MERRY CHRISTMAS

Merry Christmas from cold damp North Carolina. We had Christmas or the opening of the presents last night. David has to work today. The house is small for 9 people most of the adults or almost.

Sweetpea has grown, she is almost as tall as I am. She is almost square like Steven was at her age. She and Steve keep a good house they work together well. They seem to be adjusting well. Michelle likes her school and has a good counselor. We spent one day in Jacksonville shopping. That girl can shop me into the ground. We found jeans and some underwear. I found some shoes and we had seafood for lunch in a grownup place.

David said he would go with us to Morehead City an Beaufort on Sunday.

David's new girlfriend comes with a large family. A grown daughter married to a Sailor and with a darling little boy almost two. They had to leave before Christmas to go to another base. They have a 14year old boy that is hyper big time. We all keeping trying to give him some coffee but he doesn't like it. This kid is bright, bright and likeable but the hyper is getting to me. A 16yearold girl complete with a boy friend. She plays guitar and will help Michelle with her's she got for Christmas. She has a crush on Steven and the two of them keep things lively. Momma is very likeable and so--- good to Michelle and Michelle likes her and hangs all over her if we let her. Michelle feels like they are part of her family already, if things don't work out it could be bad. This is all happening very quickly and we hope they will slow down and take it easy.

I need to go see about Michelle more later.

What is News

I haven't been watching the news very often it is depressing. Here is why.

CBS with Katie ran a section on "Climate-gate" about the e-mails that would lead people to think there is not any climate warming.
NBC with Brian ran a section the same night Dec. 9th about Kenya and showed pictures of water holes, and rivers drying up. It showed pictures of women and children dipping dirty water out of the water hole. How can people believe that we don't have a problem of climate warming after seeing those pictures. I am so discussed with news programs trying to control the news.

Our news paper is continuing to print everything possible how climate warming is a hoax. I can't believe how stupid people are today.

Surprise

I was pleasantly surprised this morning my grandkids and girl friend arrived to help clean house. I just have to finish putting things away. It's so difficult to keep things put away. The house looks so cluttered if anything is out of place. I took everyone to lunch and that was more expensive than if I had hired someone to clean for me. E and I worked on the garage I am so pleased to see every thing put away and swept clean.

Billie is coming for the night. ASCA is having their Christmas Party and we are looking forward to going. I have several Christmas Parties before I go to NC. David and I e-mailed back and forth a few minutes ago. It is really nice to do that.

Still trying to get things together to pack.

Claustrophic

If it isn't spelled correct forget it. I looked in 5 different spelling books and had a friend check her medical books and nobody came up with the correct spelling. Anyway I wanted to talk about that metal tube called a MRI.

A long time ago I read about taking snap shots in time in your life. When you find yourself in a place that is peaceful and calm, you take a snapshot for a future time. I have found myself in a few places like that. I have met God in some beautiful surroundings. I call these my snapshots in time. When I find myself somewhere I am having trouble with the present, I retreat to one of my snapshots in time.

Today when I was being pushed into that metal tube I looked for my usual snapshots. One is a meadow in the San Isabel National Forest up my San Isabel Lake. The other one is a rock I sat on over looking a northern New Mexico lake. Hubby and I had the travel trailer parked not far away and I had spent some time with my Bible on that rock. I couldn't get either one of them to stay long enough to drown out the banging of the MRI today. Another snapshot came to mind the cabin at Glorieta. Hubby use to drive the bus and I had dinner ready for the crew. We took the youth sking between Christmas and New Years. Pat was in college on a track scholarship. He went along to run in the high air of Glorieta. Pat kept the fire going all day long. He ran in the morning and again in the afternoon the rest of the time. We spent in front of the fire. One day it snowed all day and we watched it snow in front of the fire. I spent almost and hour in the MRI tube today watching it snow. It was great!

Scare Tactics

Oklahoma Senator Coburn is playing the scare tactics card. He wants the seniors to believe if we allow the medical bill to pass we will die sooner. Maybe by his scaring us to death. If we have to give up a little of our coverage so what. We have to get all of the uninsured people covered by medical care. I'm having trouble getting my ambulance ride from the hospital to rehab covered. I didn't know I had a choice they called the ambulance I didn't. If the hospital thought it was necessary why are they dining it. Bruce is into the fight for medical care.

Pat is in a dark funk. He just needs to get past today.

I'm trying to get ready to go to NC it takes forever to get clothes ready. I had my MRI today maybe I can get the shots to my back so that the plan trip won't be so bad.

Thanksgiving 1955

Thanksgiving 1955 hubby was overs seas, I was in Pueblo, Colorado with my parents. The boys were 3 and 2. Our Thanksgivings always included my Great Aunt Lilly and my fathers cousin Frank. We called Frank, Uncle Frank so that we wouldn't confuse my boys. Uncle Frank spent a lot of time with the boys and me, while hubby was away. He took us places we couldn't have gone without him. He went to Church with boys and me.

This particular Thanksgiving the weather was beautiful so we went for a ride out to Canon City about 40 miles away. I think gas was about 25 cents a gallon but Uncle Frank didn't have the money or forgot to check the gas gauge. We ran out of gas outside of town coming back. Uncle Frank walked to get gas (no cell phones in 1955). He came back with gas and we were off only to run out again before we reached the outskirts of town. We both pooled our money (not much) and we purchased gas again. I'm sure when we reached my father's house Frank had to ask for money and received a lecture from my Dad about the entire escapade.

I don't know if the boys remember the day but I do fondly. I really appreciated a old man taking the time to be kind to me and two little boys.

Proud Mama

My last post was to read my son's Family and Friends post. Now I have to direct you to Mainstreambaptists.org for my other son's blog.

We keep hearing the arguments about abortion and when and how the fetus becomes a soul or has the breath of God inside. My son has it narrowed down and explains it so easily.

Why does this side of the argument appear instead of the one that the soul begins at inception. This explanation makes more sence.

A mama has to be proud of her boys.

Son has his bloodpressure up

If you haven't read my son's blog please do so. I couldn't agree with him more.

"family and friends.blogspot.com"

Follow up Post

I didn't think to identify Cora Allie and Thomas. They were my grandparents. My grandmother lived with me all of my life. She died when Pat was almost two. She died of heart problems. Both Hubby and I were privileged enough to have grandmothers in residence. I suppose this was also a sign of the depression. Families lived together then. Hubbies grandmother lived alone when she could. My grandmother never lived alone. No surprise that my mother couldn't do it and that I am having trouble learning how.

I slept with my grandmother, she had time to read to me. It was my greatest pleasure when I could read myself. She taught me to embroidery when I was five, I still find this a pleasant past time. She had time to teach me the Lord's Prayer. She never went to church that I remember. She didn't go places alone and my parents didn't attend church. I was faithfully sent to SS every Sunday. When Hubby ask me to marry him that was one of the conditions I wanted us to take our kids to church. One of thing I cherish the most is a little sign that says "Prayer Changes Things" . This sign always set on her dresser alone with a square cut glass bowl. I have both of these and they always remind me of her.

She never told stories you had to ask about things so my memories of her stories are limited. She told me about seeing them bleed her mother. He father taking a box that had a still born baby and burying it. She never talked about her father. Her baby sister Aunt Lilly was always a part of the family. Aunt Lilly didn't talk about him either. She did tell me that he vowed never to speak to Allie again and he didn't.

If I think about more I may post about her again. She was a guiding light in my life.

Changing role of women

Cora Allie 1883-1954 Allie was the oldest child in her family. There were 2 brothers and a little sister when her mother died. Allie was 9 years old when she was told to quit school and take care of the family. She became an excellent cook. She made biscuits that would melt in you mouth. The stories I heard tell of aunts and uncles coming to visit and expecting her to wait on them also. Another story was that the little brothers couldn't keep a dry bed at night. Allie was washing clothes on a washboard and doing nightly sheets for her brothers.

Allie lived in rural Mississippi she became friends with neighbors down the road. A relative came to live with them from Alamba. His name was Thomas and was an older man. He had a story following him that he left Alamba because he had killed a man. This visitor had killed his brother-in-law by shooting him. By crossing the state line he escaped the law. Allie was very attracted to him, he paid attention to her something lacking in her life

Thomas had children as old as Allie. He came on to her and talked her into running away with him. Allie jumped at the chance to get away from her life taking care of her father's family. She was all of 17 years old. She called her husband Mr. all of there married life.

Allie's father was furious and vowed never to speak to her again. He kept this vow until he died.

Allie and Thomas's first child was a boy. He was what was called a blue baby which died after a few months. This was a sign of heart problems.

Allie was under the control of her father and became under the control of her husband. Allie and Thomas were sharecroppers in Mississippi. They lived in a wooden shack that was wall papered with newspapers. Their second child a little girl learned to read by reading the newspapers on the wall. Thomas was a Civil War Veteran and died when their daughter was 13 years old.

Allie was under her father's control and went to the control of her husband. Allie didn't have an education and had never been on her own. She did have a pension as the spouse from the Civil War. Without a husband she couldn't sharecrop anymore.

Allie and her daughter moved to South Texas to live with her oldest brother and his family. Allie was left without means of support. While her daughter was in high school she worked in a local laundry. While she lived in her brother's house she was under his control.

Allie's daughter married before she finished high school. Allie was welcomed into there home and never had to work another day in her life. Unless you consider sharing the care of there home and helping take care of there two children.

All of Allie's life she was under someone else's control and dependent upon someone else for her support.

Now I understand the fundamental movement is trying to reduce women to this kind of lifestyle again.

This was a mere two generations ago, please don't let women be reduced to this lifestyle again.

Fall 1948

Football season in Pueblo sunshine was bright on that Saturday afternoon. Central/Centennial football game . Central won and my friend Margie and I were silly with the winning and up to doing any crazy thing. The crazy thing was a snake dance going down Broadway Avenue all the way from the stadium to the junction. Margie and I were in the middle going around cars that we had stopped on Broadway. One of the stopped cars belonged to my boyfriend Marv. Marv wanted me to go to the Central/Centennial victory dance that night. Margie had broke up with her long time boyfriend and didn't have a date. I told Marv I would go if he could get Marge a blind date.

Bill was the blind date for Marge. She spent the whole night dragging me into the restroom telling me that Bill couldn't dance and she wanted to go home. I spent a lot of the time changing dances with Bill and Marv so that Marge would stay at the dance. I really liked Bill (boy could he dance). Bill ask me to go to the ROTC ball with him. I had to break up with Marv so that my conscience would let me do that. Marv's Mormon Mom was very happy she didn't approve of this little Baptist girl. For the rest of the year Marge and I both dated Bill. Marge finally went back to her old boyfriend and married him.

Bill joined the Marines that summer and left town. I dated Bill when he was in town the next two years. We wrote tons of letters during that time. During the summer of 1950 Bill was home his little sister had surgery and they gave him leave. We decided to get married that summer. I have already posted that. My parents and Bill's mother drove to California and were there for our wedding. I am the only one still alive that was at that wedding.

October 26, 1962

I had good intentions of writing about my married life, but today's paper listed the importance of this date. President Kennedy went on TV to tell about the missiles in Cuba.

There are snapshots of life frozen in time. This date is one of them, I was PG with Penni and had been to the Doctor and told to walk more. Bill and I were standing middle of afternoon, in Daddy's music store, watching President Kennedy on TV explain the crisis of missiles in Cuba.

Another beautiful sunny fall day outside but scary news about Cuba, which seemed so close at that time. We knew that missiles had a long range and Colorado would be a target.

October 24, 1950

Beautiful sunny fall day in Southern California. My parents, Bill's mother and I had traveled by auto to Barstow Marine Corp base. Bill in is marine uniform (good looking guy) with the urgency of the Korean War. We had traveled to Barstow so that Bill and I could be married. My parents wanted to see the Pacific Ocean. We traveled to San Bernadino to be married. We called several Baptist Church's asking for someone to marry us, no one was interested. Finally one minister ask us to come talk to him. We spent several minutes talking to him and were getting no where. We mentioned that we had parents with us and he changed his tone. Everyone was invited in and a wedding was planned. We went into the sanctuary and were married.

As we walked out into the bright sun light school was getting out at the elementary school across the street. We drove on to Los Angeles to spend the night, still not seeing the ocean. We spent the night at the Admiral Hotel, parents on one floor and Bill and I on another. We spent the next day trying to find the ocean. I don't think we ever found the ocean before we had to go back to Barstow.

I spent the first several months of married life in the Mojave Dessert.

October 21st

I tried driving and it didn't work too well. So I am waiting for a little while. It is just very confining as I have to ask other people to drive me places. Annie is taking me to the doctor Friday morning and my real estate friend Pat is taking me to my hair dresser in the afternoon.

Mat is getting married Sunday afternoon, they brought the boys over last night and I altered their tux. The oldest boy is skinny, skinny like Pat use to be. I am anxious for the wedding to be over. Mat has been so busy we can't get him to finish anything.

Shari is having surgery shortly I have to drive when she comes home from surgery or rehab.

24th is my wedding anniversary, I can't help but feeling something about our 59th anniversary.
My friend Helen is celebrating her 50th so that keeps in the fore front of my thinking.

Pain, Pain and more Pain

I am walking up to 20 minutes at a time for the last three days. I am trying to get stronger but I am doing it in pain. I am taking oxycodone/APAP 5mg-325 mg every 4 hours and I am still in pain most of the day and some of the night. I am using heat sometimes and cold sometimes this seems to help.

I have been going to Unity on Sundays Shari will take me. I finally have her going regularly. I'm not sure she would go if they were meeting any place else. I managed to go to the covenant group this morning and out to lunch with them. I need to try and go back to church there, now that Shari is going to Unity by herself. I will need to get someone to pick me up but I would have to go back to SS and I really dislike that. Maybe I just have to wait until I can drive myself.


I have been hurt that Pat and family have not been more interested in how I am doing. I don't hear from them at all. Linda did call this week but I will admit when I need something they are there. I know that house is a zoo so it is difficult for them to think of any thing else.

I have been thinking of writ ting the story of my marriage here, I haven't decided yet. Pat gave me this award and I was suppose to pass it on but trying to find 15 blogs to pass it on became a chore that I didn't want to do. Maybe the pain I'm living with makes me crabby.

My First Outing

Shari and I went to Unity this morning. The church went out to lunch afterward. I managed both church and lunch.

I sat across from a couple that I just said hello to when I saw them. I really got to know them. They were very interesting to talk to. I just took my pain pills and got through everything alright. That little church has been very kind and friendly to Shari and I both.

Matt was over yesterday finished making my shower handicapped friendly. Kayla cleaned my fish tank out you can tell there is a fish in there now. Gloria came over later and helped me take a shower. The way Matt has it fixed I can take a shower by myself. Gloria just wants to be here just in case.

One Day at a Time

Time is passing swiftly. One day melts into another. I have great friends that keep up with me. Some daily, some every few days.

Gloria was great she came Tuesday and helped me take a shower and wash my hair. I can't get my hair to do anything but stand straight up on end. Annie was down and spent a couple of hours. Folding clothes. I came home to piles of laundry. I'm so picky about my laundry I wouldn't let anyone do that. Shari has been doing my shopping. Gloria came another day and took the meat off of a chicken. Now I can have sandwiches easily. Pat has picked up my prescriptions and had them filled. Melissa came over today and went grocery shopping for me, she took my trash out. Tomorrow is the pickup day.

My new prescription has Tylenol in it. After two doses I seem to be thinking clearer. I have also had the strength to start walking in the house. I hope my night exercises go better.

I called to have the paper started tomorrow. Maybe I can join the living again.

Jimmy Carter was 85 today, I hope I look as good as he does at that age and have half the energy he does. Do I really want to live to 85? Not with the kind of pain I have been having. You know the last two doses of pain killer has worked better. Can this be turning around?

My home PT comes tomorrow we will see how that goes. She is suppose to help me get around without the walker. I seem to manage that during the day. I am a little less certain at night.

Time to take my 9 pm meds.

Questionable Blog

While I was in rehab they blocked my blog saying it had questionable content. I didn't know my musings about my life present and past could be considered unacceptable for people to read. Well, if you are looking for something X rated you are out of luck.

Always before I had Penni to look out for me while I was in the hospital. This time Pat didn't have any understanding how to keep things even for me. I have inherited low blood pressure. I passed this on to my kids as well. The boys have never been hospitalized so they have never faced this problem. If my blood pressure was low according to them. The nursing staff overrode all medical order for pain medication. The had just used a saw to cut off my leg in two places to put in the new knee. No pain meds because they decided I had low blood pressure. By the time I had screamed and yelled because of no pain meds. They took my blood pressure and of course it was up by then, so they gave me my pain meds. Why is it necessary to throw a fit to get pain meds that are prescribed for me.

While I was in rehab I fought the same battle every time I got a new nurse first thing in the morning. By the time I was ready to leave I found out how to get my blood pressure up in the morning. I would get up and walk down the hall and some time get cleaned up and dressed. That would raise my blood pressure enough to please the nursing staff.

I have just used the oxycontin today I haven't had to use the muscle relaxant. The muscle stuff makes me goofy. Melissa spent the night last night but I'm on my own tonight. I've been by myself today just had people popping in off and on.

I'm home and working on taking care of myself, I'm going to try and get my pain level down so that I can go to sleep.

My profession of Faith

My boys are blogging about ancient history my story is really ancient. For some reason my Mother went to church with my friend Margie and I. This was very unusual. I was always taken to SS and picked up afterwards. I was asking questions about joining Church but no one really explained how to be saved to me. ( My grandmother helped me memorize the Lord's Prayer. I think about her every Sunday when we say it.) Anyway it was Easter Sunday and when the invitation was given my Mother ask me if I wanted to go down. So my friend Margie and I went down. I was just joining the church and I had no idea what it was really about. So and I baptized at the age of 11.

When I was about 15 or 16 I went to a church camp. I talked another girl at church in going with me. No one in the church was very interested in us going. One of the other mothers took us to camp but we didn't have a ride home. I had to call and get my folks to come after us. Mother fussed the whole way. Sunday was the only day they had off from the shop and I had interferred with it. I think I really understood what being saved ment at that camp. Where the camp was located was beautiful. I don't remember what the name of it was or where it was located. Somewhere around Denver in the mountains and the dirt single lane road through the pine was beautiful. Too bad Mother couldn't see the scenery.

When Hubby ask me to marry him I told him I definate ideas about how a family should be. We should say grace before meals and we would take kids to church not send them. Hubby told me that was find with him, he liked those ideas. He was sent to church too, on a church bus.

Hubby went off the base and joined the closest Baptist church because I was a Baptist. Well, I was baptized in a American Baptist Church and Hubby joined a Southern Baptist Church. We didn't understand the difference in those days. Hubby and I took a lot of Sunday night courses in what it means to be a Baptist. Some of the books that I used in teaching my boys came from those classes. Including the little red book "The Trail of Blood" that Bruce referrs to alot. That was in California.

Fast forward to Colorado when the boys were little we went to Denver to some kind of meeting. It was held in a Jewish Synagogue or a building that had been one. They played "I Surrender All" and I think that Hubby and I both surrendered all, at that time. I can't sing that hymn without seeing that church and crying a little. I really feel like that was when I was saved.

But as you can see God was working in my life for a lot of years before that time. I just had to understand and really surrender and surrender is a hard thing for me to do.

Scenes from the Past

Shopping in the Rio Rancho Target I ran into the youngest daughter of Minister at Mt Zion. Hubby and I were helping with this church when he came down with ALZ. Our lives have been combined with them for years.

The summer Penni was about 12 she was too old for a baby sister and too young to leave alone. I hired the Cates oldest daughter to stay with her. Maria started out making doll clothes with Penni. They moved on the clothes for Penni. Maria needed to help teach in Vacation Bible school in various churches around town. Penni went to school with them. I think we went to 4 graduation nights for the schools. It was fun to see that little blond in the middle of all those black little faces. Penni spent a lot of time with Annie, she is a couple of years older than Penni. She didn't know that Penni had passed away. Annie lost her mother to breast cancer the winter before Penni got sick. Annie's mother was so talented she could make the piano sing. Jo and I were very good friends. She called me from the hospital before she died I wasn't at home. Her phone didn't get disconnected, I could hear the family talking to her. I have always been unhappy that I didn't get to talk to her that last time. I don't know what she wanted to tell me.
Pastor Cates died a little while before Hubby did. Annie has two more littles ones that I didn't know about. I want to spend some time with Annie but when I see one of Penni's friends all I can do is cry. Annie has had a lot of death in her family too. I would like to try to be some comfort to her.

The summer Pat was the youth leader at one of our local churchs he gathered up some of the Cates girls. Queenie could play the piano like her mother. Just younger were the twin that were the life of any party. Pat gathered the girls up to help him with the youth group. He needed someone to play the piano for him. From the reports of the time they spent together it was fun. He still talks about it.

Cates had 6 girls and Annie was the youngest and had a terrific voice. She said she hasn't sang sence her mother died. Just as soon as I get home from having this knee done I'm going to call and see if we can get together.