Yummy Face

For TBT: One of my favorite photos of Eli!

 

 

Dad 251: Ramping Up

(These are busy days. Even Dad's posts are getting shorter! Enjoy! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! Another cloudy, damp, cold day in the Northeast. Well they tell us Spring will eventually be here. I'm ready.

 

Spouse (a.k.a. Mary Lou) has been home a week now. Had an appointment with our primary care doctor today. It went well. We had evaluations for physical and occupational therapy on an outpatient basis two days ago. Speech will follow. Then we will start a schedule for therapies.

 

Our wheelchair ramp is about finished and will be completed tomorrow if weather cooperates. We did use the ramp today as a practice run. So nice to have. Things are improving daily. Thanks!

 

Zack's lacrosse team played two games the other day. Won one game 14-0 and lost the second 5-3. They only won two games all last year. They have high hopes.

 

Josh is home from his Florida baseball trip and has started league play. They won their first two games (Westbrook and Noble). Josh has batted cleanup in both games. At Westbrook he doubled and was walked the remaining two times at-bat. He pitched three scoreless innings in the second win and was removed from the game. His two at-bats were two walks. I hope to get to see a game or two for Josh and Zack. Here's hoping!

 

Things are progressing as Spring is arriving. We can't wait for nice warm weather.

 

Done for now. Sooo....

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

A Time to Read

I spent the morning hanging out with mom and cleaning out my in-basket.

 

I would now like to spend the rest of the afternoon (and maybe the rest of the week) reading.... Is that wrong? :)

 

To do: Read to my heart's content!

Fun Time at the BMV

Grrrr....

There is a reason the Bureau of Motor Vehicles has a bad reputation:  It deserves it!

I don't wish to put all the blame on the poor souls who are the front lines in customer service.  They have to deal with a bureaucracy and system that is fundamentally flawed.  For instance....

If one were to complete the form to secure a handicapped placard for the car, apparently one must be able to read the minds of the people that designed the form:

• "Contact person" really means "the person who will be picking up the placard."
• "This form may be mailed" really means "the doctor may mail this form."

If one did not know this, then one could wait in line for 37 minutes with no satisfactory outcome.

Don't ask me how I learned this myself.

I. Am. Still. Bitter.

Grrrr....

(Postscript:  I was nice to the customer service representative. Well, much nicer than I felt like being!)

Random Remind

Things I learned or was reminded of this past week:

 

The most important aspect of an elementary school is its playground. (Just ask the kids in children's church!)

 

Tendonitis in the thumb of your dominant hand makes handwriting difficult. And painful.

 

Cinderella is a wonderful story, especially when told well. (Saw the new movie that's out. Loved it!)

 

Having a teenage houseguest is fun. :)

 

It is helpful to live each day, each hour, each moment as it comes. (Just ask my parents!)

 

If you hold on to something long enough, you may eventually have a use for it. Or not.

 

Big Papi can still hit monster home runs!

 

A long Winter makes Spring even more lovely.

 

My husband knows the perfect days to text, "Pizza for dinner?"

Jungle Tiger

This week's "Five-Minute Friday" was a hunt around the house for my cat Kurt. It took me at least five minutes to find him.

 

I called for him, searched high and low, and called for him again. Jerry showed up, but no Kurt.

 

After checking over on my parents' side of the house, I hunted for Kurt again.

 

I finally had an "Aha!" moment and went into the back room upstairs.

 

Try to find Kurt in this picture. He's there!

 

 

"L" is for Love

Just looked through some "old" photos on my iPad and decided on the following for Throwback Thursday. I think this picture is two years old, which makes sense since Eli is only 3!

 

I hope that Eli will continue to enjoy reading as much as Tia does!

 

 

Dad 250: Homecoming Day

(Uh-oh! Dad is already home from the dentist and I still haven't posted this! Here I go.... Enjoy! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! A bright sunny cool day this morning. This after a day of heavy rain. Supposed to rain later today. We'll enjoy the sun while it lasts. Hope the sun heats up the air temps.

 

I'm trying to get this post written early as I have a busy day ahead. In an hour or so I'll be in the dentist chair having a filling. I do not like fillings. I guess it is better than not having teeth to fill. The day will end with the arrival of Josh (home from his Florida baseball trip to spend two nights with us).

 

After my dentist appointment I'll pick up Tracy and we'll be off to New England Rehabilitation hospital. We will gather Spouse (a.k.a. Mary Lou) and bring her home. It is the day we have been awaiting for the last month. We have a lot of work ahead of us to get Spouse functioning as close to normal as possible. Her progress is proceeding daily. So thankful for all her new acquaintances and therapists working on her behalf. She has come a long way since the stroke but has a long road ahead. We are ready. An instant on March 27th changed everything about our lifestyle. Please keep your prayers coming! Thanks.

 

I must now visit my dentist. Oh joy! Sooo....

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

Did, Doing, Do

Not only is it "To-do Tuesday" on Mainely Tracy, it is also "To-do on Tuesday" for Tracy!

 

I left the house mid-morning and did the following:

 

Stopped at Rite Aid. My right thumb has been bothering me (tendonitis), so I bought some stuff to treat it.

 

Visited Mom. She is coming home tomorrow. Hooray!

 

Stopped at Bed Bath & Beyond. Mom and Dad needed new bed sheet sets. Used 20%-off coupons! (I have already washed the sheets and made up the beds!)

 

Stopped at The Paper Store. Bought some cards and a gift.

 

Stopped at the grocery store. Bought the fixings to make lasagna in my slow cooker. (Josh is staying overnight with us tomorrow and Thursday, so I want to have something good to eat on hand.)

 

Stopped for gas. Filled the tank!

 

I arrived home mid-afternoon and continued working on my to-do list. As I write this, I am in the middle of baking a double batch of cookies. I also hope to put together the lasagna (will keep it in the fridge tonight and cook it tomorrow afternoon).

 

I would also like to read for a little bit tonight. I hope I can keep my eyes open!

A Good Luck Black Cat

I went to a bridal shower yesterday. And, yes, we had some competitions. Three in fact:

 

1) Bridal Shower Jumble. Unscramble 20 words/phrases.

2) Toilet Paper Wedding Dress. This was a team event. The judges were the bride-to-be and the shower hostess.

3) Get the most "diamond rings" - take someone's ring(s) if you hear them say the word "nice".

 

How I fared:

 

1) I won with 19 out of 20 in the allotted time.

2) I was my team's model. We won.

3) I didn't win, but I also didn't lose my ring. :)

 

Best competition moment: When Bellatrix the cat attacked the train of my wedding gown as I descended the stairs. I think she may have swayed the judges in our favor. Thanks, Bella!

Smile!

Mom's T.D.P.

This past week saw lots of changes in our house - some on our side as a result of our new floor, and some on my parents' side as a result of Mom's anticipated return home.

 

As I mentioned yesterday, Dad and I also went through some "family training" sessions at Mom's rehab place this week.

 

Today the house changes and family training collided: Mom was issued a T.D.P. - that stands for "Therapeutic Day Pass," in case you didn't know. (I didn't until yesterday.)

 

For her T.D.P., Dad and I picked Mom up around 2:15 this afternoon and we brought her home for about an hour. She got to see what we've done in the house and we got to put our training into practice.

 

Mom is looking forward to coming home for good. Wednesday is the day! :)

Family Training

Writing prompt: Destination.

 

Dad and I started "family training" at Mom's rehab facility yesterday. The goal - a "destination" of sorts - is for us to be able to safely assist Mom when she is home.

 

Yesterday we practiced transfers (from bed to wheelchair) and stairs. Stronger leg goes first when ascending the stairs; weaker leg goes first when descending. Mom is able to do all of this on her own, while we act as spotters. She did great!

 

We are scheduled for more training this afternoon. (Maybe we'll get trained on transferring to the potty!) Things are looking good for her anticipated discharge date of April 22nd. :)

The Clothes Monster

I don't think my mother has ever discarded a single item of clothing in her life. (Yes, I am exaggerating a wee bit.)

I believe this because I carried over 3/4 of her hanging clothes upstairs and jammed them into my guest room closet. I saw clothing that I don't ever remember her wearing. I saw at least a dozen items that used to be mine; she must have saved them from the Goodwill pile! Up and down the stairs I went....

At some point she and I will need to go through these clothes more carefully, but for now I needed to make space in their closet for my father's stuff.  He has been using a wardrobe for his things, but that piece of furniture needs to be moved out of the bedroom for better wheelchair accessibility. (Mom can walk, but she will need to use a chair a lot at first so she doesn't get overtired.)

To summarize this week's Throwback Thursday tale: Today I stored items of clothing I already got rid of years ago.

Dad 249: So Long, Dust Bunnies!

(And it's pandemonium here at the house! Enjoy Dad's post! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! Another beautiful spring day here in the Northeast. This will be about the fourth day in a row with temps in the 60s. We have earned this weather after our snowy winter. We thank you!

 

Today I hope to have our bedroom redone in anticipation of the return of Spouse (a.k.a. Mary Lou). She is working hard in her therapy sessions to overcome the results of her March 27th stroke.

 

We will find out today (I think) when she will be returning home. This requires us to make many changes in our furniture arrangement. Hopefully we will be ready.

 

More to come next week as I must now rearrange our bedroom from a large king-size bed to a twin bed arrangement. This will be easier to work on the therapies necessary.

 

Don't forget to pay your taxes today!

 

That's all for now. Sooo....

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

Happy Me

Today I finished clearing off the floor in our back room upstairs. Well, I sort of finished - enough so that I feel like I have it under control again. This is a relief because we spend a lot of time in the room. Our exercise equipment is in there, as well as my computer and paperwork. And books - lots and lots of books.

The guest room still looks like a cyclone hit it, but it is pretty manageable. The clearing out should go quickly.

Then, it's on to the attic....

Yes, we must tackle the attic because we are having a yard sale on Memorial Day weekend. Time to get rid of lots of stuff. (Do you want it? If so, stop by!)

To do: Get ready for the yard sale, but pace myself. Don't go crazy! There's still plenty of time.

Happy Hubby

Yesterday Lew watched the final round of The Masters Golf Tournament on our new 55" TV.

The purchase of said TV was quite interesting. Lew tried to order a TV online a couple weeks ago but was unsuccessful for a couple reasons - not in stock, being one of them. We went looking for one on Saturday (two days ago) and thought we had found one at the first place we stopped. But - alas - not in stock. We found one at the second place that we liked a lot, and there was only one left. So I guarded it while Lew went to get a flatbed cart. (I was ready to go to the mat to protect our TV!)

You know what? The TV we purchased was the very same one that Lew tried to order a couple weeks ago!  How cool is that?!

Smile!

New Living Room Floor!

 

A big project because of such a little kitty!

Thank you, Derf, for letting us visit when the floor guy was here!

 

Ch-ch-changes

Writing prompt: Change.

 

Oh, my goodness.... Change? What's that?!

 

If you've been reading this blog at all recently, then you know "change" is a big part of our lives right now. (Granted, things are always changing for everybody, but we are experiencing major changes.)

 

As I write this, I hear the guy working on my living room floor installation. It ended up taking longer than expected because he needed to install a subfloor first. (Oh, the joys of having a really old house where nothing is smooth or level.) He will be finished today. It's going to look great!

 

My mom is improving every day and this is a blessing. Yes, things have changed for her, but we are hopeful for sufficient recovery so she can come home soon. The rehab workers have a goal of maximizing her abilities. They are working hard and so is Mom.

 

"Changes" are part of life. I am thankful we have a God who leads us through them!

For the Family Album

Have you ever met someone as an adult and then found photographic evidence of your paths crossing earlier in life? I have seen some news stories recently about people this has happened to.

Today I share my own personal instance of this.

The year is 1986.... Lew, Matt, and Matt's mom attended the same church I did, although we didn't really know each other. (We did know of each other.)

Lew and I were recently looking at a church directory from that year. I saw a particularly ugly candid photo of myself, but I still pointed it out to Lew. (U-g-l-y!)  Anyway, there is a cute little boy standing in front of me. Lew looked a little closer and said, "That's Matt!"

Very cool.

Here is that photo. (The quality isn't great because it was a small shot in a collage. And those two people weren't really wearing football helmets - I added those. Ha ha!)

Maybe Matt and I could recreate this photo. But I no longer have that Minnie Mouse sweatshirt. And I'm pretty sure Matt's t-shirt won't fit him now.   ;-)

Dad 248: Update on Spouse; NCAA Tourney

(I managed to stay up - sort of - until the end of both championship games. Now we're on to baseball. Go BoSox!  Enjoy Dad's post.  ~  Tracy)

Derf Here! The Northeast is sunny. The temperature is still at the freezing level. Snow is predicted for tonight. Possible one-to-three inches coming our way. Is Spring really here? Perhaps it is but just slow to join us. Please warm up. I'm ready for the warmth of the spring sun. I'm waiting.

Well, this week has been busy. Spouse (a.k.a. Mary Lou) seems to be making progress as she is working hard trying to normalize her life after her stroke. It will be a long road ahead of us. We are preparing for her recovery and the whole family is involved. Please keep the prayers for her recovery coming. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.

I continue to visit Spouse daily, except for two days this past weekend when I believe I had a bout with food poisoning.  (It was not a pretty sight.)  Hope to learn a lot about her care in the next few weeks.

The college basketball season is now over. Duke men and UConn women are the new champions. Coach K continues to impress me with his ability to win titles. UConn coach, Geno Auriemma, won his tenth title without ever losing in the title game. He doesn't win every year but he has never lost the championship. To me, that is an amazing stat. Congratulations to both Duke and UConn. Job well done.

I am off to do a few errands this morning. My bloviating is over. Sooo....

Until next time!

Toodle Pip!

Derf!

Improvement (Times Three)

I had a follow-up appointment yesterday to make sure my gum graft is healing properly. Everything is going well, although I am still experiencing some pain. (I don't even want to eat nachos!)

 

To do: Continue to follow the post-surgery procedures until my mouth is completely healed.

 

I went with Dad to visit Mom yesterday. She wants to come home, so she knows she has to do what her therapists are telling her. She showed me a worksheet that she did yesterday as part of occupational therapy. The worksheet listed several steps for a task, and she had to put the steps in order. (She did well on it, although I joked with her about the "taking out the trash" task. Dad does that!)

 

To do: Prepare for Mom's return home. It will be a while yet, but we'll be ready!

 

I am glad our living room flooring is being installed on Thursday. It will be so wonderful to get our house back in order afterwards. (Right now our guest room looks like a cyclone hit it!)

 

To do: Wait patiently for Thursday.

Play Ball!

The Red Sox are about to win on the opening day of their season. I doubt they will go undefeated (162-0 would be hard to do), but it is encouraging to see them get their first so handily. A total of eight runs, with five home runs! I do hope they save some offense for the rest of the season.

 

Tonight is the final game of the NCAA Tournament. I plan on watching. I hope I can stay awake long enough to watch the whole game.

 

Sports on TV.... One of life's great pleasures.

Mom Update

Lew and I went to see Mom this morning. I brought her iPad and Kindle to her, so maybe she will be reading this post sometime soon. (Hi, Mom!)

 

She has three or four different sessions every day, so she's pretty tired. Her favorite thing is "therapeutic dining" -- NOT! Once she is able to eat normally, she won't need to go to "therapeutic dining," so that is a goal for her to reach. (You can do it, Mom!)

 

Mom's roommate is the mother of one of my friends! I couldn't believe it when I heard. My friend said the same thing and then she said, "But I can." God is definitely at work.

 

Thank you for your continued prayers. It's been a long week for all of us, but Sunday's coming! Happy Easter!

Good Friday: Read All About It

(Instead of writing for five minutes today, I am encouraging you to read for that long. Below is my suggestion for reading material. Blessings to you on this day. And remember... Sunday's coming!)

 

 

John 19 [NIV84]

 

Jesus Sentenced to Be Crucified

1 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2 The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe 3 and went up to him again and again, saying, "Hail, king of the Jews!" And they struck him in the face.

4 Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews, "Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him." 5 When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, "Here is the man!"

6 As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, "Crucify! Crucify!"

But Pilate answered, "You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him."

7 The Jews insisted, "We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God."

8 When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, 9 and he went back inside the palace. "Where do you come from?" he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10 "Do you refuse to speak to me?" Pilate said. "Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?"

11 Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin."

12 From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, "If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar."

13 When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). 14 It was the day of Preparation of Passover Week, about the sixth hour.

"Here is your king," Pilate said to the Jews.

15 But they shouted, "Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!"

"Shall I crucify your king?" Pilate asked.

"We have no king but Caesar," the chief priests answered.

16 Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.

The Crucifixion

So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. 17 Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). 18 Here they crucified him, and with him two others–one on each side and Jesus in the middle.

19 Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 20 Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. 21 The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, "Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews."

22 Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

23 When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.

24 "Let’s not tear it," they said to one another. "Let’s decide by lot who will get it."

This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said,

"They divided my garments among them

and cast lots for my clothing."

So this is what the soldiers did.

25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," 27 and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

The Death of Jesus

28 Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

31 Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. 32 The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. 33 But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. 35 The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. 36 These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken," 37 and, as another scripture says, "They will look on the one they have pierced."

The Burial of Jesus

38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. 39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.40 Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 41 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. 42 Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

The Original Living Room Floor

When Lew and I were doing the house remodel eight years ago, I took some photos of the hardwood floor in the living room before we put the carpet in.

 

The floor is in pretty rough shape, but I do love the pattern of the layout. If we didn't need something more maintainable, I would consider restoring it!

 

 

Dad 247: We Travel a New Road

(Dad summarizes the events of the last few days in his post today. Thank you for your prayers!  ~ Tracy)

Derf Here! Enjoying another bright, beautiful day here in the Northeast. However, it is still cold. As I write this we are slowly climbing to the freezing temperature. I'm ready for April! OH! It is April! Doesn't feel like April. I'm ready for it to feel like April.

There are several events that happen to individuals that one remembers. Such events include graduations, marriages, births, and several others not mentioned here.

The above events all are joyful events. I'm sure we can all think of many more happy occasions. Along with these happy times there are some things that happen that are not in the enjoyable column.  These events must be dealt with as a part of life.  They happen even though no one wants them to occur.

Last Friday was not an unusual day for Spouse (a.k.a. Mary Lou) and me. We watched the game shows from 7:00-8:00PM as usual. Then Spouse proceeded to go to bed as I remained on the couch. About 9:00PM, daughter (a.k.a. Tracy) came to our place for her "good night" along with her big cat (a.k.a. Jerry). This is a usual event.

I was on the couch watching basketball games on the big screen and my little extra screen. It is "March Madness."

A short time after 9:10PM Spouse called my name. I don't recall what else she said. I muted the TV and went to the bed. As I glanced at her, I knew Spouse was having a stroke. Her speech was slurred and the weakness on her left side was quite visible. A phone call to Tracy was made. Tracy and Lew came over and while Tracy called 911 I called Glen (our E.M.T. son-in-law). Strange circumstances had happened and Glen was already on his way.  In a matter of minutes our house was surrounded by police, fire, and rescue vehicles. The first responder was our good friend Lonny. And then the house was filled with people (some well known to us while others were strangers).

Well, I rode to Maine Medical Center in the rescue van. It was a quick trip. Tracy and Lew followed in their car. Our time frame was such that some type of a drug used to blast the stroke was used. It is successful in about one-third of the cases. Suffice it to say it did not have the desired results in Spouse's case.

Spouse was moved to a critical care room around midnight. We arrived home around 1:00AM. Spouse remained in critical care Saturday and Sunday as they continued to get vitals constant. She was moved to another room on Monday and monitored with all sorts of wires. All the time she was being challenged by therapists. I'm telling you. they don't allow her much rest! Even had her sitting in a recliner when I went home Monday. She was very tired!

I was surprised to receive a call from Maine Med yesterday (Tuesday) morning telling me the doctor thought she was ready for rehab. It would not be my decision but I'm not the professional. Well, she is now in rehab and as I left last night she was seated in a wheelchair and about to go to a room for eating. I doubt she ate anything. She will be under high-intensive rehab for three hours each day. She has some motion in her left leg, still has slurred speech, and has little or no movement in her left arm or hand. Left shoulder has some movement. Very, very tired.

It will be a long road to recovery. As of 9:10 PM Friday evening, our lifestyle suddenly changed.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers! All are welcome.

Sorry to my editor for being so long, but wanted to cover as much as possible. Soooo.....

Until next time!

Toodle Pip!

Derf!