nov003

Nature Songs ~~~~

November 16, 2000 - Seems most of the time on television is spent on the coverage of the voting in Florida. Interruptions of regular programming continues to take place only to inform the mast that more waiting is in the forecast. No one has an answer that will satisfy any of the others. It would only seem the logical move would be to have the whole area involved with the glitchy punch cards to revote using a different method of recording their votes. It would be a totally more acceptable answer for everyone and more importantly it would be cheaper than the lawyers, judges, and whatever that is dragging along for who knows how long. No one would have to worry about how their votes were handled and others could accept the results as being more accurate.

Without a doubt this appears to be a game where no one will give up without being declared a winner. I can just imagine two sitting down for a friendly game of checkers only to find themselves drawn into the game and not able to end it because one of them is not able to be the declared winner. Of course the stakes are much higher in this countdown of votes.

By some unexpected draw of luck I was called to take part in the CBS POLL survey results before the voting and then again afterwards. It was interesting to look up the survey on the Internet and compare the responses of those contacted by telephone. I would like to have had some variance in some of the choices given to chose from. I found that for me the answers were not a true yes or no. I could have been more accurate in some of my answers using a scale of one to five, or one to ten, with one being the lowest.

Weather has a supreme control of its very own. What it wants to do, it does. This morning was one of those examples of the extremes that catch us off guard. We had rain predicted to begin later this afternoon. As I came close to Hickory this morning it began. I heard on the car radio as I started out that there was sleet reported in Marion which is on the mountain side of Morganton going toward Asheville. I found out that it also was in our area. It began to sleet as I drove down the highway. I knew Mother had only her sweater to wear and wondered about her. When she arrived at the doctor’s office the CNA driving had brought along Mother’s afghan and a blanket to keep her dry and warm.

Mother was able to see three fingers dimly about twelve inches from her eye and light causes immense pain. That indicates that the new cornea is working. The doctor was very pleased with her progress, but had to change the antibiotic because she has her eye inflamed from rubbing it. He also ordered an ointment to be used during the day. Now is only we could get the kidney infections under control. The IV being used is causing Mother to float around in a sort of daze and she gets confused easily.

A light turned on in my own head today. There is a possible explanation on my own stomach upset and jumpiness. In the evenings I am getting undeniable restless and jittery, my stomach ties up in knots, I can’t sleep and my dreams are so intensely authentic down to every microscopic detail. I will awaken through the brief sleep intervals only to take up the dream and carry it on to another counterpart. When I get up I’m not sure which is real - what I am getting out of bed from the night - or what I am getting up to for the day.

The Prozac has had enough time to work out of my system about now. The new medicine I’m using to take its place may not be working through the whole day. It probably is beginning to wear out about the time all these upsets begin within myself. Adding the episodes later in the day I am having with problems expressing myself when I start to talk about things points more toward the dilemma. My pain level is much higher throughout my whole body which in turn slows down my movements. I should call my doctor and discuss what he has to recommend for me. I hate the thoughts of having to go through another checkup of my stomach. I just want the sore knot to relax and go away.

November 17, 2000 - What more to do than keep up with the Presidential Duel? I couldn’t help but read the trivial on the Kid’s Page in the newspaper which came from www.discoverykids.com.

Answers to questions you may have forgotten to ask:
*Humans recycle about a quart of mucus a day by swallowing.
*Every minute, 30,000 to 40,000 dead skin cells fall from the human body. Most humans shed 40 pounds of dead skin in a lifetime.
*Most adults are likely to have about 5 million hairs growing out of their skin - about the same number as a gorilla.
*An earthworm has five hearts.
*Most cockroaches have 18 knees.
*Moles eat three times their weigh every day.
*Leeches can absorb five times their weight in blood in just 20 minutes.
Just something to familiarize myself with. I could make a comment or two, but I’ll leave that for another time when I run out of interesting facts to ponder.

The best move I’ve made this whole week for me was, taking the drive down into the valley for my water workout. The water was warmer than usual. The atmosphere was friendly. The exercise released a healthy supply of endorphines which gave me a much needed rush of feeling on a high. Finishing off the morning with a half hour in the steamroom talking with friends while inhaling the steam and soaking the bones was the crowning touch. I really missed those two mornings of not taking that regular route and routine and was glad to be back in the grove.

A trip for some much needed currency to sustain me through the coming days was next on the agenda when I drove out of the parking lot. From there I circled back by City Hall to get a copy of Tbird’s birth certificate so she can get a new passport in order to make a trip to Australia with NascarKid this coming summer on the Student-to-Student Program as an advisor. I was driving by the doctor’s office and happen to think about making that call today about my medication. I turned in and parked to go inside instead of calling. The nurse was very busy as the waiting room was more than full of people of all sizes and ages. I was offered the choice of sitting down to wait a while to talk with the nurse, but I didn’t like the idea of maybe picking up the flu from some of the other patients. I had the receptionist to fill out a form for me with the same information I would have called in. Now here it is midafternoon and still no callback from the office. (Good thing I didn’t decide to sit and wait.)

I will have NascarKid for the night and weekend. Mom is off and running again. Brother is spending the night with his friend, so he wanted to come see me so he would not be stuck at home with Dad and sister. I will have Giggles a few hours tomorrow. I think I will bring up some of my videos that she would probably like and see if she will stay in my bedroom some of the time and watch one or two of them as she moves around. It will help me to watch after her a littler better. Meanwhile, if there is no callback from the doctor’s office I shall try a Prozac that I have remaining from my weaning off bottle. I know it works with what I am now taking since I have been using the two of them together for over a month while getting off Prozac. If it works then I know I am on the right track. The doctor predicted that there was a chance I would not be able to get off the Prozac. This week is beginning to make me wonder.

November 18, 2000 - The call came back from the doctor’s office at 6:22 p.m. yesterday. They close at five generally, so this had been an extremely long day for them. The nurse apologized for taking so long to get back to me. However, we were on the same brain wavelength about my problem. The suggestion was for me to take my meds twice a day instead of once. I am to pick up some samples on Monday to help me through a short trial period and make sure that is what I need before beginning a new prescription. I took a pill a little early last evening with the hope of having a more comfortable night.

Within two hours I was already beginning to feel the effects. The shakiness that had begun was easing up and some of the tightness of my stomach was also slipping away.

This morning the boys and I have to be off and heading toward Hickory by 8:30. NascarKid and BingoKid spent the night here once again. We had a stern “this is the way it is to be or no more spending the night together for a long time” discussion and promise before either of them could come over. They were most thoughtful, helpful, listening, and quiet for the entire evening. Yes, it can be done. Now we are off to the Church Bazaar to meet my aunt and have breakfast together.

How did I overlook one important detail of the Hickory trip? We had young Miss Giggles with us as well. Dad wanted to work in his workshop for a while and brought her over for several hours today - oh, okay - so it was six hours ... She did wonderful at the church and the boys were wonderful keeping up with her for me. Strangely, folks came up to ask if she was my granddaughter when they saw her out in the hallway with the boys. (I had designated a space behind the man taking up money for the food being eaten, where they could let her run some and be out of the way.) Being the first time they had seen her, they couldn’t believe how much she looked like me.

I sat at the table where we had sausage biscuits together, most of the time. Once I got up to walk around the tables to see all the crafts and goodies on sale, it was apparent I would have to leave. My back hurt so bad that by the time I paid for the few things I chose, I had broken out in a cold sweat from the pain. Once I sat down in the car and got pressure off my back and feet, the pain eased up as it always does. Giggles went to sleep very quickly, so in order to allow her to sleep longer, I took the boys by the nursing center to take in their birthday present to their Mawmaw. I sat in the car with the sleeping little one while the two of them took their present of a pillow to use in her wheelchair which they picked out at the Bazaar.

Knowing that Giggles would wake up with us trying to carry through with getting her into the house, I elected to drive to the grocery store for a few items and grant her a little longer snooze time. Doors locked, NascarKid sat in the car reading the comics page of the paper with sleeping Giggles. BingoKid accompanied me for a quickie tour of several rows in the store.

That was the only time out from exploration for Giggles. No more sleep - too much to take care of in her own little way. Needless to remind myself, but I was exhausted when all left for home. I rested a short time before heading over to visit Mother and help with her supper. OOPS! I didn’t make it out the door to the car. Allan and his family came in to visit a short time. I got them interested in online shopping with free shipping. In the process, she helped me to finish up most of my own Christmas shopping when we dropped by Toys R Us.

Buddy Boy had some excitement to tell me about. He got to see a turning blue light up real close. For the first time in his nearly 25 years of driving, Allan was pulled over by the Highway Patrolman. He was pulling the trailer with his equipment back to my house. He had the renewal sticker to go on the tag; it just wasn’t on the tag. It was in his billfold. Surprisingly, the patrolman, himself, took the sticker and put it on the tag for Allan. Allan didn’t even have to get out of his truck. (My children should be saying prayers of thanks for the graciousness they’ve had with patrolmen this past year.)

It was after seven till I got to the nursing center. I didn’t stay long.

November 19, 2000 - Church again today. First it was breakfast at McD’s which we haven’t done for a while now. It felt good to be back there on my pew, in my special spot. Between church and Sunday School, it took only the briefest of glances out the doorway.

Yes, it was exactly what we thought it was. SNOW!

Yes, S-N-O-O-W-W-W.... Plenty of large flakes pouring down and giving a festival Holiday feeling to one and all.

Most of us were interested to know if it was laying on the roads. If it was, we were ready to head home while the going was good. It was not laying. The snow was wet and the grass and ground was not quite sufficiently cool enough to lay at the time.

The prediction had been for snow in the mountains, but we were expecting sleet and rain to have begun during the night before. We figured, it would be rain. The surprise snows are always our pretty ones. This is one of the earliest snows of the season for our area. I remember when my husband and his family were alive and we had snow on Thanksgiving Day. It began snowing as we sat down for our meal together. That was probably close to thirty years or more ago

I drove up the Highway in the downpour of snowflakes. As I neared Lenoir the flakes became smaller. Snow was laying on the grass and trees, some of which are still bearing leaves. It snowed practically all day. The temperature stayed in the mid thirties allowing it to accumulate on grass, cars, leaves and such. The weatherman is predicting some frozen patches on roadways early in the morning. All of this week will be more wintry. The ski slopes will no doubt be doing big business for this Thanksgiving week up in the mountains.

Meanwhile, back to the reality of the daily succession of existence. Mother celebrated her eighty-eighth birthday today. She didn’t fancy getting out of bed, but two of her granddaughters got her out of bed, gave her a bath and dressed her up. Well, I did mention to them that she refused to get up for the regular nurses yesterday. Since they are both geriatric trained nurses, they knew how to take care of her. Over all, she enjoyed her special day and the visitors of the moment. I waited until later in the evening to go over so as to spread out the visits. Some of us plan to do something for her tomorrow since her birthday came on the weekend this year.

The medicine trail appears to be on the right track. This evening I can sense a wonderful difference in how I feel compared to only a few days ago. Around two or so hours after the first extra capsule on Friday evening, some of the precarious, apprehensive turmoil inside my body calmed down. Sleep was out of the question. The time I may had slept was filled with watching two normal active boys that didn’t want to go to bed early. After they slept, I could not find even an nth degree hiding around for myself.

Saturday night I begin to experience that weird game stirring up and knew it was time for a pill. It was actually two hours late. Again it helped with its calming influence and I slept the best I have in a long time. I don’t recall the dreams with all the vivid details of earlier ones this week. The pressure in my stomach is relaxing and I can take deep breaths without the pain. Tonight I feel that I can sleep. I even feel like doing a little work around here. Now THAT is a tremendous improvement!!!

November 20, 2000 Splish, splash, I was taking a bath ... Oh, come off it! Splish, splash, I was having some fun ... Now, that’s more like it. We have square dancing in our morning class today. It’s fun doing the docie-does along with other steps and today we would go two by two down the middle of the two lines. Facing our partner, we would do the cross country step in unison so that our movements worked together much like sawing a large log with a crossbow saw. I remained for thirty minutes of the aerobic water class that follows our class. It was much easier for me that when I tried it some months back. My plans are to start doing this class three days a week along with my five day a week movement class. I’ll probably do a half hour for a week or two before going for the full hour.

After carrying it around with me since Thursday night, my list of meds to be refilled was dropped off to be picked up later this evening. A quick stop at the doctor’s office and I have the samples to use until I go back for a new prescription for the medicine I have upped. Then, I decide to pick up a five dollar pizza to carry over and share with Mother. A girl was seated outside Little Caesar’s with two Styrofoam boxes filled with hot pizzas on a table beside her. Drive-through service! What more could I ask for? She took my money; handed me my pizza and I was rolling off down the road in a few minutes as the car window rolled back up.

Mother was happy to have the pizza, but only ate one piece. We sent back most of her lunch from the kitchen untouched. From that visit I was ready to head home to rest for a while. I knew I had to leave out later on, but didn’t know if I would make it back to see Mother before leaving.

Wally World with all it’s Christmas magical gifts strewed throughout beacons me to come and shop. Come and shop. See what you can find. There is a hidden message somewhere blinking and reminding one and all to come and shop. I got the oil changed in Explorer on the way to the store to shop. I had to laugh. Would anyone be coached into changing the transmission fluid right after it has been worked on and changed? I have to wonder how many people each day take as the ultimate command the comments made by these boys at the lube place. I bet they up their income tremendously by preying on unsuspecting individuals.

I informed him, very curiously that I had the transmission worked on and that if anything was wrong with it, I would take it back to where it was worked on. He sheepishly backed out the door to search the engine once more. Next he came in with the monitor used to measure the amount of antifreeze. He said it barely measured 32 degrees. I assured him I had some at home and that my sons would take care of it. I left them with only the money for changing the oil which is all I wanted done in the first place.

I had to call Mother to tell her I had some candy for her candy bowl, but I would bring it over tomorrow. I was much too tired this evening to come by with it. Hey! I’m into this shopping mode. I had to get home and look up some clothes in the catalogs for my daughters and daughters-in-law, well of course, I picked out some for myself! Money, money, money. Christmas is all about spending money anymore.

November 21, 2000 - DOG DAZE

Such a windy cold morning for me to have to go outside. The ground feels like ice as I run through the crunchy grass, white with frost. The icy wind chills me to the bone. I’ve got to get my sweater. That’s it! I’ll run back inside to get my sweater.

This having to look after things around here is awfully hard work at times.

Okay, here I am in the den. I’m sure we took off my gray and black argyle in here yesterday. Hummmm ... Yep, I see it there on the arm of the couch. Boy, am I glad to find it because I am so chilled I’m getting numb. It wouldn’t take much to turn me into a snowman. Shivering waves of chilly ice are running up and down my spine. My nose must be cherry red by now.

Now that I’ve got my sweater, I’ll have to get some help putting it on. Here I go lickity-split into the bedroom dragging my sweater beside me. OOPS! I dropped it at the door, but that’s okay since it is here near the bed. I have to wake up old sleepy head anyway. I just don’t see why she can’t get up bright and early in the mornings like I do. It’s fun to be outside when the sun first comes up spreading it’s rays of light through the trees and all the neighbors are leaving for work and school. She misses a lot of the day’s excitement outside by staying in bed so much. That lazy, lazy Stormy Jeanne ...

The bed is so high and my footstool has slipped a little way from it. All I need to do is slip and fall off the side when I leap up! Maybe if I stretch a little before I back up and try a little harder I can jump up there beside her. That soft pink, velvety blanket she’s wrapped up in looks so warm. Ah! Warm! Oh, yes, I want to get warm, too. I could climb in under the blanket beside her and warm up - but, I still want my toasty warm sweater.

“Yip! Yip, yip!” Wake up and pay attention to me. I’ll push your arm around with my wet, clammy nose. What! You still are not listening to me? Here I’ll give you my licky-sticky kisses. Please, sit up and help me! Okay then. How about me jumping up on you and off again? I can keep on doing it until you figure out that I am not going to stop. I will not be ignored.

The phone is ringing. Now I know that she will turn over and come to life. Yes, she can move. Joy, joy, joy, I can get my sweater on now. It’s been a good hour that she has been ignoring my pleas for help. I’ve warmed up a little here on the bed, but I still want my sweater on. Hurry up and get off the phone so I can have my sweater to keep me warm.

All right! Here she is off the phone. No! I can’t believe it! She’s getting up instead of helping me put my sweater on. There she goes into the other room. Now what?

It takes a few minutes for her to do some dabbling around in the kitchen. Now, she is putting her swimming stuff into the duffel bag. NO! She can’t leave me here at home without my sweater to kept me warm today. It may not be snowing today, but it is still a cold day.

Wait a minute. She is slowing down next to my neat little stack of sweaters. There she is looking at some of them. Look! I already have a sweater. Just put it on me! No, she is picking up a sweater I haven’t seen before. It is orange and has black paw prints all over it. The paws are too big to be mine. What! They look like they belong to a cat! Is that a cat’s sweater?

Oh, boy! Here we go back toward the bedroom and she is carrying that bright orange sweater. Boy, oh, boy! I’m getting to put on my sweater!

Scat! Get away from my sweater, Oreo! That’s not yours. It belongs to me. No, you can not smell it. I don’t want you around my sweater.

Joy, joy! Yes, I’m getting my sweater on. Here I am bowing down so you can slip it over my head. Ahhhhhh! How soft and warm it feels. I'm going limp with contentment. Here’s my paw for you to slip into it’s opening. Here, here is the other one, too. Just hurry. I can’t wait. Finally, I have on my sweater. It feels so cozy and toasty warm. Now I can lay down and take a snooze. It has worn me out just getting my sweater on this morning. I’m wearing a bright orange Clemson Tiger sweater today. It looks pretty cute with my hair coloring. Yes, I think I like my new sweater.

Dear sweet Charlie Dog has a way of always getting what he wants. He can be so persistent. Oreo looks a little miffed because he does not have a sweater, but surely his hair is long enough to keep him warm here in the house. There are plenty of places to sleep up off the floor, and both woolly warm beds are there under Giggles crib for them to curl up in as well.

I have lots to do this afternoon. I promised Mother I would come over and help her play Bingo to see if she can win some money to help out with buying more candy. From there I am off to pick up NascarKid and DynoKid from daycare at school. They will be with me tonight and tomorrow. Tomorrow is a workday at school for Mom. I’m indisputable glad I am taking double the medicine I was taking this time last week. I’m considerably much better able to carry out the events of today..

November 22, 2000 - All that planning yesterday to help Mother play Bingo, and when I got over there - no Bingo! She would not have been able to play anyway because she was hooked up to the IV machine getting her antibiotic for the kidney infection. That was the last one of the week so the machine comes out of her room. I’m trying to encourage her to drink more fluids to help prevent another infection.

One of her birthday presents was a Christmas clock. It plays a different Christmas song on each hour throughout the day. Thankfully it is one of those clocks that automatically shuts off when it is dark, so she doesn’t have to listen to it at night. My niece hung it at the top of her bulletin board beside her bed. I moved it down to the lower side of the bulletin board with the hopes that Mother will try to see it and therefore practice using her new cornea. (She could see the red of her Kalochee plant in the window today when I held it close to her face.)

The boys zonked out on me a little earlier last night. DynoKid went to sleep on the couch while watching cartoons. I put a blanket over him with hopes he would sleep all night. I stopped on the way back home with them yesterday and let them help choose foods they would eat. I didn’t tell the boys, but their Mom called me yesterday evening. She didn’t make it to her Tai chi class. She experienced her very first (hopefully, last!) wreck when she pulled out in front of a truck she didn’t see. The other driver didn’t see her, either. (His air bag deployed, making it more of a shock!) Luckily, she was in the new car (lucky????) instead of her little red compact. Where she got hit she could have been seriously hurt in the little car. Neither door on the left side will open because of the damage, however it was driveable and she got it back home. I haven’t talked to her today, but past personal experience leads me to expect her to be very sore and achy.

Snow was still on the north side of the mountain yesterday as I crossed it to pick up the boys. Last night happened to be the coldest night of November since 1937! It got down into the teens. A cool 17 degrees in the valley early this morning. Cold weather will be with us through the weekend at least. We are predicted to get more sleet and “stuff” Saturday. This could be one of those years when it snows the same day of the week for five or six weeks straight ... I wonder ... It seems to happen quite often that way.

Continued Page four

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