It was a beautiful day today.   The temperatures were up into the 80s.  A gentle breeze and everything is getting green.   We really do need the promised rain as everything is getting rather thirsty out there.

I slept until 8AM.   I would have slept longer but my back started to hurt and it was better to get up and move around.   Dick slept until 10.   I just let him go as he needs all the rest he can get before Monday.   I will have to wake him up at 5AM to be sure he is ready when Tim from Custom Care and Transport comes to pick us up at 6:30AM.   Dick has to be at the hospital at 7AM top check in and the procedure is scheduled for 8:30AM.  I don't know how long they will keep him, but it is an outpatient procedure so we will be home by evening unless there is a problem.

While he was sleeping, I made some Ricotta Cheese out of some milk that had managed to sour on me.   So, I will prepare Cavatini on Wednesday.   (I need a couple of ingredients and will get them while grocery shopping.)   So if you want to come to dinner on Wednesday.   We eat at about 6PM and there will be plenty.  It is nice to fix something like that with the fresh Ricotta.

I also baked scones and prepared a Chicken Waldorf for our lunch today.    So I was busy.   My neighbor Don, helped me replace the screen in the front door so we were able to take advantage of the beautiful day.   I gave him some fresh scones for his help.  It is so lovely to have such wonderful neighbors and I want them to know how much I appreciate them.  It is really nice having Don and Jan back from Arizona for the summer.

I did lie down for a rest at about 2.   When I got up, I dressed for church.  Kay from Embrace Care came at 3:30PM to be with Dick.    While was gone, she took care of all the wash,  emptied the dishwasher and did some prep for dinner.    I love this and the most important thing is the fact that I do not have to worry about Dick while I am gone.  

We had Tbone steak, potatoes, corn with peppers and onion and salad for our supper.

Dick seems to be feeling a bit better.  I think the new medication is providing some help.

Pray for the family down in Oklahoma and Texas.   Bad weather again.   Bart called and they are safe.  Barbara needs prayers because she is not feeling well but the worst of the weather has bypassed them.  Still more coming I understand so we must pray for safety.

Mass was lovely.  I saw several friends and was able to pray and get myself centered for the coming week.   Especially important with Dick's surgery ahead of us.

So tomorrow will be another quiet day.   We have Kay from Embrace coming at 6:30PM to put Dick to bed, so I will be able to drive to Sheboygan Falls to visit with Mother.   Since I won't be able to go on Monday, this will be good.

Tomorrow, I intend to spend at least two hours on my sewing.   I only have two weeks to get the wall hanging done.  Not impossible, but it will need some persistance.

So.  Sleep tight.  I will remember you in my dreams.

Dia Dhuit

Mary

So yesterday, I saw Dr. Sidiki and will have a second procedure to try to eliminate the pain in my ribs and back.   The new one that had appeared in my breastbone is much better now that we have the stand lift. 
I will be having this procedure on Monday April 23rd in the morning.   Just a week after Dick has his procedure.

Dr. Herman will be doing a procedure, that we are hoping will help Dick with his urinary problems and help prevent the UTIs.    His procedure is THIS Monday at 8:30AM.    He has to be there at 7AM so Tim will be picking us up at 6:30AM.   That means that I will have to get up at 5AM to be able to get both of us ready to go.

This morning Dick had his dentist appointment at 11AM.   It was his cleaning and exam.   Woe is us.  He has a cavity.   I will call next week to schedule an appointment for that AND his 6 month followup.

Home again, Nancy was here  ready to give him his bath.   So we were happy when she was done and we could rest.   Tonight Kay from Embrace came to get Dick ready for bed.    She was glad I was here tonight as though Heidi had her come over the other day, it was good to have me to go over the details.    It went well and he is safely tucked in, I hope.

It will be better when he gets used to this.   I will be gone the next two times Kay comes because tomorrow she will come while I am at Mass and then Sunday, in the evening, I am going to see Mother as I will not be able to be there on Monday as I usually am.

I finally finished the blessing bundles and labels for the Gathering at the end of April and have designed the label for the back of the wall hanging which is coming together.  When  I finish, I will post a picture to the blog.    I am so pleased with it up til this point.   We will see if it meets my vision when I am done.

So until tomorrow, rest easy.   Dia Dhuit.

Mary 

A busy day again.   Greta came at 7AM to take care of Dick this morning.

I left at 8Am for my appointment with Dr. Sidiki.   I will be having the procedure to help the pain in my back and ribs on Monday the 23rd, just a week after Dick has his procedure for other reasons..

I have a telephone conference with the CWI group in about 15 minutes so will keep this short.   There was nothing else very exciting happening the rest of the day anyway.

So I will try to be more interesting tomorrow.

Dia Dhuit and I love you.

 Mary

This was the first new normal day for us using Embrace Care.   Wednesday and Thursday a helper comes in the morning from 7 to 10 to get Dick up and everything and to do any cleaning or other chores that I need done.

Heidi came today and I took off shortly after she got her to go grocery shopping, to the bank and to Walgreens to shop.  Imagine not having to rush through everything.  I am much more rested tonight.   It helped that Nancy came this afternoon and gave Dick his bath too.   

I was able to go downstairs and have now finished one of the three projects that have to be done by the end of April.

At 5:30PM, a nurse from VNA came to take the blood test that somehow or other did not work on Tuesday.  They were telling me that I would have to bring him back in and I said no.   I knew that Dr. Sharon could order it from the VNA as we are still on their "payroll".   Because of the procedure on Monday, our VNA requirements will probably be extended, at least for a couple more weeks.   I will have to learn a couple of things and he will have to heal.

Dick was a happy camper today.  I prepared the famous Kunert Spinach Noodle Egg casserole for dinner and he had some for supper too.

Tomorrow I will be talking to Dr. Sidiki about a procedure that might eliminate the pain from my ribs.  I am so glad that I have people coming out to be with Dick while I do these things.

Dia Dhuit

Mary

Another Haiku without a name

With blood on the page
And tears flowing from my eyes
I mourn for my youth.,

A busy day.   Tuesday is always trash day, so the WHOLE morning was getting the "morning" things done for Dick and me before we had to leave for the Plymouth Clinic for Dick's pre op appointment with Dr. Sharon.   Tim from Custom Care picked us up shortly after 10:30AM.  The appointment was at 11AM and he had to have some blood tests.  So we were home shortly before 12:30PM and I prepared egg salad sandwiches for our lunch.

We spent the afternoon at home but Dick was really restless.  I was able to almost finish one of my projects downstairs.   But he kept me pretty busy. 

Got a call from the lab at the Plymouth Clinic.   One of Dick's blood test did not work.   I told them that to bring him back in is very hard on him AND quite expensive.   They are going to contact the VNA to come to draw the blood tomorrow.

Tomorrow morning, Embrace will be there to relieve me from 7 to 10AM.   I will spend that time tomorrow, grocery shopping and doing a couple of errands.   I may stop to have a cup of tea or coffee, just to be alone and away. 

He is in bed not, a bit early, but not impossible.

So.  I am going to bed with a bit to read and get myself settled to the night.   Again a bit early, but I am tired and Roxie will be a happy kitty.

Tomorrow I will be fixing the famous Kunert Spinach, noodle egg casserole.   I like to whet Dick's appetite.

Dia Dhuit

Mary

I know I have published this before, but here it is again.   One of my poems.  Called Cobwebs.

Friend from long ago.
Do you ever think of me?
You stroll through my mind.

A lovely Monday.   The trees that we see out of the window at the end of the living room are getting prettier every day.   The temperature was warm and it was sunny.  A bit breezy, but that is so acceptable.  

Bobbie came at 9AM to stay with Dick while I went to Sheboygan Falls for bible study and to visit Mother.  I even stopped on my way there to pick up a package of yarn needles.   I have at least two yarn needles in this house.   The little people have hidden them and I don't have time for them to reappear so I bought some new ones.   I am keeping an eye on them as I plan on using them tonight.

There were 7 of us at bible study.  More than we had expected.   Helen is back from Florida and Felicia was able to come.    Yea for us.   We are studying Psalms of Lament right now and we feel that they are great as lamenting is something that we do well.

Then I drove over to see Mom.   I took her a piece of banana cream pie and some hot cross buns.   We got all her bills paid and had time for a nice visit.   Becky and little Elizabeth brought her some Easter Eggs and Eileen and Fred brought her dinner yesterday.   A lovely Easter for her.

Home again, Bobbie, Dick and I had lunch and then Kelly came to do his INR.  It was a bit low and this always causes consternation.    Especially since he is having that procedure next Monday.   So Debbie talked to the doctor.   They have decided that I WILL NOT have to give him the bridging shots.    We will continue as is until Thursday night.  Then no warferin until Monday night after the procedure.   I am SO relieved.  I am not meant to be giving shots to people.

At 6:30PM, Heidi came over with three gals who will be helping Dick get to bed on the three evenings that they work her.   They learned how to work with the stand lift and his prostheses and his general time routine of getting ready for bed.

So we are getting the help organized.  by this time next week we should be on a good schedule.

Pray for us and all others like us who need your thoughts and prayers

Love

Dia Dhuit

Mary

I hope your Easter was as blessed as mine was.

I got up at 6AM, took my shower and prepared myself so that I would be able to just leave when the aide came to stay with Dick while I went to Mass.    I woke Dick up at 7:00AM as I felt that I needed to get Dick up and basically dressed as a new person was coming to stay with him and they would not have known how to put on his prostheses.   Greta got here at a bit after 7:30AM so I was able to arrive at church on time.   I was a bit anxious because often Holy Day Masses are just packed and you have to get there early to get parking.  I guess this was too early for most.    Glad I didn't go to one of the two later masses.

I arrived home to a husband that was fed and content, a clean kitchen cabinet with dishes washing in the dishwasher and the wash done.    Greta was studying.   Good girl.   She would have stayed if I had something for her to do,  but on Easter, I sent her home a few minutes early.

Bobbie and Bill arrived a little after 10AM.    Bobbie prepared Topsy Turvy Pie, a meal from her childhood, for our Easter Dinner.   It is delicious - Hamburger prepared specially with a biscuit topping that is finished in the oven.  We had corn and salad and the Banana Cream Pie that I had prepared for the rest of the meal.   A lovely visit with Bobbie and Bill.   I feel very relaxed. 

I talked to Bart and Barb, Bret and Leslie and Bill today too.  Voices mean so much to me- Almost as much as hugs.   Leslie sent a UTube of little Marcus reacting to his Mom.   He is SO cute.

Tomorrow starts another week.   Perhaps a good week to really establish the help that I will be hiring from Embrace Care Management to help with Dick.  Easter week was a very odd, jumpy week to begin.

So. Keep yourselves safe and pray for us as I pray for you each day.

Dia Dhuit

Mary

This has been one of my favorite prayers - forever.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.
— Prayer of Saint Francis