one of your back-to-school memories.  Mostly I remember the marathon shopping trips with my mom and my aunt. I'm talking about them dragging me and my cousin from one store to another allllll day long. Everything had to be tried on and there were always multiples. We couldn't try on one pair of jeans if there were 12 to consider.

9) Labor Day weekend is the unofficial beginning of fall. Have you had any pumpkin spice yet?  It's like you don't even know me. Of course I've had pumpkin spice. Several times. Donuts, pancakes, bread, ice cream...

Thanks to Crazy Sam for the music and questions. You can play along here.

Thankful Thursday

There is a lot to be thankful for today, but I think I'm just going to drop two on you and call it a day.

First, I'm thankful to even be able to post tonight. We've had terrible storms rolling through all day and the ones tonight have just been the worst. Part of the evening was spent hunkering down in the basement with our daughter's family. 

About 6:30 this evening everyone's phones started exploding with weather alerts. They weren't messing around, just said to seek shelter NOW. Apparently, the heavy rains were hiding the cloud rotation so that only radar was picking it up. They said if you waited until you could see it or hear it, it would be too late.

Thankfully, we didn't see the expected 80 mph winds. The chairs and rug on the pool deck had to be fished out of the pool when it was over, but we had no damage. A quick drive around the neighborhood showed nothing other than a lot of standing and running water. Other areas were not so lucky and thousands in the region are without power tonight and will face a big clean up job tomorrow.

Second, I am thankful for the report I got from my oncologist today. The cancer was at an earlier stage than believed and they got all of it. I do not have to do chemo or radiation. I just have to follow up for 5 years. 

Thank you, Lord! 

And thank you to the army of people who have been praying for me!

Currently...

I am

Reading... Engaging the Enemy by Nora Roberts. It's a 2-in-1 book.

Watching... a LOT of Hallmark movies.

Listening... to the AC. Sweltering heat is back with us this week.

Eating... comfort foods. Tonight was Chinese. (Hey, I'm stuck at home and not allowed to do much. I neeeed comforting.)

Thinking... that I'm going to lose my mind over the next six weeks.

Feeling... pretty good, all things considered. I'm a bit sore, but nothing Tylenol and ibuprofen can't handle. I haven't taken even one Oxycodone and I don't plan to.

Celebrating... that my surgery went well and one preliminary report says no malignant cells were found outside of the tumor. I have to wait until my doctor calls to give me the official news and what the plan is going forward. He seemed pretty sure I'd at least have to do some radiation treatments.

Enjoying... time away from work, the shift to all things fall, and having an excuse to not do much in the way of housekeeping.

Thankful... my mom and step-dad have such good neighbors up on the ridge. Mom went to the ER the day after my surgery and ended up staying to get a stent put in because she has a kidney stone that is too large to pass. They sent her home the next day and she went back the following morning...courtesy of a neighbor driving her at 6:00 in the morning. She was sent home after a brief exam. We are dealing with the fact that she seems to think the stent is a permanent thing and she's "cured." We are also dealing with the fact that her thinking is beginning to show cracks. A lot of the stress over my step-dad's condition for all those months, we are now thinking was due to her not listening/understanding what she was being told. So, yes, very thankful for neighbors who keep an eye on them since we are at least 20 minutes away and they are exceptionally stubborn.

Giggling...