Still attempting to learn how to upload photos from my phone. Bare with me

Something weird...

Something weird is happening to me. I thought that when C left for school, I'd be huddled in a quivering mass in the corner, waiting for a phone call or email. Amazingly enough, that hasn't happened. Sure, I get sad every once in a while, and I certainly miss her. With text capabilities and the ever present Facebook, we're in pretty close contact on a regular basis. We even watch tv together occasionally. I know in my heart that I did a good job raising her (or her raising me..whatever). She's smart, she's responsible and she makes good decisions. I also know that her campus is small and sort of set apart from town. She's on an island off an island...so yeah, not a lot of traffic coming and going, so she's pretty safe. I find that I don't worry about her physical safety and she's made some good friends. So it's almost like all those years of worrying and protecting have kind of come to an end. Don't get me wrong, I will always worry when my kids travel, or go to a new place or just are gone from me. I'm their mom after all, and that's sort of our job. But I'm confident that she'll be fine. And in knowing that, I'm free to get back to me. Like I took a 22 year hiatus from the Deb business to raise the next generation. So, maybe, now back to Deb. I'm putting together my own outfits, for instance and enjoying it. I bought LIP GLOSS. For myself. Without asking the lady next to me if she thought it was a good color for me. And I like it. I'm deciding what to cook. What to watch. What to do. When to eat. I always used to ask her and we'd work out something that was good for both of us. Always working together. And I'm SO glad for those years we were together. I will cherish them always. But I taught her to compromise and share and get along when neither of us felt like it. Valuable life lessons.

And now that I'm here by myself a lot (DH works two jobs, 70-80 hrs per week) I'm able to see what needs to be done around here. Before I was her caretaker. Now, I guess, I'll be the caretaker of the house and the yard more. I can devote more time to these things. I feel like I have the time to putter in the garden for a few hours and not have to worry about fixing dinner at a regular hour since I'm the only one that's home to be fed. Things like that.

Yesterday, I made laundry detergent again. I've been meaning too for a month or two, just never had the 15 minutes it takes in one lump. So I jumped on it yesterday. Today, I'm making and canning apple sauce and also some green salsa. I've got 6 pints of apple sauce processing now, then the salsa will go in the canner. That makes me feel happy. I'm also contemplating removing a piece of ugly furniture that I've had for at least 15 years. It's the last item leftover from my last marriage and I'm very excited about ridding myself of it. I've also been working through the piles of stuff in my sewing room. I took everything off of my work surfaces (ironing and cutting board) and while they're still piled in there, I can now work in there. And I'm making a dent. Slowly, but really it took a while for it to get bad in there. I can't expect to get it all finished and out of there in 2 days. I'm almost to the point where I can start focusing on making items for sale on etsy. That's exciting. I will finish some fall placemats that I started this time last year. They've been in the pile. Maybe this is what my new life will be. Focused, a little more relaxed and a little more time spent caring for me.

I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship....

Back to the Future

I've started reading this magazine, Mary Jane's Farm, and when I read it, I get nostalgic. But for what? I grew up on Air Force Bases and none of my relatives were farmers. I get the same feeling when I watch a Western or see a quilt book with quilts from the Civil War and I wonder what is it in my wiring that makes me wish I was a pioneer farm woman. Sometimes I look around my home and I think that if I was, there'd be more crocheted rugs on the floor and the spiderwebs in the corner would be gone and my home would be warmer and cleaner. I wonder if I'd be considered lazy or if I could keep up. Sometimes I feel that I have no direction, that I just ping pong around with great ideas and lots of lists, but that I never see anything to it's fruition. I want to change that. I need to change that. It's an exciting thought and an exhausting thought. But what a difference I could make around here. The yard would be mowed and the garden beds weeded and neat. The house would be painted and repaired. My family would have an oasis away from the outside world.

It's a thought...

Camping and Copperheads

Hi All,

welllll, the camping trip was last weekend. You know, the big camping trip with 4 generations and we all have a great time and plan for next year's trip? This one was cut short by the copperhead bite I received on my left ankle Friday evening. It was about 10 minutes to midnight and I was walking back to my tent with my daughter. I must have pissed him off just right. He got my ankle right on the inside bone.

Mom and Dad bundled me into my sister's van and DH held his hands around my leg sort of like a tourniquet. We drew around the initial swelling and bite marks with a purple sharpie and time stamped it. 11:52. Into town we went, Mom holding out her cell phone until she could get a signal and then calling 911 to direct us to the nearest hospital. Luckily, it was only a 10 minute ride away. I was in the er within 25 minutes of the bite. Tetanus shot administered, iv line set and ready to go. They observed me for an hour or so, marking the advancing swelling before finally deciding to give me some antivenin. Up to this point, I'd not had any pain meds and the pain was an intense burning sensation. I finally asked for something and they decided on Demoral. I typically don't even take aspirin. 5 minutes in I started to feel lightheaded and ask DH to go get the nurse. My blood pressure tanked...like 77/40. Stopped the antivenin asap, flipped my gurney upside down and began trying for another iv line in my right arm to administer fluids post haste. That was a little scary. After I was stabilized, they called the ambulance crew in to transport me to a bigger hospital in case I needed any more emergency treatment, like a fasciotamy. The local er just wasn't set up for this sort of thing. Off to Ardmore we went. Another er, more bloodtests, oxygen and then admited to a room around 6 am. Lots of signing things, questions, pokes and prods and I was finally able to go to sleep around 7. They released me around 4 pm that day (Saturday) at which point we stopped and bought crutches and returned to the campsite to pack up and head home. My foot, which had sort of stopped swelling in the hospital bed began it's creep of fluid up my leg and the pain was pretty intense. We had both driven our vehicles to the site as we had a child and lots of equipment with us. I drove the truck home, 100 miles since my car is a manual. No shifting for me, that's for sure.

Since then, I've been either on the couch or on the bed. I've been trying to hobble around. sometimes it's fine, sometimes it hurts like a son of a bitch. Missed work all this week and don't have to be anywhere until monday at 9. Then we go down to Galveston, Tx to deliver our youngest to college at Texas A&M, Galveston. So glad it wasn't her that got bit.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it. I'll try to keep up with posting until I'm healed so other people can compare stories. I had a really hard time finding any sort of information on recovery time and what type, if any tissue damage I'm going to be looking at. They've got all the medical stuff, but no after care. I guess they just clear you and send you home, but no one really documents the recovery time.

peace,

Deb

Houston, we have a cucumber!

I had planted all my melons and squash and cucs in the front yard this year. I have such a problem with the dreaded squash bug that I decided to trick them and plant somewhere far enough away that they couldn't find my plants. It seems to be working! I found 2 full size cucumbers last night and plenty more baby ones. Yay! The cool weather and all the rain we've been having just spurred them on to cucumber greatness. I tried Thai Green cucs this year. We have a problem with it being too hot here and the cucumbers get bitter. I thought if I tried some from a hotter region than it might work better for me here. I haven't tasted them yet.

The kids are moving in this weekend, and we're all pretty excited about it. They'll be moving here to save up for their move to Seattle this winter. We figured with C going to college and there being an empty room, it would work out ok.

Hope you all have a great day!

d

Day of rest?

Yesterday, C and I headed over to my sister's house to help paint the outside of it. Little did we know that there would be nothing for us to do. My nephews were sanding the fascia and my father was replacing some woodwork on the front. All that was left was for us to go to the hardware store and pick paint after eating some leftover scones. Then we got back and had lunch and came home after that. Got home around 4 and I got to work here. Did 2 loads of laundry, then I made a big batch of breakfast burritos and put them in the freezer. I made 3 batches of double crust pie crusts and got them into the fridge. I was planning on making a chicken pot pie (or two) for the freezer and a peach pie, but lost momentum after dinner. I ended up doing a small quilt repair and then watching a movie with C and then it was bed time.

Soooo, that's what happened here yesterday.

:)

Deb

Today was pretty good...

Got up and ran into town to the farmer's market. Seems stupid to have to drive into town from the country to get to the people who live in the country, but I did it anyway. Got some good local natural meat, some cheese and some veggies. I'll have to come up with something delicious.

Also today, C and I turned this
into this:

And then I finished this:
And then I ate some ice cream. :)

Tomorrow we're heading over to my sister's house to help paint. I don't think the painting will be too much fun, but seeing everyone will be nice. Mom and Dad are there as well so it'll be good to be together. As much as we don't really agree on much, we sure end up having a pretty good time together. Strange, but good.

peace,

deb