Wrap Up and Outtakes

Our trip went more smoothly than we ever dreamed it would. Except for getting turned around in Seattle trying to return the car and some flight delays, there were no problems. And those were very minor.

Bill got this great pic of Mount Rainier from the plane window on the flight out of Sea-Tac.






There was a "flamingo moment" in the airport near our departure gate. (Look closely at the top right-hand corner.)








My Mt. Vernon friend had the coolest toenails in town.







And did a dandy "Sampson" impression with the aid of a couple of totem poles.








I saw that my husband's sense of humor is still intact.
(The pseudo-earthquake was not THAT bad!)





And after 25 years, we still want to hold hands.





Priceless.

Day 6: Seattle

Bill and I spent our last day of vacation in Seattle. Since we only had one day, we concentrated on City Center and the Space Needle. It was built for the 1962 World's Fair and is one of most unique landmarks in the Pacific Northwest.










After the Space Needle, we found Mecca for Sci-Fi Fans in the Science Fiction Museum & Hall of Fame!


Shhh, don't tell the picture police,
but we had to sneak a few shots.

Yep, this is Uhura's uniform from the original "Star Trek" series!






And do you recognize these guys behind me? Warning: you are dating yourself if you do!



The day ended perfectly visiting with a Seattle area friend. She brought me a sackful of lovely PANK Seattle themed goodies, including an umbrella that I never needed! The item she is clutching is a tin a Mississippi Cheese straws. I wonder if she shared these with her family?

Day 5: La Conner

Actually, Day 5 started out in Burlington, Washington at the rockin' church of our Mt. Vernon friends. It was a bit different than what I am used to, but I have to say, I really enjoyed it. One of the highlights was singing along on a hymn chorus for the first time in months. I had been given permission for occasional, light vocalizing and I think the voice is finally back. No major singing till I see the doc in October, but this was a start. :) This worship service truly was one of the highlights of my trip.

Then we headed over to the quaint little town of La Conner, to rummage around cute shops and find good eats.
Situated on the delta near the mouth of the Skagit River, La Conner was founded in the early 1860's and is Skagit County's oldest community. I loved the artwork on the walls of this brewpub (yes, another one!).

In addition to numerous photo ops, we saw a "smart car" close up for the first time. These neat little vehicles would be great for those like me who have fits parallel parking. I was also able to show off my scooter to a man and his wife who were considering purchasing one just like it.


The bronze statue in this picture is of "Dirty Biter" a pup who was the town pet for a number of years. He had his own barstool in his favorite pub and his own place on the dance floor and would just go home with anyone he chose to in the evening. Sounds like some people I knew in college.

We went back to steak and fresh picked grilled corn for supper, again prepared by our Mt. Vernon hostess. And for dessert, with a nod to our favorite gal from Kansas, we had PIE!

Day 4: O Canada!

On Saturday, our friends from Mount Vernon took us into Vancouver, Canada, the land of kilometers and misspelled words. ;P It is also the site of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

After passing through customs, where Bill and I got to show off our renewed passports, we headed to a neat little marketplace. One of the first things I found was a booth filled with lovely jewelry and I stopped to pick up some gifts for folks back home. Next to it was a stand filled with produce so beautiful that I almost wept at not being able to take any back to the states with me. Even Bill was impressed and promptly found a stall selling cut-up fruit and loaded up a bowl with enough for us all to sample. I never thought I would want to fight for fruit, but this was that good!

After a delicious lunch and some photo opportunities (see below) we took off for a lovely spot called Stanley Park.


Stanley Park is a huge park that includes beaches, hiking and biking trails, and totem poles. It was a chilly day, but that did not stop people from
being on the beach. Brrrrrrrrrrr!




















Altogether a lovely day in a lovely country.

Day 3: Headed North

.


Day 3 found us at the AmTrak Station ready to take the Cascades train to Seattle, where we would rent a car and drive to Mount Vernon.

To my delight, trains have changed for the better since my last trip on one 20 years ago. An adorable Redcap in a uniform that had me thinking he was going to burst into a chorus of "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" any moment, helped me get my red scooter on the train. We had real conductors in spiffy uniforms and everything!

The scenery on the trip was lovely and we got much more of a feel for this part of the trip than we would have from interstate (excuse me, FREEWAY) driving!

After our arrival in Seattle, Bill and I got our red Enterprise Rent-a-Car (the match to my scooter was a happy coincidence!) and headed to Mount Vernon where the spoiling began.

My friend in Mount Vernon had put on a spread that was worthy of the South (and that is high praise indeed.) We met her sweet DH and the adorable father-in-law that she is always talking about. I want to be Mr. Bill when I grow up!

We talked about everything from trains to planes and made plans for the following day when we would go on our first ever trip into Canada

Portland Day 2

On our second day in the Portland area, Bill and I arranged for a tour of the Columbia River Gorge area with E & E tours. We were promised beautiful waterfalls and spectacular scenery.

We were not disappointed.

Our tour guide, Mr. Ellis, was a walking encyclopedia on all things Oregon. Who knew that most potatoes are now grown in Oregon?

We visited several waterfalls. The one in the picture above is called "Horsetail." The highest was Multnomah, the tallest "year round" waterfall in the US. As you can see in the pic, it comes down in two stages.


Vista House at Crown Point is one of the most photographed sites along the Historic Columbia River Highway. Not hard to see why!

Portland Day 1

As promised, the travelogue begins!

Gustav cooperated and the planes were flying out of Jackson again the day after Labor Day, so we were able to be off to the great Pacific Northwest.

Thanks to my snazzy new red scooter, I was able to be mobile in the airports for the first time in many years. I had a great time zooming around the concourses during layovers between flights. Thanks to my friend Mel, for suggesting I gate check my wheels!

We checked into the 101 year old Mark Spencer Hotel in the heart of Portland's Pearl District, where the friendly staff did everything they could to make us welcome.

First on our Portland agenda was a trip to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, where a WW II diesel submarine ("boat" to submariners) was open for tours. My former submariner husband toured the boat while I played in the kid's portion of the museum. I went in the "Earthquake House" where I had the opportunity to experience what earthquakes feel like. I'll stick with the hurricanes, thank you very much!

After the museum, we rested up a bit in anticipation of supper with one of my Weight Watcher Online friends, her husband, and her brother at a local brewpub. The food was good, even with Diet Coke instead of beer! Dessert was marionberry (Not THAT Marion Berry!) cobbler and carrot cake with cream cheese flavored ice cream. Yum!

After supper came the highlight of the day! A visit to Powell's Books! Rooms and rooms of books of all descriptions. And, a tall friend to reach up on the shelves to get them for me! My suitcase went home considerably heavier than when it arrived in Portland thanks to my sojourn at Powell's and the book given to me by my friend.

Loaded down with books, Bill and I crossed the street to the hotel (of COURSE I chose the hotel for it's proximity to Powell's!) to get some sleep in anticipation of our Columbia River Gorge tour the next day.

Back to Reality

I stepped off the plane to the heat and humidity of Mississippi last night. These I have not missed!

Nor have I missed the hurricane threats to me and my loved ones. As I write this, my sister-in-law is evacuating from Corpus Christi and other relatives are still dealing with the effects of Gustav. Just life in these parts.

I am still trying to put my trip into words.

Watch this space...

Trippin'

This is by no means a travelogue, just a ahout out to people who read my blog!

Observations to this point:

Delta rocks. I have had no trouble with accommodations at all thus far.

Powell's is as awesome as everyone says! And having a tall friend willing to reach for books is even more awesome!

Q and the Hubster are adorable together.

~c can REALLY cook!

Jim is the world's greatest sport.

Being "chauffeured" to Canada is the way to go!

~c' & Jim's church rocks and I loved it!

I am tired, but holding up. Can't wait to see Carrie, Darren, and the kids tomorrow in Seattle!

Whew!

So far, so good.

Looks like Gustav is going to go to the West of us. We are still in for some rain, possible tornadoes, and wind, but nothing like it might have been. Of course, since most of my mother's family lives in the Baton Rouge and Houma areas, I am concerned for them. However, they are a bright, resilient bunch of folks, and I am sure that they have made themselves as safe as possible.

I have to admit, my anxiety level has been high these past few days. The memories of Katrina are still pretty fresh. That was one of the scariest times of my life. Not just the weather on that day, which felled trees scant feet from my home, but the aftermath as well. Of course, this time, I had much more time to prepare.

At this point, it looks like my long anticipated trip to the Pacific Northwest is ON!

Yippeeeeee!

Gustav

***********Warning*************
Another Hurricane Post. Skip if you are sick of reading about it! :P


WLBT meteorologist Barbie Bassett just told the Jackson viewing area (that's us) to be prepared for similar conditions to those we faced with Katrina. Interstates are being routed to for one-way traffic out of coastal areas. Shelters have opened today and more will open tomorrow. Generators are selling as soon as they are unloaded and police continue to patrol businesses that sell them.

I am as prepared as I can be. There is really not much more to do except watch and wait.

And pray.

A lot.

Watching

We are still watching Hurricane Gustav. So far, we really can't tell exactly where he is going to hit at this point. Even if he does not directly hit the Mississippi Gulf Coast, that does not mean that we will not be affected. These pictures are from 1992 when high winds brought about by Hurricane Andrew uprooted a healthy tree in our front yard, slamming it into the room that is now my office. Thank goodness, neither of us was in the room at the time. The tree did not just fall on the roof, it smashed through the wall and demolished the hardwood floor. It took almost a year to get our home back to normal.

I can totally understand that my husband does not want to risk going on a trip and coming back to something like this. But that does not keep me from hoping that things are under enough control by Tuesday morning so that we can leave without worry.

Meanwhile, I am packing and still hoping for the best!

Selfish

OK, in the light of morning and having had some sleep, I do realize how selfish my post last night seems. Losing a trip is nothing compared to losing a home.

So, I have gone from starry-eyed traveler to hurricane watcher. I have already been out this morning to stock up on bottled water and non-perishables. My tank is full of gas. We have candles, lanterns, and batteries. I even found some disposable grills on sale at the Kroger store. We are about as ready as we can get.

So, I am watching the weather channel and hoping for the best.

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

My husband and I have had a trip planned since last December. For our 25th wedding anniversary gift to each other, we are going to the Pacific Northwest. We plan to see friends while we are there and enjoy a week together before he starts his 12 hour a day (14 with commute) 6 day a week schedule for the plant shutdown. We have not had a real vacation together in 5 years.

But another man has come into the picture. His name is Gustav. Right now, his path is headed straight for the Louisiana and Mississippi Gulf Coasts. And guess when he is due to arrive? You guessed it. The very day we leave on our trip.

My husband has already said that we are not leaving if there is any chance of damage to our home or that of our neighbors. One neighbor is pregnant and the other one just had ankle surgery. Neither of them is going to be able to climb up on a rooftop and secure things if a tree falls or part of a roof blows off.

So, I am praying really hard that Barbie Bassett (WLBT weather person who correctly predicted the severity of Katrina way in advance) is wrong this time and that Gustav blows himself out before he gets here.

Breathe in...Breathe out...

Sam's Dad

Tomorrow, Sam's dad has more surgery on the ankle he broke last year. It has robbed him of the ability to do the kind of construction work that he has always done to support his family. He has not been too successful trying to find something new to do in today's tight job market. All of this has been very hard for him (as it would be for most men) to deal with.

Bless him, he is a "glass half empty" kind of person. He has little faith in the doctor being able to restore his ankle to his previous level of functioning. As people who have dealt with serious injury and/or illness know, attitude is everything.

Of course, Sam is anxious about all this. And I am concerned for her as well as for her dad.

So I will say a prayer for them both tomorrow. For healing, for peace, and most of all, for them to feel God's presence in their lives.

DWTS

For those of you who do not watch this show, DWTS stands for "Dancing With the Stars." This is a show I discovered a couple of seasons ago and have fallen in love with. I am a klutz, so I admire any non-dancer willing to put him or herself out there in this way.

I just read where 82 year old Cloris Leachman is going to be a contestant. I love her as an actress and hope she shows the young whippersnappers a thing or two about dancing.

I can't wait!

Contained

Talked to my dad yesterday. Bloodwork shows his cancer is still under control. This is round 2 of the same cancer, which makes it harder to treat. But, so far, so good. Dad is 75, but otherwise in good health. He walks 2 miles a day, tends to his lake place, and travels with his sweet wife. The shadow of cancer just makes him more appreciative of what he has.

So, breathing a sigh of relief until next time.

Reading

see more dog pictures


When I saw this I had to laugh. It is so like me.

When I was a kid, my mom had fits trying to get my nose out of books and into doing my chores. I read with a flashlight under the covers and sitting on the floor of the bathroom late at night because I could not turn on the lamp in the room I shared with my sister.

As I have gotten older, I have more trouble focusing to read. I can't listen to audio books because I fall asleep! So it is pretty rare that I get something I cannot put down these days. The exception to this has been Diana Gabaldon's "Outlander" series. It has time travel, romance, and Scotland. I can't ask for much more than that.

Excerpts and more information can be found here.

http://www.its.caltech.edu/~gatti/gabaldon/gabaldon.html

These books are rather massive, but totally worth the effort.

I am on the last pages of the last one and I hate for it to end.

Le meas!

Little Things

I am sometimes amazed at how important relatively small things are to my day to day life with myasthenia.

For example, most people take going to the grocery store for granted. Get in car, drive to store, park, buy groceries, unload and put away groceries.

Simple, right?

This morning, most of the stars and planets aligned to where I was able to shop for groceries for the first time in weeks. I pulled into Kroger, where all of the handicapped spaces were either taken or clogged with buggies. I circled until I found a another spot that was still within walking distance for me.

First objective accomplished!

Now for the really tricky part. Could I get the one functioning Sit and Shop buggy? They have four, but three have been out of order for weeks.

Got it! Scooooooore! And it was even charged enough to get me through the store!

To the checkout stand with my items. Nothing open but the self-serve lane. This makes the job a bit harder. Fortunately, the clerk saw me struggling and this one actually helped me wrangle my groceries across the scanner and into the flimsy plastic bags.

Take the buggy out to the car and, because I had to park out of the disabled zone, I was not able to get close to the back seat where I put my groceries because my scooter is riding in the back.

Park buggy, manhandle groceries into the car. See my dad walking across the parking lot and roll down my window to chat for a minute.

Groceries loaded. Check!

Home, where I take the bags of perishables in first. Put them in fridge. Some stuff needs to be packaged for freezing, but it will wait.

Rest for half an hour.

Get rest of bags out of car. Bring in.

Rest for another half hour.

Put away the rest of the groceries.

Rest some more!

My little scooter is nice, but mine does not have a basket and even if it did, it would hold precious few groceries.

If I had not been able to get that parking spot or the buggy, my shopping would have had to wait yet another day.

We have a new Kroger opening up soon. It is supposed to have more handicapped parking and twenty Sit and Shop buggies are on order.

I 'm counting the days!

Olympics

My name is Karen and I am an Olympic-aholic.

There. I said it.

I get totally jazzed about the Olympics. I love the opening ceremonies (The Chinese did an amazing job with this), the glimpses into the host country's culture, and, of course, the events!

The highlights so far have been the male swimmers winning the relay after being taunted by the French team and our young gymnastics team winning a bronze medal, despite losing their two best gymnasts prior to the games.

So, I will continue to watch and be amazed at the feats of strength, agility, and endurance.

Olympic-aholic?

You betcha!

Where does the time go?

Scooter

Today, I took the plunge and ordered myself a new red scooter. My old one still works, but I can't fly with it and it is hard to take apart. My new one will be this spiffy model.

I still can't pick up the heaviest piece by myself, but my darling husband will be able to while we are on our trip. When we get home, I will have a tow bar attached so that I can use it with my lift.

I figure I can buzz around Powell Books and OMSI just fine this with baby.

For many, my scooter would be viewed as a negative thing.

But for me, it is freedom!

Trip

Today it really hit me.

In less than a month, my husband and I will be taking our first trip to the Pacific Northwest. We will fly to Portland, Oregon on September 2. This will be our slightly early 25th anniversary celebration. I do not want to be anywhere north of the Mason-Dixon line on our actual anniversary, November 26th. In Portland, we hope to hook up with one of my friends and get her to take us to Powell Books http://www.powells.com/. I know that we will have to twist her arm something fierce to get her to agree to this! ;P

From Portland, we plan to take AmTrak to Seattle, rent a car, and head up to Mt. Vernon, WA. There, we will take shameless advantage of a friend who has offered to take us sightseeing into Canada.

A return to Seattle will find us looking up yet another friend who will hopefully be able to spend some time with us if the busy social calendars of her young children can be worked around. ;)

My pink and black polka dotted suitcase came in the mail today. Yes, I am serious!

I am ready!

Funeral

I usually don't have much trouble going to funerals. I am thankful for the chance to pay my last respects to friends and loved ones who have lived a good life.

But I am dragging my feet about going to one that will take place in the morning. It is for the infant twin daughters of my sweet, precious fellow church member and chiropractor. One of these babies was stillborn and the other died at 6 days. The idea of losing not one, but two babies in 6 days is just beyond my comprehension. There are no comforting words or thoughts for this situation.

Just the thought of walking into that funeral home brings me to tears. But, I will put on my big girl pants and be there for this family.

But I am taking plenty of Kleenex.

Boundaries

Anyone who knows me very well, knows that I preach the importance of boundaries. As a child, I grew up with few boundaries. As a young adult, my lack of healthy boundaries eventually lead to a severe bout of depression.

I have worked very hard to develop and maintain healthy boundaries since then. Most of the time, I do pretty well.

As you regular readers know, I am having trouble with vocal nodes and a new bout of bronchitis. These have necessitated establishing some very strict boundaries about using my voice, particularly on the telephone.

But, there are always people who just have to see if I am going to stretch my boundaries just for THEM. When I am in a period of enforced silence, I usually post on my message board, and send e-mails to my friends telling them that I am not answering my phone and am using a whiteboard to communicate with people face to face.

The only exception to this rule is if one of the 'rents calls twice in a row. Then I know that it is an emergency worthy of risking the future of my singing voice for.

When I can talk at will, I will let the world know.

So, till then, shhhhhhhh!

Bronchitis, Round 2

Sheesh!

Went to the doc yesterday and have been diagnosed with bronchitis for the second time in 4 months. Needless to say, I am not particularly pleased with this! My throat is sore and I am a bit hoarse. I am hoping that this does not set my recovery from vocal nodes back too far.

So, I am back to silence.

At least I still have my trusty Magnadoodle.

MammaMia!

OK, despite the ratings, I bit and went to see MammaMia! with my friend Sharon. I have never been the biggest ABBA fan, but this movie just sounded light and fun. And after this last week, Sharon and I decided that a mindless movie was just what we needed.

Yes, the plot was paper thin and full of holes, but this is fairly typical of musicals. It was painfully obvious that, despite being adorable, Pierce Brosnan is no singer. But, the costumes were great, the scenery, breathtaking, and Meryl Streep was her usual amazing self.

What tickled me was the audience demographics. I expected mostly ladies between 40 and 60. But there were quite a few 70 and 80 year old's there as well. And everyone came out smiling.

Ratings, schmatings! People coming out of a movie smiling and singing?

I call that a success!

1-800-CALL-VIK

1-800-CALL-VIK.

Vik is the person that fortunate computer owners have in their lives. The computer whiz who will take frantic phones calls for help when I have questions about how to do something, or have managed to screw up my system somehow. I know that I am not the only person who makes these frantic phone calls to him, but he always answers in that calm, reassuring voice and I know that he is going to make everything OK.

Vik is living on borrowed time. He has heart problems, high blood pressure, diabetes, neuropathy, and other health issues. He deals with the stepfamily issues that would have had the average man leaving long ago. But, thankfully, VIk is not the average man. He moves through life with a gentleness and a sweetness that belies his circumstances.

We need more Viks in this world.

Today

One thing nice about a new day is that it is like a clean slate. It gives us the chance to start ovcr and try to do better.

Good sleep is so healing. Kind of like a band-aid for the soul.

So, to today! :)

I Said it Out Loud

Oh my.

I am usually a tactful person. At least I try to be. I try to think before I speak.

But today, exhausted from no sleep and effects of yesterday's anesthesia, I put my foot in it. I am not saying that what I accidentally said was not true. But this person makes everyone around her pay for any slight, real or perceived. It was not a deliberately thought out barb, just a truth that should have stayed in my mouth.

So, I pray for the wisdom to keep my mouth closed if I am not with it enough to temper what might come out of it!

Not Too Bad!

Had my EGD today and was pleasantly surprised! With the help of oxygen and having the head of my bed elevated, I got through with no breathing trouble. :)

And best of all, with whatever combination of drugs they gave me, I don't remember a thing!

Now, I just wait on the pathology report, but the doc does not expect any problems.

#6...over

Priceless!

Testing 123

No, not THAT kind of testing!

I wish!

Tomorrow morning I am having what is known as an Esophagogastroduodenoscopy
or EGD for short.

I am a veteran of this test, but that does NOT mean that I like it. Many people are fortunate enough to be "out" enough not to remember this test at all. Unfortunately I am not one of them. Because of my myasthenia, my doc is stingy with the good drugs and I have long lasting memories of swallowing what seems like a garden hose. Ewwwwwwwwwww!

But, I am more tired of the pain I have been in almost constantly at this point, so I am biting the bullet and having EGD #6. Yes, you read that right, #6! Sheesh!

This doc and I have done one of these together already and I did not stop breathing (like I did during the one before that...funny how freaked out doctors get when one stops breathing!) so I think this will be OK.

I will be glad, however, when tomorrow comes and this one is over.

Garden hose, anyone?

Church

I went to church again this morning. I avoided it while I was under orders not to speak at all. Just too hard to write down answers to the inevitable questions on my whiteboard or my trusty Magnadoodle.

I have found a place to sit where I don't feel too conspicuous about not singing the hymns. It still does not "feel" right. My "seat" is in the choir! And someone ELSE is sittin' in it!

I saw my choir director's face fall when I told her it was going to be at least 3 more months before I could think about singing. I held on to my friend Sharon as she wept, missing her mother afresh after speaking to one of her mother's oldest friends.

There are some upsides to not being in choir. I actually get to visit with people. Usually, by the time I get my robe off and my folder put away, everyone is gone. I get to sit near the piano so I can watch our accompanist's hands as she makes incredible music. It is MUCH cooler not to have to wear a choir robe under spotlights in Mississippi in July.

So, I continue to carve out a temporary "place" for myself in church.

But come October, I'm takin' MY seat back!

49 is Coming

We celebrated my friend Sharon's 49th birthday today. My other friend Sharon and I had lunch for her at my house. I reassured myself that I could still put a really nice meal on the table by cooking chicken almondine. Sharon brought roses and a party hat, and with a bit of cake, we were set.

Of our little group of friends, three of us are within months of being the same age. Chip turned 49 first. Sharon will officially turn 49 this weekend, and I will turn 49 in October.

Now I have been known to pull a few pranks on certain milestone birthdays in the past. I managed to avoid paybacks for the most part on my 40th by having surgery a few days before my birthday. People were nicer than normal because I looked rather pitiful with my throat swathed in bandages.

But, 50 is coming up and there have been hints that there will be paybacks for anything I do to THEM when MY time comes around.

Will I do unto them anyway???

Stay tuned!

The Package

While going through my piles of stuff in my office, I came across a couple of songbooks from the local Jewish temple. I used to sing for them at times when my friend Elizabeth Ann was alive, so I was not really surprised to find them. However, the dilemma came when I was trying to figure out how to return them.

Like many temples in relatively small towns, the one here has no Rabbi. There is no official staff or anyone to contact. So, I decided to wrap them up and leave them at the door this afternoon in hopes that a member of the tiny congregation would find them tonight.

Since we have been having regular afternoon cloudbursts, my first thought was to wrap them in a plastic bag. I did not have a clear bag large enough to hold them and when I put them in a white bag, I was afraid that the package looked suspicious. This is something that would never have crossed my mind before 9/11! I pondered for a bit as to how to wrap these books in a way that was non threatening, but would keep them relatively protected. So, I looked around and found a bag that my friend Elizabeth would have approved of. It was a small shopping bag from Marshall Fields.

So, the books are stylishly hanging on the Temple door.

May they find their way home tonight.

Thinking Positive

After a few days of wallowing, I am trying really hard to get my positive attitude back. Even with MG, concern over aging parents & temporary loss of singing voice, I do realize how blessed I am in the grand scheme of things.

A positive attitude is something I have to kind of "fake until I make" sometimes. I can't change any of the above situations, but having the worst possible outlook does not help anything.

Wouldn't it be nice if positive attitude could be bottled and sold at Wal-Mart?

Wonder how many people would buy it?

Month 3

I am into my third month without being able to sing. I have done pretty well until now with just trying to get my speaking voice back.

But now I want to sing. This morning, I was listening to that New Christy Minstrel's song "Today." I wanted to sing so bad that I nearly cried. Not talking was easier than not singing.

I have faith that my singing voice will return. I have tried looking at this as a gift. I have tried looking at it as a nice rest. But, my heart is not buying it. When my niece starts singing and I can't harmonize, or I can't sing at the funeral of one of my dear elderly friends, the pain, though emotional, is almost physical.

I am sure there are lessons to be learned. But today, I don't want to learn.

I want to sing.

Learning

Earlier this week, I had a friend send me a link to an online course catalog. There were offerings for a variety of subjects, from languages to history.

I was not even tempted.

Now, I have always been the professional student. I have attended 3 colleges and hold 4 degrees, two of them Master's degrees. I loved learning about new things.

I can't figure out what has happened. Am I just tired or lazy? About all the learning I am up for these days is watching Discovery Health and HGTV.

I do like learning new art techniques for my cards. I still like to learn about new things to cook. But as far as "formal" stuff, the desire is just not there.

Will it come back?

Stay tuned.

Six Year Old Fun

I am excited today. Our six year old niece is coming to visit (with her parents, of course!) and we are going to have fun.

Little Sarah is a neat kid. She is well, behaved, but not TOO well behaved, if that makes any sense. She does not have so much that she is blase' about small treats and happies. She likes to be read to and loves art projects. In other words, a kid after my own heart! :)

I had a good time at the dollar store today, stocking up on books, puzzles, and art supplies. I have never quite grown up myself, so I get a kick out of looking for things a kid might like. Not to mention things that I will enjoy playing with as well!

So, let the fun and games begin!

Granna and the 'Rents

Today, three of the people I love most in this world are out of pocket.

My dad and sweet stepmom at flying off to Salt Lake City, where they will rent a car and drive to Montana. They both have some health issues, and I am just praying that none of them flare up during this trip! Stepmom is going to see one of her grandbabies for the very first time and is so excited she can hardly stand it. I am praying for uncomplicated flights and easy driving for them.

My sister's MIL, Granna is in Texas having a heart catherization. Granna represents security for me and has been a mama to me since mine died. The thought of losing her brings a level of sadness to me that is scary in its depths. She is one of the only people in my life who takes care of ME.

So many prayers for health and safety are going up this morning.

Many.

A Little More Talk...

Yesterday I went to a "voice therapist." Apparently this is different than a "speech" therapist. This lady's job is to teach me how to use my speaking voice more effectively.

I am allowed to talk for short periods to people who are in close proximity to me, but not on the phone or anywhere where I would have to raise my voice at all. But what gets me is the way I am supposed to talk. I am essentially supposed to talk the way I sing. This means resonant voice, fairly soft, and on a higher pitch than I am accustomed to speaking on.

Of course, my speaking voice has never been anything to write home about. I have a Southern accent and MG has caused my voice to lower and become more nasal. People are usually surprised when I tell them I am a soprano and are usually surprised because my singing voice is nothing like my speaking voice.

But, the aim is to make my speaking voice as efficient as possible to take stress off of my vocal cords and the nodules. I have to think before I speak (no comments from the peanut gallery here!) and place my voice in what singers call "the mask."

To me, I sound like a robot.

Danger, danger Will Robinson...

Week One

Well, I have made it through my first week of silence. I think I accidentally forgot and said about 3 words, but other than that, these lips have been sealed.

It has actually not been that bad. I have the internet and I have the ability to express myself pretty effectively in written words. I also have my trusty Magnadoodle (tm) and three white boards of assorted sizes. I have found low odor markers that look like razors with a squeegee on the end for erasing what I have written.

People I meet tell me I must be just bursting to talk, but this is really not the case. I am wanting very much to sing, but not necessarily to talk.

Week one down.

? weeks to go...

The Vortex

For months, I have seen these captioned cat pictures in my e-mails and on Facebook. But, I never knew where they came from until I read an entry in the blog of a friend's son.

These funny cat pictures come from a place called Lolcats.com After I clicked on the link in Luke's blog I was sucked into an almost all day vortex of looking at sometimes hysterical pictures of not just cats, but dogs, walruses, foxes, and bunnies.

Of course, I had to share the fun, so I started to e-mail pictures to friends. I just could not resist. I was in the grip of the vortex.

I am now on page 151. And the website promises that these pictures go "to infinity and beyond."

Uh oh...

Shhhhhhhhhhh

Went to the doctor today. Not unexpectedly, all the coughing I did during my bout with bronchitis, coupled with reflux, has caused nodules to form on my vocal cords.

"Node" is a word that strikes fear in the heart of any vocalist. In college, no music student even dared speak the word aloud. The word "nodes" would be spoken of in a hushed whisper. As in "Do you remember ______? She has...nodes!

I have been strictly instructed not to utter a word for the next 1 1/2 to 2 weeks. Like a friend suggested, that can actually be a gift of sorts. But, being vocally restricted for up to 3 months is harder to view that way. And not singing till the end of summer or early Fall is even harder to think about. Not when singing has been like breathing for most of my life.

The doc seemed pretty optimistic. I am trying to be optimistic as well.

So, for the moment, the watchword is

shhhhhhhhh

Finished!

I am FINALLY finished cleaning and organizing my office. It has taken over two weeks and involved literal blood, sweat, and tears.

This has been both a physical and a mental challenge. I am extremely sentimental and love to keep cards, memorabilia, pictures that have been drawn for me, etc.

Don't get me wrong. I kept plenty. A lot of the challenge was figuring out how to organize it effectively. But, I got rid of things that were not truly special. And now, I have the space and tools to really ENJOY my room.

And enjoy it I will.

Progress

Well, the great office cleaning and organizing project is STILL going on. But I am making progress. I have moved my desk over by the window and I can see the desktop for the first time in recent memory.

I am using Julie Morgenstern's book "Organizing From the Inside Out" as a guide. It talks about putting things where you really USE them. So, I have set up a vanity area in my office, so that I can easily get ready when my darling husband is hogging our one tiny bathroom, or asleep in our tiny bedroom.

Books, CD's, and sheet music are all being sorted and what is not being used or enjoyed has gone to a local church for their yard sale. Other books have flown off to friends who might enjoy them.

Trips down memory lane have slowed me down, but I do see an end in sight.

As as God is my witness, I will never let it get this cluttered again!

Really!

Letting Go

Well, today I am continuing the task of cleaning and decluttering my office. A lot of what I am doing is letting go...

Letting go of most of my "professional counseling" life.

Letting go of those books that I am never going to read again.

Letting go of unrealistic expectations of myself and current life conditions.

Letting go of the need to keep every memento that belonged to my deceased loved ones. The best memories are in my heart. ♥

How Do They KNOW???

As many of you know, my dear husband has had "new truck fever" for the past several weeks. His beloved GMC Sonoma has over 200,000 miles on it and is beginning to show it's age. For his 2 hour round trip commute, he has to have a reliable and low maintenance vehicle.

So, yesterday he went to our local Chevrolet dealer and got figures on a Chevrolet Colorado. He liked the gentleman with whom he was dealing and planned to finalize a deal on Tuesday, his next day off.

This morning, I was awakened by my husband, who told me that the truck would not start and that he would need to take my van to work.

Maybe it knows...

Bronchitis & Clutter

It has been a while since I have blogged. This is largely due to a bout of bronchitis that I have been battling for almost a month. I am on round three of antibiotics, but the cough just hangs on. I felt better for a few days and actually rallied enough to go to Montgomery to see some dear friends. But the symptoms are just hanging on and I am worn out. Bronchitis is not only sapping my physical energy, but it seems to be affecting my mental energy as well. My singing voice is gone, but I am trying not to panic too much about that just yet.

There have been some pluses to being more confined than usual. I have made some lovely cards. I have read several books. Looking at the clutter around me has actually inspired me to start a bit of organizing and getting rid of things I don't need. I found a cool organization, Bridge to Asia, http://www.bridge.org/books.html that sends used textbooks to China and Southeast Asia. I have decided that it is time to get rid of most of the counseling textbooks. Most of the information I want is online. I need to de-clutter in order to be able to physically maintain my home.

So, bronchitis has been a bit of a gift, but I am ready to give it back now!