It Ain't over till it's Over

Today is July the 9, 2009. This is a day I have been looking forward to for weeks and I had marked it on the calendar. And why have I been looking forward to the 9th so excitedly? Because it meant it was no longer July the 8th. The dreaded Colonoscopy and Endoscopy were things of the past. Finis. Over. Done with.

Back in April, God pulled the ultimate April Fools joke on me (after I had mockingly said "they'll do a Colonoscopy on me when we have full camera pill technology available in Jefferson, ". And I said that in here of all places!) He had pointed His gigantic finger at my gut line and produced a little life threatening abscess on my colon. "Deal with this, smarty pants", He seemed to say. And therefore taught me the meaning of an old saying "never say never".

So, after a life altering two week stay at the Carolina Pines Hospital Resort and Vacation Spa (not) I sort of rethought my decision on Colonoscopies and me in general. Dr. Dameron, my surgeon, set the date for July the 8th. Since June 15th the box marked HalfLytely & Biscacodyl tablets Bowel Prep Kit has sat on my dressing table, mocking me. And it has the nerve to say in bold print (no whisperer this box) WITH FLAVOR PACKETS. The flavor packets being, cherry (yummy) pineapple (really?) and orange...oh no, the dreaded orange. The box mocked me every morning and every evening, so I stuck it in the closet where it could mock in darkness and leave me to my delusion that I could stave off July 8th with will power alone.

On July 6th a sweetheart of a nurse called me to remind me of our date with destiny. We did a preregistration by phone which meant saving scads of time on July 8th. There it was again, that date. July the 8th. I brought the box out of the darkness and got my hospital folder down from the bookshelf. Inside the folder were the directions for taking the Preparation. I read the directions and it didn't seem so bad. I put a brave face on when talking to Mac about what was coming up. The air of nonchalance and utter disregard for my upcoming event gave me a sort of courage that I hadn't known was there. I announced to the world that there was an upcoming party and I was the pinata...it was about then that Mac gave me the Jane Wayne award for bravery.

My pal Lee (Chrysalis Dreams) and I discussed the procedure ad nauseum by phone and by instant messenger and I knew that I would not back out of this. So on July 7th, at 6 a I mixed the solution which made up 2 litres of what I hoped wouldn't be a terribly vile drink. I added the pineapple and the cherry packs to the solution and shook well. I placed it in the fridge to chill (shaken, not stirred comes to mind...James Bond invades my daydreams on the occasion). On this day I could eat nothing. It was a clear liquid diet of tea, broth and hard candies (no red colors it announced in bold letters on the diet instruction sheet). No caffeine (I was doomed) no aspirin, no arthritis pain meds. This was going to be a pretty crappy day. In more ways than one.

At three p I was instructed to take the first of the two Bisacodly tablets. Then, I began drinking the solution at 5 p. It wasn't as bad as I had imagined it to be. Not great, I mean I wouldn't take it over say, tap water...but not bad. I had to drink the whole two litres in two hours 8 ounces at a time every ten minutes. What fun. I don't know why I a straw in the bottle wouldn't have accomplished the same thing, but I am a stickler for instructions so eight ounces every ten minutes it was. It was along about 6 p that I warned Mac not to get in my way when I began to beat a hasty retreat to the master bath. At 7 p I took the second of the two tablets and finished off my not so tasty cocktail. And the trotting to and fro began in earnest. This little drama continued till about 2 a. Exhausted, I threw myself into bed at 2:30 a and slept the sleep of the seriously disturbed until 5 the same morning.

I needed no alarm clock. My eyes opened wide in consternation, and I ran for the bathroom for what I hoped was the last time during this event. Having been NPO (nothing by mouth) since Midnight the night before, I fought the urge for that hot life giving cup of coffee that I knew the pot was brewing at that very instant. I also fought the urge to dump the contents down the sink so that Mac couldn't have any either. I'm sort of evil that way. But I took a sip of water with my blood pressure meds, the altace and the ToProl xl...and enjoyed the very wetness of that water against my lips. Mac got up and asked me if I was okay and I assured him that I was. "Piece of cake, " I threw off while feeling as though I could throw up.

At 6:45 we gathered everything I needed to take with me and walked out into a blanket of fog. We could have been in England the fog was so dense. (Lie back and think of England...could this be what they had meant?) Announcing that it was a good thing we were able to get an early start, Mac loaded my few things into the truck. We arrived at 7:30 and I was escorted to the Out Patient Services department. Once taken into what was called a Holding Room, where I was hooked up to an IV and my b/p checked, I waited for the eventual trip to the OR. Mac was allowed to stay with me till the appointed time and he kept asking me why I was so quiet. Okay, if you knew me personally you would know this is an important question. I talk incessantly sometimes. My brain never rests. I had to tell him that I really had nothing to say except "get me out of here" and I knew that if I said it often enough he would oblige me. So, it was best to say nothing. At 9a they came for me.

The nurse chatted lightly to me all the way to the OR area. She was very pleasant and cheerful. It had helped to know that I was not the only person in the hospital for this procedure that morning. I was one of 9, she told me. As we rolled into the OR room that I would be getting my procedure done in, I finally gave in to the inevitable. I was asked by someone, I'm not sure who, if I was ready. I put as much bravado in my voice as I could muster and told them, "lets get this party started, the Pinata is here!"

I came to at about 10:45 and they were bringing me a Sprite Zero and asking me how I felt. Amazingly I felt fine. I asked if was all over and they assured me that it was. Hmmm. Mac came into the room, kissed my forehead and asked how I was. I told him I was fine, that I couldn't believe how upset I had been over what was nothing really. Earlier I had quipped "a piece of cake" and now I knew it really was. The hardest part had been the preparations the day before, the constant run for the bathroom...that had been the worst of it. I was in utter disbelief.
And Mac said that Dr. Dameron had found nothing to be alarmed by in the bowel and no bleeding in my stomach to explain the low hemoglobin, either.

So, children that is why I am so glad that this is July the 9th. It's all behind me, now.
No pun intended.
Post of the Day

Hollywood

She was leaving work late one night when she heard the plaintive mewl coming from beneath the car. Leaning down to peer under the darkness of the vehicle, she saw nothing. Still the noise came. Opening the car door, she pulled the hood release lever. When she opened the hood, the mewling became louder and suddenly she pinpointed the noise...there just within reach was a bundle of color just a little lighter than the darkness beneath. Reaching out, she bravely grabbed the little bundle of fur encased within the engine and it yawned widely, already knowing that a parking lot vehicle was not going to be it's home forever.

They named him Hollywood. He was a star. The silky gray fur stood out from his body as though he had stuck a claw into a light socket. Bela, the Dark Lord of the Underworld, simply ignored him. He neither hissed nor threw out long claws to dice and dissect, simply walked around him so as to give this new intruder no purchase on his body or his psyche. So Hollywood stayed.

He grew into a rather large cat who neither ruled nor became enslaved. He simply was. And because he was, he was loved obsessively. You could not walk into his presence without reaching out a hand and touching the velvety ears or tickling the small pointed chin. So in a way, I suppose he actually did. Rule that is.

And so this is how came into my life, the first "Grandcat". We heard the story of the rescue from the car engine several times, and the haughty young mister would stroll out into the limelight to be admired and stroked (or not) and then lay upon his sofa or chair of choice and like Garbo, wait to be left alone.

He was older now. Not quite as old as niece Deanna, but older by far then nieces Haley and Kirsten. He did not move as fast as he once did. He began to lose weight. One weekend he simply could not eat. He slipped into a deep sleep from which no amount of coaxing or cajoling could waken him. Hearts broke. Tears welled. Whispered discussions were held. Phone calls made. Vet appointment scheduled for the final goodbye. Grandma called.

So this is how Hollywood came to rest within the hallowed wood behind our home. Resting comfortably in the shade where wild flowers grow and squirrels romp through trees and birds fly and nest and other cats play along the primeval floor and God looks down from His Heaven. Where Grandma can keep him safe and softly speak to him when she passes by the place where he sleeps. No more goodbyes. Hello, Hollywood.

Where I've been...and what I've been doing...

I can't believe it's been two weeks since I've been in here. Time flies, you know? The book signing went so well that I'm just flabbergasted. This little cutie pie is six years old. Her name is Allie Vaughn and she asked me to sign her book, which she bought with her own money. I took pleasure in personalizing her book for her. This is the picture that appears in the Progressive Journal News. I sold my stock of books and have another book signing on July 20th in Anson County (North Carolina) at 11 a. The day was a joy for me.


But in the mean time, the garden flourishes.

All week before last we weeded and watered, hoed and dusted. We picked the first little batch of beans last Saturday. We had planted Rattlesnake Beans, which are a green bean with purple stripes on them. When you cook them, the purple stripe disappears, and like magic, it's just a green bean. I cooked them with new potatoes that we dug from our container. So good, cooked together. We also cook cabbage and potatoes together. Do you suppose it's the Scots/Irish heritage?















This is what we harvested this morning...the tomatoes are outdoing themselves...it's Sink Sandwich time for sure!

But enough about the hard work that Mac and I have put in the past two weeks. I am always having to chastise "the Chief" about over doing. This week we had a little scare. Once again I take you to the halls of Wal-Mart. And what have I told you children? When you're not well enough to shop at WalMart, your next stop should be where? So, there we are in WalMart and I'm just picking up a few items that we need (mainly cat food) and I noticed that he was lagging behind. I asked him if he felt alright and was told rather sharply that no, he wasn't. He felt a heaviness in his chest and was short of breath. Now, the day before I spent hours telling him that humidity was to high, he needed to take a break (as I was doing) and come in and cool down. But NOOOOOO, would John Wayne come in just account of a measly heat wave? You don't know how sick I am of John Wayne. Never mind that The Duke has come in from the garden permanently, it does no good to point that out.

So, as we headed out to the parking lot, I tell Mac "you know there's one of two things that can be done right now."
"And that would be?" he asked.
"We stop in at Carolina Pines (hospital) now or you take the $7000 ride later (meaning the ambulance from home...and that's a low estimation on the cost these days). Imagine my surprise when he voluntarily stopped at the ER of Carolina Pines, but actually walked in with me. I knew this couldn't be good.

They ran an EKG, twice. They gave him a blood thinning shot. They checked his b/p (many many times). Then they admitted him for observation. He kept saying that he really needed to go home and the ER Doc finally told him that since he was a captive audience (IV drip already going) he did not feel inclined to let him leave. Good news, it appears that it was definitely heat exhaustion and that now home, he's heeding the advice of the Doctors. In after 11 a. Now, this is the same advice that I have been giving all week. Do I get an M.D. behind my name? No, of course not. I don't even get the joy of having him pay me any attention. Maybe next time!

Cloud Walkers

I woke up early this morning. Of course, I waken early most mornings, but this morning when I rolled over and looked at the clock I was amazed to see it read 5 a.m. We worked so hard yesterday on the new raised bed that Mac and I collapsed into sleep at 9:30 p. At 9, Mac said, "what happened to the days when we never made it to bed before Midnight, and now seems like we just can't wait for the sun to go down?"

I allowed as to how we work harder now than we did then. This is a job, taking care of and maintaining lawns and gardens on 4 acres. I've suggested taking a late afternoon nap, but we don't have time. We go out onto the porch at about 6 am every morning and drink our coffee and wait for the fog to burn off. Pretty soon, coffee cup in hand, I'm wandering over to the flower bed because even from there, I can see grass trying to invade the Coneflowers and the Cannas...the Gerbera Daisies are peeking through the spent Iris leaves and I know what the number 1 job will be! A sharp pair of scissors will fan those leaves nicely, about half way down.














My excitement with the morning grew as I looked over and saw that my Hollyhock was blooming. Someone told me that it was a biannual, and I have no reason to doubt their word but the Hollyhock blooms every year. I guess no one told it. As I got up close with the camera, I noticed something else. Kittens in the bed...the plants in this bed are so big and hardy that they can do no damage, so I leave them alone to enjoy their play.















I take a walk over to Mac's Tomato bed. On the wire he has green beans and cucumbers growing. I can't wait to tell Arianna to go pick me some green beans and hear her shout out "Gran, there's cucumbers growing on the bean vine!" We've already picked (and eaten) about six of the cukes and they were delightful. We grow two varieties, the Cruncher and Straight 8...we are looking forward to the first ripe tomato and the first Sink Sandwich...my mouth hurts from the watering of it!














The fog is still thick on the ground and I can remember my Grandfather, Dwight Douglas, as he took my hand and we walked out into the morning telling me that we were Cloud Walkers. A chill just went down my back because I heard his voice so clearly inside my head it was as though he stood beside me. Perhaps he was.















I walked over to the Damson Plum tree which was now heavy laden with fruit...I couldn't believe how big they were and couldn't resist showing you...this little beauty was popped into my mouth as soon as the picture was taken! Sweet heavenly breakfast.














So, before going inside to get ready for my exciting day today, here's a picture of my Thumbergia vine...often called Black Eyed Susan...I am thrilled with it's progress as it attacks the porch railing with beauty and determination. But today, I have a Book Signing at the Chesterfield County Library. I'm excited and maybe that's why 5 a came early, but I didn't even mind.

Papa Loved Mama

I'm not sure yet what the title of this post should be. It will have to come to me as I tell the story. I often tell you that I was brought up by Ricky and Lucy Ricardo. That's because they were not dissimilar from that famous TV couple. Daddy, the hot blooded Latin (from Quito , Ecuador) and Mama, the zany red head (and only her hairdresser knew for sure) from the Carolina's. The accents meshed somehow, as did the personalities. Their love and devotion often clashed with their tempers, but it always worked out somehow.

Yes, I'll be the first to admit that while their love carried them all over the world, their spats were never dull and often accompanied them along with their luggage. When the green eyed monster reared his ugly head, the luggage became baggage and the fight would be on. My mother, a beautiful woman, often caught the eye of men and it killed my father, while it simply tickled my mother. I can hear him even now..."that man was looking at you." My mother, smiling at him would simply say, "it's a free world. Looking costs nothing." Glares all around would be the order of the day.

Daddy never talked about himself. He would only talk about Mama and what all she had accomplished in her life, as though she had done it without his help. He would tell about the missions of mercy she often found herself embroiled in, providing medicine in South America for those who could not afford it or were unable to obtain it. Her many acts of kindness and generosity while she and he worked their behinds off in the Valverde Clinic. After losing her in death (of Ovarian Cancer) several years back, we were sure that we would lose him, too. They had rarely spent a night away from each other in over fifty years. We didn't know how this man, who didn't even know how to operate a microwave (but could diagnose a disease often with an exam only) could get along on his own. He refused to move in with any of us, it was just him and his cat.

What we came to call "the Mama Stories" still poured out of him, as though just talking about her brought her close to him. I suppose it does. But we kept urging him to tell us something about himself, and he would haltingly tell us of working in Havana as a Doctor while Batista was still in power, then going to Panama to work, gradually working his way up to the United States. We would be all agog, never having heard these stories before. We came to suspect that he had been hiding his light under Mama's bushel. But in my mind, I could still hear their heated quarrels over minor things, the heated quarrels that made up their life as surely as their love did. If there was some problem that we really didn't want Daddy involved in, I could hear Mama telling us, never mind, let me handle your father. And we knew she could. And would. You see, even I do it...Mama has once again taken over and Daddy is the man standing just behind her, peering over her shoulder. I blame him. He's the one who taught us.

The Woman in the mirror

I don't know about the rest of you, but I can remember when I was little that "The Aunts" would gather on the porch a few afternoons each week to discuss their "ailments". There was lumbago, rheumatiz, (I know it's misspelled...that's how they said it) gout, "woman problems" and the all famous "noxious gas". Of course that last one was mostly when they were discussing the Uncles. The Aunts Florence (there were two of them ) Aunt Della, Aunt Edith and of course my grandmother, Nancy Douglas would gather on the porch, bushels of beans at their feet, big aluminum pans in their laps. Funnily enough Nancy, my grandmother, never complained about her "miseries", she just announced in a rather matter of fact way that, now she was a woman of a certain age, nothing worked right anymore. That was it. No long drawn out complaints, just a simple statement of fact. Otherwise, she would sit with the bean pan in her lap, nod solemnly as the Aunts continued their litany of ailments, and shell and snap beans for dinner or the freezer.

I have discovered that as we get older (I hate the word old, so we'll go with older) we have more and more in common with our fore mothers. It will be up to us to decide into whom we actually morph. Do we become one of the Aunts decrying the fact that your body is busy deserting your spirit, or become like my grandmother who just took things in stride. I frankly enjoyed listening to the Aunts as they grumbled and groused, but I'm sure those who had to hear it on a daily basis soon tired of the tirade. I know we all remember my "what a big girl I am" stance when I refused the gently offered suggestion of a colonoscopy from my beloved Doc Moyd. Uh huh, I stood my ground and said "no no no". I was channeling my inner brat. Then a few weeks later...not months mind you, mere weeks, I ran headlong into my own mortality and landed in hospital for two weeks. The dreaded colonoscopy would have saved me that bit of a near death experience.

So, to add to the list of complaints showing just how low we can go...my arthritic foot...that constant source of pain and betrayal, sent me to the ER a couple of weeks ago. While they were taking x-rays, yet again, they did a little blood work. My hemoglobin was 9.9. Normal is between 12 and 14 and mine had been 13.5 in January. So, getting the call from Doc Moyd, in I go to do a double check. His main concern was just where my blood was going. I took a deep breath and sighed loudly when he asked if I had scheduled the colonoscopy with Dr Dameron. "We do that on Tuesday, " I told him. He then explained that Dr. Dameron would most likely want to do an Endoscopy on my sorry self, too. I nodded at him, all the time in my mind saying "no way, no way no way in hell!"

On Tuesday I found out that my Doc Moyd had been a busy little beaver before I actually got into see Doc Dameron. They had been on the phone with each other and the wagons were circled. I surrendered gracefully. BOTH procedures are scheduled for July 8th. Wish me luck.
And call me Nancy.

Publish Post

I Can't Get no...Satisfaction...

Ah the tunes from my youth...the Rolling Stones, whom I discovered when I first heard Satisfaction, still remain a favorite. For the life of me though, I can't tell you why. Mick has not aged well...he (like so many of us) has just aged. But that song still stays the same, and it seems as though these days, I can't get no satisfaction. While I am just thrilled with how great everything is looking in the garden, I'm quietly wishing the rain would stop. While we don't have it nearly as bad as our friends in certain parts of Florida, say, still and all it has been raining here for two weeks. Enough is enough. Or as my pal Bubbles (Violet Loxley) used to say, "fun's fun, but damn a pantomime!". Today we have been teased by the sun. It has come out three times. Of course it lasted no longer than five minutes at a time, so that means the garden is still saturated with water and Mac can not go out and play. If he could go out and play, I could finish getting my work done rather than answer myriad questions on why I'm doing what I'm doing and how long it's going to take me to finish it.

But like I was saying...this time last year we were well into our third year of drought. The fruit trees bore little dried up fruit which soon fell to earth inedible to even the birds. The garden dried up and the tomato plants refused to cooperate so I'd have lots and lots of tomatoes to freeze and can. When the rain first started, the ground was so rock hard that much of it just rolled downhill and into the creek. This made the creek swell and overflow it's banks, but luckily not enough to do any harm. Now the ground has become a sponge and is retaining water much like I was once wont to do. It hasn't started to regurgitate or refuse to accept any more water yet...but I'm afraid of the word "yet". I don't want that to become the operative word.

This morning we picked a large basket of plums off one plum tree. The other plum tree is loaded, but has yet to ripen. I'm afraid they will swell to bursting and just fall, green, onto the ground. I have big plans for those plums, that includes jelly making. The sun was just out. But I see by the shadows on the windows that the clouds have rolled over it's face like a hawk on a mouse...lasting less than the prescribed five minutes. I hear Mac's boots on the porch. Guess I'll go play twenty questions.

The Letter Home

Dear Folks,
Well, I just wanted all of you to know that once more I have landed on my feet. There was a terrible storm a couple of weeks ago, with lots of noise and lights and it scared me into early labor. I'm not used to so much activity and worry over how my siblings were faring in such really had me in a tizzy. The children were just soaking wet and I feared they might drown. Suddenly this red car pulled into the parking lot of the building where I had found some shelter. I had the kids up on the loading dock and made plenty of noise when I heard activity in the back hall way. The door opened and the giant on the other side looked down at me and my little brood and sighed. Heavily. I don't think he was to pleased to see us, but he didn't chase us away either. He left for a bit, then came back out with a box. I watched, holding my breath, as he scooped the children up and put them in the box. He turned to go inside, then looked back at me and said, "well, are you coming in?" Of course I was coming in. What's he think, I'm nuts?

He got this small warm air machine and began to dry and warm the children, then he turned it to me. Not liking this new turn of events, I ran behind this big chair, and washed and dried myself. What's he think, I'm a baby? So anyway, after we were all warmed up, I got in with the babies and they had a good meal. I heard the giant leave the room, and when he returned, he had a bowl of milk and some sort of meat broken up in the dish. He called it chicken, and I was amazed. Did you know that lizard tastes like chicken? He kept asking me where I had come from and how I had ended up at the Progressive Journal. I tried to tell him that I needed a job to support me and my family and that I was an excellent Copycat, that there was no job around a newspaper that I couldn't tackle with finesse and speed. And judging from the mouse droppings I hadn't gotten here a minute to soon.

I saw him pick up this little square gizmo and start talking into it. I think he called it a cell. Didn't look like any cell that I'd ever seen before, but I took his word for it. So whoever was on the other end ( he called her Mom) he was telling her about my plight and asking if there was any room at the inn. Seriously, he asked if THERE WAS ANY ROOM AT THE INN! At first all I could hear was laughter coming from the other end of the thing he called a cell. A laughing cell. Now that I could handle. He explained that along with me, there were five little ones and that he couldn't keep us here. There seemed to be some conversation on the other end and after a bit he put all of us in the red car. He told me I couldn't drive and kept moving me away from the steering wheel. I had never traveled so fast and the scenery was fascinating. We turned down this long drive and I saw a house and trees. Man there are a lot of trees here. It's like Disneyland. So anyway, we stopped next to this house and a lady giant came out and hugged the man giant and then they stood looking down at the children. The lady giant was telling the man giant that I was so ugly I was cute. What does she mean ugly? She started calling me Puddinhead immediately. How did she know what you call me, Mama? I tried to tell her my name was Shaherazade but she just won't say it.

So, I have this nice house just off the porch, we are all warm and comfy, meal times come regularly at 6 am and 6 pm and we have all the rest of the day to do our own thing. Today I went exploring with the pair of giants who live here. I found their garden to my liking. And the woods are wonderful. I met this really bossy squirrel who told me to stay off his tree. Like, I didn't see his name on it, so what's he on about? Anyway Mom, I just wanted all of you to know that we're safe and don't worry about us. I don't know why they call this the Crazy Cat Lady's house. She doesn't seem at all crazy to me. I think she may be my gift from the Maker.

Love
Shaherazade
alias "Puddinhead"


From The Crazy Cat Lady: I had a message on here about a blogger who's blog disappeared and now blogger is blocking some of my visitors so I've removed all mention of my friend to see if that helps...what in the devil is going on!? And I also wanted to tell you that my book, The Crazy Cat Lady has been picked up by Amazon. Just type in the title in your Amazon Search!

This is May 18th? REALLY?

I woke up this morning...and that was the good news! Sonny, having recovered from his little procedure was in full helicopter mode (purring and loving) demanding breakfast. It's the most active we've seen him since he came home from the hospital. We had a busy weekend which began last Thursday. Our DIL Anna graduated from College Thursday night. She now has her degree in Business Management and was ever so glad to get that out of the way. She is sick of school she tells me. The graduation was held at the Florence Civic Center. We were on the second tier. I don't think I could have handled the third tier. I felt as though I were hanging from a catwalk as it was. We followed the ceremony with supper at the Olive Garden. They have the absolute best Eggplant Parmesan there. Okay, now here is a really bad picture...on the left is Anna's mom Judy, then me (my aunt told me I'm still looking "peaked" which is a southern way of telling you that you look like hell...I have to admit...I look like hell...but Arianna is beautiful and so is Mac! So anyway, we spent the weekend helping the kids do some landscaping. That is where the kids and Mac work and I give directions...you know: put that there, dig that here plant this now...it was fun.

Then, as I said, I woke up this morning and jumped out of bed...well perhaps jumped is not exactly what I did...I sort of grunted and groaned and waited for Mac to push me upright. I went into the kitchen and turned on the coffee pot, then opened the front door so I could see what all that blessed rain had done during the night. I closed it quickly, because it was cold out there! I'm not kidding, after I put on a jacket and went onto the porch to read the thermometer, it was 42 degrees. On May 18th. In South Carolina. Yes, Spring is still here after all. I'd be looking forward to temperatures like this in September. But in May? It is May, right?

The Pet Taxi

It was this past Tuesday night and Sonny, the little Russian Blue kitten had an appointment for Wednesday morning with Dr. Lawhon, our beloved Vet. He was going to have a little, well shall we say procedure? We hadn't yet broached the subject with him, I just planned to pick his little highness up and place him in the taxi without much ado. Placing the Pet Taxi to the side of the bookshelf, I left it open so that the cats could explore it's innards and figure out that there was nothing inside to hurt them. Pyewackit and Hound being the most recent passengers avoided that open door like the plague. They tried to warn Sonny and Cher, but they're kittens and they don't listen to their elders any more than any other teenager. They romped around inside it, chasing each other in and out of it and all the while the two adults just sat back and watched. They were cringing. I remembered when I had taken Pyewackit for the same procedure twelve years ago. He talked to me all the way to Hartsville, we sang and laughed and he was Mama's boy and all was fine in his world.

On the trip home the next day, Pye presented me with his back. He did not speak. He did not sing. He was no longer Mama's boy...he was just angry. As I drove I talked to him, promised him shrimp when we got home, promised him it was going to be alright. He turned and hissed at me. He didn't speak to me for two weeks.

Hound, being a little lady, had a different procedure, but a procedure she did have. When we took her in, she was a sweet little baby who, having been raised by us before her eyes were even open, thought we were the biggest cats she had ever seen. She would curl up on my shoulder to sleep and purr like a proper princess. After her little op she changed gradually. She got bigger, not fat, just tall. She became very bossy and demanding. A few weeks ago Sonny got out by accident and spent all night under the porch. The next morning he showed up at the patio doors asking to be allowed back in. I opened the door and he ran to Hound who proceeded to beat him to within an inch of his life. She had not given him permission to stay out all night, and was asserting her authority over him.

So today we went to pick Sonny up and bring him home. He was so glad to see us, he purred and chattered all the way home. I was reading the post-op instructions about using paper litter etc. etc. I looked over at Mac and told him that I had just thought of something. "What?" he asked. "I hope Hound doesn't jump on him for having another overnighter." He laughed and said that when Hound saw him come out of the pet taxi, she would take pity on him. He was right.

When we got home, his sister Cher was all over him, asking where he had been and that she had been worried about him. She was giving him a good bath and Sonny was enjoying the attention. They were so glad to see each other. Cher pointed to Sonny and asked "what happened there?" Sonny, in mid bath stopped and stared at himself..."dunno, they were there when I left home." Since neither of them particularly cared that a change had indeed been accomplished, I felt good about Cher's little trip in two weeks time. I haven't told her about her appointment yet. It seems to work better when you keep it a secret.

How I spent my Spring Break

I have had so many of you ask me, "are you writing a book? Why not?" Well, the answer is yes, I have written a book. While I was recuperating from my last illness I spent time stretched out with the galley copy editing and correcting. All the time I was being spurred on by my book editor, Wallace McBride. He cracks a mean whip and had the book up and running in no time. I could not have done it without him. I am now working on book 2. In the mean time, I hope that should you buy the book (just click on the book cover in the sidebar) you will enjoy reading it at least half as much as I did writing it. Or, just click here

The Beauty Around Us

This is "Pea Patch", English Peas, actually. Also at each corner is Cabbage. In the background is our Blackberry patch...blooming like mad!

And here is a close up of the Potato crop. This is one of two bins we've planted. These are Yukon Gold, the other bin is Idaho Baking potato
Now, how is this for lettuce? And it's only one side of the bed. Romaine and Butter Crunch are my favorites. I regret not planting spinach, but in the fall we'll remedy that mistake! Nothing as tasty as a mixed green salad with baby spinach!

This is my Day Lily Bed. Last year I cleaned out the old bed and took up all the little "nuts" that clung to the roots. This is the result! Lots of new plants that cost me nothing.

And this is the Iris Bed. There are still many to bloom, and I am looking forward to their arrival. Note the "Southern Charm" headboard and footboard...I did tell you it was an Iris Bed!
The Plum trees are proving to be quite abundantly loaded with fruit...

This head of broccoli will be in my freezer tonight! It's one of about 8 heads that we grew.


Mac is an amazing gardener who grows all his own plants. These he started back in February, they're ready for the garden!


Here is our square foot garden filled with lettuce, broccoli , onions, cabbage and cucumber plants. At the head of it is our potato crop in a large bin. This is one of the three square foot garden beds we have in the garden.

Last year in September, Lowe's had these Clematis Plants (you may say CLEMatis or CleMATIS, either is correct). They looked dead, were only fifty cents each and I brought home these...they're lovely, aren't they?

View of the other "dead" plant!


This is a closeup of one of my many Iris in the Iris bed that is blooming...remember to click on the photo to enlarge it if you want.


You know it is absolutely amazing how our gardens can get along without us for a bit, but our neglect will tell, in the end. So this week, every morning, Mac and I have been out weeding and watering, planting and thinning...and harvesting. The lettuce is at the "pull me now" stage and we've been enjoying wonderful salads every night this week. The broccoli will be pulled today and go into to the freezer after blanching. Except for one head which will go in the steamer for supper tomorrow. I could really live on fruits and vegetables these days, the fresher the better.
I'm still not quite 100 percent, I find that even though I've just spent two weeks in bed, I tire quite easily, so I just do a bit more each day. I'm getting there. I have plans for the flower beds and Mac has plans for the vegetable garden. I am still reeling from all the bounty of lettuce and onions, the potato bins will be full this summer...and we grew it all ourselves. I'm including pictures!
Thanks so much for keeping an eye on me and holding my feet to the healing fire of rest!! I love you all.

And God said "Pay Close Attention, I'm only going to say this once"...

On the Sunday before Easter Mac and I sat on the patio with our dear friends and neighbors, Craig and Joanne. Mac and Craig were talking about something, I was not really paying attention. Joanne was looking at me with such concern on her face that I asked her..."what?" She shook her head and said, "I don't know but you are awfully pale. You really don't look well at all." I agreed that I didn't particularly feel well, either. I had taken my temperature earlier in the day at it hovered around 101. When we went inside, I lay down on the sofa with a heating pad at my back. It helped not a bit. The next day, on Monday Mac was due to take his stress test. We drove into Hartsville to the HeartCare Center. While Mac was having his stress test, I went over to the Walmart Shopping Center and had my haircut and my eyebrows waxed. I wasn't feeling terrible, just a bit awful. As soon as my "do" was done, I went back to join Mac. He finished up about 2 pm, saw Dr. Grainger and was pronounced good to go for another year.

Mac wanted to go back over to WalMart to pick up some gardening supplies. When we got out of the truck, suddenly my back felt as if I couldn't walk another step. After about five minutes inside the massive store, I begged off shopping for a trip home. Mac raised his eyebrows, but said nothing. We went home soon after and I called my doctor. I had to leave a message and sat and waited for his return call. Then, as though I heard His voice in my head, it was like God told me, don't wait. Go now. The strains of the old song "Go Now" (The Moody Blues were an intregal part of my life) played in my head and I knew I shouldn't ignore it. "Can you get my suitcase out of the shed and bring it in here?" I asked Mac. He looked at me and never questioned why. When he brought it in, I proceeded to pack for the hospital. I told him that I knew there was something really wrong and that when we went to the hospital they wouldn't be letting me come home anytime soon. He took me at my word. I've never been wrong in these matters before.

We arrived at the Emergency Room at Carolina Pines and it seemed like merely minutes and I was being seen by the ER Doctor, Dr. Kohn. I told her where the pain was and that I had no idea what was wrong. I think I mentioned that I suspicioned trouble with my pancreas. perhaps brought on by the Byetta. She soon ruled that out. They came in and took blood...a lot of blood. I was so out of it by this time that I couldn't say who did what, but I do remember when they came in and told me that they needed to do a Cat Scan. I had to drink two 16 ounce cups of crystal light with dye contrast in it. It tasted like nasty Tang...I've never been fond of Tang. I only kept about half of it down. After the Cat Scan, a surgeon came in. I remember thinking "why is Rodney Carrington in scrubs and in my cubicle?" Rodney Carrington is a comedienne-singer that I had just seen the night before on YouTube singing his new song, If you Loved Me...it seemed odd, to say the least. He told me that I was very sick, that my white blood count was 29, 766 and that I had an abscess on my colon. He told me that they were going to admit me and start antibiotics right away. So, this is how my first day went. Drink nasty tasting stuff, take pictures. Talk to Doctor...well, Mac talked to Doctor, I was just oblivious to everything and everyone around me. Tuesday morning, drink more nasty stuff, do another cat scan. Dr. Rodney came in and told me that they were going to try to put in a drain and if they couldn't it would mean surgery and a temporary colostomy (temporary like 6 to 9 months). If you can call that temporary...I dreaded the thought of surgery, but smiled widely (a habit of mine) and told them I understood. I was on clear liquids and IV, but really didn't want anything. I just wanted to sleep.

So, they had made plans to move me out of the Pediatrics Wing (yes, I was the oldest kid on the block up there...but they put me where there were few patients and three nurses per shift to see to my every want and need. Luckily, I didn't want or need a lot. I just talked to anyone who entered the room, asked questions and waited to go to surgery. On Wednesday I had another Cat Scan. This was Cat Scan number three and by now when the lights went out in the room I made a passable reading lamp. Dr. Dameron (who I had learned by now was not Rodney Carrington, just a strong resemblance) came in with what he termed "really good news". "The abscess is much larger!" he said. I believe I asked him point blank, this is good news how? "It means we can guide the draining tube to where it needs to be and hopefully won't have to do major surgery!" Oh yes, this was really good news! So guess who gets to drink another 32 ounces of CrystalLight+ and go down to the Cat Scan department for this minor surgery? Right first time.

They have this "sleepy time" medicine that I received the first time after my heart attack for them to do the angioplasty...it's called Versed...probably not spelled correctly, but there you go. I remember going down to the Cat Scan Lab and them telling me that I would probably feel very warm all over and then nothing after that. When I came to, I was back in my room,a drain tube now beneath my belly button and Mac sitting next to the head of my bed. "It went well they said, " he told me. "How do you feel?" I told him I felt fine and didn't remember a thing about the procedure they'd done. They had had to replace the IV line to another arm, the Antibiotics were apparently playing havoc with my veins. So far the area had to be changed four times. This last one lasted till my discharge, I'm glad to say.

The flowers that started arriving in my room were beautiful. Daisies and Foxglove, Tulips, Roses and baby's breath with huge Lily heads poking out into the room. I was still on a liquid diet, and was now looking forward to my broth three times a day. Their jello, not so much. I believe the jello may have been provided by Good Year Tires...you could stick a spoon in it and thump the spoon to set it rocking back and forth. Retreads, that's what they were feeding me. Mac went to the Grocery and brought back lots of Jello brand sugar free jello to keep in the fridge at the Nurse's station. Yummy. And it wouldn't bounce off the wall should I decide to pitch a fit.



On day nine my temperature was normal. Joanne and Craig came in to visit and Joanne told me that my color was better. She told me that I had looked like "death warmed over" and was really afraid I was about to die. She said she'd been concerned about me for over a week before she said anything. When my Doctor came in, I told him (and laughed when I said it) my neighbor says I looked like I was about to die, she's amazed at how much better I look!" Dr. Mitchell (the Hospitalist) looked at me like I'd grown another head. "Well, you were about to die, Mrs. McBride. We had you on the Critical list till last night. Your White Blood count is still a bit above normal, we won't let you go home till it's been normal for a day or two." Now, that was news to me. I told Lee (who called me every night) "it's a good thing I didn't know how sick I was, I might not have recovered!"

Diverticulitis. A long name for a potentially devastating illness. Mac wants to know why I can't ever get anything that's easy to spell. He also wants to know (as do the doctors) why it is that I can keep on going (like the energizer bunny) right up to the point that I'm near death and/or facing total collapse. Or total paralysis. I don't know, I think that I've thought of myself as "Superwoman" for so long that I'm beginning to believe my own hype. But I have learned that when God whispers in my ear not to second guess Him. And I thank Him for sending me to all His best Doctors and Nurses...and for surrounding me with the love of my friends and family. I couldn't have done it alone. On Saturday, day 12 of my stay, Drs. Mitchell and Dameron came in to tell me that they were going to let me go home that afternoon. "What have we learned from all this, Mrs. McBride?" Dr. Dameron asked me. I thought about it for a bit.
"Well, I've learned that if I'm to sick to shop in WalMart, to come straight to the Emergency room...because there is definitely a problem!" They took me at my word.

Home again!

After two weeks, I am so happy to tell you all that I am finally home from Carolina Pines Hospital. I find that after two weeks in bed I am surprisingly tired and yes, a bit weak. But I know that this will pass. I was so touched by all of the concern from you, my friends, that it was a bit overwhelming. Wallace printed out the comments and my nurses were all suitably impressed that I had so many loving friends who were worried about me. This will not be a long post, but there will be a complete explanation that may prove to be a cautionary tale that I myself will be paying heed to! Again, thank you all so much. Your love and support helped me immensely. How can anyone give in to fear when there are so many hands and hearts pulling you along. I want to say a special thank you to my dear Lee at Chrysalis Dreams for the daily phone calls that I grew to look forward to each day. More tomorrow, for I am sure I'll be feeling much better!
My love to all of you
Sandi

The Vanishing

Hey, all. This is Sandi's oldest son, Wallace. You might have been wondering where your author's been for the last week. On Monday evening she was admitted to a hospital with an infection, one that looked to be extremely serious by Wednesday morning. The good news is that — at the moment — things look good, and she's expected home by next Tuesday. She ought to be able to leave the hospital with all the body parts she came in with, too.

Until then, don't expect a lot of activity on this blog. I considered bringing in my laptop and checking to see if the hospital had a wireless connection, but it seemed rude to surf the Internet when the Grim Reaper was hanging around. He's a stickler for etiquette and decorum and I decided it was best to stay on his good side.

I'll let my mother tell you the whole story when she's comes home. Until then, if you wanted to post any comments for her, I'll print them out and see that she gets them.

— Wallace