IN Carmel

 Super morning with nothing amiss.  Woo.  I'll take it.  All the regular stuff and wordle in three and I'll take that also.  I did a morning trip to Ober's Flower shop picking up the palms for the parade on Sunday.  There is a process getting them ready for the parishioners and the morning was filled with the loppers doing their thing.  There will be plenty of palm fronds for all with some Emeralds for the children and also for decorating. I took a lot of pictures that should explain the process for others to learn. Tough little things need the loppers.                All are torn apart and wrapped in a wet towel, then a plastic tablecloth to prevent drying out. Staying inside between rain storms was difficult.  Spring rains always provide the oomph that pushes the plants out of the ground and that happened all day.  I planted another kind of lettuce in the garden, pulled weeds and just generally e...

 It was a very long day.  Some things went right and some things didn't go as planned.  I would say maybe it was a typical day.  Maybe!  All the early morning things were successful.  Breakfast, Crossword/Wordle, Eric's trip to the bus, and then home again accompanied by another wonderful morning sky.   I got everything in the car for the morning work time at church.  That's a sure cure to forgetting things stashed right by the door.  All was ready for Palm Sunday preparation.  Then a phone call that demanded a trip to the hospital with PJs  for Noah needed to be squeezed in first.    I called fellow church workers saying I would be late but giving them all the information they would need to complete the work without me present.   This was a new plant last year.  It needed staking last year and today I moved a fence post by it for support.  It's barely out of the ground but looking good.  It h...

 The morning had an unusual start with a text from Eric.  Noah was at IU North overnight awaiting surgery in the morning for appendicitis.  My goodness  Two Russells in two hospital in less than two weeks.  I would suggest that this family gets over this hospital stuff.  The surgery went well and we visited in the evening.  We certainly were not the first visitor.  He had a busy day afternoon with a bunch of adult friends.  The hospital is off-limits to teenagers.  He could be dismissed tomorrow.                                Still pretty and one of a few others that were gifted by Doris Douglas.                                     Her memory shines brighter than ever.  A mentor par excellent.  I would say a beginning like to...

 The morning was a short one getting ready for the day.  A big hole of sleeplessness during the night and then a good sleep until the alarm went off.  Up and ready for the day with wordle completed in three but the crossword lingering until afternoon.  Then it was a trip to Methodist to meet a new doctor for a nine o'clock appointment.  This was the third of three doctor visits in two days happening this morning.  This one is perhaps the most important of the three at this point in time.  A visit with today's doctor told me that because of radiation occurring in the area of the 60% shut vein, surgery is not an option.  It's a little disappointing but stewing about an unsolvable problem would not be productive.  Monitored blood pressure is more important than ever and I will have another ultrasound in six months.  I feel that it's on to living in the best way that I can.  Little salt, and weight reduction is an important part of heal...

 Up early with all the early stuff finished except wordle which was an evening thing completed.  I get stumped easily, this time a 5 letter word with 3 vowels.  Woo...Must start with an A...MAYBE.  I'll keep working.   Early visit with Dr. Jalli.  It went well.  About three years ago she was a new doctor and one that was very different than my "old" doctors.  I'm beginning to feel comfortable with her being my doctor. Believe me, they all doctor differently. Maybe there is enough going on now to be interesting to her.  That doesn't sound so good but at any length, I think it's a go.  I think we're beginning to understand each other.   The fact that I had so many specialty doctors during those early years, allowed me to have great care.  I'm going to keep her.  There's a medicine change and that is something I approve of.  There's a recheck of blood pressure next week.  I'll still monitor at home.  ...

 A super good day.  The night was a little crazy with ups and downs. Other than that the day started just fine.  Slow morning and off to church at 10:15.  I took six baby quilts to Genny for the Goodwill program.  The container is empty and if there are more contributions to the program I've got to get busy.  That could happen this week in the hours of empty of which there will be not many. This morning my thoughts went to the 84 years of the church in my life giving me the feeling of comfort and security during the health glitches these last couple of years.  I am grateful. I have folks walking with me and God at my side.   The series of sermons during the season of Lent has centered on rituals, today's sermon was the ritual of dedication through baptism as well as others.  Today Darren wove the importance of a minister's stole that being his newly gifted purple stole into the sermon.  It was quite a surprise totally unexpected. I ...

 Yes. it sure is windy.  In my growing up home we had a little wall hanging that said...The north wind doth blow and we shall have snow and what will poor robin do poor thing.  He'll fly to the barn to keep himself warm and hide his head under his wing, poor thing.  And hide his head under his wing.  The long term memory is just doing great. And there were lots of barns in the neighborhood which was comforting.  Not so here.  Our house sits on the site of the barn that was a part of the acreage a long time ago.  Maybe that works for 2023.   Another early morning with all the usual get ready for the day stuff.  Great breakfast, crossword, wordle, and then the dear blood pressure cuff.  I'm adding that to the routine which is making Jared happy when the numbers are good.  Not so happy when they are not.  I typed up instructions that should help folks understand their part for the Palm/Passion Sunday service. Brandon and...

 Another day I call a gift.  I'm feeling as good as I did before Sunday's blip.  The size...not sure, but a blip for sure.  I would say big enough. Today's weather certainly affects the speed of the day.  Gray and cold do not make me want to do much.  I try outdoor garden trips and they just don't last very long.  I'm looking forward to something else like a thermostat turn-up.                                                 I call this the drive-through.  In one opening and out the other.                                                    The Chickadees and Tufted Titmouse love this drive-through.   Kat gifted us with this feeder and the bird...

Up again.  It happens every day and that's a very good thing.  There was a delicious bowl of oatmeal with raisins and English walnuts.  Yum,  I love the crunch.  Crossword was successful.  Wordle was a latecomer again.   This morning I made a trip first to Lowes to pick up a Palm plant for Palm Sunday.  I really worked very hard and with success left all the garden seeds and potted plants at the store.  I made it!                            We have 3 more tiny palms that I have weathered over purchasing other years   It's not an                             easy job but I always try. Next Friday I will get the palms from Obers that the "crowd" waves                              ...

 We're rolling along but a bit on the slow side at this point.  Another day of not much but satisfied with not much.  I moved Eric to Nora. Did the crossword in the newspaper and slow walks around the yard more than once.  I'd love to dig but it's wet.  Two plants have been marked for moving.  They get completely covered up by the Black Eyed ladies and it's time to be rescued.  I wanted to do it in previous years and this is the year to get 'er done.                   It's starting all over again.  Flowers on the table.  A wonderful feeling of new beginnings. Early afternoon after having no doctor calls which were promised, I started calling and found that one appointment had been made with what seemed like an I forgot to call you.  It was scheduled yesterday.  It's good to know that I'm the only forgetful person in the universe.  It doesn't pay to point fingers either....

 A day in the slow lane almost parked and definitely a little different.  I managed to get the body rolling but perhaps the beginning was like a boat in the bathtub with a toddler.   I did get Eric to the bus.  One must persist where persistence is good and I gave it my best shot and pretty much succeeded.  Then to the crossword world but much later to the wordle world.  Success This morning's picture brought tears of thanksgiving for all that has been given to me.  I owe the Lord a morning song of gratitude and praise.  The song comes to me from my mother's scratchy voice only her daughter loves now older than her mother was at the time of her death.  Blessings abound.  The morning was full of TV and waiting for the phone to ring which it did at 9:00 from Methodist Hospital...how are you doing and do you have any questions.  I did and within 15 minutes got a call back from a nurse.  Now that's how Methodist takes care of ...

 Did you notice Sunday with a question mark?  So was I gone?.  I was not some place expected but somewhere that I needed to be.   Let's start with Sunday.  I was up early and I packed another bag of 20 bibs and a pr. of pants for Jenny Cushman-Wood.  Bibs for the Goodwill project of supporting babies and pants for Joe.  Then off to church and finding our place in the pew again with a hello all around.  While passing the choir I got a high=five, a touch-up at the altar flowers, and a whole lot of waves to many folks.  The service was good, the music was outstanding, and another great Sunday in the sanctuary with friends and God.  After the service, Heidi and I talked about next Sunday's visuals.  We started but it didn't go far.  Doug likened it to talking in tongues. His imagination The short story targeted it the beginning of a TIA.  That is a beginning of a stroke that stops shortly thereafter but this time with no ...

 This cold stuff should be ending soon.  I'm over it.  The playground (garden) is off-limits. When I was teaching and it was the real playground time, anything under 20 windchill meant indoor recess.  That still works here.  It's Brrrrrr weather today.   So the entertainment window was busy this morning.  Two new birds to the feeder were a pair of Red-winged blackbirds. They were early bird members.  The camera missed them. All the other folks showed up at some point over and over.  I'm sure their little furnaces needed a whole lot of stoking.                       So yellow already.  Perhaps after spending the winter in Florida he is on his way home.                                                     ...

 The wind makes today's temperature brutal.  What is going on?  I think someone left the door on the north side open.   This morning I just wanted to stay where it was warm.  That was inside wrapped in a blanket.  I skipped the blanket part and the indoors were fabulous.  Watched some TV and then went off to Aldi's for a big buy.  A guy was buying Irish butter.  Why?  "Because it has such a good flavor and a spoonful in coffee makes the coffee so smooth."  Really?  Well because it was St. Pat's Day I bought some.  Needed a joke and tonight we'll see how the joke goes.  I'm always ready for a diversion.  A huge pot of Chili happened in the afternoon.  I wonder if it needs Irish butter.  If you are curious about the price a 1/2 lb of Irish costs the same as an lb of regular butter at Aldi's price, still under 4.00 dollars.   After lunch, we went to Wildbirds again.  I love that place....

                                                    Oh, what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day.                                                                                                    I've got a wonderful feeling, everything's going my way.                                               This brings me to... Everything's up to date in Kansas City!        ...

 Another great start to another day I call a gift.  First, another good night of sleep with a little awake time but then sleep till 5:55.  That is what I call great.  Thanks for praying if you are or are not!  Wordle success in four, quite unexpected and then crossword with making trouble for myself but I eventually got everything corrected.  I love the challenge.  I took books back to the library with none replacing what I had.  A stop at the drugstore with a pickup and after that the morning got a little boring.  But the afternoon was busy with the temperature allowing me time to play in the dirt.  I tackled one of the bigger beds with lots of raking and scraping and pulling out and then doing it all over again.   All clean and filled with Hibiscus, Cup plants, Day Lillies, Blackeyed Susans, Lemon Balm, Live Forever and Butterfly Weed. Everything is up but the Butterfly Weed.  It's a latecomer. I should add Hibiscus and ...