The Pecan Tree after it was all over

View from my kitchen window before the storm. See how nice the pecan tree looked in this photo. All nice and shady. That was a ruse it was playing.
Photo of the bad, bad Pecan tree on my house
Photos of tree that fell on my house after it was all cut up. Serves you right for falling on my house. Now we will use you for firewood



View from my kitchen window after the tree was removed. I am sad my shade is gone.

The Saturday before Labor Day

and why am I not on vacation like thousands of others who for the past two afternoons were all on I-65 south headed to the beach and kept me from getting home on time?

I am not on vacation because my dear hubby is a home-body and won't go anywhere!

I am not on vacation because we don't have any money, cause all our money is going towards paying up front fees to repair our house from damage from Tropical Storm Fay.

I am not on vacation because gas prices are too exorbitant and we are boycotting vacations due to the added expense.

I am not on vacation because we have quail and dogs that need to be tended to.

I am not on vacation because the mountains are too far away and we don't like the beach that much.

But since I haven't been on a vacation since 2001 or 2002, I would probably go anywhere, even the beach if I could.

My House Has Holes in its Head

The tree men came and cut up the tree and got it off the roof. We are very grateful. But this is what we found after the tree was removed. And this is just the back of the house. I couldn't get photos of the front without climbing on the roof and that is just not an option for me as I am afraid of heights.

The History of Me on Survey Saturday

1) Raised in: I am a GRITS (Girl Raised In The South)

2) Your whole name: Deborah Jo

3) Birth date: January 22

4) Any siblings: 3 brothers

5) Oldest of them all: no, I have two older and one younger

6) Hair color: natural? light brown (turning gray)

7) Hair length: right below ear level

8) First school: Barrett

9) Eye color: hazel

10) Shoe size: 7 1/2

11) Mood: blah

12) College: N/A, started working right after high school

13) Height: 5'4"

14) Lefty/Righty: Righty

LOVE LIFE

1) Do you remember your first real relationship: absolutely, I remember all of them.

2) Do you believe in love: yes cause I'm smack dab in the middle of it

3) Have you ever been heartbroken: Yes

4) Do you love someone right now: Sure do. With all my heart

5) Have you ever fallen for a friend: No and I am glad, it would have ruined the friendship

6) Are you afraid of commitment: No, I think I should be committed

7) Do you believe in love at first sight: Yes, well actually I fell in love with my husband before I ever laid eyes on him.

THIS OR THAT:

1) Love or Money: Love

2) Coffee or alcohol: Left with those two choices since I absolutely hate coffee I will have to say alcohol

3) One night stands or relationships: relationships

4) Television or internet: internet

5) Pepsi or Coke: Coke

6) Long night out or romantic night in: romantic night in

7) Phone or in Person: In person

HAVE YOU EVER:

1) Have you ever been caught sneaking out : no

2) Have you ever been skinny dipping: no

3) Have you ever been on a house boat: no, but would love to live in/on one

4) Have you ever finished an entire jawbreaker: yes, many of them

5) Have you ever colored your hair: I have highlighted my hair way too many times to count

6) Have you ever been streaking? no

RANDOM:

1) Are you talking to anyone right now: no

2) Are you German: My mother's great-grandmother was a Limbaugh. Ja, Ich bein eine Berliner!, with English and Welsh mixed in.

3) Are you Italian: no

4) Are you French: no

5) Are you Mexican: no

6) Are you Dutch: no

7) Are you Indian: no

8) Are you Irish: my brother says we have no Irish, but I feel Irish, I named my daughter Shannon cause I love all things Irish

9) Are you Russian: no

10) Are your parents still married: they were up until my dad died

DO YOU:

1) Do you get depressed about things easily: yes, I am a little depressed right now about a friend being murdered two days ago

2) Are you comfortable with the way you look: no

3) How do you dress: blue jeans baby

4) Are you scared of growing old alone: I don't think anyone wants to grow old alone, I don't want anything to happen to my husband and/or my child/grandchildren that I would be left here alone, old and lonely.

5) What do you want to be when you grow up: I am grown up and I am a momma and a wife. That'll do!

6) Favorite season: fall

7) Are you a vegetarian: I am having steak tonight, hamburgers tomorrow and Johnsonville Brats on Labor Day Monday, what do you think? That would be a big fat no! Although, I do like Bocca "Flame-Grilled" Soy Burgers, good source of protein and the only ones that taste any good.

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I am in disbelief...

The store where we go buy our steaks, Kelley's Grocery, was robbed today about 4:00p.m. this afternoon. The owner, Charles and his helper, Pat, were shot point blank and both killed. The owner's momma was shot at as she ran back to her house next door. She had been sitting out front in a gazebo as she does most days. Supposedly, Charles handed them the cash register and then the perpetrators shot them. Why does this type stuff have to happen? It is so unnecessary. The grapevine said it was three black males with dreadlocks in a white truck with maroon stripes that did the dastardly deed. I am still in shock about this. We were just in there the other day talking to Charles. He was such a friendly, nice guy. His wife and mother and the rest of the family did not deserve this. His helper, Pat's family did not deserve this either. I wonder if the robbers were from this area. Eddie and I have said there is a lot of drug related instances going on the area lately. Why are they coming down here to do their business? Is it because our sheriff and his deputies turn a blind eye to the goings on? Somebody is going to have to get smart about this. I am in such disbelief that they killed somebody at my back door.

I have been TAGGED! Six things you may not know about me (or six things you really don't care to know about me, but I'm gonna tell ya anyways!!!)

1. Whenever I come across a Whitman's Sampler, I pick out only the milk chocolate covered caramels. All the rest of the candy in the box is just phooey to me! But alas, I can no longer have candy at all, no sugar! SIGH!

2. When I was in jr. high a fellow student (boy) grabbed my cootchie as I was passing by, I slapped him silly and preceded to kick him in the pistachios. Needless to say, he didn't do that to any of the other girls.

3. On Christmas day my sophomore year of high school I had three boys come over. I had it timed to perfection, but the first boy decided to stay all day. He messed up my schedule, my momma was stessed out and wouldn't let me go to the third boy's grandmother's with him cause the first boy was still there. I was mad, but got what I deserved I guess. My niece's still think I am the date queen after hearing that story. They said there was just no way they could top that.

4. I may be the only woman on the planet that does not think George Clooney is attractive. He just doesn't do it for me. Sorry!

5. I have not taken a bath since maybe before I started high school, or at least since I learned there was such a thing as a shower and the one time I soaked in the garden tub to help relieve some back pain, I abhorred it, because I felt so absolutely filthy. Yecccch! Three words - dead skin cells.

6. In one sitting, I have eaten a whole tub of cake icing without the cake. Can you say diabetic! No wonder I was as big as I was.


I think I will tag someone else with this delicious little gem. Ummmmmm...I pick Gail!

The Insurance Adjuster and the Quail Tale

Mr. Insurance Adjuster called at 9:00p.m. last night to say that he would be here Thursday between 9:00 and 10:00a.m. I will be at work, but Eddie will be here to show him everything.

Our wood laminate dining room floor is buckling up and swelling. The dining room ceiling is still dripping oohey gooey pasty goo. The fireplace has dried up, but who ever heard of a fireplace turning into a waterfall. Too funny! Eddie still thinks the tree slamming into the back of the house caused it to be "off plumb." The house is leaning forward just a little due to the weight of the tree, but the longer the tree sits there the house may not bounce back. Wonder what damage that's doing to the foundation? Wonder what the insurance company will pay for that?

I can wish that they would pay us a check on the spot to total the house. Not gonna happen, but I can wish. We would pay off the house and move elsewhere, but as I said it's not gonna happen.
********************************************************************
On another note, one of our 60-70 sum odd quail bloodied his beak yesterday and we took him out from the rest of the covey and placed him in a cage by himself for the night. A coyote or a dog or something tried to get the poor little thing through the cage and drug him and the cage halfway across the yard. We had it covered up and several heavy boards on top to keep it covered, but the predator tore all that off, trying to dig in to get the little peeper (probably scared him witless, it would have me). Luckily he is okay. He seems a little shaken up, his feathers are ruffled, but hopefully he will survive. We have had several to belly up since Eddie had to go get them from a man down the road on Saturday during the middle of the storm, just because the man got a wild hair up his nose that he didn't want them anymore. Don't that beat all that in the middle of the pouring rain Eddie had to gather up 80 or so quail and bunch them in a small brooder to bring them to our house. The little things had never been out in the weather before so of course it was a major shock to get rained on and cold. That's why so many didn't make it. I am somewhat irritated that the neighbor couldn't have waited until the storm was over and we had a decent place to house the birds. Eddie has (in between rain showers) been putting one inch chicken netting around the lean to at the side of the storage shed to make a quail coop. He will still have to purchase some material to make them a flight run eventually, if we plan to do right by the little birdies. They sure are cute. I haven't named the quail, I just call all of them "Little Bit." And no (for those of you who are wondering), I, personally, will never eat them. A friend of mine said they taste just like dark meat chicken, but I don't like dark meat, so that makes it a non-issue in my book. I couldn't eat my chickens that I raised either, so there!! Rascal, Granny, and Henny Penny were all safe with me. I miss those birds.

Update on our TreeHouse

Saturday night when I got home from Birmingham, I called AllState to let them know about the tree crashing into the house. The lady said take pictures, take whatever precautions necessary to keep ourselves safe. She said that an adjuster would call us by Wednesday or Thursday morning. She gave us his name, telephone number, extension, as well as a personal claim number. It seems I am nothing more to AllState than a claim number.

We waited and it kept raining. All day Sunday, it kept raining. Most of the day Monday, it just kept on raining. Eddie said that since Saturday we have received 10 and 1/2 inches of rain. I think it all ended up in our ceiling, running down the walls and behind the fireplace and onto the dining room floor mixed with blown ceiling texture, which when wet, turns into white, gooey, glue mud-paste globules and when it hits the floor it splats everywhere. We finally quit worrying with the pots on the floor to catch the water (and furthermore, I don't really have that many pots). HA!

Anyway, since I had the adjusters telephone # and extension, I decided to call him. Yesterday afternoon I called and his voice mail message said he is out in the field. I said what the heck, it's pouring down rain what is he out standing in a field for, he'll get himself soaking wet (very old, not so funny, very corny, joke, I know, I know).

So in less than 10 minutes I get a call from his office informing me that because there are so many claims pouring in (like the rain in my roof) that another adjuster had been assigned and that he would call me within 72 hours. The lady said to do whatever we needed to do, like put a tarp on the roof, or have the tree cut off and just keep the receipts and that they will reimburse reasonable costs. What she doesn't understand is, we are in a very rural area and it will take forever to get a bonded tree guy to get out here to cut the tree off the roof. I certainly am not going to use some fly-by-night bumpkin that would probably do more damage than good. Plus I don't have the money to pay up front to have a reputable tree surgeon (big bucks) do the work and then AllState decide they won't pay that much, because what is reasonable to them is probably less than what I would get charged.

So the rain kept pouring in and Eddie was getting more upset by the minute, because if you know Eddie, he is a fixer and a do-er, but since he has been down in his back he can't fix and do like he used to and when something like this happens he thinks he should be fixing and doing and he gets frustrated. If push comes to shove (not literally, mind you), I will threaten him with divorce, if he even starts thinking about bringing out the chain saw.

I just wish the adjuster would come on and call. Oh yeah, the adjuster's home base is out of Illinois. I hope he is in the area and doesn't have to come from that far away. This clean-up operation may take forever. At least the sun is trying to peak out from behind the clouds today. Hurricane Gustaf, please stay away.

Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage

http://www.myheritage.com/collage

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Geneology - Free family history

Fay came calling and decided our house needed a new look...

See Debbie and Eddie's new TreeHouse:










And this is some of the damage we have to the inside:

Updated pics of the Quail at 5 1/2 weeks old

They are absolutely hilarious to watch scrabbling around in the pen.

Another young pic of my momma

She won the title "Miss South Pacific."

Here is an "Anita" collage (my momma when she was young)

In some of these photos I think I look like her, but in some of the others I see a strong resemblance to my cousin Gail.

Have you ever seen a 4 week old Bob-White Quail?

Sorry the photos are a little fuzzy, but so are the birds themselves.

An attempt at writing...

This is my first attempt at writing a fictional novel/novella. Please tell me what you honestly think. Is it worth the read, should I continue?

THE CHILDREN OF CHERRY HILL COTTAGE

The cold, wet, wind cuts through me like a knife. My hands and feet are like blocks of ice. As I am walking home from the schoolhouse where I teach, I am bowed over to keep the biting icy wind from stinging my face. I pull my cloak closer around me hoping to keep some of the chill at bay. Frozen crystal droplets fall from the sky in an ever quickening pace as I hurry along my way. I watch as my feet take labored step after step as I attempt to scurry a little faster, but my heavily sodden skirt is making it difficult to trudge up the treacherous snow-lined walk towards the homestead. As I round the corner, I look up for a brief second, to get my bearings, and up ahead I see the beautiful sight of home before me with candlelight glowing from inside the gabled windows. I long for the warmth exuding from within and I picture myself standing before the toasty warm fire I know that Emma has already laid and set for me. Just another two blocks and I will be there. With renewed vigor, I shuffle forth up the hill, hoping with all my heart that James, Edward, and Charles are already there to greet me. What a grand time we will have once we are all together again.

My three brothers and I grew up together at Cherry Hill Cottage, located just a few miles north of Bayberry and Nord'sHill. The “cottage” as we call it, is nothing of the sort, but a monstrosity of a structure, three stories tall with add-on sections or wings jutting out here and there in various directions from the main hub of the house.

In my view, walking up Cherry Hill Road, from the crossroads of Apple Cake Lane, my memory is transported back to earlier days, when my brothers and I were young and we played during the spring time in the orchard to the back of our house, underneath the falling cherry blossoms. Our sense of sight and smell were heightened by the blue skies, pink blooms, and green grass, as we frolicked the day away in sparkling sunlight and dappled shade, or at least until Momma would call us in for supper and bedtime chores.

However, my warm and sunny recollection is suddenly interrupted by an icy blast of bitter winter wind and I find myself standing in a slush puddle of sleet and snow. I stamp as much of the wet off my lace-up boots as I can manage, setting my feet to tingling from the exertion. I set off in a rush once again towards home in search of such wonderful creature comforts as a blazing fire in the fireplace, a warm mug brimming with hot mulled cider, the tempting aromas coming from Emma's kitchen as she prepares this evening's welcome home feast "for the boys", and the receipt of many a bear-hug from all three of the nomadic scoundrels I call my brothers.

That's what I deserve...

You know when you brag about something it usually backfires in your face. Well, that's what happened to me last night. I said I thought I would sleep like a baby meaning I thought I would sleep good, but in fact I did sleep just like a baby I woke up after only four hours and could not go back to sleep even though I had taken my Ambien. We got in bed at 9:00 and watched Phelps swim, then went to sleep closer to 10:00. I woke up at 1:30 and tossed and turned til 2:30, got up and read my book until 4:30, went and laid back down and fell back asleep about 5:30 and slept til 7:00. So I got about 5 hours sleep and I am so tired.

I also had peanut butter graham crackers for breakfast and they are making me a little "foamy." I hate feeling nauseous.

Today is not turning out how I wanted it to be.

My day

We woke up to rain and thunder this morning (at 4:00a.m.), boy did the weatherman sure get it wrong, seems he always does these days. Anyway, I enjoyed the rain and sound of thunder, except for the fact I could not cuddle back up under the "kivers" and snooze, cause I had to go work me some over time. Eddie said the change in weather made his back and hips hurt worse than usual. Speaking of weather, I hope Ms. Fay (tropical storm/hurricane) does not cause any severe damage to the Southeast, but I will definitely be praying that she brings some much needed/appreciated, beneficial rain.

After eight hours of sweat and toil working myself to the bone, NOT!, unless you count typing my fingers down to the nubbins and having to use my noggin for thinking up verbiage to espouse regarding my cases, I finally finished and hurried home. My 'ole thinker is not what it used to be and I still have much too much meat on this here body to wear the sticks down to the marrow, at least not yet.

Since arriving at the home place, I have been vacillating between playing on the 'puter, reading my book, talking with Eddie, and watching television (a movie starring Rutger Hauer entitled "Blind Fury"). Much easier and more enjoyable than working, I have to admit.

Eddie made a roast (stew) in the crockpot. A roast with onion soup mix, onions, mushrooms, corn, potatoes, and tomatoes, wow doesn't that sound heavenly. Yummy tastings coming my way, it smells so good, I can't wait to dig in! I'll let you know how good it is.


I hope Eddie is not trying to fatten me back up.

Played with the puppy dogs this afternoon for a short little while and watched the captive quail we are raising as a hobby (we hope to sell later on as there is a good market for hunters in the area) run around the coop. Absolutely funny birds to watch.

We should be plenty full with the good eats and then I will sleep like a baby (Ambien induced) that is.

The roughest time of my life...Part III

Sooooo, Momma was back in the hospital the first part of October, and she was so ill, she couldn’t even keep Ensure on her stomach. They had to IV her just to give her some nourishment and get her pain under fair control. She underwent testing (endoscopy, colonoscopy, liver biopsy (I had heard that test was very painful), etc.) to determine what the chemo had accomplished. Dr. Beck made his rounds and told her that the chemo had somewhat retarded the cancer cell growth for a few weeks, but now it was back with a vengeance. She regretfully, but knowingly, opted not to have anymore chemo.

It was during this time that we noticed the poor woman couldn’t stand the least bit of smell of anything or she would become violently ill. We saw first hand that everyday smells caused her some pretty major adverse reactions. Many an hour I stood by her hospital bed holding a spit bowl, garbage can anything I could find for her to retch in. I had quit wearing perfume and would use only unscented soaps and deodorant. The smell of my shampoo even made her nauseous. If she smelled food on your breath she would get sick. When it was food time on the cancer ward, just the aroma would cause her to become ill. It was a nightmare for us, but I can’t begin to imagine what it was like for her.

One day, while she was still in hospital, my step-father comes for one of his visits. He was chewing gum and brought in coffee and a McDonald’s burger with onions. He had also slathered Vick's or some other kind of liniment on his feet (he has foot problems), as well as dousing himself with his cologne. He brought all of these smells into the hospital room with him and proceeded to take off his shoes, wherein the whole space became stagnate with a myriad of different foul smelling vapors. The combination of smells almost made me sick and I was not the one with cancer. I was livid that he would be so thoughtless and careless where my momma’s senses and feelings were concerned and told him to take his food and go down the hall to the waiting room. He said, “I just got here,” and I believe he didn’t take too kindly to me telling him to leave the room. Plus, his food would have had to be bagged back up and he would have had to put his shoes back on, so on and so forth, and he didn’t want to have to go through all that bother, or so it seemed to me. So instead, he turned and asked momma if the smells were bothering her. At the time, they had only been married four years and she was still in the early stages of her love for him and didn’t want to hurt his feelings, so she very lovingly told him that he was fine and that he could stay, even while she was turning her head to the other side of the bed, her face all shades of green and gagging from all the fumes. Since I was on that side of the bed, I could see just how sick momma really was and it made my blood boil, that he did not have the decency to remove himself and all of his noxious odors to another room, at least until he finished eating, for her sake. One of my brother’s had come into the room about that time and told my step-father to take the food down to the waiting area and they ended up getting into an argument. I'm sure momma was mortified. She probably said to herself that we were acting just like our daddy. When we did anything she didn't like, she would say, "Ya'll got that trait from your daddy's side of the family."

Needless to say, it was not a pleasant situation, but what else could I do, I felt it was my duty to do everything in my power to take care of my momma. Maybe I did the wrong thing. Maybe I should have just left the room and let her handle the smells with my step-father as best she could and he could have cleaned up after her when she became ill or called a nurse to do it. I could have taken the path of least resistance, but I didn't, maybe that saddened my momma, but if so, I can only note that I was like a tigress with her cubs, about her during that time. I tried to make her last days here on earth as comfortable as I could manage. I certainly didn’t manage it all the time (another time/another story), but at least I tried.

I have never professed to be perfect and God knows I have made many a mistake in this lifetime and its a pretty sure thing I will make many more if I live long enough, but if there is one true thing I know, the fierce love that I had/have for my momma has always anchored me and kept my feet firmly planted on the ground. It is my love for God and my family that has always seen me through all of life's difficulties.

Debbie needs...

Debbie needs a saddle. (First, my good man, I require a horse.)
Debbie needs to look behind her. (I wander in the past way too much as it is.)
Debbie needs prayer. (More than just one, I’m afraid.)
Debbie needs a man. (Wrong Debbie, I already have one.)
Debbie needs a second guitarist. (Cause I shot the first one for playing jazz.)
Debbie needs sleep. (Because I did not sleep last night.)
Debbie needs a good slap. (Or pat on the back.)
Debbie needs cash. (And lots of it.)
Debbie needs a built in bench for her kitchen. (I don’t need a built in bench for the kitchen, but I would love for Eddie to build me the dining room booth he has been promising me for years now.)
Debbie needs your vote. (Of confidence.)

The longest survey..

1. How long has it been since you've ridden a school bus? Approximately 34 years
2. What do you think of frogs? Very funny looking and slimy
3. What's the worst Christmas present you've ever gotten? Socks
4. Suppose you *had* to get some sort of tattoo, right now. What would you get? A heart on my upper chest with Eddie’s name scrawled over it. He’s on my heart just like a tattoo!
5. Which would you rather die from, burning to death or "bird flu"? Bird flu
6. If weed was legal, would you smoke it? I don’t smoke it illegally, so I wouldn’t start smoking just because it became legal
7. How about if heroin was legal? Absolutely not
8. Do you use any kind of lip gloss/lip balm? Not really, Chap stick if I need it
9. Do you like pumpkin pie? I like sweet potato pie better, but can’t eat either since surgery
10. Who do you want to be President (it doesn't have to be an actual candidate)? Governor Ahnuld “The Terminator” Schwarzenegger
11. If you were alive in the 1960s, would you have been a hippie? No
12. Do you like dinosaurs? Which is your favorite? Ceratop
13. What genre of music makes you want to shoot your ears off? I do not like rap or jazz.
14: What was the last board game you played? Scrabble
15. Would you let your grandma set you up on a blind date? Since both my Grandma’s are deceased, I would shudder to think who they would set me up with, plus I am married to a wonderful man so I don’t need a blind date.
16. Speaking of which, ever been hit on by a much, much older person? When I was in my teens one of my teachers hit on me
17. You can't find the remote. Where is the first place you look? Under the cushions
18. Where would you rather live, in a barn or in an inner-city church basement? In a barn.
19. How do you feel about Hello Kitty? Not one of my favorites, up there with Winnie the Pooh, I think I am one of the only people in the world who does not like Winnie the Pooh.
20. Paper or plastic? paper
21: Compost heaps: yes or no? yes
22: What kind of socks are you wearing right now? White crew socks and house slippers, my feet are freezing.
23. Are you part of a "subculture"? Here in Panola, that’s highly likely, LOL
24. Do you type with all your fingers, or just 2? all
25. Do you believe in astrology? yes just like I believe in psychics and ghosts.
26. Are you good at math? No
27. Are you politically correct? Me, nah!
28. Do you know what a semicolon is? Isn’t that what a person has left after they have had a partial colonectomy? Yes, I do know what a semicolon is.
29. Have you ever worn a Hawaiian shirt? Not to my knowledge, I haven’t
30. Have you ever dated someone you didn't really like? Why? Depends, I didn’t really consider it dating, but I did let him come over because it was quite flattering to my ego that he liked me without me having to like him back, but he got obnoxious so I told him not to come back.
31. Do you resent members of the opposite sex? no
32. Atlantic or Pacific? Atlantic
33. What animal do you most resemble? A gerbil? Who knows, what kind of question is that?
34. How often do you eat macaroni and cheese? I used to eat it all the time, but not anymore (surgery, you know!)
35. Are you into philosophy? If so, what are your philosophical influences? No
36. What was the best concert you've ever been to? Matchbox Twenty, Train, and Three Doors Down all together
37. If someone gave you $100,000 to shave your head, would you? Only if I could wear a wig until it grew back out
38. Have you ever met a hermaphrodite? Maybe, but I wouldn’t have been able to tell.
38. Would you ever participate in anal sex? If so, would you give or receive? Absolutely not and neither.
39. Do you sweat a lot? no
40. What, if any, hair products do you use? Shampoo, Conditioner, Hairspray, & Color
41. Do you enjoy thrill rides (roller coasters, etc.)? Used to, but as I have gotten older I have gotten wiser now I am a “down to earth” sort of gal.
42. Have you ever seen a 3-D movie? Yes at Disney World
43. What should someone do if they deliberately want to make a bad impression on you? Lie, cheat, steal, arrogance to name a few
44. Have you ever drank a whole bottle of liquor by yourself? Maybe, but certainly not in one sitting.
45. Does anyone know you're filling out this survey right now? No
46. Do you smoke cigarettes, and if so, what kind? Never have
47. What word processing program is on your computer? Microsoft Word
48. Have you ever read "The Odyssey"? What did you think of it? I think I did, like it about as much as “Steppenwolf.” I was recommended that one by a doctor.
49. What's the worst insult any one's ever given you? I was too fat for them to find me sexy.
50. The best compliment? That I am very creative and talented
51. Do you sleep with your door open or closed? Open
52. What is your favorite item from your favorite fast-food restaurant? PintosNCheese from Taco Bell
53. Do small children like you? Yes
54. Do animals like you? Yes.
55. Would you rather be too hot or too cold? Too cold, I can always cover up
56. What's your favorite beer? Don’t like beer, never touch the stuff
57. Have you ever lived in a college dorm? If not, do you think you could handle it? No, but I could if need be
58. Have you ever met a psychotic person (officially diagnosed)? Yes., it’s not a very pleasant experience, believe you me.
59. Which show sucks less: "The Hills" or "Wheel Of Fortune"? Wheel
60. Do you like spicy food? Yes Italian or Mexican, but not Indian (don’t like curry, or it doesn’t like me.)
61. Do you read poetry? If so, who is your favorite poet? Longfellow (Splendor In The Grass)
62. What else could you be doing, other than filling out this survey? Reading Twilight
63. What is your earliest memory? Shouting out to Grandpa Jones on the upstairs balcony at the Grand Ole Opry in Tennessee (4 years old)
64. What is something you consider "classy"? A Rolls Royce
65. What video/computer games do you like? Spider Solitaire and Mah Jong
66. Do you know your IQ, and if so, what is it? I did it the other day was 120 something, but don’t remember
67. Do you drink TAB? No, can’t have carbonation
68. Do you talk about your friends behind their backs? I have, but it makes me feel really guilty, so I try not to.
69. Do you use abbreviations such as LOL or OMG outside of IMs? No
70. What is your favorite vegetable? Corn
71. Sweet or sour? sour
72. What's the longest airplane ride you've ever been on? Bham to San Antonio
73. Do you regularly take any medication? Yes – Ambien and Nexium
74. What's the closest you've ever come to dying? I felt like it during one of my gall bladder attacks, but I don’t think I have ever really been that close to notice before.
75. What are you really proud of that not many people know about? Everybody knows everything about me, I can’t keep secrets. I guess my weight loss.
76. Are you really into high school or college sports? I like Alabama college football
77. Do you regularly spend money on things you don't need? Yes, scrap booking, beading, and books
78. Have you ever practiced archery? Yes, when I went to camp, I loved it.
79. Do you eat the cherry on top of your ice cream sundae? No, yeccccch, don’t like cherry
80. What does the color yellow make you think of? sunshine
81. What is your local newspaper called? The Troy Messenger
82. What city do you wish was your hometown? Cheyenne Wyoming
83. You've just farted loudly in public. What do you do? Act innocent
84. Have you ever had a lucid dream? Yes
85. How about sleep paralysis? No
86. How often do you dream about zombies? Never
87. What kind of accent do you have (EVERYONE has one)? Southern drawl
88. Do you think mushrooms are cool-looking? yeah
98. Are you dyslexic? No, dyspeptic but not dyslexic
90. Do you think it's interesting to study religions other than the one you practice? No not really
91. Have you ever felt an earthquake? Yes
92. Suppose you're the greatest painter who ever lived, but you can only paint one last picture before you die. What is your painting of? A self portrait for everyone to remember my face along with my name. Ha, how egotistical of me!
93. What is the sexiest color of finger/toenail polish? Dark Red
94. What is the worst job you could possibly imagine having? Cleaning out septic tanks
95. Do you think pigs are cute? No
96. Do you pay your own bills? Yes
97. How many methods of contraception are you aware of? Pretty much aware of all of them, but did not find it necessary to implement very many of them due to infertility
98. Do you own ripped jeans that weren't ripped on purpose? No
99. Can you give a good back massage? Yes
100. What do you do before you go to sleep? Use the bathroom and take my medicine

I have been awarded...

Thanks Renee for giving me this award.

I, in turn, pay it forward, to:

• Velta


• Michelle


• insane mama


• gingerjar


• dysfunctional mom

The roughest time of my life...Part II

As I mentioned in the previous installment, Momma agreed to a round of chemo. She received her first shot of the first and only round of chemo she took in early September and then she was allowed to go home from the hospital. We celebrated her 70th birthday on September 13th. She was surrounded by family and friends that day, and even though the party was bittersweet, the poignancy of the occasion was not lost on any of us, as we all understood this might be the last time she had her family all together for a joyous occasion. Thanksgiving and Christmas 2002 (which I will post about in later installments), just weren't much by way of celebration. Here is a picture of her and Shannon on her 70th birthday:

Note that her skin tone was already so sallow from the liver dysfunction.

She gallantly tried to go about as many daily chores as she could muster in the beginning of her illness, but she would have to take rests periodically during the day. She still wrote the bills and tried to help me wash clothes, but she was having so many bouts of stomach discomfort, not to mention muscle-trembling fatigue, that she resorted to moving into one of the spare bedrooms as to not cause Bob any undo distress. I moved a recliner into the bedroom to be with her in case she needed me. I would sit in the recliner at night and watch her fitfully sleep. She had been given a pain patch and that would make her drowsy enough to sleep for the most part. She was also given marijuana in pill form to help with the pain, but she wouldn’t take them. She tried to sit up in the kitchen to be with Bob, but she just felt so ill much too often to stay up for any length of time.

My three brothers and my SIL’s all asked me if they could help with the daily care of Momma, but I wouldn’t have any of it. I told all of them it was not a matter of thinking that they couldn’t care for Momma as well as I could, it’s just that I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving her side for even a minute and over the course of the next few months, I didn’t leave her for any length of time for very long.

The end of September came and went and Bob and I took Momma for doctors appointments, etc. I took her to Hoover for wig fittings as her hair had begun to fall out. She never really cared for those wigs as they were not the right shade of color. I have never seen anyone with the same shade of hair as my Momma’s. My SIL, B, came one day to let me get some rest and so she could visit with my Momma. She took the time to paint Momma’s fingernails and toenails and Momma enjoyed that so. I was never much into all the feminine doo-dads such as that, so B came in just to pamper Momma and make her feel special. B is good at doing just that, making you feel special.

October rolled around and Momma had to go back to the hospital. October 4th was mine and Ricky’s 22nd wedding anniversary and Ricky asked if I could meet him and Shannon to go out to supper to celebrate. I had made arrangements for Bob to come to the hospital to stay with Momma while I went out to eat. Bob didn’t show up on time and I couldn’t reach him by cell phone. He had fallen asleep and I couldn’t rouse him by phone. Needless to say, I was very angry with him. I called my brother Don and asked him if he could come and sit with Momma while I went out to eat, but he already had made other plans for the evening and was also mad at Bob for leaving me in the lurch. I then called my brother Jimmy, who had just been to the hospital that day or the day previously, but he said he would come. He got there as soon as he could on such short notice, but I was already late to dinner with Ricky and Shannon. I hurried to meet up with them and we had a pretty good time at Bahama Breeze on 280 (which is now closed, my daughter informs me). When I got back to the hospital, Bob had finally arrived, but Jimmy did not leave until I got back. I hate to say this, especially if Bob is still reading my blog, but none of Momma’s kids had much confidence in his taking care of her. She had been the one to take care of him, not the other way around. That revelation had become very obvious to me as I was over at Momma’s trying to take care of her and inevitably was having to take care of Bob and the dogs too! It was apparent he couldn’t take care of himself, much less be able to handle taking care of a dying woman, even if that dying woman was the wife he professed to love so much.

Flower fotos...

Tiger lily
Confederate Rose
Confederate Rose (alternate shot)
Crepe Myrtle (watermelon color)
My lovely bird bath surrounded by strawberry plants (I hope to have fist-sized strawberries next February)

I had a movie star come visit me today...

Haven't you ever heard of Walter Pidgeon...? LOL Isn't he handsome?