Fun In The Sun

The Fourth of July weekend was a very busy success.  Unfortunately, I didn’t take pictures the whole weekend. 😦  We took my grandson Brantley to the parade. Came home to get ready for Kane’s barbecue.  My niece Janay arrived with her family to swim.  I loved that.  They brought food to put on our grill and swam all afternoon.  They were gone by the time we got back from Kane’s party.  Kane and Lisa’s first party was a huge success.  Their place looked great.  Very kid friendly.  Lots of food for lots of friends and family.

Then we were off to camp.  We had my great niece Addie with us for the weekend. We arrived around 8:00 that evening.  Saturday, Karen and I put on a taco dinner and I think we counted 22 people who ate with us.  Kris and Steve brought mom for the dinner but did not stay for bingo.  My sisters-in-law Dina, Jalen, and Debby had dinner with us and stayed for the game.  I was hoping they would be lucky but again, no winners in our group. 😦  It was fun all the same.

We got home Sunday, just in time to unload before our pool was filled with people again.  I counted 18 swimmers along with a few that did not swim.  I loved it.  We barbecued pork, brats, hamburgers and hot dogs.  I think the last of the guests left a little before 8:00.  I was very tired. And a bit overheated which made me pretty useless Monday.  I must have been on my feet too much too because I woke up with a swollen foot that kept getting worse throughout the day.

So today will be another hot day.  I hope to visit Kathy this morning and run a couple of errands before it gets too hot.  I want to replenish my freezer with treats for kids and a few more burgers because I think we will have a large crowd again on Saturday.

This is what LL and I hoped for this summer.  A well used pool.

Corny Weekend…I hope

Well the getting ready begins.  The one holiday I don’t want to not be prepared for is the fourth of July weekend.  So far, my week has been o.k.  Monday, my mom, my sis Kris and I went to visit my aunt Linda who retired that day.  Happy Retirement Day Linda!  She doesn’t like a lot of bells, whistles and focus on her, so we were lucky to get away with some flowers and champagne.  Visited Kathy. She was so happy to see my mom. It was really a fun visit.

Yesterday, I went to the doctor with my mom, babysat my grandson Matthias and got home just in time to get out of the heat.  Think it was close to 100 degrees.  Nasty. Then very bad “issues” all evening.

Today, Kris and I went to Winco and Costco.  We both needed to do some major shopping.  Still need to get a couple of things tomorrow.

Tomorrow, I am doing my normal Friday run. Picking up Mom at hair salon, take her grocery shopping.  The rest of the day is all about getting my house ready for people while we are gone. (swimmers). Making food for the 4th and the rest of the weekend. Packing up everything but the cold food.  Because the fourth will be busy.

July 4th, we are picking up my grandson Brantley and going to the Mt. Angel Parade.  Going to my son Kane’s house for a barbecue, then in the evening, we are headed up to camp.  Somewhere during the day, we will get my great-niece Addie who is spending the weekend with us.

Saturday, I hope the weather is great while camping.  I will probably get up and make a big breakfast, spend time at the river, then other family will be coming for Taco dinner.  The evening is the much looking forward to Bingo party that everyone goes to at our camping place.  They have great prizes which we never win.  Boxes of multiple great items, cash, and a raffle for a free year camping. Friday and Saturday night, I have plenty of hot chocolate and ‘smore makings so my great niece and nephews….and Max should enjoy that.

Sunday, I hope to come home a little later than usual and if the weather is great, sit by the pool watching Addie swim.  That’s about it.  Busy but fun.  This weekend is one of my favorite times of the year.  On the 4th weekend, it is o.k. to be old fashion, corny and just have fun.  Which I usual am corny and old fashion year round.  But I am “normal” this weekend. LOL

Grandma’s Pumpkin

I had so much fun yesterday afternoon.  My daughter-in-law, Lisa took Brantley to the library because the Reptile Man was there.  He adopted Yoda, our tortoise, from us a few months ago so it was nice for Brantley to visit his old buddy.  While they were gone, I got to babysit Matthias.  I had two glorious hours of playing, holding, feeding this little sweetie.

He is growing so fast.  Brantley too.  I love being a grandma.  Lisa asked if I would like to babysit Matthias once a week for a little while so she can take Brantley for story time.  Oh Boy!  I will have to be careful with my eating the night before, but it will be worth it.

This morning, I picked up Mom at salon and took her to the grocery store for a few things.  I am kind of glad that the weather is yucky today, that way she is less likely to over do it and try to do yard work.  So I am back home now, needing to get a few things done.

Tomorrow, Bailey and I will be running to Salem to buy a baby shower gift.  In the afternoon, we will be going to my niece Renae’s baby shower. (if my “issues” behave).  I am so excited for Renae and her husband Chris.  They have been wanting a child for a long time and she is due at the end of summer.  A little girl. 🙂  Not a lot of girls in that generation of Millers, so the whole family is excited.

“Here Froggie, Froggie, Froggie”

Well this week so far have been full of surprises.  Monday, Kris and I visited my sister Kathy. She is such a joy to all my family and we had a nice visit.  My mom has had some health issues so I spent the night Monday with her.  Tuesday, after making sure she was doing fine and picking up medicine for her, I went to Salem to take my baby girl, Bailey out to lunch for her birthday.  She turned 22. Then back to mom’s for a few hours.

This morning, got to Mom’s around 8:30 and she seems a bit better.  But right after I got there, my brother Dave drove in (he is off work all week) and said Sammy, his basset hound got out of the yard. So I get in my car and search half the town for Sammy, my sister Kris too.  I guess Sammy was waiting for him back at his house. Glad she didn’t take yet another drive around with the town police like she usually does. LOL  So I get back to my mom’s and help her fertilize, change sheets, etc.  Go home around 11:00, change clothes and then the phone rings.  David again. (how long is this week going to last with him off work? LOL) Get this, he calls me on my home phone and asks if I left Mt. Angel.  Well I could not quite keep the sarcasm from my voice when I said, “If you called me at home, chances are I am no longer in Mt. Angel”. Then of course he tells me his dilemma.  He sprayed the sides of his pool with a cleaner, but he sees two good size frogs in the little bit of water at the bottom.  And he doesn’t know what to do.  I am thinking *o.k. 1. why is this my problem and 2. what am I supposed to do about it.  Then after further conversation, I find he has tried to net them, make them jump out, etc. I then ask why he doesn’t just catch them and throw them out….and then it dawned on me.  My big brother won’t touch anything that is snake, lizard, frog etc.  REALLY?  So I get in the car and drive back to Mt. Angel.  After about 15 minutes, me laughing so hard I peed my pants, (sorry, but tis true). I caught not two, but three nice size frogs, put it in a bucket and hopefully he can manage to take it to a pond.

I feel St. Francis is looking down at me very pleased right now.  I don’t think he is pleased with David at all. LOL

Oh, lord…..as I am finishing up writing this, David called to let me know…and I quote. “One of the little bast@&$s escaped”.  Well he is own his own.  I told him I will include this on my blog.  I warned him that he doesn’t come out looking to good in this post.  He then asked, “Well did you at least included you peeing your pants?”  Of course I did.

Lovely Weekend

We had such a nice weekend.  I hope you all did too.  Friday, as soon as LL came home from work, we left for camp.  Got there around 6:00. Little needed to be done to set up, so as soon as the fire was built, Max and LL had some roasted hot dogs for dinner.  My sister Karen arrived and we had a nice evening around the campfire.

Saturday morning, LL left early because he had to go to Salem and work for the morning.  I made breakfast for Karen and I. LL returned before Max even woke up. 🙂  Saturday was just relaxing. a nap for LL, book reading for me, and Max worked on his art and a little filming.  Sunday, we left camp around noon.

The nice thing about having a permanent campsite only 35 minutes away is that by the time we get home, most of the day is left to take care of things that would have been done on a Saturday morning.  I.E. mowing, watering, etc.  Karen came later in the afternoon with her two grandsons Gaij and Sam.  Those boys love to swim and even Max joined them for a while.

Pretty much an ideal weekend.  Relaxing, beautiful weather, camping, and swimming at home.  I hope this is just a taste of more to come this summer.

Much Better

Feeling better! Maybe I should complain here more when I have a bad run because my “issues” have improved greatly.

Finally this week, we had Max’s important meeting about his services.  It was a long meeting and it went well. I think my years of advocating for Max and my sister Kathy has helped me to be bold and not bowled over by the ones making decisions.  Glad that is out-of-the-way.

The rest of the week was routine but I could do what I needed to do. Well with the exception of my niece having surgery.  So I have spent a lot of time at the hospital.  Had problems last night but so happy that I am back to “normal”. Well, normal for me.  Picked up Mom this morning at salon and we went shopping like normal.  Although I needed to get some ‘smores makings and other camping type food and supplies.  We stopped at a local nursery to get some geraniums for mom and I got a basil plant.  Love basil and it is ridiculous buying just the leaves this time of year.

The rest of the afternoon I need to get ready for camping.  Just mainly packing things up, making sure the house is presentable for those here while we are gone and make a steak marinade and cucumber salad dressing for dinner tomorrow.

Have a great weekend.

 

Debby Downer’s Digestion

It’s going to be one of those posts.  You know the type I am talking about. The type that I sound very ungrateful and whiny. So before the whining begins, let me first say that I am very grateful for my life. In fact, I am very, very grateful I am alive at all.  With that said, I must say the last couple weeks have been more than a little difficult. My health “issues” are the reason I consider myself a resistant hermit. But I do enjoy some good weeks, even an occasional great week, then eventually the rough, bad, painful days come back.

Even at the best of times, I need to plan everything. What I am doing for the day, when I am doing it, where I am going…..then I plan my eating accordingly.  And because what goes in, must come out….I will have an hour or two of problems.  Again, that is on my best days.

I won’t describe my last couple weeks in detail. Really, I will spare you. But I will say I have a choice of eating one large meal and having humdinger of “issues” for a few hours, or I can eat small meals throughout my day and have moderate “issues” all day long.  Yep, those are my two choices.  Doesn’t matter what I eat.  Well maybe a little.  If I have too much gluten, too much meat, wine, soda, etc…..Well, I might as well not move for the rest of the day.  Doctors say this is probably as good as it will ever get for me.  What I eat, when I eat, medications, etc. will only made a small difference.

I could go back to an ostomy, but as Doctor L said, because of my very damaged intestines, and my skin sensitivities, there is no guarantee that I will enjoy more freedom.  And once I get an ostomy, there is no going back.  I do not have enough intestines to have a reversal.

I do apologize for this post. Really sounds depressing and I sound like a Debby Downer.  I really try not to write about my colorectal syndrome issues very often.  And I will try not to post another for as long as I can.  It’s just that my “issues” the last couple weeks have been overwhelming and it does affect how much I can and can not do, where I go, etc.  And as I don’t see any relief anytime soon, thought I should just put it all out there.

Today, I am planning on visiting my sister Kathy, picking up dog food for my mom’s dog, and dropping some things off at my mom’s house.  I have been up since 3:00 this morning, so I will be dragging by this afternoon. But by then I should be home, unless “issues” prevent me from going at all.

A Lovely Woman

Brrr….I am cold today.  Even turned on the gas fire-place to take the chill off the upstairs of house.  This morning, I picked my mom up at the hair salon and we did our shopping.  Fajitas are on the menu for dinner tonight so I can use up the left over steak I grilled a couple of days ago.

Two days ago, I Facebooked about my mother in law who would have been 80 years old on June 11th.  Here is what I wrote…..

“I knew a woman who raised five very mischievous sons. She was widowed at 39. Her home was never clean because it was a revolving door. but she did not care. Her home was always open to whoever stopped by. Open to families, teens, or anyone that needed a home for a few weeks and sometimes a year or two. She never had much money but always had enough food to feed who ever was around. She then became a house mom at OSU. so she had many more sons. She was also a wonderful grandma to many but especially my three kids. She would be 80 today. My mother in law….. Joan Miller. She was one of a kind.”

It was nice to hear from others who knew and loved her as well.  I do miss her so much….along with my dad.  I can still hear both of their voices.  Still see their faces.  My daughter, Bailey has my mother in law, Joan’s beautiful lips.  Bailey is a beautiful girl, but her lips are perfect like her grandmother’s.

Back to my face book post.  I am not a very social person.  Even before becoming a resistant hermit, I was never a social butterfly.  But I do get lonely.  I also have this big beautiful house.  Sure would like to sell it, but LL and I take it year to year to decided if it is really time.  Anyway, even though being a great hostess does not come naturally to me, I want to be more like my beloved mother in law, Joan.  I need to put aside my pride about what my house looks like on any given day.  I need to make sure I have plenty of food, ice, toilet paper, etc.  And really make my home available to all my family and friends to come and swim and stay as long as they like.  I have already let it be known to my Miller family to come anytime this summer to swim and to use the barbecue.

Joan was a remarkable woman who when alive, I did not appreciate enough.  We loved each other.  The last few years of her life, she lived with us and I think I took good care of her.  But I did not fully appreciate the gifts she brought into the world.  She was an exceptional, no judging, everyone is family kind of person…. lovely lady.

Ahhhh….Now I Remember

Our weather is about to change.  A few showery days are predicted starting tomorrow.  We do need the rain, but I hope it is only a few days and we are back to the spectacular weather us Oregonians have been enjoying.  Monday, after dropping Toby off for grooming and visiting with my sister Kathy; Mom, Kris, Toby and I were able to go to Portland to visit my Uncle Marcel. He is doing so good.

Yesterday, I took lunch to Kathy and went to Costco.  It was during lunch time. Last time I ever do that again. I do not like shopping and I do not like crowds.  So shopping in crowds makes for a very unhappy Konnie.  I ate a light lunch when I got back and had “issues” all afternoon. But I was able to make it to my sister Karen’s Mary Kay party.

Back to the weather. I love summer. I am not a fan of weather over 87 degrees, but most of Oregon days are somewhere between 75 and 85. Perfect.  Last summer was my two kids weddings.  Kane’s was in June, Bailey’s in August.  For Bailey’s wedding, pretty much all my time that I did not have “issues” was taken up with planning, shopping, etc.  Because we wanted a nice wedding but with limited funds, it became a full-time job.  For great hostesses, this would not have been the case, but neither Bailey nor I have any natural talent for such things, so it was a chore.  So last summer, pretty much everything I associate with summer that I enjoy, did not happen….much. Camping only happened a handful of times. We have a lovely pool and  I never went swimming.

The pool is full and in about a week, should be warm enough for me to swim in.

I did not garden last year.  Although we went light on vegetable and ornamental flowers, it feels good to have things planted and an excuse to go out early in the morning to water.  I need to get out there when I am done here to fertilize before the rain comes tomorrow.  Something else I did not do last summer that I really enjoy.  Ride my scooter.  Because I had to be out with the car to run to Salem several times a week for wedding stuff, I always did my local errands on my way home.  During the summer, unless I am getting a sack of dog food or some other big item, I ride my scooter.

In fact, this morning I have already rode it to the store and post office.  Saves on gas and it is just plain fun. Another summer activity I love is summer cooking.  Oh I cooked last summer, but I just did quick, not creative food. I love trying new recipes during the summer.  Anything with basil, tomatoes, cheese, zucchini, cucumbers, grilling, etc….. I am all in.  So I am back to looking at my summer cookbooks and watching an occasional cooking show.

Now don’t get me wrong.  I would not trade last summer for the world.  The memory of the weddings, all the showers, the shopping trips with Bailey, (we always managed to fit in lunch out), is a once in a life time summer.  A beautiful memory.  But this morning as I was riding my scooter, I had that moment of just AHHHHHH……..Now I remember why I love summers.  So Happy Summer to you all.

A Better Week I hope

The pool is filling.  LL started filling it Saturday and it should be full sometime today.  It usually takes a week or so with solar blanket on, to warm it up enough to swim.  I always wonder who will be the first every year to jump in.  I think I have been that person only once.  This year, I did not have long to wonder.  My nephews Gaij and Sam stopped by.  They disappeared while we were visiting with their dad, Josh.  When I went out to see what they were doing, this is what I found.

Boy, I bet it was cold for them but they stayed in for a long time.

Yesterday was a bust for me.  It was such a beautiful day and I could name a half-dozen things I wish I could have done.  Almost every evening last week, I have had major “issues.”  To the point of missing my nephews grade school graduation. 😦  So Saturday evening, I decided not to eat dinner.  Bailey made some home-made pizza roll ups.  I did taste but skipped the meal.  And it helped.  I did not have a problem all night.  But as soon as I got up Sunday, I had nothing but trouble.  It was horrible.  I am glad we have left-overs for tonight so I don’t have to cook.  Because it is basic water and white rice for me today and maybe tomorrow.

Today, I need to get outside and take care of chickens and watering.  Then go pick up Toby at mom’s to take him to his appointment to be groomed.  Then I hope to go to Salem to visit my sister Kathy.  After that, not sure what is happening.  I haven’t seen my Uncle Marcel for quite a while and would like to go to Portland for a visit.  If not today, sometime this week. So, here is hoping, praying, and planning on a better week.