Sleepless Monday

I've spent the night trying to get to sleep but pain and nerve problems are working against me. So I've not had one wink of sleep all night. And I thought it a good time to post another tale of the past to see if that would induce a little sleep for me.
One day my Dad was going to our neighbor three miles away to lend them our mule Kate for the day. I wanted to go with him and Mama finally gave in and told Pa to make sure I stayed off the road and walked on the grass there and back. Well I liked the feel of the smooth asphalt and it didn't seem to mind me walking on it so early in the morning. It felt much better than the grass with sand spurs in it along side the road. Pa never said anything about me walking on it and all seemed well when we arrived at their farm. I got to have a day of play and fun with the two girls around my age and time passed very quickly. Pa came around the corner of the house and said "Come on Alice it's time to head home now." I said my goodbyes and we started walking back home. A couple of times Pa asked me if I wanted to ride Kate but I told him No Sir. He didn't know how afraid I was of that big animal and would never ride her again after the trick my youngest brother and next to the oldest sister played on me when we were moving cows to a different pasture one day. But that story is for another time. Well it wasn't long before I started feeling the warmth of the roadway and was hopping form the road to the grass. When we got home I put my feet in the foot tub full of cold water and it felt so good. I did not realize that the bottom of my feet was solid blisters until Mama came out on the back porch and asked me what I was doing. When I told her I could see her puffing up ready to jump all over Pa when he got back from putting Kate in the Mule pen. Oh my was she mad at him. I tried to tell her it wasn't Pa's fault but she wouldn't listen to me or him for that matter. There were times there was no getting through to Mama about certain matters and this was one of them. It would suffice to say we were both in the dog house for several days over the matter and I lost the privilege of going with him ever again to take the mule to the neighbors.
Now it is 6:30 a.m. and i am no more near going to sleep than I was all night.Sometimes I can get on the computer and it will help settle me down to where i can go on to sleep but not now. Perhaps if I stay awake all day I might go to sleep early tonight. haha it doesn't work that way for me. I guess I should have drank a cup of coffee so it would help put me to sleep. Yes it does that for me. When I tried drinking it to stay awake I learned that little bit of info by falling asleep when I should have been awake. Coffee seems to help my breathing along with the oxygen and medications as well as act as a sleep aid. I guess that is part of having a weird body chemistry or so I was told by a doctor when I was in my early 20's.
Sit awhile, stand awhile, lay down awhile, aarg nothing seems to help until I get so totally exhausted that my body just shuts down for about twelve hours. I don't want to complain so I'm going to focus on my glass being half full and take a walk to see if that will help. Time to get my scooter pooter (rolling walker with a seat)out of the vehicle and walk around the apartment complex. Hope everyone has a great week and until next time I leave you with, Just This...Alice

Mellow Monday

So many times i spend too much time reading other blogs that I don't seem to have what it takes to update my own blog. I must confess that I am not as savvy as all the bloggers I follow in posting and adding photos with the posts. i do apologize for my lack of knowledge in this area. I see how posting photos with story line makes it a much better read than just words. Perhaps i can share some of the blogs I have the utmost fondness for that i can't miss reading them for fear of missing something important. Life happens and sometimes we find enjoyment where we can.
I will write as I can remember and hope I don't leave anyone out that I consider a great blog. There are a few that have given up on blogging due to too many responsibilities and their managing stores that sell great products. One being Calamity Anne. I may have this name wrong but this lady seemed to do it all. awesome recipes, crafting, story lines, and just being funny. I miss her blog.
There are some ladies out there that can weld a hammer and other man tools like no man in the corporate world could ever think of doing. Pretty Handy Girl is a must read for any woman wanting to make something.I was in withdrawals last week while I was at my daughters for the week and had no access to read my favorites. This lady shows you step by step how to do a project and the pictures to go with it that no one would know someone that is not a professional did the job. And she has a sense of humor that cracks me up. Funky Junk Interiors is near and dear to my heart as she has a taste for the junk in life and makes it look stylish in home decor. I grew up in a house that people would not believe possible and she has shown a few of the things I lived with and through and decorated my home with.
It brought to mind the old light bulbs dangling from the ceiling, metal roof nailed to the open rafters, lack of drywall and paint, no plumbing which necessitated running about 3oo-500 feet to the out house, bathing on the open back porch with a metal bowl of water sitting on a water shelf, the old wash pot and scrub board for washing our clothes are just a few of the things that I lived with daily growing up on our farm. Some of the blogs remind me of those days and I appreciate the memories they invoke for me.
Since I can't seem to remember names correctly I must wait for the next time to share more blogs I follow.
While I was at my daughter's house last week I made my two granddaughters some covered flip flops and hair bows. My daughter took me to a couple of stores to get ribbon and other craft supplies that i don't have access to here. Ole greedy gut WalMart just had to shut down the craft area of our local store. If they think they ere going to force me to buy what they limit to selling in their store here they have another thought coming. I just may have to wait til one of my daughters can haul me and my rolling walker out of town to better stores but when I get to the stores the wait has been worth it as they have a better selection as well as cutting fabric off the bolt and I get to choose how much and the prints i want. What WalMart doesn't realize is we got along without them before they came here and I can do it again. Can you tell I don't care for WalMart at the moment. Greedy sitting in their corporate air conditioned offices men who just can't seem to get enough of the color green from our pockets and purses. My daughter found this little Mom and Pop store that has meat from their farm to sell and the taste is unbelievable compared to that at WalMart. We don't realize the chemicals they add to meats to make them appear fresher when we buy them off the shelf. One purchase of chicken had me sold. I am so in favor to buy locally just so I will know what has went into what I'm cooking and eating. i just wish we no longer had food shipped in from other countries because we don't know a thing about how it was grown and what it has went through before we get it. i want my chicken to taste like chicken and not a bunch of chemicals.
Well I just skipped around today didn't I? Not bad for someone who is physically incapable of doing that.So until next time I leave you with Just This...Alice

Cow ponds have leeches and water gets you wet.

A memory of us older children playing in the cow pond in our underware when we were young has come to the forefront. One day in particular I was watching a beautifully colored dragonfly flit around near me. While I was standing still,I had some critters attatch themselves to my ankles and the top of my feet. I looked like I had on black socks when I came out of the pond. It was a fight to the finish to get those leeches off me. Why I was the only one to get them I don't know. It sure scared the pudding out of me that's for sure. I didn't go back in the cow pond either no matter how much my brother goaded me to do so. Of course our eagle eyed mom saw us down there playing and yelled for us to get back to the house. And we thought we were so clever and wouldn't get caught that far from the house. Haha. An eight year old kid has no conception of how dangerous it is to play around water when they don't know how to swim. We were told that we weren't going in the water til we learned to swim. Did I miss something there? How in the world will a person learn to swim if they don't ever get in the water? I guess that is why I was eighteen before I learned to swim.
If we were in he field hoeing the crops and it started raining we would have to keep hoeing with the comment a little water never hurt anyone. It'll wash the sand and dust off you is what we were told. The crops had to be hoed to get rid of the weeds so we would have a good stand of vegetables when picking time came.
When we made lye soap i carried many a bucket of water to the eighty gallon kettle to start the soapmaking process. We used that soap for everything from bathing to washing clothes, and dishes.
Many occasions in my life have necessitated my using and being around water. I never had a fear of it until my son fell in a pool at the deep end following my neighbors kids around. I went from chest high in the water to the deep end and grabbed him by his shirt by the time he went under the water. I had been out of the pool watching the kids while my neighbor swam and played in the water and I had just went in for my turn when this happened. The neighbor wasn't watching them for my turn in the water and didn't even know my son fell in til I came out with him and sat down near her. Needless to say I severed that friendship. I did learn something from that experience though. Never turn your back on a child around a body of water. All four of my children know how to swim and the grandkids are learning as they grow big enough.
Water is a vital part of our lives and necessary for sustaining life. We are wasteful with our resource of water and many ponds are drying up. Irrigation in our county has increased as rainfall has decreased. I remember a time when we never watered a crop after the initial planting of small seedlings in the field. We never watered the crops thet were planted with seeds. They flourished with the rainfall we got regularly. Our fruits and vegetables were so delicious and not like the ones we buy in the grocery stores today. They just don't seem to have a good flavor to me. I planted vegetables and fruit trees when my kids were young and they loved being in the garden with me and eating the things we grew. My youngest daughter and her husband are carrying on the tradition of growing your own food. I think our soil has been leeched of its nutrients and not enough natural fertilizer put back in. I would take my wheel barrow out in the cow pasture and load it up with cow muffins and till it into the sand before starting a new bed. In my opinion organic gardening is the best way to garden. Chemicals have had their toll on us and many are seeing the results in their health. There was an ample amount of natural fertilizer form our chickens, rabbits, cows, pigs and any other animal that provided a safe product. For twenty six years my motto has been grow it yourself and you know what went into it before it goes into you. What the world needs is more animal dung for the ground to restore the balance and able to have our crops flourish once again.
Well I've went from leeches in the water to pools and crops today. Be careful where you put your feet in water you can't see through.
That will be it for now so I leave you with just this... Alice

Tattle Tale Thursday

I had my 60th birthday last week. I was given orders to be ready by 5:30 and wear something nice. I started to ask my daughter which night shirt should I wear (I live in those things)but stopped myself. I was picked up and my rolling walker was put in the back and we were on our way. Driving along the scenery was lovely and the conversation great except when I asked where are we going? My grandaughter almost told me but her mommy stopped her and she told my grandson not to tell either. My son in law made me smile when he told her your mama is smart she will figure it out. I did. I have an issue with anxiety well alright a big problem with the need for medication when nothing else worked. I knew all those years of my pestercating brother was going to have an effect on me. Oh yes back to the birthday surprise. It took us about 45 minutes til we got to the coast in Stienhachie,(sp?) FL. I was given my walker and another daughter showed me where to go.They had a lovely setup with the tables and chairs and it took my breath away. We were out on the water but inside the restaurant and could see right out through very large glass windows. We then dined on seafood platters to the setting sun. My three daughter and their families were all in attendance. My son didn't make it from New York as his work prevented him from getting time off. I was moved to tears when I opened my gifts. They know their mother so well. Anything to do with crafting supplies over perfumes and such. I did get one thing in jewelry, a small silver heart with the word MOM on both sides. My daughter added it to my bracelet and I love everything I got as it was things I needed. While my daughter picked up wraping papers and such the daddys took the 4 grandkids out on the deck to feed the birds and fish. Then one of my daughters took out a birthday cake and I am salivating just remembering how it tasted. I felt like a queen indeed and my daughters did a fantastic job of making it memorable for me. I had to excuse myself and go the the bathroom as we were leaving the restaurant. On the rids home my stomach started cramping and it sounded like it was having its own birthday party down there. I must say for the last 20 miles befor getting home I had great concerns as to if I would make to the bathroom in time. Not to be I was so embarassed for raising a big stink in the vehicle. When we got to my apartment my daughter helped me and took all my things in for me while I hit the shower. Again. I called it my before and after birthday shower. Well I was given the full force of whatever it was in the food that made almost all of us sick. I stayed sick for 5 days. Sunday I noticed a tender spot on my left leg just above the ankle. Didn't think nothing of it for a couple of days. By Tuesday it had me in tears and was swollen,red,hot to the touch and when my daughter called me to check on me that evening I finally told her about it. She looked it up on her computer and it was one of two things according to web md. She told me to be up early as she was taking me to the doctor as soon as she dropped off her son at school.I should have gotten a clue when we noticed the parking lot was empty. Sure enough my daughter read the note on the door that he would be out of town til next week. My daughter was tenacious about finding a doctor that would accept walkins.The 4th place we went did. There was grave concern from the nurse and the doctor sent us to a hospital about 25 miles away for an ultra sound of my left leg. While we were waiting at the hospital for them to call my name, my daughter went to the bathroom and my grandaughter and I walked inside their gift shop. After a few minutes of browsing my grandaughter tapped my hand and said "G-Maw come see this kitty." It was the cutest little smokey grey persian kitty. I could tell she wanted it and I asked her to pick it up for me. The no touch rule held fast with her and I had to tell her it was OK because I was asking her to pick it up for me since I couldn't reach over the walker and get it myself. I could not believe the price was only $3.00 but then I saw the clearance sign. That little darling knows how to shop those sales. Did I tell you she is only 4 years old? As I was checking out my daughter came in and asked what I was getting and I showed her the coffee mug that had I never knew how much love my heart could hold till someone called me "Grandma" and yes it's pink. We sat in the waiting area for a short time and they called me and we started registering and after about 20 minutes we went back and I got set up for the proceedure. Pain wracked me when they pressed down on my leg. She finally said OK we're all done. Fortunately there was no blood clot. Cellulitis had taken residence in my lower leg. The $300.00 perscription is supposed to take care of it within 2 weeks.
That is about all I can do for now so til next time I leave you with Just This... Alice