03-31-2012

  Been a little rough sailing the last week or two. I think it's the Pollen but I seem to have sinuses and bronchitis. I hate to take meds for it because that always brings about a yeast infection. So far I've made slow progress taking a lot of Vit D. I also finally saw what Mark was talking about when he said the dentures could make a sore in the mouth. I take them out when I'm home and put them back in when I'm out. Also discovered the Polident thing, glue them babies in where I can sink my teeth into something and still keep them in my mouth. :)

  Between the down days I managed to break the lawn mower, fix it, then mow both yards and break the ground where the green beans and corn will go. Done that all in a day, then crashed a couple of days. Got a butt chewing from Megan last week when I took off on the bike. I felt good enough and just wanted to ride it up town. She thought I was hurt laying somewhere. All the vehicles were here but she never checked in the garage for the bike. Sometimes it's just night to cruise.

  Me and Denise went to Unicoi today and I bought what I call, Bigger Uglier. The guy wasn't totally honest on a few things but close enough. Tonight I placed Big Ugly on Craigslist, just as promised. I've worked on and off on that truck and it has never let me down yet, hate to see it go. This one though has a 16 ft bed, all steel and it dumps! That was my intentions for Big Ugly but this truck will carry more weight. It will take more work, money, and time to get this one though as good as Big Ugly. With a long driveway here and the farm I can't shovel the gravel and can't afford to pay to have them delivered. This will, or at least should, take care of that, plus pull the hay floats if we need to bring hay in. It's automatic too so we all should be able to drive it. It's just a little bit longer, ok, a lot longer. I thought about selling Blackie instead but the kids said no, too many memories.

  Man I hope this chest and bronchitis stuff clears before my next visit in April. Wouldn't that be a bummer. I finally get a dump truck and don't get to dump anything with it, lol. For the record, Mary hit one already. I'll be worrying what it will cost to fix a truck up and if I paid too much for it.

03-27-2012

  This is like day 4 of what feels a lot like pneumonia, but it's bronchial.  Other than a quick trip to Yoder's Market, I stayed low the weekend. Until today I used the O2 machine even during the day, going out only on short trips. I've been hitting the Vit D heavy in hopes of not having to do more meds, seems I get a yeast infection when I do. I think I screwed up a little. Mowed the yard here and a day later at the other house, me and mowing don't mix anymore. Then I opened the window in my bedroom and put a fan in it and I think that capped it off. Finally yesterday my cough seems to be productive and slowing down.

  Yesterday me and mom went to see Mary Lou Clark in Unicoi. Denise don't approve but if she ever met her she'd like her. Not quite the news I would have liked to hear but then again I'd rather be hit with truth than baffled by BS. She has never missed a thing yet. She has book after book filled out from those who she has helped over the years. A college professor invites her to speak each year at a college though this year she has declined. This time she said a blond headed girl will come crying to me broken hearted. A brown headed girl will have a wreck and total her car. Somebody was trying to change a will. I will have to get someone to repair my house. We would take a short pleasure trip. That we would consider moving, maybe even move. There was more but she went so fast I couldn't keep up. One positive thing was quit worrying about the job I had to do, I will do it. Another was she sees no cancer.

  I passed the info on the wreck to Denise and Annie, like she said, nothing is written in stone. God gives us all freewill and the future is not concrete, she only sees possibilities. This is the lady who said I'd buy a black vehicle from a short salt & peppered hair man, but it would not be called black. A few months later I ended up buying the Vulcan which is black but listed as bronze due to the bronze flecking in the paint, and Joseph was a short man with salt and peppered color hair. Once she said I would hurt my arm. A  few months later I tore my rotatory cuff. Said I needed my throat looked a year before the cancer was found. When they found it they estimated it had been there about a year. Said I'd be hiring people to work on the houses and I said I couldn't afford to hire anybody. She said storm, then storms. A week later the storm came and 28 days later another. I'll be 52 this year and I have never seen anything like the two we got. We still have some stuff to finish and had to hire most of the work done. She has had this gift since she drown as a little girl. They live simple, poor, and humble. No internet and limited TV. Sometimes we are given gifts I believe and no matter if we like it or not.

  So today I worked a little in the grapevine area, not much though. It looks a bit better. I tossed a bunch of rocks out of the garden area. If rocks were worth anything I'd be rich. I think we're growing them. I've been looking for a dump truck or a dump bed for the farm. With a small budget it hasn't been easy, she picked up on that without me saying a word. Says I'm looking for a truck and worried how much work it will need. I've found a few but the work they need ain't good. Denise says I'll have to get rid of something, that would be Big Ugly. She'd like for a few more to go but that ain't happening. :)

  I sat on the steps in the front of the house talking to Denise when I look to my arm and drawed back was a small snake about to bite. I hate snakes, thought I'd have to clean my drawers. Trixie and Puppy must have picked up on the fear and kept on until Trixie caught and killed it. It was in the Snow Ball bush that grows close to the rock railing and had crawled up. Denise had a good laugh, she isn't afraid of snakes. Had two calves born and one goat last week. Jennie looks pregnant and hopefully she will foal without problems. If she does it will be the first Donkey born here. Megan has the ducklings in the Sunroom in a Parrot cage and Denise is sort of over me getting her baby ducks. They bring Megan enjoyment so that is good, and they are Mallards so probably when they get older they will fly off, which helped me out of the dog house a little. 

Happy Anniversary

Happy 23rd Anniversary Denise!!!

 We got back early this morning from an overnight stay in Pigeon Forge. We stopped at Lodge Cast Iron store and bought some skillets and a press for the burgers. Ate at Red Lobster, hit Krispy Kreme (like we needed that), then headed back to the room. Watched a little TV in the Jacuzzi and ate donuts. Then it got funny.

  Denise fell asleep first and I watched Doomsday Preppers or something like that. Amazing what one will watch when in a small space. I actually got interested in one and the next thing I knew was Denise telling me to "get on my side". I am not the most alert when I first wake up, especially if I'm awaken. I think it's after raising kids that one learns to repeat ones self. So I herd that phrase at least a few times before I actually get my body to cooperate with my mind. I feel for the end of the bed, it's King Sized so there should be enough room. Sure enough, there is only about a foot left, so I say, "I'm on my side". Sooo, I heard, "NO GET ON YOUR SIDE!" So I say pretty stern back, "I am on my side. Theres only about a foot left". I hear, NO, Turn On Your side. Your snoring is keeping me awake."  So I sat up on the edge of the bed and hear, "Where are you going?" "To the bathroom". I hear, "Do you know where your going?" "Yes to the bathroom". "Then I hear do you know why your going to the bathroom?" I say, "No, just thought I'd go figure out why that seat has a hole in the middle. Yes, I know why I'm going to the bathroom."

  Now this was repeated pretty much every other hour if not every hour on the hour, all night long. I did hear one time something different. I awoke to, "Get Off Me". I look and I'm not on her, but I did manage to be in the middle of the bed. "I'm not on you. " Then I hear, "Not now your not. I moved you. You are worst than listening to a chainsaw. They're quieter." The final time was about 6:45 this morning and I figured it was time to go. We left about 7:45, ate breakfast at Shoney's then headed back home. The walls at the motel were paper thin and Denise heard young girls giggling and what sounded like a mortar round fired all night long. We laughed though that whoever was on all three sides, listened to me snoring and Denise and me fussing back and forth, definitely came out on the worse end. And that is why we have separate bedrooms. We got home and decided not to go to church, Denise hit my bedroom and I hit the couch. The next thing I heard was the phone ringing and it was mom telling us to come on to celebrate Baby's birthday. I remember when we were young coming back tired but from different circumstances. :) All in all though, we had fun. It was a good day but next time we will get a cabin again.This is the second year we've had that I would not have thought we would have together.

  We enjoyed the company of Matt, Misty, and the kids and for a moment it looked like home again. The kids all seem to love it there and the school system has far more to offer than it does here. Although White Oak Baptist Church has worked circles around Brandon's Autism and gets the credit for his remarkable turn around, the school system there doesn't have to be fought like it does here to do what is needed. Misty said Megan would have been a lot better off with her hearing there than here where we constantly battled for every inch of what little she received. I can't imagine what she went though on her end, but I know it wasn't good. I think it will be like this until schools quit the emphasis on sports above all else and learn that just because someone was good for the school system doesn't mean the title and job automatically goes to the heirs.

  The Non Hodgkins Lymphoma also is better than it was. I've increased Vitamin D and oddly enough, I believe that the Hot Tub thing at Hot Springs seems to have helped it. I felt my skin burn when we were there and that oddly enough is a good sign with this junk. I'm still not entirely for sure but I think we'll do it again soon and take Megan with us this time.

  In a sour note, this marks two years since dad died. Sad for us but happy for him.      

       

03-17-2012

It's late or early, depending on the perspective. I found the wall Wednesday and so Thursday I thought I'd do a hard push to extend that wall. Things are needing done faster than I have been doing them with an early spring. I tilled the second pass on the neighbor's garden and then headed for mine. Whoever designed the front end loader for the 231 Massey Ferguson had to have been young. You have to sky dive off it when you dismount. I was tilling the ground and decided to come off backwards since the ground was soft. With Neuropathy it's hard to walk on soft surfaces or uneven places, I should have jump forward, lol. My hand slipped and all 230 lbs crashed my forearm against the loader frame. It was one of those thought I was going to throw up pains. I tossed the big rock from where it was away and climbed back on and just laid there slumped over for 10-15 minutes collecting myself. So I start again except using the right arm as little as possible. When I got done I saw the blood all over the tractor. I think the pressure just burst the skin or cut it or something. It's still swelled pretty big and painful even tonight. Now comes the funny part. I went on the hill to toss out 50lbs of grass seed and the cows thought I had sweet feed. I have two aggressive Charlotte that maybe weigh like 1200-1500 lbs each that will butt you and sometimes even charge you. She got pissed and here she came. I used my forearm to try and lessen or deflect the blow, but I still went airborne and landed on the other side of the truck. Where did she hit? Same place on the same arm. I checked Millie too while I was up there. Squeezed her teat and she has blood tainted yellow milk. I figure she is about to come fresh soon.

  So today I rested so I could celebrate mine and Denise's 23rd Anniversary and Baby's 6th birthday. Without my family nothing means nothing. Both arms have lacerations on them from wire too, so I look like I've been in a fight with a barber, lol. I did finish mowing the yard I started though today. Got Rex in twice and fixed that fence... I hope. Fed the chickens, checked the cows, fed the stray kittys. Then watched the boobe-tube. I'm still not sure how we can have that many channels with nothing on.

  For Denise's gift I got her.... Oh yea, I caught you reading this the other night. So what I got was a _ - - - - - - - -. I think you'll like it. I got it on sale for $. Yea, busted, you thought I put it up here in advance. Gotcha! You'll have to wait. :)     

03-13-2012

Happy Birthday Baby (Alexandria). Big number 6. 

  I got that date right but got our Anniversary and the anniversary of dad's death wrong. It is the 18th and not the 17th. Denise corrected me. Again, and again, and again, lol. Luckily for me she kind of expects that. I'm busted and caught without an excuse. I thought about claiming Old Timers but I keep forgetting to use that one, lol. Sometimes I think weellll... and then again I just don't know. :) 

  

03-11-2012

Man what a day Saturday. We started by going to Hot Springs, NC and set in a hot tub. We've rode bikes there once, heard about it all my life how those natural warm springs in the tubs feel so good, but I never imagined that good. Fastest hour I've spent in a long time. I think me and Denise both needed that. This will have to be a repetitive thing and the next time we take Megan. Denise said it'd be fun to ride the bike up there this summer and do it again, but I was so relaxed I'm not sure I'd make it back. We came back and picked Megan up and went to Cheddars in Knoxville and ate. Denise has wanted to try there for a long time too. Definitely another place to return, just not order so much food the next round. Then we headed to Sams and restocked back up. We go there about every two or the months. Then Tractor Supply, dog food was on sale, then Megan wanted to go to Wally World. I am going to pay for this day.

  This week will bring joy and sadness at the same stretch. It will be Baby's sixth birthday on the 13th and our 23rd Anniversary the 17th, but also the 17th will mark two years since dad died. This year we will probably go away for our anniversary, maybe. We use to but then the cancer set in and I was too sick, then dad died. Last year it just wasn't in me to go even though I know he would have wanted us too. I guess we will wait and see. Maybe a nice quiet dinner. I hate for mom to be alone on that day. Life is bitter/sweet. I suppose that is the way it is meant to be. We wouldn't appreciate the sun without the rain or the peace without the strife. We wouldn't appreciate the thankfulness without the need, nor the good moments without the bad moments. A strange balance it is, this life. The solstice comes from knowing no moment lasts forever, be it good or bad, for all passes away. Therefore we cherish the good and endure the bad, all while knowing this too shall pass away.      

  I go for a chest scan this month and hopefully get another clean bill and won't have to do another for six months. I haven't started the Hyperbaric Oxygen therapy, I know I need it but it's a long drive to St Mary's and I just ordered a new pair of glasses. Thats my excuse this week anyway. Plus it is getting close to garden season, oh how I have waited. Then there is still the two garage roofs plus the two outbuildings roofs that need replaced from last year's storms. It hasn't dried up enough to work on them and hopefully Al is still for hire to help put them on. I'm not sure if I can do it but I have to try, neuropathy and roofs don't mix too well and I'm getting too old to heal up, plus I don't bounce like I once did. It ain't the fall I'm worried about, it's the sudden stop.

  I've tried to contact Mary Lou Clark but unable to get her on the phone. She has always answered the phone, so I'm worried about her. I've grown to trust her over the years with her predictions, she has a rare gift. She has never missed a thing, and I'm talking extreme details. Like the time she told me I had something bad wrong with my throat. A year later the throat cancer was found and they said it probably had been there a year. The time she said I'd buy a black vehicle but it wouldn't be called black from a short salt and peppered hair man. Three months later I bought our bike from that man, named Joseph, but it wasn't until I was titling it I saw that the black bike we have is officially called Bronze by Kawasaki. The last time was before the two storms, she stressed storms. Said I'd hire someone to work on the houses. I laughed and said I have to work on them, I'm too poor to pay someone else. That week or the next the two storms came and I ended up hiring people to work on both houses. And the list goes on. In her book she tells about drowning in a pond as a child, meeting Jesus, then a week later again, and has this gift. In Biblical days they said to test the spirits and if they were ever wrong they were from the wrong side, but if they were always right they were from God. She has never been wrong since 2000 on one thing she has ever told me, not once. 

  Me and Megan planted some 18 trees (mostly fruit) and still have four to plant and two more to dig, unless I buy some more. I ended up bleeding through my bowels for a couple of days, think I may have overshot that one a bit. Day one of the being down we sat inside but come day two I have enough energy that we went to look for a dump truck in Middlesboro, KY. We did end up sitting on the road side twice from double vision, but we made it through. We also went to Pinesville, KY. Pretty cool town. It's nice to see small towns like there and Hot Springs, NC haven't changed much. That America still have places that multinational corporations haven't ruined. I didn't find the one I liked enough to buy, but sure did meet a lot of nice people.

Lord I'm going to pay for this tomorrow. But it was worth every moment.