Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you on this first weekend in December.  It is a cold (-14 wind chill this morning) day here in our corner of the world but it is supposed to hit 40 degrees again.  What a roller coaster ride the weather has been!

Speaking of roller coasters...........Joel and I have been hanging on tight  as we ride one, trusting God is with us as life keeps sending surprises.  We found out my retina was detached a few days before Thanksgiving.  Not good news.  Pressure was still low.  This past Wed. we drove to Des Moines and the pressure had come up three points...Yes!  The Dr. told us he still wants to do another surgery to inflate the eye with an oil bubble and try to attach the retina to keep eye from shrinking.  Things change weekly and we just keep holding tight to God's promises.  On the 12th I will need a tooth extraction that was postponed due to the eye drama.  Now, add to this, (I am not kidding) another trip to the ER because Joel woke with an aching jaw and other mild heart symptoms on Thursday morning.  They found nothing but told him even though he is is good shape he could have blockages so that will now be pursued.  We have started praying for a hedge around us as this garbage continues.  We believe it is "the enemy" that comes to kill steal and destroy as stated in Scriptures, so we pray against him and his hoodlums.  

Let's move on to the great time we had at Thanksgiving.  Our family started arriving Thursday afternoon and the last ones left for home Sat. morning.  We had our big meal on Friday noon.  There was cribbage and Yahtzee going, and even some World Cup Soccer on TV.  It was so great for Joel and I to catch up on hugs from everyone.  We were pretty tired out still, but the family took over cooking and clean ups, and by the time they left Saturday, things had been cleaned, put away, organized, food sorted out, our Christmas tree up and the living room rearranged.  What a gift for us to have all that done!  

A big gift for us is to see our family together, laughing, talking, snuggling, playing.  We see them as a group usually only once a year so we soaked it all in.

Joel and I enjoyed a great Hallmark movie, 'Three Wise Men and a Baby".  We laughed so much over this movie, one of the best we have seen on Hallmark.  We recommend it highly!  There have been a few Christmas specials on already too.

This past week a friend of Joel's died.  He was a friend to many many people here in Mason City at The Globe Gazette where he worked, at his church, and in many other areas of the community.  He edited Joel's book, and they got to know each other during that time.  John Skipper will be greatly missed. 

Joel's mom would have been 105 today.  One of her granddaughters said she was not overly affectionate, kinda stern, but you knew she loved you. Yes, we did.  She certainly loved the Lord and prayed for so many people, including us.  We miss you Mom T.

Our tree is up thanks to some of the grandkids, and Joel and I decorated it yesterday.  We are getting a few decorations for the house out and the Christmas cards are starting to arrive.  This is a season to celebrate.  And there is much to be grateful for.

Giving thanks that our Thanksgiving went well, we got to hug on family, enjoy the laughter and love of all who gathered here, and eat some good food....and for us, pie!  Grateful that the pressure in my eye came up three points, grateful for good doctors and a tech who asked if he could put me on his prayer list~~!  Grateful for Joel getting the help he needs and that God is walking with him.  Grateful for movies that make us laugh, for new ornaments on the tree, Christmas music, safe travels, the love and prayers of family and friends.  Grateful for all this and so much more......

Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you on this cold and windy day here in our corner of the world.  We woke to a high of 18 and are heading downhill from there.  The high winds are giving us a "feels like" temp of 2 degrees, blowing around the snow we have on the ground.  Still, tomorrow we rebound up into the thirties so that's not too bad.  Winter has definitely arrived.  

Speaking of arriving, our kids will start showing up on Thursday afternoon.  We will have our Thanksgiving meal on Friday, having ordered it from the local HyVee.  Joel and I just don't have it in us to cook a big meal.  We'll be making pies and cranberry sauce and our usual pumpkin bread is already in the freezer.  It will be good to see everyone again.  We will be missing 3 but our usual gathering group will be at the table.  I hope you all have people you love and care about to share a meal with. 

My retina appointment went okay....Pressure still too low......inflammation coming down.  No vision....After 5 weeks I am ready to be off the eye drops and visits but it is going to be a while.  Thankful that I am only going to the Dr. once a week now.  

Speaking of thankful, God has been sending me messages about "gold" lately.  A close friend, K. said that when she was praying for us she saw very clearly a large gold nugget from God.  She knew she needed to share that with us.  A day later in my Facebook memories up popped a post about how when a vase breaks in Japan it is often put back together with gold.  They do not hide the flaws of the vase but emphasis the fractures with gold as part of its beauty.  Soon after that I was walking around the dining room and saw a piece of paper on a chair.  I picked it up and the title of the article I had written years ago was "Finding GOLD in the dirt".  A friend, ML wrote a post on Facebook that spoke of shimmering gold......When I get so many messages from God I pay attention and today it dawned on me that giving thanks....in the darkness....in the middle of a difficult situation....brings out the gold God has for our lives.  We see things differently when it is through a window of praise and thankfulness.  I am sure God has much more to reveal to us so I am looking forward to what else He is going to share about "gold".  

With my "wonky" vision, I have discovered that the best time of day for me to look outside and enjoy the view is just before the sun goes completely down.  I can take in the trees, snow and sunset without my eyes watering or needing 2 pairs of sunglasses.  It has become a moment of gratitude for me.  I can see the view, and it is such a peaceful view to see!  We all need those moments to pause, take in the view and give thanks. 

So today I am giving thanks once again for doctors, drops, and all the help I have been getting for my eyes.  I am grateful for Joel's endless love and support whether it is getting me to all the appointments, helping me make pumpkin bread, or being my "eyes" when necessary.  Grateful for a warm house on a cold day, for texts, phone calls, and photos that bring the family close.  Grateful for the beautiful view from my living room window, for family coming, for God's continual messages about gold.  Grateful for the abundance of blessings we have...........and so much more.

Enjoy your weekend~

Saturday's Scribbles

 

Good Saturday to you from Iowa where the cold has come to stay.  Thursday it was 70 degrees, but Friday only 27 degrees and today we awoke to a dusting of snow with temps hoping to reach 30.  November is making itself known, yet it is really even a bit chilly for November.   The yard is ready for winter, the Christmas lights are up, and the only thing left out are the two porch chairs where Joel goes to sit for his morning coffee.  I am not sure why there are two chairs because I don't plan to join him in the cold, nor any other neighbor as far as I can tell!

This past Saturday we set our clocks back.  Ugh.  If you are like Joel, he sets the clocks, goes to bed at his "normal" time and wakes up at his "normal" time.  If you are like me, I am horizontal by 7:30 forcing myself to stay up til 9 and waking at 5:30 every morning.  Every. morning.  I think we need to pick one and stick with it.  It messes with too many body clocks.....when we mess with our clocks!

I saw the Retina Dr on Monday and am able to wait until next Monday to go again.  That is progress?!?  Inflammation still going down but pressure is not going up yet.  Hopefully this Monday we will see a change there.  This is definitely a slow process.

Speaking of processes, the Midterm elections were last Tuesday, as if that is news to you!   It is nice to have it over, although it is really not over is it.  We voted early which was nice. We are glad to have all the ads gone from TV, although I wish we could make the medical ads disappear too.  Over and over and over.......enough already!

This week we were discussing grandparents.  Our grandparents.  We realized that we did not know our grandparents well.  My paternal grandparents and maternal grandfather all died before I was born or when I was a toddler.  My maternal grandmother and I spent only a little time together.  One of my favorite memories is going sun fishing with her in a small wooden boat on a small lake in southeastern MN.  I remember she filleted the fish we caught and fried them in butter and flour.  "Tillie" was quite a strong independent woman who ran a cafe/bar/hotel after her husband died and she even fought off a robber who tried to steal her purse when she was in her 80's.  Joel spent little time with his grandparents.  A couple died early and his paternal grandmother spoke only Norwegian.  We have always wished we had more time with our grands.....and we wonder what our great grands will be like. And will they remember us?  Cuz, honestly, we don't remember our great grandparents...never knew them.  We truly are here just for a moment in time.

Before I get too melancholy, we are excited for Thanksgiving.  Our family is coming this year and spending time with family is so important.  Most everyone will arrive Thanksgiving Day and head home Saturday.  We are looking forward to filling the house with laughter, the voices of the grands, and turkey and pie too!

There is not much to write about this week as we wait and watch in a holding pattern with my eye.  But there is a lot to be thankful for.  Conversations with 4 of our kids and family, texts with sibs and friends, prayers that sustain and comfort, our first dusting of snow, energy increasing, homemade chicken soup, pumpkin bread in the oven, doctors who care and know what they are doing, a fireplace on cold evenings, a furnace that runs, heated car seats, french toast on homemade bread with fresh strawberries and old fashioned whipping cream.  Oh yeah.  Grateful for so much in this second week of November.  Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday's Scribbles

It is the first Saturday in November.  My favorite month went by quickly.  The first half filled with all that is Autumn, the second half filled with all that involves a major medical crisis.  Joel continues with his porch sitting moments, but like nature, he is preparing for winter, although it is between doctor appointments and doing most everything domestic once again...taking over where his wife is sidetracked right now.  We are still finding peace and strength in Fall and all it graces us with, like last Thursday's morning visit from a beautiful buck that walked through our backyard.  

Where do I begin with all that has transpired the past 25  days?  At the beginning I expect,  although it has been challenging to revisit what has transpired.  Writing on my laptop is not always easy, opening up the doors to all the trauma that occurred  is never easy.  But seeing God in the midst of it all is very necessary to the healing process.

On Tuesday afternoon, October 11th I had an eye injection.  We were excited because the exam showed that the new medication was working so well and I no longer needed to go every 3 weeks for a shot....but 4 and maybe longer.  BUT I woke up Wednesday morning to very strange vision in my left eye where I had the shot.  I knew it was serious, called the Retina emergency number and an hour later we were on the road to West Des Moines.  By the time we arrived my vision in that eye was completely gone.  Just darkness.  I saw the doctor quickly and soon was at their surgical center having cultures taken and two injections of broad spectrum antibiotics injected in the eye.  They believed and later confirmed it was an aggressive Strep bacteria that had come in through the injection hole.  Rare, but they have dealt with it.  We stayed with our son and daughter in law that night and the next morning I was seen again.  We went home with a number of eye drops I was putting in up to 16x a day,  but I had to go back the next day, Friday the 14th.  Very quickly I was sent back to the Surgical Eye Center.  It was already closed but the doctor called people back in for emergency surgery.  This time I was put out for awhile, and then they pulled out as much infection as they could and injected me again with 2 different broad spectrum antibiotics.  We spent the night again at our son and daughter in law's before seeing the doctor Sat. morning at their (closed) clinic.  I continued all the drops at home and the next week I saw him 3 more times.  Twice here in our clinic and once in their main office in West Des Moines.  My pressure had gone up to 33 but by the time the week ended it was bottoming out at 2-5. Neither number is good.   I have continued to see doctors 3x a week here and in West Des Moines which is a 240 mile round trip.    Things are now improving as far as inflammation reduction and cornea less swollen, less debris.  My vision is still gone and at this point there is only a slim chance some vision will return.  Right now our focus is on making sure the infection is gone and inflammation is going down and pressure up.  The appointment this past Wednesday has given us the most hope as progress is being seen.  The doctor was pretty excited after the ultrasound. Another surgery is in my future to clean up all the inflammatory debris and clean off the cataract implant.   

The doctors have given me good care.  The prayers of friends and family continue to sustain us.  We are "broken hearted" and "crushed in Spirit" over what has happened.  I am still trying to adjust to having vision in one eye.  This eye has dry macular so on a chart I "see" 20/20 but because of the dry things are a bit distorted and dingy and my vision blurs in and out.  My depth perception is way off and I am actually seeing things that are not there due to the retina/brain connection trying to compensate fir what has happened.............entoptic phenomena........and the steroid and antibiotic eye drops have caused nausea and excessive fatigue/weakness.  Now that they have lowered the number of times the drops go in it that is somewhat better~  I've stopped losing weight and am a bit stronger at times.  This journey is very hard for both of us......impossible without God.  

A Bible verse comes to mind for me "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean NOT on your OWN UNDERSTANDING. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight."  We don't begin to understand this journey.  God did NOT orchestrate this in any way shape or form, but He did allow it.  And the healing process has been one big scary challenge.  Seeing at 20/20 and going to a distorted blurry vision has and is a one day at a time journey.  Yet we see God in the midst of it.......the doctors who have seen me on Saturdays , their days off...have reopened a surgical center with everyone showing up to help with the surgery.  Staff and techs bending over backwards to bring us comfort and care.  The prayers of so many friends and family.  A neighbor bringing by a "gift basket" and offering to cook for us.  Our son and daughter in law opening their home and our son there to steady us at both surgeries and several appointments.  Good weather to travel in.  Even when the doctor gave me his personal cell number and told me to call him anytime in the night if anything changed after the first surgery.  Seriously God showed His love and care through so many others.  This is what I am grateful for today.  We don't know what is ahead.....we are tired, and we are certainly living and breathing one day at a time as this long slow healing process continues, but we already can look back and see how God has been in the midst of yet another medical crisis.  

Thank you all for your prayers and support.  We would love to pray for you and your needs too.  So much to be grateful for on this first weekend in November.  

Saturday's Scribbles

It is a beautiful fall day here in our corner of the world.  Recently I read a post on Facebook that said, "My favorite color is October" and I have to agree.  I am embracing all the beauty of this season.  Some of the trees are really showing off!  The temps are up and down, but mostly up which is nice, too.  

Speaking of nice, yesterday we went on a little excursion very close to home.  I saw on an Iowa site that there are only two covered bridges in the state that are still accessible.  AND one of them is only 8 miles from our house!  So we headed over to Rock Falls, IA to go into the park where it is located.  What fun to see it.  Of course, Joel had to go underneath to see how it was constructed and supported. The bridge was completed in 1929.  It is located in a nice little park area where you can also camp or
ride trail bikes.  Who knew it was so close?!  

covered bridge in Wilkinson Pioneer Park

Covered bridge

Inside

A tree in the park

Last Sunday after church we headed to a nature reserve near town for a mile walk among the trees,  brush and paved paths.  A perfect day to be out enjoying fall, and within easy access to our house.  It is still good porch sitting weather, good biking weather too.  

Speaking of our house, it was 19 years ago today that we moved into this place we call home.  This is epic.  This is something we could not fathom....cuz.........well, before moving to Mason City we had never lived in one place longer than 6.5 years and in my life I have never lived in the same town longer than 7 years. ( an example?  In one year as a young child I went to three schools in three states..) For Joel it is 21 years on the home farm.  And here we are, living in the same house for 19 years!  A lot of work had to be done to this house to make it livable for us.  It had not been taken care of for years if not for ever.  Joel put a lot of work into it, the people we hired for floors, counters, etc. put a lot of work into it.  And some of our extended family put a lot of work into it!  It was a house I was reluctant to move into but Joel felt very strongly that God wanted us here and I began to see his vision.   He remembers standing on the back deck, which at the time was really unsafe,.....and "hearing" God speak to him giving him the sense that I would heal in this house.  My history since that day shows much sickness and disease but God has walked with me and healed me of Lyme, thyroid disease, chemical sensitivities, chronic fatigue syndrome, and a cyst through prayer alone, and from 4 bouts with cancer through medical treatments.  And there has been a lot of inner healing that has taken place...yeah.....healing has come.

The house has several levels and is really too big...we just don't need the space with our family seldom gathering here, BUT the stairs have kept us moving and the space is nice when winter, a pandemic, or sickness keeps a person confined.  We know some day we will say good-bye to this house and our neighbors, but right now we are so grateful to be able to own our own home in such a beautiful area, surrounded by great people.  Yeah....we are blessed.

Speaking of blessed, I am so grateful for the oral surgeon who will be removing a tooth for me.  I had a consult with him this week, but before him the endodontist.  Because of my medical history their conclusion was to remove the tooth and that will happen in early November.  No other option was acceptable I guess. Going to them pushes the pause button and reminds me, "Oh yeah, after the Lyme and cancers your immune system has a "limp" so my body needs careful attention.  And how grateful I am that they are so concerned.  We discussed a lot, once he hears from my oncologist and we have the go ahead, I will lose a tooth.  Aging.  Sigh.....

Speaking of aging, I find that when I go places, other people will stop cars for us to cross or even open doors and hold them for me.  This week a younger woman went striding past me with a look of determination, but then stopped as she opened the door and moved back to hold it for me.  What a kind gesture.  The same thing happened with a man going into the store this week at the same time as me.  There is still a lot of kind people out in our world who are kind.  It's a good thing.  

I am thankful today for specialists who care, for an immune system that keeps putting forth the effort, for an outing to a covered bridge, a nature center, and East Park.  Giving thanks for fall weather, 19 years in one house, the memories, and all the large windows that let views of nature into our home,  homemade wheat bread, walks, and bike rides for Joel.  Grateful for kind courteous people.  Grateful for phone calls, texts, Wordle connections, phones at our fingertips, our grands, children, and in-laws, extended family, and so much more.

Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday's Scribbles

 

Good Saturday on this first day of October!  This is pretty much my favorite month of the year regarding nature and all its beauty.  The leaves are starting to turn and some have even let go and are blanketing yards.  Our mums are blooming and our one geranium plant is still gracing us with a vibrant red as we sit on the porch.  The air is crisp in the morning but the sun is still warm when you bask in it.  And basking in it for a minimum of 15 minutes a day is what health experts tell us is necessary.  Ducks are starting to fly south and yesterday as Joel was porch sitting a flock of migrating robins came through. Last Sunday afternoon we drove 35 minutes to a pumpkin patch on a farm.  It was a bit disappointing for me, but we did see a few goats and chickens and little kids have a great time!  It was definitely a place for kids.  We ended up at a local market here in town where we bought two pumpkins and some gourds...and one yummy squash.

Porch Pumpkins

Gourds

Speaking of Fall, we have noticed our neighbors, including ourselves, have started to get those projects done that are needed before the snow comes.  It is also great biking and walking weather and paths are a place to greet others as they enjoy Fall.  For us it has been dry, with cool mornings and temps around 68 in the afternoons.  Just perfect.  And it is a perfect day for Joel to be off at Rendezvous Days about an hour from here in southern Minnesota.  His one day a year to enjoy all the creative experiences that go along with this 3 day event.  He goes for Saturday and comes home at night smelling like wood smoke, having eaten more than his fill of good things while watching the events of the day and listening to music, etc.  

Speaking of weather we cannot help but be aware of what has happened in Florida and now South Carolina.  Such devastation.  It will take years to reconstruct and will those who lived through the hurricane ever fully recover from the trauma?  We pray so.  The typhoons we went through in the Philippines were minor in comparison but I can remember the anxiety as the winds rose and the rain came so fast we had water coming into the house.  Joel was off working as a weather forecaster on the base on Thanksgiving when the worst one hit.  Our maid Amphy and myself stood each at a door with a broom and swept the water back out as it came in like a hose under the door,  Action and prayers were both necessary, and to be honest most of our experiences in The Philippines required action and prayer.  Not a bad combination.  Back to those affected by Hurricane Ian......you are in our thoughts and prayers.

Speaking of prayers, there were a lot of those last week as we waited for the results of an ultrasound after my oncologist felt something she could not define.  I got in right away for the test, but had to wait  4 days for the results as my doctor was out of the office.  My Oncologist is very thorough which means I have a "love-hate" relationship with her.  So thankful she checks out everything and so annoyed that she checks out everything.  Ha.....   I did okay until the woman taking the test asked me if it was me or the Dr. who felt the "lump"......guess that was written on the chart? I guess the word "lump" was hard to hear.  The test only took 10 minutes which was really fast.  I expressed that and the woman said, "Oh I "found it" right away!"  Found what???  Right??  I talked myself down off the ledge a few times by remembering the words God sent me on Facebook that spoke of God already being at work.  I just needed to trust and rest in knowing that.  Yeah.....He is a good good Father.  Always with me no matter what comes my way.  With GOOD results(a lymph node surrounded by scar tissue) we have been praying a lot of gratitude prayers that all is well.  In fact an x-ray taken showed the ribs to be healed and the blood work this time was great.  Iron levels excellent even with 1/2 the dose so we have been celebrating the good news and after 2 and 1/2 years of appointments every 3-4 months I am going now in 6 months.  Yippee!  Over the past year I have really come to appreciate each morning I get up and hear Joel say, "Morning, Missy" Isn't life precious?!  

Getting back to Ian hitting Florida and South Carolina, I texted a friend whom I met while living in the Philippines in 1974-76.  They live in South Carolina and were going to be hit by the force of Ian.  Seems she had suffered a heart attack recently.  She was recovering, thank God, and my mind could not help but go back to our time together.  We called each other "sisters in Christ" and even though I have not hugged her in person since the day we said good-bye at the airport, we will hug some day~!  As I have been writing about our two years there lately, I can only reiterate once again on how much those two years impacted our lives.  So blessed and grateful for the people we met, the experiences we had, the family we grew. 

Speaking of family I realized this week that three of our kids were married in October.  Happy Anniversary to all three couples!  May you be blessed with many many more years to come!  Happy Birthday to a granddaughter too.  Celebrations can be a daily occurrence when you add in anniversaries, birthdays, good medical reports, graduations, confirmations, and so much more!  Ha  

So today I am giving thanks that Joel is off at Rendezvous Days having a great time, that the weather is perfect for Fall, the oncology work up was all good news, biking and walking is still part of our days, October is here, pumpkins sit on the porch, bread is rising, birds are migrating, projects are getting done, Fall meals are on the menu, Florida and South Carolina are beginning their recovery, my friend H. is recovering, phone calls, texts, and communication with family is ongoing, and just so much more!

Enjoy your weekend!