1/26/17 - I'm back!

I am back from San Antonio.  Meghan was a wonderful hostess and itinerary planner.  We had a great time visiting the sites around San Antonio and beyond.

I don't know if it was the lower humidity or being in a southern location but I didn't wake up hurting there.  We were able to walk a lot and enjoy ourselves.  Now that I'm in the great white north I'm back to pain and torture.  MS doesn't suck as bad in SATX.  Meghan does NOT want me moving there, even though I tried to coerce her into letting her Mama move in. 

Me and my girl

She took me to my Mecca

The weather was wonderful

More pictures later on and more of our itinerary.  I've got some unpacking to do.

Love y'all. 

1/15/17 - Miss me?

Did you miss me yesterday?  David and I went to Walmart in the morning and I was wiped out.  This cough is driving me mad.  Nothing I take works.  I'm praying it will be gone by Wednesday.  I have an early flight (what was I thinking?) leaving BWI at 8:30am.  I can hardly wait.

Today I am in the basement doing laundry.  Meghan asked me yesterday if I was packed.  I laughed.  She must have been away from Mama long enough to forget, I'm a procrastinator.  I used to be an amateur-crastinator but now I'm a pro.

Here I sit in the basement.

Kristin has a horrible cough as well.  I wish she were going with me.  She could use a vacation too.  I know how hard it is to have little kids when you are sick.  Yuck!

Love y'all.  I don't know how much I'll be posting over my vacation.  I'm not taking my laptop.

1/13/17 - Itinerary update

Meghan and I are going to see Mark Chestnutt!!

That's the music her Daddy and I would go boot scootin' to along with Barbara and Dave.

I asked her if I should bring my dancing boots or if it would look goofy.  She said "This is Texas".  So dancing boots are getting packed or worn.

1/12/17 - I have a doctor's appointment

I thought I'd better write something this morning because by the time I get home I'll be worn out.  If I'm not, I will write more later.  I'm just seeing my gp this morning.  I was supposed to get blood work done but I didn't.  I'm hoping she will give me a B12 shot and anything else she can shove my way so I will have energy and not be sick for my vacation.

love y'all.

1/11/17 - San Antonio, here I come! #SATX

In one week I'll be flying south for a week.  I'm getting so excited to see my girl, Meghan.  She is getting an itinerary set for us.  I look forward to seeing more of San Antonio.  I've been there a couple times and have hit the highlights of The Alamo and the Riverwalk.  We will be going to some towns in the Hill Country.  We'll be getting our barbeque fix at The Salt Lick and probably a few other places.

I loved The Alamo but there are other Missions in the area we will be visiting.

We will also be visiting the oldest dance hall in Texas, in Gruene (pronounced Green).  It's been a long time since I two-stepped but I might have to dust off my dancing boots.

We will have tons of stuff to do, what we will need is extra time.  One week won't be enough.  Please pray that we both are well and energized for our vacation.

(I haven't forgotten about Green and Brock, they'll be back.)

Love y'all

1/10/17 - Zoned out part 2

I'm babysitting Cali today.  I'm also zoned out.  Brock and Green will be back when I can form sentences.

Love y'all.

1/9/17 - Green Giant is really the Hulk part 2

In our last episode Green Giant, aka/Green and broccoli, aka/Brock were trying to stay away from "the man".  They had decided to set out on an exciting adventure around the world.  Green could take long strides and would put Brock on his shoulders to travel.

Brock and Green said goodbye to friends and family.  They didn't know when they would be back home.  Green said, "I know you want to go with us, but you just can't.  You have to stay as far away from "the man" that you can, for as long as you can.  If you see "the man" play dead, he won't want you then."

Green hoisted Brock to his shoulders, bade the last of their friends goodbye and headed north.  Brock told Green to take his time, "Sometimes you have to stop and smell the flowers."  In no time they came upon another land. 






Brock checked his world map.  "There is a place called Greenland.  That must be a magical place, the whole land is green!"  Green agreed.  After reading the sign, they moved on. 

The further they traveled north, the colder it got.  It got colder, and colder.  Green sat Brock down. 

"This is NOT the time for shape shifting!"

Brock said, "Dude, chill."

Green said, "NOT FUNNY!"

Brock had noticed that Green got mad, fast.  Maybe the cold temperatures will put a damper on the anger.

"Lets keep going Green, I kinda like it cold."  Green lifted Brock to his shoulders and headed for some beautiful lights in the sky.

Stay tuned tomorrow to see if Green and Brock make it to the beautiful lights.  Will they get to Greenland for a stop-over?  Or will they stay?

 Love y'all.

1/8/17 - Green Giant is really the Hulk part 1

I hypothesize that the Green Giant is really the Hulk.  What do you think?  Here's how it happened:

Once upon a time in a land bigger than life lived a Green Giant.  He was always pushing the kiddies to eat their vegetables, even though he looked like one.  He had a wonderful life in spite of "the man" making him pawn off most of his best friends to the can.  One by one he saw them being plucked from the prime of life, steamed to death and buried in a silver container that "the man" would label so the vegans of Earth could eat them.  He wondered when it would be his turn.

Oh, "the man" kept giving him makeovers, which was fine with him, he liked keeping the lady vegans coming back for more.  He started as a but quickly grew to the we all know and love.  Then one day something horrible happened, "the man" started infanticide with the peas.  Oh, "the man" put them in plastic bags so they could see their oppressors.  They could even see their vegan rescuers, until they put them in the microwave, for their final spin. 

The Giant wondered what was next?  Cheese?  Molten cheese?    Broccoli was always his best friend.  He called him Brock.  Brock and Green (which is what Brock called the Green Giant) stalked around the green land, trying to stay away from "the man".  They traveled near and far together.  Whenever Brock got tired stalking, Green would hoist him to his shoulders and continue on their travels.

Green could cover long distances with his stride.  Brock and Green decided to make a world tour, anything to stay away from "the man".  They gathered their friends and neighbors to tell them they would be leaving, on an exciting adventure in the land of Afar.  Before they departed, someone in the crowd took a picture of the world travelers.

It wasn't the best picture of the two, Green did get a little hot under the collar.  He really couldn't complain too much about the picture, he was horrible at "selfies".

This ends part 1 of the series:  Green Giant is really the Hulk.  Tune in tomorrow for more escapades with Green and Brock.

 (I'm not crazy, SS had me tested)

1/7/17 - It's snowing (can you feel my enthusiam?) #delsnow

What a difference a half-century makes.  If I woke up to snow like this I would be so excited, when I was eight.  Now, not so much.  I wish I had the energy to get out and play in it.  It is beautiful.

Max doesn't like it.  He shakes his paws and wants to go back in the house.  All-in-all, he doesn't like any precipitation.

We are supposed to get 7 - 10 inches.  You would think that would be a good thing, but it's not.

Do you get stuff stuck in your head?  Annoying isn't it?  Right now, I have had this song stuck in my brain for 3 or 4 days.

And the dialog that is going on in my head is crazy.  You wouldn't be able to follow along without a playbook.  It's hard enough for me to be able to follow along.  Now that I've shared the Simon and Garfunkel video, that song will be in your head too.  Mwahahahahaaaaaa...

 love y'all!

1/6/17 - Mortality

Mortality yawns in your face when you lose a childhood friend.  A friend that I've known, possibly forever, passed away yesterday.  We were in Girl Scouts together.  I called her parents Aunt and Uncle, as she did mine.  Her younger sister was in my grade in school, she, two years older.

Is 60 too young to die?  You bet it is.  She didn't have children but she left behind a husband, both parents and a younger sister.  When something like this happens, you check yourself.  Am I ready to go?

She suffers no more, for that I am thankful.  I hate to hear anyone suffer, especially on their death bed.  I pray for her family, I hope you will too.

Rest in peace Cindy, may your memory be a blessing.

1/5/17 - My eyes are messed up - #MSsucks

This morning this "-" looks like "=".  Oy!  I've been getting good sleep lately, Yay!  However, my right leg still feels broken.  Double Oy!  This double vision is only bad for reading and writing.

What are you doing today?

I got some good kisses this morning from Nash.  He's so snuggly and soft.  I love his soft cheeks.  I always get some good loving from Cali, her cheeks are so soft too.  I'm so glad they are still young enough that GiGi gets some kisses and hugs.

Less than two weeks until I see my Meghan.  I've missed her so much.  Please pray that I have safe travels and hopefully very little pain.

Please pray for my Kristin.  She's been having some tests run.

I'm sitting here with that zoned out look again.  I can't think. 

Scary, huh?

Toodles, see you tomorrow.  I love y'all.

1/4/17 - "God won't put on you more than you can bear"

You've heard it.  You may have even said it. "God won't put on you more than you can bear."  In a trial, or pain, or a burden, or things breaking, or bad things piling up we can be comforted in the thought that God will only put on us what we can bear.  HOGWASH!

It's a sentiment that isn't Biblical.  It sounds like it is, but it isn't.  No where in the Bible does it say that.  There is some dialog that Paul writes to the Corinthians:   I Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be TEMPTED beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted he will also provide a way out so you can stand up under it.”  But it isn't the same.

Being tempted and being under a burden of something wrong are two different things.  We've all been tempted, and if we didn't succumb to the temptation, there was a way out. 

James writes:   “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone.” (James 1:13)

God won't tempt us but if we are tempted there is always a way out.

That brings us back to our burdens that we feel we can't bear.  Where is God?  When everything is going wrong in our life, where is God?  When we've paid our bills and our car breaks down, where is God?  When we are grieving the death of a loved one, where is God?  When we live a life of complete pain, where is God?  When we are depressed, where is God?  When your hedge of protection has been trampled, where is God?

Where indeed?!

I have a lot of questions.  I know what the answer is, God, but most of the time it is hard to turn every burden you have over to Him.  If He loves us so much, why are we suffering?  If we are a Christian, I don't understand why any of this has to happen.

I guess I have more questions than answers.  I see the suffering of Job, of Paul and especially Jesus and wonder why.  I know Jesus' suffering had a purpose and that purpose was to die for our sins, but why? 

Why?

I love y'all.  I know you have questions too.  I'm sorry I didn't have more answers.

until tomorrow.

1/3/17 - Looking forward 2017

This time of year either makes us look back or, hopefully, makes us look forward.  In my head, I spend too much time looking back.  Don't get me wrong, I love looking back on my good times, I've had so many.  I was blessed with Godly parents, knew the love and support of siblings, was blessed with healthy children that are now adults and was blessed with the best grandbabies in the whole world!  I was so blessed with my husband, David, who loves and supports me no matter what.

I'd like to look forward with a hope that someday MS will be no more, or really all invisible illnesses.

I do look forward to seeing my Meghan in a couple weeks.  We have a lot of fun to look forward to, I hope we stay healthy between now and then.

I look forward to getting my shit together in 2017.  I mean seriously??  I need to get my head organized and then hopefully, the rest will follow.

I look forward to getting back on track with book reviews.  I have so many pending and so many that I need to write (maybe today knocking out one).

What seemingly comes easy to some people doesn't come that easy with me.  I know what I need to do, I just need the gumption and energy to get 'er done.  I sit and look at what I need to do and feel guilty for not getting up and doing it.  I wish I could get up and do it.  All day yesterday and this morning my right leg, below my knee feels like it's broken.  I know it isn't broken but it still feels that way.  Now to look at me you wouldn't know, at first glance, that I'm in pain.  MS people say that the pain we feel would cripple a normal person.  I don't know that I agree with this sentiment as I don't know anyone's pain tolerance except mine.  I know I've always been able to work through the pain, not anymore.

Multiple Sclerosis = sucky future

To end on a high note...

 I love y'all.  I hope you have a great day.  See ya tomorrow.

1/2/17 - One of my three S's

When David and I were first talking I told him there were three S's to describe me; Stubborn, spoiled and stingy.  He accepted my terms and the rest is history.

So today class, we are learning about being stubborn.  Some may say it's a negative personality trait, eh, it could go both ways.

Oxford defines stubborn this way:  Having or showing dogged determination not to change one's attitude or position on something, especially in spite of good reasons to do so.

and the definition of the cool word I found last year, obdurate: Stubbornly refusing to change one's opinion or course of action.

I may have to change my three S's to SOS, Spoiled - Obdurate - Stingy.  I like that.
 
I think being stubborn (or obdurate) is inherited.  Both of my parents were stubborn, Harley Dukes, Sr. took the prize though. 

My cousin needs help, healing and rest and I'm going to help her, if I have to tie her down to do it.  She's being obdurate though.  It runs in the family.

I love y'all.

1/1/17 - Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2017!  I love the new year so far, I slept until after 10am.  I can't remember the last time I slept that late, maybe as a teenager.

I'll be making black-eyed peas today.  I didn't start 2016 with black-eyed peas and the year sucked so I'm going back to my tradition.  Not just my tradition, but a tradition throughout the southeast.

 I don't think mine will look like this as I'm just having bacon and onion in my peas.  I'd throw in some collard greens if I had some, but I don't.

Do you have New Year traditions?

I'm not sure what I'll be doing this new year with my blog.  I can see myself posting daily because I've gotten into the habit.  I've posted every day for the past two months.  I didn't realize I had so much to say daily.  I'll be mulling it over today, while my peas cook.  If you smell bacon coming from my way, come on over for some peas.

Love y'all!