Prayers Still Needed

We just received a call from Darlene's husband concerning her condition. They didn't allow her to go home because of the spiked temperature. Sometime today they discovered that she is bleeding and they don't know as yet where the blood is coming from. They are going to give her a transfusion and watch the blood flow. As it stands right now they are planning on doing a CT Scan tomorrow. If the blood flow warrants it, they will do the CT Scan tonight. Please continue to keep Darlene in your prayers.

A Special Thank You

I am sending a special thank you to all that kept Darlene in their thoughts and prayers. Tuesday they ran the scope and had her on the operating table for three hours. They found that she had stones blocking the bile ducts of her pancreas. She later passed the stones and the pain was relieved with that. They want to put in stints, but will be delaying that procedure for 2 weeks. They decided she had gone through enough with the three hour procedure they had already put her though. She was supposed to be released to go home today, but her temperature spiked last night. I don't think she got to go home as planned because of that. We haven't called to check on her yet today. I will keep you posted on her progress.
The past couple of days have been busy ones for us. With the gas prices what they are, we try to consolidate our trips off the mountain to cover more than just one or two needed runs to town. Tuesday's road trip included picking up the tax forms from 'Our People". That didn't turn out as badly as I thought it would. Tuesday also included my yearly vision check up. Good news was that the diabetes hasn't done any damage to my eyes as yet and so far my eyes are otherwise disease free. Bad news was that I do have some cataract growth and my vision has worsened to the point that I can't really get away with using the cheap reading glasses anymore. It had rained all day and after coming home, a heavy fog set in, only adding to the gloominess the rain had already caused. We had a light meal for supper and as I was clearing the dishes I caught a glimpse of something moving in the yard. When I looked out the window, there they were, three deer grazing on the grass and weeds. I am posting a couple of the pictures below. J.D. has a couple more posted on his blog.

This was such a treat for us. The first couple of years that we lived here this was a daily stopping point for a number of deer that inhabits the woods around us. Someone got the bright idea that they needed to come in and do some clear cutting of the woods. With all of the noise from the saws, heavy equipment and trucks loading the lumber and buzzing up and down the road..... the deer stopped coming.

They had passed through on several occasions when we had snow on the ground. I was excited just to see their tracks in the snow.

It was no comparison to this though. This sweet little thing was no more than three yards from where J.D. and I stood looking out of the window at it. It showed no fear of us. It just smiled for the camera and went on munching on the grass.

As it usually proves to be...... When you find something that seems to be too good to be true, you will eventually find out that you are right. As wonderful as it is to have a high speed connection, we have discovered the down side of being hooked up to a satellite. When that huge storm rolled in Tuesday evening we lost our signal and lost our Internet connection as well. Today is the first we have been able to get an uninterrupted signal. Just the same, I think the good points out weigh the bad when it comes to comparing dial up to what we have now.

Yesterday was another road trip off the mountain. I had my appointment at the Pain Management Clinic and was also scheduled to have my Dreaded Mammogram. The Doctor that I saw thinks that I really need to be seeing a Rheumotologist for the Polymyalgia Rheumatica mainly because the treatment will include Methotrexate and he was honest enough to say that he would be uncomfortable writing an Rx for that drug because he has no clue what the proper dosages would be. As for the Fibromyalgia he is referring me to a Fibromyalgia Clinic. It is fairly new to our area and he said that every one that he has referred there have come back singing their praises. My understanding is that they work up individualized treatment for each patient that includes several different methods of treatment. He said that is he were to treat me for it, all he could really do is throw pills at me and that he didn't really want to do that when this clinic was available. I left the Pain management Clinic with hope that eventually I will be able to get a handle on this pain and live pretty close to a normal life again. To be honest, I wasn't really looking forward to the probability of taking more pills to control my pain. All that is left now is the wait.

Speaking of pain.......... after eating lunch we went back to the hospital for my Mammogram. I ended up leaving the house yesterday morning without my lab order from my family Doctor. I found that these people are determined when it comes to reaching their daily quota of torture. No lab order...No problem...!! Thanks to today's technology, all it takes is a quick phone call and the order is faxed to the hospital and I am good to go. They took me to a nicely furnished sitting room with a Victorian flair to it. Very cozy and relaxing. I was given all of three minutes to enjoy the comforts of this little room before I am taken to a little closet and told to strip from the waist up and to put one of those hospital gowns on with the opening to the front. Well, I am here to tell you that "one size" does NOT fit all. I suppose that if every woman that is told to wear one of those particular gowns is a magical size "2", then yes, one size would fit all. There were five gowns stacked in that room and I tried them all and they all fit the same. Trust me when I say..... I am no where near size "2". In fact, I think the last time I wore a size "2" was when I was in training pants. I sucked in everything I could suck in, holding the gown as tightly closed as I could and hurried to the Torture Chamber. When I arrived, I found a very kind looking lab technician waiting for me. I commented on how it is humiliating enough to have to go through these mammograms, but then they add insult to injury with Mammo Wear that is designed to fit a toddler. She opened a drawer and pulled out a cape of sorts and told me to try this on for size. She commented that she didn't know why they didn't put different sizes of gowns in the changing rooms. Well the cape made all the difference in the world. It didn't make the whole Mammogram experience any less painful, but it did give me back a little bit of my dignity while at the same time letting my imagination put me in Super hero status that would allow me to endure all things mammogram related.

Have a blessed day!

~Jo

Spring Is In The Air

It was a pretty day yesterday with mild temperatures and sunshine. So many of our little feathered friends are returning and blessing us with their sweet songs. I won't put any humming bird food out yet though. Last year when they returned, they came to the windows and hovered there looking in as if to say, "Well, it's been a long trip.... Got anything to drink in there?"

On the way to town the other day I saw a few new calves in the fields. As more are born we will see the older cows meandering around in the fields munching new grasses while the little ones are full of energy and go running and playing. Something I really enjoy is when the baby bunnies start popping up all over the yard. I love watching them, they can be so comical.

If I had to choose a time of year that I could call my favorite, I think it would have to be Spring. I love the beauty of autumn with the bright colors of the leaves and the smell that accompanies those leaves as they dry up and gently float to the ground can not be compared. To me though, Spring is just a bit more beautiful because of all of its symbolisms. It is plain and simply a rebirth of everything that is. A promise of new beginnings that comes every year. Something we all can use from time to time. How Great Is That? In the spring every where you look is eye candy. The pretty fuchsia pink of the red buds followed by the bright white of the dogwood. The dogwood itself, the symbolism of the Crucifixion of Jesus. It is such a beautiful sight to behold, to see the dogwood in bloom in the woods and hillsides. It looks as if big billowy white clouds are floating amongst the trees.


I felt a bit of Spring Fever coming on yesterday. I really had the urge to go out and start digging around in my flower beds and getting them ready for the warmer weather. I have my first appointment at the Pain Management Clinic tomorrow to see what (if anything) they can do to help me with the pain associated with my fibromyalgia and Polymyalgia Rheumatica. I think it would be wise for me to wait a bit before I jump out there and start digging around in those flower beds. I neglected them terribly last year because I just plain hurt too much.

Thanks to the price of gas it doesn't look as if we will be traveling far from home this year. With that in mind, I have been considering putting out a small vegetable garden. I don't recall a year that my mother didn't have a vegetable garden as I was growing up. I remember when I was small, quietly picking up the salt shaker and going to the garden. I would find a good hiding spot between the tomatoes and cucumbers and would eat tomato after tomato until I was as full as a tick...... While most children balked at eating vegetables, I couldn't get enough of them. When J.D. talks about the garden his grandma grew, he calls it a truck farm.

J.D.'s oldest daughter, Darlene will be having surgery today. She has been in the hospital for several days. They have diagnosed the problem as pancreatitus. She is in so much pain that morphine isn't even touching it. They have her on some sort of pain meds now that is 5 times stronger than morphine. They have found blockage of the bile duct and will be trying to repair that. She also is having pain that is generating from her colon, which they will deal with after they take care of the problem with her pancreas. I know there are a lot of Prayer Warriors out there and I ask that you please remember her in your prayers as you go about your day. I will post more when we know more. Wishing all a blessed day. ~Jo

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

Mc Ginty's Bar

I like to go to Mc Ginty's bar

It's not far from here

I can swap lies with the other guys

And drink a lot of beer

It's been there since time began

A favorite hangout for the working class

We throw some darts for fun

And drink beer from a can, not a glass

Not a high falutin' place

And we don't stay all night

Just a couple of drinks after work

We all have to go home and fight

The wife knows when I'll come home

She'll have the dinner ready

And I'll be ready to eat

Although my gait may be a little unsteady

"You've been to Mc Ginty's again"

She'll say it everytime

She doesn't have a real complaint

I give her every nickle and dime

We live our life from day to day

Try to keep up with changes

Just a bunch of good ole boys

Living life as it arranges.

Poetry by Sean Mc Kelvy

All rights reserved under copyright laws

Irish Prayer

May God give you...

For every storm, a rainbow,

For every tear, a smile,

For every care, a promise,

And a blessing in each trial.

For every problem life sends,

A faithful friend to share,

For every sigh, a sweet song,

And an answer for each prayer.

God keep you safe,

God keep you warm

God keep you and

yours from all harm.

May He bless your

kith and kin,

the hearth, the house

and all within.

There's the joy of dear Killarney

In these blessings meant for you,

There's a bit of Irish blarney,

There's a touch of magic, too.

There's a hope that love and laughter

Will steal your heart away

And a prayer that all you're wishing

God grant you and yours today.

Irish Wishes For You

May your mornings bring joy

And your evenings bring peace...

May your troubles grow less

as your blessings increase!

May neighbors respect you,

Trouble neglect you,

The angels protect you,

And heaven accept you.

May the lilt of Irish laughter

lighten every load.

May the mist of Irish magic

shorten every road...

And may all your friends remember

all the favors you are owed.

May those that love us, love us.

And those that don’t love us,

May God turn their hearts.

And if he doesn’t turn their hearts,

May he turn their ankles,

So we’ll know them by their limping.

May misfortune follow you the rest of your life,

and never catch up.

May you have food and raiment,

a soft pillow for your head.

May you be forty years in heaven

before the devil knows you’re dead.

May you have the hindsight

to know where you've been,

The foresight to know

where you are going,

And the insight to know

when you have gone too far.

Beauty And The Beast

I'll not make any excuses for not posting in a while..... I am back though and I come bearing a gift. Last night we went to see the High School's Spring Musical " Beauty And The Beast ". (Click for the slide show presentation) These students and their advisers put in a lot of time and effort in preparing for their performance. As a result they ended up with a piece of art that all could take pride in. Enjoy!