Well, it has been a while.

Finally, after more than a month, I think I have my BP back under control.  It didn't take much to throw it off, but took a long time to get it back.  

Karen came over and cleaned up the brush piles I had made from trimming Lilac bushes, then she trimmed the hedges along the East side of the house and dug out all the grass clumps in the little front garden.  I lost all my beautiful Iris because the grass had grown around them and practically buried.  I took up the Iris I could find and have planted them in the 3 big pots I normally grow my tomatoes in.  I hope the Iris come back.  I had some real beauties a couple of years ago.

When she was done outside, she came in and with much protesting from me, she vacuumed the living room and den and then mopped the kitchen, laundry area floor.  I have never had anyone, ever mop my floor for me.  It made me feel kind of weird.
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A Dear Friends husband died after months of her taking care of him at home.  So, I had to drive up to Durand for the visitation.  I didn't know what to say, so I said nothing.  I just walked into the room, walked up to her and took her frail, 5'2" body and wrapped my arms around her and just hugged her for a long time.  She kept saying, "Judy. Judy." and I just rocked her back and forth in that hug.
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This past Wednesday, Karen and Pam, my sister Susan and granddaughter Madeleine, went to see "Downton Abbey" at the theater.  They have luxury seats in this theater.  Leather, wide reclining chairs.  We all loved the movie, as we all had watched the entire series from Day One.  To me, the best part is just being with my girls!

Maddie is nearly 5 months pregnant.  Her tummy looks like she has a soccer ball under her shirt.

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As I was trimming Lilac bushes a couple of weeks ago, I noticed the trunks were so crowed at ground level.  Every few years, Lilac bushes need to have the largest, oldest trunks cut out and of course anything that is dead, plus, I had a 15 feet Maple tree growing up through one of them.

I asked my brother-in-law to bring his chain saw down with him when they came to put plastic on the back door to help keep out the cold, winter drafts.

He trimmed out of lot!  Now the air and sun can get down to the roots and help the new saplings grow.

We had six bundles to tie up with twine and put out by the street for yard waste pick-up.

While I was outside helping him, my sister shrink-wrapped my back door.  She does such a great job you don't even notice there is plastic there.

Yesterday was also Karen's 58th birthday.  Her granddaughter Della shares her birthday and is 3.

Karen, Della and Harrison who is 3 months old.

We are having normal October weather.  There are so many hard woods in this area, that the scenery out my windows is ablaze with reds, yellow, orange and an occasional dark green pine tree thrown in for contrast.  I love this time of year!

My, my.  Time does get away from me.

Getting at the yard work to be done.  Daughter Karen was coming today to help, but had to baby-sit for her grandson Harrison, who has pink-eye.  Nine weeks old and looks six months.  He weighs 14.5 pounds and is 24 inches long.  Pediatrician says he will roll over soon and be early in crawling and walking.

Look at the mitts on that kid!!!!

Della, who will be 3 in two weeks, had preschool pictures taken.  She is a strong willed little girl and was very upset that her mother wouldn't let her wear her flower girl dress for the photos.

I told her mother she needs to get this kid into modeling and then Mom could retire. 

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In preparation of Karen coming to help, I trimmed back my Lilac bushes, taking off all the lower branches.  Now I have piles of brush all over the side lawn...Karen was going to take it home with her and put it in their burn pile.

My lawn mowing kid is suppose to come and take out the raised bed garden I have on the side of my shed.  Yesterday I cleaned out all the weeds and Zinnia's that were in it, in preparation for his visit.

Not only have the timbers rotted, but rain water off the roof of the shed, pooled into that raised bed and then drained under my shed--which I have just discovered was not placed on a cement slab--thus the shed's floor boards on that side have rotted away!

Karen was going to help me clean out the shed so I could get some boards down to replace the rotted ones.

Today, I am headed out to cut back the front garden and wait for Karen, who promises to be here on Monday to trim the hedges.

This has been the perfect week--sunny and high 60's, to work outside and being we live in Michigan, I know this weather is not going to hold.

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I have been battling high blood pressure since the first of October.  A mix up in my prescription had me taking 1/4 of the dosage and it took me a couple of weeks before I realized what was wrong.

So back on the correct dosage and it has taken a week and a half before blood pressure has returned to  normal.  Plus, working on a couple of small genealogies has kept me busy.

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A rattle underneath my car let's me know I have to get that checked out before winter sets in and of course, no extra money to take it to the mechanic.

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My neighbor's ex husband died last month and she is now getting his Social Security.  She's poor too, so this has really helped her.

So, on a whim, I checked on the SS web site, under the heading, "Ex Spouse Survivor Benefits" and sure enough.

When my ex dies, I will get 100% of his Social Security.  I figured it out as best I could--I will receive $2,000.00 a month!  Twice what I get now!

EGAD!!!  Now wouldn't that make my life a lot easier?

Not that I want him to die or anything, but hey--it's good to know these kinds of things.

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

I could get off Welfare.  I could get this room painted.  No constant worry about how to pay the monthly bills.  I could get my car fixed or even.....lease a new one!

No doubt God is going to punish me for even having these thoughts and I will die before the ex does.  LOL

For some unknown reason, since Fred died, I have not been able to read any book all the way through.  I can't believe there is any correlation between the two events, but.................

People have raved about books they are reading and loaned them to me to read and three chapters in, I'm like "Meh" and put it aside.

Maybe it's because my memory has dwindled and when I pick up the book to read the next chapter, I have forgotten what happened in the chapter before?

I don't know.

Then a couple of weeks ago, I was reading a blog I follow:

http://cominghometomyself.blogspot.com/ and the author stated she had finished a book she has been working on for 20 years.  It was on Amazon.

I read a description of the book and also because I wanted to support a fellow blogger, I ordered it.

OH MY GOSH!!  I love this book!!!  I can't put this book down!

I love the way the publisher set it up--nice large print, so it's easy to read.  The style in which the main character's thoughts are printed.  The whole store line.  It is fascinating.

Just go to Dee's blog, the link above, and she has a description of the plot.  You might be interested too.

I guess there is nothing wrong with my memory or my interest in reading.  It just takes a very special kind of book to hold my interest.

Thinking of Bella Rum and not knowing what is going on.  In my funeral papers I have told my daughter Pam to post on FB and this blog that I have died, if it is sudden.  Maybe by the time I die, I won't have a blog.  Who knows?  Do they even allow personal computers in the nursing home?  

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Speaking of dying.  I went for my six month check-in at my primary guy today.  My blood work was perfect, not one deviation from the reference norm.  He came in the exam room, listened to my heart, lungs, carotid arteries and then said, "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.  Go home healthy woman and come back in March."

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

Wednesday my daughter Karen her daughter Helene and the two Grand babies, Della and Harrison, came for an afternoon visit.  The little guy is 7 weeks old and already smiling and cooing at me.  Even Della at nearly 3 and has never been to friendly toward me, played with me and when they were getting ready to leave, I asked if I could get a hug goodbye.

Karen interrupted and said, "She doesn't really like to hug," as Della was coming over with arms wide open to hug me.  There is still hope for our relationship. LOL

  

Have any of you been following Bella Rum's blog?  "What Shes Thinking?"
She hasn't posted in 3 months and I am worried.
I sent an e-mail , but no response.
If any of you hear or know what is going on, please let me know.

Well, what have I been up to?
5'11", but now I'm 5'10'.
=====================
Nuttin' much going on here.
The Stink Bugs are back, ever trying to get into the house to "winter-over" up in the ceiling trim and produce more Stink Bugs in the spring.

I keep telling myself I need to get outside and cut back and clean up the perennial gardens, but for some reason, I don't.  There are many excuses.

#1.  The yard waste people just came and they won't be here for another two weeks, so I have plenty of time.

#2.  It isn't even Autumn yet, so I have plenty of time.

#3. I have to drag so much stuff out of the shed, in the wheel barrow to get it done.

#4.  The sun is too hot.

#5.  It's too cloudy and it might rain.

#6.  It's going to make my back hurt.

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It is such a procedure nowadays!.

Gone are the days when I could work outside for 4-6 hours and enjoy it and live to tell about it.

Now...I have to load up my wheel barrow with: Loppers, small garden shears, electric hedge trimmer, long extension cord for said trimmer.  The yard waste bags.  My trowel.  The rake.  My hand digger.  My folding chair so I can sit to do most of the job.

Today would be a perfect day.  My back feels pretty good.  The sun is nice and it is only 74, but...the yard waste guys came this morning so that means, if I cut back/cleaned up, I would have to store the full bags in my shed and then haul them out September 30th.

Maybe, if conditions are right, I will get out there on Saturday the 28th.  I don't work on Sundays, no matter how nice it is outside, so that takes out the 29th.  Besides, the 29th is Rosh Hashanah.

Oh good.  Another excuse.  If it is a special Jewish or Catholic day, I can't work.

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

I had lunch with the Old School Gal Pals last Thursday.  Our Senile friend was picking on someone other than me, for a change.  She tells these "stories" and then turns to someone and says, "You remember Ruth.  You were there."

Ruth does not remember because it never happened.

Like the time my friend Bethie wasn't at lunch and Senile Liz went on about how Bethie's husband offered me a ride home, but he kept stopping and the ride home took seven hours and I thought he was kidnapping me?

"You remember Judy.  How you told me you were so scared you'd never get home?"

Never even close to happening.

We don't know where she comes up with these things.  Some are humorous and we laugh, unless it involves one of us.  Then whomever she has involved, looks confused and says something like, "No.  That wasn't me.  Must have been someone else." and we keep on eating, or someone will jump in with another subject.

Ah--the joys of getting old!

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

I did get to stop in for a visit with my sister at The Farm.  Probably the only reason I go to the luncheon.  If they are held in the town near The Farm, I use that day for a visit with Sister.  When "they" want to go some where else and it is not convenient for a stop on the way home at The Farm, for me, I usually do not attend.

Although with Senile Liz, I probably should attend all the luncheons if only to defend myself.

Sister and I sat in her smaller living room, which used to be the parlor in the olden days.  Very nice and cozy and we just talked--about her son and my kids and her giving me information about my daughter Jennifer and Jen's oldest, my grandson Andrew who, at 17 years old, just started college at some private college near Boston.  He hates it!

I think he should have taken a year in between high school and college.  What do they call that year?  I know there is a name for it.  Of course, I have not mentioned my thoughts to anyone.  I feel like there are spies in the family that would report back to Jen of "Do you know what your Mother said?!"  

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

My snoopy, gossipy cousin who got me into trouble with Jen and caused me to delete my original blog and make this new, unable to find in any search list one, has somehow gotten on my friends list on Face Book.  Every time I post something, I can feel her lurking in the background.  I am putting her on my "restricted" list so she can't find me.

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

That's about it.  Here I sit, with my excuses and my paranoia.  How pitiful. LOL 

I don’t do much, so when I go to the grocery, it’s like an “outing” for me.  I sometimes engage with people and I intentionally look for old, short or electric buggy people so I can help them get something off the tall shelf.

I went to Meijer to get in on their “10 for $10.00, 11^th one Free” sale.  Had to get my Diet Pepsi.

This time I was the one who needed help.  The shelf where the Diet Pepsi is, was empty.  I looked behind me and they had stacks and stacks of it, in the plastic cartons they bring into the store, but, there were stacks and stacks of other Pepsi drinks on top of my Diet Pepsi.

I turned and saw a guy loading up his cart with Coke.  He had a cammo TRUMP baseball cap on.  He was about my height, but he had a big torso—you know what I mean, a big tummy.  I made a judgment that he had a bit of Red Neck attitude so I knew, he’d be polite to an elderly woman.

“I like your hat,” I said.

He looked at me as if I might be being sarcastic, I wasn’t.  Then I asked, “Could you help me?  I need to get at the Diet Pepsi, but it’s too heavy for me to lift those other cases off it.”

“I’d be glad to Ma-am.  How many bottles do you want?”

“Eight of the Diet Pepsi and three of the De Café Diet.”

He proceeded to get the other cartons off the top and, I could see him counting to himself as he put what I had asked for, in my cart.

“Thank you so much,” I said.

“You’re welcome.” He said.

A man of few words.  He didn’t ask if I wanted more than eleven.  He didn’t mention anything political.  He paid attention to what I had asked him to do and he just did it.  I liked that.

Stopped in the dairy department to get some milk.  Along the way, there was a lady in an electric buggy, trying to stand up and reach for some lunch meat.

“May I help you get something?” I asked.

“Oh, thank you so much Honey,  you’re so kind.”

“What would you like?”

“I’m getting bologna.  My brother will only eat Oscar Meyer and he will only eat the beef kind.”

So I reached up to get a package.

“Now, is that thick cut?”

“Nope.”

“Oh, he has to have thick cut.”

I found it and handed it to her.

“Well, now, that’s too much.  Is there a smaller package?”

I didn’t see any so I told her, “You can freeze it.  Use some and then put however many slices you need into those Ziploc bags and freeze it for next time.”

She laughed and laughed. Hm-mm.

“Did you see this mop I had to get?”

“Yes.”

“My brother wanted this kind of mop.  He doesn’t do the mopping, I do, but he told me to get this kind.  I don’t know why his daughter doesn’t come over and clean for us, but she don’t.  I can barely walk, but it’s up to me to clean.”

I am starting to ease away, so she follows along, in her buggy, talking about how the kids won’t come over and help…mow the lawn…clean the house.

“But they think they are going to get everything when he dies.  Well, I have joint title to the house, so if he dies first, I can stay there.”

By now we are up by the bakery and I am trying to get to the check-out.

“They’ll probably try to kick me out of the house.  Dang kids nowadays. They don’t have time to help—all too busy, but…..hanging like Vultures over your head.  Waiting for you to die and then will come in and pick and take what they want.”

Then she sort of veered off to where the bread is displayed.  “Oh my.  I almost forgot to get his rye bread.  He’d sure be mad if I did.  Thank you, Honey.  Bye. Bye.”

Whew.  Okay, into the check-out lane.  With my new Meijer charge card, I got $15.00 off my order!  When I got gas, I got 0.10 a gallon off the Meijer gas.

It was quite  an adventurous outing today!