Fuddy-Duddy-ish

 

 My grandson Adrian. He was my firstborn grandchild. This baby boy is now 15 years old! He is One of the Loves of my Life!

 There is just for many people, not just me, who has a very special bond with their firstborn grandchild. It is like we can do all the fun and loving things we couldn't do as a parent but at the end of the day, we can give them back to Mommy and Daddy.

 When we were raising our own children, parenting was filled with pressures that we as a parent had to take care of. Providing a roof over their heads, feeding them, clothing them, school, homework, teaching them, and filling the parenting role as well as working full time jobs. Some parents had to work multiple jobs to care for their children and that meant that somethings had to wait. 

 Not that we didn't want to give our precious children another kiss or hug or bedtime story, but somewhere along the line we would run out of time before falling into an exhausted state, (We really can't call sleep) just to wake up and do it all over again. 

 With grandchildren, some of us are lucky enough to be able to help mom and dad by being a grandparent and giving Mom and Dad a much-needed break for a few hours. Mom and Dad can rest assured that their child is in good hands for a few hours and Grandparents get to spend some time with these children and reap love, affection and share a laugh at the antics of those little ones.

 But those precious babies just grow up so fast. One minute they are tiny little Mini Me's and the next, they are preparing for Graduation Day, going out and braving the world.

 As they grow, they encounter many challenges as my grandson Adrian has done.

 When he was 9 years old, he started screaming in the middle of the night, and this is a child that never cried. He could be sick as can be, but he didn't cry. Not even when he had an ear infection, teething, or if he fell and took a hard knock, this child would just deal with it and go on. But when he was 9 years old, he started screaming in the middle of the night and holding his stomach. 

 Mom and Dad naturally took him to the Emergency Room to make sure it wasn't appendicitis, and once that was ruled out and many tests later, they couldn't find a problem. 

 They couldn't find a problem but eventually they careflighted him to a children's hospital in Los Angeles. Once again after almost a week of more tests and managing his pain they released him with no answers.

 Not even a week later they were back to square one. The sobbing, the fact that the meds were not helping him anymore and finally during the middle of the night, he was careflighted out to the Childrens hospital once more.

 They did exploratory surgery and found nothing wrong. They were going to send him home after they referred him to a pediatrician but one of the doctor's wanted to see his X-Rays one more time and boom. He discovered the problem.

 The condition is a birth defect and usually shows up right after birth. Adrian had gone years with this not being a problem and I am sorry that I cannot remember the name of his condition. 

 They found a part of his intestine died and had to remove a large portion, like 3-5 feet. He is doing great since the surgery, but something to always look out for. 

 His latest challenge came to light right after Thanksgiving this year. While I was there, I noticed that every time I looked up, he was drinking a large glass of water. I told Laurie that I was concerned because thirst and frequent urination was often the first sign of diabetes and I noticed he complained a lot about being tired and she was like, "He is alright. He just drinks a lot because he has been doing this or that and is active".

 I remember my doctor in 1991-1992 telling me to watch my boys, they are more at risk because of my diabetes. So, I have always kept an eye out for my kids, but the boys especially.

 I don't know if I posted this about Adrian or not, but last week Adrian did test positive for diabetes. It broke my heart because I never want him or anyone to have to go thru what I have, but it is what it is, and we will support him fully.

 Adrian is young and he for the most part is healthy. Those two things will go a long way on the road he is traveling on this lifelong challenge. I cannot wait to see him sometimes during the holidays and pass on some incredible tips and do's and don'ts. 

 The first thing I want to say to him is that you can turn this around and live a great life. The doctors have found this early and in doing so listen to your doctor. Don't try to self-guess. Work with your dietician and be mindful of the choices you make regarding food and exercise. 

 By taking these steps now it can really help him in the future. 

 It is getting late, and I need to close so everyone stay safe and well. BB

The Promise

 

Miss Edna, Audrey and I in Florida one night watching the Walt Disney Fireworks display. It was always so beautiful to watch and the company was always loving and filled with awe.

 Hello,

 Happy Friday! I know that it is now Saturday in many parts of the world, and I am glad that your weekend has already begun well past Friday night!

 I had good news from 2 of my doctors today. My endocrinologist informed me that my A1C has come down! 

 Whooo Whooo.  I have worked hard to bring it down and was so excited to hear that news along with the news that my insulin was also decreased and then at my second appointment, my medication was switched back to a different kind which will hopefully bring me some much-needed pain relief. So even though I was tired when I finally got home, I had a great productive day.

 I had planned to come home and watch The Addams Family, Wednesday on Netflix, but I was just too tired so I will have a Netflix Saturday and watch it. I hear it is funny and a cross between Sabrina and Harry Potter so I am sure I will enjoy watching it. 

 Other than that, I really have no plans to do much of anything. Just have a binge-watching weekend and cuddling up with Foxy. It is supposed to be blustery and cold with drizzle. A perfect day to hibernate under the covers with a snuggle bunny. Foxy is a great companion who loves to cuddle as much as I do.

 So I decided that I would write about my promise that I had mentioned in my last post. So here is a bit of my back story.

 In 1998 I had gone to work in a candy factory. I had a great job. I was called a runner. My job started in one station, where I would weigh candy and place in a small white bag that was sent down to a group of people that attached labels so the bags of candy could be sold in our gift store. 

 After that I would go to a different station lasting from 10 minutes to a half hour so others could go to break, then I would go and relieve another station and so on.

 I was on my feet 10 hours a day but I was constantly moving so I was never bored. My last station of the day was a hard one. I loaded pallets with boxes of candy. Each box depending upon the pallet was between 10 and 20 pounds. So, it was a constant movement.

 I was also beginning to hurt in my back, but I thought that it was just because I wasn't used to the strenuous work I was doing. I had recently started the last station a few weeks before. I worked Monday-Thursday.

 My set of days off I was not feeling my best but I just figured I was tired and tried to rest as much as possible. On Sunday I figured I might have a UTI or something and decided I would keep an eye out.

 Monday morning I was in a whole heck of a lot of pain and I called in, fully expecting to call my doctor for an appointment. I went back to bed and Karyn got the kids off to school and I slept.

 All was fine until I got up to go to the bathroom and couldn't move. I finally managed to get to the bathroom and the pain ripped thru me and there was so much blood, it scared me half to death. And I was alone.

 I don't know how I got back to my bed, but I called the school and had Karyn to come home immediately. Well, she ended up running home because our car wouldn't start, naturally. It was on its last leg anyway and finally died in a heap of crap.

 She stayed with me until a friend arrived to carry me to the ER and then went back to school and to get the other kids when school let out. 

 At the ER they gave me a shot and said that I had a UTI and said that if a UTI was really bad then yes, there could be blood. I went home and at some point I was sobbing and I called a different friend who would get off work around 10:00pm from Walmart and she agreed to come to my house when she got off work and take me back to the ER. 

 The same doctor was still there, and he told me "Mrs. Reed you're just going to have to give the antibiotics a chance to work." 

 Something told me that this was not just a UTI. I remember asking him when his replacement came on duty and he said something like in a hour and I told him I would just wait to see his replacement. 

 His replacement agreed with me that it could be more and he called in a kidney specialist and they ran some tests and he said for me to be in his office the next day. 

 When your car is broken down and you have no wheels, that the town you need to be in the next day with a hospital is 30 miles away, that is when one is grateful to great friends. Ones who took off work to get me to that kidney doctor's office!

 Long story short and many many tests and treatments later the end result is that I had a kidney stone. 

 Not just any kidney stone, but one the size of a Grapefruit! No, I am not lying, or exaggerating. I am telling you the truth. It had filled the entire kidney and even into the crevices of the kidney. I cannot think of the name of those crevices at the moment. Poles I think that they called them, but I am not sure. They explained to me that like rock candy, the stones would start out small and as others came along, they would adhere and just continue to grow until all spaces was filled.

 I had many procedures, and once they decided what kind of surgery I would have, they had to insert a series of tubes into the kidney so they could get the instruments into the kidney.

 They made a mistake on the amount of anesthesia to give me because the entire thing was supposed to only last a half hour or so, but I am not really sure of the problems they had, only that it took longer, and they had not planned for more anesthesia, and they had to keep working and when I would start screaming, they would give me just enough to knock me back out again. I remember the screaming parts!

 They ended up keeping me overnight and I remember I woke up freezing cold and shivering so bad that I couldn't even press the call button. I think that I called out but I just remember this beautiful woman coming in and she said I had a fever and she brought me warm blankets and stayed with me, wiping my head with a washcloth and I remember her talking to me and staying with me. I recall telling her how much she reminded me of my friend Cyndy and I had lost contact with her and I really missed my friend. 

 We talked of many things, about how guilty I felt from keeping her from her other patients and she telling me that she was right where she needed to be, and we talked about happiness. 

 I made a promise to myself that night. If I lived thru this ordeal that I would be happy. I would do my best to always be happy or as happy as I possibly could be.

 It was a promise that I meant to keep and later I would be reminded of that promise many times. I have never forgotten the promise that I made that night.

 Now I don't know if you believe in angels or other worldly things or even if things that you cannot explain, but I remember telling the woman that she was my angel.

 I asked about her the next day. I wanted to know her name so that I could send her a thank you note. No one knew who I was talking about. Several people came to me asking for descriptions of her, what she was wearing, how tall she was, what color was her hair? 

 According to staff, there had been no one there matching her description. No woman with long blonde hair, no nurse on duty that gave me medicine or tended a fever I didn't have. No warm blankets or kindness from anyone other than the night staff. So who was she?

 Everyone said I had dreamed of her. They said I had experienced a difficult procedure and it wasn't unusual to hallucinate or imagine things. In other words I was either crazy or going crazy. But I know what I saw that night. I didn't imagine her. I remember telling her that I was going to live my best life and be happy. I remember the hug, the warmth of her hands. I can still feel the hug. I didn't imagine her. 

 I had lost touch with Cyndy when she moved back to Ohio with her husband. I had no way of getting in touch with her. I had tried every avenue I had back then but nothing panned out. 

 About 3 weeks after my big surgery to remove part of the kidney stone, I was trying to get up and move around. I remember making it to the hallway where I had my computer and was sitting there when the phone rang. It was my long lost friend.

 Cyndy and I have discussed this several times and around the same time I had met my angel, Cindy had tried to get in touch with me but couldn't remember my family, sister's names and such but she was praying one night and said that she remembers praying, I miss my friend and had an overwhelming urge to just try again. She got out of bed and went to the computer, and it was like a gold mine of information just came to her.

 She called my husband's mother the next day who told her about my surgery and gave her my phone number. We have never lost touch since then. 

 I remember telling the lady that was with me that night, "I miss my friend." 

 She said to me "I'm sure she misses you too. You will be reunited. Just wait and see."

 So my promise holds so much meaning for me, not just in choosing to be happy, but believing that even if I cannot explain some things, things that are unexplained can happen.

 Good night and take care of yourself and be safe and be kind. BB

 

 

 

Choices, Past Present and Future

 

I know that my choices are not always right, and others may think that I made the wrong ones, but they didn't walk in my shoes at the time I had to make those choices.

 Good Morning,

 When I came across this inspirational photo I was not thinking about choices in the way that I am thinking about them now. 

 I was thinking that I might like to go out to the grocery store today and just get out of the house. 

 I am actually re-thinking about my choice of staying in or going out, mainly because I woke up in a lot of pain and it was really bad and now that I am moving around I would still like to go out, but not sleeping well and the fact that if I get too tired, it will aggravate my pain so I don't know if I will just stay home or decide to go out. 

 But, as I came across this photo I began to think about my past choices. I would like to think that I made the right ones, but a part of me can think of a lot of instances that I know I did not make the right choice. 

 For 19 years I stayed in a terrible marriage because I thought that it was more important for my kids to have a roof over their head and two parents than my own happiness.

 Now I know that was not the right decision as my kids have told me many times, "Mom we just needed you to be happy. Life after divorce was better for all of us." 

 Life after divorce was certainly a lot happier for me. I began to actually live and was learning to build my self-confidence which was nil. 

 The day that I left still comes vividly in my mind. I can see it all and have for many years. I had rented a storage building and was determined that I would split everything straight down the middle. 

 I was also making sure that the house was clean, spotless in fact. I was standing in front of the washing machine putting in a load of laundry when my husband came in for lunch. He was standing in the doorway, and he looked around and asked me if I had made him lunch. 

 Well no, I didn't expect him to come in, but there he was. I just shook my head. He sighed like it was the end of the world. He didn't even acknowledge the work I had done, how nice the house looked or anything. "What am I supposed to do for lunch?"

 I remember sighing before I said "I don't know. You could have called me to tell me that you were coming in and to have something made for you, but as usual the thought of calling me never crossed your mind. There are plenty of leftovers in the fridge or you can make a sandwich or something." I was aggravated because he always did this and complained that it was never a hot meal waiting on him at the table.

 He grew up in a age where he came home from school for lunch and his dad came in from the fields and his mom always had a hot meal waiting for them, but this was not the 50's or 60's or 70's. This was the year 2000. 

 If he had let me know that he was coming in for lunch, I would have made him a meal. But the lack of consideration was a major part of our marriage problems, that and communication. He could or would not communicate with me on anything. 

 I guess he could sense I was still upset from the night before. One of the kids had something going on at school and he should have wanted to be with us as a family, but nope. He was as uninvolved in his kids' lives as he was in our marriage. So, I went by myself and supported my child while he was home laying on the couch and just before we had left for the school, I had made a large bowl of Tuna Salad and we had that with chips and dips for dinner. It was still early autumn and hot. Besides we loved Tuna Salad.

 It was easy as with 5 kids, they all had different schedules and didn't come home at the same time so they could eat when they got home and before we left. Jonathan was already in college in Phoenix Arizona and Karyn was probably either working at her after school job or doing something at the school, so Laurie Matthew and Nathan and I ate before we left. He was still laying on the couch pouting that we were leaving, and he only had a sandwich for his dinner! 

 Pardon my French, but he bitched and moaned about the Tuna Salad, and I had run out of patience. I don't remember the words, but I do remember that I was tired of the same damn thing day after day. In truth he barely worked the last two years and during that time I had 6 kids, and he was the neediest of them all. And even if I was just a stay-at-home mom, I worked hard myself. It took a lot of hours to keep a home going, kids fed, clean and clean clothes and yes, a messy house but not a dirty house. 

 I worked every bit as hard as he did even if he didn't see it that way. Many nights I would be outside at midnight hanging the laundry on the line, sweeping and mopping, folding laundry cleaning the bathroom while everyone was sleeping but me and then be up at the crack of dawn to get everyone ready for their day. Barely having time to pour myself a cup of coffee, let alone drink a cup of coffee!

 So, I was really irritated and tired of his Woe is me, poor pitiful me, nobody cares about me attitude. And especially his acting skills got on my nerves. He would pretend he didn't know how to do something in order to get someone else to do it for him. He could barely make himself a sandwich. And never put the food back into the fridge. It was all part of the poor me crap. I was so tired of it all. I swear I really was.

 I remember thinking "How Long Are You Going To Live Like This?" I rented the storage building the next morning after taking the kids to school. Sometime after the school event and taking the kids to school, I had already made up my mind.

 Standing in front of the washing machine he continued to moan about needing something to eat, expecting me as always just to drop what I was doing and cater to him. I didn't. He finally grabbed something from the fridge and asked me if I wanted to go out to dinner and I remember saying "I'm not going to be here." 

 He asked where I was going, and I just looked at him and calmly said I was leaving. I will never forget the look on his face. It wasn't the first time I had said it, he just didn't realize it was the last time I would say it to him because I meant it. 

 I had a busy morning; I had already had a place to live. Check. I had followed up on a job. Check. I had called the school to get the kids records and started the ball to have them checked out of school. Check. 

 He just stood there looking at me and I went back to what I was doing, and I looked over my shoulder and he had this sad look on his face, picked up his cap from the counter and walked out the door. 

 We were gone when he came home that night.

 Looking back, I know that I made the right choice in leaving. I might could have planned it better than I did but I had reached a point that I knew I had to do something different in my life and in the life of my kids. And I had a promise to keep. I will tell that story next; I believe.

 The sad thing is that he has burned his bridges with his kids. Only 1 out of 5 talks to him when he calls. 1 out of 5! But he did it to himself. He didn't want to be a part of their lives when they were growing up so he really can't expect to be a part of their lives now. They grew up and moved on. 

 I feel bad for him in a lot of ways, but lately it is just a feeling of sadness. He has 6 wonderful grandkids and doesn't have any kind of relationship with them either. He had chances after chances to be a great dad and grandparent but his choice was not to be involved and so he isn't.

 So, as I write this I am thinking of choices. Some are right, some are wrong, and some are still hanging out there to be decided, but I guess that Learning from our choices, right or wrong, is the most important part of the choices we have made or will make.

 Be safe everyone and take care! BB

I Hope All Is Well

 

Believe In You!

 Hello,

 I am hoping that everyone in the U.S, had a wonderful Thanksgiving and if you don't celebrate our Thanksgiving, I hope that you had a wonderful meal shared with friends or a loved one and had your own style of Thanksgiving, and celebrated just being with those that you love and thankful for a full heart and our many Blessings.

 I went to my daughter Laurie's house and Karyn came after dinner with her boyfriend's family then spent a few hours with us. Her boyfriend's mom sent me a huge plate with Ham and all of the trimmings along with a slice of pumpkin pie that I had last night.

 They took Jonathan a plate as well and visited him and Foxy for a while. He didn't eat his pie and ate my slice of Pumpkin. I saved the pecan pie for Jonathan but warned him that if he didn't eat it today then I would have it for dessert tonight lol.

 We had a nice bit of food, but not overly much. We didn't have that many leftovers and clean up was easier that way. It did seem that the dishwasher was going nonstop but I am sure that was to be expected with everything being cooked. 

 Laurie used a different kind of recipe for her sweet potato casserole. It turned out really good, but she said that she was sticking to our original for Christmas and not use as many nuts. It did have a lot of pecans but overall, it was really a good dish.

 I made the English Pea salad and green bean casserole. No one touched the green beans lol. Not that I blamed them. I didn't eat any of it either lol. No way was the younger two going to touch it if they didn't have to! I couldn't get Laurie to let me help with hardly anything. She only let me do the salad and green beans because I was already sitting at the table talking to Karyn and she finally agreed to let me do something. It was nice to eat someone else's cooking for a change!

 The next day was Cathy's birthday. My girl turned 14. She chose her cake and gold and black for her colors. I didn't get to take the pictures that I wanted because I left my phone charger at home and the one that I was using was slow as Christmas. It was on the charge all night and only charged to 37% the next morning. Something was not right with it so I barely turned my phone on while I was there.

 Cathy doesn't read my blog so I don't have to worry about her seeing my post so because she is so very artistic and loves arts and crafts of all kinds, I ordered her a Calligraphy set of pens and a workbook along with a drawing pad.

 She received a lot of charcoal, chalks, pens and pencils along with some cute moveable erasers and books to draw in as well as some crafts to paint and a really nice set of Fairies to paint and I gave her jewelry, but she didn't seem very interested except for sterling silver necklace that had beads on it holding small sterling silver feathers. She snapped that with the earrings right up and put it on. But the bracelets and other necklace sets just received a "Thank You NaNa" and on to the next gift to unwrap.

 I had planned to come home Friday night, but the weather was so bad that I stayed until around noon on Saturday. I was missing my routine and home by then and I am glad to be home. I don't think that I want to stay as long when I go for Christmas. I might get there Christmas Eve and go home the day after. Any longer makes it hard on me.

 My grandson's Dante 8 and Damien 9 were a joy to be around. Other than those two fighting we had a good time together. Damien likes to initiate and pick arguments with his older brothers. At one point I told Adrian, the oldest 15 not to argue with him. He wants to stall you by arguing and you arguing back is taking time away from what he is supposed to be doing. That is why he is arguing with you. Not because he doesn't want to do what he is told to do, but to delay it for as long as possible.  Don't argue with him, just go get your dad who will handle it. I have that boy figured out lol.

 Adrian and I are playing a game called Cue The Universe and Everything Else. It is a card game, but it is educational as well and he has taught me a lot so far. I received 2 very good cards called Mythic cards and they are pretty rare. Adrien was like... "No Way!" but yeah, I chose a deck and I had the card in one of the decks I had bought with my gems. It is pretty fun, but I need to learn a whole lot more.

  So that is how I mostly spent time with my oldest and then Dante and I just talked. He and I had some really in-depth conversations. All of my grandkids are super smart. Sometimes I have trouble keeping up with them. Even the youngest will surprise me with the topics he chooses to talk about. 

 Cathy is enjoying her room and she likes to read or spend time doing her drawings or painting. She loves Bumble Bees and so she has several art projects going of Bees in different stages and her mom found her the cutest desk lamp. The shade is shaped like a honeycomb and the pull chain is a cute little bumble bee. She has some wooden bees to paint, and one is a night light. Some hang on the wall and others will sit on her bookshelf.

 I have some laundry to do tomorrow. I don't have quiet enough for a full load today, but I should have a full load tomorrow. One thing is for sure, I am in no hurry to do any of it lol.

 Well, I guess this is about it for me so I am going to close and go lay down and watch a movie or read. Maybe I can get in a small nap! That sounds like a great idea as I didn't sleep well last night. 

 Please take care of yourself and be kind to others and keep safe! Hugs to all... xxx BB

Concerned Friends

 

 It's beginning to look a lot like winter in this final Autumn month. A friend of mine, actually two of them are in Buffalo New York and one emailed me to say that she has at least 6 feet of snow on top of her car and her roof may have to be cleaned off and that is a scary job! I am keeping all of my friends in snowy weather in my prayers.

 For those asking about Miss Edna, I spoke with her not quite a week ago and she was fine at the moment but having problems with her breathing and had to spend a night or two in the hospital. She has assured me that she is fine, just resting as much as possible.

 I am keeping this short, as I am not feeling well. I have been running some wicked temps and my doctor says that if I have another overnight temp, she wants me to go into Urgent Care tomorrow. I hope that the fevers stay broken, because tossing and turning in night sweats is not fun! And I just thought that I was over the Hot Flashes!! ha-ha... Jokes on me! 

 My lungs hurt, I honestly feel like I have Covid again, and if I do have to go into Urgent Care, I am going to have them do a Covid Test. We have used all of ours that we had here at home. I sure hope not, it was hard getting thru it, and I don't want it again.

 I will be back as soon as I can and I will send a note to Kyra and Angelica Star... Speaking of which, Angelica Star I do not have an email address for you. I am not sure how to reach you except thru my blog, and also, I am sorry about your eyes. I am having glaucoma problems and my retinas are detaching so my eyesight is not so good either. xx

 Please Be Safe and Take care of yourselves... BB

 

Been Locked Out!

 My Little Goblins, Dante, Damien, Adrian and Cathy

 Hi,

 I was locked out of my blog and so I started a new one and then I found a way back into my original blog, how about that? Crazy isn't it how things can be?

 So, I know that this post is as old as dirt, but it was so frustrating to be locked out. Every time I tried to get back in, it kept asking for my password. I kept putting it in, but it would not accept it, especially when I signed out and then signed back in. 

 I honestly do not know what I did differently this time but when I signed in, it took it and here I am. Finally!

 So, I planned to spend Halloween with my grandkids, but their dad had a stomach bug, and I just didn't want to chance it. 

 I had an alright Halloween. I went to my doctor and had some specialty labs done for my kidney specialist and while I was there, I got my jab! I got my flu shot and didn't have any kind of reaction. 

 It is always iffy with me when getting my flu shot. One year my injection site swelled up the size of a baseball and I could barely lift my arm and I was working in a hunting lodge and had to use my arm to scrub the walls of the showers/tubs. 

 Then the next year, I went home feeling fine and a few hours later I felt as if I had been hit by a train. Everyone swore that it was the flu shot, but I knew better.

 I was exposed to the flu before I had the shot, and it was just a coincidence. Well, that is my theory, and I am sticking to it. I know that the flu shot isn't live anymore, but I really got tired of trying to explain that, so I did what I do best and that is just shut up and nod my head yes or no. UGH!

 On the way home, my Uber driver did his best to educate me on politics. One thing for sure is he should be on the next campaign trail. He was adamant about why our country is the way our country is and why we are all idiots. I wisely did not enter into this conversation and tried several times to change the subject but was thankful when we reached our apartment complex and directed him to my apartment and then wished him a great day and escaped!

 I do not like engaging in politics, religion or other controversial topics.  It is better not to do so in my opinion, it can keep from having an argument and worse. I don't want to trigger a very serious argument that could escalate. Isn't that how stabbings and shootings happen? It happens for things less than politics, so I just think that not engaging is best.

 It's cold here today. We have had a cold spell and have even had a few nights below freezing. The days have been sunny with temps up into the 50's and it has been nice. 

 It was funny watching the kids, (I call them kids, teens and 20 something's) come to play volleyball. We have a sand volleyball court, and we had some really nice Indian Summer days in the 70 and 80's and no one played volleyball. Then it rained for 2 days straight and as soon as the rain stopped, that afternoon they came to play. Wearing shorts and hoodies! A couple of girls did have leggings on, but for the most part just shorts. 

 Yesterday was in the 50's and they all were wearing shorts and t-shirts and it was cold out. I guess they were staying warm, but they didn't hang out long at the court. They left within the hour. Some were huddled together and then they grabbed their volleyballs and left! Gee I wonder if they got cold? LOL.

 Right now, it is 43F and our high is 54F with the low dipping down to 38F. So, it is nippy and around 3pm it will be nice until the sun starts going down. It would be a great time to play ball, but school is still in session, so the kids don't usually start showing up around our complex until around 4 or so in the afternoon. But when the others show up to play or practice volleyball, it is usually around 5pm. We have lights so they can see. 

 Jonathan turned on our heat last night. I took Foxy out this morning, and she didn't linger. She went out and ran back to the door to be let in. It took me longer to put my robe on and let her out than it did for her to be out Haha. 

 Well Thanksgiving is right around the corner. It is going to be a time for many to gather and be Thankful for the Blessings in their lives. I hope that if you know someone who doesn't have a place to go, then offer them a place within your circle of family and friends. It doesn't take much to set an extra place. Even if that place is on the sofa or as in my large family, a place on the floor! The main thing is to include someone who may be alone.

  I hope that everyone has a Blessed Day! Be safe and Be Kind and remember if your cold, so is your pet, so bring them inside. BB

Happy Birthday Jonathan (A really Belated Greeting).

 

My grandson Damien and I having a surprise visit! Well sort of a surprise. I knew Laurie was coming but not this little guy!

  Here we are taking selfies. Or at least he is. It is great to have a camera on my phone that sometimes turns out to be a great entertainment tool.

 

 Hello,

 Goodness, it has been ages since I posted. I started this one and never finished it. I don't know what interrupted me but something sure did and I never finished posting.

 June the 30th was Jonathan's birthday. He took off several days for his birthday. It is the closest to a vacation that he gets unless he gets lucky like this past Christmas and the office were closed because the holidays were on a day the offices were closed.

 Well Jonathan put in our 60-day notice to vacate. He has been house hunting. He is looking at apartments, houses and I am sure he would look at a barn if he found one. He doesn't want to get caught in the nothing to rent anywhere saga again. I can't blame him. 

 First of all, this place is very expensive. Our little town is like Mayberry, but you had better have the bucks of the Beverly Hillbillies to live here. It costs a arm and leg!

 The day that the photo above was taken, Laurie called me and she said that she would come and take me to the store for some medication that I was needing.

 Karyn had just got her walking papers and was free finally of the nasty bout of Covid that hit her. In fact, it hit everyone in her small family unit. Her boyfriend, his little boy and few days later her boyfriend's mom Pat got it. 

 Pat and Karyn both ended up in the hospital. They were so sick. Pat is still sick. She is out of the hospital now, but she said that the virus is just lingering on, and she has zero strength, bless her heart. I call or text her every day to see how she is doing.

 It has been bad here. Everyone I know is either sick with Covid or getting over Covid or has a family member or friend down with it. I remember it started with my next-door neighbor and just kept going! I have been lucky not to have caught it, but I wear my mask, keep my distance and wash my hands and bought 2 huge bottles of hand sanitizer with a pump just to be able to refill the bottles that I have in every room. 

 I just got home from going to Target with my daughter Laurie. This weekend is back to school Tax Free shopping, and it is going to be Crazy in the stores. Adrian missed out on the Tax-free weekend because he was given a lot of back-to-school clothes, but they were all too small, so we returned the items and he and Laurie and I went shopping for him today. He had $130.00 to spend so he got 6 nice shirts, a sweatshirt with Levi on the front and 6 pairs of pants, 2 shorts and a pair of shoes. Not bad for a kid shopping. Of course, Laurie helped him pick out things for him to try on. 

 I need to close for now so I can get some things done here in the house and then call it a early night. Take care and Be Safe... BB