Hard Times Are Here

There are definite signs of economic stress here, which is so sad.  I ran in to Donna, the gal I used to work for at Fidelity Title, and she said their office had been closed.  "The only houses selling are foreclosures and short sales."  Donna had such a following it is hard to believe but several of the real estate offices have been closed as well.  Businesses have been closed, too.

I was interested in a remark that my Mom made in writing her history.  She said she felt the depression of the 30's went on longer than it needed because people who had money were too embarrassed to spend it.  Interesting thought.  Wonder if that is happening now?

Another hand dropping incident--on the way home from Marjorie's on Saturday, about 8 minutes.  Scaring me.

At least I will have some wood in the following years.  Matt was here trimming my tree that fell and two neighbors with fallen trees said we could have all the wood if we wanted to cut them up and take them.  Matt is so fast at chain sawing, the hard part will be moving and stacking the wood for future use.  Surely appreciate Matt.

Good Ole' Betty Crocker

My first cookbook was by Betty Crocker but the cookbook I used most was Mom's Dorcas Cookbook from the Congregational Church.  From this came the famous Spanish Rice which we cooked over and over when we were first married.  I came upon it recently and decided I must try it again.  It is a time to live cheap!

6 slices of bacon, chopped
1/4 c finely chopped onion
1/4 c chopped green pepper
2 c canned tomatoes
3 c cooked rice (l c uncooked)
1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper

Fry bacon until crisp; remove and add onion and green pepper; cook slowly until onion is soft and yellow.  Add remaining ingredients and bacon.  Bake in greased casserole in moderate oven (350) about 30 minutes.  if desired, 1/4 c grated cheese may be sprinkled over top before baking.  Serves 8

But back to Betty Crocker and not living cheap.  I tried her Gluten Free Chocolate Cake and it is so moist and delicious!  It also makes 14 nice size pieces to freeze for dessert (with homemade Fudge frosting on it, of course).  So far Betty Crocker gets A+ for her Gluten Free Desserts.  The only one I have not tried yet is the Brownies.  Maybe next week.

Mother Nature on a Rampage

Mother Nature had her fun during the winter and sent a huge windstorm to our area.  One of my trees broke at the top and smashed down on my neighbors fence so we need to do the clean up.  Matt will be here next week and will bring his Dad's chainsaw I hope.

So the fence was totally destroyed in this section.  My insurance company says his insurance company will have to pay for the fence because it was a natural disaster and not because of my negligence.  It was not a community fence and is totally on his property.  We can use the firewood, that is good.  Now I am wondering if the damaged tree will rot and be a threat and need to be cut down.

And my chimney needs cleaning--it is sending out strange burnings and I am concerned about a chimney fire.  Oh, the joys of home ownership.

A Class Act

Kelly, Kristi, Tanner, Amy, Sarah, Craig

I was reading Sarah's blog and came across this classic picture of the Pulsiphers.  I have no idea when it was taken but I love it.  What beautiful grandchildren.

Complaining Old Ladies, That is Us

When Marjorie showed me the ward bulletin Sunday that she and I were scheduled for cleaning the Church in the month of June we got the giggles.  Talk about the lame leading the lame!  She has aches and pains from her shoulder all the way down her back and and legs can hardly manage to do what she has to do at home.  She is currently pursuing medical advice to see what can be done.

And me, well I am still barely operating at a old lady level for strength and energy and have one foot in pain and one hand in pain and another that will or will not function occasionally.  I keep myself going with a little help from family but am not ready to hire myself out, that is for sure.  Plus I am still being monitored by Dr. Natali for high blood pressure and reaction to medicine for my heart. 

Anyway Marjorie is elected to ask the Bishop to switch us out.  Marjorie is the oldest one in the ward and I am second.  She always talks to everyone and acts so vital and young at Church but she is hurting, they do not realize that.  And I just went through major surgery and haven't done anything physical for months because of my foot. We don't like to be complaining old ladies but when do we get to retire?  

Living Gluten Free--Not So Hard After All

Today I had pancakes that tasted normal, now I will have to try the gluten free flour for making Swedish and Grandma's pancakes.  This week I have had my favorite tuna pasta salad, hamburger stroganoff on pasta, corn bread, chocolate chip cookies and I have in my Gluten Free Pantry chocolate cake mix, brownie mix, french bread mix, cheese and pasta, pie crust mix, rice and noodle soup...

I found the Super Walmart in Reno had the most complete and cheapest Gluten Free products but IGA in Susanville had a lot and I know the Holiday in Chester has quite an assortment.  Yes, they cost a little more but for a happy indigestion, it is well worth it.  And think of the money I am saving by not buying commercially made products.

While in Reno after taking Linda home, we also shopped at Costco and I bought a bunch of bananas for $1.29!  I always think anyone who shops at Costco and does not buy the bananas is a little bananas themselves but what do I do with a whole bunch of bananas when 1/2 banana a day is about my quota?  Ah, I made two batches of sugarless raspberry jello and filled it with bananas.  I have enough dessert for two weeks.  Sometimes my brilliance amazes me.

Father Day Talk

Mary Anne came up to me on Sunday and said, "You are probably not going to like me after this but Relief Society is to speak on Father's Day, how about you?"  I said, "Sure, I had a great father, I can do that."  I mean really, if you have to take your turn, what better time than on Father's Day when you have such an easy subject.  In fact, here is where blogging comes in handy, for the last few years I have blogged about my Dad on Father's Day so all my thoughts are all ready written!  Plus a few more quotes from you know where and my talk is prepared.

Of course, I did just give my last talk just before I left in November and that was on women but now I won't be asked for at least a year or more...

Last night I had another one of those hand dropping weakness in the left hand which sent the Drs to do another doppler before I left.  I am thinking it is related more to nerve problems than heart though.  It was in the left three fingers and they were totally unusable for almost 8 minutues.  I know, I was looking up information and could hardly use the keyboard in my left hand.  I sat and squeezed a ball in my left hand the rest of the night.  It seems I am truly falling apart one piece at a time. 

But what can you do but keep on, keeping on...and get your life in order.

Home Again!

I've been home a week and it is so good. Linda was kind enough to drive me home (I helped a little) and then proceed to organize and clean my house, drawers and everything, wash the windows etc. My house has never looked so good. It would have taken me weeks. Oh, and yes, first we had to take down and put away all the Christmas decorations! Good job, Linda. Could not have done it without you. Thank you so much.

 Matt, my grandson, had already been here a couple weeks and had raked and cleaned the whole yard. It looks so good. Really appreciate all the hard work, Matt. Thank you, thank you.

 Since Linda has gone and I have been doing some work myself inside and out with all my projects and I am feeling more energized and healthier than I have in a long time. I am happier, too.

So what is it I love so much about being home? Here is a partial list anyway:

• 
  
  My own bed
• 
  
  Bubble Bath every night
• 
  
  Remote Controlled Music to put me to Sleep
• 
  
  Recorded Programs on TV
• 
  
  Good Reading Lights in Every Room
• 
  
  My Own Little Kitchen and Freezer
• 
  
   All My Projects to Keep Me Busy
• 
  
   View of My Back yard
• 
  
  View of My Trees in Front 
• 
  
  Absolute Stillness Around Me
• 
  
  The Big Trees All Around Me
• 
  
  Yard to Work In
• 
  
   A Friend Nearby
• 
  
  Comfy Couch to Watch TV
• 
  
  My own Office with Everything I Need

 

Going Home

Yea, I am headed home on Saturday.  I will need to return when I come to San Diego in January or so next year and have a doppler test again.  This last one showed some narrowing but it is edema rather than plaque so should continue to get better.  My blood pressure machine is misreading about half the time and it may be because of irregular beats?  Hopefully it will continue to go down once I get in my own peaceful habitat.  So Lake Almanor, warm up, I am coming home!

Dave called and they are back home in Idaho and freezing!  What happened to spring this year?  He told me a very funny story about the helicopters that came because of an accident near Hoover Dam and what happened to him...ask me or him.  It is much funnier when he tells it.

James, Camber and the children have been marvelous to me while I have been here.  Too bad I am leaving just as the pool is warming up.  I will miss the children but Kelsi is talking about visiting me and having a playdate so hopefully it will happen.

Johnny says he wants to visit and see where I live, hopefully that will happen, too.  Maria and Johnny took me to the Dr today.  This was my last day not driving.  The good thing about it is that I really accomplished alot while staying put at the computer.

Linda will drive home with me and I appreciate that so much.  Accolades to my children for all they do for me.  Hopefully this will be the last for a long while.

Oh, yes, Matt called and he has my yard all cleaned up.  Mine and Marjories, good for him.  He is off to Colorado and then will back again for a couple of weeks so I will think of some projects for him before he heads to Tahoe for the summer.

I get along with a little help from my friends...

Final Meeting with Dr. Hemp

I had my final meeting with Dr. Hemp. He said the stitches are self-absorbing. The hand weakness I had for a short time could have been caused by something breaking off ?  If it happens again for longer than a few seconds, be sure and call.

The doppler showed 50 per cent closure but it is from edema, not placque and should lesson. They don’t usually look at it this soon.  I had gone in because of the huge swollen edema on my neck.

But because of the hand drop they needed to look. He said my plaque went up further on both ends than usual but the edema is in the center area.

He said at the branch part one artery goes to the brain. The other artery just goes to face and doesn't matter.

They numbness in my face is from the nerves to the face being touched during the operation and should get better.

They want me back in January for a relook.
In testing my blood pressure on my machine it was 192 compared to 160 on theirs so no way it is accurate. Could be I am having irregular beats when I am taking it and then it will measure wrong.

The blood pressure medicine should immediately start working--go over everything with Melinda about it and how the lipitor affects me.

I am free to go home as far as he is concerned and I can drive now.

Mother's Day 2010

Mother's Day started with Linda spending the day with me on Friday.  My  blood pressure was so high they wanted to check it at the hospital before giving me a prescription.  The cardiac doctor Dr. Rubenson visited with us as well and then ordered the doppler test done again on both the left and the right side.  So Linda took me to lunch and the documentary 'Babies' before going back for the tests at 3.  I appreciated so much her staying with me the whole day, we had lots of good conversation.

On Friday evening the Hardy children gave me lovely cards they had written themselves.

On Saturday Maria, James, Jacob, Lea, Jimmy, Kelsi and I had lunch at Rubios (I tried the new Mahi, Mahi) and then saw the documentary 'Oceans'.  We all enjoyed the movie very much except for Kelsi.  She only likes "kid shows" so James spent a lot of time outside with her.

On Sunday James and Lea took me over to Ben and Sharon's home where Sharon's Mom, Sister and their families were getting together and we were meeting Maria and Johnny.  Ben and Bob (Johnny's father) grilled really tender chicken, so good.

We practically raised our children side by side in our early days.  I will never forget our Disneyland trip and many, many trips to the beach and other places.  Ben and Sharon just happen to be Johnny's aunt and uncle.  Small world!  I didn't get a picture of Johnny's parents Bob and Suzie but Suzie reminded me we had had a baby shower for her in my Pacific Beach home when she was pregnant with daughter Michelle! 

Camber gave me a bouquet of roses.  So sweet of her.

Johnny gave me a bouquet at Sharon's house along with his Mom, Aunt, and Grandmother.  So thoughtful of him.

 

Lea picked roses from around the yard and gave me a lovely bouquet. So nice of her.

It was a lovely Mother's Day weekend and so fun to see old friends and children all grown up with their children.  I should have gotten pictures.

Journaling to Printed Books

I did it.  I organized and ordered hard cover books on my blog for 2005-6, 2007, 2008, and 2009.  I expect that some of the pictures will not be great and I learned a few things so I think the next one I do will be better but I am glad I made a decision and did it!!

Now I just have to start a blog on the rest of my life (which I can take from many journals and Word documents) so I can book them as well and then my journaling will be up to date!  Should only take the rest of my life to finish but the parts of my life that are most vacant from journaling is when I was raising my children. 

Hmm, where could I get accurate memories of that?  I am thinking, not from my children as each remembers things differently.  Strange how that works.

Generations

Another interesting show I watched this morning was Generations on the BYU Channel. Presented today was a Hawaiian lady who researched the validity of the oral history on her grandmother and with help from others found some things which were true and some that were not.

In the 1800s the Hawaiians were subject to diseases brought from other places as they had not built up immunities.  Thousands were sent to an island with leprosy.  One of these was her grandmother who lived there from the time she was 24.  She married one of the other lepers and they bore five children.  The laws at that time had the babies immediately sent to relatives or a orphanage away from the island.  They were married some time after arriving on the island in 1894.  He was declared cured in 1908 but he did not leave until after she died in 1917.  Then he went to Hawaii, reunited with his children, worked as an architect, married again and bore two more children.  It was quite a love story and a reminder of the sadness and happiness we live in this earthly life.

The lady had written and sung a beautiful love song about this couple and of course, she has recorded for future generations the history of this ancestor.  It is quite amazing the tools that are available for research on our families.  Interesting program!

BYU

I just watched a fascinating video of the Builders of BYU on the BYU Channel. What a powerful story. I was there in the Pres. Ernest L. Wilkinson years and attended Firesides in his home and had him visit our Heritage Halls apartment--even patted my head as he showed off our unit to Mr. J C Penney. I enjoyed my years there so much--so very appreciative to my parents for sending me. It was a pivotal time in my life and much, much more than I had expected college would be. I am so glad I was able to live on campus most of the time. I had 29 room mates and lived in four different places while I was there but my favorite was the Heritage Halls--we were the first ones to live in the apartments after they were built.

Some of us were photographed for an article about the new living apartments.

In front of Heritage Halls--BYU junior in my Squaw dress-- made by my New Mexico roommate's mother.

They look different inside today and I see you couldn't have any door-to-door solicitation but I made extra money by collecting the dry cleaning from everyone in the apartments and saving for an employee of a cleaning company to pick up.  Oh, yes, this was my bad cut and perm...

Early Morning Walk

I surprised Bandido with an early morning walk--first time in eight months--no wonder I could hardly get him out of bed!  I must be doing well.

Energy Up!!

Today I was out playing ball and other games with the Hardy children.  Energy I have not had in a long, long time.  Thumbs Up!