Sunday, October 25, 2009

SUNSHINE ON MY SHOULDER

My goodness are you all enjoying the trees  in their glory with blazing colors of  red, yellow, orange, greenish yellow and when the sun is shining on them you just have to stop and stare at the beauty of "nature".  How cheerful our world looks because of Fall.  To think that in a few weeks if not less it will look drab and gray is depressing to say the least, not only that but we will leave daylight savings time and fall back into darkness so early in the day.

 Even though Fall is beautiful and all of the Fall Festivals are going on in PA with the hiking at its best with the leaves on the ground to push along as you trail the park, cool enough to enjoy the scenery without being dehydrated - it is still the season I dislike the most.- - -

My favorite season is SPRING - everything comes alive with the blaze of glory. From the tiny little leaf coming up from the ground,  to the buds on the tree about to burst open. There is an excitement in the air, the sense of expectancy that something grand is going to happen - and something grand does happen, the flowers on the Cheery trees burst out in all of their beautiful color, the buds on the Dogwood just ready to burst open, all of this is excitement for all of us.  We are just itching to get out and start work in the garden, to ready our tools to use, to take the covers off of our patio/deck  furniture . YES!! We are awake after hibernating
through the winter months without snow. to brighten our days, to take walks in - this lays all ahead of us
but we can be thankful that we are here to live through it, to walk through it, to smell the bon fire, to make the most of it,  It is my favorite time to make home made bread or have something smelling good cooking, To
light a candle and make your room look cozier and warm, or sitting by the fire memorized by the flames leaping up and down - -  -
we can find good in everything if we look hard enough and that goes for people also- -  -that is what we have to do - - -

How  I wish I could have a Blog like my neighbor friend who makes my life a little brighter and her blog does it to but I have no clue how to add my pictures or other what nots that I think would make this look more interesting    

Sunday, October 18, 2009

WHEN IT RAINS IT POURS

When it rains it pours is one of the sayings that I grew up with. Sometimes it rains not so good things and sometimes it rains good things and you want to be able to choose all of them. That happens to be the case this Sunday Morn.

Ron's brother Rich is in from Lancaster with his 3 year old son Suren so Ron's mother is making breakfast

for everyone and the breakfast that she makes is scrumptious. Homemade waffles with home made Maple

Syrup, bacon, sausage, fruit cup, juice and of course coffee. On the other hand really good friends of ours called last evening and left a message asking us if we could meet for breakfast this morning. Then this morning our youngest son Jeff called to ask us to meet them for breakfast!

We had committed to having breakfast up in White Oak so we would be able to see Rich and his son. Hopefully we will get rain checks on the other invitations as we would love to do both. As for me I am not doing the breakfast in White Oak because I am indisposed.:-(

So I miss out not only on the two we couldn't go to but the one we were to go to. Let's see I am having orange juice, oatmeal and tea.
That should help me out some what. Nope I did not even make it to church this morning which makes me feel crappy even more so.

Saturday was a fun day though. After breakfast Jeff called and told us about this neat Antique/Craft store that the fiddle player's wife has and asked us to meet them out there. What a beautiful ride we had on our way to Eden's Cottage Shop. The trees in all their splendor, different shades of reds and orange and yellows all blended in to make for an awesome sight to behold
The houses were all decorated for Harvest - - - -Hay rolls in the field along with corn stalks, rows of pumpkins waiting to be picked.

All of this beauty right within our fingertips to see instead of driving an hour to see what is in our own back yard. Eden's place is a collector's dream of, etc. costume jewelry, pottery, tea pots, vases, pictures etc. and all reasonably priced.
Every room was decorated for what the room was used for - bedroom, bathroom, living room and so on- it was like I never wanted to leave. While I was in my glory in the home Ron was in his glory in the Amish built barn where the fiddle player and some of his friends were jamming. The music sounded good and had your feet tappin. Ron did not want to leave there, we never did make it up to the new house they built because there was so much to see where we were. Chloe is their really friendly golden retriever
that you fall in love with at first sight. Did I mention the smell of apple cider through out and free to drink, also home made apple pies, dumplings - mmmmm mmmmm good.
We ended up the perfect day with dinner at Longhorn's and then went to the show - haven't been to a show in a coon's age

What a perfect Saturday for something that was not even planned!  The day included a stop at Pajer's Farm
Market to get some of those big luscious red peppers, apples. potatoes, egg plant and of course home made apple pie  - - - Heaven, I'm in heaven - -

We will continue to keep you updated about Tommy. Yesterday they were to tell him that his dad passed on the same day that he was injured in the bomb explosion. Nancy said it would be a very sad day for all of them. Please continue to keep Tommy in prayer, he has many more operations ahead of him to fix his broken battered body and that is what it is in the true sense of the word.





I am February's Daughter** Dee

Friday, October 16, 2009

TRUE COURAGE

Courage is rarely reckless or foolish . . . courage usually involves a highly realistic estimate of the odds that must be faced. - - - - margaret truman

How many courageous people do we know?  More then we think I would say.

 People that we don't realize are courageous are. For example let's look at a woman that open up a large warehouse at four thirty in the morning. She has  to park her car in the small parking lot behind the
building and then walk around to the front of the building to open the door.

At 4:30 it is so dark you can hardly make out where you are walking and only by doing it so many times before do you know where you are. Your heart starts to race as you reach the end of the building and have to turn the corner. What lurks ahead is what runs through your mind as you are about to turn, is there a dog ready to growl at you, or worse a person ready to pounce? Turning the corner your eyes dart every which way and your increase your walking speed.  Aah, you feel relief  because so far there is nothing out of the ordinary. Hurrying along it seems like forever to reach the door. Key in hand you unlock the showroom door, relocking it as soon as you are inside.  A small walk to the light switch is courageous because you don't know who or what could be lurking behind the wall the light switch is attached to. Switching on the light  for that area is such a relief.  Once that is done you feel somewhat safer even though the rest of the large warehouse is as black as a black cat in the night.
The light dims as you continue to walk toward the office, your heart beating a mile a minute, your hands clutched to your sides while your eyes are looking everywhere. Opening the door of the office you turn on
the light switch and breathe a sigh of relief. You made it, sure the whole warehouse is shrouded in darkness but you don't have to walk back there.

You feel somewhat safe here. This is your comfort zone - you turn on the light in the outer office and listen to the messages, writing down the orders and then entering them in the computer. Walking back into the inner office you turn on thte printers, computers and check the fax machine. The rest of the time flys because of the work that has to be done before the truck drivers come in to fill the orders that I am entering and printing, But always your senses are on alert for any unusual sounds that come from the back where it should be
quiet.

Key word- should be. except for the one time a mouse was trapped in the garbage can and couldn't get
out.  The sound came from right outside the office door and was making me very uneasy because I had checked out there a couple of times and could not see anything. I thought my imagination was playing
tricks on me until I heard this thump - my heart jumped in my throat as I opened the door with flashlight in hand,  Shinning it all around I walked over to the trash can and looking inside saw the mouse trying it's
darndest to get out. I was so relieved and left him in there after putting the lid on waiting till Leonard
came to dispose of it in whatever way he felt fit - -  -

When everyone came into work that morning they were unaware of how courageous I was entering
the building at that time.

Monday, October 5, 2009

SUNSHINE ON MY SHOULDER: YOU NEVER FEEL SAFE ONCE YOU HAVE HAD CANCER

SUNSHINE ON MY SHOULDER: YOU NEVER FEEL SAFE ONCE YOU HAVE HAD CANCER

YOU NEVER FEEL SAFE ONCE YOU HAVE HAD CANCER

Am I the only one that feels this way I wonder. My husband had cancer in 1988. He was so strong through it
all that he made me think it was nothing. He never ever complained or voiced his fears. 
Boy was I wrong,    IT IS SOMETHING once you have had cancer. With Breat Cancer it is hard to forget
 because you see your scars everyday. Believe it or not that is a good thing. You don't ever want to forget
but it is hell never to feel safe. It is always in the back of your mind.

I just try to take every day and make the most of it. I enjoy my husband, my family and absolutely enjoy my
beautiful grandchildren. They give so much love with out knowing it and make me smile and laugh.
I am blessed that they all live close by and I can enjoy them.

It will be 3 years since my operation in November. The 20th of 06 to be exact. I still have some more years to go before the 5 year mark but lately they have been saying that it is 10yrs.  I will take all the years I am given. God is good - - -

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month - - - - - - - -

LOSING A GOOD FRIEND

September 21st we lost our beloved friend Tom. The same day his son Tommy was critcally injured in a
bomb explosion fighting for our country.

Since that day we have felt so much sorrow, Tom has been like a brother to us and we became close in
the fifties through my childhood friend. Her Mother and mine were the best of friends and Nancy and I
became the best of friends sharing our married lives in so many fun ways.
That has all come to an end of a beautiful relationship between 4 people because it is now down to 3.
We are praying everyday for Tommy's condition to improve so that he may be moved to Walter Reed Hospital for further care. At this time he is to critical to be moved. Thank goodness his wife is with him
and his cousin who is a General and hopefully can make things easier for him.

Tom's whole family died from the big C. Tom was degilent with going to the doctor's to be checked
yearly and sometimes every 6 months. Did that help him - no - because they mis- diagnosed him with
first pleursy and then pneumonia. It started in October and the cancer dignoses came Feb.4th.
How do I know it was that date? Because it was my birthday and when the call came I thought they
were calling to wish me a Happy Birthday not to tell me this devistating news.
 We were all crushed. It was beyond belief.
 Even with that terrible news they still came down to celebrate my birthday.
That is the kind of people they are - always thinking of the other person and never themselves.
Tom looked to me for guidance and hope since I had Breast Cancer in 2006 and I was glad to
support him but it became clear that I did not come near to what he was enduring,  Then the doctor
did the unforgivable by treating him with to much Chemo, It wrecked havoc on his body, infiltrating
his lungs and that was the beginning of the end.  He fought a long hard battle and his children were
all there for him and his son Tommy even got a special 2 week leave to be with him as they were
not sure how long Tom would have,  It brought their family so much closer but it is a shame it
took this terrible disease to make it happen.
  We will never share all the fun times again but we have all of those great memories to remember
and he will never leave our hearts.  Nancy is a brave, strong woman and is holding up as well as
can be expected. We all have to gather around her to ease her pain.

Dee's shared items

SO MANY THINGS TO BE THANKFUL FOR

This time of year makes me think of all of those things I have to be thankful for - - - -
my husband
my children
my grandchildren
my health
my freedom
always thankful for friends made