Friday, October 30, 2020

Where Ya Been?




If I have any readers left I imagine you are asking, "what's going on with Lea."  Well, I decided it was time to catch you sweet folks up on the "goings on" with me.  It nothing spectacular but just had other things vying for my time.  Blogging is really an enjoyment for me but, I've learned that if I have to miss a week or two that the world really will keep revolving. ~smile~   And, I have not visited around as I usually do either, but I do try to visit around weekly and keep up with my favorite bloggers.  So, there you have it, now on to what I've been up to.


All of you likely know that Louisiana has been hit especially hard by hurricanes this year.  We live in the NE section of the state and generally all we get is the aftermath of rain and mild winds.  Well, Laura and Delta had other ideas and slammed us extra hard.  We had winds up to 70mph with Laura and she left her mark all over our area and then, less than a month later, Delta makes her mark.  Her winds were not as high but she caused as much or more damage than Laura in our area.  It will likely be months before all the homes, and roofs are repaired and the debris is cleaned up.  It's clearly evident as you ride through our town that we were hit.  Hubby and I are so thankful that we have a treeless lot (we have lots and lots of trees in our view across from our pond) and had little to nothing to clean up following either storm.  Electricity was out following both storms for 3-5 days in some areas.  We had a full house generator put in and I really questioned Hubby about the necessity of that when he did it.  But, can I just tell you, I was so thankful for it during those days.  We had dear friends come and stay in our guest apartment during Laura as they were without electricity for4 days.  It was a time that we hope to not repeat for many a year.  Since Hubby is in the insurance business, his staff has been extra busy taking care of all the claims during this difficult time. 

About 4 weeks ago we loaded up the girlies and took them to Poppa's deer hunting woods.  It was a beautiful day and we all had such a good time.  We rode through the woods on his buggy and Poppa showed them deer tracks, bear tracks and let them help him fill his feeders.  It was a memory making day. 


A couple of weeks ago we went to Oklahoma to see Bridget and family.  We decided to leave a day early and go through Dallas and stay the night at The Gaylord.  It is one of our most favorite resorts and we were beyond shocked when we arrived.  The place was pretty much dead.  We've been there on many occasions and the check in lines are long and the place is all a buzz with folks.  I don't know that we saw 40 other people.  The receptionist said that things had pretty much come to a halt since the Covid.  They had no bellmen, only 1 restaurant was open, and no live music.  It was decorated for fall and Halloween but not to the magnitude that it usually is.  While we enjoyed our stay it was very sad to see them obviously struggling to keep their doors open. The story of so many businesses.


We had a great time with the boys and the weather was absolutely gorgeous.  Thankfully we weren't there this week as they are dealing with an awful ice storm and no electricity.  Pictured above we are enjoying a big breakfast at Jimmy's Egg.  


One day we got a babysitter to watch Case so that Bridget and I could enjoy a little mother/daughter time with no interruptions.  We began our day at our favorite tea room with brunch.  It was a very special time for us.  Poppa kept the two older boys and they keep him busy for sure. 


About 2 months ago Tommy and I started the Netflix series, Heartland.  We have so enjoyed it and we are not even half way through at this time.  There are 14 seasons with lots of episodes per season and I imagine it will keep us busy through the remainder of the year.  If you are looking for something really good to watch and is clean, then I highly recommend this series.  All the characters are so interesting and play their parts to the hilt.  It's far more entertaining and relaxing than anything on TV.  I grab my crochet hook and go to town while watching it.  Guess that makes me sound like a very "mature" woman doesn't it? ~chuckle~ 


And, my sweet brother and his wife left Oro Valley, Arizona early yesterday morning headed to their new home in Tyler, Texas.  I can hardly believe that they are going to only be 3 1/2 hours up the road.  Suzy's Mom and sister live in Tyler and that is where Joel and Suzy were married.  So, they have come full circle and I do believe this will be home to them for a long time.  Joel retired a couple of years ago, yes, at a very young age and at that time they moved from Des Moines, Iowa to Arizona.  They did enjoy their time in Arizona but just felt it was time to get nearer to family.  Joel still does some consulting work and can do that from wherever they live.  He is such a support to me in my over seeing the care of our Daddy and now will be near enough to come without a lot of hassle should he need to.  My heart is very happy about this. The above picture was taken in August when they were here for a visit. 


And, this sweet man, my Daddy, has been dealing with some aggravating issues lately.  And, if he's dealing with them, so am I.  His regular dentist found two small abcesses in two of his bottom jaw teeth about 3 weeks ago.  He referred us to an oral surgeon, so off we went.  So, last week he had both of those teeth pulled.  Thankfully he did so well in spite of the fact that one of them had to be cut out. Then he had one of his front teeth and the tooth next to it break off at the root.  He's never had great teeth and I think his 91 years and love of Snickers is probably catching up with him.  We will take care of having those roots removed as soon as we address his latest issue.

Sometime around the time that Covid started Daddy had a spot about the size of a pencil eraser come up on his neck.  Fast forward to September and that place had grown to about the size of a quarter and very angry looking.  I took him to his GP for something else and he saw the spot and told us that it was a skin cancer and needed to come off.  So, I immediately called Daddy's dermatologist and was able to get him in within a week.  After a biopsy of that spot and one on his ear it was determinded that they were Squamous Cell Carcinomas.  The one on his ear was very small but the bigger one was located just below his jawline on his neck and was classified as aggressive on pathology report.  His dermatologist immediately referred us to a  dermatologist that specializes in cancer and is a part of the Oschner Hospital Systems in Shreveport, about 120 miles from us.  We went over this past Monday for our consult with this Dr. and she will be surgically removing it on Nov. 9th (Daddy's 91st birthday). She wanted to do it in a hospital setting so she would have access to pathology while she is removing it.  It is a precarious procedure due to all the nerves and blood vessels in the neck.  She feels confident it will go well and plans to do it under light anesthesia with heavy local deadening.  He will be discharged  afterwards as long as all goes as planned and we are certainly praying to that end.  One would think that he was having open heart surgery with all of the pre-op procedures he had to go through while we were over there Monday.  Blood work, chest x-ray, anesthesiology consult, surgery consult and the "blessed" Covid test!  We left at 8:00 that morning and got home at 7:00 that evening.  It was a long day for all of us but especially Daddy.  He was such a trooper through it all and everyone that we came in contract with was so very nice.  They require that he have the Covid test on the 5th or 6th and that we bring the negative result paper with us.  Well, I have had a time finding a place that does the rapid test but I was successful today and he will have it done next Thursday and we will guard that paper with our lives as without it, they will NOT do the procedure.  I covet your prayers for him and for me. I feel that there will certainly be a certain amount of discomfort/pain  following this procedure and I hate that he even has to go thru it.  But, thankful for pain meds and the Dr. assured us that she will do her best to keep him very comfortable.  

I find it so interesting with all the Covid testing because you can test negative one day and have the virus the next day.  I just.do.not.get.it!!!  But, it is what it is and we have to live with it.


AND, the big news, my friends, is, that 3 weeks ago I was granted privileges to go into the facility where my Dad lives.  The director of the facility called and told me that if I would go and take the Covid test and bring her a negative test result that I would be deemed an Essential Caregiver and could come and go as I needed to see and care for Daddy.  Soooooo, not sure why I couldn't have been "essential" from the very beginning but no sense worrying about that, I'm just more than grateful that I can come and go as I need to now.  I do have to wear a mask, sign in, fill out an entry form, have my temp taken and take a deep breath when I go in.  And, I have to have a Covid test every 30 days.  Good grief, it's all such a nightmare!

And, there you have it..........



Wednesday, October 28, 2020

A Boo-ti-ful Hodgepodge






Oh, it's so good to be joining the HP today.  I've missed the past 2-3 weeks as life has just gotten in the way.  And, I'll be doing a "catch up" post a bit later this week so that you won't forget that I still do exist. ~chuckle~  

1. Boo, boo-hoo, make a boo-boo, boo(ze)...pick one and tell us how it relates to life lately. 
Humm........first thing that came to my mind is boo-boo.  I'm not going into detail about it, but I had to take my Daddy to his dermatologist about 3 weeks ago with a boo-boo he had on his neck that looked very suspicious to me.  And, it was and we are up to our ears right now in preparation to have that taken care of soon.  I'll give more details when I do my next post.

2. Do you like the color orange? Would we find this color in your home? Your wardrobe? Peach-pumpkin-tangeringe...your favorite shade of the three listed? 
I'm not a fan or orange and you definitely won't find it in our home.  I have a couple of pumpkin colored clothes but no true orange.  But, I love everything about pumpkin, the color and the taste. ~chuckle~

3. October 28th is National Chocolate Day. What's the last chocolate something you tasted? On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being out of this world delicious, how would you rate it? 


I just had a Dove chocolate mint after our dinner.  I generally go to the candy jar and grab a Dove chocolate after dinner.  Not sure why, but I do.  I would rate the Dove mint a 5 or 6 out of 10.  I prefer the caramel filled Dove's and rate them a 10.

4. Life is like a box of chocolates or so says Forrest Gump's mama. Would you agree? Aside from the pandemic fallout tell us one way this saying has played out in your life. 
Yes, I so agree!  Life is full of so many unexpected happenings.  I could give so many illustrations of this in my life, but the death of my Mom immediately came to mind.  I had gone over to have coffee and a piece of her fresh baked apple pie on Nov. 30, 2008 with her and my Daddy.  I was leaving the next morning headed to Oklahoma and hugged her and Daddy good bye around 4:00.  At 9:30 that evening my Daddy called to tell me that Momma had just had a stroke and the ambulance way on it's way.  I would have never in my life expected such, in just a matter of 5 1/2 hours my Mom was gone.  As I said, I can tell of so many more unexpected happenings and there are as many good as bad.  It's just the way life is.  

5. As October winds down tell us three things you loved about the month we're bidding adieu. 
1 - Cooler temps
2 - Saw our Oklahoma family
3 - Another month closer to 2021 

6.  Insert your own random thought here. 


Our Oklahoma family has been hit by a big ice storm the past couple of days.  It came out of the blue and schools have been closed 2 days and likely will be closed again tomorrow.  Bridget and family have not lost electricity yet and hopefully the sun is going to come out real soon and melt it all away and they can get back to normal ~whatever that is, who knows at this time~

During these perilous times I find comfort in this: 





Tuesday, October 6, 2020

September Prime Purchases



AND, it's the first Tuesday in Oct. and that means I get to share with you some of my Amazon finds.

 GLOSSY  BLACK  SHOPPING  BAGS

If you have been reading my prime purchase entries for very long, you likely know that I love bags.  These are large merchandise bags but they come in handy for soooo much.  They are great for carrying things somewhere or they can even be tied with a cute bow and ribbon and used as a gift bag.  You and a friend could split them and each take half.  Either way, they are nice to have.




PUSH  BUTTON  TAPE MEASURE



These are the greatest little tape measures and are perfect for your purse.  I ALWAYS have a tape measure in my purse and I can't tell you how many times I use it.  These come 3 to a pack and would make great stocking stuffers and little "happies" for friends.



TRAVEL  MAKEUP  CASE



This is a cute travel makeup case.  It is soft sided but has plenty of body to stand firm.  It has removable dividers and it is the perfect size for my makeup and I LOVE the animal print!




LADIES  WALLET



Okay, I needed a new wallet and let me tell you, this is the "granddaddy" of all wallets.  I LOVE it!  It has lots and lots of space for cards, money and coins.  And, it keeps everything so organized and easy to find.  The coin and bill compartment is separate and you don't have to unsnap it to get to those.  It's easy access.  It comes in several colors and I got the red.  It is so pretty and it is real leather.   Yes, it is a big wallet but that's what I like.  If you are not into a big wallet then you likely will not care for it.



HEEL  PADS




Do you ever buy a pair of shoes that slightly slip on your heels.  Well, these may take care of that issue for you.  They adhere inside the heel of the shoe and will keep your shoe from slipping up and down. I have to use these a lot as I have a narrow foot but so often the shoes I want/like do not come narrow and I need heel pads on a medium width plus insoles.  If I like a pair of shoes a lot, I'll do whatever I have to do to adjust the fit.  But, they still must be comfortable.  I'm long over wearing uncomfortable shoes. 

AMAZON


RELIC BY FOSSIL HANDBAG



This is the greatest handbag!  It allows me to keep the items inside my purse organized.  It has a center zipper compartment  and that way I can have two sides to keep my "stuff."  And, it has two really big outside pockets and those are a MUST for me on any handbag.  It comes in several colors, is large but not too large and has a magnetic snap closure.

AMAZON



SPRAY  BUTTER FOR THEATER STYLE POPCORN

If you like buttered theater popcorn, then you will love this spray.  I love popcorn and I love butter on it but I don't want the calories that butter adds.  This spray is calorie free and oh, so good.  No joke!  I have never seen it before but it will now become a staple at our house.




BARF  BAGS


Okay, now stop laughing!  I had no idea you could purchase these until I recently saw them in someone's car.  I immediately ordered some and have shared them with my children.  It seems that all of our Grans have at one time or the other thrown up in the car and these would have sure been handy. Yes, a child does have to be old enough and able to hold them but anyway, not to be gross but felt I owed it to you to let you know these are available.  They are packaged very compact and then open up to a large size.  Enough about these.  



HOTOUCH  PJ'S


I shared the capri version of these back in the spring and now that cooler weather is around the corner, these would be nice to have.  As I said, I use these for lounging clothes but they are pj's.  So, suit yourself and wear them for either or both.  These wash  and wear well.



That's it for this month and remember, Christmas is just around the corner.  So, perhaps these posts can help you with your Christmas shopping ideas.

Wishing each of you splashes of joy!!!