Mostly Faves with a Side of Fright

It's Friday!  Whee!  That means it is time to look back over this past week and recap my fave events.  Actually, we've had a bit of a fright this past week so more on that later but there have been some fun things too.  I certainly don't have to look far to come up with some praises this week.  In fact, I can simply glance to my right and see the sunshine out of the window by my computer desk and my spirits are immediately lifted.  How about you?  So hang on, here we go.

1.  My granddaughter said "Nana" for the first time in my hearing.     Yay!  What a feeling to see that cute little sweet pea and hear her say my name, even if it was over a long distance via the magic of Skype.

2.  Our "fright" this week was when we received an email from our son telling us that Laura was in the hospital in Indonesia with Dengue Fever.    She had to get a private room in order to have the baby with her since the baby is still nursing exclusively and they wouldn't allow her in a regular room (which houses up to 6 patients).  The hospital staff also originally told Jason that he could only visit Laura 4 hours a day but God is good and he was able to finagle his way into staying there almost all the time in order to be able to take care of Mika so Laura can rest.  There is no "cure" for Dengue.  You just have to get through it while staying hydrated with fluids.  The symptoms are like a bad case of the flu - body aches, headache, high fever, nausea, etc.  Right now Laura's platelet count is continuing to drop and we are praying that this will stop soon and the count will begin to rise.  The hospital will not release her until there have been two consecutive days when her count is rising.  Dengue is spread by the bite of an infected mosquito.  We're also praying that Mika and Jason will not come down with this.  It can't be spread person-to-person but they could possibly have been bitten by the mosquitoes.  So far, they remain healthy.  I'd sure appreciate your prayers for all of them.

3.  I'm working on two fun knitting projects.  The project pictured above is the "Wrap Me Up" shawl.  It looks a little strange, I know, but it will all come together in the end into a long rectangular shawl.  It's been fun to work on the different sections because each section is like a stitch sampler and you sure don't get bored.

I also just finished another block for my Great American Aran Afghan.  I'm particularly fond of this block since I think it came out rather well.  It sure looks impressive anyway.  I'm so glad that I'm working through these blocks with a group of ladies because I would have never ever had the courage or confidence to tackle knitting these blocks completely on my own.

4.  I had an interesting visit with my mom the other day.  When I went over to the nursing home to visit with her, I found her sitting in the hall by the nurses' station.  She looked up when I greeted her and exclaimed, "Oh, I can't believe that you are here.  How in the world did you find me?"  I told her, "Well, Mom, I just followed my heart."  Throughout the visit, she'd occasionally exclaim how she just couldn't get over how I'd been able to find her.  You wonder sometimes what is going through their minds.  Mom has been in this nursing home for almost 3 years and I visit her 2-3 times a week.

When I wheeled her into the lunchroom and said my goodbyes, she asked me, "Will you be back to pick me up?"  I told her, "No, you're going to be staying here tonight."

"What do I have to do after I eat?" she asked.  "Go to bed?"

"Well, are you tired?" I asked her.

"No," she answered.

"Then don't go to bed.  Tell the nurses that you want to watch TV and they'll put on a show for you," I replied.

Her face brightened and she gave me a big smile.  Oh, Mom!  At least you seem happy.

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5.  And last but not least, I decided to shake things up a bit and become a blonde.  I'm calling it my 3rd midlife crisis.  Haven't you ever wanted to do something that you knew people didn't expect you to do?  Ok, ok....maybe for most of you that was when you were teenagers but hey, I've always been a late-bloomer.  My hairdresser was looking at shades and told me, "I think I'll just take you a shade or two lighter so that when it starts to grow out, you won't have dark roots."

"Heck, no!" I said.  "I'm thinking 'Bimbo.'  The lighter the better."  (I mean really, what's the point of making a big change if people can't hardly tell you've done anything?  I'm an "all or nothing" kind of gal.)

So there you have it -- my five big events of the past week.  If you'd like to join me in writing about your week, visit Susanne's blog at Living to Tell the Story and read how you can become a Fave Fiver yourself.

My Week of Walking Dangerously

                                                                             Photo Courtesy of  Photos8.com
I tried a little experiment this week.  I decided to change the way I walk.  Normally I am the most klutzy of people.  I tend to walk quickly from point to point, my head down, eyes downcast, often stumbling over non-existent obstacles.  But this week I decided to walk like I owned the place...like I was staking out my territory wherever I trod.

I practiced gliding down the driveway to pick up the paper in the mornings and sinuously making my way to the mailbox in the afternoons.  When I walked into a room, I made an entrance, striding slowly and deliberately with my head held high.

                                                                              Photo courtesy of Photos8.com

I made my way through the supermarket and the crowds parted.  I was a lioness on the hunt and woe to anyone who came between me and my Twinkies.  I sauntered across the post office parking lot and into the Post Office.  Conversations stopped and heads turned as I entered the room and surveyed my domain.  I could feel eyes on me as I did my catwalk to the counter to drop off my packages.

                                                                            Photo courtesy of Photos8.com

Wherever I've gone this week, I've continued "the walk", adding a steely gaze as I enter a room, sweeping the horizon and ready to pierce or dismiss as my whim dictates (think Eric Northman from "True Blood").

It's been quite an experiment and this is what I've discovered.  The way you carry yourself really has an effect on how people react to you.  I didn't lose another 30 pounds, get a beauty makeover, or suddenly become drop-dead gorgeous but I've definitely been enjoying the attention and confidence that a little "attitude" has brought my way.  Purrr!

Darn That Mosquito!

Last night we got an email from Jason in Indonesia saying that Laura was in the hospital with Dengue Fever.  Oh my goodness!  They had had to get her into a private room because that was the only way the hospital would allow her to have Mika in the room with her, and that was only reluctantly on the part of the hospital.  But since Mika is still breastfeeding there was no way around it.  The email went on to say that the hospital had told Jason that he could only visit Laura for 4 hours a day but that Jason was planning to ignore that edict because he wanted to help out with Mika as much as possible since Laura really needed to rest and concentrate on recovering.

This morning the phone rang while I was still in bed.  I jumped up to answer it and was delighted to hear Jason on the other end AND Laura in the background.  She is feeling a little better.  Typically this fever runs a course of about a week so they were hoping that she would be released by the end of the week.   I ran downstairs to fire up the computer and sign in to Skype so we could chat face-to-face.  The first thing I saw was Laura looking pretty good considering and little Mika on the bed.  Jason had given her a Pringles container to entertain her while he talked with me.

Unbeknown to Jason, Mika was busily checking out the container from all angles and then she set to work on the lid with her little mouth.  It didn't take her long to get the lid off and a chip was soon in her hand.  Whoa!  This was something new.  It went right into her mouth at which point Daddy noticed her chomping on it and took away her fun.

"But Daddy, I wanted that new and exciting food.  It's nothing like that sloppy baby food slop you've been trying to give me."

Jason decided to distract Mika by bringing her closer to the computer screen to have her pose for the camera.  She wasn't too happy at first.

"Here, Mika...look up here and smile for the camera.  Nana wants to take your picture."

My heart about burst when Mika fixed her beautiful blue eyes on me and said one of the words I've been waiting to hear........"Nana!"  Wow!

We all chatted for a bit more and then I told Laura to pose for a "glamor" shot before they signed off so I could prove to the folks here that the mosquito hadn't gotten the upper hand.

Then it was Jason's turn to smile for the camera before we said our farewells so that they could call Laura's family before Laura got too tuckered out.

We're all praying that Laura will continue to improve and that her platelet count will start going back up so she won't need a transfusion.  We're also praying that Jason and Mika will NOT come down with Dengue, too.

This mosquito-borne virus is quite prevalent in Indonesia and my heart goes out to those who can't access or afford hospital care who come down with it.  I hope the various immunizations that are currently under development will soon be available to the public.  In the meantime, I'd appreciate your prayers for my little family so far away.

FIVE Alter Egos on a Friday

I'm a tad late today with my Friday's Fave Five.  I guess I could claim the excuse that there has been a change in pressure in the weather and I've been flirting with a migraine all day long.  In an effort to avoid the dreaded "aura" starting, I've been trying to avoid looking at a bright computer screen as much as possible but since we are in the late afternoon, I'm going to try and chance it and see what happens.  I thought today that, instead of writing about 5 highlights to my week, I'd share with you five "alter egos" that I've known and loved growing up.  Keep in mind that I grew up in a reading family, surrounded by books so I had a very wide group of characters to latch onto.

1.  Peter Pan/Wendy - Well technically, that's two but it's hard to separate one from the other in my mind.  I could probably sing the lyrics to the songs from the musical "Peter Pan" by the time I was in early Elementary school.  I LOVED listening to that LP record and Mary Martin's wonderful voice.  Of course, at that age, the imp on the cover of the album WAS Peter Pan in my mind.  I decided that surely I must be Wendy or at least one of the Lost Boys, if not Peter himself.  I could crow with the best of them and I sure didn't want to grow up anytime soon.  And I often left my window unlatched on summer evenings so that I could fly off to Never Never Land, should the opportunity present itself.

 2.  National Velvet - When Peter failed to materialize on my window sill, I grew older and decided that I was destined to win the Grand National Steeplechase.  I cut out horses from magazines and pasted them to cardboard and then made little thread bridles for them.  I ran around the house, "jumping" the downspouts as I imagined myself guiding my horse over the jumps at Aintree.  I wrote away for AND received (bless their kind souls) an entry form from that venerable old racecourse to enter a horse in the Grand National.  Eventually I did own a horse or two but none of them were jumpers and I had to be content with watching young Elizabeth Taylor and Mickey Rooney in the movie again and again.

3.  Hawkeye - By the time I was in late junior high school, I had decided that I was destined to be a modern-day Hawkeye from The Last of the Mohicans.  I could imagine myself gliding through the forest, long rifle in hand.  In fact, I practiced walking as noiselessly as I could through the woods whenever I had the chance.  I could see myself sticking my head in the doorway of a sod cabin, assuring the folks within that all was well because I, Hawkeye, was keeping watch outside.  I took to wearing beaded Native American jewelry and moccasins which went over about as well as you would imagine in southern Michigan.  I was just ahead of the times.  Five years later, I would have been right in style amongst the Hippies.

4.  Scottish Highlander - I outgrew horses and realized that I didn't much care for scrounging around in the woods because of the bugs but these last two alter egos have stood me in good stead right up to the present time.  The highlander was particularly helpful when I was going through chemotherapy for cancer.  My oncologist suggested that I visualize the drugs going through my body and "killing" cancer cells.  I took it a step further.  I enlisted the aid of my inner Highlander.  Each day he'd grab his claymore in both hands and run around inside my body gleefully slaying cancer cells left and right.  I can't tell you how wonderful it felt slicing through those things....smashing them into oblivion.  To this very day, I get a wonderful rush of adrenalin just thinking about it.

5.  Viking Beserker - According to family lore, my dad's side of the family are descended from Viking warriors known as "beserkers."  That might explain my temper.  It's never been much of a stretch for me to feel like there is a pretty fierce, aggressive personality lurking inside me.  That would probably come as quite a surprise to most of my friends.  It's something that I try to keep a pretty tight handle on because you don't want to be around a beserker when they've gone beserk.  Just read a few of the old sagas and you'll see what I'm talking about.  I DO have this great desire to spend some time at the Viking Inn out in Minnesota some day with the Commander.  And there are days when I am just itching to tear into my food with my bare hands and to sling those meat bones on the floor.  One of these days!

If you'd like to add your two-cents' worth to this Friday's Fave Five meme, visit Susanne's blog at Living to Tell the Story.

Reading to Someone with Senile Dementia

My mother turns 97 years old next month.  She has some senile-dementia, as best we can figure out, after a series of mini-strokes occurred several years ago.  The doctors ruled out Alzheimers, for which I'm quite grateful and she has good days and not-so-sharp days.  Her eyesight is very limited and her mobility is quite limited, too but she is a favorite of all who work at the nursing home.  She still loves to laugh and sing and enjoys a good story.

That's been one of the big ways I've been able to connect with her when I visit since, let's face it, when someone can't remember much and doesn't contribute much to a conversation, you run out of things to say pretty fast.  So I read to her after we've had a time to chat and catch up on the news.  These reading sessions are times that she really enjoys.  The staff often remark to me how much she looks forward to our times together with a good book.  Just today, the beautician at the nursing home was telling me that she had asked Mom what we were reading about currently. 

Mom told her about a story about monkeys and how a young boy was trying to catch them and having a terrible time getting those monkeys caught.  I was pretty amazed.  That was two books ago and she still remembered the jist of the story.  That's the power of a good story.

We just finished our latest book and Mom's comment at the end was "Well, I didn't think much of that story."  Hmmm, I remembered that as I looked through the books at our local bookstore yesterday.  As I browsed the shelves to pick out some new books, I reflected on what features make for a good "read" for Mom.  Here's what I came up with.  They might help you pick books to read to any loved ones in similar circumstances.

1.  Pick books at the age level that they will be able to comprehend.  Just because my mother has a Master's degree in Education doesn't mean that she will be entertained now by adult fiction.  I'm finding that books aimed at the Middle School level suit her the best.

2.  Pick a story that moves along ....not one with long descriptive narratives.  Those can be pretty boring to someone who tends to nod off quickly and let's face it, they aren't a lot of fun to read out loud for the one doing the reading, either.

3.  Humor is fine but avoid humor that relies on puns, word play or sarcasm.  For some reason, my mother can no longer comprehend this type of humor.  Now, laugh-out-loud slapstick....she can still "get" that.  But humor that is more subtle is now beyond her.

4.  You might want to steer clear of fantasy or science fiction.  You can always try a book or two in these genres and see if they go over ok but I find my mom just can't grasp stories that go beyond reality as she remembers it.  For example, when we took her to see "Finding Nemo" several years ago, we thought she'd really enjoy it but 3/4 of the way through the movie she looked at me and said, "So what's with these fish?"  She just didn't understand the story at all.

5.  Try to find books that have plenty of dialogue.  These stories will move right along although you, as the reader, might be challenged to remember to use different voices for your characters.  I happen to love the challenge of doing different voices for characters and REALLY enjoy doing dialects the most.  I guess it's that drama training coming through.  If you can pull it off, go for it!

6.  Find books that have short chapters.  These will give you plenty of places to stop if you sense your loved one is getting tired.  I like to stop at the end of each chapter and ask my mother if I should continue.  That gives me a chance to see if she's drifted off to sleep or still following the story.

7.  When you finish off for the day, leave them with a question pertaining to what "might" be in store for them in regards to the story.  I find that this can create a sense of anticipation which sometimes carries over to your next visit.  For example, you might say something like "I wonder what's going to happen when Mike sneaks out of the house to look for that buried Confederate gold?  Well, hopefully we'll find out at my next visit."

8.  Finally, when you return and take up the story again, try to give a short "recap" of the story up to the point where you left off.  I usually will begin by saying something like, "If you remember, when we last left Mike, he had found an old map that he thought had clues to where there might be some Confederate gold buried.  He was planning to sneak out of the house during the night after his family went to bed and try to look for the gold.  Let's see what happens."

I have to tell you that I get as much enjoyment out of our reading sessions as I hope my mother gets out of them.  I hope you can find someone to bless with these suggestions, too.

Just Going With the Flow

                                                           Photo courtesy of Photos8.com

I headed off to visit my mom in the nursing home today, thinking that it would just be a quick half-hour drive and then I'd be there.  Wrong!  I should have realized something was afoot when I got off the turnpike and found myself in a long line of traffic just crawling along.

This wasn't ordinary traffic either.  Most of the vehicles on the road were souped-up trucks with fancy grills, extreme shocks, enhanced stereos, chrome mods, and polished to perfection.  My little Pontiac Vibe just fell into line but I like to think that it held its own with its snazzy red paint, perky knitting decals, and souped up exhaust pipe.  No?

I pulled into the corner Sheetz to get my Diet Cola and asked the clerk what was going on in town.  He looked at me like I was the only person in town who didn't know.

"It's the Truck Nationals," he said, shaking his head.  "It's going to be crazy all weekend."

Oh, boy.  Wouldn't you know?  Well, I'd come this far so I figured I might as well fall back into the line of traffic and continue on to the nursing home.

I pulled back onto the road behind two monster trucks with their windows down and the bass beat of their music shaking everything within a 2-block radius.  I'm not sure what came over me but I just felt a little wild so I flipped on my stereo, turned up the volume,  and rolled my windows down.

"Welcome to 'Learning Indonesian'.  I am your native guide and today we will be learning how to order things in the market place.  Repeat after me, 'Boleh Saya Minta Itu?'," she requested.

"Boleh Saya....." I chanted with gusto as I headed on down the road.

Five Things I'm Grateful Did NOT Happen This Week

Not to be in a negative mood or anything, but this week has been rather stressful.  I've been worrying about several things and I'm happy to tell you that none of them actually were as bad as I was imagining.  That's why I've chosen the "NOT" theme for my Fave Five post today.  Sometimes, after we squeak by some potential disaster, we forget to look back on what could have been and remember to be very grateful.  So let's take a look, shall we, at what DIDN'T happen?

1.  I'm grateful that Fresca the Wonder Dog didn't have a cancerous growth.  When I took her in to the vet this week to have him take a look at a red growth on her neck, I didn't know what to expect.  Thankfully, it was a cyst and not something to worry about further.

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                                      Photo courtesy of Photos8.com

2.  I'm grateful that the Hepatitis A shot that I had to get this week in preparation for my trip to Indonesia was NOT given in my posterior.  I remember that the Hepatitis B shots that we all had to get before we went to Morocco were all given in our posteriors and I really wasn't looking forward to going through that again.  Imagine my pleasant surprise (if you can even HAVE the word "pleasant" and "immunization" associated together) when the technician told me to have a seat on the examining table and to roll up my sleeve.

                                                                            Photo courtesy of Photos8.com
 
3. and 4.  I'm grateful that the bad jaw pain that I was experiencing this week turned out to have a simple explanation and was not, in fact, an abscessed tooth or a mysterious jaw-eating disease.  I developed a very throbbing, aching jaw, both top and bottom on the side where I have a tooth that is quite sensitive to cold temperatures.  I have been pretty miserable.  I couldn't eat anything hard so I've been babying my mouth by sticking with soft foods.  I was really feeling sympathy for all those who've ever had a toothache before me.  I finally broke down and made an emergency appointment with my dentist (and that tells you just how much I was hurting because I HATE going to the dentist).   I was SO afraid that I either had an abscessed tooth or that my jaw was being eaten by some mysterious bone-eating disease.  On the morning of my appointment, I woke up with the sudden epiphany that the pain could be associated with the fact that I had recently started flossing again.  On Sunday and Monday, I had gotten the floss stuck between my teeth on the side that was now hurting and I had REALLY had to tug and pull to get it free.  Maybe that was why my jaw was hurting so.  Sure enough, my dentist confirmed my diagnosis and I did not have to get a tooth pulled.

                                                                             Photo courtesy of Photos8.com

5.  I'm grateful that I did NOT gain weight this past week when I weighed in at my diet group.  Heaven only knows that I should have gained.  After all, I had FOUR social engagements that all revolved around eating - my prayer group luncheon, my birthday dinner, an evening high tea, and a baby shower.  But miracle of miracles, I actually lost a pound.  I have no explanation for this.  God is merciful.

If you'd like to join in the Friday Fave Five fun, visit Susanne's blog at Living to Tell the Story.

It's All in a Night's Skype

Jason, Laura and Mika called us last night via Skype and I thought I'd give you a peep into how our conversation went, thanks to the wonder of the laptop's webcam (and keep in mind that these images are coming all the way from Indonesia).

                  "OK, everyone....let's get the family into position.  Time to talk to Nana and PawPaw."

           "There they are.  Do you see them, Mika?  Can you wave to Nana and PawPaw?"

    Hmmm, Mika is wondering what she can get into while the adults talk to each other.

   "Here, Mika, you can play with your Mr. Lion rattle while we talk.  That should keep you busy."

"Daddy, can you stop talking a minute and pull Mr. Lion's tail?  I want to hear him make funny noises."

                     "Alright, then I'LL pull his tail and maybe I'll swing him around, too."

                                        "Mr. Lion wants to hit the computer, Daddy."

              "Silly old lion.  For two cents and some orange juice, I'd throw you across the room."

"Hey, I can't help it if I have a strong arm.  I didn't know Mr. Lion was going to fly that far across the room."

           "Nobody is paying attention to me.  I think I'll make like a diva and exercise my lungs."

                    "Well, that worked well.  They brought out the tub for me to play in."

      "Hmmm, I wonder how long it will be before Mommy notices that I have her cellphone?"

                          "Hey, Daddy....it's for you.  I think they're speaking Chinese!"

                                             "Ooh, a new game.   Flying Mika!"

                                        "Hi, Nana.  Watcha doing upside down?"

                                         "Aw, Mommy, you brought me Mr. Lion again."

                                            "Say, what happens if I press this button?"

                                                                  OFFLINE!

Peter Pan With an Attitude

 I had to take Fresca, the Wonder Dog in to see the vet today yet again.  I'd noticed a small red growth on the side of her neck last month.  At first I had thought it was a tick but after examining it closely, I concluded that it was some type of growth.  It didn't seem to be bothering her so I decided to let it go for a bit and see what happened.  Well, this past week, I noticed that it was getting a little bigger so I made an appointment to have it examined.

Turns out that it was a sebaceous cyst.  The vet examined her and just pinched it off with his fingers, actually in several pieces.  Fresca was a VERY good girl while all this was going on.  The vet explained that these types of cysts are benign and pretty common.  They fill up with a funky fluid and can return unless you remove the actual cyst underneath the skin but he said, unless it bothered me, it wasn't really necessary.  I guess what he pinched off was the fluid-filled sac.  Probably more info than you need, right?

Anyway, all was well until we came back out into the waiting area and face-to-face with a huge German Shepherd.  Right away, Fresca tried to fake him out by giving him some "attitude."  The poor big lout just sat there looking at her as cool as a cucumber and then looked away.  I felt sorry for the little boy who was obviously with the owner.  The kid had a terrified look on his face and his hands over his ears.

"I know, Honey," I said.  "She's small but she's loud.  And she's not behaving very well, is she?"

Fresca eventually settled down but any time the other dog glanced her way, she'd immediately start up again as if to say, "Hey, Bubba!  You lookin' at ME?"  The bigger dog would quickly look away.

One of the secretaries leaned over the counter.  "Is Fresca really 10 years old?  I just can't believe it.  She looks and acts like such a puppy," she exclaimed.

"That's Fresca," I replied.  "Just think of her as Peter Pan with an attitude."

As we left the veterinary office, I glanced back.  The poor kid still had his hands over his ears.  He's probably traumatized for life now anytime he sees a cute little white dog.

But despite the noise and the attitude, I have to say that Fresca the Wonder Dog is still just a little cream puff to me.

So What's a Pandora Bracelet?

After my Friday post, several of you asked what a "Pandora" bracelet was.  So I thought I'd do a blog post about my bracelet to show you.  It's so much easier to explain something with pictures.  Pandora is a company that makes jewelry.  I first heard about their bracelets from a knitter who raved about how nice they were for knitters because the beads didn't catch on your knitting as you worked on your handicrafts.

There are different styles of bracelets but the one I like is the one that has a braided thread on the ends.  The beads are also threaded on the inside and to get each one onto the bracelet, you have to twist them onto the threading until they slide over that part and onto the flexible chain.  That way, they don't fall off the end when it is unclasped.

There are many different "beads"  or "charms" that you can buy.  The idea is that you can gradually add to your collection, like you do with a charm bracelet and fill up the bracelet over time.  I like to choose beads that represent different things in my life.  The beads above represent my faith, my sister-in-law, Rose, and my love of knitting (a ball of yarn with needles in it).

The little girl bead represents my daughter, I think my hubby gave me the heart bead for one Valentine's Day, and the little bird represents my enjoyment of using Twitter.

The suitcase represents all the traveling we've done in the military and just in general, our love of traveling.  The cat reminds me of our four cats that graced our home until they crossed that "Rainbow Bridge."

The sweater stands for the sweaters and other garments that I like to knit and the ribbon stands for being a breast cancer survivor.  The bead to the left is a "spacer" bead.  These beads can be placed at different points in your bracelet and then keep your other beads in "sections" around your bracelet until you have enough beads that they don't slide around.

Besides silver beads, you can buy gold beads or a combination of silver beads with gold trim.  They also sell colorful blown glass beads that go on these bracelets.  At one point I had a bunch of the glass beads on my bracelet but they were just too bulky for me so I took them off.

Here's a link to a shop that sells Pandora beads and charms.  It will give you a good idea of the many different beads available and how you can use them to design unique bracelets.

There you have it!  That's what a Pandora bracelet is.