My real reason for blogging....
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Isn't this t-shirt cute? I found it on http://www.zazzle.com/ and just couldn't resist getting it!
What a week this has been...
The very serious drought continues here in Alabama...the Governor has now issued a declaration asking everyone to "pray for rain". I guess that we will just have to wait and see if this works...I can't help but think that some of these water problems has more to do with bad planning by our local politicians than the lack of rain...Maybe we should be praying for new leadership!
And, as if having one of our own state Senator's (Charles Bishop) punch another state Senator (Lowell Barron)wasn't enough humiliation for us...we now have our ex-Governor, Don Siegelman and the former CEO of HealthSouth, Richard Scrushy, convicted of bribery charges and in jail for an average of 7 years each. It is a very unfortunate situation...but, I believe that the courts have very little tolerance for white collar crime nowadays.
Well, enough of all of this...I am off to take my morning walk before it gets any hotter outside...
Friday, June 29, 2007
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Give him a hand...
All of a sudden it appeared.
I had a large round lump pop up on the inside wrist of my left hand.
When the dermatologist took a look at it on Tuesday, she said that I needed to go to a hand specialist sooner rather than later.
This statement unnerved me as I headed to my appointment yesterday morning. My mind was racing in so many directions..."What if this was something serious? Would I be able to continue hand-crafting my pottery?". Because I am left-handed, this was of particular concern to me.
The clinic was a good distance from my house and I found myself in new territory as I tried to follow the nurse's "not so accurate" directions. She had said, "Go through 3 traffic lights" when, in actuality, there were more than 8 lights to pass before coming to the clinic. Of course, this just added to my anxiety!
Once I arrived at what I took to be the building where I needed to go, I got in the elevator ready to head to the 7th floor. Unfortunately, this particular building only had four floors. Obviously, I was in the wrong place. : (
Relocating to the taller building across the street, I found an elevator that went to the seventh floor and made my way up!
Sitting in the waiting room, I was given a large stack of papers to fill out. There were two other ladies in the room with me and we were all commenting about the multiple sheets of detailed information that we had to fill out. One of the ladies commented that she was there because she could hardly move her hand, yet here they were making her write all of this information down and use her sore hand. Good point. (We even laughed about having a "patient revolt".....the receptionist wasn't really amused.)
When I finally got ushered into the exam room I hardly caught my breath before I was whisked into the x-ray room for pictures of my lump. I was pretty amazed as the images showed up on the computer screen in a matter of minutes....no more waiting for pictures to develop.
Back in the exam room, the doctor knocked on the door. This always makes me laugh when doctors do this in that I feel like saying, "I don't want any" or "I already gave at the office" or "Go away!". But, of course, I said "come in"...and he did.
As he took my hand in his, I was amazed at how he studied every nuance of it. He seemed transfixed on the movement of my hand and then focused on "the lump". He continued to study it without saying anything. After all, I thought, he is a "hand specialist" and I guess that this is what they do.
Finally, the diagnosis: a ganglion cyst. For those of you not familiar with this...it "is a tumor or swelling on top of a joint or the covering of a tendon (tissue that connects muscle to bone)." This benign lump was not painful and would most likely shrink and possibly grow periodically. I could either ignore it or have surgery to remove it if it becomes a problem for me. I chose to ignore it for now.
Back in my car (and passing back through the 8 or more lights to the highway!) , I breathed a sigh of relief and had a smile on my face as I headed home to get my hands back in my clay.... : )
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
"An anniversary is a time to celebrate the joys of today, the memories of yesterday, and the hopes of tomorrow." ~Author Unknown
Adam and Jenny,
Nine years ago you were surrounded by the most important people in your life as you said your vows to each other.
Today you will share your special day in the presence of the newest member of your family, sweet Owen. Through your love for each other, he will learn love. Through your laughter, he will learn joy. Through your challenges, he will learn tenacity. Through your enthusiasm he will develop a passion for life.
Love and cherish one another always, for what you have together is so special.
Happy Anniversary, Adam and Jenny!
Hugs and love on your special day and always,
Mom
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Talk to me....
Why can't men be more like women?
We will converse on any topic, anytime.
In fact, we actually enjoy it!
Men, on the other hand, have long been known to be happy with total silence.
We ladies can go into minute details about anything while men's conversations tend to be filled with nods, grunts, and occasional groans.
I just don't get it. If I say to Dave, "Can we talk?", his eyes glaze over, he sighs heavily, and gets a stunned look on his face. If there is a sports event on television when I propose a discussion, he says "ok" but doesn't take his eyes off of the screen! Of course the way to test this is to say something like: "I noticed that your car was in flames down in the garage, is that okay?". If he runs down to check on it, great. If not, that is your clue that he isn't listening. : 0
I also think that most males believe that when a woman wants to talk there must be something wrong. Not true. We just like to announce that a conversation is about to begin. You know, kind of like fair warning.
We don't like to have to condense whatever we are talking about. Embellishment comes with our genetic makeup. The more descriptive words that we can use in a sentence, the better. Add a little drama and change your voice inflection and the whole thing is enhanced. Sometimes one has to go off on another tangent to fully explain something in more detail....but, be patient, we will come back to the original discussion as long as we can remember what we were talking about.
So, can we talk? : )
Monday, June 25, 2007
Busy day ahead
I took my walk through the oppressive humidity this morning....showered.....put on my "work clothes"....snorfed down some fruit and multi-grain Cheerios...breezed through the paper....tried to do today's Jumble puzzle...(decided to finish it later as I got stumped on the first word!) and now I need to head down to my studio and finish up some underglazing on my pottery...fill some orders.... and get ready to load my kiln for firing (nothing like firing up the kiln to 1800 degrees to add to our 90 degree weather! ack!)
...busy day....So my post today will be some of my "cat-themed" work........
Later.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
helplessness....
Sometimes this crazy ride of life throws you a curve and you don't quite know how to handle it.
Such is the case with Dave right now as he deals with his sister's continuing health issues. He goes to sleep at night thinking about her and wakes up in the morning with the same thoughts. It has become a constant in his life.
I can see the feeling of helplessness in his face and the sadness in his eyes.
I want to make things better for him, but realize that I can't fix this. He has to work this through himself at his own pace. I did convince him to take our morning walk today at a park...with its winding paths through the tall trees and streams, my hope was that getting out in nature might soothe him a bit. If nothing else, it provided a diversion.
I am sure that not living in the same town makes it all the more difficult for him as he is getting all of his information via the phone and not in person. It is a very tough situation.
Cancer is such an insidious disease. It doesn't seem to differentiate between who it affects as it seemingly moves in and becomes a permanent part of your life. The "weapons" used to fight it (such as chemotherapy) can bring along a whole range of pretty miserable side effects. We have seen this firsthand with his sister.
In my helplessness I try to think about what part I can have in all of this. Maybe continuing to spread the word about preventive health care?
Her cancer started in the colon before it spread. I implore all of you who are 50 years old or beyond to do yourself and your loved ones a favor and go have a colonoscopy. When caught early enough this disease offers a more hopeful prognosis.
So, why wait?
Do it now...
Stand
It is interesting how things work sometimes. Sometimes a message is sent to us in an unusual way...
Just as I finished writing today's blog I began to read some of my "regulars" out there in blogland.
The first one that I came to had this video of Rascal Flatts singing the song, Stand.
The message seemed to resonate with me and I decided to copy it and add it to my blog today...(Thank you, Melissa) here are the words:
You feel like a candle in a hurricane
Like you've lost your fight
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Friday, June 22, 2007
"Water, water, everywhere and not a drop to....."
38% of the state of Alabama is in the "exceptional drought stage", including my city, Birmingham.
The stages are: "abnormally dry, moderate drought, severe drought, extreme drought, and exceptional drought".
While we have some city-wide mandatory restrictions such as hand watering (no sprinklers! ) lawns only on Tuesday and Friday(for even numbered houses) between the hours of 4 a.m. and 9 a.m., I have imposed my own water saving rules.
Suddenly, I am much more cognizant of my personal water usage.
Today, while waiting for the cold water to turn hot enough to wash dishes in, I filled a large container with the water and moistened some potted flowers outside. I plan to do the same thing when I take my shower. Why let perfectly good water go down the drain? I waited until the dishwasher was bursting at the seams with items before running it this morning and, I turned the water off while brushing my teeth.
It is amazing how much we take having water available for granted now that it's use is being restricted.
At times I feel like the "water police"...I find myself getting a little upset when I pass by a home with a lush green, obviously, heavily watered lawn. I actually feel a bit of pride having a semi-dried out, crispy lawn at my house. I guess that barely keeping my landscaping alive sends out the message that I am being a good citizen.
Any person found violating the sanctions imposed can be fined $500. or serve up to 180 days in jail. I can just see the conversation going on between inmates at the local prison:
"So, what are you in for?"
"Watering my lawn, and you?". : 0
We are all collectively praying for some drenching rain to come our way. Unfortunately, the weather forecasters don't see it happening anytime soon.
As our temperatures start climbing into the 90's these lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer...one can almost hear the plants drying up.
Anyone know a good rain dance?
Thursday, June 21, 2007
....the last few memories of the beach weekend....
Our first stop along the route was Billy's Seafood. Walking up to it the aroma was pretty smelly....in a strange way it added to the authenticity of the place.
We walked out with 2 and 1/2 pounds of "right off the boat" extra large shrimp and a nice piece of freshly caught fish. Dave and I made dinner for the bride and groom that first night....the shrimp and fish were so unbelievably good! It is hard to go back to "fresh frozen" seafood after you've experienced these recently caught delights!
Even though Billy's took us off of our beaten path by about 15-20 minutes, it was well worth the time! : )
Today marks a full year since I started this blog!
On June 21, 2006, I never imagined that posting on my little blog would have grown in importance to me day by day.
It has been quite a year and it is nice to have it all documented on Awaiting Buddha... Jenny and Adam's pregnancy....birthdays....anniversaries....fun events....moments of introspection.....continuing to deal with some of "Life's Ups and Downs"...and, most importantly the joyous birth of Owen, my first grandson.
Thanks and a big hug to all of my family and friends who have let me share my stories of them publicly. And, to all of my new blogging friends out there...thank you for coming along for the ride and inviting me to take a peek into your little world. We aren't quite famous yet...but, we're getting there!
Stay tuned as life continues to unfold for all of us....I can't wait to see what the next year has in store....
Love and hugs,
Grammie
32 years ago.....
Here I am at 8+ months pregnant and expecting my first child in April, 1974....
Now, 32 years later, my son and his wife are getting ready to have their first child, my grandson!
We have named him Buddha until he comes out into the world and we can give him a real name. Until then.....his spiritual, self-reflective name is "Buddha". We hope that he doesn't mind.
And, I have named myself the "Dalai Mama"....!
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Red- bellied Sunsoaker
I should have nagged him more.
I should have disregarded "that look" (you know the one!) on his face when I said, "Sweetie, you might want to put some sunscreen on...you look like you are getting burnt."
But, I realized that Dave is a big boy and he will know what is best. So, I didn't say anything more.
Ooops.
Driving back home on Sunday, Dave was in obvious discomfort as his body was glowing in a bright shade of scarlet RED..... ouch.
It even hurt where his waistband on his shorts touched his lower belly as he was sitting and driving. It hurt me just to look at this painfully red belly.
Being a golfer, Dave has the typical tan lower arms and legs in the summertime...but is lilly white everywhere else....well, not anymore... as he now had bright red areas to fill in where there was white before.
I wanted to say, "I told you so!"...but, being the sweet and demure woman that I am (!), I held it all in and actually found myself feeling sorry for him.
When we got to my house, I rubbed his burnt belly with some aloe moisturizer several times and placed a cool, wet towel over the whole area. His skin was so hot and tender...so I also had him take some Advil to relieve some of the pain. I must say that by the next morning, my nursing efforts helped tremendously as he was feeling much better. He called it "miraculous"...I just called it genius on my part. ha ha
Now, I, on the other hand, slathered on my sunscreen before stepping out of the condo....and then I spent most of the time relaxing under the umbrella especially when the sun was the strongest. I got just enough color to prove that I had actually been to the beach...but, no burnt areas!
Now I know why women are the smarter sex....and why we live longer than men... : )
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