Life Lately

 I am going to do my best to give a partial update on life. I didn't exactly plan to take a month away, but it was needed and after trying to write 2 different posts and having Blogger suck them up and away I decided it was maybe a sign I needed to just take a break from anything other than the necessities. One time Blogger deleted an entire post when I was trying to put pictures in. I hit the undo button multiple times to no avail, the post just swooshed away to never be seen again. I then tried again the next day and when I hit preview it disappeared again. This was on October 30 and 31st. Did anyone have issues out there?

I am going to just pick up from the present and not even try to go back and do all the October things.

I finished my small sampler called "Upon My Heart" by Plum Street Samplers. I stitched it on 36 count Cream and Sugar by Fiber on a Whim. I loved the linen but I could not make the charted doves work on the linen color. I tried more than one color floss, but they just disappeared. I decided to just leave them off. I also left off the date sign that went at the top of the building. I just couldn't handle the over one stitching and wasn't sure I even liked the date there. I just put a matching window there instead. 

Overall I am pleased with it. It is smaller than most samplers which I find desirable. My photo is dark because I took it at night. My other thing that I might have changed if I had more mind power is the color of the windows. I might have made them a lighter color. ---Off to the framer's it will go soon.

I stitched exclusively on this instead of alternating with the osprey because life has just been a bit heavy and my mind couldn't skip around. I plan to go back to my osprey after Christmas. I have enough done that it is calling, but I had another idea hit me that I want to stitch until Christmas. 

Before I tell my brainstorm, I will mention that the ospreys that I have written about before that reside seasonally out on the island light pole and at the ball park lost their nests to the hurricane. I knew they would, but they have had a long run in those spots. I wonder if they will return and rebuild or find a new spot. I ALWAYS look for them when I am on the island. 

Jeff and Paul Allen captured this pair of eagles the other day while fishing.

Nature can be just so cool. 

Now back to my stitching idea. I lost a good friend and mentor back this summer and one day it just hit me how much she loved Christmas and used to do a Christmas brunch each December for decades. It was quite a production and she did it with amazing ease. She always had a tree devoted to just Nativity scene ornaments. The thought came to me that I would cross stitch me a Nativity ornament to honor her.... and why not Lindsay and Paul Allen one.... and why not my 2 friends A and C who loved Nancy dearly too. 

Well as always I am overly ambitious, but until Christmas I am going to stitch on some ornaments and what I don't get done this year I will carry the idea over to next year.

I learned that my cataract surgery lens done 3 years ago has clouded up and my little procedure to fix it won't  be until January. I think I realized it happened back in June while we were on vacation, but I delayed going to the eye doctor because I just didn't think it could do this so long after surgery. I tell y'all so you know it can happen! It is definitely putting a damper on my cross stitching eyes.

Hurricane debris is still everywhere. Jeff has dubbed the entrance to our cul-de-sac as the entrance to the Bat Cave. It is still so many trees down everywhere and honestly it matches my mood. Driving down our street is an adventure with all the debris still everywhere. I still say we were so lucky. A new roof, a new fence and those pine trees being removed out of the corner down by the water were all huge wins for us. I still have to try to get our window screens back up, but hey, maybe by next spring I will get that done. At least I was able to rescue them all and they weren't in the water somewhere in the bay.

One side of our entrance. It has decreased in height because it is all dead leaves now.

I never got to write about my flower choices that were big pollinators, but I did keep them written down. I found some real winners for bees and butterflies this year. I have moved on to fall flowers now, but we had hummingbirds before and after the hurricane this year which again was all about the blooms.

I didn't find the citrus colored pansies this year until just the other day. By that time I had gone with another color. Here are my 3 pots of pansies that are really popping now. Lots of fertilizer for blooms. 

(2 purples and 1 white)

 

I am loving them and they are so pretty when I drive into our circle. My mum that was bright yellow finished that flush of color ,and I pulled off those blooms. It is coming back with a different color. I am hopeful it will be full bloom again for Thanksgiving. I love the new blooms.

Barkley has brought a lot of joy to us. He is growing so quickly. He weighed 16 pounds this week, so he has doubled since joining us. He knows his name and seems to be happy with both of us. He is great sleeper which is a WIN. Very playful. Daggers for teeth.

Here are just a few pictures I have taken the past 2 weeks of him.

I swannee he changes color by the day. His coloring should settle by the 6 month mark or that is what I have read. He will be 3 months this Sunday.

We are over the moon about him. 

Missing Gus but this little one has just brought so much joy.

Before I tell you the health updates around here, I will tell you about my trip to Auburn this past weekend. I had not been to a football game in 4 years. Miles was an infant when Paul Allen and I slipped away for a half 4 years ago. A lot has happened to keep me away. For someone who has gone to at least one game a year since high school that was a big miss for me. I looked at the schedule this year and selected November 7th to try and go to a game. 2 reasons for that date: cooler weather and it is Dad's birthday. 

Jeff can no longer navigate the stadium stairs, so I was fine if I went by myself. I just wanted to go again and soak up the traditions. 

It turned out Paul Allen and Miles would go with me. It was Miles's first game. He got to see the eagle fly. He and Paul Allen made it to half time. I stayed for the entire game and strolled back to the house and enjoyed it all. Right through campus and up through the middle of Toomer's Corner. 

Paul Allen and his family went up and rolled the trees.

All good stuff. 

We built a fire outside that night and I really that was icing on the cake. I do love a fire. Everyone went in before me, but I stayed until the last log turned to coals. I had to explain that to Miles. He kept coming out to check on me and wanted to know when I was coming in, so I showed him what I meant in the fire.

Katie captured this picture of us outside from the bedroom window. I thought it was kind of cool. We had some good talks when he would come to check on me.

Not to leave out the other grandchildren. Lindsay took them to see Grandma on Veteran's Day. They were having a program so the boys got to see that and Mama got a rose for my dad being a veteran.

Since my last post, there has just been some hard and sad days. Parkinson's is just evil and sent Jeff through some very rough days right after the hurricane. Like the kind he had right after he found out what was wrong with him was Parkinson's and had to come to grips with that. 

I will try not to be too sad with the post, but....

He has had some issues with filling like he couldn't get a deep breath which I felt like was Parkinson's anxiety. The neurologist even agreed, but none of the things she suggested helped. His primary care doctor ordered some heart and pulmonary tests. He never got to get the full pulmonary work up due to other things. I feel as though we go constantly to doctors and throw in Mama's it is a TON! The heart stress test showed a spot which now means a CTA scan in Pensacola. It hasn't even been scheduled, but I haven't been overly worried about it because he said he had trouble laying still because of back and neck pain. Again is that Parkinson's. 

One day a week before he was scheduled for his bladder surgery he just lost it. He was having back spasms, but the odd thing was that his breathing improved after that awful day. Go figure.

His bladder surgery showed a higher grade tumor, so now he starts immunotherapy. All of that isn't set up yet, but that will be long term. 

Mama adds another layer to my stress. It just can be a lot at times and I just have to stop and give myself some quiet time.

My anut and uncle are still trying to come every 2 or 3 weeks to see her. My aunt is having issues though with my cousin who is 2 months older than me. He has cancer and will be starting treatments too. 

To say that my mind is cluttered is an understatement. 

I do read your blogs, but I have just had trouble taking all of this in and composing comments.

All of that to say, I will come and go as my brain allows. I am in the midst of a lot, but I do look forward to the holidays. 

The sampler designer above always places a Bible verse on the pattern that the designer bases the pattern design. The verse for it was Proverbs 4:23 "Keep thy heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life." 

The issues of life are not always easy, but He walks it with me. 

Isaias or I 26

 It has been a challenging week. 

I am completely exhausted.

I am thankful and sad at the same time. 

*****

Compared to so many around me, I came out really good.

Each storm has a name and that name goes down with its own story. I have lived through many and this one's main tagline will be, "The Storm That Broke All the Rules." 

A few observations...

I have lived through most of my hurricanes being center or east of the storm. West is best is the rule. This one seemed to have broken all those rules. The west was not the place to be. We were in the center with the National Hurricane deeming the center crossed Destin. That does fit. Lindsay and her family went to Atlanta for the storm. That was sorta in the works pre storm. Tucker is 8 today and came on the heels of Michael 8 years ago and is frightened of even a thunderstorm, which is not good considering where we live and those being a part of life, so they rode it out at Tyler's parents. She knew what was going on, but that is scary too thinking about your family down here and knowing what can happen.

We kept waiting for the surge of water. We know how far it comes up and had prepared. It never really surged. The wind howled and was about the right amount for what they said was coming. The rain however was not the right amount.

I do think the wind we received as that wall was coming over was about right. Do NOT mistake that for it was nothing or not scary as Hell. 

The rain was the craziest. The number of homes in Fort Walton Beach that are flooded is unbelievable. The direction of those rains too was odd. We have a couple in our small group who do live in a low lying area. They did have flood insurance. They prepared their back side of their home with as much as they could and decided to leave town pretty much knowing they would get water in it. What they didn't expect was the amount or the direction it came in from though. We know so many from our church that live in that neighborhood that flooded. I feel so grateful.

Paul Allen had a large tree come from a neighbor's yard in to his, but it missed the house. Praise God. Lindsay lost a fence, but you know all of those things are fixable.

Lindsay's neighbor did say the eye came over them because he thought a window was blown out at her house, but checked on it and the eye that it still had did come right over them. He was able to look up and see stars and then not.

There is debris as far as you can see everywhere.

Our live oaks all look pitiful. Heavily pruned but all standing. One of them next door fell, but didn't crash the house. Many down the street the same.

I will always say the number really means nothing unless it is a 5 and then catastrophic doesn't describe it. 

My mother's assisted living place took on water. I won't say flooded because it didn't go up the walls, but the flooring was soggy for certain. I am disgusted with the place for lack of communication, but I will get past it. I had taken her out the day before it all started. I didn't like that it was headed our way and they can strengthen quickly. Her place is close to the Gulf and wouldn't be protected from winds as much as we are even though we are on the bay. 

She has been with me for most of the week. She is entirely ready to be back in her place which HOPEFULLY will alleviate my guilt for not having her live with me. Just a week has been hard. I love her but she is a lot. I certainly don't think it would be good for Jeff.

Now, the west is best thing...

Whatever happened to the storm cause an odd phenomenon to occur. The worst winds were on the west side running from Milton to Repton. For those that know the area. Highway 87 leaves Navarre and runs through Milton where we bought Barkley, up by Whiting Field and into Brewton, my hometown. At the state line that highway changes to Highway 41. The highest winds ran from Milton straight up 87/41 all the way to Repton, Alabama. I have so many friends and family with lots of damage. It will be a while before things are back to normal up that way.

 I think people can be surprised at how far the winds can go. Brewton took a hit in Ivan and everyone is saying this was worse. Ivan was a low 4. 

I let everyone know on Facebook I was ok, but I had no idea about Mom's place or all my family. It has been a lot to swallow as all hurricanes are. About the 3rd day I had to quit looking at any news or social media to recapture my sanity. 

I am good now.

We had our small group on Wednesday along with the couple that their home is ruined. I wanted to find some Scripture to read since we were mainly meeting to pray and converse. 

I read Romans 5:1-5 emphasizing certain words. 

5 Therefore, having been justified by faith, [a]we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we also have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and [b]we celebrate in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only this, but [c]we also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

I am so grateful I was spare, but heartbroken for others. It will take time.

Jeff and I have had lots of doctor appointments the last few weeks mostly due to his Parkinson's. I have noticed a few new things which has led to testing, but I feel all of it is the P word. None of it is fun, but Tuesday after the storm he had his bladder appointment for the scope. He gets tense before each one and quite frankly, it is a good thing we were even able to keep the appointment in Pensacola. I keep reminding myself of the good. He does have another tumor and will need the surgery to remove it. That is why they do the scopes every 3-4 months. Bladder cancer has a high recurrence rate. We are waiting for that to be scheduled. He is seeing some other doctors in the days ahead for the other mentioned items.

Busy days.

I am of course behind in reading anyone's blog. I will get there eventually. I have mostly looked at Facebook to see family and friends. I do have power which is in itself ANOTHER completely weird thing about this storm.

I won't be around too much until it settles down a bit more.

I will leave you on a happy note. 

Barkley had no idea a storm came. He was completely happy and well cared for. He was pretty sure all was good while his doggy family in Milton was also hit very hard. Fortunately, many have swooped in to help cut trees and help out with the breeder's needs. All I could do was pray that would happen for her. 

He is just adorable.

Everything goes to his mouth. 

Can you believe that mum still looks this way? Now, there was debris everywhere around it but the wind came in from an odd direction and I guess its proximity to the house and being low it didn't get touched. 

Trust me when I tell you the wind whipping between our houses and in the circle in the live oaks was nuts.

We are off to celebrate Tucker's birthday and watch Georgia demolish us in football, but our family will always be Auburn.

Fall arrived this morning. It is cool and I am in my first long sleeve shirt and pants for the season. I think I am ready. I know all those cutting up logs and working are happy to see it. As I look across the bayou there is a huge tree they are working on now.

Forgive typos - my brain is tired too. 

I haven't even picked up a needle in over a week. Not good-

On one more good thing -

I saw a hummingbird on my bottlebrush the morning of the hurricane and then again yesterday. I take those as good things. Also I think it was Friday, I saw a ton of monarch butterflies in the front yard. 

Oh goodness, one more thing. See, I told y'all I am nuts. 

I 26 is the name I dubbed the storm all most immediately. What was the NHC thinking when giving a name like that for people like me living in northwest Floria and south Alabama to try and pronounce with southern accents. That may be a lighter moment in all this - the names given to it. I even heard it dubbed Julio Iglesias. I wasn't the only one who knew we would need something else. 

Thank goodness I 26 is gone. 

Thankful,

Sandy