My Main Men...

Tractor Man and Andrew

Jake and Zander...

all the men I need!

TTIAR With Pat...

Brown fields and silent combines

Lay before the rows of clouds and trees

Drought has brought disaster

The farmers are in dire need.

Isaac has been downgraded
But still packs a punch
Hope he brings more rain
We could use a bunch.

 

For Happy Rows

Visit Pat and add your own.



A Rain!!!!

 The worst drought since 1937 has affected many states.  Stockman are selling out and farm are drying up.  Tuesday we received a great blessing.

My youngest grandson and daughter running

through the beautiful rain.

From my porch

I captured the downpour.

I did not measure it.

I only said, Thank you.

Proof Of My Strangeness...

A view of my gate guardian

holding up very well in two years of weather.

Created from a pelvic bone of a cow.

and my gargoyle still waits for rain.

May those in the path of Isaac stay safe

and those around receive the rain they need.

Policing The Yard...

I got out awhile Sunday. Marcy is doing better so I walked around a little. The water garden is perking up after my severe cleaning.

The dogs have greatly enjoyed the private pool

in the front yard.

Every rock tells a story,

not only geologically

but also emotionally.

Crystals from Mount Ida

I would like to thank everyone for all your well wishes and prayers during Marcy's surgery and ongoing recovery. 

 

As I turned to go back indoors the sun was setting and I could see the moon. 

The Mag 132...Big Room

Tess Kincaid at Magpie Tales challenges our writing skills each week.  I can hardly wait 'til she posts on Sunday.  I love a challenge.  Sometimes I do well, other times, not so much but, oh, the fun of doing is still there.

There are few rules.  Ms Tess invites all to join.  It is a wonderful opportunity to use your writing skills and let your imagination go wild.

1) Write a poem or short vignette using the picture featured in this post as your inspiration. Feel free to take the photo to use for your post.

2) Link back to Magpie Tales from your post.

3) Sign up in the Mr. Linky list, linking directly to your post, AFTER you've posted.

Big Room, 1948, by Andrew Wyeth

Tick Tock
Family clock
Mantle tells a tale

The room offers no resting place
The table offers food
Did Andrew paint the real life
or is this just a ruse?

May You Have...

a hoppy weekend.

We Met Dick Trachie...

I wish I had thought to take a picture of our training dummy...not the person but the head.  Known as Dick Trachie he endured our rough ignorant handling without a change of expression.  Our Dick, instead of like Larry above that was borrowed from the web, had a shocked open mouth expression.  Ugly chap he was but was quite patient with our bumbling. The lady who pulled him around in a wagon kept him covered so he would not frighten children.

So I have retired to be a nurse after one hour training, I was announced capable.  I wanted two more hours training so I could be a doctor.  Hubby is comfortable with this even with his heart condition.  With all of his years involved in emergency care, rescue, recovery and emergency management, this is a cake walk for him.  He trained too.

Marcy has a laryngectomy stoma so that is not as scary at a Trach. They removed that. Doc is confident he got all the cancer.

The sad thing is all this is sounding simple and I can ALMOST spell it now.  God help me!

I promise not to keep entering the gross details but Marcy is doing fine.  We are trained to bring her home when they release her.  Only good news from now on.

UPDATE:  GOT A CALL THAT SHE WAS BEING RELEASED.  I AM THREE HOURS AWAY!  COULD THEY NOT HAVE TOLD ME THAT YESTERDAY???  SO ONE PM HEADED TO LITTLE ROCK AT A DEAD RUN.  WAS INFORMED SHE WAS COMING HOME WITH FEEDING TUBES.  I THREW A ROYAL SHIT FIT...PARDON ME.  NOTHING HAS BEEN THE WAY THEY HAVE SAID.  NO HOME HEALTH WOULD BE PROVIDED AFTER ANOTHER FIT, HOME HEALTH IS BEING PROVIDED.  NOT A LOT BUT SOME TO HELP US AND MARCY TO BECOME MORE COMFORTABLE WITH HER CARE AND NUTRITION.

I ARRIVED SAFELY AND THEN WAS TOLD, OH, WE CHANGED OUR MINDS, NO FEEDING TUBES...JUST IF SHE FEELS SHE IS NOT TAKING ENOUGH ORALLY, SHE CAN HOOK UP A TUBE.

AFTER SIX HOURS DRIVING SHE IS HOME EATING JELLO WITH ANDREW AND HUBBY TRYING TO CONNECT A WALKIE TALKIE SYSTEM SO SHE CAN CALL US IF SHE NEEDS US. DEAR SWEET HUBBY HELPED HER DO HER NIGHT CLEANING OF THE EQUIPMENT.

I GOT LOST IN THE PARKING LOT, COULD NOT FIND MY CAR.  WENT TO THE TICKET BOOTH AND THE LADY CLOSED IT DOWN TO HELP ME FIND MY CAR.  I WAS SO STRESSED,  I WAS CRYING.  WHAT IDIOT CANNOT FIND THEIR CAR IN A FOUR LEVEL PARKING GARAGE???  I DID NOTICE AFTER I FOUND IT, MY LICENSE PLATE SAYS XXX LCO AS IN LOCO...HOW FITTING.

CHECK UP IN A WEEK AND THEN TRYING TO TRANSFER ALL CARE TO THE ORIGIANL ENT MAN WHO BEGAN ALL THIS.  THERAPY WILL ALSO BE ARRANGED AS CLOSELY AS POSSIBLE.

YEP, LOVING RETIREMENT.

Thursday's Things In A Row...

Rows of lights, rows of chairs

Rows of windows every where

Nothing but hospital rows today

Please think of Marcy and pray.

Join Pat and you will see

more cheerful rows than these.

Crossing The Rivers Again...

Headed south to Marcy.  Please excuse my medical terms and my misspelling because I have no ideal what the names are.

Marcy was up walking today and learning how to care for herself.  The Trak? has been removed and replaced with a much smaller device I think they called a Larry Tube where her prosthesis will be installed.  This will enable her to breath freely. After therapy she will be able to speak almost normally.

Hubby and I are going to be trained to help if she has difficulties when she arrives home. I am not a nurse but will do the best I can.

Not really what I had planned for retirement but Marcy needs us and she would do the same for us.  In fact, I have shown you pictures she has taken while sneaking around keeping an eye on Hubby with his heart condition.  He never knew he was being spied on.

I have been baby sitting my youngest grandson from after school until his dad gets off work.

All the things I think I had planned for retirement have not fanned out yet...but they will because I feel your prayers and well wishes.  Thank you.

Yesterday I woke Andrew for school, feed cats and chickens.  Did some laundry.  Hubby and I went to the chiropractor.  Hit the bank and Fred's looking for a pair of shoes like I gave to the angel at the hospital.  Answered phone calls, made phone calls, did paper work, babysat then fed all the animals again after I had gone through the mail for the day.  I stopped at eight.

I hope I am able to do what is needed. 

Saturday Centus On Tuesday...

Jenny Matlock's writing challenge for Saturday Centus  is certainly that this week.  One sentence with no T's or E's.  I have a question instead of a plain ole sentence.

Will you shampoo my dog?

Through The Key Hole...

 

and through my dirty windshield was this glorious sight coming home from driving to visit Marcy.  We got a quarter inch of rain yesterday and a little more this evening.  Very greatly appreciated.

Marcy has been upgraded and has had some tubes removed.  They located her glasses locked in OR but cannot get them 'til Monday.  I did bring her clothes, paper and pen and a book.  I also brought candy in a sealed jar with individually wrapped pieces of candy.  The top said, Compliments from Marcella for your wonderful care.  Please help yourself.  I'm hoping more nurses will come in just to get some candy!

Marcy's color is good.  They are keeping her pain free to rest and heal.  I think they will begin working with her tomorrow. I told tall tales and made her smile.  I could read her lips and what she couldn't tell me, she wrote. One step at a time.

Thank you for all your prayers and healing thoughts.

The Mag 131...The Guilty

Under Windsor Bridge, 1912, by Adolphe Valette

Under Windsor Bridge

The guilty had returned

To relive the event

After he was spurned.

Read others at Magpie Tales.

You Can Take The Farm Girl Off The Farm

but you can't make me street wise.  I've been lost in Little Rock so many times might think I would know my way around by now.  Nope, wrong!  Found the hospital okay Thursday but deciding which parking garage to use for what section was too confusing for me.  Give me a dirt road or woods and I can find my way any where but add concrete, thousands of cars and four lanes of one way traffic and you might as well just put me down.  I was about ready to check into to the nut ward just from the driving.

I don't have a cell phone so Hubby lent me his.  That was a laugh.  I didn't even know how to make it work.  There was an angel in the waiting room for us that made many calls for me trying to track down what we needed to do.  I was so grateful I gave her my new flip flops. I had just purchased them for the trip in case my old ones had a blow out and they were in my purse.  The angel that saved us was thrilled and they matched her blouse perfectly.

Thursday's pretests were running over three hours behind.  I had a motel reserved.  I couldn't find that so just stopped at a motel and said, please tell me you have a room.  They did.  I called to cancel the other room fifteen minutes before deadline.

And goodness gracious Hooters was right next door.  Marcy and I decided not to go to Hooter's since I asked two men if the food was good.  They said, No! and said Hooters was for the atmosphere not the food.

So we ate at Cactus Jack's.

This is one fajita!

Marcy enjoyed her last solid meal for a few days.

The next morning poking and prodding began at five am. They took Marcy away so I TRIED to go pick up a part for her at Arkansas Health Dept. I kept loosing the street. I know, idiot! It would circle something and then it was gone again.

I found the old capitol.

I found the current capitol.

I found the historic union station

with no time to explore.

I did not find the place I was supposed to find.

I had the lady on the phone

 and she finally said, Honey, can  you find the hospital again??

She said, Go park and I will meet you.

That Angel brought the medical part to me

and gave me a much needed hug.

Now for the surgery report.  Doc believes he has removed all the cancer but had to take a thyroid because it was so entangled.  Six hours of solid reconstruction surgery later she is morphined and resting.  She gave me orders after surgery to go home and feed the chickens and her cats.  I did.  I cried but that is what she wanted me to do.

She will be pretty much be knocked out til Sunday so I will have one more of many adventurous trips to Little Rock.  Sure hope my skills improve...and I'm driving a standard transmission!

I could feel all the prayers and well wishes in the room with us.  Thank you. We can still use them.  It's gonna be a long haul.

I'm Not Just A Farmer...

I'm pretty handy when I give it a try.  Today is Marcy's surgery so please keep her in your prayers.  I am in Little Rock and have been since yesterday.

Knowing I was going, I thought how can I read seven and a half hours?  So I decided I needed to take my monster Alien computer and hope they have wifi.  It's portable but is not a laptop.  They call it a modified desktop so it is much heavier.  Alien is a lean mean gaming machine so even without the net I can play a few games to distract me...maybe.

I had nothing this thing would fit in so I had to make one. Searched for material, found some fabric I had used for a sewing machine dust cover and a receiving blanket. Then I went to work.

The layout and pinning before sewing

The receiving blanket became the liner

with pockets for charger, mouse, etc.

My new bag holds every thing I need to play.

Extra heavy duty strap for the weight

and Velcro enclosure.

I can haul this baby anywhere with ease.

A Hibiscus for Marcy.

Another Project...

Before I began

You can read the story about the beginning of this water garden here.  It has quite a history.  After trimming all the unwanted and beginning another pile, I had to empty the garden to clean it.  It has been awile since I have had the time to attend to this properly.

I found some old friends

and a new one.

The turtle was not happy.

Empty of all things, clean

and refill.  All rocks replaced.  Pickerel and Parrot Grass planted.  It will be crystal clear tomorrow.

Off to find more rocks.

I love jobs like this!



Happy Birthday, Tractor Man!

My tractor man,

My dare devil repair man

My creative man before all his heart and health problems.

Born the baby boy in a family with four sisters, I should have known he was spoiled but I married him anyway.

Happy Birthday to the love of my life. You bring me laughter, contentment, comfort, and headaches and some days you are the bane of my existence.  I love you more than you can imagine.









Cattle Club

The temps aren't so high

but the rain is still short.

The only reason this grass is green

 is because we water it from the spring.



Last baby for this year

The one who escaped the tagging.

I'm not sure what will happen.  We have no hay for winter.  There is none to be had anywhere close by.  Many cattle from our area have been sold because of lack of pasture and hay.  We hope for rain to fill the ponds and possibly allow one cutting of hay before winter. For now our Cattle Club retains it's full membership.

Retirement Is Too Much Work!

 After cleaning this little spot

Here is the next.  The wonderful Honeysuckle has taken over.

I have not been lazy.  Post 2011 Hubby has been unable to do much

except by riding machine.

When I was home, I did the essentials.

I already have a nice pile!

Soon I will have another spot to celebrate

and my cannas can flourish again.

The Mag 130

Tess Kincaid invites every one to join the fun at The Mag. Look at the picture prompt, write something, sign up.  How hard can that be?  Pretty difficult...give it a try.  It's lots of fun.

image by Francesca Woodman
with alterations.



The lady arrived covered with kelp

carrying a shell phone to call for help

The first man she did meet

Tried to force a peek
What an impudent whelp!