Too Tired

I'll write tomorrow night.

I Remember--Pigs On A Rampage

Today's high temperature was: 58 degrees

Cloudy, grey and sprinkly all day

===========================

One summer, when I was two years old, I got a rash on my face.  Mother put everything she could think of to make it better.  It itched real bad and my cheeks were red, all the time.

Mother finally took me to the doctor and he told her, I had an allergy.  My Mother put me in my Play Pen every time she was outside working in the garden.  To keep me safe and probably, to keep me out of her way.  Besides that, I had a tendency to just take a walk, down the long driveway, toward the road.

We had two female pigs and a big male pig.  When they got loose, which was often, they'd rub up against the rails in the play pen.  Then I'd be in the pen and touching the rails and apparently, was allergic to whatever they left on the play pen.  Mother told Daddy he had to get rid of the pigs, but he said we needed them for food and she would just have to wash off my play pen everyday, before she put me in it.

<I do not remember the rash, but Mother told me the story a couple of times>  

===============
<I do remember this--can see it plain as day>

A couple of years later, I can see myself--I had on a pink shirt and blue overalls--I was outside with Mother.

The pigpen was built next to the tool shed, a little ways from the vegetable garden.   It smelled so bad near that pigpen that I didn't go there very often.   Besides, pigs like to roll around in the mud.  One time, I was standing on their board fence watching.  They got to rolling around so hard that mud flew off them and got on me.   It was stinky mud too!

Their pen was always muddy because they had dug a hole to fit their bodies and some of the water from their drinking trough had slopped out into that hole.  They would snort and oink and roll around until they had a real good mud puddle to play in.

I loved to play in the mud puddles in the driveway, but I never wanted to play in the pig's mud puddle.   It was pee-yoo-wee!  Mother always told me to stay away from the pen because the male pig was kind of mean.  

One night at the supper table, Mother said to Daddy, "I don't like those pigs. They are always getting out of their pen, digging up my flowers and vegetables and running away."

Daddy said, "Yes, I know they do that, but next fall they will be breakfast bacon and pork chops, then you will be glad we have them."

The next morning, Mother and I were flying a kite out in the pasture by the vegetable garden.   Mother had tied a little plastic doll to the kite.  We were talking about how we wished we could fly up high on that kite, like the doll.

We heard some "pig" noise and Mother looked behind us and said, "Oh No! The pigs are out and they are in the garden!"

Mother handed me the kite string and I started winding it in while she ran toward the garden.

Carrots were being pulled out of the ground and eaten.  Lettuce was flying in all directions.   Cabbages were being uprooted and thrown through the air like basketballs.   Tomato plants were being torn up and thrown off to the side.   The pigs were on an eating rampage!

As I gathered the kite and ran to the garden, I saw Mother trying to shoo the pigs back into their pen.   The male pig, wouldn't budge.   He lowered his head and grunted.  He looked straight at Mother with his little pig eyes and took a step toward her.

Mother took a step backwards and called to me, "Get into the house right now!  The pig is mad and might charge at us."

I ran to the back porch and peeked around the post to watch Mother.  I was really scared.

Mother got the other pigs back into their pen and put the board they had pushed out, back into place.   The big pig kept right on pulling up vegetables and snorting around the garden.   Every now and then he would stop and glare at Mother.

Daddy must have heard all the noise and Mother's yelling because he came running out of the cow barn. I yelled and told him what happened.

"You stay on the porch," he  yelled back as he ran into the tool shed and got a big pitchfork.

"Dorathy!  Get up on the porch with Judy."

Then he ran into the garden and poked that big pig a good one, right on its ham butt!

The pig turned toward Daddy and lowered his head and snorted.   Daddy smacked that pig on his nose with the handle of the fork and the pig squealed and ran out of the garden.   Daddy smacked him again, a good one on his snout and the pig dropped to its front knees.

Mother ran off the porch and opened the gate to the pig pen. Daddy kicked the pig on its bottom and the pig ran into the pen.

I heard Mother telling Daddy at supper that night, "Those pigs have to go.  They ruined the vegetable garden.   I don't know if there will be enough vegetables to can for this winter.   What if that boar had hurt us?"

I could see Mother had tears in her eyes.

The next week, a big truck came driving up the driveway and the man backed it right up to the gate of the pigpen and herded all the pigs into his truck.  He gave Mother some money and took the pigs away.

Daddy never did get any more pigs.  

He must have had one of them butchered, because we had a lot of bacon, sausage, ham and pork chops that winter, but after that?  

We bought our breakfast bacon from the grocery store in town.

Change

Today's high temperature was: 81 degrees

Thunderstorms off and on

==============================

I hate change!!

Unless, of course, if it is my idea, LOL

Things are going to change around here--have already started.

I find myself spending way too much time in the morning sitting in front of this electronic wizard call the Internet.  When I do that (like every day all winter), I usually don't leave this room until nearly noon.

Ridiculous!!!

When I was a mother of four and had a nine room house to care for, I made a schedule for each day.  You know how I get obsessed and how I love lists and schedules--that sort of thing makes me purr.

I did certain chores on certain days.  EX: Monday--wash white clothes and bedding.  Clean bedrooms

Tuesday:  Wash light colored clothes and clean the bathrooms.

Wednesday:  Wash dark clothes and clean the kitchen.

Let's just say, it made my life a whole lot easier--I didn't have to try and catch-up on the weekends AND at least one room in the house was clean, LOL.

So, living here in a 960 square foot dwelling, with one occupant, it seems rather silly to have that schedule.  My biggest concern now is the enormous amount of cat fur that litters the carpet and furniture.

BUT--in the interest of trying to do something to make my life a tad more "in control", I have taken it up again, on a much smaller scale, of course.

The biggest challenge?  Up and out of bed by 8:00 a.m.  Sounds simple to most of you, I know, but to me--the one who used to go to bed at 4:00 a.m. and get up at noon, when I first moved here.  I have settled into the 1:00 to 9:00 sleep time.  

UP AT 8:00 a.m.--no matter what.

Out of computer room by 10:00

Monday--wash bedding, white clothes and clean bedroom

Tuesday - wash light colored clothes and clean bathroom

Wednesday--wash dark colored clothes and clean kitchen

Thursday--clean living room

Friday--clean computer room

Each Day:  11:00 - 1:00--walk, garden

1:00 - 2:00--watch Soap

2:00 ---appointments

4:00--6:00--read, garden, check computer, do computer research

6:00 - 8:00--watch news and 2 TV programs

8:00-11:00--TV, cross stitch, crochet or read

TO BED AT 11:00 SHARPLY~~~

Now that summer is coming, I need to be outdoors more--I need to walk more--I need to visit with neighbors more.  

===========================

As the self-proclaimed neighborhood meteorologist, I check the weather every morning.  I go to my pin-point weather map and look at the next 6 hours to see what might be coming out way.  If there is a threat--a really BAD threat, I call Dar, Pearl and Jackie and let them know.

So this morning around  11:30, I checked and didn't see anything foreboding on the horizon.  I sat and enjoyed my Soap and left here at 2:00 to go to the Food Pantry to sign up to shop there.  I came out around 2:45 and it was starting to rain.  By the time I got back to the main road--Grand River--it was raining so hard I could barely see the road.  Instead of turning right and coming back, a mile, to  home, I turned left to go up to the Wal-Mart in Howell.  

I was in the right hand lane, just putsying along, as was everyone else, and I just about swamped the car in a very large water puddle or small lake--whichever scenario you want to imagine.  So I eased up onto the higher interior lane and made it to Wal-Mart just fine.  

There was a severe thunderstorm warning for the area--I did turn on the car radio to hear that.  I found a parking space near the door and sat and waited.  By now it was lightning and thundering and I didn't want to be out in the midst of the tempest in case it thundered loudly and scared me.

Pretty soon, it let up the tiniest bit and I grabbed my two plastic bags of empty pop bottles and ran into the store.  I was quite drenched, but it had been hot and humid all morning, so the rain felt good.

I got my prescriptions and pick up a few things and started to leave.  It was only raining gently now.  BUT--I couldn't get out the exit door because three women in front of me were afraid of getting their new hair styles wet--or something, I have no idea.  So I excused myself as I edged through the pack.

One woman said to me, "Are you sure you want to go out? It's still raining."

I replied, "I won't melt," and just to show those wimps, I casually strolled to my car, popped the trunk and slowly put my groceries in the back.

What a bunch of wussies!!!

Weird Day

The high temperature today was:  72 degrees

Humidity: 55%

Rain/Severe thunderstorms/Tornadoes

===============================

Awake again at 6:30--what is going on here?  Felt very rested so, I got up.

I heard that we might get hail today so I went out and lugged my big planters (geraniums) up close to the porch steps.  I wanted to bring them up on the covered porch, but I could not lift them!!

Thunderstorms rolled through around 9:30--loud thunder, so to stop that nonsense, I put in my ear plugs and cleaned the bedroom.  When I was finished, so was the thunder.

At 3:00, a weather bulletin came on TV, so I sat down to watch.  Tuned in the Detroit channel and they had their radar up and zoom in on the storm that was carrying the rotation.   I came in and brought up The Weather Channel map that I have on my computer to pinpoint how the storm was going to progress.  It was about 15 miles south of us--traveling on an easterly path, so I had no reason to get panicked.

All of a sudden, the dang siren down the road went off.  I looked out my windows and cars were speeding by and out of this park.  Now--what is so weird is that usually I AM the first car out of this place and heading for the little hospital to seek shelter, but, I knew where the storm was, so I didn't even think about leaving.  

Within seconds, my phone rang.  "WHY AREN'T YOU LEAVING?  THERE'S A TORNADO COMING!!"

"Dar!  DAR CALM DOWN!! There is no tornado on the ground--there is rotation in the storm and it is nearly twenty miles south of us!!"

"OH MY GOD!  JACKIE CALLED.  SHE HEARD THE SIREN SO SHE TOOK OFF UP TO WOODLAND!" (the little hospital)  YOU ALWAYS RUN--I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU ARE STILL HOME.  I WAS GOING TO RIDE WITH YOU!"

"Dar...from now on--if you don't see me leave--don't panic.  Okay?  It is way south of us and it won't come anywhere near us.  The stupid siren goes off if there is a tornado warning for ANYWHERE in this country!  Turn on channel 4 and watch."

"OKAY!"

Pretty soon the phone rings again.  Pearl says, "Where is everyone going?"  I told her and she said her usual, "Well, there has never been a tornado hit this park.  We aren't ever going to be in a tornadoes path."

and I did my usual, "A tornado can hit anywhere and if it has never hit here, then the odds are against us for a first time.  Everyone left to go up to Woodland, but the tornado is way down by the country line."

I no more than hung up and Dar called again.  This time she was calmer and was laughing.  "Jackie just called.  They have over two hundred people up in the lobby at Woodland and...she wants to come back home and security won't let anyone leave the building!"

I did call Maddie as the rotational storm was going to pass right over their house and I wanted to make sure she knew and was in the basement.  She was safe and not a bit afraid.

========================

I sat and watched the weather radar all afternoon on the news channel--then at 5:30 the siren goes off again.  Severe thunderstorm with torrential rain, high winds and quarter sized hail just west of Howell heading toward Brighton.  I ran into the computer room and brought up my pinpoint weather map again.  It looked like the storm was going to go a bit north of where I live.  The weather guy on TV said it was traveling down I-96 and Grand River.  I lived 1/4 mile north of I-96 and about a block south of Grand River.  Hm-mm.

Thankfully, the near the storm got to Howell, the more it fell apart and I only got rain--heavy rain, but none the less no wind or hail.

Tomorrow afternoon, we are going to get this same weather, as the cold front moves in and meets up with our saturated, humid air.  OH--I can hardly wait!!!

Then--we are going to get night time lows in the 30's.  So--there has got to be a way I can get those two big planters up on the porch so I can cover them, the tiered planter and my planters on the porch railings. Covered up each night the rest of this week.  SHOOT!!

==================

Other than all that excitement--I got an e-mail from the boy who is taking Madeleine to Prom and he is so excited!!!  I saw a picture of Maddie's dress.  It is gorgeous!  Demure and elegant.  A long skirt, lace top that covers her shoulders--in blush pink.  

I saw a picture of a friend's grand daughters dress and the dress looked like something a saloon girl from the old west would wear.  The bodice was like a bustier--you could see the stays and her skin through it.  Not appropriate to my way of thinking.

Maddie gave me a few of her Senior Photos.  One I didn't get, but may go back and get, she is standing in the middle of Main Street in Brighton in her ballet tutu and toe shoes doing a pirouette!  In the middle of town!!!  I guess that studio does a lot of those kinds of shots.  Lots of comments from passing cars I would think?  This is the photo I got to put in a 5x7 frame.  The other two are for my wallet.

Mother's Day--Without a Mother--Without a Son and Daughter, but......Nice

The high temperature today was:  75 degrees

Sunny and pleasant

================================

I woke up at 6:30 a.m.--the earliest I have awoken since my hip surgery two years ago, LOL.  I got up too.  By 9:00, I was ready for a nap, but Pammie arrived and off to church we went.  Everyone knew instantly that she was my daughter--we have that whole looking alike thingie going.  How wonderful to sit with her, stand with her while we sang out old familiar hymns.  The last hymn, we stood arm and arm.

Today's sermon was on "Reconciliation" and how Mother's are the reconcilers of the world.  "Be nice to your little brother."  "Tell your sister you're sorry." Pammie and I were both thinking of how I could achieve reconciliation with Jennifer.  As we were driving, Pammie said, "I've said a few things to her Momma, but I won't get in this middle of this because I think it is just plain stupid.  I don't understand it!  I don't understand how family members can hold a grudge so long with other family members.  I couldn't be that way."

Of course not, because Pammie is like her Momma and her Momma's side of the family and Jennifer and son Mark are like their Dad.  My ex and I were having an argument one time and he brought up something that had happened 22 years before.  I didn't even remember it.  He was still seething about it.  Ridiculous!!!  I have apologized to Jennifer, over and over.  What else can I do?

So, Karen invited us down for lunch and we had the perfect picnic out on their new deck.  Grilled Hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salad, baked beans and fresh veggies and chocolate chip cookies.  Madeleine was there and Karen's two sons, Marcus and Stephen so I got to see and talk with them.

After my Mother died, I hated Mother's Day.  I didn't want to even celebrate.  My best friend Arlene, felt the same way--her Mother died a couple of years after mine.  Then one day, we decided that we had to be happy for our children who wanted to celebrate us--so we sucked it up.  Still on this day, I always get a tear because I remember when it was Grandma sitting at the end of the pew, Mother,  me next to her and my children next to me.

Today, I made Pammie sit in the pew and I sat on the outside--just like when she was little.  "So you can keep an eye on me?"  she asked.

"Yes...and don't fidget!"

================

Grand daughter Madeleine told me today that she had decided what to do after graduation.  She is going to the near Community College and take a nursing(?) course for one term.  Then in January, she is going to a mission in Guatemala.  Help the women and children mostly, but help build houses.  She figures after being there for six months, she will know better if she wants to study something like that or go into another field.  She has never, ever mentioned wanting to be a nurse.  I think she just wants to be a "helper" to the world.

Grandson Stephen, going to be a Junior at MSU has been accepted in the Medical program there.  He still doesn't know his speciality, but he figures after being involved in all things medical, it will come to him.

Marcus graduated college four years ago.  He is a Nuclear Engineer and works for the Fermi Nuclear Energy plant near the Michigan/Ohio border.

Karen and Mark have done such a wonderful job raising those five children.  I have always been amazed at their parenting skills.  Plus, Karen and Mark go every five years or so to Marriage weekends put on my their church.  They have a fabulous marriage--they are truly a team.  I am so very happy for them.  Wish my three others had such good lives.

Now this next month is going to be busy.  Prom next Saturday and I have been invited to go to Maddy's house at 4:00 to see all the kids.  Madeleine's last concert.  Madeleine's last ballet recital.  Graduation, open houses--I have been invited to those kids I love--her friends, open houses.  I was going to Maddie's open house early and then leave so Jen could come later.  Today Karen told me to come early and stay for the whole thing.  "Jennifer's feelings are not your problem Mother.  You always come and stay for the other kids open houses.  Don't change because of someone else's snit."  OKAY!!!

Jennifer did not recognize me this year--again and my son didn't call, but still in all--I had a really nice day.

Saturday

Saturday's high temperature was: 72

An absolutely gorgeous day

=======================

Jackie lives directly across from me.  She sits in her chair and stitches all day.  Every hour, she makes herself get up.  She stood up and looked out her door and saw Pearl coming down the steps and fall, on the cement driveway.

Jackie ran over here yelling, "Judy!!  Pearl just fell."

I grabbed my phone and took off.

Pearl was laying on her back, blood pouring out of the back of her head.  I dialed 911.

Jackie ran into the house and got a towel to hold up against Pearl's head, to stop the bleeding.  Pearl was shocky, shivering and it was sprinkling.  I opened up Merle's truck and got his two jackets out and laid them over her.  Merle was away at the time--up the road at the small hospital ER with a kidney stone!

The EMT's got there pretty quickly, but that was about all they did right.  A guy jumped out of the ambulance and a woman opened up the back and brought out the gurney.

The guy asked Pearl how she fell.  <Who gives a flying flip--take care of her!>

He DID NOT check to see if she had any broken bones--hip--whatever.  He bound some gauze around her head and told Jackie to go in the house to get a wet cloth to wash the blood off Pearl's hand.  <Who cares about the blood on her hand!  Get her to the ER!>

Then--he grabs Pearl under the arms and tells her, "Stand up and walk over to sit on the gurney."

"She can't stand up." I said.  "She has severe arthritis in her knees, she has Neuropathy in her feet and has had two back surgeries.  <plus she weighs 200 pounds>  Can't we put a blanket under her and lift her onto the gurney?"

Meanwhile, the female EMT is standing there.  Oh sure, she has her blue latex gloves on, but other than that...

So, he yanks Pearl up--she screams in pain.  He lowers her onto her knees and then yanks her up and drags her a bit--scraping skin off both her knees.  He tries to get her onto the gurney and they have not locked the wheels so the gurney starts to roll away.  The female EMT just stands there.

I sort of push her aside and hold the gurney steady.  Pearl is screaming, "Help me!  Help me!"

Just then Merle gets home.  He helps the guy get Pearl onto the gurney, with me holding it still.

Pearl is shaking, I look down and see a sheet and quickly cover her.  It is still sprinkling.  The guy is so determined that she get the blood washed off her hands.  <Geez>

They finally get her in the truck and off they go to the little hospital just up the road.

The nightmare continues in the ER.  They look at her head and determine that she doesn't need stitches.  BUT--they do not clean the abrasion.  They take her for a CAT scan, but they don't put anything on her scraped up and bleeding knees!  

  

She came home 4 hours later.  No follow-up.  Should we keep an eye on her for nausea, dizziness, headache?  Could the knock on the head lead to a hematoma--swelling in the brain?  Guess not.

Now--this is the same hospital and ambulance that used to come here when Fred was in bad shape and they were great.  A scant three years later and this is how they operate?  I know that Merle and Pearl won't say anything or complain, but I am calling Monday and found out what the heck is going on.

=========================

I hurt so bad from walking and flower shopping for 3 hours yesterday that I could hardly move, but.....this is what I did for 5 hours Saturday afternoon.  I kept to my color scheme of Hot Pink, Purple or Dark Blue and Chartreuse.

Click on the pix to see them larger.

That blue pot and trellis, on the right, holds the Purple Hyacinth Bean seeds.

View from the street

 View from up on the porch

View walking up to the porch 

View from my recliner :-) 

The first year I have done a tiered planter.

It is an experiment.

I am not sure that moss on the bottom layer will thrive,

I maybe should have put just polished rocks in there 

This may be a complete fail.  Guess we shall see.

All I know, it all looks so much better on my 

newly painted white and grey porch

then it ever would on just the regular stained one.

This is the most I have done in 4 years!!!  I also planted Zinnia seeds in the raised garden out by my shed AND I have some Lily of the Valley to put in my garden under the Lilacs bushes.

I think another half a Percocet is in order at bedtime tonight and then.......Pammie and church tomorrow and afterwards--lunch with Karen too!!!

You Can't Win For Losing

Today's high temperature was:  76

Rainy--sunny and humid--rainy

=========================

I never complained about winter--

I prefer cold temps to this humid stuff!

Temperatures in the 70's is just perfect.  Humidity of 50% or more, makes it rough on me.  

I went out to rake and refresh the 3 year old mulch under my Lilac bushes and within 15 minutes I was sweating like a hog!!!  About a half hour later, rain came, the sun went under a cloud, the breeze came back up and I went out and finished and was quite comfortable.

I got a phone call from Pearl.  She wanted to know if I knew the lady we saw yesterday, Janet's phone number.  "Is it in the book?"  "No.  Wait it wouldn't be in our phone book!"

<all the time I am trying to tell her, but...she just keeps on talking>

"I need to know that medicine she was talking about...for the arthritis.  I need something.  I can barely walk."

<Finally>

"She has a cell phone, Pearl.  Her number wouldn't be in the book and I don't know it.  But...the medicine she was talking about has Prednisone in it and----something they use for Chemotherapy.  I will try and remember and look it up."

"I don't feel right about yesterday."

"Why?"

"You should have told me who we were stopping in to see, instead of surprising me.  If I had just known, I could have thought of things to talk to her about."

"I thought the three of you had a good chat."

"We did, but....well, I just wish you hadn't surprised me.  Don't ever do anything like that again!"

"I'm sorry..." but she had already hung up.

Well--that took part of the fun of yesterday away.  

Oh well.

=====================

After my Soap, I decided to go shopping for plants.  It is supposed to be a beautiful day tomorrow and the nighttime lows all this next week are going to be in the 50's and it is suppose to rain a bit each day.

I went across the road to the Garden Center.  A young woman I know saw me and walked over, "Grandma said you stopped in yesterday and...you had Mrs. Ott with you."  (It was Janet's grand daughter).

"Yup.  We stopped in on our way home from Byron."

"That was so nice.  My Grandma was just thrilled."

Okay--so someone is happy about being surprised.

I got most every plant I wanted, but they don't have any Moss Roses as yet.  Then I drove up to Lowe's and found a small trellis I wanted and some more stuff that the garden center refuses to sell--Impatiens!!  I tried the garden center's replacement for Impatiens--Rosea Vinca (which all died last year) or the Sun Impatiens, which are too expensive.  If these Impatiens have the mold dust--I am going to try them anyway.

Then, I was out of food.  I wanted to come back home and unload--the entire back seat and floor of my car is covered with plants and the trunk had to huge bags of potting soil, BUT--I knew if I came home, I'd not get back to the grocery store.  I was so tired, but I told myself, "Just keep going and you can do it."  and I did.

I must confess, I probably did a bit too much today, what with the raking and walking all over two huge garden centers AND the grocery store.  I am very sore tonight and can barely walk upright.

SO--I will take a half a Percocet and sleep like a baby and feel good enough to sit out on the porch tomorrow and fill up all my containers!!!

I remembered the name of the arthritis drug.  It is mainly used for RA, which Pearl doesn't have, but maybe it will help her.  Methotrexate-Prednisone

Happy Mother's Day--see ya Monday.