Monday Ramble

Definitely going to ramble today...hang on!

Sold 4 paintings since last weekend! SCORE!  Nice when that happens.

Daddy fell.  Yes, last Friday afternoon I guess he was taking some limbs to the curb and he said he slipped and fell.  Face planted on the drive and using his hand to break his fall, breaking his hand and busting it open.  CAT scan and stitches and a removable cast and he is good.  No surgery for the broken hand, THANK GOODNESS!  Sadly, I did not know about it because we were at the cabin and cell phone reception is bad so I usually turn my phone off.  I turned it on Monday morning to get the pictures and text message from my brother.  They spent hours till about 10:30 p.m. in the ER.  Bless all their hearts, including my sister-in-law who endured the time too.  I'm afraid we are going to have way too many times like this more often now.  He was more upset that he could not use his computer.  Really,   I feel bad that Bro has had to take the brunt of taking care of Daddy lately as I've been out of pocket and watching Rio.  She will be in school sometime and that can make it better.  

I had an incredible HANKERIN' for Momma's fried chicken last week so I busted out the cast iron skillet, one mine, one granny's.  I bought a whole chicken because I also wanted to cut it up myself.  Sadly I realized that my knives were very lacking so the next day I went out an bought a couple for the next chicken.  I cooked it just like Momma used to with salt, lots of black pepper, flour and oil.  She would cook it pretty hot and fast to get the color then turn the heat down and put a lid on it, soft crust fried chicken!  PERFECTION!  I also had mashed potatoes and gravy.  

The next night I wanted to try something new I saw on Facebook.  It was from MyRecipes.com and called Cajun-Style Shrimp and Grits.  OH MY GOSH they were so easy and so very good.  The only thing is I did NOT add the tasso ham.  

I was on a roll last week with cooking.  It felt good.  I love to cook but just don't have time to put into intense meals.

Brother-in-law is hurting and I wish I could help.  Had surgery and the results are not as expected and the places they went in are not healing.  He's on my mind.

Friday was National Wear Teal Day to increase awareness of Ovarian Cancer so I wore this shirt in remembrance of my friend Jamie who lost her battle a couple of months ago.  

Yesterday the niece spent the day in the ER because she apparently was bitten by a brown recluse spider in her bedroom!  Let me tell you she posted the picture on Facebook and it gave me nightmares.  Plus she posted that they had to put her IV in her neck because of her drug use caused her veins to be to small.  Luckily she is still clean but she is still having a ton of issues in her head and life.  She has lost yet another job and of course it is not her fault.  I so hope she can get her life together but I'm not too keen on helping her anymore because she has burned me a couple of times and you just don't know when she is telling the truth anymore.  Lying is just second nature to her and I don't even know if she can tell the difference.  So sad.

On a good note, I finished a couple of books I enjoyed, Still Foolin'  'Em by Billy Crystal and The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins.   

Also a couple of paintings finished:

Flower Shop

Our flower shop is going to get very busy this next week.  I'm sad.  The lady I posted about the other day, our right hand man's wife, Jamie who probably had three more months to live, well, yesterday she passed.  She just had had enough.  Her body was tired of the fight and she let it go.  So, so very sad.  The Hubby is taking it very hard to the point he is upset if we can't spend time together, a lot.  The hugs and kisses he is giving are almost unprecedented.  

This morning I received a phone call from one of my high school classmates and he said there was some bad news.  The parent of one of our committee members passed away and not in a good way.  I've known that lady, Barbara since I was about 6 years old.  They lived next door to my grandparents and they own one of the banks in town.  Her daughter, Kelli is on our reunion committee and a friend for over 40 years.  Kelli's mother was walking across the street in downtown Broken Arrow and a trash truck I guess did not see her and turned and hit her.  She didn't die right there but soon after.  How very, very tragic for Kelli and her family.  

So my flower shop is going to be very busy this next week as we call in the flower orders.  I would prefer birthday or wedding flowers....something else.  Sad heart today.

Surgery Girl

Thought I would give an update on Surgery Girl here!  Today it has been exactly 7 days since I underwent a robotic hysterectomy, a successful one at that.  Everyday seems better and better and the scale seems to stay the same, where my body usually likes to be.  It doesn't vary, dang it.  I had gained about 10 pounds the past six months but as of today that 10 is now gone.  I think if i could get the constipation thing under control the scale might go down a bit further.  I'm not eating junk food but I'm not exercising either.  I'm enjoying the many meals that friends have brought to us.  Last night was baked chicken, mashed new potatoes and salad.  It was yummy.  Most of the meals have been pasta something with cheese and I think cheese is a constipator too.  I have eaten a few salads which are good for me.  Definitely eating less on my plate!

I wake in the mornings feeling pretty good but by the end of the day my tummy just hurts like gas buildup.  I seem to remember someone saying that my bladder was attached somewhat to my uterus and that might explain the bladder thing hurting too, bruised.  I'm down to one pain pill the past couple of days and my goal is no more, especially by Friday as I have to go into the office and do payroll.  I look forward to that, getting out.  

I've also logged some time the past couple of days at my easel, successfully.  I never realized how exhausting that could be.  Yesterday it was all day which felt good.  I'm not finished yet:

I would like to send a shout for some good vibes for a friend.  Her husband is our right hand man at work and they are the nicest people you will ever meet.  Jamie has been battling stage 4 ovarian cancer for the past 2 years with all kind so experimental stuff, regular stuff, you name it but her body is just riddled with cancer at this point.  She is trying to hold on till their first grandchild is born, a boy, in July but at this point they don't think she will make it a month.  She has hardly missed a day of work up until now.   She is losing her battle and it is heartbreaking.  I feel sad that I am rid of that stuff with a fear of cancer but none was there.  They just need some time for her to hold that grandson.

Life and Death

Yesterday was my relax day, or so I thought.  I had a fabulous massage and facial but all I could do was think and be tense.  Lots of stuff rolling around in my noggin that caused me to not enjoy as much.  B&B2 are having so much trouble with little Rio this past week.  Today she is 5 months old and all of a sudden the sleeping thing is a problem.  She naps just fine but when they go to put her in her crib she wakes shortly and starts SCREAMING!  They can't figure it out, except I suspect the little bugger has discovered that if she screams she gets picked up and taken to her parents bed to sleep very nice and snuggily.  I have always said they are smarter than we are and my best guess is just that.  I feel so bad for them but hey, we've all gone through this stuff with the little ones, haven't we.  They will get through.  I can't wait to call them this morning because they were going to try to employ a bit of tough love to break this cycle before it becomes a huge monster.  Good luck!

With all the baby goings on they are also dealing with one of their beloved kitty's Pimmy dying.  Pimmy has some kind of kidney disease or cancer and she is just on the edge of leaving her happy little home forever.  B&B2 have given her a wonderful life being as she was a rescue from Street Cats, where B has volunteered since she was out of college.  I think Pimmy is 12 or 13 years old and is a real sweetie.  So there they are dealing with a 5 month old that won't sleep and a dying cat.   The stress is making them a puddle of tears and stress lately.  Luckily, they know it will all be a temporary phase and Rio will sleep and Pimmy will be at peace soon.

On top of all of this we get the news yesterday that our right hand man, Ben, his wife Jamie has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer.  We knew that they had been going to tons of doctors visits and they had suspected this but the confirmation was yesterday and it is very bad.  She has it in both ovaries and it has moved to her stomach, so far.  Tuesday they will do surgery to remove the ovaries and to see where else it has moved to then she will start chemo.  This just breaks my heart because Jamie is the nicest person in the world and so is Ben.  They are real jewels and I can't make heads or tails out of them having to deal with this.  Yesterday when Ben leaned over the desk area to tell B and myself then walked outside, I turned to B to see tears just rolling.  She is on the edge with all of this and lack of sleep is taking a toll.  I remember when my little ones put me through this, B in particular, my momma was there to help, to let me sleep.  Thank goodness the other half, B2 has been a wonderful, a great partner to understand and be there.  I try to be there too.  They will survive and sleep will again be a part of their lives, someday!  At least Rio is not sick, she is just wanting her momma.

I'm not much of a prayer kind of person at all but I do pass all of this on to our old church prayer chain, just in case.  There are others much better at sending out the goodness to those in need than I am.  I also send out to my friends here to pray, meditate, just send out the goodness for Ben and Jamie in the horrible time of need in their lives.  My heart is breaking for them.  We have here the beginnings of a wonderful life in little Rio and the end of a sweet little furry life in Pimmy and then the unknown of a life future in sweet Jamie.