Monday was my time to have a mammogram and it was an easy peasy exam.
At least I am assuming it was. They sent me an enscipted email that I tried to jump through all the hoops to read - but to no avail. I am assuming it was 'normal' results and if not - surely they will communicate with me in a way that I can respond.
All these electronic communications drive me crazy!
I'm barely able to keep up with texts and emails and instant messages.
The ins and outs of things I do NOT know would amaze you!
Life is especially good when Louis Dean has a project!
And it needs to be a BIG one to keep him occupied for awhile.
Redeeming the back yard has been a good thing for him to do - and an answer to my prayers!
I'm loving every one of these September morns......
The Texas Sage is blooming!
I go out on the kitchen deck with my first cup of coffee and soak in the beauty of the God's creation.
There's a pair of birds who sit together on a bare branch of a huge tree two doors down from us.
They are there every morning.
As are we - Louis Dean and I - sitting and watching them.
I normally only make Texas Trash in December for Christmas and yet last year I did not!
I don't remember why I didn't but maybe I thought my family was tired of it.
But last week when Brenda and I were talking about the holidays and I told her I had skipped making it - she said, "Well, if you make it again - I WANT some!"
So I had an instant inspiration for her birthday gift!
She and I are both September babies!
Fruitcake cookies and Fire Blankets were my gifts to her.
AND a tin of Texas Trash!
We celebrated her birthday with lunch at El Fenix after our Tuesday Treasure hunting.
What a joy and blessing to spend time with your best friend.
Do YOU have one?
Brenda is my very first BEST friend ever....
I have many friends for many years but she is my only very BEST friend.
We've known each other at least 30 years or more.
Who knew I would be an old lady before I ever had a best friend?
God is full of surprises.
Who knew I would find true love at the age of 57 on eHarmony?
Life is an amazing journey and I am grateful for the design God has for mine.
My pictures loaded out of order and I am too tired to fix them so this is the faux succulents I bought Tuesday.
I put them in a pot on my herb garden which has some real plants in it as well.
These are the fake ones.
A wonderfully scented candle for $5 at Pop Shelf!
And these two medicine cases.....$3 each.
They are zippered so I can keep them in the bathroom without them getting mushy!
I love Targets scented dishwashing soap and I will be loving this one from Meyer's!
The Pop Shelf store is a blend of Target and the Dollar stores.
My total haul for the day.
This is all from the thrift store.
It was such a good Tuesday - until it wasn't!
I came home and the truck was GONE!
Louis Dean had escaped!
It hasn't been a problem lately and I neglected to take the keys to the truck.
Truth be told - I couln't find them but I wasn't worried.
No problem, I thought.
I tracked him on my Apple tag - THANK YOU, Summer, for gifting me this!
I tried not to panic and resisted the impulse to go look for him.
I unloaded my tresures and Aldi purchases and put things away while trying to hold back my tears and avoid an emotional breakdown.
I knew he was wandering around and trying to find his way home by looking at my app.
He finally figured out the right direction and I knew he was close to home.
We had a bit of a confrontation once he was here safe and sound.
Even he realized he was not supposed to be driving. It scared him and it certainly scared ME!!
This is my SCARED look!
We ended the evening with a glass of wine on the driveway and a good long talk about the changes we are facing.
Change is hard for anyone at any age and we are goimg through some big ones.
Tomorrow (Thursday) we are driving to Fort Worth to see my niece Trish at the DMV office to surrender Louis Dean's driver's license and get a Texas ID card.
I am so grateful for family that makes these hard changes easier.
Another issue that has developed is that Louis Dean forgets to eat.....and that freaks me out!
I have to purposely set out food and insist he eat it!
In the evenings we usually watch a program and we have totally exhausted John Wayne and most westerns!
So last night I found U-571!
It was a win! WIN!!!
I'm all in in Matthew McConaughey!
Right now while I am writing tonight's journal entry he iswatching....
with Christopher Plummer.....
Sometimes I am scrolling and scrolling looking for something he will like.
It's becoming a big deal.
So.....have any of my friends discovered this?
Amber had some the other day and now I am addicted!
Normally, I'm not a sugar lover.....my downfall is salt and wine.
But, OH MY GOODNESS! These are so GOOD!!!
Today (Wednesday) was a home day and Louis Dean and I both love that!
He puttered and so did I.
I took a two hour nap this afternoon because I could.
Having time to myself is such a blessing that I never take for granted.
Louis Dean was up in the night listening to music on YouTube with his headphones on at 2:00 this morning. The next time I woke up to check on him it was 4:00 AM...
It is a real blessing that he can stay up late at night and it doesn't involve me.
Then he sleeps in later than I do and that gives me some quiet morning time to myself.
God has a way of working everything out.
Dinner tonight....
Watermelon/Feta Cheese/and fresh mint....
Turkey pot pie filling.....
I dearly love a ripe cantaloupe!
Lord, help me to be this kind of friend......
Thank goodness it worked out well with Louis Dean off galivanting! I love the tour of your yard! Those Nerds Gummies are my middle granddaughter's favorite candy, I got her a whole basket of them at Christmas. I need to try them! I never heard of Pop Shelf!
ReplyDeleteI am sorry it has become time for LD to give up driving, but I'm glad he understands it. It could harm someone other than him if he kept on, yet he may be perfectly fine driving! We just never know! I'm not sure Ed will ever come calmly to a place like this!😢
ReplyDeleteI love you girl. These waters we have to maneuver later in our life are sometimes murky and a bit scary! I know Louis Dean is in good hands with you. I hope you have something relaxing to keep your mind on during these days.
That must have scared the living daylight out of you! So glad he was ok. Your food always looks so delicious!
ReplyDeletethanks for showing the turkey pot pie, I have not made one in who knows how long, it will give me 2 or 3 meals and is easy peasy.
ReplyDeletethat is truly scary that he took the truck out.. several of my friends had the same problem with not eating. Daddy I had to sit and say take a bite of potatoes, take a bite of meat. he was in a home by then and they had 6 people with dementia that ate with an aid, she had to direct them to eat. also they had problems, with getting only one bowl of ice cream because they kept demanding their ice cream and they had already had it. Bob is escalating these past two weeks. I don't know what I will do, because he is not biddable like LD is, he is angry and will do nothing asked to do. I told the nursing home that daddy was 93, and had a DNR and if he wanted to eat 3 bowls of ice cream instead of his dinner to let him. he wanted those sweets. also said let him eat the pudding first, then he will eat the other.
Long time since I commented - all are ok, but I do need to email you with Devin's (good) news. A few movie thoughts for LD - does he like Gary Cooper? He made "High Noon", "The Plainsman", "The Westerner", "North West Mounted Police", "Saratoga Trunk", "Springfield Rifle". Hopefully you can find a few of these, I find many old ones on youtube. Much love being sent your way!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you have that app to track your sweet man....Thankful God protected him and brought LD home safely. Bless your heart too Linda...I know it was scary but so glad he is surrendering his license. I know that is hard but necessary. And on a funny note, I have recently become addicted to that very candy.lol I have always liked sweets and a you tuber I enjoy watching said she and her husband always take them on road trips so I had to try them. Oh my...I told myself I was not allowed to purchase them any more.:) But now Candy Corn is in the stores and it tempts me too.
ReplyDeleteI am grateful for all you share and how you deal with it....blessings
ReplyDeleteBless you, Linda. We have some dear friends who are going through similar trials, we ladies went out to lunch one day, and our friend forgot to take the car keys. Her husband went out on an adventure and got himself lost on the back roads. She was able to track his cell phone, what did people do back before this technology? We had to send someone out to get him, but it ended fine...just a few more gray hairs for all of us. I'm glad Louis Dean has a project, it's looking good back there! Hugs to you, and I love your Tuesday finds!
ReplyDeleteI pray for you both and know it is a hard transition. I learned a trick from my son for chicken pot pie. Split open a biscuit, toast it a bit, butter it and put in on top of the pie filling. I keep homemade biscuits in the freezer and this is so easy...don't need a pie crust! YUM!
ReplyDeleteLinda, My heart is breaking for you and LD. I can only imagine him out driving and not aware of how to get back home. Scary indeed. With our crazy supper wet , then some times super hot weather, I am about ready to pop all fake flowers in the pots around here. It's not like I can smell the scents anyway. I like your , "Today" saying. I always try to be kind. I pray that God will help me be the woman he wants me to be. Blessings and hugs, love you guys, xoxo, Susie
ReplyDeleteMy goodness I am so glad you were able to track LD and that he willingly gave up his license. Its such a hard thing to do. Prayers for you and that the Lord will continue to give you creative ways to keep Louis Dean busy and you will have the perfect get away times for yourself too.
ReplyDeleteLove the turkey pot pie. I haven't made it in ages. Thanks for reminding me.
You sure find some awesome treasures and they are extra special when you find them with your bestie.
Am loving your blog every day.
Bravo on the mammogram. trying to get through all the techie mumbo jumbo Makes me crazy too.
Sue
I have a movie recommendation for you, actually two movies. RED and RED2, starring Bruce Willis. They are action packed and funny!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry that LD has to give up his license but I'm glad he realizes that too, and that he's willing.
If you ever want to come to Pennsylvania and visit we'd love to have you stay with us!
You always handle the tough situations with such grace and courage, Linda, and it surely must have been a scary situation with Louis Dean and the truck gone. Glad he made it home safely and yes, the Apple Air Tags are wonderful devices. It's great that you have a best friend and I do envy you there as my best friends are in my home state of NJ so I don't get to see them often.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Beatrice - you surely do seem to handle what are such challenging situations with great heart and patience. Thanks for the example. Prayers for you both.
ReplyDeleteYour line " ...while trying to hold back my tears and avoid an emotional breakdown" tugs at my heart. I am 50 and my husband is 58. Someone once said " 50's is the childhood of Old age". I am mindful of how we are at present but more often than not, I find myself thinking how our old age would be. I confess I feel apprehensive and anxious. But then I read words of wisdom from people like you and I take heart and I take courage. Thank you for creating this blog and sharing your life experiences. Your words are read, pondered upon and valued.
ReplyDeleteOh Linda, You and I are at the same stage with our hubbies. It's a sad place to be in so many ways. John no longer drives but his license is close to expiring. He will not give it up willingly.
ReplyDeleteHe, too, stays up half the night listening/scrolling on his iPhone and then sleeps most of the day. He is in bed about 80% of the time at this point. His short term memory is not good but he has pretty good long term recollections.
I don't know about you but I never thought my older years would look like this. Thank God I am healthy and can be a caregiver and I know you feel the same.
Hugs and love to you, my understanding sister- xo Diana
Forgot to say. John doesn't want to eat most of the time. I tempt him with food and he does love sweets so that helps. It's so odd because he always loved to eat. xo Diana
ReplyDeleteI always think of you when September starts, and I've been waking up every day with "September Morn" in my head. Glad to see you're both doing well!
ReplyDeleteI see you are ENJOYING SEPTEMBER! so glad! Love all the pictures. Y'all are staying busy. Great thrift store finds, I always like it when you post those coz I love thrift shops too. Oh, I LOVE THE NERDS candies! I prefer the little round ones, not the clusters. They ARE SO ADDICTIVE, ARENT THEY? LOL September hugs, my friend!
ReplyDeleteLinda, I'm a long time blogger and follower of your blog although I stopped blogging and reading for a few years. Bless you for finding creative ways to get the rest you need and to keep LD occupied as well. The garden is beautiful. I can't imagine the fear of realizing your car was missing and so was LD. Glad it ended well and he found his way home.
ReplyDeleteOh, Linda! I know you were frightened to realize LD was out driving and wandering around. Praise God he found his way back home! So thankful that God was watching over him. I can imagine how difficult it must be to come to this point of surrendering his license. (((hugs))) Oh, I loved the little video of your yard and that fountain/pond. That sounded so peaceful and calming. I love it! I'm glad you have such a wonderful best friend. You are blessed. That is something that is missing in my life right now. I feel like my "best friends" are here in blogland. People in my "real world" just don't seem to understand me or who I am, or so it seems. At least that's how I feel most of the time. It's hard to find someone that you really "click with". Plus, I really don't have a lot of "free time" to go out with "the girls", except for our Bible study and a few other church related things. Hubby doesn't like me to be gone that much anymore...which I understand, but sometimes a girl needs girl time with a friend. It's okay, I'm not complaining. I'm thankful for the friendships we have here that are very real to me. Thank you for being such a dear friend. (((Hugs))) to you.
ReplyDelete