DECEMBER


Nature Songs ~~~~



If I keep a green bough
in my heart,
the singing bird will come.
~~Chinese Proverb



December 1,1999 - Today's day? Topsy-turvy, to say the least. Tbird called last evening to inform me that Giggles had a high fever and she may need me to help out with looking after her today. Daycare doesn't allow children with fevers to attend. I had planned to go shopping in Hickory with Ms. Jay to pick up a few things for Christmas. Those plans had to be trashed and she went with her daughter shopping instead. Of course, Tbird called about lunchtime to say that she had stayed home with the baby today. She has an appointment with the doctor in the morning at nine o'clock. We all thought and hoped that having the tubes in Giggles' ears would end the sick spells she has been having since August. Guess we will have to think again on that matter.

As of four-thirty this afternoon, there is still no word from the court hearing today and it's outcome about Buddy Boy. I can only hope and pray that the judge is able to come to a decision today and not have to prolong this process yet another month. Or should I say twenty months and counting! Again this month I am getting calls to see what the outcome is. Even, Cotton has called from New Jersey.

Quest, the border collie, is not yet a year old and had her first "beauty" showing in Mass. In the one week end she was able to earn six points toward the 15 or so that she needs for her Championship. The basenji's were not nearly as quick and easy to work with. Cotton doesn't really have the patience for this type of show, so she has someone else showing Quest. Cotton likes the shows where she can go out and work and move herself along with the dogs and the agility coursing is more in her personality and liking. Of course, too, the basenjis have not been in shows of that type either. All of their championships are in Agility and Coursing.

I managed to get my money spent for the month today by writing checks to pay the monthly bills. Now I am only waiting for the call from Allan and his family about the baby and then I can leave the house to mail them this evening. I'll probably pick up something for supper while I am out.

NOTE:Allan and his wife were in court ALL day. They got home a little after six this evening. The judge gave Social Services sixty days to complete and file papers for termination of parental rights. He said the baby was best left where he is now. The "Mother" would never give any reason or facts about the broken leg.... It would be really great if the year waiting period could be waived and adoption could take place now as well - They have had him since May, 1998. There are a lot of unanswered questions for now.
December 2,1999 - It's a lovely day for a walk through the neighborhood. That is, if there were sidewalks or trails to safely walk. The particular block I live on is probably close to three and a half or four miles all the way around it. There is a road that comes up to my land on the back side from the other side of the block. There are several short dead end streets strewed around as well. Even though I am officially in the city limits, the area around is more on the country side of life. Yet, each day that I look out my bedroom window there is the awful black oily deposit on my house reminding me of the traffic and trucks that pass by on the boulevard each day. Where I used to be able to take the water hose and wash down the outside of the house to get off the dust, someone would now have to take a brush, detergent and probably bleach to scrub off the grit and grim that clings so tightly. That's not so easy to do on the upper story on the backside.

My children want me to tell them something I would like or need for Christmas. I like surprises most of all. When I told one of them I would take a digital camera for my computer, the answer came back, "Yeah, Mom, get real and come up with something that doesn't cost so much. Something in my price range." So! "How about getting me a good up to date dictionary to use?" UH ..."Is that all you can come up with?" Yes, I guess I really do keep that wondering sometimes.

My letter to Santa several years ago still holds quite true. I need to look it up and brush up the writing and things I could use and add it to my writing page.

Taking the pill to help regulate my sugar level is making a difference in how I am feeling. The headache that I could not seem to shake is gone. That should tell me something important. Some of the shaky feeling I was having is better. I find myself getting hungry (something I don't usually do) and having to eat on a more regular schedule.

I do think I need to get my vision checked. Working on my appliqué sewing is not so easy to do right now. I just can't seem to get the light on my work at the right angle to see it well. Three of the fellow Quilter's have brought their finished Christmas quilts to display at our meeting. We all started on the twelve squares at the same time. I am working on my fourth block, I think. I'm not really sure. Every time I see the finished quilt with all the drums, fiddles and horns around the border, I want to get mine finished. Well, perhaps by next Christmas!


December 3,1999 - Another wonderful day for a walk, and I actually get to take one. It was not outdoors breathing in the fresh air, taking in a scenic view such as the walking park with its pond and flora, but indoors. Yes, it was still a state of the art work of wonder. Allie and I took ourselves to check out the Quest4Life and try our skills with using some of the sparkling new equipment. We were disappointed that the pool is not yet open, but as soon as the state makes its appearance and gives its seal of approval then we will be able to test it and its 85 degree water.

We walked into another world when we opened the front door and walked into the spacious entry to announce our arrival. We were each given our little plastic ID card to carry on a key chain. Zapping it through a sensor quickly brings up our picture on the computer confirming we are who we say we are. We quickly found out that we should purchase a headset to use when doing some of the mundane activities such as peddling the bikes or walking the treadmill. There is a array of eight or so TVs perched up above - each on a different channel waiting for you to plug in and watch as you work. Heart rate, calories used and distance are all calculated as the time passes.

There is a vast choice of other state of the art equipment to partake of as our stamina increases. Taking the elevator to the Mezzanine we were greeted by a walking track around the interior walls. Twelve times around is a mile, but we are both starting out with only five minutes time. Allie was faster than me, but I reached a new level of wellness even at that. I walked it without my cane and only veered off course toward the end of my round. What makes this such a great place to walk? It is a rubberized walking surface with the curved ends elevated to make the turns easier just like driving a car.

The ladies and men each have their own saunas, steam rooms and whirlpools which I like. One reason I stopped going to the SPA was because men and women started going together and there was only one changing area, one whirlpool, steam room and sauna. I was uncomfortable strutting around all the macho men showing off their abs. I love the green towels offered for use by the members.

I left there on an adrenaline and endorphin high. I love the way exercising makes me feel. The rush of energy, feeling good and ready to face the day all came back to me. That's why I have enjoyed exercising all the years past. I only hope that I can once again continue to keep it up. Later in the afternoon it was obvious that my back decided to cry out, "Foul!" It is not happy at all with what it had to endure. Hopefully, as I keep prodding and breaking it in again that it will adjust and accept, "Sorry, but that's the way it is!"

The Rugman came by this afternoon and I chose the oak flooring I wanted and the carpet. He will bring the oak flooring by Tuesday afternoon and leave it to acclimate to the house, and install it Wednesday. Hopefully the carpet will be here and he will do the carpet on Thursday. I have to wonder now, do I stay home and let him work around me, or should I plan to have me and the pups elsewhere? Wes is to come over this weekend and take out the old carpet and get things ready for the crew to work. As it is working out, there is no way that I could stay up or down while the work is in progress. Guess time will tell.

Wow! Looking back at all the red lines under the misspelled words, it is a good thing that this laptop has spell check..


December 4,1999 - The back is still in denial. I notice that my balance is off some because of it. I promise myself that I will be careful and not fall. I have gone the longest time yet without a spill. As far as I'm concerned, never again would be great. Mind over matter: "I will not fall." I shall say that until it is ingrained and becomes a fact of life. "I will not fall." "I will not fall." Wonder if it would help to write it 500 times? I also wonder how many classroom children really learned from having to write a sentence over and over? I suspect it may not have had a lasting influence on those young lives. Perhaps, that is why I would give them an essay to write instead and give them a Writing and Language grade when it was turned in. If it was not turned in, then there was a big fat zero to average in with the other grades. Yes, there were those that had to take them back and rewrite before I would accept their work.

Pokemons!!! They have invaded our domain. BingoKid keeps calling to see when his cousins will be over so they can compare and trade cards. He has a new game to play with them as well. Yes, they will be here later this evening. Looks like he may be here as well since his Dad has all that work to do preparing for the Rugman. All they want for Christmas is Pokemons. Forget anything else.

NascarKid was in one of the Christmas parades today. There were three parades in my own county and he was in two in his county. I almost got caught up in the Christmas spirit myself; or maybe I should say it almost snared me? I thought I would run by a store and get some small christmas ornaments for Mother's small tree in her room. I had put some red and gold bows on it and the gold angel on top, but she kept calling me to get more to go on her tree. I forgot about the season and the parades. Of course the store I chose to go to was right at the entrance to the Middle School where all the floats, cars, trucks, horses, people and whatever else were lining up for the long procession down Main Street in Hudson. I barely was ahead of the backlog of participants waiting to turn into the school when I arrived. Thankfully, I was able to leave going the opposite direction from the crowd making my escape up the highway. I did have to go the long way around to get to the nursing center.

By the time I got back home, Wes already had all the carpet pulled out of the basement and cut into small pieces ready for the garbage truck on Monday. He had the boys puting the pieces of the padding into plastic bags to carry out. I rewarded him and the boys by ordering pizza for their supper. Each one, got one, except Wes shared two pieces of his pizza with me. Tomorrow he will be back to do more. Tomorrow, I am supposed to go to the Christmas Ice Show at the Civic Center. He will have to work a while by himself until I return - not that I would be helping him anyway.


December 5,1999> - Church Day today, but no church except the television for me. My aunt will be back for next week from the beach and we will go together again. It is times like this that I miss having my own immediate family attending the same church with me. We have all diversified into different church families.

I went out early to pick up a few things for Wes when he came over later to get things ready for the work to be done here this week. Stopping by the ATM drive-through, for some reason it would not take my request for money saying that my card was not authorized for that account. I tried it twice and of course immediately declared to myself that Y2K must be causing some problems early on. How easy to blame things on the unknown when in doubt. I was dreading having to go by the bank tomorrow to get things straightened out and then happened to think, "I got a renewed credit card which is all fancy and different from the old one. I wonder if I took out the wrong card to use?" Absolutely! I checked while at a stop light and sure enough, instead of the bank card, I had the credit card.

Things I find myself doing anymore. At least, I know it is not Alzheimer's! A doctor told Allie, not to worry about that one, because if you have it, you don't realize anything is wrong. So I'll use the old standby, "It's a Fibro foggy type of thing."

The Christmas season came this afternoon in a most splendid way. Our special Civic Center program was today. We chose the afternoon performance of the Nutcracker Ballet on Ice performed by a Russian troupe of 24 skaters. It was all spectacular; music, skating, props and especially the costumes. What a joy for us to attend! Next Saturday we will have yet another Christmas program. It will be the area Symphony performing and should be good, but no where close to what we were privileged to experience this afternoon.

I came home to chaos! Wes and BingoKid were hard at work tearing out more carpet and making way for the workers to come in. Stuff have been moved here, there and yonder yielding another empty room. Doors are down. The pups are in a quandary as to what is taking place in their humble abode. By late evening, a large pile of carpet cut in smaller pieces for the trash men to handle and baseboard heater units were stacked out front. Mission accomplished for this day. Wes will return tomorrow evening for more things to do.


December 6,1999 - I love the natural high of exercise! It is wonderful! All through the years it has been one of my most favorite things. Times gone by included a variety of sports, square dancing (I love it!) exercise programs here and there, and my favorite of activities - the water. There has been the garden I tended and all the yard I developed over the years. For years a fellow teacher and I went three times a week religiously for workouts in Hickory before the SPA opened here in Lenoir. Then we changed to and had access to much more equipment, a pool, Jacuzzi, sauna, steamroom and all that good stuff. It was there that I had my very first Holistic Doctor experience and learned the value of herbal mixtures, meditation and listening to the pain throughout my body instead of trying to keep it blocked away in denial.

All this to say, I went to Q4L again this morning. The pool is still not open, but I pedaled away at the bike for two sessions of five minutes each, walked the track twice around, tried a few of the gym machines and set up an appointment to get a program worked out for me to use. (The first opening is next week.) Tucked away in one corner off the walking track I found my jewels; my old standbys; only an updated version. The leg extension machine with hand controls for increasing or decreasing the amount of pressure used. I started out with only ten pounds of pressure. It felt like so little, but better safe than do something stupid and costly to achieving my goal. There were actually four machines there, but I only used two of them. I shall stick to my guns and go slow and easy all the way. It was not until the second time with the bike that I started to work up a sweat. My heart rate never got above 112, so I have a good start' slow and steady, but how good those active endorphins make my feel. Not bad for an hour's workout.

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© 1999 by Stormy Jeanne


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