Eggs

I never get too old to enjoy eggs. Most Sundays I will have scrambled eggs or an omelet with cheese. My favorite Sunday breakfast is: a cheese omelet, bacon, and freshly made home fried potatoes. I am spoiled; John is a great cook and makes a wonderful breakfast - along with many other dishes he cooks.

There is still no news from my lawyer - apparently neither consulting doctor has sent their report to him. To be honest, I am really getting tired. It has been over a year since my Short Term Disability Insurance benefits ended. John has been working his a** off since. I wish I could just go and get a job. Well, to be honest, I probably could but it wouldn't last long; within the first week I would call off "dizzy" and quite rapidly get terminated. I wish things were a little simpler.

Cartoon provided by: Reader's Digest

Memorial Day

Today we remember all who have sacrificed for our freedom. Many have lost their lives protecting us. Many more have paid with pain, blindness, deafness, loss of limb. These sacrifices must never be forgotten.

Our men and women fight today - they need to know that we support them. God bless each one of them and may God bless America.

Thank you all for your service.

Mister Bee

Bees are fascinating. Their society is organized and no one complains (I think). Everyone does their job. And, to top it all off, when they fly their cute little legs hang down - adorable. I know some are afraid of bees - if they are allergic to their sting especially. I have always been told that if a bee is around just stay calm, don't swat at it, and don't run. This advice has done well for me - I have only been stung once in my life.

Have a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious weekend!

Photo provided by: John

Moth To A Flame

We have so many different moths here, as everywhere. Some are just so beautiful. The intricate patterns of the moth in the photo are amazing. Some do not like moths. I am not sure why. I don't see them any differently than a lovely butterfly. At any rate, I thought you would enjoy seeing another of John's "bug" photos.

Three Little Words

Just pondering how it is very difficult for most of us to admit we are wrong. What is it about saying, "I am sorry" to someone else. Does it make us a lesser person? No, I believe it's quite the opposite. So, why is it so difficult to say those words. My opinion is that it makes us feel vulnerable, open to criticism, weak, imperfect. The world we live in rewards the rich, powerful, thin, and perfect. Interesting because there is no such thing as perfection, of course. Sad, really, because I think when we are strong enough to say those words we get just a tiny bit closer to being what we want to be: stronger, more honest, happy, content, transparent.

Cartoon provided by: Reader's Digest

Mr. Stickbug

Stickbugs are very cool. We have so many cool little creatures around here that make our front and back yards their home. This is one of my favorites. Another are the Praying Mantis we have had as "guests" at our home. When we first moved into our home we had a visitor the first week: a very young scorpion. We tried to catch it to put it outside but, alas, it would not let us and it paid with it's little life. The High Desert is beautiful and has many wonderful things to see. We will try to get photos of others and post them.

Photo provided by: John

Happy Birthday John!

To my sweet, loving husband, John - Have a wonderful birthday. It is a difficult one this year as his mom has been in the hospital since Saturday. She will have surgery soon but we don't know exactly when. She has a blood clot in her foot which is causing intense pain. Because she is on blood thinners they can't operate until they get her blood thicker. She is also jaundiced and they have to figure that out. So much going on. We are praying that they get everything figured out and she can go back to her new home here. She was really liking living so close to us and all was well until this occurred.
A really happy birthday for John would be that his mom would be OK. Let's pray for that as a birthday present for him.

Bed Hair

Straight from bed to car to daycare - sometimes the hair just doesn't cooperate. Marcelle loves her daycare (thank You, Lord) and is now there five days a week. Mommy is now a full-time producer of the 6 o'clock news so she is working 5 days a week. This is great because the three of them can all be together on the weekends - the first time, permanently, ever. We know that Papa would be proud of his youngest grandchild as she follows in his footsteps.

HAVE A FABULOUS WEEKEND!

Slides Are Very Cool

Slides are really awesome. As you can see little Marcelle is on a really neat slide. She was there with her cousins, Adam and Henry. I believe they were at the Zoo. They all enjoyed a really fun time with the animals and other fun things to do there, like the slide. I remember very clearly the feeling of standing at the top of a slide and then whooshing down - really, really fun!!

Photo provided by: Alan

Caller ID

There are times when this is how I feel. There are companies who call, even though we are on the "do not call registry", many times in a week. Each time we tell them we are not interested, remove us from your list, etc... and still we will get many calls before it stops. You wonder why they have their people call the same number over and over. If, indeed, we were interested in what they are "pitching" all the calls would change our minds very quickly. Not very good customer service.

Cartoon provided by: Reader's Digest

Another Day

My attorney has only one doctor's report so we did not have our phone appointment yesterday. We must wait until he has the other report. Will keep you posted.

Had a great Sunday: got to Skype with both Misha and then Krista. We just love seeing our girls (all 5 of them). Little Marcelle is babbling a lot of words now - so cute. And she is always on the move. Bekah and Roxie are always so interesting to talk with - so much to say - so funny. We just love talking with all of them. We were lucky enough to get to talk with Alan as well, which we always enjoy. Danny was actually there (he is usually working when we Skype) and we were able to catch a few moments with him too. Catching up with Misha and Krista, as often as possible, is very important to us. We do not want to be on the sidelines of their lives. We love all of them so much.

Legal Eagle Day

I have a telephone appointment with my attorney this afternoon. I do not know, specifically, what the call is about but he requested it. So, I am thinking this is when I find out if we go ahead with the lawsuit or not. I hope that that is true as I would really like to know one way or the other. All this dealing with lawyers (5 in total) is a bit much and quite stressful which is not a good thing for the vertigo. Anyway, I will let you know what has transpired.

GO SHARKS!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MISHA!!!

John and I love the Sharks - we used to go to games in San Jose when we lived an hour away. We were there when they started the team in 1991. Once Montreal and Chicago were eliminated the Sharks became our focus. We just barely, by the skin of our teeth, beat Detroit last night. So, onward Sharks!! ("Jaws" music playing in the background).

HAVE A SUPER DUPER WEEKEND ALL!

Photo of John with Sharks puck hat and puck in mouth provided by: John

Repeat That, Please!

Today I am supposed to call my attorney to see whether we are going forward with a lawsuit regarding my denied Long Term Disability Insurance benefits. It seems I have been here before. I call, as I am supposed to, and then am told they don't have the info yet, or some other reason and then I am told, again, to call back at another date. So, here's the problem - it has been one year since I have received any benefits and time is running out. We only have so much time to file a lawsuit before it's over. No exceptions, it's in the contract and letter I have been sent with the final denial. I hope I do not have a repeat: "call back in three weeks and we will know then". I know how busy they are and the doctors they are dealing with are just as busy - but - I need an answer-----soon!

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Bologna Sandwich

I have not had a bologna sandwich in a long time. A couple of days ago I was trying to decide what to have for lunch when I noticed John had a package of bologna in the fridge. Hmm. Sounded good. A little butter, mayo, white cheddar and Swiss cheeses. Yum! Not something I would eat often but it did hit the spot.
We are wading our way through multiple phone calls and trips to Social Security, doctor visits, and pharmacy visits getting Florence and Simon settled. If we had had more than 30 days notice most of these things would have been taken care of in advance. We are very near the end of the very long list and now see the end of the tunnel. Yay!

Cartoon provided by: Reader's Digest

Maybe Tomorrow

Mother's Day

Flo, my mother-in-law, and Simon, my brother-in-law, under the shade of trees in the lovely garden patio where they now live; ten minutes from us. We spent a lovely Mother's Day lunch with them and some quiet time, just catching up, afterward. We are so happy and relieved that they are finally here with us. We have been trying to get them here since we moved here four years ago.
My daughters are a total joy. It was a privilege and joy to bring them up. They are both excellent mothers too. I love you both so much and the girls that you are now raising.

Here Safely

Flo and Si (and John, of course) arrived here safely last evening and are all settled into their new home. They were welcomed with a Quiche Lorraine and salad dinner that one of the staff members was kind enough to prepare for them as they had missed the regular dinner time by about and hour and a half. We are very impressed with the staff and hope that they will be happy in their new home. The plan is for them to stay there, if at all possible. We will see what happens.
The above photo is of the Manzano Mountains. There is nothing between where we live and these mountains. The photo is very representative of what we see every day when driving to our home.
Have a wonderful weekend and Happy Mother's Day!

All Is Well

Praise God, we have found a wonderful place for my mother-in-law and Simon to live. It is only 10 minutes from our home. They will help us to settle all the issues and find permanent situations for both of them over the next few months. We are hoping they can stay there, at least for the time being, but that cannot be determined until they have been assessed medically, etc... We are just so grateful that there is a soft place for them both to land this evening when they arrived in New Mexico. Thank you, Lord.

Keep Smiling

Problems have arisen with the move of John's mom and brother to New Mexico. We found out, late yesterday, that Si will not be able to move into the facility with Flo. The paperwork shows that he needs a two week evaluation prior to that being able to happen. In the meantime, he will not be able to live with us as he is "eight years old" and cannot be left alone for the hours that he would be; they have told us they are looking for a "safe home" for him to live in while an "in home" evaluation is done. This has been a shock and very upsetting. They leave tomorrow morning so we have about 48 hours from the time we found out until they arrive. John has yet to tell them as he does not want either of them to be upset during the very long trip (about 9 + hours with stops -- less if they don't have to stop often) here. Please pray that everything will work out for the best; God knows what should and needs to happen in this situation.

Good News Is Worth Repeating

We all are aware of the fate of Osama bin Laden. The most wanted man in the world - a terrorist - a killer of many thousands - mostly Muslims. He is now gone and has faced judgment. Only God knows his final fate. Brave military carried out their orders even with one helicopter unable to be used. A large amount of "intelligence" was captured that, hopefully, will help to stop future terrorist attacks and aid in capture of other Al Qaeda leaders. Sunday brought a huge, promised victory in the war on terror. God Bless America!

Coi Pond

Alan, Misha, and Marcelle discovered this coi pond in an alley behind a Gap in their little downtown area. So cute and fun for Marcelle. She loved it, of course. A little "secret" place for them to visit any time they a close by. Funny place to put it, don't you think?