Who Has Time to be Sick?????

When we were coming back from the Ava Gardner museum, I noticed I was getting a sore throat.  A day and a half later, I was so sick.  I was coughing like crazy, tired and had a low grade fever plus sore muscles.  Geez, I hate being sick.   This was a killer, although, not Influenza A, like the people who come through the Emergency Room have had. 

 

But, you can't be sick and have an agenda too.  I had to go to work on Thursday, go to training classes for the new computer system on Saturday and Sunday and we were supposed to have dinner with Donna and Bob on Friday evening.  And so we did...all of that stuff...plus, Donna and I managed to get in some shopping during the pouring rain on Friday.  Shopping is THE BEST way to fight a cold.

 

We found a place called Island Breeze...I called it Island Paradise.   It was full of great clothes of terrific quality, jewelry to die for and a wonderful staff...we had our own personal shopper in Sarah and really enjoyed our time there. 

I have always wanted some pieces of Brighton jewelry.   Pandora pieces are sort of the rip off of Brighton (formed in the '70's.)  Pandora has charm-like pieces that you can put on a bracelet or necklace to tell a story...probably the story of your life....education, marriage, children, etc.  Brighton has those pieces, but specializes more in very high end decorative pieces. For example, I got a round, hollow dark blue piece with white star fish on it.  I paired that with two plain red stones and it looks great. I can switch out the blue and red pieces or I can add to it and make a necklace that has pieces "from ear to ear."  I don't want to do that....I would rather buy individual pieces and just switch them out according to the outfit I am wearing.  I have my eye on a silver and brown piece that I really liked. 

Anyway, Island Breeze had a ton of Brighton jewelry so I finally started my necklace.  From there, we checked out the clothes, books, footwear, party gowns and evening wear and all kinds of stuff in between.  Our personal shopper, Sarah, said that if we purchased $100.00 in Brighton merchandise, we would get a Brighton tote bag, valued at $100.00 for free.  I told Donna, "good luck."   Imagine my surprise when I was checking out and Sarah said, "Congratulations, Jan, you get a Brighton bag."  Hmmmm....I sure didn't set out to get one, but I love it.

From there, we went to various boutiques and ended up at one called Bleu.  It was small and crowded, but had fun stuff.  Donna and I bought heavy leggings at a great price and I found an Infinity scarf with star fish on it (starting to pick up on the theme????)   I got a matching blue top and wore my "coastal" outfit to dinner.   Donna got a black and burgundy top with roses on it.  With the black leggings she looked so good. 

Our personal shopper actually took pictures of us to send to the Brighton website because we looked so good!! (um....and bought so much!!)

After that, we went to dinner with our guys at Roberto's Italian Restaurant.  Since Tony was also sick, we made it a short evening and stayed overnight with Donna and Bob. 

This morning, Donna made a great breakfast and I was off to computer training.  We are home now, but tomorrow I go back for more training.  We are still coughing and sniffling, but I think the worst is over.

Check out how great we look!!!!

How brave am I to be photographed next to a Weight Watcher employee and successful weight loss person???!!!  Doesn't she look great!!  Here we are wearing our heavy leggings and new tops. 

 You can almost see my sea horse necklace, but you can definitely see my sea horse scarf!!

Sticking with the theme...here's Donna's kitchen in the Sunset Beach, NC condo.

 

Here is the view from the living room....

Here is the living room

Bob and Dixie resting at our house before going to the condo.

Dixie doing her thing on top of Daddy's reclining chair!!  She was just as comfortable at the condo!

 

 

The next time we see Donna and Bob will be at our Super Bowl get together....go Patriots!!!

 



 

 

Ava

While Donna and Bob are here, we decided to go to Smithfield, North Carolina (about 1 1/2 hours away), home of the farm girl and Hollywood star that became  Ava Gardner.  Her museum is located right on Main Street across from a diner right out of the '50's.   I don't think any of us were expecting much, but we were pleasantly surprised at the displays and the short movie we saw where we learned about her life before she was a Hollywood glamour girl. 

Looking back, I don't think that she achieved the fame she should have.   She was beautiful and able to play a variety of roles.   To some extent, I think she was overshadowed by Elizabeth Taylor and some of the other studio beauties. 

So, take a short tour with me and enjoy the Ava Gardner museum:

You can drive right up to the front door.

One of the museum staff people told me this lights up at night.

This is a famous photograph of MGM's most popular stars....notice Clark Gable, my favorite, right in the center. 

 

Magazine covers on which Ava appeared.

Paintings of her done by different artists in the museum library.

 

Her first "starring" movie poster.

Mogambo, one of my favorites...with Clark Gable....where she played the bad "girl" opposite Grace Kelly, who was the good "girl" attracted to Clark Gable. Ava would later attend Grace's wedding to Prince Ranier and corresponded with Grace throughout her life.

Various gowns designed for her by the best fashion houses in America and Europe.

She had an 18 inch waist, as evidenced by her jacket in a movie with Gregory Peck, one of her long time friends.

The gown she wore in Show Boat, with Howard Keel.  She was "Julie" the mixed race woman scorned by her white husband when he finds out she carries black blood in her.  Julie becomes embittered and hard. A perfect role for Ava.

 

Here's Donna doing her Dixie thing...."I want, I want, I want...."

I wanted it too.....a three diamond drop necklace....right in style today.

An embroidered and jeweled cape she wore in the "Count of Monte Crisco."

 

One of her glamor shots on the outside of the building.

Alas, she had a stroke at 67 while she was living in London, and died.  She is buried with her family in the Smithfield cemetery. 

Goodbye, Ava Lavinia Gardner

 

 

Smithfield's best....The Diner....Bob is still waiting for the straw he asked for!!

 

 

Words

I love words.  I can't remember a time when I wasn't reading, although I know there must have been a point in my young life when words meant nothing to me.  I have taken a million speech classes and look at how words are pronounced just a bit differently than other people.  I was taught that the "Ohio drawl," was not pleasing to the ears and tended to sound "lazy" when it came to pronunciation.    So now, I don't say, "worsh"  I say, "wash" with an emphasis on the "WAH" sound.   

In my "medical" career, I am learning many new words.  I'm also finding out that just because it's a big medical word, doesn't mean it's a terrible illness.  For example:

 

"Syncope" (pronounced Sin-co-pee) is a fainting spell, or just passing out.

 

"Pyelonephritis"  is when a urinary tract infection progresses to your kidneys.

 

"Sinus Tachycardia" is a fast heart beat or a rapid contraction in a normal heart.

 

"Matatarsophalangeal Joint Sprain" is when you bend your big toe back and injure it.

 

When you look at it that way, medical words aren't so scary.  But, now take a look at words of the south.   Initially, I thought they were scary.  Scary sounding, anyway.

 

Many southern people wear old cigarette smoke like the French wear perfume.  It hangs on them.  It "waaffs" to others, even when it is not wanted.  It smells like second hand smoke, once removed.  You know it can't hurt you, but oh boy, you know it's there.  Southern people have their own language and like the cigarette smell, you know it's there.  It offends some and encompasses others.   Here's what I have learned so far:

 

Southern Definitions:

 

Carry:   to drive or transport someone from one place to another.

 

Tote:   to carry, either packages or small children.

 

Girl:   women of all ages.

 

Wad:  wide, as in a double wide trailer or manufactured home.

 

High Cotton:  wealthy, or at least, not on government assistance.

 

Fell From Ugly:    a person who is not attractive.

 

How Do:   means How Do You Do?

 

Lick:   means none or nothing.

 

Ant:   means Ain't.  You need to put the emphasis on the "a" but make it sound like a hard "a" and then throw away the rest of the word.

 

Cuz,:  means because, but the emphasis is on the "c."  It's a guttural sound.  It makes your mouth pucker and your neck snap.   If that doesn't happen, you aren't saying it the southern way.

 

Suwanne:   means I swear.

 

Pert Near:   means close.

 

Cheer:   means here.

 

Caint:   means can't.

 

Gace or Gayce:   means gas.

 

Dungarees:   means work clothes, most often blue jeans or denim.

 

Air:   means are.

 

Bay:   means the letter "B."

 

Pay:   means the letter "P."

 

Tud-ay:  means today.

 

Yaint:   means you aren't.

 

Yezum:   means yes, ma'am.

 

Truck:   means any vehicle larger than a Volkswagen, full of rust. 

 

Croker:   means doctor.

 

So, let's say a friend with a better job called you up and wanted to go shopping with you, but because her car was being repaired, she asked you to drive.  She's not your best looking friend, but she's OK.   The conversation would be:

 

"That high cotton girl called me up to carry her all over town and tote her stuff.  I caint do that, cuz I ant been to the bay pay to get gayce.  Hell, she fell from ugly anyway, why she bothern me?"

Make no mistake, this is not, "black talk," as many people might  think.  But it is conversation that happens every day in the south; black or white. 

 

Maybe you aren't motivated on any given day.  If that was the case, you would say,

 

"I ant done a lick tud-ay."

 

Or, perhaps you meet someone who has an accent.  If that were the case, you would say,

 

"You ant from cheer, air ya...You a Yankee?"

 

I have heard many interesting things in my medical experience.   To be honest, there is much that I don't understand.  But, when that is the case, I have found warm and wonderful people eager to "educate" me to some extent on what they are saying and how I can use the phrases--even the medical ones because they know what is going on with their bodies. 

 

I registered a man today at 4:59.  Patient Registration was supposed to close at 5:00.  As I was walking toward the doors to lock them, he was walking in.  He didn't have a procedural order and hadn't been at a our facility before...so, a potential 5 minute registration turned into a 20 minute experience.  He smelled to high heaven of cigarettes.  But, when he found out I was about to close (he thought I was leaving for the day...I didn't tell him I was there until 11:30 p.m.)  He said to me:

 

"Dang (damn,) you musta wanted to keel me when I walked in the dough.  I dint know you waz closing or I wudda come suuner.  Sorry to hold ya up from yo family." 

He was having a serious test on a serious part of his body.  I sensed he was afraid.  I was sorry because I have seen that test before and know it's not usually good news. 

"No problem," I said, "I ant done a lick tud-ay."   Never in a million years did I think I would say something like that. 

I may still say, "wash" instead of "worsh," but when I am with my patients who have serious things going on, I am a southerner.  I will do my best to be on their side and practice my southern accent with vigor.  I will practice saying, "pie" making sure my jaw hits my chin and making it sound like "hi" with a very silent "p--like, pa-i"  It's the least I can do now that I'm living in the land of Dixie....in more ways than one.   Like Kevin Costner in "Dances With Wolves," I am adapting to my environment.  Hopefully, I will make a difference.

 

Words--there is a song that Cher sings that says, "Words are like weapons, they wound sometimes."  And she is right.  But, if we can use words, no matter how they sound to us initially, to  find commonality, isn't that a good thing? 

 

"Wheeze goin to the movies, t'morrow so I kin relax."  I hope y'all have a good day, too. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dog Sense

I have not been feeling well for awhile.  Since I had my stroke in 1992, my auto immune system has not functioned as it should.  That means that I get infections and all kinds of weird things because my body is not able to fight invading elements that target me.   The end result is that I get serious infections like MRSA and Cellulitis and can end up in the hospital so I don't go into Sepsis.  To say it's a "pain" to deal with is funny on one hand, but very true on the other.

 

My immune system reacts to stress.  The more stress I have, the less I can fight off these dumb things that find their way into my system.   That means my legs, arms and torso end up in distress, with itching, dry and breaking skin and infection running rampant in my system. 

 

That has been the case for awhile.  I get to the point where I can't stand to wear pants or walk or really move, since any movement will irritate my legs and start the chain reaction of itching, scratching and infection.  It affects my sleep   I can't sleep.  I am in a constant state of movement and up and down all night putting things on my legs or any area that is affected.   It's a chain reaction--lack of sleep means stress, stress means an active outbreak of exezma, which means I am itchy and can't sleep. 

 

I went to my dermatologist today and found that I have indeed been experiencing a severe active outbreak, coupled with impetigo, an infection that is two steps away from MRSA which could land me in the hospital for the third time to get rid of this.

 

My doctor gave me three or four new prescriptions but also gave me a shot to reduce the itchiness and allow me to get some sleep.  She told me to be careful driving since this would make me sleepy.  She was right....I was almost home and could feel the effects of the shot.

 

I took Dixie out before I left for my 9:00 appointment and that was it.  Once I got home, I got into bed and slept without interruption for the next four hours.  It was great.  I felt drugged when I finally woke up, but I slept...finally I got some good sleep. 

 

I got up at 2:00 in the afternoon and worried that Dixie had pooped or peed in the house.  Relax, I said to myself after an inspection...all was well.   Dixie was laying near me by my side of the bed.  All curled up and sleeping lightly.  She got up when I got up and followed me around the house.  If I sat down, she sat at my feet.  If I laid down, she laid down in front of me.  When I did take her out, she was efficient and came right back in.  Tony said she must have sensed that I was not well.  I think he was right.  Dixie has been a wonderful puppy today and seems to be taking care of me, instead of the other way around. 

 

I remember Jack displaying the same type of support when I was displaced and out of work for six months.   If I was on the couch crying, he was in front of me whimpering.  He would jump up next to me and get close and just be there.  It was comforting, as it was with Dixie today.   I am lucky we have had such sensitive pets and hope to be immune improved very soon.   See, I always knew that dogs were people too!

 

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DIXIE!!!

I suppose it's natural for parents to reminisce about the day their baby was born.   To remember how small they were compared to current day--comparing their little nose and fingers and recalling how they slept a lot.  Babies are a breathing miracle.

 

Tony and I are doing that today with Dixie.  She is 2 years old today!  Ah, the terrible twos.  Could it be any worse than her fist year--biting, pooping inside, destroying shoes?  We'll see. 

 

On a positive note, she is responding better to spoken commands and hand signals.  If her water dish is empty and we don't fill it when she barks, she lifts it out of the metal frame and lets it drop so it makes a noise.  Pretty smart, huh?  It's like I tell Tony, it only took her a year to train two people. 

 

Dixie is as different from Jack as a Poodle is to a Mexican Hairless.  She is a "girly, girl" while Jack was a snorting, sloppy eating mess with "eye goo."  But, both added  happiness to our lives and are/were much loved. 

 

See our baby grow!   Happy Birthday, Dixie!!

 

The first time ever I saw your face...2013

Sleeping beauty

Cuddling with a tennis ball

Dixie was almost black!!  Tony made the final decision....good choice!

Oh yeah, this is the one

 

 

Six weeks later, going to  her new house

With her new daddy....

...And new Mommy!

 

In mid-air...see me grow!!

Having fun, fetching with Daddy

Taking a rest

Back to running and jumping

Relaxing with "Stretch" January, 2014

Newly groomed

 

In her sweater

Sleeping and waiting for Santa

Taking Daddy for a walk

 

"I'm soooo cute!"

 

January, 2015....thinking about aging on her birthday

Feeling the "hat vibe!!"

 

Happy Birthday, Baby!

 

 

 

 

Fire

Tony and I have always been drawn to the elements--water mostly, but fire too.  We love sitting in front of a fireplace and listening to it crack and sharing the heat.   In Strongsville, we had a wood burning fireplace and a burn mark on our carpet in the family room in front of the fireplace because we had a raging fire that "spit" an ember on to the rug.   It was a pain when we tried to sell the house, but when we looked at it, we remembered that fire and the fun we had leaping up and putting it out before it got worse.  It was one of those "you and me" moments.  We witnessed it and dealt with it together.  It was our rug, our fireplace, our fire and our problem!

 

Several months ago, I was looking at fireplaces online and saw some portable ones that you could put on your patio or lanai.  I was enchanted with the idea of sitting out on the lanai in the cooler weather and having a fire to keep us warm.   Plus, the idea of having a fire on the lanai without going outside in evening even in the warmer weather and not fighting bugs was very attractive to me.

 

When David came in for Thanksgiving, I shared my idea with him and a few days ago, he emailed Tony and told him about a portable fireplace at Home Depot.   We went to look at them  today and they were exactly what I wanted.  The one we bought  throws heat, has different flame colors, gets up to 82 degrees in temperature, heats an area of up to 400 square feet and look great.  It fits in the space I wanted to put it perfectly. 

 

Tony put it together today and we tested it and it is wonderful.  We told  Dixie that it was for her....and I think she will take full advantage of it, but I know that Tony bought it and installed it for me.  And, I just love it. 

 

Check out the process...and the finished product.   Fire....I love it.

 

 

Tony takes the first step in creating "fire!!"

Reading the directions is always better with a Miller Lite!

OOO...all we need is flames, heat and color....

 

We're getting close....but don't get the marshmellows yet!

Ta Da.....side lighting (see the blue and purple on the house...), flames and heat...plus music from the speakers on the lanai.  Morning coffee is going to be really nice.

 

Thanks, Daddy Bear....I love it.