Monday, May 28, 2012

Memorial Day. Hope everyone took the time to remember the servicemen in your life - those who have gone before, our living veterans, those who did not return, those who returned changed forever, and our active personnel. My son is my personal hero - currently in his 21st year with the U.S. Air Force. He spent much time in Saudi, several tours over seas elsewhere. In 2005 he was on a one year tour of duty in Korea, had come stateside for R&R with wife and daughter and us, and had gone back to complete the last half. It was year end, we had already sent package with a small tree, lights, ornaments to him. We received a call that he was being transported to Hawaii because he had something major wrong with his left eye. In Hawaii they fixed what was thought to be a detached retina only to discover he had a tumor pushing the eye out. He was transported here to be seen by a special oncologist in Dallas who at first thought something could be done, but after taking a second look decided my son should be seen by the renowned Wills eye center in Philadelphia. So, he, his wife and daughter flew to Philadelphia. My son's left eye was removed that Tuesday before Christmas, 2005. He has a rare form of melanoma cancer that strikes about 6 in a million - blue eyed fair skinned people. Suspect? UV rays - too much Saudi. Anyway, he is alive today, is doing well, still in the Air Force. He has testing done every 3 months. Unlike most cancer, the 5 year mark means nothing. With melanoma there is no such thing.

So, how did we celebrate the holiday? We were invited to the home of friends for a swim/grill/chill party, but after hem hawing around about it both confessed that we really just wanted to stay home. So we did. We cleaned up the kitchen - and that's a real job. The next place we live I hope to heck we have a SMALL kitchen so that mopping doesn't take up the majority of a day! Having this much space is great in some ways, but keeping it clean is something else.

Did I mention in previous post that one of the things my friend Debbi had given to me was about 6 yards of expensive fabric? Along with the patterns for robes she had been planning to make for herself and her former husband. They were on the island in our kitchen last week so when Ken asked what he could do to help me I told him to put those things in a bag and set them in the garage with Debbi's things. It never occurred to me to check up on it. Well guess what! That bag is nowhere to be found Knowing Ken he went out the garage door with that bag and opened up the trash barrel and threw it in. Because that's the kind of thing he does. He knew he had a bag - and bless his heart he had used a clean kitchen trash bag to put it in, so by the time he stepped into the garage he had no recollection of the fact that it was anything other than trash. And that, folks, is what I live with. Anyway, the trash was picked up on Friday so it is long gone.

Tomorrow morning Ken has his regular meeting with MHMR; and tomorrow afternoon he has a meeting with an employment agency that may be able to help him. Next Monday (June 4) he has an appointment back at the resource place where he was attending a special workshop. That appointment is for a mock interview. If he passes the interview they will be able to help connect him with places that hire people with his issue. He just needs to work a little bit - right now he is doing nothing to help pull his own freight. His disability income barely covers his personal expenses - car, auto insurance, health insurance, meds. He needs to be contributing and it will be good for him to have an outlet (and for me, too!).

That's about it for now. It's storming, thus far hasn't been too bad. Tomorrow I hope to tackle the utility room. It is so awful. It is supposed to be the overflow from my kitchen (large platters, big bowls, appliances, etc.). Since Ken moved in 10.5 years ago it has been a mini garage and I am sick, sick, sick of it. In addition it has the ddddd cat box in it. I hate owning cats. They are dirty, nasty, and always make the place stink. And that dddddd cat litter is scattered everywhere. I just don't think cats were meant to live indoors. I reached my limit with it a long time ago; now time to do something since someone else is not going to do anything about it.

Still have to make another run over to the house where the estate sale is going to be - I'll do that sometime tomorrow or Wednesday. Will be glad to get this done...and I don't intend to bring a cotton picking thing back home with me. If it doesn't sell, it is going to donation, not back to here. There are Kinkade collection series plates out the wazoo...I have never seen such madness in my life. There have to be nearly 100 of them, still in the styrofoam, and all the authentication papers with them, And oodles of Neiman Marcus and Hallmark ornaments, and Hull brown drip ovenproof ware, and Avon cape cod pieces, and on and on and on. Just ridiculous.

We took a few things of our own over there, but not much. I have a few more things I'm going to take, but for the most part we are just tryuing to get Debbi's things cleared out.

So, that's about it. Tomorrow everything starts over again. Job hunting, workshops, at least one house chore has to be completed (self tasked). Love to all, have a good night and great dreams. Peace.