Happy Tuesday! It’s a beautiful day. I wouldn’t want to stay outside in my swim trunks very long since it is 53 degrees, but a fellow could walk to the mailbox and back and be almost comfortable. The sun is shining and the birds are having a big breakfast and or brunch at the Backyard Buffet. 

Kate and I basically “have the day off” which means no doctor’s appointments today or other places we have to go. I could go to my Neighborhood Walmart and do some grocery shopping but I need to put together my list first. I’m seeing some things that I need to put on the list for sure. I’m making a pot of vegetable soup this morning and I don’t have any barley to put in it. I also used most of my Beef Broth. And of course, the milk is running low and I need some other everyday items. It shouldn’t take me very long except that it is Christmas season so people will be doing their early Christmas meal planning and shopping. Kate and I haven’t even thought about that since it will just be her and me. Maybe we’ll sleep late that day and I’ll make some pancakes for brunch. No need to get up early because I’ve have had permanent residency on Santa’s naughty list for decades now. LOL. 

Kate had her cardiac therapy again yesterday and did well. It was luring like crazy when we got there so I dropped her off and went and parked and waited for her to call me and then went back and picked her up. The place was an absolute zoo yesterday because of the rain, and because it was a Monday. Monday through Wednesday are the worst days to go to the hospital for anything. Parking is always at a minimum no matter which hospital you go to. Tomorrow morning she goes again and we are projected to have rain again. Yuks. 

Today seemed like a good day to make vegetable soup so I have a pot going. We’ll have it for our early supper. I fixed biscuits and eggs around 11:00 this morning so that will hold us until maybe 4:00 so so, maybe later. I really like to make vegetable soup and have learned how to do it pretty well. I had a great teacher (Kate) who also had a great teacher, (her mama). But it has gotten a lot easier these days as opposed to the day when my mother in law had to cook up meat and make her own broth. But, I have had to make some changes now that Kate has to really watch her sodium levels. I used to just use “Vegall” but now I uses strictly fresh or frozen vegetables, and low sodium V-8 juice and low sodium broth when I have it. It tastes just as good and I can add salt to my bowls if I want to. 

That’s it for today. I hope your day and your week is blessed. I hope you share the blessings a a new born Savior with everyone you know. Peace. 

 Wednesday, December 11th, the month is going by quickly. I suspect that 10 year old me would think that the month was creeping by and that Christmas is a loooooong way off. But 80 year old me thinks that the days seem to pass pretty quickly. Blame Santa Claus because it makes a difference whether you are waiting for Santa Claus or you ARE Santa Claus. 

We have started this week off in good stead. Ms. Kate is feeling so much better. I think she is about 99% over the bronchitis with only a little of the lingering cough remaining. And, she has officially started on the Cardiac Rehab program. She went Monday and again today and we go back again on Friday. It does give  some sore muscles but that is to be expected. She makes it through what they want her to do in the class pretty well. Monday she had a followup appointment with her cardiac NP and got a good report from them. I think we can measure her progress by the fact that she has no medical appointments for the rest of the month except for the rehab three days a week. We give God all glory for her progress. 

Did I tell you that I got into a cookie making mood? I made chocolate chip, Springerlies, and snickerdoodle cookies and then while I was at it I made a pumpkin pie. The pie is all gone by now of course so I have to think about what I want to do next. I’d really like to make a good Coconut Creme pie but I don’t think I’m quite ready to jump on that horse. But, I love a good coconut Creme pie. I have found that there are a lot of places that make them but some of them are wonderful and others are just; meh”!

My bird feeders are empty and I really need to get out there and fill them. I put in an order with Wild Birds Unlimited this morning for $170.00.  That was for only seven items. I can’t believe how much more it costs me to feed these guys, but then I can’t believe what it costs me to feed Kate and me these days either. If I would just put out the sun flower seeds it would provide them food, but they really flock to all of the different varieties that I buy. I also have to get hold of an electrician to replace the outlet on the back patio. I’ve studied how to do it but I just can get down to do it because it is so low and I would have to lay down on the concrete to do it. That ain’t happening. Until then. The birds will have to deal with the fact that they won’t have unfrozen water at times. 

That’s it for this Wednesday. Have a wonderful rest of your week. Peace. 

 When winter got here, it came in with a bang. Starting Saturday afternoon, we received 3 inches of the white stuff. But, I have to say it was really beautiful looking around here on Sunday morning. And it was a “convenient snow”, meaning it didn’t stick on the roads or sidewalks. By Sunday afternoon much of it had melted. But it is snowing (flurries) again right now. Our weather forecaster said that we officially received the three inches which is more than we received the entire winter season last year. But forecasters are all saying this will be a colder and wetter winter and to watch out for January. 

Nothing ever stays calm or routine health wise around here. Last Tuesday, Ms. Kate went for her introduction to her cardiac rehabilitation. That evening she started coming down with some kind of cold/flu-like symptoms. Well, it has continued to develop. It has developed into serious coughing spells that literally get her to the point that she can’t breathe. This morning we took her for her first actual rehab session and they sent her right back home and told her to call her doctor because they were hearing wheezing in her lungs and she still has a cough. She called Dr. Jackson’s office and now she has an appointment to see the NP at 3:10 today. I will not be surprised if they send her to Deaconess for admission with pneumonia. Hopefully though, they will be able to put her on some kind of antibiotic but she is allergic to so many of them. So, we will see what happens. There is a lot of crap going around the community. Church was half empty yesterday because of it. 

Can you believe it is December 2nd? This year will be gone in 29 days and it will be 2025. Christmas is going to be so weird this year. Christmas Day and New Years Day both fall in the middle of the week. Julie and Jim have to work the day before and the day after each of those days so they will not be coming over. It will just be Ms. Kate and I. We have the tree up but no decorations on it. It’s going to be a “bah- hum-bug” Christmas. Kate and I could maybe think of doing something on our own but with her health, planning ahead is not much of an option. But, I won’t grouse or complain. Life is what it is and we are both still so very blessed. 

That’s it for today. Have a wonderful week. Peace. 

 Happy Thanksgiving, 2024. It was 41 degrees when we got up and the temperature has now dropped to 37. The sky is overcast and grey, and the neighborhood is without water due to a water main break somewhere around us. It’s not exactly how we had hoped the day would start. 

Also, Ms. Kate is under the weather still today. She came down with a cold on Tuesday afternoon. She spent the day in yesterday and feels some better this morning. But, she will not be going with us to her sister’s house for lunch today. I don’t think she is contagious but she doesn’t want to share. 

Julie came over from New Albany last evening. Unfortunately she had a flat tire on the way. She called USAA Roadside Assistance and they found someone to come fix it for her in about an hour. So it has been an eventful couple of days. I guess tomorrow we will try to either find her a tire or hopefully just get it fixed. Probably not the kind of Black Friday shopping she was hoping for. 

Tomorrow we plan to cook our Thanksgiving turkey and all the fixin’s. It will just be the three of us so I anticipate many leftover. We’ll send some home with Julie so she can share with Jim who is home dog-sitting. That’s about it for today. Have a blessed day. Be thankful for all God has provided. Peace. 

 Monday, Nov 25th. Welcome to Thanksgiving week. I hope you had a wonderful weekend; — we did. We didn’t do much other normal home chores like laundry and some shopping. Last Friday we met with Brenda and celebrated her 70th birthday. Andy didn’t come because he is busy laying field tile on the farm. We went to church Sunday, then out to Nellie’s North for lunch. Came home and and tested out the recliners. I’m glad to say they still work quite well for napping. 

Today has been busy. Ms. Kate started her Cardiac Rehabilitation program today at Deaconess Gateway. Today was mostly get acquainted and they had her walk for six minutes. But they got her clinic schedule all set up and for the next three months we will be going to Gateway three days a week for her rehab. I guess it’s nice to have consistency in your life and this will be that. LOL

I have the yard crew here today to do fall clean up and trim-back of all of the flowerbeds etc. It may be that they will have to come back again tomorrow because it looks like it could rain. I guess we will see. It’s 2:00 pm and will be dark in another three hours, and there is no way they are going to be-able to get it all done. 

That’s it for today. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving if I don’t get back to you. Peace. 

 Good Wednesday morning to you. It is a chilly one and the breeze doesn’t do a thing to warm it up. But —- tomorrow morning will be worse, or so the weather dude says. The bottom is supposed to drop out of the temperature bucket tonight for the next couple of days. It’s about time for winter to show up I reckon. But, —- by the weekend the temperatures will come back up. The weather dude also used that dreaded “S” word but said there will be no accumulation. The sad part is that all of these flowers that are blooming are going to get a rude awakening in the next couple of days, although —- we may still not see our first “hard freeze” for another couple of weeks. 

Ms. Kari, the cleaning lady should be arriving any minute now. I’m going to have her help me move the patio plants in. Kate trimmed them up last evening and got them ready. But, we need to move some furniture around and move the recumbent bike out of the way so we can set the pots by the windows. It shouldn’t take very long but I do need her help. I moved the Pony Tail Palm tree in a couple of weeks ago. That’s the really heavy one. 

Our middle daughter, Heather, turns 54 years old today. That just doesn’t seem possible. I mean of course it is possible but we tend to live on our memories of days past and just seems to have gone from 1-54 in no time. Julie our oldest is 57 which means she is staring 60 in the face and Lisa is turning 53 in December. It is ludicrous to say “where does the time go” because no one knows where time goes. ——- But where does the time go? All I know for sure is that I have a lot fewer days ahead of me than I have behind me. 

Neighbor Dan, across the street had a knee replaced yesterday. I saw a post from him this morning on FB and he was looking good. I think maybe the pain medicine had not worn off yet. I think he is supposed to go to a therapy facility for a couple of weeks. That’s is unusual these days. My son-in-law Gary went home the same day as he had his knee replaced. 

Okay, gotta make a run for a couple of errands. Kari is here and I need to get out of the way. I pray you will have a blessed day. Peace. 

 Happy Tuesday, the 19th of November. I hope you are having a day that is as beautiful as what we are having here. It is 70 degrees and the sun is shining brightly. However, all of that is about to change within the next 24 hours. By the end of the week we are facing even the possibility of seeing a snow flake or two. And we will certainly see the coldest weather we have had so far with temps hanging around at 34 degrees at night and low 40’s during the day. Hello winter —- it is about time you showed up. 

I can’t believe that my roses and my azaleas, and zinnias and marigolds are all blooming. They will certainly get their noses trimmed this week. But — it has made for a wonderful fall and by Monday, we will see rising temperatures again. But — certainly not back into the 70’s again. 

We had a nice weekend. We went to Ft. Branch on Sunday and worshipped with the St. Lucas folks. Next time, we need to attend St. Paul’s. But that means going an hour and a half earlier! I must say that their new pastor for the parish is a good preacher. I don’t know how he is as a pastor; (yes, there is a difference between being a preacher and a pastor) but the folks seem to like him a lot. He seems like a nice guy and I hope he learns to love the parish like we did. 

Ms. Kate is still doing very well. She is getting around so much better and feeling stronger. We’re hoping that she won’t have to wear that life vest much longer. I’m not sure who will be the determiner of that or what she has to do to find out. I suspect it will at least require another echocardiogram to determine the output of her heart. But, the doctor’s appointments are getting farther in between. What would we do if we weren’t going to the doctor all of the time?? 

Our cleaning lady comes tomorrow and I’m going to ask her to help me bring the remainder of our patio plants for the winter. This week I cleaned up of of the John Deere mowers and have them in the garage for the winter. Now I need to wait for Jim to come over and put the snow blade on one of them. 

That’s it for today. Have a blessed week. Peace.