Temperature

It's been in the 100's all week but today we had clouds and rain and it's 90° today! Sure is a beautiful day. My flowers are singing! And the birds! And my windchimes!

Denny is in Michigan

Denny is in Michigan. He got there last Wednesday. Today is Monday. Their weather is good right now and he's enjoying it. But it'll only be in the 60s this week there. That is just too cold for me. I hope it's warm when we go there in August.

Dallas keeps telling me that she wants to go on the plane NOW! I told her that she has to wait. I hope her finger is healed so she can go in the water. She went in the pool with Steve the other day. We had a plastic bag on her hand. It didn't work! She got her hand wet. But I changed the dressing on it and it's ok. Then yesterday she put her hand in the birdbath! So I had to change it again. Tomorrow she goes for her second followup with the doctor. Maybe she'll be able to get rid of the big dressing but I kind of doubt it because it still looks pretty raw.

Father's Day Just Wasn't Dallas' Day!

Father's Day started out good. We went to eat with Denny, Jordan and Sue. (Denny, Jamie, Dallas, and I).

We went to Saltgrass Steak House. Delicious food and a good time. When we were getting ready to leave, Denny had to go to the restroom so we were waiting for him. Jamie had to go after Dallas because she headed toward the front door. She caught her and they went outside to sit and wait for us. They each sat in a folding chair. Dally's chair folded on her and caught her fingers! She started to scream! Jamie got her hand out and freaked out! There was blood all over her hand. As soon as I looked at it I knew that part of her pinky finger wasn't there! The manager came out after calling 911. At first I thought it was dumb to call 911 but after seeing the blood that wasn't stopping, I changed my mind. We all looked for the nail and tip of her finger but never found it. The paramedics worked with her and then took us to the hospital. To make a long story short, after taking xrays, they found that the bone wasn't affected but the finger was cut off to the bone. You could see the bone. A big chunk was gone and there was no nail! They numbed her finger and worked on it. She cried but was a tough little stinker. Between sobs and screams, she sang her ABCs to the doctors. Everyone was so nice there. They said that we'd have to see if her nail would grow back. It might and it might not. So we took her home. The doctor said that it would run and bleed and we'd have to change the dressing last night and she would be in a great deal of pain. Jamie got a RX for pain medicine. Well, Dallas slept all night, didn't fuss or cry and never had to use the drugs. And, her dressing didn't get messy and we didn't have to change it. Today Bruce came over and helped us change the dressing. She goes to the doctor Thursday for a followup.

What Do These Words Have in Common?

Blowball, Cankerwort, Clock Flower, Dumble-dor, Fairy Clock, Fortune Teller, Hokouei-Kon, Irish Daisy, Lion's Teeth, Lion's Tooth, Milk Gowan, Mok's Head, Pee in the Bed, Pissenlit, Piss-in-bed, Potassium, Pries' Crown, Priest's Crown, Puffball, Swine Snout, Witch Gowan, Witches' Milk, and Yellow Flower Earth Nail These are all synonyms of our common dandelion!

And can you believe the dandelion is actually cultivated in Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the United Kingdom for commercial use?

Hey, maybe we should be selling the pesty little yellow 'weed' that we pull from our grass.

And why are we spending so much money on prescriptions and going to the 'donut hole' on Medicare? Check the uses for the dandelion.

Dandelion was commonly used in Native American medicine. The Iroquois, Ojibwe, and Rappahannock prepared the root and herb to treat kidney disease, upset stomach, and heartburn. In traditional Arabian medicine, dandelion has been used to treat liver and spleen ailments. In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), dandelion is combined with other herbs to treat liver disease, to enhance immune response to upper respiratory tract infections, bronchitis, or pneumonia, and as a compress for mastitis (breast inflammation).
Dandelion root and leaf are used widely in Europe for gastrointestinal ailments. The European Scientific Cooperative on Phytotherapy (ESCOP) recommends dandelion root for the restoration of liver function, to treat upset stomach, and to treat loss of appetite. The German Commission E authorizes the use of combination products containing dandelion root and herb for similar illnesses. Some modern naturopathic physicians assert that dandelion can detoxify the liver and gallbladder, reduce side effects of medications metabolized (processed) by the liver, and relieve symptoms associated with liver disease.
Dandelion is generally regarded as safe with rare side effects including contact dermatitis, diarrhea, and gastrointestinal upset.
Dandelion is used as a salad ingredient, and the roasted root and its extracts are sometimes used as a coffee substitute.

I'll never look at a Dandelion with disrespect again!

To read more about the dandelion, check out:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-dandelion.html

New friend in Finland

I received a card from Finland yesterday. The girl that sent it is in facebook. She's now my friend on Facebook. I think it's so neat to correspond with someone from another country. She lives in Helsinki. I'll have to read up on the country and city.

Congratulations to Donna and Bruce

Bruce and Donna became grandparents today to twin girls! Connor has two sisters, Finley & Emersyn. What a blessing.

I Can Wear Eye Makeup again!

I went to the eye doctor for the last followup. My eye is great! And I can wear eye makeup again! That's the best part. Aside from the fact that I don't have to get a new RX for glasses. My glasses are 2 years old and I still have 20/20 vision with them. Whew, that'll save some money!
I'm going to our Drive and Dine in a little while. Some of us 'seniors' that aren't 'allowed' to go to the lunch trips because we don't want to (or can't) ride the bus meet once a month at different Allen restaurants for lunch. It's always a good time.

Planning a Trip to MI

Jamie, Dallas and I were supposed to go to MI this summer for a week. We didn't want to go because we don't want to drive that far. We would break Denny's heart if he knew we didn't want to go. Then, Lindsey, Sue's niece told Sue that there are real cheap tickets right now. So this morning, I went online and found cheap tickets. Jamie, Dallas and I will be flying to Sandy Pines in MI on August 6 and we'll be there until August 17! Long time to be there but Dallas will love it. She'll be spoiled by a lot of people, will be able to play at the new waterpark at Sandy Pines and will be riding all over in our golf cart. It'll be nice seeing everyone again. It'll be hot, muggy and a ton of mosquitos in MI but it'll be reeeeaaalll hot in Texas in August. Now I have to start my list of what we need to take with us. Grrr.

Picture that Denny II Painted

Denny was just a little boy when he painted this picture on a grocery bag. It's been in my Bible for years. Dallas got into my Bible and took it out. I'm going to give it to Sue. Here is the 'painting'.

French Holly Hocks

I have this beautiful plant growing in my back yard. It's showing at the top of my blog. I planted it two years ago but didn't remember what it was. I showed a picture to people and got a lot of good guesses. I looked on line. I went to all of the places that I've boughten plants. The first place is out of business. I was surprised because I think they've been in business for years. The only place that I didn't go was the McKinney flea market. They won't be open until next weekend. I finally got my answer. One of the ladies that works at Calloways identified it. They don't sell it there but she had the plant in her yard one time. When she told me that it was a hollyhock, I explained that it can't be. I've had hollyhocks in our yard at home in Grand Rapids when I was a kid. They grew wild in the alley across the street from us. We used to pick the flowers and make dolls out of them. No way could you make a doll out of the little flowers on my plant. So the lady looked it up in a book and there it was, under Hollyhocks! It's an 'old' hollyhock that they don't sell anymore. I looked it up on the internet and it says that it's a great plant for an old fashioned garden. That's the kind of garden I want! So I got a start! There is no smell to the flower but it is just beautiful. I hope it returns next year and I'm going to collect the seeds from it, just in case! Next year I plan to have more of the 'old' French Hollyhock plants.

Sport Jocks!

A little known fact...The first testicular guard (Cup) was used in baseball in 1874. The first helmet was used in 1934. ~~ It took 60 years for men to realize that the brain is also important