Fifty-five more years would not give me time to list all of the ways!
wedding rehearsal
the actual wedding
lunch with our best friendsfamily dinner celebration of birthdays and anniversaryright after his knee replacement surgeryexploring the wonders of the earthhow I love those hands
He has invested his life in mine. He knows me better than anyone else on earth. The compassion and grace that flows from him is beyond my words. His humor is sometimes tiring, but usually has me in giggles. The perspective he brings to me is invaluable. I have seen him give of himself to a fault. His determination to heal after this knee surgery is at times scary. Take it easy, my man. You are well on your way to full healing from this!
I cannot tell you how much I love him. Life without him is beyond my comprehension. Over the years we have talked about who will die first. I am saying it must be him. He is saying his lungs will not outlast me. Lord, only you know.
And I know Lord, you are able to keep us in all of our ways. Thank you for this man who blesses my life beyond telling.
Now to him who is able to keep you from falling and to make you stand without blemish in the presence of his glory with rejoicing, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. Jude 24-25 NSRVUE
This week will not be any better than last week. We both have multiple medical appointments. I am trying to figure out a new schedule but as loaded as this schedule is there is NO wiggle room. If only I did not need an afternoon rest! If only my fatigue did not ramp up after 6 PM!
I just remembered the “If-onlys” can lead to increased emotional and mental suffering. I do not want to go there. This month we celebrate 55 years of marriage. In November I turn 75 years old. This is my life right now and I am never alone. God walks with me and also guides my steps.
1 Thessalonians KJV implores us to “rejoice evermore.”
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19
I rejoice that we have access to such good medical care. I rejoice that we are able to afford what the physicians and their assistants wast us to buy, be it medication or physical therapy or devices to aid in healing.
I rejoice that Bob and I are able to cheer each other on when one of us gets low.
I pray for healing, not only for ourselves. We have a neighbor who is not going to get well from Parkinson’s. I pray that neighbor can have the best life possible and find ways to cheer the family and self.
I give thanks for the flowers that have survived the drought so far. I ask for grace as I drag one the hose again. Not a drop of rain the forecast.
Okay, my ship is beached for now – but not forever!
Would you get hold of the passage above and form prayers,, thanksgiving and rejoicing for yourself and those you know?
This is the week that writing has lapsed. Too many doctor appointments and physical therapy, etc.
So I will just chat. The last week of August I noticed that the clump river birch and the spice bush were both starting to turn yellow. They are now spangles of bright yellow and green.
This town went nuts recently with Bengals clothing. So far we have seen Joe Burrow not off to a good start, or Bob says it might be the defense that is ailing? Arch enemy Cleveland Browns are the opponents and the yelling is loud! Fireworks outside. Bengals WIN!!!?!
Speaking of orange, teh aphids have destroyed the front nasturtiums shown in opening photo. I sprayed with a suggested mixture of water, soap, etc. Just tortured those plants. Ugh. Last year we enjoyed those flowers well into late October.
My mother said she never had to make another pie crust since Pillsbury did such a good job. I have tried, but my results are not worth the work. Betty and my neighbor Ginny both make good crust. Do you know what happens when you take the last 2 frozen Pillsbury crusts out of the deep freezer and accidentally drop them on the garage floor? They break!! Had to get frozen mixed vegetables at the store anyway, so I bought more crusts. This afternoon I made a chicken pot pie with the leftover rotisserie chicken from Sam’s. Now I am baking the cracked pie crusts into large apple tarts. I will share one with a neighbor.
Things regarding Bob’s recovery were going slower than he would like. The swelling has been awful. He discovered the more he elevates and rests the less it swells. He is doing his stretches and hoping to have improvement in his range of motion numbers on Tuesday. He sees both the surgeon and the PT folks then.
He only uses the walker at night to get to the bathroom safely. He is walking on his own around the house. We made it back to church today and he used his cane.
We had the blessing of a whole inch of rain in one night this past week. So grateful for that! Most of the yard is still crunchy. Night time low last night was 49! Forecast to be 48 tonight! Highs still going into low 80s.
I am debating whether I will compile another book of devotions or not. Pray for me to have wisdom. I am applying myself to writing poetry again. Dana and I will work on getting the poetry ready to publish through Amazon.
So as I fill this week with the usual care of Bob, driving, grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning and laundry I will be praying for you, my readers.
May you be blessed with an increased awareness of the hesed of God. You are so loved and held. Listen for the singing over you! Rejoice that it is so!
God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. Romans 5:5b NRSVUE
The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. Zephaniah 3:17 NRSVUE
This year I turn 75. Our daughter turned 50. Our Grandgirl turned 20. Bob and I will also celebrate our 55the wedding anniversary! We are grateful to God for all of these many blessings.We have a celebration planned at a fancy restaurant downtown called Sotto’s. Below is a description from https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/food/ohio/underground-restaurant-oh
For authentic Italian cuisine in Ohio that’s straight from the Old World, you must be prepared to go on an adventure. In downtown Cincinnati, venture beneath the old cobblestone streets to Sotto, an underground restaurant in Ohio that’s easily one of the most unique and incredible places you’ll ever dine. The food is rustic yet refined, the vibe is somehow both familiar and uncanny, and the experience is wholly unrivaled.
Beneath the streets of Cincinnati, Ohio, a subterranean world of fine wine and Italian cuisine awaits. This is Sotto, an underground restaurant in Cincinnati, Ohio, that’s one of the most unique places to dine in the state. The basement that once housed legendary Cincinnati chef Nat Comisar’s first restaurant, La Normandie, is now home to a restaurant of equal notoriety. Sotto, for reference, is Italian for below.
If we get photos from our dinner I will try to post later this week!
This is a month of changes. My husband will undergo knee replacement surgery this month. We are thinking his years of playing catcher in baseball and then doing the breast stroke among others on swim teams for many, many years contributed to the destruction of the cushioning in his knee. He is walking the dog and riding his bike with bone on bone at this point. Two meniscus repairs did not help either! They took measurements through his CT scan to fit the replacement parts with more accuracy than was available in years prior to this event.
We will doing all of his recovery at home. It is somewhat amazing after watching the video in the surgeon’s office that they think this is so advanced and safe that I will be his caregiver! Watching the video we both realized this is no little thing they will be doing to him. They also informed us that he will be up and walking immediately after surgery. Yes, he will need a walker or crutches for stability, but he is expected to walk regularly the day of surgery and thereafter. None of this lollygagging around in bed!
Evidently the surgery has made huge advances in the last 20 years and our particular surgeon is extremely careful. Bob will even be using a nasal antibiotic before the surgery as well as antibacterial body wash, etc.
There is a new pain medication on the market called Journavx. “JOURNAVX is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with moderate-to-severe short-term (acute) pain.” Evidently if works through the peripheral nervous system which is outside your brain and spinal column. This is used instead of opioids. According to our surgeon patients are recovering faster and not having the side effects and addiction risk of opioids. If nothing else, this will be a grand experiment in the effects of as Bob calls it, “Better living through modern chemistry! “
He has nice legs, but not like hers!
We practiced Bob getting in and out of the car with the immobilizer brace on his leg. He has to wear this any time he is up and walking until Physical Therapy releases him from it. They warned us he might have to use the back seat for the ride home. Yep! It was way too difficult for him to maneuver into the front seat. Hopefully that will not become his usual place to ride in the car! He is already unhappy at being told he may not drive for 4 weeks. The surgery is on his right knee. He told one friend he is going to put the number for Uber in his phone. He is not good at just being at home. I figure by the time he gets in and out of the car for physical therapy and doctor appointments, a nap at home might sound good! The heat has been getting both of us down.
Equipped with a leg immobilizer, walker, crutches, cane, a list of medications and printed schedule for taking them, the electric ice machine, leg compression stockings, (oh my I will be busy, won’t I?) we are prayed up and almost ready. Wednesday August 27 at 7 AM is the big day! So many people who have had the same surgery speak of how nice it is to not be in pain anymore. We have been told that the first two weeks are the hardest. I will be rearranging my schedule to accommodate his needs. He had so often been my caregiver. After almost 55 years this is not a burden or unexpected. He is the love of my life and I want him as comfortable and healthy as possible. Of course, I might have to tie him to a chair at times to get him to rest, but then I might also have to chase him around the house with the threat of a fly swatter spanking to keep him moving. Just kidding. I think?!?
There was a saying that after forty you just patch, patch, patch. I think after seventy you just crumble. Thank God we have access to so many kinds of fixes!
The introduction photo is the grandstand at Moler Raceway.
Many years ago our daughter (who is now 50) won tickets to a dirt race track for LOUD cars. That began a family tradition. At first we drove way out to the country for the event. Then a newer track was built closer to home and that became our go to.
They race modified cars on a quarter mile race track. The size varies from little ones (that sound like angry bees to us) to V-8 engines that can threaten you with hearing loss. In fact, my apple watch warned me more than once regrading the noise level. I forgot to take ear plugs and eventually bought some for $1.00.
Several times earlier this summer we planned to attend, but the heat and humidity were just too much for use to endure. We went last Friday night. I packed two zip lock bags of peanuts in the shell. We took our insulated water bottles. The snack bar was actually reasonably price be it a soda, corn dog or chili fires. There were six family members in all. We wanted to finish our snacks before the races as an open plate of pizza would just invite ‘eating dirt.’
The owners always wet down the track prior to the race. However, with cars in sets of 5-10 going around it at 50-85 miles per hour it does not take long for the dirt to fly. I was smart enough to wear a ball cap and old clothing. I did not remember to take a hoodie or a sheet for protection. My bandana was soon soaked from perspiration and after a few laps I wondered it I was smearing mud on my face? There were a couple near crashes and the race was stopped while the track was cleared. No one was injured while we were there.
Here are some photo examples. The great news is that everyone was getting dirty!
Solid gray pack with fine layer of dirt!
Bob and I sat side by side. We were both tidy when we arrived. We do not have freckles on our legs. Get a load of this!
My solid black shorts. Our speckled legs.
Yes, a great time was had by all as we watched the various hot laps and races. The announcer was unintelligible. The family tradition lived on for another year!
While in the line for refreshments I had great fun telling Rowan about one year when he spent the night with us after the races. He is now 14. At the time he was quite a bit younger. When we got home that night I told him he had to take a shower. He balked and put up a fight. When I told him the story he shook more dirt off himself and said, “Gross!” I told him I agreed!
And the first time we took Ellie (now 20) the announcer was able to be understood. He was saying the names of the drivers. Ellie in full playground voice turned around and asked us, “Did he say Weasel Roads?” Indeed he had! If I could have found shirt with that drivers name on it I would have bought it for her in a heartbeat.
If you are there and get bored with the races, you can always people watch. This year they were selling something like 5 aluminum beer bottles in a sack of ice to keep them cold. One little girl had great fun playing with the ice. (I wondered if I could have just bought the ice?) She eventually put some up the leg of her dad’s shorts. The family did not think it was as funny when she tried it on her grandpa!
We left a halftime, our usual departure. Everyone but the retirees had worked that day and some had to work the next morning.
I hope you have some sort of family tradition to keep the joy and mirth flowing through the dog days of summer.
My husband and I discovered early on that there thing he likes to eat that I detest. There are things I like to eat that he can eat for one meal, but does not want it repeatedly as leftovers. One of his favorite dishes is seafood pasta. He has learned and perfected his own recipe for that dish.
I was writing the blog entries as I usually do. I could hear him in the kitchen and remembered that he planned to cook his sauce this morning. I went about my prayers and writing. When I decided to take a break after 1-1/2 hours I had forgotten his kitchen work. I opened the office door and the sauce fragrance almost knocked me down! There is something about shrimp, olive oil, garlic and clams simmering in clam juice and wine that I was not prepared for at 10:00 AM! I can imagine Dana and Kathy beating a hasty path to our door upon reading this.
You see, the plan is to have the two of them over for dinner to meet each other and eat this dish Bob makes. I on the other hand will have something I like to eat. Nope, I’ve never tasted his sauce. Those who like that sort of thing say it is delicious. Mom ruined any hope of me ever eating fish with her exaggerations and tall tales. Such as, making salmon cakes for dinner using canned salmon and telling me there were no bones in it. The most brave I became was Mrs. Paul’s fish sticks. Once I left home I discovered that tuna steaks are quite tasty, as long as they are well done. In Ireland I was able to eat salmon, but here I have to make myself. Crab cakes are good. Coconut shrimp is tasty but not really good for me!
I tell Bob when it comes to clams and oysters, “I don’t eat bait!” Just pass me by when serving fish. Taking the photo for you, I was reminded his magic sauce also has butter and bay scallops in it!
I give thanks for this wonderful husband who is not afraid to take on the cooking tasks he enjoys! I just pray I never get dementia so he can tease me and try to get me to eat bait. You wouldn’t, would you, Bob? He is an incurable tease. He just might try it should things ever go that way.
When I was mourning my mother recently, nothing seemed to comfort me. Then I heard this song rolling through my soul. The first version I heard was done by Willie Nelson. He almost nailed it. It amazes me where comfort can come from!
Then I found what was likely their version from December 1951.
With someone like you, a pal good and true I'd like to leave it all behind and go and find Some place that's known to God alone Just a spot to call our own We'll Find perfect peace, where joys never cease Out there beneath a kindly sky We'll build a sweet little nest somewhere in the west And let the rest of the world go by
As I listened repeatedly to the song, I realized that my sister has a sweet little nest, somewhere out in the west. She spends June into September there! And we have been privileged to stay there a time or two!
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Matthew 5:4 NRSVUE
The birth I told you about recently reminded me of my daughter’s birth. Fifty years ago today she came into the world. It is hard to grasp that number. I was in labor for 32 hours. Finally the doctor decided to do an emergency C-section. When I awoke they held her up for me to see. She was sticking out her tongue! (Of course, they had just popped a pacifier out of her mouth.)
She is a delight now, just as she was as a newborn!
Celebrating her daughter’s birthday this month, too!
When this woman turns on the joy there is no mistaking how she is feeling! She loves dogs.
For Mother’s Day her daughter took her to Puppy Yoga!
She is her Dad’s clone. They are so much alike I often wonder if I had anything to do with her birth! Emily is a joy and a blessing to us.
Happy Birthday, my dear!
Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Psalm 127:3 ESV
This quote stirred in me as I marked year fifty of my mother’s death. The photo above shows my mom with her white gloves at our wedding.
Every sorrow I bear will be supplanted by a greater heavenly joy, when you, O Christ, make all things right and new – even this thing. From Every Moment Holy – For Navigating Difficult Moments
Fifty years ago on Flag Day, I awoke nine months pregnant. My mother was visiting us in Kentucky. She had driven herself down from Ohio. I assured her the baby would not be born this weekend, but she was so excited she could hardly contain herself. She was sleeping on the sofa bed in the living room.
She had brought a Styrofoam cooler filled with food for us. We had put the cooler on the porch the night before to dry. That Saturday morning it was getting ready to rain and a wind had come up. I was afraid the cooler would blow away, so I walked through the living room to go get it off the porch. As I walked by I noticed she was not breathing. I got the cooler, closed the porch door and stopped again. No, her chest was not rising and falling.
That began a time of anguish and grief like none I had ever known before.
This is fifty years later. I know, because our daughter turns fifty in a week or two. Mom never knew any of our children. She has remained Grandma Ann, mostly known for recipes I was able to recreate after her passing.
I still miss my mother. Even though I am now 74 years old, there are still times I long to hear her voice. I wonder what she would say about the book about to be published with Kindle Direct Publishing using my writings from this blog and other writings? I had sort of hoped the final approval for printing would come on June 14th, the date of her passing. Approval did not come on that date though. Page 11 I wrote about her influence upon me by songs she taught us while driving in the car.
The tile of my book will be Treasures in Plain Sight: Growing Closer to Jesus in Prayer. I has 107 pages and is 5 x 7 inches. It will cost $12.00. I will earn only a small fraction of that. I did not print it to earn money though. I worked on this to get the writing out there where hopefully people can use it to draw closer to Jesus. Below is photo of the proof copy.
I am working on Volume 2 which will be about relationship with God.
Please pray for these materials to fall into the hands of folks who are yearning for God. I pray this is all done to God’s glory. I am now wondering if I should submit the poetry for publication through Kindle Direct? So many decisions about so many things!
Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:6-7
Ha! It just came through! Here is the link to purchase the book !! https://a.co/d/1dcvaGf
Treasures in Plain Sight, A Christian Blog 