Green Monday

We finally received some much-needed rain last night and during the wee morning hours too. My grandson is away on vacation so I will have to check the rain gauge myself to see just how blessed we were. C.J. loves to check the gauge, probably because he loves to be a helper; and, he can actually tell me how much rain we received. He's a smart little boy. So is his sister, but she is more interested in other kinds things I think, not so much science as the boy.

The patient seems much better today, I'm happy to report. He has been an unhappy camper and I'm afraid that may get worse. As the doctor said, he's a go-getter and doesn't like to be confined in any way. He just told me that he's so tired of sitting around doing nothing. I hate to tell him that his time is just beginning. Tomorrow, he is to go back to the doctor; if all goes well, they will remove the staples. He has been running a low-grade fever but I don't think that means anything, but we will keep a check on it to see if it rises above 100, which is the highest it has been.

A Day of Frustrations

Don is now home and is being very ill and frustrated because he can't do much for himself. Who is taking the brunt of his frustrations? The only one here to do for him, of course. His shoulder seems to be mending nicely and the stitches/staples should be ready to come out by the middle of the week. The surgery was more intense than expected and had to be totally replaced. The most frustrating thing is that in the Fall, the other shoulder, which is even worse, will need replacing.

The news is terrible about a young teenager who tried to sneak back into Six Flags by climbing over a fence. Problem was, he was decapitated by the roller coaster. How sad...how sad! I really don't understand when he should have had an all-day pass for the park.

I really don't have time to blog much right now since my day is filled with nursing/waitressing/etc., but will try to get on line some.

Bulldogs VS. Bulldogs

My N.C. Tarheels baseball team lost their game against Fresno State so they will be going back home to Chapel Hill soon. The final series of games will now be played between Fresno State and Georgia. It's funny that both teams have the bulldog as its mascot. Maybe that will give the fans something to be kind to each other about. I'll bet this is a first. Which bulldogs will I support? Well, since I am an east coast fan, I suppose I will have to pull for Georgia. I'm just sorry the Tarheels won't be participating. Yet, I'm happy for the team that won; they were the underdogs and the lowest ranked team to ever make it this far. If you haven't been watching the games, you have missed a real treat. You may want to turn your tv to ESPN and enjoy these final games.

Tarheels: Yes!

It seems that the year 2008 is almost half over! How do I know this? Because Vacation Bible School ended today and we always have that near the end of June each year. (I can't believe how fast time flies!) I always enjoy participating in VBS and hate to see it come to a close. So much hard work goes into making the time a success for the children and I think this year was a great one. We have always had good ones since I have been going to this church in the mid-80's though and I congratulate all those who have planned these learning experiences. I pray that all the children took something home with them, some lasting good memory, that will love the church as much as I. I'm thankful for all the workers who gave so much of their time to plan a meaningful VBS. I hope that your church will be successful too.

I had to stay awake to see if my North Carolina Tarheels would win their much-needed victory against Fresno State in the College Baseball World Series. If you are not a fan of baseball I believe you would find that college baseball is most entertaining. Also, the girls' fast-pitch softball is highly entertaining. Just pick a favorite team or two and enjoy all the playoffs in the month of June. And, yes, the Tarheels did squeak out a winner tonight due to the homerun of one of our players in the 8th inning! There will be a second game between the two tomorrow night at 7:00 PM on ESPN. Come on over to this channel (206 on DirecTV) and pull for one of the teams.

VBS Time in the Churches

Watching the children can be so entertaining! Tonight was the beginning of Vacation Bible School and, as usual, I had to be there (or should I say I wanted to be there; I don't like to miss anything and the children can teach you plenty). I think most of the churches in our neighborhood are also beginning their VBS, but that didn't keep us from having a full house.

Tonight, I was part of the kitchen patrol; afterwards, I observed in a couple of the classes before enjoying the music classes. The children were having a grand time, for the most part (there is always one who prefers not to be there and doesn't like to participate). One of the little three-year-old boys jumped in my lap and I had to participate in the music class whether I wanted to or not. He was enjoying it so I had to do the same. My grandchildren also seem to enjoy the songs they were learning for commencement day, especially the girl. She was right on target and the boy did great too. One of the little ones tickled me because he was really involved in the gestures of the song.

Tomorrow, I will be in the classroom of the 3-to-5-year-olds. That should be something to talk about.

Waiting: Often the Worst Part

Well, the surgeon had scheduled Hubby for surgery on his shoulder this Thursday; however, the doc called earlier tonight and postponed the date. He says he wanted a specific surgeon with him who had much experience doing this type of surgery and he couldn't be here Thursday. So they are postponing it until one day next week we think (and hope). If they don't take care of it soon, they are going to run into our planned vacation time with the children and grandchildren. It seems that we often get ready then wait and waiting is usually the worst part.

We will still be going for tests and blood work tomorrow in order to be ready when they do call and schedule. Then, we will have the children again on Tuesday and Wednesday while their mom and dad work. Vacation Bible School is also this week and I will be helping with that a couple of nights. Soon afterwards, the grandchildren will be on vacation and I will miss having them around to give me a good laugh now and then. They have had the best time playing in the water sprinkler, playing basketball with their pa pa, and spending hours just playing. Ah, to be so young and energetic! If only I had a tenth of their vim and vigor!!

New Email

I have tried to change my email address; now, I should be able to retrieve any messages that you may send to me. I hope that you will try this to confirm my success.

Dizzy Days

When I have weeks as busy as this one, it practically makes me dizzy! It's been fun in so many ways, especially since we have had our 2 little grandchildren all week during the day which their mom worked. This was so entertaining that it helped me forget all the other "busy" things that I had to complete. One of our family reunions was held today and I was responsible for opening, cleaning, and closing the fellowship hall at our church for everyone. The time spent was very nice; however, there were a lot of folks absent, some due to illness in their families.

Tonight, I wanted to treat Don to dinner out but he, being the man that he is, ended up paying for the meal anyway. For Father's Day, the choir director and I are responsible for the program at church tomorrow so we had to spend some time on that late this afternoon. Following that, we had friends to visit. Another dizzy day was enjoyed.

Tomorrow is Father's Day and my newly-married son will be coming for lunch. His wife is a nurse and will be working all day, however. I always look forward to seeing the family. The daughter and her husband with the little one will be here also. So I'm all excited about experiencing another dizzy day!

Keeping Cool

Today was really a hot one in the Piedmont of North Carolina! My grandchildren came over and they wanted to stay outside the entire time; fortunately, however, they did drink a lot of fluids and stayed in the shade much of the time. Don had the sprinkler going but he wasn't sure their mom would like it if they got wet. They do love to run through the sprinkler and get totally wet! Perhaps Mom will send clothes for them next week and one day we can let them play in the spraying waters. I think they want to try sleeping over one night next week too and that will be fine. It's time to give them a try and see how they like spending the night at Grandma's. I never liked staying at my grandmother's because she had no TV, no electricity, no running water and no inside toilet (we were blessed with those conveniences). On the other hand, I loved staying at my aunt's house because we had all of the aforementioned plus a store nearby that sold the best milk shakes you can imagine! Also, on Saturday afternoon, off we would go to the matinee at the local theater. We had a wonderful time! I would often spend 2 weeks during the summer with my cousin; then, he would spend the rest of the summer with me at my home. What a character he was, too! Very creative, always busy, and a real comedian! We had no problems making up games as we went along; neither do my 2 little grandchildren! I'm so glad that they can make up games and enjoy themselves with simple things.

Once again, I have to teach Sunday School. This month's lessons are from the book of Acts, which is full of meaningful lessons for our lives. It is difficult to prepare for however. I thought Genesis was not easy but it really was compared to this book written by Dr. Luke.

Heat Wave

I think we are having a heat wave this weekend. It's very unusual for us to have temperatures in the high 90's and even 100 in early June. Those temps we usually see in late July and August! I do hope this is not an indication of hotter days to come. It's just been too hot to stay outside today but my little grandchildren were loving it. They did drink lots of liquids I understand. I went to meet my retired co-worker at a nearby city. We figured it may be too difficult to meet later this month, especially is Hubby has his shoulder surgery.

School will be out for the students next Tuesday and I get to keep the grandchildren on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of next week. Then my daughter has to lead a workshop the following Tuesday so I will have them again. We are looking forward to having them too. They are so sweet and cute and entertaining. (I may have some interesting stories for you next week). It seems that things right now are pretty much routine. I do have to spend much of tomorrow working on my Sunday School lesson. Folks just don't realize the amount of time that it takes to prepare a lesson. Someone suggested that I let it go but I told them that such action (or inaction) would embarrass me. I feel so unworthy anyway and tell the class how I feel; yet, for some reason, they want me to continue to teach once a month. I personally don't understand why. There are others in our class who know much more than I and could do a much better job. If the Lord wants me to continue, I will, even though I feel so inadequate. I pray that He will continue to guide my planning and lead my moments of teaching.

Recovery Days

I know; I have been off the air now for several days, mainly because I have been using them as recovery days. The wedding Saturday was wonderful and I now have a new daughter of whom I am very proud (Of course, I am proud of my other daughter-in-law and my 2 sons-in-law; we think we are very blessed to have such wonderful children, in-laws, and grandchildren). Sunday was a busy day also, trying to rest up from the all-day Saturday event. Monday was catch-up day at home, but only to a degree because my sisters and I met our best childhood friend for lunch. We spent much of the day together reminiscing. That was a great time indeed. My younger sister and my friend enjoyed their birthdays only 2 days apart so we just enjoyed both birthdays. Tuesday was my exercise day and also the day I used to try to find someone who could move the playhouse that Don won down to my grandkids' home so they could enjoy it this summer (It is so cute! If we ever get it home I will take a photo to place on the blog). Today, one of my school friends had a birthday so I treated her to lunch and, once again, we spent much of the afternoon reminiscing. Tonight, we had the wrap-up for our 2008 Relay for Life. We were told that our total amount raised is $130,000. This is great we think; however, last year our total was $165,000, yet we must remember that the economy was better last year. We need to also remember that this year we had a terrible rainstorm which I think kept many people from coming out, especially some of the older crowd. All in all, everything went great and we had another successful relay.