I am down to 5 marigolds. Neighbors have 3 new gopher holes..we think that makes 18 now. The constant rain has diminished the other 15 but they are there. I've spent too much money; let Sandy Ordinance come out and issue them yet another advisory to keep up their yard. They have 2 wks & then the City does it and charges them. Yet they always wait for 13 days and use a weed whacker to chop the 3 ft weeds on their lawn they never water and wait til they get summoned again. It makes me sad. I work so hard for my yard and since they moved in I cant keep up with t he dandelions, gophers and ugly site. Those plastic fences are great but expensive. OH well, will just keep working on it.
My last foster mother I called Aunt Alberta kept me from the age of 12 1/2 until I married at 20 and we remained as close as a mother and daughter. She passed away in 2004 at 93 and sharp as ever. She was from New Ulm, Minn, German heritage and a good cook. I've decided to start typing
her recipes every few days or so. Some are German, some are just darn good. Some have those famous Mormon recipes that are fabulous comfort food as well as good for sharing with your neighbors or families on get-togethers.
See, I am taking positive steps to get out of my shell. I will have a link for my writing blog soon also. I am doing the dream, if only for me.

I had such a good birthday. My daughter and granddaughter took me out to garage sales most of the day, finding gadgets and trinkets..mostly, we thoroughly enjoyed the pleasure of our company. Husband was in Idaho so the kids took me out to dinner..and I came home to 3 balloons , a bag of candy and a bar of Lilac soap. The day ended with Facebook, Twitter and mellow reflections.



Today is just a quiet day. After watching NASCAR I have spent time puttering at various chores in a futile attempt to ward off the worry of tomorrows biopsy results. My heart has been broken enough times that trusting it doesn't come easy and yet it is telling me I will be okay. There I go again... whoosh.. negative thoughts be gone!

Oh my. Things have been nuts but that is my life. June 23rd I had a liver biopsy and am still waiting for the results. The radiologist said it was dense but that was all he could say. It could be from fatty tissue, diabetes or fibers. We don't want it to be fibers as that would mean I may need a new liver down the road.. but I won't let my brain wrap around that.

The marigold mystery is on. I was told marigolds distract aphids and gophers so I got a flat of them and planted them between my property and nextdoor neighbors who don't do yardwork at all and had 15 gopher holes last fall. We have lost 3/4 of the flowers to the gophers now so we are trying everything we can.

I really need to commit to another blog where I write what I have written. Actually a lot depends on the results of that darn biopsy. I am on hold in bizarro world.

I have been slacking again.. but only because a busy life has interfered. My new kitten, Bella, is a Bombay they tell me. She has short sleek, non shedding hair with gold (seriously) eyes. She was bottle fed so is very affectionate and finds my shoulder and under my neck her favorite places to snooze. So far she is my miracle kitten.
My dr. decided to decrease my methotrexate to see what happens. It has been two weeks now and I am having more breakouts, allergy attacks, so I have to call him. They still haven't scheduled the livery biopsy so I have to call in the am. If it is ok, hopefully I can resume my normal dosage. .
Have you heard of the card game "Screw Your Neighbor"? It is so fun. The weird things is my 8 yr old granddaughter has been wooping us 3 out of 4 games. It's a real fun game and if any of you are interested just ask as it is super simple to learn.
Sorry this is short. It is late at night. Life has been mild lately.

I have my granddaughter sleeping over tonight. She'll turn 8 in July. When I see her lately and all the changes I keep thinking of the Mike Douglas song (aging myself here) "Turn Around" " Where are you going, my little one, little one, where are you going my baby my own. Turn around and you're one, turn around and you're grown, turn around and you're a young girl going out on your own.".. I must find that song to download. Used to have the 45 record (aging again, lol). I just remembered another song I miss that I played over and over: "Dreams of the Everyday Housewife" sung by Glen Campbell. Ha, misty-eyed I am. There are certain things that have no place staying in the past...things that made you smile, feel safe, laugh outloud, your heart race and take your breath away are but a few. Your present is greatly a result of what your past was, your temperment or lack of, your tolerance or lack of, your fears or lack of fear, the words you heard or did not hear..So many parents still don't get it. They are so self-absorbed and waste the grand opportunity they have to help create a better world.

Didn't mean for so much time to go by. It is not that I haven't had anything to say but that I have had too much going on to say it. Now that made no sense. Oh well, such is who I am. Bob is doing well and soon back to work. Tomorrow I have to schedule a liver biopsy for how long I have been taking Methotrexate as it is a toxin and harmful to the liver. Blood tests can only tell you so much; only a biopsy can show if you have no fibers or disease. Fun, huh? It's been 10 yrs on the stuff so doctors say it is time.
I have agoraphobia (thank you early foster homes) and it can be limiting but gratefully I don't have it severe. Now, if you put me (sole adult) in a room with more than 2 children at a time I can guarantee you I will have a panic attack and back into the corner. I go long ways around in a grocery store to avoid aisles that have more than 2 carts on them and can't wait in the middle of a line. Well, I can but my heart races and I get shakey. Some people cannot even go out to shop. Unless you have it or know someone who does it is difficult to be empathetic. Anyway, that is one of my phobias. Enough revelation for now. :)
I am looking into doing some podcasts. I really miss doing my radio talk show... will keep you updated on that. Thanks Roscoe for your advise.

Bob is doing better today but lots of pain. Hopefully he can come home Thursday. Since there were complications they want to be certain there are no infections.
Moment of terror today. I was sitting first car at a red light when I looked up to see a large car pull into my lane of traffic heading directly at me. I had nowhere to go. As the car got deadly close I started to throw myself onto the seat to lessen my injuries when he swerved, skidded and tore up the street adjacent to me. That was as close to a head-on as one can get without being in one and I never, ever want to be that close and helpless again. It has been hours but my stomach is still in knots and my GRATITUDE is overwhelming. Divine Intervention. Totally.

Busy day today. Hoping marigolds will keep the next door neighbors gophers away. It took us all year last year to get them out of our yard and they are marching back ,the little buggars.

It has been too long since I have posted but too many things have had to come first. Yesterday my son-in-law, 47, was operated on for severe diverticulitis. They had to remove 18" of intestines and his gall bladder. There were some complications but at the moment he is allright. Watched the 2 grandkids today, Abby and Andrew and again tomorrow. Hope he recovers well. It was an intense surgery and he will learn he is not Superman and it will take time to heal. I love him.
I am integrating Twitter with my blogs. You know how much I want to get more back into my writing and I think this is finally it. It will take a few days and attempts to iron out the kinks so one can lead to the other.
Writing is my passion and I can't wait to share some of it with you. I need to learn how I can separate my blogs with segments of my writing. I am reading other blogs to learn a technique that is a right fit for me.
I heard I can link my Facebook also. Here I go thinking out loud again.

It is another sad story, I am afraid. We went and got the sweet puppy and drove it home bonding and loving. That night my husband instantly fell for the puppy. However by early evening I was beginning to have itchy eyes, welts on my chest where his head was. Needless to say it got worse all night long. I could not sleep at all as eyes were horribly swollen, painful itching, nose running and sneezing. By 8 am I called and we made the long return trip to take the puppy back. Boy I am still amazed how much I cried. It was the cutest thing and I had happiness and comfort in my heart that all would be well.
I heard poodles are the best. My son-in-law is having major surgury for diverticulitis on the 13th of May so life is going to be very hectic for a while. May be when he is healed and back to work I can try this again, I don't know. I wish I had enough money to afford the shots so I could have any type of dog or cat but...wishing doesn't cut it for now.
SOrry this is short, I know no one reads this but I felt obligated to finish the story.
Goodnight all.

Well, I cannot have a cat. Feeling sorry for myself until I learned of certain breeds of dogs that are allergy friendly. Called some friends and learned a lot. In Utah we have a web site www.ksl.com and under classified, under dogs they have tons of listing that sell like hotcakes. After several hits and misses this magical ad appears... 4 male miniature schnauzers. allergy friendly, cuddly, loyal, comforting, great for kids and older people. dont dig, easy learners, don't shed. I fell in love with two of them.
My daughter and I are making the 2 hr drive in the morning to pick one and bring it home. I feel like a schoolgirl I am so nervous.. I know it will be a good thing. When I am alone I will be able to focus on someone besides me and since putting Chewey down several years ago, then Pepper 2 months ago I have been pretty depressed. My doc said pets are a real asset to sick people and urged me months ago to replace Chewey.
Wish me luck. No one will replace Chewey but maybe they can fill the empty space.

I am twittering now and enjoying the shortness of it. If you feel the need my name is hermoviebuff.

So I decided I needed a kitten and to my surprise and delight my daughter and her husband showed up tonight with 2, 6 wk Siamese mix kittens. Oooh! Just as I was falling in love and birds were twittering I began to sneeze, the kitten I held scratched my neck and chest and INSTANTLY my skin burned, itched and swelled up grotesquely. 5 hrs later I still need eye drops, Sinex and wash my eyes and face from dander. I am so flippin upset. I had a cat all these years and now this? It isn't fair, I need, need a companion. My husband is gone so often and I am up late, ill often and need someone to talk to pet and googoo talk to. No, no humans are needed for this. Gees.

So, she took the kitten to her house & we have to wait til Monday to contact my allergist who told me 7 yrs ago there was not one thing on the back scratch test I wasn't allergic to. Hopefully, he will say just get a short hair or wash it often, comb it, spray it, pray........... Oh, my friends I made eye contact with the little flipper! How do you bond in under 5 minutes? The saga will continue til Monday. Please think happy thoughts for me... A dog would be a more concerned about me companion but they need doggy doors (2), kennels, haircuts, poopy spots, leashes, etc but they look at you, cock their head at every word and make you feel like you are royalty. (Big Sigh!)

I have a bizarre sense of well being tonight. Things still hurt, still killng me to do the insulin shots, still on strong antibiotics, still high sugar..BUT, I still have this positive feeling that things are going to finally turn around. I have lots to do with my life. I decided I want a kitten for sure..now, I have to get brave enough to make the committment.
Utah's spring is gorgeous right now..new buds on the trees, tulips, crocus..I am a Baby Boomer who wants to learn gardening. It seems that would be good therapy to work in the soil, plan and plant a colorful scene around the yard. Take care everyone, have a good night.

Good news! My son-in-law did not lose his job today. They laid off about 70 people and thankfully he was not one. Talk about pins and needles. ............... (30 min later) Good Gosh. Someone just banged on my front door yelling for me to call 911 and that her friend had fainted and was unconscious. She was across the street from my driveway. I ran over calling 911 and with their instructions helped her until the ambulance came. She went from coma-like to semi-conscious when they took her away. I pray for her. That was enough trauma to last a long time. I could feel her slipping away, I can only hope she will be alright. She was 24 and her name was Amber. That was all I could learn. She and her friend were door to door salesgirls . Their boss showed up and hustled the friend into his work van and they left. He better damn well show up at the hospital. She is not from Utah and has no one. It took such a long time for the ambulance I was getting hell fire mad cause she was slipping. Oh man, I don't want to type about it anymore. I need to just sit here and breathe and be grateful. You just never know what is going to happen at any given moment.

It was a good day. Had the kids over for Easter Eggs since they had to go to the other family yesterday. I think it was almost more fun for us hiding the eggs and watching them race to find them. Now days you need to find joy in the small things. Big time life is so full of stress, fear and uncertainty. My son-in-law may lose his job Wed. morning and we are sweating bullets. He just came down with severe diverticulitis, daughter has bad asthma and son has propensity to chest colds and pneumonia. We are all praying really hard.
Our plumbing business has picked up a little, subsiding the terror when the phone does not ring. All you can do is keep a positive attitude or you will crumple your family and your sense of worth. Sometimes you have to adjust or readjust your life but you do what you must to keep the family on firm ground. Pride sometimes needs to take a back seat for a while. God Bless Everyone affected adversely in this crisis..
It has been a long day. Good Night Everyone.

It was a quiet day today. Enjoyed Nascar and a trilogy of Glenn Close, Christopher Walken films beginning with Sarah: Plain and Tall. Followed the years, 1910, 1912 and 1918 I think. They were refreshing and people need to be reminded what life was like back then and the hardships. We are so incredibly spoiled and kids show no appreciation for how life was even 20 years ago. I worry about this selfish generation that expects to be given by everyone. One day soon they will have a different world for which they aren't prepared.
I am still lost without a pet. I wish someone read this post with an opinion.. but I think I am talking alone in a tunnel. An orange tabby I hear makes a good lap cat.
Oh well, tonight I am more focused on Christ and the resurrection. I feel like a complaining fool when I think of all that He suffered and in silence and alone.
Good night everyone. Happy Easter! Remember Christ today inspite of the eggs and candy.
Love you all.

Can breathe a little easier tonight. Been pretty darn sick..now just a little sick. I am happy with that.I lost a good friend last Monday. You know how it feels when you hear someone died and then you hear the name and, Good Lord, that one NOT the name you expected. That was Coleen..with just one "l".She was this incredible artist,,oils, water color, pencil, crafts and then I believe in her early 20's got smacked hard with rheumatoid arthritis in her hands. She spent over 30 years fighting the pain, trying the studies, smiling with optimism always..even 2 days before her death she told her husband, "I am still fighting." But Monday someone said, Enough and she stopped. I will miss her.

I am trying to figure how to link this from Twitter. I think it is possible.

Good night everyone.

I am too tired to write much tonight. I am a blob companion. I am sick of having diabetes, high cholesterol, triglycerides and low-grade Lymphomatic skin cancer (Lymphomatoid Papulosis) amongst other things. My kidney is now infected and the pain is incredible. There, I said it...well, most of it but enough for maybe someone out there to say, "Hey, Iknow what that crap feels like and it sucks."
If you're like me y ou do your best to pretend y ou feel fine...you learn to walk with very little sign of a limp from your feet that sting, burn, go dead, or throb when you walk, sit or raise them up. Your heart races at times and you wonder is this the time it has affected your heart? Is this the plaque you try to avoid with statins? OR is this the stress you didn't get a handle on?
Oh, pooh!!
Just ignore this rant. I needed to release it. In an hour I will have it under my mental control and locked away in this small room in my brain that is only for these moments. My daughter, husband and grandchildren need me to be laughing, with them, playing and being all I can without them having to say, What is wrong Grandma?
I so love living that the pain is ok to deal with.... BUT I think I am allowed to have these moments in the middle of the night. I want to get well enough to be the writer I wanted to be since I was about 10 years old.. I WILL reach a stable condition and I WILL do what I have always dreamed. Dreams do come true, right?

It is been a bumpy ride this week. Sick grandchildren, sick me, tooth infection for my husband,and the economy, smog, lying politicians and Daylight Savings Time has all of us a little dragged down.
We have a racist, homophobe with illusions of self-grandeur in our Legislature here in Utah... I refer to him as the racist, homophobe conceited, arrogant, public- be- damned fool who is a total embarrassment and PROOF of the need for term limits...along with Bennett and Hatch especially. There is NO VALID EXCUSE for ANY Senator to be in more than 2 terms. That is one of the things wrong with the country that can easily be eliminated. Imagine that! Fresh faces and ideas every 2 terms. What a novel idea. Why isn't it happening? Because most of the Congress is WAY over the hill and they love the benefits..they are going to hold fast DESPITE the drag and drain on the taxpayers. Remember the days when representatives said they were there for their constituients? Lasts about 60 days after they are elected and then they become power hungry , tax-evasive, morally corrupt, bought and paid for puppets. Sure makes me feel warm and fuzzy. How about you?

I decided to get a kitten about to be born in a couple of weeks but my husband finally admitted tonight that he truly did not want a cat. If I need a companion and it has to be alive.. he wants it to be a dog even tho they are more work. Doggy doors, hair cuts, baths, boarding.... but I think if we find something even close to our only dog Chewy we would buy one. I get heart palpitations thinking of the devastation that overwhelmed both of us when we had to put him down. We swore we could not go through that pain again and then I remember the total joy and fun we had with him. The drama continues... it will have to be a perfect dog however, we already had the perfect one. Ohhhh, only people whose animals truly are their family understand the caution and need to get the right one.. tho how could any other quite measure up. You need to accept the new dog as a new per son with his own soul and per sonality. Wish me luck, people.
However, this time I want a female as I understand they are more mellow after their sex organs are removed. My Chewey continued to have sometimes outrageous sex with a pink elephant we won at Lagoon for many years. Who knew? None of us for over 15 yrs were allowed to touch or move his "object of affection".
Take heart America. Those of you who believe in God know He will not allow the world to be destroyed or so horribly discombobulated via the greedy, stupidity, selfish, thoughtless, foolish deeds of men with a waiting room in Hell. Their punishment will be more intense and eternal than anything we could hope to slap them with here on Earth. Thank you God, they are all yours. Give us the courage and strength to lift our hearts up and remember you truly are ou r Savior now as always. Good Night America!!