Monday, April 15, 2013; 2:52 A.M.

Can't sleep...I worry too much about trying to survive and about family and about what we need to be doing, and about....  and when I do sleep I have dreams about my children so I wake up bawling.  and if not about them, it's nightmares. 

Yesterday, Sunday, we went to the new church again - we really like the worship service.  Beautiful uplifting music instead of funeral dirges as was the case with our old church.  The new church, in the sanctuary service, does NOT have the modern music that goes on and on and on repeating over and over and over again.  SO GLAD.  Today the songs were wonderful.  The service opened with Sweet, Sweet Spirit, and then one was People Need the Lord, then a soprano soloist did a rendition of You Raise Me Up (which was not my favorite version but love the song), and then there was Because He Lives.  Oh, my gosh, cannot say how much I appreciated the music. 

And the sermon was wonderful, too.  Jim Conner, the pastor, does an awesome job as does the associate pastor - can't remember her name.  Ken really likes the sermons...and we both feel/know we've been to church afterward!

After church we went to Mexican Inn for lunch - I ate about half of mine.  I really felt horrible today.  I don't understand why I can feel so good one day and then wake up the next day feeling so awful.  But that's how it happens.  I meant to get all dolled up for church this morning but as it was all I could muster was black pants, decent top, comfortable shoes, and hair pulled back. 

I went to bed as soon as we got home from lunch.  I slept until after 4 p.m.  Ken had leftovers for dinner and I had a bowl of cereal.  Ken's been in bed for hours; I've not gone to bed...I hate closing my eyes because of the horrors that visit me in sleep.  Today I had a horrible dream during my nap.  It was about being in an area where my family lived during my teen years - and the area was ok when we lived there but has since gone horribly awful.  For some reason today I dreamed I had been in the neighborhood at some place for educational lessons of some sort but afterwards I had no way home and it wasn't long before dark. I walked to what was a main street in our neighborhood - where there were businesses, but I was not allowed in the store...I was out on a sidewalk with a lot of scary people.  I was using the pay phone to call Daddy who was on the other side of town...and he told me he couldn't come after me.  I was approached by a couple of evil looking guys but I told them to back way off from me.  And then I was hearing crying...couldn't figure out where it was coming from -- turns out it was my precious Luci who was napping with me - she wanted down off the bed to go find Kenneth!  Glad she woke me up - at least this time I didn't wake up screaming. 

In addition to the bag I finished for great niece Crystal this past week, on Sunday night I almost finished a pretty bag for myself.  My new bag is VERY long (about 20") and rather narrow - about 15" wide.  It has long straps.  It is made out of Asian inspired metallic fabric that I bought about 3 years ago -- beautiful.  The fabirc is brown background with aqual/turquoise flowers with gold metallic threads.  I lined the bag with a marbed aqua fabric.  I put a flap closure on my bag but haven't put on the snap or magnetic closing devise yet.  I made Crystal's bag out of the same fabrics - I made hers large because that is what she wanted.  It turned out really pretty.  Ken took it to the subcourthouse on Friday - he went to buy tags for the VW and my niece (not great niece and not great niece's mother) has an office there.  My niece lives closer to my great niece.  Anyway, as soon as Peggy saw the bag she sent a text and told me she thinks I can sell them!  And thankfully Crystal loves the bag.  I'm going to make up a few to see if they will sell -- if they don't, then someone will get them as gifts!

This is a picture of my niece's bag: 

wish the fabric showed up better - oh well, it is what it is



I really like the way this bag turned out.  I quilted this bag with long straigh-line quilting. 



Such a soft color.  goes so pretty with the exterior fabric

Maybe tomorrow I'll post a picture of the bag I made for myself.  Have no idea what I'm ever going to do with it but I really like it!  Eventually I may cut it off at the bottom and make it shorter.  Maybe not. 

what else...oh, Ken's eye doc appointment.  He got the shot in the eye and a prescrition for eye drops.  He has to go back for the next shot in the eye next Friday morning.  I'll go with him because it's tough driving home after that!  I remember it so well when I had to have it done. 

The next day Ken had to go have a blood test done.  He got the results on Friday - high white blood count, told to contact his primary care doc.  He tried, but it was Friday...they were not there.  The answering service would not ask the on-call doc to get back with Ken but instead told Ken to call our doctor on Monday!!!  Ken's blood sugar has been raging since the shot (steroids do that) and he has been dizzy and sick for the past 2-3 days.  Getting old and having issues is just not fun. 

Tomorrow (today!!) I am going to start working on a couple of bags out of Texas prints - I have a couple of packages of charm squares that are Texas fabrics.  I'm going to make one of them a rag bag - ragged edges - it should go pretty fast because I'll do all three layers at one time.  I'm going to do the second one in the same charm squares but not going to make it a rag bag.  I'm going to make flaps for both of them and probably pockets in each of them as well. 

That's it for now...I'm going to try to go to bed.  Have a great Monday.

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Waiting for Irene and crew to get here (cleaning lady).  Been up since 7 cleaning up in preparation for cleaning crew!

Had to move around several sewing machines because we went to the NE Texas TOGA in Lone Oak, Texas over the weekend.  We didn't get to go for the full 2 days but will next year!  We didn't get there until Saturday afternoon.  We took our 1918 Singer 99 handcrank machine hoping to get some help with it.  Wow!  Did we ever get help.  

Missy S. came over as soon as I opened the case and began to thread it and checking out the bobbin, and then Margaret S. (sewing machine genius no. 1) came to make sure it would sew - "if it ain't broke don't fix it."  Unfortunately it didn't.  It had a problem with the bobbin, so thenext thing I know Margaret's looking into it and discovers it has all kinds of "bird's nests" (thread gunk) in it and it becomes necessary to take everything out of the bobbin cavity.  Riley G. (sewing machine guru) got back to the table about that time and he begins to work with Margaret on it and the next thing we know, they have it apart, cleaning each part, cleaning out all the GUNK (old oil/lube) in it, and polishing the parts.  Riley worked on that machine the better part of two hours.  But when he was finished the machine was working super and the case had been overhauled and the top fit correctly - and he polished the case as well!  Can't wait to actually use this machine.  Here's a picture of the machine with Riley and Maragret...Margaret is working on the small bobbin cavity parts.  

We drove home from the TOGA Saturday night after BBQ dinner and a very fun general raffle.  Driving after dark is hard for us - Ken has a difficult time seeing at night and I'm no help.  The first thing we did was miss the turn for the entrance to I-30 in Greenville and had to turn around to go back to it.  And then the 2 hour drive home in the dark through Dallas traffic.  But we made it.  Once home I immediately started thinking about what I can put together from around here to take back spring 2014 for the next TOGA!  Think I may make a couple of lap quilts, maybe some bags, and maybe some placemats, and maybe even some loose blocks.  

On Sunday we went back to Genesis UMC and then to breakfast (?) at Rise and Shine.  Sunday afternoon I went to the LM Blanketeer Bee where I worked on blocks started at a quilting class year before last.  I probably will never finish that particular quilt.  I keep all the supplies for it in my roll around bag with my Brother machine so that it's always ready when I want to attend an event!

I had not taken a picture of the second row I made for the blanketeer row quilts we're doing, so while at the Bee I spread it out on Susan's chaise lounge to grab a shot for myself.  It's a simple quilt block but was a learning experience for me -- it is my first "on point" block setting and I was surprised how easy it was to do!  Here it is -- and the colors are BRIGHT because that's the only mandate we had for making the quilt rows -- bright colors.  

12" squares, my first "on point" settings.

Ken is at our eye specialist this morning - Dr. George Phillip Matthews.  Just got word that Ken has a problem -- swelling and hemmorraging in the back of the eye.  Treatment is going to be a series of 3 injections two weeks apart.  Injections are directly into the eye...I've had these...not very comfortable.  If left untreated can lead to loss of eye sight.  So, hoping Ken makes it through this with little difficulty.  It's not fun.  

Guess that's about it for now.  Cleaning ladies are here, dogs are barking and going insane.  Time to get busy again.  

Love to all.  

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Yipes!  I did the girl thing today...went shopping knowing I had paid bills and had NO money to spend on anything extra until next week.  Well of course, as usual, I found something special!  A gorgeous black pin stripe Le Suit -  pants suit on sale along with two suit tops - one is animal print, and one is a beautiful fuscia pink.  I paced back and forth, tried on the suit - it fit perfectly except the length has to be hemmed of course, and the tops are perfect.  I walked the store afterwards thinking do I or don't I?  I finally did the other girl thing...I bought it all (NOT credit), and have kept the receipt with the purchase hanging up on the original hangers.  If it turns out I need money before next week I may take it back...but I've got the budget figured out so I'm going to SLIDE by 'til Tuesday!  I hope!

Ken did not understand my logic at all, of course.  He just doesn't get "girl" finances/budget!  I told him I know we are ok, we have $$ in the bank, I just don't like to spend all the discretionary funds!  I know the car is going to break down tonight!!!  

And then we went to Wally World to get the miscellaneous things we need.  Strange isn't it that I don't feel guilty about spending money on things like that at all but feel totally ashamed that I spent the money on myself!  I think it's because I remember how horrible it was for such a long time when it was just me taking care of myself and the kids and there was never a penny to buy anything.  I feel guilty about spending $$ on me.  

Yet I didn't feel guilty at all buying a new nice, good quality white shirt for Ken at Macy's the other day.  I wonder what the difference is.  

Easter Sunday, March 31, 2013

My daddy was born 99 years ago today - March 31, 1914.  Happy birthday in heaven, Daddy.  Seems impossible you are gone and not putting on your suit and tie to go to church today - this was your favorite Sunday of the year although you went to everyone of them.

Easter - I looked forward to it this year.  We visited a different church last week and loved it.  We made plans to go today.  We bought Ken a new GOOD white dress shirt, he put his outfit together with his black jacket and nice new dress pants, laid out his tie, got his shoes ready.  I was hoping against all hope that things would be ok today - that we would really be able to go again.  I knew, however, when I woke up that Ken was in one of his mental states.  But I was hoping it would calm down, smooth over.  He took a shower, got ready.  Then while I was getting ready he started in with his "franticness."  You see, my husband has mental issues.  He's been in a program with MHMR for 2 years now and that has helped some, and he has been under the care of a psychiatrist since 2009.  But the meds don't work when he gets in one of his states.  

I showered and started getting dressed but I could tell he was working up to some sort of episode.  Once I was dressed and ready except for putting on my necklace, Ken came to help me.  I could tell by his actions it was not going to be a good day.  He was too aggravated with simple things.  And he was rough when he attempted to put on the pearls.  I told him to forget it I would wear something else or go without, but once he gets in a tizzy, nothing stops him.  I told him I didn't want to be mistreated today...he doesn't listen.  

We finally made it out the door, in the car, and down the street to the church.  Parking lot was full, Ken was nasty about it.  We made our way into the church, in the foyer, but Ken was acting ugly.  He exploded when I asked if he had brought the free coupon the church had sent us...the church has a coffee bar much like Starbucks and they send visitors a coupon good for a cup of special coffee.  I knew right then I could not go in the sanctuary with him, told him so, and turned around to walk back to the entrance so we could leave.  I had to let him know in no uncertain terms that I could not go to church with him behaving the way he was.  I asked him to calm down.,but he kept getting louder and worse.  He finally threw his fit right in the foyer in front of al kinds of people, threw open the church house doors and slammed them on his way out, and started yelling outside the church.  I tried to stay calm as he headed for the car and I walked at a normal pace to the car.  When I got there he was slamming the car seats, yanking off his jacket, acting like a 2 year old brat, and about to hot rod his way out of the parking lot.  I refused to get into the car.  No way am I riding with him when he is like this.  I finally convinced him to give me the keys and let me drive home.  He finally did.  So, we are home.  I've told him to call his counselor, do whatever it takes, but whatever he does he is to stay away from me today.  I don't want him in my face, speaking to me, coming around me at all.  I've taken all the nastiness I can from this SOB today.

Ken belongs in a mental hospital.   He needs full time care to keep him on an even keel.  I can't do this any more; can't live my life this way.  Unfortunately there is no $$ for him to go to a facility - which is where he should have been all this time.  And the scary part?  MHMR says he has finished the program -- he will be released in April.  Dear God, I can't believe anyone would release him

So, what else?  Hard to think when this kind of stuff overshadows everything else in life.  Mostly same ol' same ol'.  But yesterday we went to a birthday party for my great great niece Madison, daughter of my great niece Lindsey.  The party was at the park and we had a really nice time.  I made a birthday bag for her.  This is it.

5" patches, quilted to batting, and lined.  This is the front.

Other side

One big pocket inside.  Perfect size for 4 year old to carry treasures.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Time goes by in a hurry.  Seems like I've been busy but can't remember anything I've done!  Sewing room is not finished but I do have the curtains up.  I bought a shower curtain at Ross thinking I could get on Ebay and find another to match it but didn't find one.  I found one on Amazon I thought matched but it didn't so I will return it tomorrow.  I also bought fat quarters of fabric from which to cut plain patch blocks to sew together to make the skirt to go around the work table.  

 I've been getting together with the Lockheed Blanketeers - we had lunch at Palio's Pizza last Friday - I took the latest quilt I had finished.  A picture is below.  This is from a "cheater" fabric.  I did not sew those blocks together.  It is flannel and chenille.  I made it by sewing it all together wrong side out and then turning the quilt.  Intent was to stitch in the ditch to quilt but it would not go through the sewing machine it was so thick.  Machine kept bogging down.  Imanaged to get the most awful seam sewn around the outside edge and then I tied it together with embroidery floss.  I started to either cut it up or throw away but decided some child could use it to drag around in the dirt and it wouldn't matter.  So I turned it in to the quilting group for giveaway.    

I finished a quilt for Brynnan, nephew Troy's grandbaby.  It is a strip quilt from a kit I bought at a show a couple of years ago.  Glad I got it finished because Brynnan was scheduled for invasive cranial surgery three days later.  Her mother, Ryan, sent me a text telling me that they took the quilt with them into surgery so that she could be wrapped in it when they brought her out.  Made me cry but made me feel special that I got to be a part of that tough time.  I'll try to post a picture of it, too.  It has a really cute frog fabric on the back.

I thought this little quilt turned out really cute.  

I also finished a couple of rows that I was to make for our blanketeer row quilts.  We are making these quilts because we all like the opportunity to make a single row of something so that we can learn/practice making different blocks without needing to complete an entire quilt.  I made sawtooth stars for one row and then made a row using cute pink bee fabric turned on point.  I'm happy with them - I learned how to do them!  I also learned that next time I will put sashing between the stars so that I don't have to match seams!!!  Apparently I failed to take a picture of the on-point blocks before I turned them in, but I'll do that the next time we get together.  A picture of the stars is below.  

I want to try some other things as well.  I want to do a row of churn dash blocks - or at least include churn dash in a row, maybe with something else.  

SO, what else has been happening?  I've been continuing to work on my application for the UDC.  I finally got all of that turned in over the weekend.  I have to sign the paperwork and pay the $$ at the meeting/luncheon tomorrow.  This is in connection with my great great Kilgore granddad of Mississippi.  I've also got paperwork to turn in based on my maternal Wright great grandfather of Texas.  While gathering information and looking at both sides of the house of my family I also discovered other heroes.  My great great maternal grandfather fought with Andrew Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812.  So I have paperwork to file with the daughters of that organization.  And then I have proving up to do for a supplemental to submit to the Daughters of the American Revolution...my membership is based on my paternal great great great granddad out of South Carolina but I find I also have a maternal line reaching back to that time...this time a great great great grandfather originally out of Virginia.  Afterwards he moved on to Savannah, GA where he owned a book store and was a blacksmith.  But they sold out in Georgia, went back to Virginia for a while, and then migrated to Mississippi and Louisiana (have to think about when states were formed - and back then was territory.  

I'm enjoying retirement now that I've become involved with some of the organizations and I get to go to the FW Women's Club.  I've been invited to join the club but the initiation fee is a bit steep as are the annual dues.  But I will probably do it because it will be good for K and me.  Ken and I went to the DAR George Washington birthday celebration at Ridglea Country Club.  That was a real hoot!  Food was delicious as was the speaker.  But it was really neat seeing some of the men there dressed in period clothing (they are offended if they are called costumes).  Some of the ladies were also dressed in period dresses.  

Sometimes you wonder why you go to places - maybe it was meant to be.  For the Geo. Wahington luncheon we signed in and picked up our table assignment card and once at the table discovered that we were seated with folks who all go to the same church we do!  That was fun.  We had not met any of them before, but they invited us to their Sunday School class the next morning and we went.  And we've been back this last Sunday as well.  

As of March 1, I am on Medicare.  I've spent the last week fighting the insurance company, our prescription plan, Medicare, and the pharmacies trying to get things set up so I can get my transplant meds.  Fortunately the lady at the transplant med pharmacy knows all the ins and outs because our supplemental insurance company knew NOTHING about how to set it up.  Last Friday K. and I had to get the pharmacy lady on one phone and the insurance company on the other and then put the two cell phones together so they could talk to one another!  Our supplemental won't pay anything until we've paid $1500 deductible (my 20% co-pays), so they may never pay a dime unless we have something major happen.  But I think I can afford the 20%.  

K. is still working at the mission.  He's doing well.  He has almost finished the required 2 year program with MHMR.  He is scared/worried about what will happen with him after that.  He's hoping he will be permitted to continue attending group at the same location.  He's been doing so well at taking his meds, seeing his doctor, attending group, etc.  He still has some issues from time to time, of course, but the program has done a lot for him.  He plans to continue attending group even if he has to go to another location.  

The fur critters are fine.  We just have Luci and Bennie the dogs and Mollie and Sallie the cats.  Bennie is now 7, Luci is 18 months old, and the cats (twins) are 9 years and 7 months.  We talked about adding another doggie to the clan but we probably won't.  At our age I'm afraid we'll die and leave the babies behind without anyone to take care of them.  We went to Granbury this past weekend for the Texas Independence Celebration.  While I was looking for the quilt/fabric shop Ken was talking to someone.  I went back to where he was and he was holding a little bitty black puppy with white on it's paws and a couple of other places.  It was so cold.  He handed the little puppy to me and I put it inside my hoodie and it snuggled down.  It was a rescue and they were trying to find a home for it but I gave that baby back and went on down the sidewalk!  I was SO good.  I've felt guilty ever since.  

Still having problems with personal body things.  Guess I'm doomed for the rest of my life to have to wear diapers.  I'm keeping a log of everything now for the docs...blood sugar, insulin shots, weight, blood pressure, food intake, how I'm feeling, what happens, etc.  Hopefully they can figure out something from it.  This is one issue they've never been able to resolve.  I wish it would go away...been dealing with it since 2005 or 2006 since the kidneys initially failed.  Have ruined so many clothes.  

Oh, well, I'm alive.  Guess that accounts for something.  Gotta go - tomorrow is a busy day.  Hugs and love to all my children and grandchildren - even though you'll never know it.  

Sunday, February 10, 2013

The sewing room.  I've been working on it for over a week!  This video is of the room AFTER I have cleaned out crap, cleaned off the my desk, have the heavy stuff put where I want it.  This is not complete because the shelves need to be arranged after I get pretty storage containers.  

In addition to getting nice storage containers and other organizers for the shelves, I will be doing some decorating.  I'm going to make a skirt to go around the table, going to change out the room curtains, going to put curtain thingies over the shelves and around the big storage shelf unit.  My dream sewing room will, I hope, end up looking something like this picture.  I am currently looking for the oilcloth to cover the table (my old ratty office type work table up on bed risers.  I will also have to do the patchwork to make the skirt.  I'm thinking that will take me a couple o fdays but I think I have enough leftover fabric to do it.  

I'll post another picture of the sewing room after I'm finished.  

So, what else have I done?  Let me see.  I finally finished great great niece Brynnan's quilt.  Now I need to get it to her.  I've been holding off seeing her because I don't want to make her ill, but I think I'm finally over whatever I had enough that I won't cough on her.  I'm inserting a picture of the quilt I made for her.  The first picture is of the front, the second picture is the back.

The top was made from a kit I purchased at a quilt show a couple of years ago.  The frog fabric on the back was purchased at the Dallas Quilt Show, but I can't remember if that was 2011 or 2012.

In addition to sewing and putting the room together, I've also been going to doc appointments (two more this coming week - one on Monday, one on Tuesday), and I'm becoming active with the United Daughters of the Confederacy as well as my Daughters of the American Revolution chapter.  I've been nominated for membership in the Fort Worth Women's Club and have been enjoying doing exactly what I said I was going to do when I retired!  That is, meeting friends at "the club" for shrimp or chicken salad lunches (there are other choices).  It's been really nice.  This is some of the stuff I refused to get involved in throughout the years because I never felt "good enough" although my families have been rather involved in the goings on of this town since before the 1860's.  Problem is, I find I don't have the clothes to wear to these things!  I'm a retired engineer.  Unless we had meetings we didn't dress up any more - I wore jeans and tennis shoes to work!  

SO, I may have to get out some of the patterns I've got and start making a few things.  

Ken and I went to the stock show - not the rodeo.  We actually found some boots for me!  I wear of boots and boot-type shoes because of my deformed, partially amputated foot.  I wanted some of those cute rubber boots - we found some that fit me.  I also wanted some pink top boots - western sorta - and we found some to fit me!  I won't be able to wear them on days when my feet are so swollen, but I can put them on in the morning and wear them until mid afternoon and that will help stretch out the leather ones.  The rubber ones won't stretch but there's a secret to them.  The vendor put a "sizer" in them so that they are tighter on me when I first get up.  When they start feeling tight I can take out the sizer and the boots will fit my foot when it's a little puffy.  

I am so thrilled with my sewing room.  At last I have a place where the ironing board can be set up - or I can take it down and store it in the walk-in closet.  Ken and I cleaned out that closet yesterday so now I have even MORE space.  I'm going to sell the big board ironing apparatus that fits over the ironing board to my friend Rachel.  She wants one - she actually wants her husband to make one, but she says if I'm getting rid of this one she wants it.  I'm going to sell it to her for $50 because I had to pay $70 for it at the FW quilt show in 2011.  

Today I'm working on a little quilt that has been in my to do pile for at least two years.  I thought it would be simple to do but nothing ever is.  It is a cheater patchwork top made out of blocks that are blues, yellows, light green - baby colors - and the fabric is chenille.  I'm backing it with yellow flannel (because that is what I had on hand and I refuse to buy more).  Not sure I'm goig to be able to part with this one after it is done because it is too stinking cute.  I don't mind giving it to someone I know and love but not sure I can stand giving it to the mission and seeing it dragged in the dirt.  My heart needs to become more "giving."  

That's it for now.  Hope everyone is doing well.  I miss my children and grandchildren and always will.  I long to see them...wish they would come driving in the driveway and ringing the bell.  

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Hmm, trying to remember what's been happening since my last post.  Let's see...I joined a couple of on-line quilting groups - really good ones!  One is Stashbuster - using what we have.  I'm really enjoying the people on that one.  Lots of informative chatter.  

I'm continuing to try to purge stuff from this house!  Especially my sewing room.  On the 18th the Blanketeers visited First Street Mission.  We had a nice thorough tour of the place with a wonderful assistant director.  We liked her and the place a lot.  The Blanketeers took several handmade knitted afghans and baby quilts as a donation.  We gained a lot of useful information about various other items the mission will take and I think our group will be visiting with this mission again in the future with additional donations.  I came home from the mission with a renewed vigor for clearing out stuff and immediately packed a bag with some of the dolls that I do not plan to do anything with - am ready to purge.  Hopefully the children the mission serves will be happy to receive a Dora the Explorer doll along with a couple of American Girl type dolls.  I've also included a couple of other items in that bag.  

After our visit to the mission we went to lunch at Panera Bread and then I went by Joann's.  I picked up only items I need to complete current projects along with the fabrics required to participate in the Blanketeer community project.  Well, I also bought a new 2.5" quilting square!  It was on sale for 50% off, so it was a couple of bucks.  

I've been working on great great niece Brynnan's baby quilt.  Almost have it done.  It's pretty big - about 50 x 42 inches.  It is from a kit I bought at a quilt show a year or two ago.  Cute.  I'll get pictures loaded later.  It is unfinished because I had to stop to clean up the room a bit to have the space to lay out the quilt to trim/clean up the side edges.  Hopefully I will get that done tonight then I can cut the binding strips and get those attached.  I will be so glad to get something done and OUT of this house!  I have a number of unfinished projects and my priority, other than the Blanketeer community row quilt, is to get the unfinished projects completed.  

The NE-TX TOGA will be April 5 and 6 so I'm planning to attend that.  Hopefully we will have the rig up and ready to go by then - I'm planning to take it whether Ken goes or not.  I will need to get 6.5" exchange blocks made for that one.  I'll be in hot water if we have 20-30 people sign up for that exchange - but that would be great to get that many blocks in return!!!

On Monday of this week I made telephone calls and got multiple doc appointments set up for this quarter.  First one is tomorrow with the heart doc.  Just a check up so should be short and sweet. His office called this morning wanting to know if I would be willing to change my appointment from 11 a.m. to 8:45 a.m.  I said no - because folks I'm retired and I don't get up early enough to get ANYWHERE by 8:45 in the morning any more!  I gave that up in December 2011.  For the short period of time I worked for the non-profit this last summer and fall I had to be up at 6 a.m. every day to teach two classes a day...I don't want to do that again.  

Yesterday morning I had to have Bennie to the vet at 11:30 a.m.  Ken was gone when I got up so I had to take him by myself.  Bennie Jo is HEAVY but I managed to lift him.  The hard part was that I couldn't leave Luci at home alone - she was having a fit.  So I had to take both of them with me and that was tough.  Eventually Ken showed up at the vet and that made it a little easier but instead of helping me he got on his cell phone with Medtronics in a discussion about his diabetic pump.  He was still on it when we left the vet and was distracted when Bennie pulled out of his collar.  I'm hoping this is a sign that Bennie is losing a little bit of weight - he was supposed to lose 15 lbs.  I'm thinking he has lost some weight since Maggie died in October - he and Luci are not getting as many snacks as Maggie demanded (her liver/cushings disease made her constantly hungry).  

So, I've set up reservations for both the United Daughters of the Confederacy and Daughters of the American Revolution.  I'm trying to become more active in both chapters.  I've got some paperwork to get photocopied to get to the registrar of the UDC.  She's already got the military paperwork.  I've been a member of the DAR for several years already - just need to get active now that I'm retired.  

FW Genealogy meeting is next Tuesday evening at the FW library...I'm planning to go.  

John Norman (relative) got busy last week and did some digging regarding the family cemetery located out west of here...we were afraid it was going to be included in a development project that is going on.  It is not, but it is located very close by.  We try to pay CLOSE attention since developers destroyed the other family cemetery in 2006/2007 and it took a court case to get things straightened out.  We don't want the same thing to happen to this one.  As descendants of early settlers from here, there are many small family cemeteries located around and we are ever watchful that these are not destroyed.  It would be really nice if we could excavate all of them and move them to Oakwood on the north side of town where many of the other family members are buried.  But the cost would be too much.  So, we depend on the city and county folks to keep us apprised of happenings - often reading about developments in the local newspaper.  

That's about it.  Right now I'm going to do about 30 minutes of picking up/cleaning up in the sewing room to stay in step with getting this room cleaned out, then I'm going to sew for about an hour before bed.  After that I'm going to get some things ready to take to the doc with me tomorrow so I can stop at the post office to mail them on the way back.  Haven't heard from any of my children or grandchldren.  They don't even answer text messages or emails.  I'm very confused.  I don't know what I did this time...