Road trip

I went to see my sister, Candy, and her family last week.  I baked a spiral ham and made a yummy sauce called Jezebel to go with it.  We went to cook dinner at her son's home on Friday.  Two and a half hours we had cooked up a delicious meal of macaroni and cheese, baked sweet potatoes, English peas, fresh broccoli, yeast rolls, fruit cups and strawberry short cake.  The kids were so happy to come home from their teaching jobs to a good meal. Luckily, baseball practice was cancelled due to weather.

My great neice and nephew sang their hearts out and danced to a christian video.  I really enjoyed seeing them recall the songs from last year's VBS.  I took belated birthday gift to Gracie and a upcoming birthday gift to Patrick, since I won't make it back for his birthday in April. 

I am hoping this will be a way to bring her family closer together.  Candy was exhausted from all of the cooking and running around we did.  She hadn't slept much last week, so I am sure she is still sleeping.  It is sad to see how much she struggles with her bi-polar.  Hard to see her like this. 

It was an OK visit. Not the best but not the worst visit either.  She doesn't drive anymore since her wreck last summer.  I try to take her to all of her favorite places while I'm there.  Sometimes it is too much for her.  I am afraid that she will wind up in a nursing home.  Right now she can't keep her home up.  She had the flu about two months ago and has not gotten back to normal yet.

On a brighter note, I stopped to see our youngest son, Hunter.  We had a nice visit.  We went to a local plant place and I bought more plants,  This should just about finish my Spring planting for now.  I found red Crepe Myrtles, a Bradford pear tree, and two beautiful hanging planters.  This place was surely my green heaven.  One green house had nothing but these giant ferns in it.  I was a bit overwhelmed with all of the gorgeous and healthy plants.  Just awesome.

Well that's about all I know.  New day, new week, and time to get to work on my house work.  The weather has been so cold and windy.  I'll be glad when it warms up a bit.

I've been decorating trees this week

My sister, Candy, had her teeth pulled this week.  She said she would be fine with out me, but called Tuesday afternoon to see if I could come stay with her per doctor's orders.  I packed my bag and headed her way.  She did really well with her teeth except a lot of swelling.  She looked like a little squirrel with her cheeks full of acorns.  She will have more pulled in a month or so.  Her teeth look very good.

Just the day before, I had gone to Ruston, La. which is almost to where my sister lives.  I took several Christmas trees to Hunter, our youngest son.  I have a smaller tree and don't have room for the biggest tree.  Hunter and I decorated the big tree for the Parrish fire station and the smaller tree went next door to the administration building.  I took him all of his ornaments from childhood.  It filled my truck.  I was happy to finally pass along his stocking as well.  Dish broken.  LOL!

I started hanging Candy's ornaments and before I knew it, I had completed her tree.  She has been in and out of the hospital around five times this year with three of them being in the last couple of months.  Needless to say, she has not felt like unpacking boxes.  Thankfully, I was able to unpack some boxes and put things in their right places.  I emptied her hallway and move stuff to a better place. Moved book case to the guest bedroom.  The guest bedroom is set up.  I hung curtains while standing on a bed and my legs felt like jello.  We ran errands the next day. I drove her nuts because I was determined to get a lot of boxes unpacked.  Sorry sister for never stopping and bugging you about stuff for you to go through.  Living room is cleaned, bar cleaned off, table cleared off, boxes of things for Goodwill, deck cleaned off, washing room cleaned out.  Her home looks very nice.  Only a couple of rooms left to do.  We even did a little walking.  Thank goodness she had pain medicine.

I drove back home yesterday to find out that our oldest son and his family will be here today.  They moved their Christmas up and will be here for a few days.  Needless to say I am excited, but I have to shop for groceries and clean my house and cook.  I am thankful they are coming.  I think Hunter and his girlfriend are coming over for the day.  It will be so grand to have our family together.  I feel so blessed.

Merry Christmas.

My sister, Candy

After a week plus one day, Candy was released from the hospital.  She sounds good.  On a bad note, her nineteen year old cat, Prissy, died this past Saturday.  We were all concerned how she would handle that news.  Her doctors ask us not to say anything until the next day.  Her long time friend, Joe, told her yesterday before he picked her up from the hospital.  She seems to be alright.  I know she will shed a lot of tears for her precious kitty.  Joe and Candy buried her and said a few words over her little cat's grave. 

I know Candy didn't want Prissy to suffer.  Prissy had been loosing weight and stopped eating.  It never ceases to amaze me how things work out.  There has been a lovely kitty coming around Candy's back deck.  Candy named her Mary Margaret.  MM is there all hours of the day and night.  I was glad that MM was there for Candy.  I think I see a new home for MM.  Sister was trying to get her into her home last night.  MM seems to understand Candy's sorrow.  Cats are intuitive.  It never ceases to amaze me.  Of course, I know that God is right there with sister and He has a hand in it.

I'm praying for Candy.  The doctors finally have  found a good combination of medicines that work for her.  The cat scan revealed that her neck is in very bad shape.  No wonder she is in so much more pain.  I hope Candy can keep on schedule with her medicines.  She starts her outpatient therapy today.  Thankfully, they will send a van to pick her up. 

Nothing surprises me any more

The downward spiral continues with my sister.  Surprise?  She finally had a wreck involving another car.  It was her fault.  She said "I may have fallen asleep." The accident happened at 4:30 in the afternoon.  How do you fall asleep while you are driving?  Thankfully, no one was hurt.  Her car was totaled.  Thankfully, she had insurance and a current driver's license.  Yes, she used to drive with no insurance and an expired license. 

Of course, she didn't tell her us until a day after the wreck.  She still wants to get another car and drive.  I can't believe her!  She has had several mini accidents in which she has wrecked four of her tires, and she can't see over the driver's steering wheel.  Her thinking is shot to pieces.  Her brain must look like Swiss cheese.  One day, she ran out of gas, couldn't fill her tank with a one gallon container of gas because she is too weak, ran out of gas again in the same day.  If this isn't insane, I don't know what is?

She has her priorities in the wrong order.  The day of the accident she was driving in the rain going to Fred's to buy something for her house.  What's it gonna take to convince her not to drive?  I've said all that I can say.  Has she started her out patient therapy?  Of course not.  She has lots of things she needs to do like get the deed to her new home, but has she?  She is not taking her meds as prescribed and not eating right.

She is defiant and stubborn.  At what cost?  I've talked about the possibility of her killing someone in an accident, but it falls on deaf ears.  She continues to be out of control. She did get a ticket and has to go to court.  I pray that the judge sees straight through her.  Take her license...Please? Please?