May Day Medley

H A P P Y

D A Y !!

 I can't believe it's been over two weeks since I've posted anything.

Do y'all ever just get like that...unmotivated to blog?

I had last week's medley questions answered and started to get my post together

and then had nothing else to offer so I just decided not to finish it and bow out again.

But I'm back and can hardly believe that May is already here...and it seems summer may be too.

It's to be in the mid-80s here all week...I am not quite ready for that yet!

 So here's what Teri, has for us today on the...

  

MAY DAY

May Day is observed annually on May 1.  In many ancient calendars, May 1 was the first day of summer.  This was a cause for celebration.  One of the more popular rituals was harvesting flowers and giving them to neighbors and strangers in cone-shaped baskets. These “May Baskets” become more commonly known as “May Day Baskets”.  The current tradition is observed by hanging a cone-shaped basket full of flowers or other gifts on the outside doorknob, then knocking or ringing the doorbell and run away.

May Day has been a traditional day of celebration for centuries, with some of the earliest appearings in pre-Christian times.  In English tradition, May Day is celebrated by crowning a May Queen and dancing around a maypole.  The Finnish tradition is a carnival-type celebration in the streets that includes a special type of lemonade that is made with lemons, brown sugar and yeast.  In France, it is correct to give people either dogwood or lily of the valley to celebrate May Day.  In Italy, a seasonal feast is held to celebrate the arrival of spring.While different countries have different ways to celebrate May Day, it is truly a celebration of spring.

So hop on over and join in the fun...

...just copy the questions from her blog and paste them onto yours!

1.  Ahhh... May Day!!  Happy May!  Did you celebrate this when you were a child by dancing around a Maypole or leaving flowers on someone's porch? Will you be celebrating a special occasion in May?

I remember this like it was yesterday...my sister (next to me in age) had freckles that she hated and for a few years (at least) I remember her being told by someone in the family that one way to get rid of them was to get up on May Day without saying a word to anyone,  go outside and wash her face in the morning dew...and that would take care of them...lol! Has anyone else ever heard of that? I found this image online... I guess it came from a nursery rhyme of long ago.

2. National Mother Goose Day was founded in 1987.  Can you name a nursery rhyme that would fit your life as it was in 1987?  If you are a youngster and not yet born in 1987, you may pass, of course, but do you have a favorite nursery rhyme? HERE is a list of nursery rhymes.

Oh my...you are going w-a-a-a-y back, aren't you? It took me a while to even wrap my head around what I was doing back then! Let's see...in 1987, I was a young mother of two rambunctious little boys ...Aaron was 8, Adam was 5 and we were living in Kentucky. I was a stay-at-home mom and Jim was working 2nd shift at the time. It was not always fun...I was pretty much doing the parenting thing on my own since Jim needed to sleep late in the mornings and by mid-afternoon he was off to work again into the late night hours. Yeah...those were not the best days of my motherhood journey. "I'm a Little Teapot" seems like it might be quite fitting during that time since I've always been short and stout and I could certainly get pretty steamed up. The neighbors may have even heard me shout a time or two.....or three.

3.  National Chocolate Parfait Day is also honored on this day. Parfait means perfect in French. Tell us about a perfect day, in your mind, and would/could it end with a chocolate parfait?

My perfect day would find me out all by myself (well, just me and the Lord) ...driving to the perfect country setting, a picnic for one possibly, walking a country road lined on both side with fields of wildflowers...camera in tow, of course. There is a cool breeze blowing but the sun is warm on my face. Yes...that would be absolute perfection. Does that sound selfish? Now on the other hand, a gathering of the family...my hubby, my boys, their wives and children...that's also an almost perfect day...almost. But when we all get together, someone's got to get it together and that person is usually ME. "Perfect" and "work" don't really belong in the same sentence, do you think?? I highly doubt if chocolate parfait would be involved in any way though. Now, if you would have said lemon meringue pie....well, that would be a different story entirely.🍋

4.  National School Principal's Day was founded to celebrate these school administrators who support and guide quality teachers and staff to provide productive learning environments for our children.  Did you have a good Principal when you were in school? Do you remember his/her name?

I do remember a certain principal when I was in junior high. I thought he was a nice, fair man and since I behaved myself (most of the time) I never had any fear of having to go see him. He was a soft spoken older gentleman who was tall and balding. The main thing I remember about him was he had hairy ears. The mean kids always made fun of him for having quite a lot of hair growing out of his ears. His name was Wilbur Bolen. I will also remember that my brother Doug who was quite a bit older than me, was sweet on his daughter, Paula. And to make this story complete, I also need to add that this certain Paula married a man (who was not my brother) and they were unable to have children of their own. Well, it just so happened that my sister Ruby and her husband were foster parents for two years to a little guy and Paula and her hubby ended up adopting him. Soooo....Wilbur Bolen became the grandpa to their former foster child! Pretty cool, huh?

5. And perhaps the most important one is Silver Star Service Banner Day which honors the sacrifices of the combat wounded, ill, and dying service members from all branches of the military.  Do you have family members who have served this country in uniform? Tell us about them, if you will.

My oldest brother Bob who passed away in 2017 had already enlisted in the Air Force before I was born and made it his career. He spent most of his years at Shaw Air Force Base in Sumpter, SC  where he met his lovely wife and raised his three daughters. And my brother Doug who I mentioned in the previous comment, also served in the Air Force for four years. He spent a year in Thailand and fell in love with a lovely young woman there who he almost married....almost. I don't know the whole story but I do know he was heartbroken for a while. 😞

6.  It's Hump Day! How is your week going so far?

It's going pretty good, I think. I haven't given an update since I had some tests and saw my doctor last month. The CT scan showed that the "tumor" is still there and although it hasn't really decreased in size, the inflammation surrounding it looked better and it had NOT increased...Praise the Lord for that. We were all hoping to see it getting smaller but the doc said sometimes it takes more than one month of steroids before results. So.....no decrease in the dosage just yet. He was very pleased at how well I am doing and that I am feeling good, eating and not losing weight anymore. And I'm not gaining either so Praise the Lord for that as well. I was so afraid the steroids were going to blow me up like a balloon but so far, so good!

So yesterday I was doing a little experimenting with my air fryer and I posted what I had cooked on Facebook. A few of you saw it and was interested in learning more about air fryer cooking and asked me to write a post. This is what I made...a stir-fry sort of dish with chicken breast and fresh veggies all cooked together in the air fryer basket. It was quite tasty, quick and easy!

 

So I am working on the post it and will have it up later on this week or weekend. 

 

So that's it for now...enjoy the rest of your week!

HUGS!

APRIL FOOLS'! (a day late)

I'm B-A-A-A-C-K...

...and it feels really good to get in to my routine of life again...

however mundane as that might be.

It took me a while to regain my strength but I am getting more of my zest back every day.
The steroids and I seem to be getting along pretty well...at least no crazy beard whiskers yet!
I just hope and pray they are doing what they are supposed to do.
I will find out later this month when I return for a CT and to see my doctor.

But in the mean time....

...it seems that April Fools' Day is hanging around for another day...

...IT'S SLEETING AND SNOWING AS WE SPEAK!!

"The sun was warm but the wind was chill.

You know how it is with an April day.

When the sun is out and the wind is still,

You're one month on in the middle of May.

But if you so much as dare to speak,

a cloud come over the sunlit arch,

And wind comes off a frozen peak,

And you're two months back in the middle of March."

~Robert Frost, Two Tramps in Mud Time, 1926

BUT...it is definitely springtime on my dining room table!

Aren't they gorgeous?

And just yesterday, although quite chilly, I picked a handful of these lovelies

 that are growing in patches all over the yard. 

"When the time is ripe for certain things,
these things appear in different places in the manner
of violets coming to light in the early spring."
~Farkas Bolyai 

They are only about the size of a fingernail so I had to get in real close.

One of my favorites things in the spring is when these sweet little bluets begin to take over.



They are currently growing profusely in thick patches all over the yard.

Don't they make such a sweet little bouquet?

I have to threaten Jim with bodily harm ask Jim to mow around them until the blooms are finished.

He keeps telling me he might accidently forget to do that. 😣
~
Even though April has played a dirty trick on us, it sounds like it will be short-lived.
Tomorrow is to be sunny and 70 degrees and it only gets better from there...
...it's supposed to be close to 80 this weekend.

So what's spring doing in your little corner of the world??
 

A room with a view...well, kinda.

This has been my view for the past five days....

...at least, from my standpoint...or laypoint, I guess I should say.

I raised up high enough at one point to see that I was somewhat mistaken.

I actually think the yellow Porta-Potties add a nice spring-like contrast, don't you?

(sorry for the horrid cell phone shots)

But at least I always knew what time it was.

It's fun to watch the minutes and hours tick by when you feel like crap are as sick as a dog, right?

NOTE:
Before I go any further with the story, 
I want to stop right here and apologize for not answering emails, 
replying to your comments or visiting your blogs. 
I guess you see that I have been just a bit preoccupied. 
I know that y'all have been praying for me and I HAVE FELT THOSE PRAYERS...
and the best part is THEY ARE WORKING!

So when I last left you, I was due to go in for the final dreaded biopsy #5.

And that, I did.

I pretty much knew it would the most invasive procedure that I had had so far.

Have mercy...it was.

It was an outpatient thing and I was home by late afternoon the same day (Tuesday).

Wednesday was really painful but by Thursday, the pain was beginning to subside somewhat.

I thought I was on the upswing.

Wrong.

Although the pain was better, I was very lethargic and just had an overall feeling of yuck.

I began noticing the jaundice a bit on Thursday evening and had pretty much decided that

Friday morning we were probably going to have to head 30 minutes down the highway for Duke ER.

Friends, let me tell you, I was as yellow as minion, including the whites of my eyes.

After several lo-o-o-ng hours, many lab tests and a CT scan, I was admitted.
Did you know that most insurance companies require you to spend at least six hours in the ER
before they will allow them to admit you?
SHHH...don't tell anyone...it's a secret...
If you ask them they will deny it...unless that is if you are a trauma case.

My bilirubin level was dangerously high...the normal level for an adult is somewhere around 1.2 milligrams per deciliter (whatever that means)...mine was 19.4.

So you know those consent forms that we have to sign before having any kind of procedure?

There's always a potential risk and our anatomies are all unique as well...

BUT...and it's a BIG BUT...



...here's the absolute BEST NEWS YET...

...that last biopsy from he## that made me so sick also was NEGATIVE, PEOPLE!!!!!

Although I know that my God has always had this...and still does,

I'd be lying if I said I haven't had my share of doubts.
Being human has that effect on us, doesn't it?

By Sunday, St. Paddy's Day, I was feeling so much better and getting back to my old self...

...taking advantage of anything I could find to make the time pass more quickly.

My bilirubin level dramatically decreased over the weekend...

...on Saturday it had already come down to 7 and by Sunday, down to a 3.9.

I had been scheduled on Monday for an endoscopic procedure to see how things were looking

but the results of my labs were so much better than anticipated and it was cancelled...YAY!

Also, the CT results showed that the so called tumor had not grown in size at all...YAY!

On Monday morning, the BIG DOG doctor came to pay me a visit.

He just shook his head with when he saw me...in a good way, of course.

Just a month earlier he was sure it was cancer.

He told us that among the hundreds of patients he sees every year,

he might get two, maybe three tough nuts to crack like me among them. 

So finally it seems we are now looking at the autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) diagnosis,

the one that we have all been hoping and have prayed so hard for.

Autoimmune disease is when your own body doesn't play nice with other parts of itself.

Now, I wonder what in the world my pancreas and biliary system ever did to deserve such a thing?!

But you know what?

Even before the day I made the journey from my mother's womb into this life,

my Lord had already decided exactly how this body that He created would function...or not.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Psalm 139: 13-14

So yesterday I began a short course of steroids which is the treatment for this AIP.

Hopefully, it won't be long before the "tumor" shrinks and I'll be good again.

But whenever I begin to look like this, it's time to stop...no matter what.

~

So I'm home, I'm feeling so much better and I'm looking forward to proceeding (with caution)

to a future filled with hope, dreams and many more of God's blessings!

Love to all, 

How Does Your Hodgepodge Grow?

Well, I think we've finally turned the corner.
I can't tell you exactly when it happened but it seems like I went to sleep one night
 and when I woke up the next morning, SPRING HAD ARRIVED!
And along with spring's arrival, so did the rain.
But that's a good thing so you'll not hear me complain about it...
...and just at the perfect time too since I planted some flowers.

Nope, I just couldn't wait any longer so I made a trip to Lowe's over the weekend.
I always head to the back of the garden area first, to the 1/2 price (or less) racks.
It seems they never fail to put things out a bit too early and they get a little overexposed.
Bad for them but good for me!
I don't mind nursing those little imperfect babies back to health...
...especially when they are dirt cheap!
I did pay full price for about half of what I bought...
...but now I am waiting for the Boston ferns to go on sale...
I refuse to pay $13 each when I know they will be marking them down too.
I need four of them for the porch.
~
The sun isn't supposed to reappear until Saturday...
...just in time to plant the rest of my flowers and do a little manicuring.

As you can see, we have some work to do.
~
 Just for fun, I have decided to try my hand at growing a little vegetable garden in containers.
I always have cherry tomatoes but this year I want to try eggplant and few other things.
I read where eggplant was one of the best growers in patio containers and I really do like it.


source

Actually, this is the variety I am leaning towards planting...we'll see

I'm not sure how much luck I'll have growing my little garden
so I will still rely on this guy to keep me stocked up!
He didn't inherit his gardening and mechanical abilities from me, but from my dad.
So maybe there's hope for me after all!

So let's say we get on with the Hodgepodge...

...where Joyce asks the questions on her blog and we answer them on ours.
~

1. They say you learn something new every day. What did you learn yesterday?

I can't think at the moment what I learned yesterday, specifically, but what I have learned over the past several weeks is that I can actually enjoy exercising. Yes, you heard me right. Now I realize that many of have made exercise a part of your routine for years but not this chick. I finally made a decision, especially after starting to have these health issues, that I was going to do all I can to get a handle on things. I have had a rebounder (mini-trampoline) that has been gathering dust under my bed for years. I knew that rebounding was one of the best exercises that you can do...you can read for yourself right here. I started to just walk everyday but when I realized my hips were hurting and discouraging me, I got smart and decided to try "walking" on my rebounder. Walking turned into more like a slow jog and then I added some side-to-side movements as well and am now adding some hand weights. As the days passed, I was actually looking forward to it...I just put it in front of the TV and bounce like a fool! This morning I was up at about 4:30 and even got in about 20 minutes before breakfast! Who said you can't teach an old dog new tricks? {This is me, patting myself on the back....smile}

2. Have you ever had a now or never moment? Elaborate.

Did I ever tell you about the time when I started exercising???

3.  April 25th is National Telephone Day. Do you still have a land line or have you gone mobile only? 

We gave up our land line ages ago...it may have been 10 years by now. We were getting so many telemarketer calls that seemed to come right at dinner time or after and we made the decision then. This is not to say we still don't get a few of those calls even on our cell phones but not nearly like the land line. When you receive a text message do you respond immediately? Mostly, yes...this depends on the situation and/or if I am in ear shot. Last time you turned your phone off?  I rarely turn my phone off... here recently, my sorry phone had been turning itself off due to a waning battery. I do, however, turn it to vibrate often when it's not appropriate to hear a ringing phone. And speaking of that, I just received my new upgrade yesterday...in fact, I just returned from the Verizon store getting them switched over. In two or three sentences share with us a story/memory/incident from your childhood (or something current if that's too hard) where the telephone is featured. I don't have to think too hard about this one. At one point when I was a young teen, my family seemed to be bombarded with calls from someone selling something...it seemed like very other day or so. One evening when I happened to answer the call and while feeling particularly ornery, I turned the tables on the caller. It just so happened that this caller was selling light bulbs, of all things. So in the best old woman voice I could muster I gave this reply back the caller, "Honey, I don't need any of your light bulbs.....you are talking to a blind lady!" I don't remember getting another call from a light bulb salesman after that. :)

4. Close call, at someone's beck and call, call the shots, call a meeting, call it quits, call in sick, call on the carpet, wake up call...which call have you 'heard' recently?  Explain.

I'll let my answer to the first question help me answer this....wake up call. No explanation needed.  

5. What subject do you wish you'd paid more attention to in school?

It would probably be history since it is the subject that I got the worst grades in. The thing is, I really like history now. It must have been having to memorize all of those dates. 😒

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Enjoy the rest of your week!

A Haywood Hollow Hodgepodge

We had a beautiful weekend visiting our Tennessee Bunch.

Spring was in full swing and it occurred to me that it was the first time 

we had actually experienced this season at Haywood Hollow.

There are many huge dogwoods and they were in all of their glory...

...just about everywhere you looked.

And we got our first live and in person look at what will be our new temporary digs!

It's really quite roomy...well, except for the bedroom...

...not quite sure how that is going to work out.

All I know is I have claimed the bunkhouse room as my space.

A throw rug here and there, a quilt or two, a few colorful pillows tossed around,

maybe a table runner...and the place will feel just like home.

Right?

~

Like I said, the weather was just perfect... 

...perfect for a picnic lunch down at the creek near where our home will be.

Whose white legs are those, anyway?

I'll never tell.

These pretty little purple flowers were growing profusely all along the creek bank.

Time seems to get away from us when we're there and it's hard to remember what day it is.

Saturday came and so did the rain but we were inside at Parker's wrestling tournament

most of the day so it really didn't matter much. 

Rain or shine, it's always so beautiful there and I am looking forward to the day...

...well...you know.

~

So now, on the Hodgepodge...

Joyce asks the questions on her blog and we answer them on ours.

Here we go... 

1. Three things on your spring bucket list? If you don't have an actual list that's fine, pretend you do.

I'm just dying to shop for outside plants/flowers and get them planted...it's on the top of my list. In spite of this crazy spring weather, I hope to get it done this coming weekend or next. I've got a couple of closets that need thinning out so I'll add that to as well. Also on my list would be to visit the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte (which is only two hours away) and finally, get to the beach before the summer rush and rate increases.

2. Where do you find rest? What restores your soul? When was the last time you did whatever it was you answered here?

Rest, whether it be in the form of a noun or a verb is simply what we need to get through life. If I have been doing something strenuous or just running around like a chicken with it's head cut off, the best place for me to find rest is right in the comfort of my own home...either sitting down in my favorite chair or maybe on the front porch glider (weather permitting). When the things of life are weighing me down (and even when they're not) I find rest for my sometimes weary soul by getting somewhere quiet, preferably out among God's creation. Sometimes it's in the form of prayer, sometimes I worship through my photography and other times I might just need to literally cry out to Him. When was the last time? Just this past weekend in Tennessee. Between gazing off over the mountain while sitting on the back porch swing and getting lost in the glorious dogwoods, I was in my element!

3. April is National Celery Month. Who knew? Do you like celery? What's your favorite dish made with celery? On a veggie and dip platter which would you reach for first-carrot sticks, celery sticks, cucumbers or cherry tomatoes?

I didn't know there was a month set aside to celebrate celery but I'm not surprised. I do like celery (especially when it's spread with peanut butter or pimento cheese) but I wish I liked it more than I do. That way I would reach for it instead of something else...like a cookie. 😏 Many things that I make just wouldn't be the same without it...like my Thanksgiving dressing or chicken noodle soup. It would be a toss-up between the carrots and celery that I would reach for first but I also enjoy the cucumbers and tomatoes.

4. I read here eight things to do before 8 am to make your day less hectic-Start one load of laundry, drink water, empty the dishwasher, read your Bible, know what you're having for dinner, get dressed, brain dump (two lists-one what you're thankful for and one what's weighing on your mind), and after the brain dump make your to-list for the day...How many of these are you currently doing? Which one do you think would help the most if you added it to your early morning routine?

Since I get up at 5 AM every day, even when I don't need to (I just can't help it), I should make the time to do many of these things. Do I? No, not all of them by any means. On days when I work, it isn't even practical to try to accomplish that...although I do get my devotions in and get dressed. I am not a regular list-maker unless I have a bunch of tasks to do in a time crunch so mostly I only make a list if I'm heading out to the grocery store. I do the brain dump thing occasionally and not as often as I should. From the list, I would say that adding the brain dump lists to the Bible reading would be the most beneficial for me.

5. Describe the view from your window.

At this moment, I have no view from my window because it's dark outside. The only thing I see is the neighbor's motion activated security light come on every now and then. But if it was daytime, I would be see trees that are FINALLY getting green leaves on them and that's exciting. No doubt I would also see many birds and squirrels fighting over the feeders.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I just heard the sad news that Barbara Bush has passed away. I have always admired and respected her as our First Lady. She was definitely a class act. Prayers for the Bush family.