Angie has her baby

Denny wasn't too far off from the weight. I'd say closer than the doctor's prediction on the weight. Of course, I was right. Angie and Mike have a 10 lb 1 oz baby girl! So cute. Grandma Sue Bronson is really excited. Now she has two grandchildren, Brady and Izzy. The baby's name is Izabell Sue. All the luck and love to the Gallagher family.

Dallas Turns Three!

Dallas is three years old now. Time for a two wheel bike with training wheels. Wow, I was still riding a three wheel when I was ten...well, maybe not that old! We didn't have knee pads or helmets back then. Probably should have. That's probably why there are so many goofy people in the world now...falling with no helmets! Anyway, she had a good birthday. Besides the bike, she got a Tinkertoy Set and a few other things. Dallas, Jamie, Sue, Denny and I went to Chuck E Cheese for her birthday and we celebrated with pizza. Dallas had Sue running all over the place. I think Sue was having a great time. When we got home, Dallas got a call from Kayla wishing her a happy birthday, she blew out her candles on the first try, and opened her presents. She had a lot of fun. Sue made a butterfly out of the tinkertoys. I wondered why she was so quiet! Real concentration. So now Dallas started her 4th year! I can't wait to see what new things and what new conversations she's going to have with us. So smart.

Here's a picture of Sue's butterfly.

Boy, was Denny wrong that time!

Denny told me that Angie's baby weighed 11 1/2 pounds! Sue, (grandma) read it and commented! The baby is around 8 lbs, 11 oz. Isn't that just like a man to get it backwards?

Linda and Sue

We visited with Linda and Sue, who are daughters of Bob and Betty Bronson one day at the Bronson trailer. Jennifer, Linda's daughter and her children were there. Linda is like her dad, she never changes. Still skinny, lucky girl.

Annette, Roger, Dylan and Kayla

Annette and Roger are our dear friends that we hang out with. I should say that we're at their trailer most of the time. Annette and Roger make all the meals. Roger at the grill, Annette in her kitchen. Kayla spent the whole week playing with Dallas. She said that she wanted to keep her. Kayla is really good with children. Dylan hangs around with Denny when he isn't with his friends. He helps Denny at the flea markets, which, by the way, was a waste of time for Denny this year. The economy is so bad in Michigan that no one spends money. Annette left for three days while we were at Sandy Pines. She went on the 60 mile cancer walk in memory of her sister Tammy. She came home with blisters on her feet but she made it. We're really proud of her. They have two dogs, Duka and Copper. Cute little dogs!
We had lots of laughs with the family.

Our visit with Bob and Betty

Bob and Betty Bronson were our neighbors on Charlesgate Ave for 37 years. Her kids were like our kids and vise versa. We were really close. Neighbors aren't like that anymore! Then one weekend, we went to Sandy Pines with Bob and Betty and ended up buying a trailer the same weekend! So we called ourselves 'neighbor, neighbors'. Bob and Betty are the nicest people to have as neighbors and friends. Randy used to call Betty "Betty Tippytoes". I don't really remember why. He'd sing "Hey Betty Bronson, Tippy Toes, Tippy Toes". Bob has never changed in looks! We can't believe it. He still has all of his hair and it didn't turn gray! We went camping with the Bronson family one time at a lake. Betty babysat for me, I babysat for her,then her kids babysat for me and I babysat for the granddaughter! So funny. Betty had lukemia at least twenty years ago but she beat it! I knew she would.
We went to their house to visit them last week. It's always so enjoyable to talk to them.

Dallas and Brady

Sue and Angie came over to our trailer with Brady while we were at Sandy Pines. Angie is pregnant with her second baby. I think it's going to be a girl. I even did the 'ring test' and it circled around for a girl. The doctor told her today that the baby is 11 1/2 lbs so I'm wondering if maybe there are two girls. That would be something! Brady is a little doll. We went to the waterpark and he played with Dallas. He's two years old. Dallas took some pictures and, wouldn't you know it, she took a picture of Angie's big belly! Of course, she didn't do it on purpose.
The pictures are of Angie, Dallas and little Brady.

Tom and Terri Bernott

I was able to visit with Tom and Terri while at Sandy Pines. I'm sure some of you remember the story of what happened to Terri. It's been four years now and she's done remarkably well since that fateful day that she went in for minor surgery and, because of hospital error, ended up in a coma for three weeks and has the biggest change in her life that anyone could ever fanthom. I saw her on a good day. She ran to me and threw her arms around me and said "I missed you". Those were the only words she said to me that day. We sat at our trailer for awhile. Pam, Terri's daytime caretaker was with Tom and Terri. After Pam's shift, Tom does all the care for Terri. He also takes care of her on weekends. He's a saint. It has to be so hard to take care of her. He told me that there are days when she doesn't even know who he is. She smiled when Tom told her to smile for me. And she threw him a kiss. It seems that she understands what we said to her and wants to communicate but Tom said that we'd never know if she did or didn't. Tom was told that she would always be bedridden but she walks without a cane or walker and doesn't use a wheelchair. We went back to their new trailer and visited for a few minutes. Then Tom took us on a boat ride. He said that she enjoys sitting on the deck overlooking the lake and loves to ride in the boat. It was a nice ride. Terri got upset once when Tom went a little faster. I think it was because she was cold. I got cold when he speeded up.
I'm putting some pictures that we took that day. I saw Tom, Terri and Pam a couple of days later riding on their golf cart. I went to say hi to them. Terri never responded to me that time like she didn't recognize me. She laid her head on Pam's shoulder as Tom drove away.

Third Day in MI

Well, it's not cold here anymore. Now it's so humid. We're having a good time. Dallas likes it here. Sue, Angie and Brady came over yesterday. We'll see them again today. Hopefully, all of the Bronson family. We'll go into town to see our dear friends, Betty and Bob, since she isn't able to get out here. Dallas took pictures and she snapped a picture of Angie's belly. We laughed at that. It's a pretty cool picture. Angie is due to have her little 'girl' this month. I did the 'ring test' over her belly with my gold ring and it showed 'girl'. I used to do the ring test all the time and was always right. Anyone else ever do that? Ihat the ring spins, it's a girl, back and forth, it's a boy. We'll see if I still have the touch! Today we're going to the water park here. Sandy Pines has changed a little. The play area is really nice here. Pictures will be added when I get back to TX.

We'rrreeeee Here!

We made it to MI. Dallas kept saying 'Here we go!" over and over when the plane was getting ready to take off. When it took off, she fell asleep. Today is Saturday and it's been pouring rain since last night. Man o' man!
Dallas loves Kayla. She's so good with Dally! She actually got her to pee in the toilet once. We went to the pool today and they had a lot of fun. I'll give more updates later!

August 4 and 5

Randy had the filter removed that was implanted by his lung after he had the accident. He had to have it to prevent a bloodclot from reaching his lung. The bloodclots are gone and, now, so is the filter.

Jordan was here today but can't sit down. He had a cyst removed by his tailbone. Not to worry. He's fine.

Tomorrow we go to Michigan. It's finally warming up there, so they say! It's only 102° here today. Hot, hot hot. But, it doesn't bother me at all.

I have to take Willow over to LB's house tonight. They're going to watch him while we're gone. I hope he gets along with her three cats. He's pretty good with other cats so I'm not worried.

Plato

I ordered a book by Plato on Amazon yesterday. I've never read anything written by him but after my grandson showed me some of his work, I decided that I'd better expand my reading horizons. I never hear anyone talk about Plato. Have you ever read his works?

Did you know that...

I love cats.
I like dogs.
I like to keep busy.
I knit chemo caps for cancer patients.
I paint rocks like ladybugs.
I read every day.
I like Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Anne Rice.
I like Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp and both have double
letter last names.
I send postcards all over the world and receive them too.
I'm in Facebook.
I list the books I've read on this blog.
I hate mushrooms.
I hate raw fish.
I like John Malkovitch movies.
I like horror movies.
I wonder what happens to scrap metal. Where does it go?
I'd like to be a vegetarian but can't quit eating meat.
I listen to audio books when I drive.
I had a cat named Elvis once.
My favorite car is a 1953 two toned green Plymouth.
My first car was a 1953 two toned gren Plymouth.
My favorite tv shows are True Blood, House, Lost and Grey's Anatomy.
My favorite shows only have one or two words in the title.
I like books about Alzheimer's Disease and Sevants.
I do not want to ever live in a nursing home.
I want to be cremated.
I do not want to be buried.
My cat O'Ley has his own garden. He's in it.
I hate snow.
I'm allergic to contrast dye.
I love dark cherries.
I've been to Europe once.
I've never been to California.
I do not want to go on a cruise.
I hate it when my husband does something big without my input.
I love gardening.

Ladybugs

I've been so busy painting Ladybugs! I got the stones from a stone company. They gave me the stones, actually. I've been painting about 10 a day. All different sizes and shapes. I've given quite a few of them away already. They're good in yards or as a paperweight for those who don't have gardens.

Trip to Michigan coming soon.

We'll be going to Sandy Pines in about three weeks. Good thing we weren't there last week. They had a big storm there and a lot of trees were knocked down. Some fell on trailers. I wonder if it wasn't a small tornado. Denny is doing ok there. Here is Annette's trailer where Denny spends most of his time.
The three stooges on the golf cart are Russ, Roger and Dylan. Denny couldn't fit on the golf cart so he wasn't there. A picture of one of the trees down and a picture of Dylan out on the lake.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Sue and Laurie's yard

When we had the garage sale at Laurie's and Steve's house, Sue went in the back yard and started to pull weeds. Well, after a few visits back to the house, she has their yard looking really nice. New plants, flowers, trimmed trees and a few decorations. Sue's a champion gardener and loves to do it! She's quite a gal.

Dallas' finger, Randy's checkup, weather, and Denny

Dallas' finger is doing good. It still has to be bandaged up and has a ways to go. The injury caused the top part of her pinky to be cut off. She likes the bandage. She's afraid of it hurting without it. I'm thinking that the nail may be growing back but I don't get a chance to look at it long. She doesn't like anyone to look at it.
Randy went to the doctor for a checkup. It's been 9 months since the accident. He has to have surgery on his nose because there's cartilidge in his nose that prevents his breathing. His nose was broken in the accident. But it still looks the same.
Our temperatures have been in the 100s for a couple of weeks. Doesn't bother me at all. I just think of the cold days in winter. The heat doesn't bother me, except when I try to work in my garden. I'll be posting more pictures of my garden soon. So many pretty flowers and a big Swallowtail butterfly was in the yard on my butterfly bush the other day. Just beautiful.
Denny is in Michigan. He played golf yesterday. We talk several times a day. It's quiet around here without him. Dallas is excited about going to MI in August. Denny got her a life jacket. Jamie doesn't like life jackets but we said that it's too bad because Dallas WILL be wearing one in the lake!

Tombstones and Cows

Now here are a few facts to ponder.
Do you know why Christian burial plots are East and West with the headstone facing East?
It's because in the Bible, it says that Christ will return from the East and when Christians rise to meet him, they want to be facing him.
OK. Now, did you know that Muslims are buried facing South East? That's because they want to be facing Mecca.
Alright, now on to another subject of direction. Did you know that cows face North or South? It depends on which way the wind blows. They don't like the wind to blow in their faces.
One day when I was working at Raytheon and I was making copies, I was looking at the ranch across the street. Since the copier faced the window, I had time to look. No, I wasn't goofing on the job. Anyway, all of the cows were facing North. I thought that it looked so funny to see all of them facing the same way. I continued to make copies and when I looked out of the window a little later, all of the cows were facing South! I thought that I was losing it. Somewhere between copies, the cows decided to turn. I sure wish I would have seen them do it! So, when you're driving somewhere, look for cow pastures and cemeteries. You'll know which way the wind is blowing and you'll know your directions.

I found a real interesting article on the web, by the way. It's called Cow Psychology. No, the article isn't where I got my information.

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