Catching up on the Week....

 

I don't know exactly why I haven't posted a journal entry since Sunday.

Nothing is wrong but for some reason I haven't had the mojo to write and I haven't even taken enough photos for what Louis Dean calls Blog Fodder!

I drove us home on Monday in the pouring rain and sometimes it was much like a dense fog where I could barely see. Thank goodness Louis Dean was with me and helped by watching the lane lines and giving me directions. "A little to the right --just curve to the left--stay straight--you're doing good!"

We left the ranch around 1:30 and I drove straight through the two hours to home.

All was well when we arrived and we went into our routine of LD unloading and I put things away and started laundry.

It's always good to get down to the ranch and then it's good to come home.

It helps to know that we will be back in the country in just a few weeks.

We have our forever home here in Irving but the ranch and the hospitality of Dean and Sherry feeds our souls with the beauty of all things country - from critters to the wild flowers and morning birdsong to night sounds. Campfires are always special and we love just being there.

I seem to write better when I am at the ranch.

So we made it home and had a nice salad for supper when we finished unloading.

That and a loaded baked potato made a good meal.

Tuesday was a rain event with serious downpours until 2:00 in the afternoon.

Brenda and I met up at Texas Thrift and we each found some treasures.

This was my haul!

Not huge but a few things of good quality.

Love the sunflower and bee pillow - $3.

A brand new Cafe Ole candle from HEB made me smile.

I paid $15.99 for the Texas lamp and was happy to buy it!

It is now in our den and I love looking at it!

Our dishwasher went out so I'm doing the dishes the old fashioned way so I was really happy to find this dish drainer! My pot holders have see better days so I have been replacing them one by one.

I wear an apron every day  and all of them have a pocket for my cell phome.

I have a thriving herb garden and will be drying some using this rack.

Love this pillow and it's in my favorite chair in the living room/

Louis Dean isn't able to do all the things he used to do so when I saw this insulation tape for $3.29 a roll - compared to a price much more than that at Home Depot - I stocked up. Come winter I think I can protect our pipes all by myself.

Don't you love the unique and unusual find??

This artichoke candle holder was instant love - and only for less than $1!

Brenda found this Chico's size 2 gorgeous top for me and it was only $4.50!

Thursday morning Louis Dean called out to me to bring my camera and come out!

We both love the geckos and like to watch them stalk for prey!

Amber came over on Thursday afternoon and I loved every single minute of the nearly five hours she was here. Just the two of us visiting and being together.

With her busy life as a quad mom and so many plates she is twirling in the air - this was a very special visit!

Amber dearly loves cats! ALL cats but she has a special place in her heart and life for Tabitha and Samantha.

Amber and I shared memories of our life together and she remembered the time she went to the bathroom and found a baby possum in the bathtub. She freaked out and I went in and carried him outside. She went back to the bathroom only to see a green gecko on the laundry hamper. Once again, I went in to get the critter - only to pull it up and discovered it was in the process of mating! So I pulled both geckos up and carried them to the front garden bed in order to give them more privacy.

It was such a special time to spend with Amber!

I had potato soup and some great bread for dinner that night and we enjoyed our meal together!

Amber said it was good to have a mom meal!

That made my heart happy!

So it was funny that on Thursday night - we had a possum come visit.

It's the same kindergarten possum that came in the house the other day.

I'll tell that story another day.

Today I had an appointment with my urologist and received a good report!

I baked brownies last night and added half a cup of crushed pretzels to the batter just make it more special.

Dr. Bloom is my urologist but now I see Dr. Ly and I bake for her as I did for Dr. Bloom.

I am so grateful for good insurance and even more so for such good doctors.

I love it when they ask me for my insurance cards!

At the age of 65, my son, Benjamin - whose job was in the insurance/medicare industry at the time - signed me up for the best insurance money can buy.

I am still grateful to him for that!

I truly celebrated my birthday that year!

I rode a motorcycle on the beach in Crystal Bay and will forever remember that memory!

And I am happy my friends, Sabrina, Linda , Lisa, Summer , and sister Luann helped me celebrate!

I still have a scar on my leg from accidently touching the whatever the HOT thing is called on a motorcycle! 

Still....a happy memory.

I love all my memories.....

I  Immediatley sought medical help when I got home now that I had coverage.

And I am grateful for the care of  Dr. Keith Bloom and his staff in treating the horrible UTI's I had suffered with for so many years.

After getting a good report from the doctor, I came home and changed clothes before Louis Dean and I went to pick up his lawnmowers. $350 to repair two mowers because he put the wrong fuel in them.

I wrote down the instructions for fuel and etc.....

LD had been using fuel that was a combination of gas and oil.

NO! So I will be watching to make sure he uses regukar gasoline in the tank and oil in the other place.

We stopped at Subway on our way home and I ordered two foot long subs.

His was teriyaki chicken and mine was a ham sub with all the veggies and no dressing.

Tomorrow Ilene will be joing us for dinner and drinks and a movie.

Summer was supposed to come on Sunday but she is having some serioud health issues.

As in a staph infection and cellulitus all in her toe.....

Prayers are appreciated.

I'll most likely post a journal entry tomorrow or Sunday and then Monday I will post the edited version of chapter 15. Amber had already done the edits for chapter 16 so that will be the next Monday.

Writing the last chapters of my book while editing and publishing the earlier chapters is a bit of a challenge. Once again, prayers for my writing is so very much desired and appreciated.