Laura, Dani, and Amber

I received three notes from wonderful students of the Class of 2008. I was not able to go to their graduation ceremony. I was "bummed" as they might say. I was excited to get their notes. I have a notebook of the letters that class of graduates sent me when I retired. When I need an encouragement, I re-read their sweet remembrances. I even received a letter from a student that I taught several years ago who was riding in the MS150. He was also going to Alaska on a mission trip. Zac is a junior engineering student at Texas A&M in College Station. Thank you, Zac, for sharing your memories and pictures.

Retired is difficult to get used to, but notes from x-students are gratifying. Thank you Laura, Dani, Amber, and Zac.

Harvey Visits Again

Harvey came to visit last week. He is 4 years old now and is such a sweet dog. There were times in the past that I doubted ever being able to say that about the Harv! My younger daughter got him at a puppy adoption at Pet Smart while she was in college. The adventures she had with him cannot be believed. She could probably write a book. Harvey has chased cats, had a best friend Brinkley, and even had a dogie birthday party with some other friends. Harvey makes friends with four footed creatures very easily, but he has always been unsure of strangers. Maybe his phobia is because of being in a pound when he was just a puppy. When he came into our lives, he was only as big as his head is now!

Harvey showed how much he had "matured" when he visited this time. The lawn people left the back gate opened. I didn't notice it until I had already let Harvey out. Before now, I would have expected him to scampered out of the gate and into the street. When I noticed the gate being open, I told him to not go out and to come in the house. He looked at the gate, eager to escape. But instead he came back into the house. I was so relieved. The picture above is of Harvey, my daughter, and my son-in-law. Even though it looks like it in the picture, Harvey does not have devil eyes. He has the gentlest big brown eyes.

Happy Anniversary

Both of our daughters wed fantastic men in the Spring. Our older is in the post about Destin. She and her husband celebrated their eighth anniversary yesterday. Our younger daughter and her husband celebrated number one a few weeks ago. She and her husband are in the picture above.

We are so proud of both of these couples. Happy Anniversary.

"Destin for Greatness"

This is the title of my daughter's blog on their tip to Destin, Florida. The pictures tell the story so wonderfully.

I just had a long conversation with our grandson. He is growing up so fast. We talked about his 'cation, as he calls it. He was so excited about holding the alligators, holding a starfish, being the captain of a real boat, going to the beach, and going to a dolphin show. Being in Florida will be a fantastic memory for him. He talks just like a grown up. He was excited that he went to his mom's regular obstetric visit and got to hear his little brother's heart beat. We are all - especially our grandson - eager to meet that new addition in October.

Life Goes On

It has been a few days since I created a post. I have started painting again; I had believed it was impossible to paint with just one working hand. I guess anything is possible if one just tries. Modification is the name of the game. It will take much practice to be happy with what I put on canvas. I have been painting lighthouses and abstracts. I never enjoyed abstracts, but I find so much freedom in them lately. I am slowly learning that just because MS has made my life different, it will not make me just quit trying.

My grandson is with his family in Florida. I miss talking to him. He is an incredible little person. He says the funniest things and seems to have a deeper than normal understanding of his world. Of course, I am not the least bit biased. I made an outing to Target to get him some small presents. I had not been out of the house for several months. Any excursion is a major production. My sweet husband drove me to my destination. Even though it was tiring, it was really uplifting to motor around. I hope to do it more often.

My Journey

As I read over my posts, I realized that my blog was becoming my sounding board. It was just the wanderings of my self-evaluation. I decided to delete some posts and determined to make this blog just simply an avenue for my writing. I am realizing more and more that I miss teaching my kids. Some days were harder than others, but, at the end of the day, I could remember with a smile the adventures of the day. Maybe I can begin tutoring just a few kids. I can start writing book reviews I guess. We'll see...

Harvey

Harvey (our grand-dog) is visiting today. He is such a great companion, friend, and protector. When he gets to come visit, I feel such acceptance and love. He does not care that I cannot run and play with him when he goes out in the backyard. He will just sit by me or at the window. He does not expect anything - just to be fed twice a day! He is so human - at least he seems to be.
Thank you for visiting, Harvey.

Rescue 143

Last night - rather this morning - was surreal. It is so frustrating to not be able to just stand up and move myself to a "normal" position. I got into a precarious situation as I was trying to transfer from the bed. After evaluating my problem, my resident hero again rescued me. Using an old hydraulic hoyer, he was able to maneuver me back to bed. I went from a difficult position of being on my face lying in a doorway to being lifted onto my bed. His engineering skill is used not only in the oil field but also in the moving of a lump of dead weight. I have been in love with my hero since I was sixteen. We would always use the code "143" to mean "I love you." He is here for me, not because it is expected but because he wants to be. What do people do in this situation "normally" with no resident hero?

There is help for the elderly and the disabled if one knows where to look.

1. Adult Protective Services (APS) is a source of help. The state provides relief in the area of individual care and in the area of group care (i.e. nursing home and assisted living). One needs to not expect instant relief; nursing homes know how to cover all the bases and "play the game." After I left the last "rehabilitation" facility, I asked for a copy of my chart. I was charged over $200 dollars for a copy of my chart. I did not recognize the patient described; in fact, one page was on a different patient. I had kept a log of my treatment and none of those events appeared in my chart. Keeping a log is important.

2. Cities and counties provide services in times of distress. I was concerned about evacuation from my town if a hurricane is eminent. I evacuated when Hurricane Rita was baring down on Houston. Travel was such a nightmare that I will not do it again. I will just take my chances. My town has no services for the evacuation of the disabled, but my county does. I did inquire about help with the city of Sugar Land. A most helpful member of the city administration led me to a county service - S.N.A.P. She sent me the link to the county program. I filled out a complete but simple survey of needs. I was assured that a link to S.N.A.P. is on the city of Sugar Land web page (http://www.sugarlandtx.gov).%20help/. If that link is not obvious, the helpful Sugar Land employee shared the following:

The link to register with the Fort Bend County S.N.A.P. program is:http://www.co.fort-bend.tx.us/getsitepage.asp?sitepage=3182Just in case this link does not work their site address is www.co.fort-bend.tx.us and the department you would need is "Health and Human Services".

Help is available for those who need it if the source is known. Surf the Internet. Check with your local, county, and state government. Don't just sit ideally by; be proactive in personal care.