Luke, the computer geek, builds an onion seedling tray of bamboo for his wife, the carpenter. I wonder how Heather managed that? I think it’s sweet

“Gratitude is of the very essence of worship. … When you walk with gratitude, you do not walk with arrogance and conceit and egotism, you walk with a spirit of thanksgiving that is becoming to you and will bless your lives”. Sincerely giving thanks not only helps us recognize our blessings, it also unlocks the doors of heaven and helps us feel God’s love.”

I’ve been awake and up three times today. Each time I took meds with a banana and some lemonade. That’s my feast for today.

The best part so far is that my leg got skinnier after all that time in bed. The worst part is that my gut distress is even worse than ever. Last time I crawled in bed I was having life-altering chills. My muscles hurt bad from all the shaking/tensing. My arms are the sorest.

I am thankful that today is a rainy day. That means Zeke only wants to go out when he REALLY has to. A nice thing about having a cat is that she likes to sleep at least as much as me

see more dog and puppy pictures

I am thankful for how much easier my life is this year compared to last year. After 13 months at this apartment, things are settling down. Last year at this time I was scrambling to have food to eat. Now that is not a worry I am very, very thankful for my garden, the food shelf and food stamps.

I am sooooo thankful to be up off the floor! Sleeping on the single mattress on the floor was better than being ON the floor, but was tough on this old body. My life improved greatly with a donated mattress and box springs and then improved even more this summer when I finally got a bed frame. Now getting into and out of bed is something I do not even think about

My sister gave me 2 long sleeved shirts last year and Beth and Luc gave me one this year. I bought winter boots in the middle of last year’s deep snow in October. I bought a pair of sweat pants and was gifted with 2 others I can dress warmly.

I LOVE my new little ceramic heater! It has not been as cold this fall as last fall. Mostly it’s my feet that are freezing. I turn the little heater on for a few minutes and I am happy

I still do not own real shoes. I either wear sandals or heavy boots. Maybe some day I will give in and get some shoes. I’ve been thinking more about footwear since snow is predicted in a few days and I watched Doug and the maintenance man put the plow on the truck today. I am VERY grateful for maintenance men!

I have furniture! I love garage sales and am very thankful for garage sales and Freecycle. YIPPPPPEEEEEE!!!!! I love my freezer full of garden produce

This is my post about THINGS. I now have enough things to live much more comfortably. For that I am very grateful

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Nifty home-made compost tumbler by Heather and Luke

Taking down the old fence and putting up a new cedar picket fence

Building more garden beds

No idea what she’s building. Nice butt

Raised beds painted a pretty blue

I find it amusing that Heather is acting like I was when I was pregnant with her. I did a few building projects while I still could….and of course I had a garden! Heather always does things 10 or 100 times better than me, though….

I listened to this program on NCPR today and thought about how Heather is not typical…and how sad that is for other kids. I wish more could be set free to learn and grow like Heather! Hmmmmm….what will her son be like????

My health aide was supposed to come today.  She switched from Thanksgiving to today. I even called the office this morning to double check. They said she would be here at 1:30. Nope. I just woke up and could smell the garbage in the can. Zeke and I marched it out to the garage in the rain. I’ve been choking ever since. My lungs are still full of crud. I wonder if my aide is OK? Now I am worried about her. She is not like the first one I had. This one ALWAYS shows up on the right day and time. I’m thinking it was her office that gave me bad info.

I slept like a log for 2 hours. When I woke up I did not know what day or time it was. Then I heard what woke me up. Doug’s son must be upstairs He sounds like a baby elephant running from place to place. I actually LOVE hearing him up there. I miss my baby.

Next thing I know, Marge is knocking on the door. She gave me ziti in meat sauce. As we were talking, Zeke zoomed out the door and down to the office. Earlier the manager and Luc had given him 3 cheese sticks. He went right to Laura’s desk for an encore. Too smart for his own good! AND…what a spoiled brat!

Instead of looking better after my nap, my leg is now neon pink. Grrrrrrrrrr….I think it’s infected again. I have been having massive chills ever since my trip to the hospital this morning. Marge was appropriately grossed out.

My only piece of mail today is a letter from the state saying I have already reached my limit of 12 for doctor visits. It says my benefit year began in August and ends in July. The letter tells me to go to the ER for further medical care. Reminds me of the $440 taxi ride to the doc. The system is NUTS!!!!!!

While in the hospital today, Zeke was an absolute perfect example of a well-trained service dog. He got a zillion compliments. If they only knew what he acted like at home!

Now I am worried about Luc. His blood pressure is 210 over some other way too high number. He went to the drug store to check it because his wife and the maintenance man made him. Luc’s eyes are getting bloody in the white part. It looks creepy and is probably a very bad thing.  Their car was still gone when I went out. UPDATE: They just came to visit. Luc’s BP was down to 110 when he went to the  doc and she told him it was nothing to  worry about! He looks like somebody beat him…nice black eye to go with the red white part. Eeeeewwwww! The good part? Beth and Luc brought me treats from town

Aleka was being a clown when I was in the living room. She lies on the floor and uses her claws in the couch to propel herself the length of the couch, turns like an Olympic swimmer and pulls herself down the other way.

Mmmmmm…just got a new batch of Cortland apples. I eat the apple, Zeke eats the cores….

Ohhhhhh…..I almost forgot! I passed the place where I will be getting my IVIg infusion and stopped in to ask how long it will take. They have me down for 3 hours! Good thing I asked!!!!! It needs to go in slower or I get very, very sick. The bummer is my date to have it done is now a couple of days later. At least I’m getting it!

I had to go in fasting, so that meant no meds in the middle of the night or this morning. Geezum crow!!! I forgot how weak I am without Mestinon. It was really hard getting in and out of the van. I walked like a drunk, shuffling old lady. Steering the van was WORK.

I cannot take my meds without food, so had to do without. Mestinon is tough on the guts. Days and days of diarrhea have made me weaker than usual…..and also dehydrated. The woman drawing my blood had a hard time. She had to poke me repeatedly and move the needle around. Until then, I did not realize how dehydrated I had become. Did the pinch test and the skin on my hands stands up in a sharp line from being pinched. Sigh…

I’m soooooo darned weak! I guess it will take more than one dose of Mestinon until my strength comes back. Both of my legs hurt unmercifully The pain is making me extra queasy. Sigh…   Nap time!

Heather kept telling me she doesn’t really look pregnant….she looks like she ate too many donuts. Snicker…..looks like a baby bump to me!

Go to Peggy’s site and read about her friend and the friend’s family. An amazing story about the power of love and adoption. Send as many cards as you can to Ryan!

Ryan Huddleston
% DCP – Chad Unit
7200 E. Indiana Street
Evansville, IN, USA 47715