Birthday Boy

 

Today's birthday boy!  Ron is 61 years old today.  Unfortunately he has to work today so we won't get to celebrate his birthday until Saturday when we are meeting with friends and family to celebrate two birthdays.  Ron's on the 11th and Pam's (good friend) on the 14th.  Tomorrow marks one year since my mother first got sick.  We took her to the hospital on the 12th of Feb. last year.  We had celebrated Ron's birthday with her and my brother the night before.  Gosh it doesn't seem like it has been a year already.   

There is an eerie coincidence about our birthdays.  Ron's is the same as my brother David who passed away when he was just a baby and mine is the same as Ron's brother who passed away when he was 5 years old.  I thought that was an unusual coincidence.

I have to get out and purchase some birthday and valentine cards this afternoon.  Ron is the best at sending cards but I'm not so good.  I forget to purchase stamps...I end up with all kinds of cards that never got mailed.  My Bad!  I can assure you there will be a card in my mailbox come Valentine's Day as Ron never forgets.  He is the best at getting thank you cards in the mail as well.  I keep telling him he should have been a postal worker.  He loves going to the post office.  I bet he goes 3 to 4 times a week just to send packages to his grandson or daughter or to purchase stamps or any other excuse he can think of.  But who can knock such thoughtfulness?  Not Me!

 Well dear birthday boy I'm hoping 61 will bring you good health, happy days and lots and lots of good wishes!  Love you Ron..........HAPPY BRITHDAY!

Spirtual/Religious

What is the difference between being a spiritual person and a religious person?  Is the term spiritual used by people, like myself, who do not attend church regularly as a way of redeeming ourselves? When spirituality came along it was often referenced to mean everything spiritual was good and everything to do with religion was bad. Religion became equated with dogmatism and moralism. I realize that at times I fall into that thinking but for myself spirituality simply means that I believe in something greater than myself.  I can't look at nature and NOT believe in something greater than mankind.  The first time I was really struck by that thought was when I was about 29 years old and saw the ocean for the first time.  It took my breath to see something so powerful, so beautiful and yet know that man had absolutely nothing to do with its creation.  I don't believe there is only one religion but I do believe in one supreme being.  I struggle with the thought that anyone could have found the one and only religion when I think of it as being mostly attributed to geography and genetics.  I just happened to be born in a country where Christianity is the religion of majority and I just happen to have been genetically born to Christians?  I believe God knows what he is doing and I don't believe he excludes anyone due to geography.  As a human being I was given two gifts, opposable thumbs and the ability to reason.  I can choose between right and wrong because God gave me that ability and responsibility.  I will continue to work on my relationship with God and to keep my heart and mind open to all possibilities.

God and Dog

My daughter sent this to me today and I thought it was so sweet I had to share it.  For all you dog lovers or animal lovers of any kind enjoy!

Senior Moment

Click on copy to enlarge!

Replacement Parts

At my last doctor's appointment I was told I had a knee replacement in my future.  I am going to see the orthopedist on the 16th for some kind of injection.  The prospect of a knee replacement is not very appealing to me but I saw how much pain my mother had with her knees and swore I would have the surgery if ever necessary.  My mother was terrified of it and refused and she was literally crippled by her knee pain.  By the time she died her knees were frozen and she couldn't straighten them out at all.  I think she denied herself years of activity because of her fear to do anything about her knees.  If anyone has had knee replacement any information you would care to share would be appreciated.  How long is the recovery?  What about therapy?  Any regrets about having it done?   What was your experience?   I have a ton of questions for the doctor too.

I was diagnosed with rheumatoid  arthritis when I was 14 and have had osteoarthritis for probably just as long.  I've had two surgeries on my hands for joint replacement and one surgery on my ankle (fusion).  So I'm not afraid to have surgery but I've never had any major joint involvement until now.  At least not what I consider major.  I just think that the older we get any surgery is riskier.

Extreme Home Makeover has been here all week building a home for a family whose little boy had heart transplant surgery.  The mother is a pre-k teacher and dad is a rancher.  I think the house will be finished either tomorrow or Sunday.  Pretty exciting!   I still can't believe they can build a house in a week.  It took 5 years to build our current hospital and though we've occupied it for 5 years there are still things that haven't been fixed and were not done right.  We've had water leaks since the day we moved in. 

I'm looking forward to the weekend although the weather isn't supposed to be that great.  I don't have any big plans and sometimes no plan is good enough.

Who needs an ego when you have a brother?

OK, I can take a lot of criticism but even I have a limit.  Vanity has never been a huge issue for me as I have always accepted the fact that I was never going to walk a runway in Paris or be a beauty contestant but I wasn't prepared for the honest observation of my brother.  Now, mind you, my brother has no filters and knows no social boundaries and for the most part I'm prepared for just about anything that comes out of his mouth.  But the other day he called me and said he had something he needed to talk to me about.  I said go ahead and he answered, "I've been thinking about it for four days....you don't look right."

"Don't look right, what do you mean?"

"Your face doesn't look right."

Thinking he was concerned for my health I said, "Do you think I look sick?"

"No, he said, your face looks like it is melting."

Realizing that my brother's schizophrenia might be talking here I inquired further.  "Is it my wrinkles?"

Without hesitation he said "Yeah, that's it".

Good grief..............now I have to be insulted by my hallucinatory brother.  I said, "I'm 60 years old, I'm supposed to have wrinkles, I'm not melting for heavens sake so stop worrying.  I'll still be around to cook for you."

That seemed to satisfy him but I told him to NEVER say that to another woman.  They might not be so forgiving!

I don't have to worry about getting a big head as long as he is around!:)

Ice Storm 2010

YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE THE FOLLOWING !!!!!

Penguins
 
Did you ever wonder why there are no dead penguins on the ice in  Antarctica - where do they go ?
                                  
Wonder no more ! ! !
  
It is a known fact that the penguin is a very ritualistic bird which lives an extremely ordered and complex life. 

The penguin is very committed to its family and will mate for life,   as well as maintaining a form of compassionate contact with its offspring throughout its life.   

If a penguin is found dead on the ice surface, other members of  the family and social circle have been known to dig holes in the ice, using their
vestigial wings and beaks, until the hole is deep enough for the dead bird to be rolled into and buried.

 
The male penguins then gather in a circle around the fresh grave and sing:
     
                         "Freeze a jolly good fellow"
 
                         "Freeze a jolly good fellow."
 
You didn't really think I knew anything about penguins did you?

(Thanks Greg for that one)

Here are some pictures of what Mother Nature left us last week!  

We received about 2 inches of ice and 6 -8 inches of snow on top of that!  It is beautiful to look at but a  bear to navigate.  

Ron and I managed to replace the breaker ourselves so that saved me an electrician bill.  Thank goodness!  We read the gas meter and it appears a mistake was made since it read less now than what was on the bill.

I just looked outside and saw the strangest site.................sunshine!

  

                           Winter wonderland!

            A view from the hospital parking lot