Saturday, August 15, 2020

Spending Time With the People You Love.....

It's been good to be home.


Our kittens are amazingly well adjusted to be traipsing back and forth from the city to the country and back again! We keep them secure in the guest room while we load and unload and then let them have the run of the house and RUN is what they DO!
Then at night we round them up and take them back to the guest room for treats and petting and then we put them in their kennel for the night.
I've had a lot of cats over the years but this is the first time we have trained them to go to bed at night! Makes life so much easier! Since we got them so young, they don't know any other way!
As a matter of fact, if we are up late, Samantha will get tired and put herself to bed and all we have to do is tuck Tabitha in and shut the kennel door.

Tuesday I continued to do laundry non stop! We were in the country for 24 days so that was a lot of laundry plus I stripped the beds a few times so ALL the linens were dirty as well as all the couch and chair covers. ALL the towels and washcloths! I did a LOT of laundry!


On Wednesday, I drove to Rowlett and picked Summer up for a doctor visit.
This was the 'second opinion' doctor and his advice was not the same as the first one.
Summer's main complaint is the numbness in her left hand. She has no strength in it and drops things.
She needs carpal tunnel surgery. The first doctor missed this. She also has a pinched nerve in her neck which is undeniable and showed up in the myelogram but this doctor did not recommend immediate surgery. We had feared bad news regarding her spine but this was not the case and we are praising God! This day surgery will solve her problem and we have already scheduled it for September.


We celebrated with margaritas at Chili's!


We have been going to Chili's for as long as we can remember!
At least 30 years.
It's our Go-To place!
I got home before dark Wednesday and my heart was much lighter than when I left that morning!

Just about every day, Chandy and I 'talk' to each other by way of text messages.
I love that she takes the time to keep us in the loop of her family things.


This is beautiful Kaitlyn, her oldest daughter.
A sweeter girl you will never find!


It's hard to believe Chandy is a mother of four now!
Kaitlyn, Piercyn. Bella and Jaxon!
I can't WAIT to see them and we are making plans and reservations for September.
The last time we were there was in December and the last time Chandy was down here was in February.

Thursday I had a routine appointment with my knee surgeon and he said I was doing great!!
I gave him a jar of honey and he was excited about it!
I'm so grateful I have such good doctors.

Friday morning I got up early and baked a cake!


It was for Pam's birthday which was Monday.


She found this recipe last year in the newspaper.
I lost my clipping of it but found it online.
I love that it's so easy to find things.
I meant to take her picture when she came by to pick it up and visit for a few minutes.
She was going camping in an air conditioned cabin at a state park along with a few friends.
I wanted her to have the cake before she left so she could share it.
I have to say - it's a really good cake and freezes well!

Louis Dean and I did our Bible reading later and I got so sleepy I had to go to bed at noon and take a nap!
I slept solid for three hours.
The best sleep I've had since we have been home.
I accidently left a bag with some of our medicine in it at the ranch.
Apparently I really need the night meds.
Plus my sleep had been a little wonky the last few days in the country what with getting up super early! My friend, Rosey, said a few days of that and I would convert to a morning person.
We all know that's not going to happen.
But I HAVE been waking up early!
I was out watering the front yard at 5:30 the other morning.
This is not normal for me!


Friday night we met up with our good friends, Brenda and Billy, for dinner.
Brenda and I know that if we don't plan it - it won't happen so every time we are together - we plan the next date and put it in our calendar! September's date is already planned!
We love to catch up with them amd hear about their adventures.
They have a luxury RV and two cute dogs and a beloved granddaughter they travel with.
They just returned from a great trip to Colorado.
They got COLD at night and had to buy a heater for their RV bathroom!
I want to be cold!!

The AC unit in our bedroom went out. I guess the compressor. It blew air but it wasn't cold!
Louis Dean replaced it with the one we bought for the front room at the ranch and brought home because it was not enough to do much. It's fine for our bedroom here though.
I do NOT like to sleep hot!!!
Then guess what?? The car AC went out! Once again, it blows out air but no cooling!
The auto shop we use wasn't any help as their machine is broke down so we may have to take the car and the truck with us to the country and get it fixed there.
I think it just needs some coolant but, then, what do I know??


My youngest son, Benjamin, turned 32 on Tuesday!
We celebrated his birthday today at a water park.


Louis Dean wore his regular uniform of denim overalls, sox and white athlete shoes.
NO flip flops for him but he did wear a pair of red bathing trunks underneath the overalls.


It was super hot today but we found a place in the shade and with the lazy river and wave pool, we stayed very comfortable. I even rode one of the slides in the children's area! Logan was proud of me for using the rope walk and pulling myself up instead of using the stairs. I was kind of proud of myself. I only rode it once, though!


I asked Ben what kind of cake he wanted and he said, "Funfetti!"
So that's what I made along with Funfetti cookies.
The cake was really good, too. It was so warm even in the cover I carried it in, that it was like fresh from the oven! Since it was a mix, I used real butter instead of oil, milk in place of the water and an extra egg plus a teaspoon of vanilla.


I will close this multi-day journal entry with a pic of all of us.
Summer couldn't make it and Jesse and his family were out of town so it was 10 of us - including a special young friend - and MAN! Did we go through that cake FAST!!
Benjamin did get a large piece to take home and I think there were a few cookies left in the tin for him, as well.

We visited and laughed and we all told our kitty stories....
Ben's Klaus and Amber's Ginger and our Samantha and Tabitha.
It was a good day to spend outdoors with family!






15 comments:

Ginny Hartzler said...

Your entre homecoming was like one big party! Awesome!!

Arlene G said...

Happy Birthday Benjamin. My Charles turns 37 on Wednesday....so hard to believe as he is my youngest. You are right...take time to enjoy the ones you love! Hope Summer's surgery goes well. I was glad it was not her back!!

Bluebird49 said...

Sounds like except for A/C problems, life has been good. I know it you spent the day at a water park, you should sleep good tonight. (Unless you are worn out!) Hope you get your A/C's all fixed.
Hard to believe Ben's another year older, but then, we all are!
Glad you got to have dinner with your good friends. (They got COLD! In the summer. WOW!)
Your family sure got the biggest part of this last litter of kittens! Yours sound really sweet. I know they all are.
So are you!

BeachGypsy said...

Oh I LOVE THAT FIRST PICTURE, what a gorgeous kitty she is!! So glad you got to see Summer, y'all are adorable in that picture together! Looks like the water park b/day day was alot of fun, glad so many got to be there! I love your hat girlfriend!! That is alot of laundry--that would take me DAYS...HA HA LOL. The cake looks yum and I'm going to try that very next cake I make, the butter and milk etc. I have a cake on our our menues for this week sometime, just not too motivated to bake because of the heat I guess.I have the ingredients ready to go. Have a great weekend my friend!

Hootin Anni said...

Hi Linda! I've been thinking about you, your family and kitties! I'm so glad you stopped by to say hello during your busy summertime in the country. Now that you're home, all's well, you can relax...but I know that won't happen. Take care & happy days ahead.

MadSnapper said...

And the sun went down yet again on a day and Linda's life! I think you might have name this blog Linda's life. You do more in one day the most people do in a whole week. Fun stuff and work stuff. I'm always up at 5:30 but I don't think I've ever watered anything at 5:30. Happy birthday to Ben and so glad you were in touch with Shandy and hope that AC can be repaired without a whole lot of money going on. What a super super idea to put the kids to bed and a kennel because the reason I never had one is because they walked on me during the night and ran around and got in trouble and kept me awake

MadSnapper said...

I have had one good night sleep and the past 10 days

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

I'm so happy for you that you can get out and spend time with friends and family. I wish our lives were back to normal. Take care and enjoy your day! Hugs!

NanaDiana said...

I love reading about everything you have going on. I am thrilled that Summer's back is okay and hope they can help with the numbness and nerve damage.
What great friend and family get-togethers. We need those to keep us connected during these crazy times.
Blessings and love- Diana

I'm mostly known as 'MA' said...

I do like my whole house air condioning but I don't like it cold. I keep it eet at about 75 degrees here and comfortable. Your heat would would be challenging with out air conditioning, especially in the care. Hope you can get it fixed soon. Glad you all could visit with friends and celebrate a birthday too. Those are the special times to remember. Lots of new memories there at your house. Hope you have a relaxing Sunday!

Changes in the wind said...

First time with Summer and then celebrating the birthday boy...what fun. Love how you enjoy your kittens, they are blessed to get to live with Linda and LD

photowannabe said...


Hubby and I had Chili's last night for dinner...There is NO "Dining In" in California...period...
Only curbside pick up or delivery.
We had their 3 for $10.00 deal (each.).ribs, beverage, 2 sides, 1 appetizer...what a deal!!
So delicious..we try to make the best of a difficult time...
Love all your pictures and the activities you do...Family is what it's all about anyway.
Praying for Summer and I'm glad you got a second opinion....
I need to do laundry too but the forecast for the next week is 110F most days...Electric Company is doing rolling brown outs and black outs since there is such a drain on electricty with everyone using AC. Told not to use additional appliances like dish washers, clothes washers and dryers at peak times which is most of the 24 hours!!
I really hate to see our utility bill next month..I may have to do a "Go Fund Me"' haha...
Take care and rest if you can...
Sue

Susie said...

Linda, You saw a lots of the kids. I hope it was so fun. Happy birthday to Ben. He is a cutie pie. I pray for summer to get relief from her pain. Glad you two had a great day. I miss my family so much. Ted and I stay in so much, that it is hard to even get around my family....cause they all go out to work. Angie is teaching her class again. Worries me. Blessings to all of you, stay safe, xoxo, Love, Susie
p.s. hug the kids for me.

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

Thanks for the update on Summer and those photos of you and she at lunch were wonderful and you both looked great! You certainly have had some great family times with a birthday and dinner with friends. Seeing the photos of Chandy's children was great and I know you are awaiting a future visit with all. Too bad about the AC units giving out - terrible when that happens in summer heat, but then of course when else would it happen if not now. Hope the repairs work out OK without too much expense and wait.

Deanna Rabe said...

That's how a party should be! What a fun day!

So happy to hear that Summer's numbness issue is an easy day surgery. Bless her for all she has to deal with!

Chandy's kids are all beautiful! Glad you'll get to see them soon,and hold that sweet baby!