Looking Down With Things Looking Up...

Another three hour trip one way to the place that pulled Hubby away from death's door.  I went armed to talk about attitude.  The doctor had made a miraculous change of attitude since our hospital stay the beginning of this month.  After a little confusion about the front desk having the wrong files we went into test mode.

Body fluid work, pictures of the heart, x-rays, stress tests, oxygen and CO2 tests and other multitude of tests....medicine assessment and pep talks and progress reports.  Sticking to that low sodium diet and the new medicine and THE PRAYERS all you good people sent out have paid off wonderfully.

When he was so seriously sick his cardiac refraction rate was less than ten percent (out of one hundred percent).  In layman's term I think that's the pump pressure and out put.  I never really looked it up.  I didn't want to know what it meant, I just wanted it fixed.

After intense fluid reduction and a loss of almost twenty pounds of fluid the congestive heart failure was delayed...still there but immensely improved.  From ten percent to thirty percent in less than a month's time!  I don't know what you think but that sounds like a miracle to me especially since I had been informed that refraction rate could not improve.  His rate was 35 percent and functional two years ago and 25 percent and then downhill to the morgue was where he was headed. I would say a twenty percent improvement is a good sign.

HUBBY DID NOT MAKE THE TRANSPLANT LIST!  AS OF TODAY HE IS DEEMED TOO HEALTHY TO BE CONSIDERED AS A POSSIBLE RECIPIENT OF A DONOR HEART.  WITH GOOD SENSE, GOOD DIET AND CONTINUING PRAYERS THIS HEART COULD POSSIBLY SUPPLY ALL HIS NEEDS FOR A LONG LIFE.

They have not abandoned him but will keep a close watch on his progress and if there is a downward dip, he can be placed on the list but for now we are celebrating.

We even ate out!!!!  The low sodium choice at Subway's was delicious and not dangerous.

The view of the lobby below our office area.

So Praise God and Pass The Biscuits(even if they have too much salt)   Thank you all for the healing prayers and your patience with my panic.  Neither of us could have survived without your support.

Cock Fights, Football Training, Spring Blossoms and Tails...

Spring is in the air and seems to bring out the party in the animals around here.  Hens setting, roosters jousting to impress the ladies.

Dogs wondering when football begins.  There is a full summer schedule of weight lifting, scrimmaging and young men being yelled at by coaches.  June is the free month.

I dare not count the footballs that have reached this condition.

The fruit trees begin to set their fruit

and the tulips give their last hurrah

The poor fox squirrel hugs the Pecan tree hiding from the dogs.

We leave today for another session with the heart guys

to see if we qualify for the "list"

I fear my mouth may get me in trouble

because the team I've met hasn't been

some one I'd bake cookies with.

And that is the end of our farm tails today.

The Power of Lightning...

The past partially repeated itself last week.  We've had wonderfully generous amounts of rain accompanied by wind, thunder and lightning. Some seemed awfully close as I counted the seconds between the flash and the clap of thunder.

Yesterday preparing to move cattle to greener pastures Hubby "ran" the fence line, not physically but on his Ranger.  He returned to the house madder than a wet hen saying someone had cut the fence!  Are you sure? I ask.  Hubby is one of those who naturally jumps to the worse case scenario and when he solves the problem he is always the hero.

He gathered supplies and returned to repair the hole.

It was not cut!  It was fried! This is brand new barbed wire which takes years to change color or be affected in any way by the weather...except for lightning.

All that remains of four strands of twenty-five feet of fencing.

If you look closely you can see the discoloration

 that could only be made from fire.

Hubby had cheated a little

 and nailed to some trees along the fence line.

All he could find was still attached to a tree.

I'm glad the cattle were not close

like Dad's story above.

This reminds me of that old commercial,

"It's not nice to fool Mother Nature."

The Mag 166

A nonsensical ditty for The Mag

ILLUSTRATION BY HELEN WARD

THE MENU HAD BEEN DISCUSSED

WEEKS AND WEEKS BEFORE

THE TOAD WANTED RESTRAINT

THE BADGER WANTED MORE

THE MEAL WAS CHOSEN

THE SILVER AND THE DATE

ALL LEFT TO DECIDE

WAS WHO SAT FACE TO FACE

THE PLANNERS AND THE GUESTS

WERE DIVIDED BY THE TABLE

NO ONE HAD FAITH

THAT TEMPERS WOULD BE STABLE

THE WEASELS ARRIVED 

CHECKED ATTITUDE AT THE DOOR

THE HOSTS EXPECTED LESS

AND HID WEAPONS IN THE FLOOR

THINGS BEGAN CIVIL

UNTIL MUSHROOMS HIT THE PLATE

THE INTOXICATION

FIRED THE GREAT DEBATE

HEALTH CARE AND GUN CONTROL

WERE SUBJECTS FORBIDDEN

WHEN TWO GROUPS ARE MEETING

FROM BOTH SIDES OF THAT RIBBON

SO CLUBS WERE PULLED

AND TEETH WERE BARED

WAS ANYBODY'S GUESS

HOW EACH SIDE FARED

THE RUMOR IS THE FIGHT GOES ON

TO THIS VERY DAY

EACH SIDE KNOWS BEST

THERE'S NO MEETING HALF WAY

                      

Ode To Amphibians/Save The Frogs Day...

For Real Toads.

Tiny green hidden
Your big voice echoes
Outside my bed room window
I almost wish for silence
Then remember how
The bugs will flourish
If more frogs were gone

The orchestra is different
Than when I was a child
Some sections are missing
Or rarely heard
The Bull Frog is silent
The Old Toad rarely seen
The frog songs are fewer

Only given credit
For delicious dishes
Sticky toes
And loud voices
The salamander and mud puppies
The frogs and toads feed less
Their music replaced by insect song

Spring Tulip

May your weekend be colorful.

Fire Blossom Friday: Being A Deer

Join the creative fun and visit with others at

Imaginary Garden With Real Toads

Not feeling like yourself?

Some one lets a dog in...

I freeze but the dog

Thinks I am only human

And does not smell my fear

Someone mentions food

I look at the solid wood

I stand on 

Seeing nothing to eat

The lead male says,

"Honey, I will cook.

Go relax"

I retreat outside

Carry On With Poetry Jam and Real Toads...

The challenge at Poetry Jam this week is to spin a tale about the ability to "Carry On"...our take on the resiliency of the human spirit. Real toads challenges us with Hello/Goodbye.

    

My heart stopped
When his almost did
Do we stop
To count each mistake?
No
We carry on
Moment to moment
Knowing
We are not immortal
But our love is.

Our first hello
Was
Also
The beginning
Of our last goodbye
We carry on
Moment to moment
Knowing
We are mortal
Our love is not.

Busy As A Bee...

Earlier this year I tore up the water garden and life kinda got in the way.  Today I was finally able to do some work on it, in it and around it.

I really hate to brag (not really) that it is flip flop weather here.  I sweated like a horse.  Did not "glisten" like a southern belle is supposed to do.  I dripped.  I was blinded by the sweat.  Sorry y'all that still have snow.  Spring is one day closer for all of us.

Here's where I was...

Trying something different this time.  The water garden is under two big pecan trees and there is lots of leaf and pecan picking to do.  I picked up every rock this time, cleaned around and under them and then put some in containers.  Hopefully they will be easier to clean that way.  Here is one container and it's rather difficult to see.

I have crystals and small rocks here and there in wire baskets.  I'm even trying a orange sack to see how long they last.

This pond is pet friendly.  At each corner there are solid rock stairs where pets and people can walk right to the water's edge.

The dogs are pleased with their private bar and swimming pool....and I still have buckets of rocks!  Not just plain rocks but rocks from years of collected rocks with something special about every one.

I have much to do before I am through and "miles to go before I sleep."

A Picture's Worth A Thousand Words...

Sharing

Spring's New Clothing...

The old hangs on while the new blossoms.

No words needed.

Spring has arrived.

The Mag 165: The School Teacher

Instructions

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

Joining the challenge at Magpie Tales

Monhegan's Schoolteacher, 2004 by Jamie Wyeth 

The School Teacher

I'm so pleased I did not have

A teacher such as she

With not a brain to cover up

When it's minus twelve degrees.

Saturday Centus 156...

Dear John, Bill, George, Donald, and Nathan,

I’m compelled to confess my multitude of grievous actions.

I’m what some people call a “Black Widow”. I’m not sure why I've decided to confess other than I've accumulated enough wealth to care for all my needs for a very long life.

I find the planning, keeping names and stories straight is just not worth the trouble anymore.

I will be leaving, changing my identity and beginning life over again…alone.

Don’t try to find me.

I didn't notify Sal, Ben, Paul, Kyle, nor Antonio. Sadly, they’re no longer with us.

Forever Yours, Yours and Yours

Having fun with Saturday Centus

Jonestown...

dVerse~Poets Pub  has challenged writers to speak of tragedy with poetry.

JJ's Followers

The innocence of Grape Punch
Died forever that day
Along with many
Who saw with
Blind eyes
Holding the hands
Of their children
Believing this was
The Way
The Truth
The Light
When it was only
A crazy man
With crazy people
Grasping for an excuse
To feel worthy
As they helped
Their children die
For NOTHING

Invaluable Farm Team and Treasures...

The rain and thunders storms rolled in and out all day.

We had uninvited visitors.

Not ours!

Why do ours stay in but we can't keep these out?

Lizzy and Junior

Squiggs, Junior and Ki

Add Border Collie Diamond Lil 

and you have an unbeatable team to move cattle.

To see stock dogs work is a thing of beauty.  Each dog is trained by the one above them.  Lil is a head dog, the smaller ones are heelers and movers.  

When the strangers arrive Marcy can clap her hands, I yell "Yhaw!" and the team moves like a well-oiled machine.  Itty-bitty Lizzy and Squiggy gets them moving, Ki and Junior separate the strangers from our cattle and Lil takes the head. 

I've never had the herds completely blended until today.  Squiggs (not twelve pounds) cut out our cattle and headed them back to their spot while Junior, Ki and Lizzy curved the strange bunch back out of our pasture.  It was simply amazing. I face an oncoming wave of half grown calves.  For a second, just a second, I doubted the power of my team.  I raised my arm and I pointed.  The dogs take our cattle one way and the strange ones are herded the other. As they hit the divide, Lil picks up the chase and takes them totally into their home pasture.

Pure dance and art when they work.  A motley crew of Border Collies, a tiny Cairn mix, a Jack/ Rat Terrier,  my hot pepper Ki-Anne of unknown origin and her son Junior moved together like a well choreographed Broadway musical.  

I am proud of our little pack.  All were throw aways except for Lil.  They fit perfectly together and make a fantastic irreplaceable farm team. Not only with herding but also on protection and patrol detail.

Between rains I took a short walk and discovered a few treasures the farm had to offer for my pleasure and enjoyment.

Abducted!

This Bluebird was the only witness

seen through the windshield of Hubby's dirty truck

I don't think the bird is talking. 

Tractor/Lawnmower Man fried his battery charger Tuesday or the battery charger chose to kill itself when faced with all the summer's work ahead.  The riding lawn mowers' batteries were dead and had to be brought back to life.

Off first to Home Depot and then to the correct store.  We didn't need an air compressor/battery charger nor a six hour battery charger.  We simply needed a jump it, start it, get 'er done battery charger thingy.

The correct place just happened to be next to our favorite Chinese Restaurant.  Hubby asked, Chinese?  Nope!  We are forbidden to eat Chinese out...high in sodium.  As much as he fusses about my love of Chinese food I really think he was disappointed not to eat out.

Home to jump a battery, mow a little and nap.  I'm glad he could do this.  Over two weeks ago we were thinking he may never do this again.

Waking from his nap I greeted him with a wonderful plateful of low sodium non-Chinese food. He actually SAID it was good.

You learn to be grateful for the small things.

Retrospect

The smoke rose lazily
Entwining with more above
Almost sensually
To lay on the ceiling

Eyes held eyes hands held butts
Smoking was romantic
Bogie, Bronson, Marvin
held lighters and romance

All gone cigarettes kill
No one says, "Play it a-
gain, Sam" anymore. Farewell
to legends

Is there a triple dactyl? Trying my hand with a different poetry style at Imaginary Garden with Real Toads.

Attempting Poetry...

Playing with Toads

Moss grows northward

On rough bark of tree roots and logs

Moss grows northward

Celebrating the rain it grows

Thicker and greener in cool shade

Weeping shades of green while it crawls

Moss grows northward