Tuesday, June 5, 2012

So many people have asked me to blog again to keep everyone updated.
I'm still in quite a bit of pain, but I suppose that's to be expected.  I hate having to sit or lay around like I'm lazy, but Steve and Janie keep after me all the time to take it easy and not strain myself.  They are both attentive and so helpful, I'm always reminding them that I'm not an invalid yet.
I'm still supposed to not lift 10#'s yet, and that even includes still drawers and car doors.  It would be nice to have everything done for me if I didn't know that they all feel sorry for me. 
Steve has pampered me so much that my muscles are going to shrink from misuse.
He has done laundry, cl;eaned floors, cooked meals, cleaned the kitchen, changed the bed, and done much more so that I could sit around and watch him work or play in my hobbies, which make terrible messes.
I've seen a mission for myself.  I'm making beautiful hats for little girls and young women to contribute through the American Cancer Society.  Heather Watson, who is Dr. Foutch's receptionist, collects hats and caps for the Chemo patients, and I'm going to load her up with some really glamourous ones.  It's a messy job, but I just carry some hats, feathers, and silk slowers downstairs and pile them all in the living room floor and begin the creative process.  Steve says I look like some sort of mad scientist, digging through all my stuff and coming up with something that looks the way I like.
I just feel like that you sont have to be ugly because you're sick.  I figure that these little girls and younger women would still want to look pretty, and so I'm making them nice hats to cover their sweet little heads.
Steve told me I shouls contact Barbara and get her to write an article about my efforts so that others could contribute silk flowers or old hats to my project.  I've taken some of themost bedraggled old hats, cleaned them, and I'm making them a whole new life as a rescue chapeau.
It's not strenuous, and it makes me feel like I'm giving something back to the fellow sufferers.
I just hope Heather likes my sontributions.  Doc's office staff have been so good to call and keep in touch with my progress.  All of them are such good, praying people with a real compassion for our community, and I'm so thankful that they are my friends and care providers.
Doc assured me as soon as he found out about my cancer that they would all do anything they could to help me, and their support has been outstanding.
Joan Stalsworth, the manager of the Family Dollar, and my good girl friend, called me from the beach yesterday.  She is such a good friend, and she needed a vacation for a while, but she's not forgotten me.  She said that she sat in a rocker the whole first day she was there.  The store works her to death.
Stumpy, out little manx kitten, has learned to walk all over the house, and follows the sound of my voice and my steps.  She's still so tiny.  We're both afraid we'll step on her.  She had that strange eye infection that kittens seem to get so easily, but I'm treating her with penicillen, and she's getting better fast.  She's so affectionate, and she's going to be a 'momma's girl'.  Sweety fights her a little, but has learned that mom will get involved with her long, hard yardstick if she makes Stumpy cry.
I stayed at Creekside all day yesterday.  Steve worked in his office upstairs, and I did little easy jobs like sorting and putting things away.  I laid down for about an hour in the afternoon.  Janie has brought a roll-away bed in for me and installed it in the library, and it's nice to have somewhere to rest for a while.  The days seem so long when you're not able to be active.
Steve had a man-to-man talk with John last evening about his salary and his obligations to us.  He owes us quite a bit from his habits of collecting his pay befor payday and then wanting more at payday.  He hadn't worked any time sinse I have been in the hospital or back home, but he still wants money.
His house rent is due tomorrow, and Steve told me he knew that it wouldn't be ready, so he forgave him the rent for this month, but told him that it was time for him to become a man and be good to those who were helping him (meaning me)  He told him that, for whatever reason, I liked him, and that he's better encourage me in my affection for him, because no one else on the job site like him much.  He also told him that is he took too much advantage of me. HE (Steve) would get into the mix, and John would like that much.
I still have to pay the lot rent on the trailer, which means we're partially supporting John a place to live.  He should be more grateful of kindnesses.
Joy, Janie's sister from North Carolina, came for a few days visit yesterday.  She's such a nice lady, but has had a hard life, and she shows it.  She looks like she's several years older that Janie, but Janie is 5 years older than Joy.  Joy smokes pretty heavily, and that ages a person.
All of Janie's family are so good to me.  You'd think I was born into their clan.
Judy is going to try to come by on her way home from Morristown on Friday morning.  She will have been working a shift on their med-flight copter there, and Rutledge is almost on her way home.
I'm so proud of her.  She's one of the most caring and loving people I've ever known, and one of the best nurses I've ever know, too.
She is an inspiration to me, and makes me want to be a better person, just to make her love me more.
I hear more from her than I do her mother.
Cecil is so busy with her own care and a part-time job.  She shouldn't be having to work just to pay her bills.  She and her fine husband, 'L', worked all their lives and paid into Social Security, and now that she's widowed, older, and sick, she still has to work to have the bare necessities.
My good friend, Betty Pike, is in the same predicament.  She's had to open a dog sitting service in her home to make ends meet.  She's given her whole life to service for others, and there's little help for her now.  Some of the friends in their meeting are helpful, but society soon forgets those who have served them.  She was always a good neighbor when we lived close enough, and a wonder example of Christian womanhood.  I'd say some of the public stays away because she's put them to shame, as they're living sinful lives.  It's hard for calous sinners to be comfortable around Godly people.
Ruth, her mother, is deaf now, but is still in the battle for the Lord.  It gives me good cheer to know such people.
Sister Valentine (while we're discussing good people) is building a new screen porch on the back of her house.  They had built a huge deck on the rear of their house when they built, and, several years ago, it had become wobbly and insecure.  I took some tools and supplies and went over there and she and I crawled around there and shored things up quite a bit.  She's told me several times that it would have fallen by now if we had not done those repairs.  She's finally having it removed and a smaller deck put at one back door and a small screen porch put at the other.  She had always wanted a covered porch on the rear of her home, and the view from out there is just splendid.  I'm glad that she's getting what she's always wanted.  There's no more deserving person.
Dennis Farris, one of Steve's men, called this morning and wished me well.  He's a nice man, and had lived in Texas until a recent split with his wife, and then he moved to Cleveland.  He stil goes home occasionally, but he told Steve that it's just a long process of splitting with his wife.
I don't believe that people take their marriage vows seriously anymore.  I would be appalled at the very thought of a marriage break-up, but it's more and more common.  It seems like nowadays, live-ins are the common way of life.
Not for me!
My Jave Green peacock has killed all the other males, even though Steve put one in another cage.  They fought through the wire until they tore it open and got to each other.  He has a glorious tail spread, and he had always been rather shy and calm until this mating season.  He's the head bird now.
He's quite valuable, and I just love his looks, but I wish he'd not killed the other males, as they were also beautiful.
I want to get up to Creekside and finish a few small jobs that don't require heavy lifting or much effort.  I also want to keep an eye on John, as he doesn't want to take orders from Janie.
I am so slow, and I get tired easily, and I would just love to forget about Creekside for a short while, but it calls to me.  I love that old house, and I love the people who stop in to visit.  It's becomming my 'identity' house, though I more identify with Clairemont.  People don't come up here, though, and it's so easy to stop in there.
Janie still has no air conditioning in her house.  She's called Randy Newberry, who is a local heating and air man, and also a minister, and he's given her a time when he can get to her problem.  He's fair in his prices, and I have an affection for him.  His wife, Brenda, is also a minister, and I prefer to do business with Christians.
I need to wind this up and get to work.
I've mentioned Barbara, so I guess I can close this without drawing her wrath.