Just When You Think....

 

It seems like just when you think all is well, everything comes apart.  

About a year ago, Tony had a pacemaker installed.  The batteries are supposed to last for 12 years and I was feeling good about that.  I thought we would have 12 years of no worries. 

Well, that was wrong.  This week, I had to take Tony into the hospital to have his pacemaker zapped to get his heart back in rhythm.  Now, he is on a stronger medication and will have to be hospitalized for 3 days for observation.  

I guess there is always something to worry about.

Changes

 

How quickly things change.  We were in Cleveland the week of July 16, to see Jenna's kids and had a great time. 

Now, we are going back for Joe's funeral.  I flip back and forth with my feelings about this.  I am angry at him at some level.  He beat cancer 3 times and kept right on smoking.  Right up until the end.  On the other hand, I feel so bad for my sister in law, Rose.  She dedicated her life to him from the moment they got married and especially in his last days.  She must be exhausted and yet, she goes on.  I know she has to.  I remember well, but it has been a long struggle for her.  

And so, the first of the six of us is gone.  Bob and Donna have been married for 52 years, Rose and Joe for 37 and Tony and I for 35.  I know the remaining four of us are hoping to get several more years in with our spouse, but only time will tell.  For now, we are a group of 5--an odd number for restaurants and parties; but five we will be. I don't want Rose to be left out of activities.  She deserves better than that. 

As Time Goes By...

 

Time seems to be one of the most talked about subjects in my emails, blogs and Facebook.  It goes so quickly by.  You are here one day and the next time you thing about what you were talking about, it's months since you posted.  I plead guilty.

Recently, we have had Sarah and Steven visiting from Cleveland.  They are a joy to have.  Sarah is the daughter of my sister, Fritz, and her husband, Steven.  Sarah and her husband, Steven, have been together for 13 years of their lives (or one third) and know each other very well.  They are so well suited.  

It was fun having them here.  Sarah and I got our nails done and we went out to dinner on a restaurant on the Cape Fear River.  When we go to Cleveland in July, we will stay with them in North Royalton.  

It was fun having young people here.  They helped us with our  computer issues and laughed at our systemic inabilities, in a good way, of course.

Watching Sarah reminded me of when I took her shopping for the day.  She was 5 or 6 and told me very plainly, "My mother said to make sure you spend lots of money one me."  And so, I did.  I bought her a slip to go under a dress I bought her and she thought it was another dress.  We tried on all kinds of styles and I remember her twirling around saying, "I like this one, it makes me look beautiful."

Sarah has always been beautiful...as a child and as an adult.  

As time goes by, I hope we can continue to shop together and have fun.  

She is a wonderful young lady. 

Vacation

 Tony and I spent several days last week checking out wineries in the Yadkin River Valley area.  We had a blast.  The wineries were remote, quiet and historical.  We met some nice people and tried some good wine.

We started the trip in Ashville--a city we  have been to but did not recognize.  We decided it would be our last time in Ashville due to all of the construction, traffic and narrow streets. It was difficult to get around in the city, beautiful as it was. 

I don't go back to work until May 25th and I am enjoying my time off.  The weather has been up and down.  Rainy one day and beautiful the next.  We did "property walk" before we left and the yard looks great.  Not as good as in Strongsville when Tony took care of it, but nice, anyway.  Our hummingbirds are back and we enjoy watching them in the evening.  

Dixie enjoyed her time with Uncle Stu and Aunt Jan.....we can tell because when she comes home after being there, she ignores us.  We don't serve her Costco chicken like Aunt Jan does, just stuff from the grocery store.  She can tell, believe me.

Our niece, Sarah and her husband, Steven are coming for a visit in June.  We are repaying the favor by staying with them in July when we come to Cleveland.  Our dates are not nailed down yet, but will be soon. 

We are looking forward to seeing everyone! 

 

The Big Event

 

Well, the 4th Annual Writer's Award Banquet is history.  We had a great crowd, good food and entertainment and tons of fun!!

The Teen Scene kids had a blast getting their trophies and pictures taken for the paper.  We had several teachers and principals there to celebrate along with them.  

There were some odd things that happened, however.  One of our sponsors paid for her ticket ($75.00) and one for a teen (another $75.00) and made a $250 tax deductible donation.    After the event, she walked over to the silent auction table and picked up some luggage that was up for auction ($400.00) value.  As she was dragging it to her car, she called out to Gerald (the publisher) that "they were even."  What she didn't know was that there was another auction item in the luggage (to keep it from blowing away) which was a golf package for over $300.00.  She called Gerald this morning and ask for our tax ID number so she could claim her $400.00.  When Gerald called her on stealing the luggage and told her about the golf package, she said she would mail the golf stuff back but was keeping the luggage.  And, she is a very highly respected member of the community.  Go figure. 

Tony and I were beat and glad the event is over for another year.  I couldn't have done it without  him.  I always get the praise for putting on a nice event, but he is the one who drives me to the trophy store (I couldn't find it if my life depended on it,)  helps set up, moves the heavy stuff (yes, at 77 and with a pacemaker,) takes photos of the event and does so much more.  If I can't figure it out, fix it, hoist it, center it or make it happen, Tony is always there to get it done and de-stress me.  Yesterday was husband appreciation day, and I truly did. 

I am still working a ton of hours.  We hired someone for the open spot, but she took a different job instead, so I'm into May hours.  We are taking a week off for our 35th wedding anniversary.  Dixie will be with her Godparents, so we will all be happy.  Can't wait.  

Still trying to plan our July trip to Cleveland....waiting for Jenna again.  

At any rate, things are calm right now and I am wasting the day away, playing on the computer and wearing my jammies all day.  

Life is good. 

To Retire or Not to Retire, That is the Question

I can't remember how many times I have retired since I left my job at Novant (at age 67.)   You know, retiring, that phase where you have all kinds of money and time to do whatever you want?  I always said that I wanted what Tony had in retirement--5 years of doing whatever he wanted.  I joked about having a stack of unread books that I was going to tackle in retirement.  I thought I might even take a few writing courses at a local college.   Well, it didn't turn out that way.  

In my quest to get the house paid off, I went back to work, but only part time.  I'm still not sure why it didn't dawn on me at the time we took out our mortgage, but by the time the house is paid off, Tony will be 92 and I will be 87-- that is, of course, if we live that long.  

One job led to another and here I am.  We recently had an employee at Carolina Dunes who quit.  She was full time on day shift.  That left us with one full time night person, four every other weekend people (of which I am one) and an "as needed" person who is in training.  Unfortunately,  I am the oldest one there and all but me and the "as needed" person have other jobs during the work week.  So instead of my 4 day a month schedule, I am working 12 days in April and it could go into May.

I am not looking forward to getting up at 5:00 a.m. that many days, but, we just had our furnace overhauled with a power surge protector installed, which is going to cost almost $1,000.  Not to mention the termite infestation we had to fix and the car needing maintenance.  All important things and all unplanned.  We are going on a mini vacation in May to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary, so I am picking up shifts and Tony is as well, so we still have that to look forward to.

In other news, my right hip is starting to heal from the fall I had in January and I am very glad.  I can actually get in the car now without moaning and groaning and dragging in my right leg.  It still twinges a bit, but it is so much better. 

I have taken on another writing assignment.  Our neighbor, Christal, was born in Germany in 1938.  She wanted to send her grandson a document about her life so she asked me to help her write it.  She is a very interesting woman and I have learned a lot about life in pre and post World War II.  

Today is Easter and we have perfect weather--a high of 82 degrees and a slight wind.  We are having a ham dinner and then, hopefully, playing bocce in the yard.  Not being able to move around very much because of my hip had added unnecessary weight (not to mention food and wine) and I need to get moving to get rid of it. 

The Cape Fear/Teen Scene Award Dinner is April 20 and as always, I will be glad when it is over.  

Not much else going on.  I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter holiday. 

As Time Goes By

Well, here we are in March.  We have "sprung" forward and are slowly warming up--although much faster that our Cleveland families.  

The Cape Fear Voices/Teen Scene banquet is set for April 20.  I don't seem to be working as hard on this one as I have in the past.  Maybe after doing 3 of them, I'm finally getting the hang of planning.  

In house news, we had some yucky visitors--flying termites.  They have destroyed the window sill in my office and there are holes in the floor in the kitchen and in front of the front door.  They are just ruthless, not to mention ugly.  Anyway, we had a bug service come out years ago and kept them on a retainer.  Good thing, as they came out yesterday, took care of the creepy bugs and are having the floors repaired at no cost to us.  I hate bugs. 

Looks like we will be going to Cleveland in July to see the grandkids.  I am happy about that, as it will be two years since we last saw them.  

 I am still working at Carolina Dunes and still writing.  Some things don't change.  I am also still working through the aftermath of the fall I took in January.  My right hip is still painful, although I can at least get in the car now.  Old people should never fall.  

We had our taxes done today and, Thank God, we get a refund from both Federal and the State--not a big one, but, hey, green is green.  We also stopped by Fibber McGee's for lunch, one of our favorite places.  So, all in all, it was a good day. 

Not much else is going on.  Dixie is well and so is Tony.  All things considered, it is a good time in life for us.