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..........



Lea @ CiCis Corner
Lea @ CiCis Corner

Hi there! My name is Lea. I've been wife to the best Hubby for 44 years....Mom to a son and daughter....CiCi to 4 precious Grans....lover of family and friends....enjoy laughter and a good time....shopper....picture taking maniac....maker of delicious fudge....organizational enthusiast....memory maker....Southern Belle...and most importantly.....a Child of the King! Welcome to my little corner!

9 comments:

  1. I am SO happy that you get to visit your Daddy and I pray that the surgery to remove the skin cancers goes well. I know that you enjoyed visiting with your littles. We haven't had any damage from the storms but have talked about getting a generator. Your story of the power outage makes me wanna take the plunge. Enjoy your day dear friend, HUGS!

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  2. Lea, its good to read your catch-up post, something I'll need to do eventually too. Glad you could visit with Bridget and your grandchildren. Sending prayers for your Daddy. The procedures sound like quite the ordeal. Glad he has you to help take care of him.

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  3. Joe and I LOVE Heartland. We are on season 9 now and watch a few episodes every night. Lou makes me crazy though. Sometimes I just want to shake her. We just found season 4 of Somebody Feed Phil, also on Netflix. If you haven't watched Phil, I think you would love it. It's all about food, all over the world. He is so funny. I am glad your brother and his wife will be closer to you! I am SO happy that you can now visit with your dad when you want to. So great. I really enjoyed catching up and seeing your photos! xo

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  4. So happy for you to get to go visit your dad! Prayers for a successful surgery and speedy recovery. I’m glad you and Tommy got to come see the kids and grands. We sure have been missing seeing them since fairs are over but promised to come see them soon! Much love from Oklahoma! 🧡

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  5. Held my breath down to the last period ending the last sentence of this post. So worried for your sweet daddy. But sounds like his doctor is very thorough and going to get this thing under control. Is there any chance that the abscesses and the skin cancer are related? I have an abscess between two teeth on the bottom right side, and have had swollen lymph nodes and thyroid and parathyroid issues (those for several years). I am wondering if the abscess I have is somehow related to the endocrine issues.
    Thank the Lord you are finally able to go into your dad's retirement community. We have been waiting for that in my mom's complex. But no sign of them loosening restrictions.
    The weather and storms must be so stressful. I am sorry you've had all of that on your already full plate. Glad you were able to enjoy time with your granddarlings and the fam in Oklahoma. Yay for mother-daughter time.
    Please keep us posted on your dad. Prayers going up!!

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  6. Oh my, sweet lady....your cup runneth over! (Some good ways, some trying I'm sure.) I certainly hope all goes well with your dear dad. My mother is 92...how fortunate we are to have had them this long. At least in all that's been going on you had some wonderful time with the grandkids...that's always the perfect way to spend a day:) I'll be lifting up a prayer for your strength in days to come. I know you can handle it, but a few prayers won't hurt...right?

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  7. Great pictures Lea. Sounds like the doctor is surely on top of things with your sweet daddy. Will pray for him for sure. Have a great week. Hugs and blessings, Cindy

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  8. You have been a very busy lady as usual. So sorry to hear this about your Dad and am wondering if his surgeon might be the same one who removed the carcinoma on Dick's nose late last year. We loved her at first sight. Trusting all goes extremely well for him. And you. So glad Joel will be so much closer for you. What a blessing. I will be sharing some new news with you in a few days.

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So glad you stopped by and hope you enjoyed your visit. I love your comments and read each and every one of them and I always try to reply to them. Blessings to you this day!