Hello Again...

 

Well, Good morning!  Sometimes a Maxine cartoon is exactly the little sarcastic remark that makes me laugh and sets my mood in the right direction.. lol  It's been a long year... and not much fun... so a little laugh is a good thing. 

The holiday season has been upon us for a couple of months.  I was home for Halloween...had my Thanksgiving turkey and dressing in a skilled nursing center...and am finally recouping my strength and energy painting my Christmas cards...however they may not be finished this year..may have to buy some..ughh

I finally got my sewing machine fixed after it sitting unused for about 2 months while I tried to find a repairman.  I was told repeatedly that there was not one in Altus .. the nearest was in Elk City.  Finally went there for another reason but forgot to take the sewing machine and it was a good thing we did forget.  The entire street (the shop side) was torn to bits with road work and we would have had to carry 2 or 3 blocks to get it there.. remember I am 77 and my husband is 82.  I don't think we would have made it..lol 

Then I was in the quilt shop one day and I asked Mrs. Johnson if she knew of any repairmen close by.  Lo and behold.. her answer..."My husband has been fixing sewing machines for at least 20 years here!" Well, you could have knocked me down with a feather.. lol  And he did fix it.  I had no idea how depressed I had become without it!

My husband and I realized that I had not felt very well for most of the year and we half heartedly blamed it on my daily medications with the promise to someday go thru them and see which ones caused those side effects.. sure wish that had been the case. 

To make a long story short:  The meniscus in my right knee snapped just like a rubber band and I screamed like a banshee.  Thanks to Dr. Picket on Sept. 16 that was fixed and I came home to recuperate.  On Oct. 8 I felt well enough (and could walk without a walker),  so I decided to go to the beauty shop for the first time in 6 weeks and then to have my nails done.  Immediately upon arriving home I could barely make it back into the house.  I spent the next 4 days screaming with pain.  I had back surgery in Oklahoma City where 3 abscesses (one the size of an Irish potato) were removed and a full cup of MRSA fluid was drained from my spine. It seems the injections I've had for back pain left pockets of whatever caused abscesses in areas close by my spine and they finally developed. 

I am telling this online only to inform of the possibility that this can happen to anyone.  These were found only with an MRI.  There were X-Rays, CT scans, MRIs done to try to find out why I was screaming in pain for several days and could not tell anyone where the pain was... it was everywhere and unbearable.  

To top it off..lol.. my handwriting was suddenly totally illegible.  My daughter ( my rock during this) had to sign all of my papers.  I really wondered if I would be able to paint or do any of my crafts again!  But things are looking up.  I have painted 2 of my Christmas cards...they are not the greatest, but are convincing me that maybe all will be well once again.  :)   

It's now January 7, 2026...I've been home long enough now for things to feel a little more like normal.  I'm now strong enough to do all the normal things, my hands and fingers work well enough that my handwriting is almost back to normal.  I do have more tremors in my entire body than I've ever had, including my head and feet, but if that's all that comes from this round of incapacity then I'm okay with it...lol  

I've ignored this blog so long that very few if any read it anymore, but I find that I look back over the many years of doing this to find out things that I haven't remembered..lol  So I will continue as the mood jumps up.  

Very quiet Christmas as all the children had other things to do this year so we enjoyed each other, watched tv, and slept away the day.  As we did for New Year's Day.  We've only had a few days of cold weather so far, but February is almost upon us and that's when the real winter hits.  So I've got comforters, quilts, and afghans ready to sit in front of the fireplace with my book, tv and cup of teas all set to go.  

I harvested my lavendar a few days ago and yesterday made sachets with it.  Had some ribbon I bought years ago that I love but had no real use for at the time.  So I made sachets with it.  

01-09-2026  Went to Lawton yesterday to see the Infectious Disease dr.  He says that while they usually prefer to continue oral meds after the IV meds are finished it looks like mine is completely cleared up...YAYYYY!!!  So..free at last...sigh  

Stopped at Merle Norman on the way to the dr... spent a bit of money...hmmm  But is so worth it when you don't have spend money every week on something new because the cheap stuff just doesn't do the job.  Daughter Donna drove me over so we had a good time looking thru the store..lol  It's a good thing we didn't bring huge amounts of money (as if either of us had huge amounts of money..lol)  

Have a great day today... hugs those loved ones every chance you get.. ♥

I may not ever shut my pc down again

I can't believe how difficult it is to get here... sigh Maybe this time I can keep up with whatever password Google demands for this site...

Anyway.. here I am and only about 8 months late.  But .. it has been a busy time.


 It would seem that we have reached that time in life when we really want to be nearer family .. so a move is underway from North Texas to Southwest Oklahoma.  At first it was not something that I was wishing for... It's hard to leave friends and a settled home, but after a little thinking it over I am truly looking forward to the move.  I cannot wait to be near the children and grandchildren.

The visit from grandson Dustin and family was a true joy. That visit is more than likely what helped make up our minds to made the move.

 My two sisters and I went to McKinney last year and in the wandering around thru the shops we came upon a small shop that had lovely antiques.  The proprietor was a young lady who enthusiastically helped us with anything we could think of and I asked her about the watercolor painting she had sitting on the shelf.  She said her mother had painted it and she was happy to sell us on the cards that had been printed from that painting.  She was so pleased to be able to sell some of her mother's art work and I was only too pleased to buy it.. lol   So I came home and immediately had to paint my own pears..lol

On a trip to Lavender Ridge Farms a few years ago I bought 8 oz. of lavender.  It has been stashed away forever, so I decided I would make pillowcase sachets with it... and so I did.  I made about 10, and still have lavender left, so I will probably make more when we get resettled.

I'm so glad to finally be here.. on this site.. again.  For the few who are still following, thanks a bunch.. :)

Hugs from the very warm (and nearing hot) North Texas area... have a great day!